#but also i made it up based on a cut line where the mafia boss mentioned he hadn't seen a time piece in over a hundred years

[yuwumeniji]

Luxiem & Pickup Lines

WARNING: Please remember that I am writing about Luxiem based on their characters online and not of the people behind their vtuber avatars, thank you!

EXTRA NOTES: i just want them flustered over the cheesiest pick up lines i found on the internet lmao

GENERAL

established relationships (reader x luxiem)

both luxiem and the reader are streamers here - the reader plays along with their respective chats flirts with the boys

the reader is the one telling the boy a pick-up line

i literally got these off of one of those top (insert number here) websites lmao

you can 100% pull bitches this way (trust me)

MORE UNDER THE CUT

⊰᯽⊱┈───── ✧ ─────┈⊰᯽⊱

IKE EVELAND

"Can you touch my hand? I want to tell my friends that I've been touched by an angel"

Ike "rejection" eveland surprisingly gets flustered over your pick-up line

he genuinely does not expect you of all people to also play along with his chat who often spams him with ring emojis

to many, he's like an impregnable wall - quick to hit you back with a blunt quip, but not this time....

he SPUTTERS the second he heard you finish that line (you totally did not read it off of one of those sites on google... not at all)

" i- you- y-y-you??" "WAIT Y/N COULD YOU REPEAT THAT ONE MORE TIME"

he's smiling, he's giggling, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, my crops are growing and my skin is clear

he spends the rest of the stream asking you to tell him another pick-up line whenever there was a chance. he found it enjoyable that you find these funny enough to share with him

LUCA KANESHIRO

"I've lost my teddy bear! Could I sleep with you instead?"

i think the pick-up line went over his head a little bit

like, he went "oh, where'd you put it last?" before someone in his chat tells him that it was a pick up line

then it's just silence

did you completely break the impassable mafia boss? did you manage to fluster him?

but nope, he goes back to his usual POOOOG self

behind the camera, he's as red as a cherry tomato - boy did he not expect a pick-up line like this to come from you!

actually, it was very noticable that the pick-up line flustered him

he was speaking quickly, his gestures were wild and you could even hear how big the smile on his face was

he'll definitely send you a cringey couple tiktok later after stream with a "us lmao <3" after it

MYSTA RIAS

"Are those spacepants? because your ass looks out of this world!"

oh he knows he has a nice ass

he thinks the pick-up line was terrible but hearing it come from you made the whole thing feel romantic (in some way)

but hearing this from you? he's as red as a tomato (i can't think of anything else that's red... skull emoji..)

the pick-up line definitely flustered him to the point where he had to take like a 10 minute break from the game both of you were playing together.

"CHAT. LISTEN TO ME, THEY NEVER SAY STUFF LIKE THAT!"

he's sputtering too and then he goes on a whole tangent about how cringe the pick-up line was

he spends the rest of the stream together talking excitedly - he feels a little energized knowing that you like him enough to tell him such a cringe pick-up line

SHU YAMINO

"Hey, is your name Wi-fi? Because I'm feelin' a connection between you and I"

"THAT IS SO CRINGE" (cue the giggling)

he shouted??? fr???? real????

this is the loudest shu had been on a stream, and not only did it surprise his viewers, but also himself

he couldn't hold back on his laughter because he could tell that you totally searched that up on your phone while he was brb from the stream

you can see the 10 minute giggly shu compilations made from this stream alone now (tskr)

he's actually laughing so hard to the point he's gasping for air - that's when you know you definitely flustered him

he also searches for one because he wants to see you get flustered as well

you guys spend the rest of the stream telling each other cringey pick-up lines to see who could out-cringe the other

VOX AKUMA

"You know what you'd look beautiful in? My arms."

normally, vox is used to flirty comments but hearing you say that out of the blue really shocked him

like you could visibly see his shock - mid sentence he just went "-oop", followed by :0

you could really hear the windows crashing noise the second he heard you utter that line

"Y/N, could you.... could you repeat that one more time"

he's in shambles,he's crying, he even got his little "tskr" comment ready to be added to YOUR chat

he goes back to normal the moment you switch the subject, but you better believe that he starts singing your praises - in how you got better at flirting and how he's wrapped around your finger etc.

he's literally just some funny guy, c'mon

#yuwrote #theyre just funny guys #luxiem x reader #luxiem imagine #nijisanji en luxiem #luxiem drabble #ike eveland x reader #ike eveland #luca kaneshiro x reader #luca kaneshiro #mysta rias x reader #mysta rias #shu yamino x reader #shu yamino #vox akuma x reader #vox akuma

[ahatintimepieces]

It's interesting to hear your thoughts! (I personally like the concept of whichever two didn't win being a bullet h**l like Snatcher, and the winner helping you) but here's some more food for thought: if we kept the beta characters, would we even have Dadtcher? Or, would we like, mainly have Moondad content? Heck, would MJ be the fan favorite instead? So intresting to me to think about - EclipsesEnd

Ahh thank you so much!!! Annnnnnd idk that gets a bit too into the hypothetical for me/I have no idea how to guess what others will or wouldn’t like. But just for me, I guess it depends? Snatcher in the beta is interesting because he seems more mischievous than “ima eat your soul” scary? I get more peter pan/lost boy vibes since he’s a shadow left behind by a time traveler. And I sort of imagine he might like to stick around Hat more since she’s a time traveler and he was once one so maybe it’s switched where he’s the one constantly following her and pulling pranks/coming up with reasons to get her to stay. (Maybe more of a sibling relationship or just BFFs than paternal!)

No idea about Moonjumper but in the beta I personally am desperate to get the Moonjumper spirit separated from the prince. The Moonjumper spirit seems a separate entity from the prince. In the stuff I’ve seen, the prince’s spirit/soul is constantly trying to escape Moonjumper’s influence. Moonjumper seems to be a vengeful and manipulative puppet master corrupted by a timeless existence in Time’s End and intended to snuff out the prince. While it could be incredible to see that Moonjumper heal I guess I see this spirit as more of a thematic representation of how even in Time’s End where there is no time and thus no endings (that’s a take away from the Moleman lore). But! The Moonjumper Spirit becomes corrupted because it’s cold and lonely at Time’s End because no time means no nothing. While there’s no sorrowful goodbyes, there’s no one to love. There’s no life or hope. Only no endings.

And so the Moonjumper Spirit represents the inability to let go/to let things end and I suspect the whole point of at least this kind of story is you gotta. You gotta let go and enjoy the precious time you share with others but eventually you gotta let go. So, I feel Moonjumper would need to... leave............... for the characters involved in such a story to heal. Okay point is, in the Beta I assume the intended story would have been (at least specifically in subcon) that Hat would help the prince, Vanessa, and Snatcher by defeating the Moonjumper spirit. By defeating the Moonjumper spirit, who tries to have its cake and eat it too by refusing to let go but refusing to remain in Time’s End where the nonexistence of good-byes ALSO means the nonexistence of life and love, Hat helps the lonely denizens of Subcon to find hope despite the loneliness of living and the acute loneliness that comes with impending partings. In this essay I will.... that’s it that’s the end of the sentence.

#an ask in time #EclipsesEnd #OH BOY WAS THAT A TANGENT WITH A CAPITAL T #long post #listen i have.... im actually frustrated every time i hear new lore im like ???????? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS A WAR #WHERE KEEPERS OF TIME PIECES #FOUGHT PEOPLE WHO WERE MAD THAT TIME CAME INTO EXISTENCE #BECAUSE IT MEANT THAT IF THERE'S TIME THERE'S ENDINGS #YOU'RE JUST GONNA CASUALLY THROUGH THAT OUT THERE THERE'S NOTHING CASUAL ABOUT THAT #and like this is just my bean brain making guesses about the beta #the bean brain which is an MFA student and who has an overactive mind from overthinking and over-analyzing literally everything #but the kicker is probably more beta will pop up and it'll change the game and i'll be left like #'>:O YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME I THOUGHT I UNDERSTOOD!!! WHAT'S THIS NEW INFO ABOUT THE MAFIA BEING ALIEN TIME TRAVELERS THAT GOT STUCK' #that's not true i made it up about the mafia being alien time travelers too #but also i made it up based on a cut line where the mafia boss mentioned he hadn't seen a time piece in over a hundred years #LIKE EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! #sorry tangent again #i have no idea how the shape of the fandom would be like in general i don't think about that stuff #im too caught up iN THIS BETA LORE ABOUT LIFE AND LONELINESS AND WHAT TIME IS AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #but again this is all hypothetical and i shall never have my answers #i must learn to let go of the stories i cannot know #there #we have come full circle

[linkspooky]

I love your analyses because they help me understand my favorite series better. But it surprised me to read your claim that Chisaki's father used him as a tool for the yakuza. Did I miss something when I read My Hero Academia?

It’s never directly stated but it’s sort of implied? Sometimes readings of stories are in between the lines, you have to infer something based upon the details given. For example it’s never directly stated that Chisaki was the one who put Pops in a coma. It is however, heavily implied by the way the characters talk about their disapproval of Chisaki as leader, the cut to black in the scene above, Chisaki’s increased mysophobia and disturbed state plus his obsession with Pops probably being signs of the guilt he feels for putting Pops in a coma and taking control of the Yakuza - even if he believes it was done for his own good. 

So, my belief that Chisaki was used as a tool for the mafia by Pops is just an inference. All I can really do is show to you the evidence I put together to come to this conclusion. 

Number one - Chisaki and Shigaraki are parallels. They are set up to clearly foil one another. They were both taken in by the leader of a criminal organization at a young age. They are both, considered to be the heirs of the leadership position of their criminal organization now that AFO and POPs are both bedridden and unable to lead themselves. 

It is a canon fact, therefore directly stated to us that Shigaraki was groomed to be used as one of AFO’s Tools. This is a literal disagreement they come to, AFO thinks he has the right to own, possess Shigaraki’s body and use him as a tool to further his own goals. This is also the only reason that AFO took him in the first place. 

However, before we knew that Shigaraki was directly being abused by AFO he showed several signs of being an abused child. General instability, a lack of an identity, he didn’t seem like a fully developed adult personality because he wasn’t raised to be one.

What do we see the moment we’re introduced to Chisaki? The same kind of instability, and tendencies towards shows of violence. Chisaki even describes his constant state of stress and displeasure the same way Shigaraki does, like a constant sickness. 

The thing is we know from Shigaraki’s behavior that kids aren’t just naturally like this, they’re not born violent they’re made to be this way. Someone took these kids and pointed them at others and used them as tools in fights. If we go by the foiling then, Chisaki’s childhood was probably just like young Tenko’s, just constant exposure to violence.

Kids do not have any ways of coping with this constant violence they’re exposed to. Kids who have been exposed to so much often lash out in violence themselves because they don’t know any other way of dealing. They are small panicky animals under enormous stress, just trying to make the feelings of stress go away. Children exposed to violence oftentimes become violent themselves. 

If AFO raising Shigaraki taught us anything, it’s that Chisaki’s insane desperation to protect the yakuza, and also his feelings of sickness and alienation from the world around him. The place that he didn’t belong anywhere else but the yakuza didn’t come from nowhere. He was probably raised as a tool to feel these things. It’s either because Pops deliberately did it, or he neglected to take care of a child exposed to that much violence in the proper ways or shield him from the violence of the world. Either way it’s still a case of abuse. 

Number two - Yakuza trash to be used and thrown away. 

In Chisaki’s mind, he is entirely dependent on Pops, and the Yakuza and he can’t exist outside of him. Everything he does is in service of the Yakuza and in the name of protecting them. This is how a tool thinks. Chisaki views everyone around him as a tool, because he was raised to think that way - because ultimately he views himself as a tool as well. That also just seems to be the prevailing attitude among the yakuza. 

All of us are only tools be used to pay back the debt we owe to the man who gave us worth. Chisaki recruits people with this belief, because it’s what he believes himself to be as well. He is a tool, who has to pay back the favor that pops did for taking him in, and according to Chrono he’s had this belief since childhood. 

So Chisaki’s breaking point is this. 

What are humans to you? 

Chisaki has been using himself as a tool all his life, but the moment he suggests using someone else as a tool Pops draws a line. Apparently, the boss is okay with using him and other people that way, but not with this one girl. This is what I believe to be why Chisaki was improperly cared for as a child.

He was taken in by the mafia, but not as a child, but as an asset to be used. At this moment Chisaki realizes that he has always regarded pops as family, and done this place to protect his home, his family, but that Pops doesn’t consider him family. Chisaki is a tool, and it’s the realization that his place is just the tool of the yakuza that makes him finally snap into being the Chisaki we know now. 

In a way, it’s ironic because Chisaki is actually a perfect Yakuza. He would do anything, spare no expense, sacrifice everything for the sake of his family and the family's dignity. He would do anything for the sake of Pops which is how a tool should function. The problem is Chisaki turned out too good, too efficient, too unfeeling to the point where even when Pops stops giving him orders, all Chisaki thinks about is what he has to do to protect the Yakuza and what he has to do in his boss’s best interest, and always pushes things too far. It’s because he doesn’t have that humanity to hold him back he turned out this way. The humanity that a tool probably wouldn’t need. 

#chisaki kai #mha meta #my hero academia meta #metasks #shigaraki tomura #kai chisaki #iukasylvie

[moody-blues-requiem]

Is it okay to request an NSFW au where Bruno is stuck in Diavolo's body instead of dying, and he and his s/o make love afterwards to celebrate him living despite the circumstances?

This has some end of part 5 spoilers but also gets really canon-divergent, and also starts angsty (me, writing angst??? what??????) but gets all soft and sweet. I hope you enjoy!!

n/s/f/w under the cut!

It’s going to take some time to get used to it all. 

Bruno was dying, you knew something was wrong but you didn’t figure out just how serious things were until you reached Rome. Knowing you were going to have to give up your last minutes with Bruno to fight the boss instead was devastating, but you held back your tears. Now wasn’t the time to cry. You blink and there he is, the man behind it all, Diavolo. You blink again, and you’re sleepy, the adrenaline is pumping through your veins like fire but something pulls you under and you black out. You come to, eventually, and Giorno is impaled upon a row of iron spikes, except it’s apparently Narancia? And Narancia who is apparently Giorno isrushing to his side. His quick movements are able to get him down and close the wounds, but he needs a real medic, badly. The boss appears to be working with you now, except that’s not the boss, that’s Bruno in his body. 

Giorno-in-Narancia’s-body figures out that Diavolo is hiding in Bruno’s body. He grabs the stand arrow, tears streaming from his cheeks, and strikes the body of his friend down. 

The next few minutes are an absolute blur. Everything was suddenly very, very bright, blindingly so. Lying on the ground with your eyes squeezed shut, you felt like you were being tossed around on stormy ocean waves. It lasted forever and it lasted only an instant. But eventually, your eyes opened, back in your own body. Your teammates were starting to stir themselves, Mista looking just as sick as you felt. Narancia remained on the ground, but upon carefully reaching out to his wrist, his pulse was still there. 

Giorno was kneeling on the ground in front of where Bruno’s body once was. On his left was a golden figure, a twisted, nightmarish reimagining of his stand, and on his left, was Diavolo. You nearly screamed for him to watch out as you saw Diavolo begin to move, but the man only put his hand on Giorno’s shoulder. It was still Bruno. 

--------

Time passed, as it tends to do. Narancia and Abbacchio got to share a hospital room while they recovered from their wounds. Trish promised to stay in touch, but “would rather die than deal with gang shit ever again”. Giorno ascended to Passione’s metaphorical throne, and got a spiffy new outfit. And Bruno learned to deal with his new body. 

He never let the gang see, but being trapped in Diavolo’s body broke something inside of Bruno, at least for a while. He stopped sleeping, barely ate, and avoided mirrors at all costs. You cut his hair to match his old style, even offered to dye it for him, but he said he didn’t want to mess with the chemicals. Sometimes at night you’d wake up to him crying in the dark bathroom. But one day, the tears stopped. “I’m done mourning this,” Bruno said to you one morning, as you handed him a cup of coffee. The sun had yet to rise as you two sat outside under the purple sky. “This isn’t Diavolo’s body, this isn’t my ‘new’ self. It’s me.”

You held him until the sun rose, carding your fingers through his silky hair. His hand rested on your thigh, brushing little patterns into your skin with the pad of his thumb, the way he always did. 

---------

Even with Bruno accepting his new body, it took a while before he was confident enough for the bedroom again. He got used to his new junk like he got used to the rest of his new body, but he figured at some point he should probably put it to use. Diavolo-- no, *his* length didn’t hide anything, it was nearly as long flaccid as it was when erect, and it was just a little bit longer and thicker than his old dick was. Surrounded by a well-manicured tuft of pink pubes, Bruno had to admit, he looked pretty appealing. And judging by how he caught you staring, he knew you agreed. 

“Does it, like… feel any different?” you asked, gently palming his erection. 

“It’s still a dick,” he replied. “I think it looks more different than it feels.”

You placed your palm under the shaft, letting it rest in your hand. “I think it might be a liiiiittle heavier? But maybe I’m just nitpicking--”

Before you could finish, Bruno had reached down and unzipped his dick (“Gross, Bruno!” you shouted, jokingly making a face at him), holding it in his hand and pretending to think hard. “I think it’s pretty close to the same.”

“Put that back on!” 

He laughed, reattaching his member. “That didn’t kill the mood too much, did it?”

“A little.” You looked down, and back up, putting on your best doe eyes and batting your eyelashes. “But I think you can make it up to me, signore.” 

You two teased one another like you had before, sharp banter laced with witty innuendos and Bruno’s signature brand of weirdness that was also somehow incredibly sexy. But when it came down to it, the moment of him lining up at your entrance, ready to push into your dripping core, he hesitated. It was almost an out-of-body experience, things felt… off. 

“Bruno?” you asked. “Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah,” he said, but his voice sounded distant. 

“We don’t have to keep going if--”

“No! No, I mean,” he stammered over his words, leaning his head down against your chest, pink hair tickling your bare skin. “It sounds silly, we’ve had sex lots before, but. I’m nervous.”

Bringing a hand up to rub gently over his back, you smiled softly. “It’s like first-time jitters all over again, huh?” Bruno nodded against your chest. “Maybe, I dunno, maybe Diavolo was a virgin--”

“Babe,” Bruno said, suddenly serious, green eyes looking up at you. “The man dressed like the head of a whorehouse instead of a mafia. He definitely wasn’t a virgin.” 

The two of you dissolved into giggles, and you pulled Bruno into a tight, loving hug. The sound of slow but passionate kissing filled the air, your lips meeting your lovers’. Bruno broke the semi-silence first. “I want to keep going, if you do.”

“I do,” you replied. “How about we switch, and I top tonight?”

“I think I’d like that,” Bruno nodded, slightly breathless from the kiss. “Very much.”

Rolling around on the bed to switch places, you settled your legs on either side of Bruno’s waist, his tall erection still standing upright and already brushing against your wet folds. You rubbed over him a few times, teasing his shaft and letting him feel just how badly you wanted him, before lining up his tip with your entrance and slowly, slowly sinking your hips down. Bruno bit his lip, watching his cock disappear inside of you, nodding to tell you he was ready for more. When you finally reached the base he threw his head back in a lust-fueled moan; the voice was slightly different from the old one, but the cadence and how he looked back up at you, love and passion burning in his eyes, biting his lip, was all so very, very Bruno. 

You worked up a slow but steady pace, bouncing on his lap, savoring the way he filled you up perfectly. Your hands gripped his hips like handles, nails slightly digging into his pale skin. Bruno always made the most beautiful noises in the bedroom, even with a slightly different voice his moans sounded like heaven. “Oh, oh, yes, amore!” he would cry out between gasps, snapping his hips up into you. “M-more! Please, god, mmmmore…” His hands found your own hips, bouncing you harder. The old Bruno was strong, but this body was stronger. He moved you over his lap with ease, murmuring “I’m close, love, I want to… can I…”

You leaned down, pressing your forehead against his own. “Cum in me, Bruno.”

Bruno slammed you down onto his lap as his hips bucked up and he came, releasing ropes of hot cum inside you. Your own orgasm hit from the overwhelming pleasure of it all, getting to be with your boyfriend once again and listening to every grunt and groan he made as he emptied his balls in you. Your walls contracted around him, making Bruno’s vision momentarily white out as a hard wave of aftershocks hit his whole system, pushing him directly through a second orgasm. 

When he finally pulled out, a line of thick cum followed, slowly running down your thigh, before being pushed back into place by Bruno’s deft fingers. You collapsed, laying down beside your boyfriend and pulling him into your arms. He leaned up for a quick kiss before resting his head on your chest, contentedly listening to your heart thrum as you came down from all the excitement. 

No matter the time, place, circumstances, or even what body his soul rested in, nothing felt more comfortable than being held sweetly and safely by his love. 

#bruno buccellati #bruno bucciarati #jjba #vento aureo #golden wind #my writing #anon #va #Anonymous

[komkommertijd]

F1 2020 Grid as German rap songs

Since the 2020 season has come to an end, I thought it might be a good idea to finally share this thing that I’ve been working on since June. I have no idea as to why or how I had this idea, but I’m sure I’m not the first one to do this, anyway. I’m sorry to all my fellow Germans in advance <3

Disclaimer: I translated all of the lyrics myself so some things might not be completely accurate, for which I can only apologize. I do not agree with the way some rappers portray women, so I made sure to steer clear from those lyrics.

(post under the cut because it got kinda very long whoops)

Lewis - Vintage (RIN)

Oh Lord, wo soll das Ganze enden? Fahr' so schnell, ich wechsel' jede Woche Bremsen

[Oh Lord, where is this supposed to end? Driving so fast, I’m changing brakes every week]

It’s a song about being a champion, living a luxury life, nice clothes, and well...driving fast cars. Any more questions? Rin is one of my favorite German rap artists, so I just had to include his songs, and this one makes you feel like a real badass, just like our king Lewis 😌

Valtteri - In meinem Benz (AK Ausserkontrolle, Bonez MC)

Du siehst mich im Benz sitzen, so wie Lewis Hamilton

[You see me sitting in a Benz, just like Lewis Hamilton]

It’s kind of obvious why I chose that song, right? Other than that specific line there are some more parts about how much the rapper apparently loves his Mercedes and this song just screamed Valtteri to me.

Charles - NENENE (Fero47)

Sitze bald in roten Ferrari Geben Gas in der Hood Ruf' ich danach, "C'est la vie!"

[I’ll soon sit in a red Ferrari Rev up in my hood Shouting “C’est la vie!” afterward]

Ignoring the entire part about Monte Carlo and all the French words, this specific part just always reminds me of Charles when I listen to the song. More badass vibes but less seriously so because I can’t take Fero’s voice that serious at all, which fits Charles.

Sebastian - Ferrari (Eno, MERO)

Roter Ferrari Ich gebe Gas in einem Ferrari Roter Ferrari Yeah, ich sitze tief in einem Ferrari

[Red Ferrari I rev up in a red Ferrari Red Ferrari Yeah, I’m sitting deep inside a Ferrari]

There’s a part about “rolling with [a] bro in a white Mercedes” and my brain said Sewis rights. Other than that, this is once again a rather obvious choice, if not all that up to date anymore. Some lines about racing on the German highway, so of course I had to go for Sebastian with this one.

Max - Fame (Apache207)

Die Rapszene ist nur ein Affenzirkus In dem kleine Kinder gern mit Waffen hantieren Ich steh', wo ich steh', weil ich bin, wer ich bin Und nicht weil hier irgendjemand Apache platziert

[The rap scene is a madhouse Where little kids like to make use of guns I stand where I stand because I am who I am And not because someone places Apache]

This simply gives me Max vibes, I don’t have much more to say as an explanation. It just feels right, with criticism towards mentally “weaker” individuals and the confidence in making a name for oneself based on own achievements and hard work. Also, Apache has become a rather popular musician in the past year(s) (especially to obnoxious 5th graders, all tea no shade), which is just...Max, I won’t elaborate.

Alex - HONDA (Ansu)

Hold on, kommt was Schnell – Konter Dreamer, besonders – Willy Wonka Auto – Honda

[Hold on, there’s something coming Fast - Counterattack Dreamer, special - Willy Wonka Car - Honda]

I mean, it’s a song about a Honda driver? I struggled quite a bit with finding a song for Alex, but when I first listened to this song, my mind threw his name at me in blinking neon letters, so this is the vibe we’re going with - a funky fast Honda driver <3 (PS: I have no clue what the Willy Wonka thing is about but....why not)

Carlos - Habibi (Casar)

Sie schreibt: "Habibi", denn sie vermisst mich Ich fahre weit davon mit mein'n Hermanos

[She texts me “Habibi” because she misses me I drive far away with my hermanos]

I can only listen to the word “hermanos” so many times without my mind associating it with Carlos, so this one was a rather obvious choice for me as well. Also, there are some parts about Spain in this song so I had to be lame and do the obvious with this one.

Lando - 500 PS (Bonez MC, RAF Camora)

Ich drück' aufs Gas, hör' die 500 PS Fahren durch die Stadt, GTA Los Angeles

[I step on the gas, hear the 500 HP Cruising through the city, GTA Los Angeles]

This one’s a solid mainstream German rap song (not that I’d call Lando a mainstream person), liked to some extent by most people, and it gets you moving, which reminds me a lot of Lando. Cars and mentions of a video game make for a hit and Lando unites just that in person as well.

Daniel - Emotions 2.0 (Ufo361, Céline)

Baby, nimm einen Schluck Dom P. für die Emotions Ich erhöhe deine Dosis So viel Schmuck Mehr Drip als ein Ocean

[Baby take a sip Dom P for the emotions I’m increasing your dosage So much jewelry More drip than an ocean]

A bittersweet love song with rich boy summer vibes and one of my favorite German songs to be released this year, in fact, it’s my most listened to song on my phone, make for a combination that just screams Daniel to me. This song hits different when driving into the sunset in a fancy car or when biking through town at 1:30 am on three cans of Red Bull (believe me, I tried), and always reminds me of better times. It’s the ideal song to sing and rap along to, so that matches Daniel just fine.

Esteban - Einsneunzig (Brown-Eyes White Boy)

Bin fast einsneunzig, stell' mich auf die Bündel, das' ein Weltrekord Lass' die Zeit Revue passier'n, selbe Jungs und selber Ort

[I’m almost 1.90, stand on a wad of cash, that’s a world record Let’s recall the past, same guys and same place]

1.90 meters as a reference to Esteban’s height, obviously, simply made sense to me, once again. The second line reminds me of his feud with Pierre, so I had to choose this song. It’s better than Ratten im Hof (rats in the yard), and this reminds me of a wannabe gangster, which just screams Esteban to me, I’m sorry <3

Pierre - DAS RENNEN (RIN)

Ich hoff', eines Tages, wir gewinn'n das Rennen Wie bei Red Dead Redemption Irgendwann der Letzte wie Shanks Spinner Rims glänzen

[I hope one day we win the race Just like in Red Dead Redemption One day the last like Shanks Spinner rims are shining]

I know no one will believe this story but I started working on this post like half a year ago and I chose that song for Pierre back then and uhm, manifestation worked, I guess? Once again, I’m a big fan of Rin’s music, so choosing this song for Pierre is a bit like selfcare. The lyrics mention changing the world and well, so far Pierre has as least changed my world 😌

Daniil - One Night Stand (Capital Bra)

Ty moja ljubimaja Takaja diwnaja, krasiwaja-ja Sprawjedliwaja, njepobjedimaja Ty moja-ja, Baby, ty moja-ja

[You are my darling Such a wondeful, beauty Fair, invincible You’re mine baby, you’re mine]

I really hope I got that translation more or less right but other than that, I didn’t simply choose that song based on the Russian part. It’s a song we used to listen to a lot a few years ago and one of those from the days where Capital Bra was famous but less so than he is today. It reminds me of simpler times and it’s a pretty vibey song that, if you allow it to, draws you in and makes you dance. I have a soft spot for Daniil and the song reminds me a bit of him.

Lance - Bronx (Veysel)

Du musst doppelt zahlen, deshalb krieg' ich es umsonst Audemars, Yves Saint Laurent, eine Villa irgendwo Audemars, Yves Saint Laurent, ein paar Villen irgendwo

[You have to pay double that’s why I get it for free Audemars, Yves Saint Laurent, a mansion somewhere Audemars, Yves Saint Laurent, a few mansions somewhere]

This is a song that you have to listen to on high volume in a fast car, one that once again has really badass vibes. It’s nice to rap along to and hard not to move to. The rich boy vibes in the chorus that I’ve included in this post are pretty inevitable and logically, I had to associate that with Lance. When I turn this song on, everyone enjoys it, and I think Lance deserves to evoke that emotion in everyone as well.

Sergio - AVENTADOR (Dardan, Eno, Noah)

Roll' im Aventador Ich fahr' grad vor Gebe Gas, sag': "¡Adiós!"

[Roll in an Aventador I hit the road Step on the gas, say “¡Adiós!”]

I mean yeah, I could have chosen that song only because of the Adiós but that’s a bit lame even for me. Instead, the entire fast car vibe reminded me a lot of Checo. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for him and this year he once again showed people ([coughs] my brother) that he’s been severely underestimated. So stepping on the gas and outpacing everyone else felt like the right vibe.

Kimi - Sorry Not Sorry (Monet192, Takt32, badmómzjay)

Was du für Karriere machst, mach' ich als Hobby Was du für Probleme hast, interessiert keinen

[What you made your career, I do as a hobby What problems you have, no one cares]

The title itself embodies Kimi and so does the entire song. The not giving a shit vibe, paired with the mention of the hobby thing as an indirect reference to the famous Kimi quote about seeing his job more as a hobby, are just 100% Kimi. I really couldn’t have found a better song for him. 

Antonio - Maserati (RAF Camora)

Capo dei capi Trip noch im Alfa, doch bald Maserati

[Capo dei capi Trip still in an Alfa but soon in a Maserati]

I did very much not choose the song because “capo dei capi” (the boss of bosses) is a mafia related thing, but because of the Alfa part, duh. Roadtrips in an Alfa along the Adriatic coast are cool and all but a Maserati is obviously the main goal, and that reminds me of Antonio quite a lot ~for some reason~. The entire part about making it far in life without a “serious” job is just very F1, so the vibes are there. Happy very belated birthday Toni <3

Romain - HOCH (CRO)

Alles holt dich down, lass es einfach los Und die Dinge unter dir sind gar nicht mehr so groß Ich schau' nach oben und auf einmal geht's hoch

[Everything drags you down, just let it go And the things below you are not as big anymore I look up and suddenly it goes upwards]

This song is just very peaceful and calms my mind when I listen to it, which radiates the same comforting vibe as Romain. The topic of rising despite things dragging you down are a very prominent topic here and reminded me a lot of him, especially with him leaving Haas and everything around that. It just feels nice to listen to a bit of an uplifting song once in a while, and this one does it in a way that still allows you to feel calm and safe, which is something I associate with Romain a lot.

Kevin - Vorbei (Nico Rosseburg, Sierra Kidd)

Sag mir bitte, wie passe ich die Zeit? Der Augenblick war schön, doch es ist vorbei

[Please tell me, how do I pass the time? The moment was nice but now it’s over]

With Kevin leaving F1, I had to go for this song for him. It’s a bit more of a sad topic (so am I with the knowledge of him not being there next year) but without making the entire thing sound melancholic. I only really learned to appreciate Kevin this year and I’ll miss having him around, so this song kind of fits that idea for me.

George - 20 Zoll MAE (Celo&Abdi, Bonez MC)

Ich fahr' mit Schrittgeschwindigkeit, so wie ein Don Hättest gerne meine Felgen, aber wirst sie nicht bekommen

[I drive at walking pace like a Don You’d like to have my rims but won’t get them]

Making this solely about driving at walking pace would be a bit mean but there’s a part in the song soon after about looking beautiful in a Mercedes, so that’s pretty much George. The song just carries that fun vibe and the subtle (not really) flex, which makes it great to listen to if you want to get in a happier mood. It’s a song about Mercedes rims, of course I had to choose George 😔

Nicholas - Standard (KitschKrieg, SFR, Trettmann, Gzuz, Gringo, Ufo361)

Treff' mich in Miami, fliege nur noch First-Class Nur noch unterwegs, kriege Heimweh

[Meet me in Miami, only flying first class anymore Only on the road anymore, getting homesick]

More ~rich boy vibes~ and a song that has been playing what feels like 24/7 on MTV Germany the last two years. It got so bad that some people around me still reply in the trademark Gzuz voice when someone uses the word “standard”. Anyway, I associate this song with Nicholas because just like KitschKrieg did with their first “own” song, Nicholas has joined the game and left an impression on everyone, in one way or another, and I’m willing to see/hear more of that :)

#thank you for putting up with my bs ilyall <3 #now i have to tag them all again i'm ajdjfks #lewis hamilton #valtteri bottas #charles leclerc #sebastian vettel #max verstappen #alex albon #carlos sainz jr #lando norris #daniel ricciardo #esteban ocon #pierre gasly #daniil kvyat #lance stroll #sergio perez #kimi räikkönen #antonio giovinazzi #romain grosjean #kevin magnussen #george russell #nicholas latifi #f1 #f1 drivers as (...) #i hate myself for this post akdjfks #music

[petroltogo]

Thanks for awsnering bro! (Is that ok? I usually call everyine bro since thats the language here(pal, bro, homie). If not, Ill stop immediately.)

My fanfic is Pre!Curse Arcobaleno with OC civilian (maybe gamer elements? And basically they are deaged, and shes not the only one that ended up in khr) that interacts with Skull, and then the others later. The fic mostly centers around how the Arco interact with each other (first meet to the cursed day) and the OC learning to understand them as they do her (action? Frienship? Found family of bastards?? Angst? We love to see it). I guess I love ur fic cuz its also very character driven, which I always love to see. Im always stuck hard by what other people think of the characters I like too.

I think characterization for the Arco would help? Idk plot but some part of me says to just jump off the cliff and see where I land.

I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to help me. The tips you gave me were helpful, bc as the author you know whats gonna happen, but the characters and readers dont, and thats the point. Dont feel bad for writing a lot in response, it just gives me more to read, more to learn, ya know?

I was also curious about ur ideas about the arco? And other characters of course (the Varia are gonna kill me if I ever have to write them) I can also share mine if you'd like?

Thank you for taking the time read this! Please have a good day? (Its night rn for me lol)

Bro is fine. I’m cool with pretty much anything but thanks for asking! Also that sounds like a wonderful fic. I haven’t personally read much in the form of gamer stories so I won’t be any help there interactions I can do lol. [Also is there anything better than found family of criminals and morally ambiguous people? Didn’t think so.]

Regarding plot: Go for it. Some people like to plan everything out and some just like to start. Whatever you feel works for you, try it and if you notice that you keep getting stuck you can always change your approach.

[because this post too got way too long everything else is under the cut]

As for the arcobaleno: Full disclosure, I don’t know much about their canon selves. As my knowledge here is based on fandom. That said, the arcobaleno carry the title of the “strongest seven” and I personally love when they live up to that. Especially pre-curse but even afterwards, with their flames tempered with by the pacifiers, you can’t really get to the top of the mafia without some damn skill. 

[Side note: I really enjoy the way the arcobaleno are described as predators in Teeth and Claws by TheShadowSwan on AO3. It’s a HP/KHR crossover and the HP side definitely isn’t for everyone but I adore the author’s description of the get-to-know interactions and power dynamics between the arcos -- though Skull is, for obvious reasons, very OOC.]

I think the biggest issues to address in the early arco days is Skull’s inclusion as a civilian [which probably offends everyone else who worked hard to get to this point but also why the whole bullying Skull? He’s still an arcobaleno, what do they gain by putting him down constantly? That never made sense to me unless it’s all part of some ruse or someone seriously fucked up somewhere] and the ideological conflict between military Lal (+Colonnello) and criminal everyone else. I also have a hard time imagining that all these seasoned criminals came there and were not suspicious at all -- of Checker Face, of Luce, of each other.

Honestly, I think there’s a lot of creative freedom regarding their characters because I don’t think that much about their personalities is actually known, especially not how they were before the curse [and the humiliation and the body dysphoria and their sudden flame-weakness and whatever the fuck else they struggle with]. Bottom line I think there’s a lot we authors can get away with here, but I do personally picture the arco as competent, dangerous when properly motivated, arrogant and morally ambiguous.

[The trick to the Varia is to remember that they are crazy, ruthless and Extra™ as fuck. And loyal. To their boss. Everyone and everything else second. (I’m only refering to the Varia from the ring battles here, not the institution as a whole. And I think Mammon could be an exception, depending on whether they’ve found their sky in Xanxus or not.)]

Again though, the great part about fanfic is that you get to share your view on them. And there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ view here -- unless you want to strictly adhere to canon which I personally never do, sorry not sorry canon -- so just go for it. Share your ideas of who the arcobaleno are, the fandom wants to know! Happy writing!

Time has no meaning on the internet but since it’s currently day here in Europe, I’m just gonna wish you a wonderful Sunday and hope for the best lol 

#ReRe answers #doingthefrickfrackwithyouknowwho #Katekyou Hitman Reborn #Arcobaleno #headcanon #ReRe rambles

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

The Monster in the Port Mafia's Basement

What tale will I tell you tonight, love? I have pretty ones, the sort of shiny baubles I could sell at a flea market for a dollar apiece. They glitter in the sunshine but they’re made of glass. You can see straight through them. But those are boring. Boring to tell, boring to listen to. You know how those end, anyway. 

Well, I’ve got a couple sad ones. Real tearjerkers, you know. A brother and a sister torn apart by the machinations of a great and hungry beast, a pair of lovers who can never truly touch...maybe a woman who would rather choke on flowers rather than ruin something lovely and pure. Do those bore you, my dear? You look as if you’re spacing out. 

I have just the story for you, then. I’ll tell it just as I was told, and you can’t complain about the ending. Or the middle bits. Do be warned, love. It’s not a nice tale at all. 

Deep in the bowels of the Port Mafia’s base, there lives a monster. 

What’s the Port Mafia, you ask? A group of smugglers, with their claws dug deep into the underbelly of Japan. Their reach stretched westward, consuming entire cities with their own lust for profit. In the end, they destroyed themselves, as all great and terrible things with claws and teeth do. But this story takes place long before that, so don’t worry your little head about it. Just listen. 

Now, where was I?

Ah. Deep in the bowels of the Port Mafia’s base, there lived a monster. For all I know, she’s still down there, writhing and snapping at anything that comes too close. 

The Port Mafia was well acquainted with monsters. Their boss was a serpent in human skin, with fangs held tight behind his smile. His second was an angry, rampaging god, who never did make much of an effort to keep his talons sheathed. And while he left of his own accord, though that’s an entirely different story, the man who kept the monsters caged was born under the Port Mafia’s stretching shadow. 

So when they found this particular monster, a young girl no older than thirteen, they did what they did best. Instead of letting the dark in her burn away with the sunshine, they tossed her deep into the bowels of the beast. 

She did terrible things down there, dear. Perhaps at first she was made to eat the apple, but soon she began to enjoy the taste. And that’s how little baby monsters, who can still become people through no small amount of healing, grow into adult monsters with eyes that flash in the dark and claws to pierce your skin. You were a baby monster, you know, just like me. Now look at you, all grown and clutching the handle of your teacup like a civilized being. I’m quite proud of how far you’ve come, you know. 

The sad bit about this monster in the Port Mafia’s basement, though, is that she was never meant to be one. By some accident of birth, some people are just going to grow up into dark, twisted little things, and no amount of happy circumstances will change that. But she was always meant to be a flower of the light, unlike you and I, who had to fight tooth and nail for sunshine. 

The greatest tragedy, I think, is that she never got that chance.

Ah, but I’m rambling. Do indulge an old woman, love. 

I heard this story from a boy who went down there, into that hungry darkness beneath the Port Mafia’s towers. He’s now a man, as old as I, and you’ll be pleased to know he survived the monster to run the candy shop on the north end of this city. Perhaps you’ve met him? No? Well, you never were one for sweets. 

Regardless, this boy knew the monster. Not very well, I’d say. He told me that they had only talked once, and so I asked him why he went. He told me that once was all he’d needed. 

Do I know what they talked about? No, unfortunately. You’ll have to ask him yourself. 

I do know, however, that they met because of their mentors. Hers was that great snake I mentioned. He was always so fond of warping young, powerful flowers into decaying husks of themselves. 

Ah, of course I knew him well. He was an improvement on the old Boss, if only because the snake had a brain and knew how to use it. He wouldn’t send me to my death out of spite, or out of paranoia. He would send me to my death if it served him. Though, perhaps that makes him worse. Regardless, the monster’s master gave her a short leash, and so she followed him wherever he went. 

The boy who told me this story also had a mentor. The Silver Fox, he used to be called. He’s dead now, long dead, of old age if I took his measure right. The snake and the fox were friends, once upon a time, and they remained friends as long as the fox turned a blind eye to his friend’s tricks. Perhaps the second tragedy is that he did so for too long to save her. 

Regardless, they met once, when their masters went for tea. A week later, the boy would infiltrate the Port Mafia base. It took him hours, he told me. The layers of security then might have stopped even the greatest assassin. As far as I know, it has.

How did he do it? Well, I can only speculate. He never did tell me the details—but I suspect he has forgotten them. It was a long time ago. But know this: the boy may be as human as you or I, perhaps more so, but his mind was something far greater than anything we may possess. He could have become the greatest detective in the world if he so chose. And while I don’t know for sure, he might well have, if he hadn’t visited the monster’s lair. 

It changed him, of course. Such things do. At the very least, you come out the other side of such a crucible fundamentally different, if not fundamentally warped. I do believe the boy was one of the lucky ones. 

Somehow, he walked into the lowest level of the Port Mafia’s base with his head held high. When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, there was only one door, with a little glass window to peek into. It was a 2-way mirror, so he could glance inside without fear. And make no mistake, the room was undoubtedly occupied. But the hallway was as quiet as the grave. Even his shoes, he told me, made no sound. He is the sort of man who notices such things. 

Silently, the boy stepped to the window. It was a bit taller than him, he recalled, so he had to push up on his toes and brace himself on the door with his fingers. He only remembers because he had to wipe away his fingerprints after. He looked inside, then— 

What did he see? Dear, I’m trying to hold you in suspense. Be patient, and don’t interrupt. 

As I was saying, he looked inside. And he saw the monster, sitting as calm as you please, in a little metal chair. She was wearing the business attire that the Port Mafia favored, always pretending at civility when they’re all dark, writhing things stuffed into a mortal shell. She had her legs crossed and her golden butterfly hairpin, which the boy told me was the first thing that had caught his eye, sat jauntily in her hair. She was sitting across a table from a man. 

The man is not important. He must have been a failure of some kind, someone who hedged on a deal or leaked information to the wrong person. He could have been anyone. 

Oh, honestly, don’t look at me like that. I’m not callous, I’m realistic. 

But he was laid on that table like an offering, tied down with hospital-issue restraints. He had a strange expression on his face. The boy hesitated when he told me this part, as if he couldn’t quite find the words. I’ll repeat them to you. 

“Terror,” he told me. “Terror and bliss and some unspeakable dread.”

But also, the boy said, he looked so very tired, as if he could slump over at any moment. The monster smiled at the man, then leaned forward over the table. He couldn’t hear what she was saying to him, but he could read lips well enough at the time. Apparently, he picked it up during a stint in the police academy. From what he could tell, from that foggy two-way mirror, she was murmuring a poem to him. Some sort of lyrics, anyway. He told me that she recited an entire poem to this quivering mess of a man, but he only recalled one line after. 

“Kimi shinitamou koto nakare,” she whispered to him. “Thou shalt not die.” 

And a thousand butterflies burst from her, flashing red and purple and brilliant gold, descending upon the man in a swarm. They perched upon his head and shoulders, upon his arms, upon his chest. They covered him like a living blanket of jewels. But instead of looking awed, the boy told me, the man looked horrified. He began to babble pleas for rescue, for mercy, for salvation, but the monster only smiled wider. 

Then she flicked her fingers, twirling a scalpel between them. She cut the poor man open on that table, surrounded by butterflies. The boy could only watch as she dissected him with all the precision of a surgeon and the calm cynicism of someone who had done so a thousand times. And yet, when the man, by all rights, should have passed from this world to the next—the butterflies, the terrible, beautiful butterflies, flapped their wings. It felt like the air was sucked from the entire floor, the boy told me, as he watched the butterflies whirl around the man like a plague of locusts. 

When he could see the man again, he was perfectly whole. His skin unblemished, his blood no longer staining the table, and his face no longer slack with agony. The boy watched the monster cut him open again, and again, and again, each recitation of that poem bringing forth a new cloud of insects to pass judgement on his soul. 

He never opened that door. It had been his intent, he admitted to me, to open the door and tell her that they could run away together. That the snake would never find her, not if he had anything to say about it. But after watching her cut that man open a thousand times and putting him back together with a murmur, he turned around. He wiped his fingerprints off of the door. And he left the base, never to return. 

You look sick, love. Drink your tea. I warned you, you know. The story of the monster in the Port Mafia’s basement was never going to be a nice one, or one with a happy ending. I still don’t know what happened to her. She would be an old woman like me, now. Perhaps she has died. Perhaps that curious ability of hers means she cannot die at all. Perhaps she will live forever and ever, longer than any monster has a right to, and watch us all perish from this earth. 

Too dark? My apologies. And here you are, taking the time out of your busy workday to talk to your poor, elderly mother. I do adore you, Kyouka. I don’t think I tell you that enough. 

--

Thou Shalt Not Die always made me wonder if it could be applied to torture and interrogation. This fic exists in the same universe as They Took Her, if you were wondering--my dark little AU.

#fanfiction #bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs fanfiction #bsd #akiko yosano #bsd manga spoilers #kind of #barely #mori ougai #kouyou ozaki #izumi kyouka #mom kouyou #one shot #horror #psychological thriller #angst #edogawa ranpo #aurie writes

[queenharumiura]

(When you casually remember you have another KHR blog that you can connect timelines with for the luls. This tiny brain rot hasn't left me so I thought to write a small thing for it. Readmore bc i'm shy.)

@belacedia​

-

With a small bird perched on her shoulder, Haru was led down the long halls by Kusakabe, who was quite used to escorting her to and fro on the behest of Hibari Kyouya, the Cloud Guardian of the Vongola.

Haru was showed into a room where Hibari was already sipping a warm cup of tea at. It never ceased to amaze her how this room in particular was filled to the brim with Japanese aesthetic. A traditional room fitting for a man who was somewhat old-fashioned.

She didn’t know what exactly she was called in here for, but she didn’t feel unnerved by his presence. Over the years, the two would interact with each other at random and one could say they’ve formed something akin to a friendship. At least, that was how Haru saw it.

Don’t get her wrong, it took an incredibly long amount of time to reach a stage where the two could enjoy a cup of tea together as Haru would speak on random inanities. The little bird, who Haru dubbed ‘Mi-chan,’ flew towards Hibari, perching on his outstretched finger. “Miura.” He greets her calmly.

“Hibari-san.” She greets back as she simply approaches, sitting down at the table where a cup of tea was already poured for her. “Can I ask why you’ve sent Mi-chan to me today?” Not bothering to waste time with the pleasantries, she cut right to the chase.

The warmth of the teacup felt comforting as her nerves were wound tight in anticipation. While there were many yellow feathered ‘minions’ under Hibari’s command, there was one in particular that Haru often interacted with, and it was due to the fact that Haru had found it injured one day and nursed it back to health before returning it to Hibari’s side.

Having grown attached to Haru, Hibari deemed it useful to allow this one lone bird to serve as a liaison between Haru and himself. It was quite rare when the bird that Haru has affectionately named ‘Mi-chan’ was used for any business other than spoiling the bird with treats, so being summoned the way she had today had Haru feeling nervous.

“A couple birds have reported something interesting. A certain Prince has been visiting you frequently.”

Haru almost dropped her tea in shock, but she managed to keep the cup in her hands by fumbling. She wasn't expecting to be having this conversation with Hibari of all people. “Hahi? They told you about that? Well- it’s not wrong…” She awkwardly fiddled with the cup in her hands. “… He’s been visiting me often.” At a certain point, she’d dare say he was just terrorizing her by getting on her nerves, but at large, it was mostly harmless.

She did ponder on this fact in her downtime, but it did seem like Belphegor’s frequent visits didn't go completely unnoticed. So far, it seemed that only Hibari knew about it (Or rather he was the only one to outright confront her about it).

Eyebrows raised in surprise, “You called me here just for that?” Her tone was incredulous as he never involved himself in her business as it wasn’t his place to do so. The two would talk on occasion and it was merely due to the fact that Haru put forth the effort to try to get along with all of the guardians, and that included Hibari. It was accurate to say that the both of them had come to a common agreement to simply accept each other’s existence and not bother the other.

It helped that Haru got along with the yellow avians, often looking after them if they wanted to rest after a long day of hard work. It only took one of the avians to speak well of her for the rest to understand that she was a ‘good person who can serve as a secondary food source.’

Not one to owe others favors, Hibari willingly associated with her on occasion. Luckily, Haru never asked too much of him, so they could interact with each other in peace. “What is he planning to do in Namimori that involves your cooperation?” His teacup now empty, she had his entire attention. Obviously, this conversation would not budge from this topic.

She blinks a few times before she chuckles quietly. “I don’t think anyone has plans to harm Namimori, Hibari-san. I understand the concern, but he can be agreeable if you’re willing to meet him halfway. He certainly is very lacking in sociability, but he’s doing his best… I think. Even though his reputation is what it is, he is able to be civil, so I don’t think you need to be concerned about his casual visits.” She has absolutely no intention of stating that Belphegor wouldn’t destroy Namimori if a mission was involved.

“You have a positive opinion of him.” Hibari notes, his piercing gaze picking every small movement of hers down as his mind then collates everything together to form a coherent but unorthodox thought. “Don’t get played.” A pointed comment that both would be able to understand.

Of course, he was referring to a certain 10th generation mafia boss. “Tsuna-san didn’t play around with me.” Haru hisses, instantly going on the defensive. Being played would suggest that he even looked in her direction to begin with—which he didn’t. Just like the lightning comes and goes with a sudden flash, her temper could leave as quickly as it came. “I don't think Bel is playing around with me. I feel he's being sincere. At the very least, he doesn’t force any expectations on me. He respects my ambitions more than some others we know, and I appreciate that. He’s surprisingly--- likable at times. Would I be stupid for thinking about him?” Who knew there'd come a day when Haru speaks about relationships with the  Hibari Kyouya?

The matter of relationships and feelings were foreign ground for the likes of Hibari, who much preferred to keep to himself, save for those he approves of. Just as she didn’t interfere with his business, he wouldn’t interfere with hers. If she could objectively deduce that she trusted the destructive Prince, that was her choice to make.

Surely, she wouldn’t continue the mistake of falling for yet another person who wouldn’t look her way. Then again, perhaps that wouldn’t be an issue, if Belphegor’s frequent visits were of any indication. It was also true to say that he hadn't received any reports of any significant property damage in Namimori immediately following Belphegor's casual visits, so it may be beneficial to relax his guard on the matter.

Steel cold eyes glanced at the woman across the table, noting the indecisive sheen in her eyes. The normally ambitious and self-assured woman had moments of hesitation, it seems. “It’s your choice to make. Don’t belittle yourself. Any damage to Namimori and it’s people will be met with force.”

"With force!" The yellow bird chimes in randomly, flapping its wings energetically. 

A small smile graces Haru’s features as she read between the lines, “Haru is being made into a convenient excuse for a fight, hm? At least give me a chance to fight for myself first.” In other words, should anything go wrong, the best person to have as an ally in Namimori was Hibari himself. There were some benefits to trying to befriend the guardians, wouldn’t you know? 

It was only a matter of time before others learned about what was going on, so it would be beneficial for all parties involved for her to make her decision quickly, lest she be bothered by a couple of worried nagging guys.

“I told you all this in confidence, you know? Of course, you wouldn’t go blabbing, right?”

“Your private life is of no business to the rest.” Living life without an annoying pest worrying about inanities was a day well spent, after all. 

“Hibari-san understands well.”

She thought it was a bit early to be considering anything in seriousness, but it never hurt to cover your bases. The moment Gokudera or Tsuna heard about Belphegor’s frequent visits, her life was going to be rife with annoyances. Hibari wouldn’t alert the others to what he’s noticed and he may feel it necessary to ensure the others are kept in the dark for the sake of peace and quiet.

The moment Tsunayoshi’s worries trickle down the ranks of the Vongola, Namimori’s peace would surely take the fall. Barring a Prince from doing whatever he wished to do? That reeked of property damage.

Really, it was nice having someone like him as a ‘friend’, sometimes. “Since I’m here, let me tell you about a recipe I’ve thought up recently. I think the birds would love it. It would be tasty and healthy for them.” 

"Hm. Give the recipe to Kusakabe."

“Roger that.” 

#Belacedia #Neo Drabble #((Guest muse: Hibari)) #((The setting for this in my mind would be after the bazooka thread and before the time Bel breaks into her apartment)) #((This brain rot hasn't left the since the day I thought about it and it's high time for me to do something about it)) #((Now I can let this thought rest))

[crimsonbluemoon]

Mafia Au, childhood friends, “Hold your fire!” for Ohmtoonz? Love ya Crim! 💙

Aww fluffy!! I hope you enjoy this!

AU: Mafia Trope: Childhood friendsPrompt: “Hold your fire!”

Pairing: Ohmtoonz

Ryan was always the sweet one of their friend group. A little quieter, and a heart made of gold, he’d been the one that Luke felt like he needed to protect. They were friends from the start of second grade, and even though Delirious was his best friend, Ryan came pretty close (or maybe it was a different feeling, one that Del could never cause in his heart). Luke was the first one to stand up to any bully that tried to talk down to Ryan. He made sure to keep band-aids and medicine in his truck once they hit high school and then college, since his friend tended to get bruised up or bloody from gym or after school activities without Luke hearing about it until the next morning. 

Ryan would never tell him who it was that tripped him or what exactly caused the slice on his arm. But he always looked so grateful for Luke’s gentle first aid afterwards, that the southerner never had the spine to press the matter. Plus, Ryan always assured that he told someone, and that the situations were properly handled. Luke wanted to come with him to the police a time or two (the broken arm their first year of college really pissed him off), but Ryan never wanted Luke to get involved. It bothered him to see his cru-his friend in such rough shape. Ryan didn’t deserve to be treated so poorly, and when Luke discovered who it was that hurt him, they were going to have a not-so-friendly conversation. Ryan told him not to worry, that so long as Luke patched him up, he’d be just fine. 

Which Luke believed until he walked into Ryan’s apartment and a gun was pointed at his head.

“What the-” His spine tensed in panic as he stared down at the barrel, eyes crossed and lungs frozen. His head felt fuzzy from wanting to pass out, yet he refused to move, too focused on taking in the scene in front of him. A grumpy man who looked closed to Luke’s age stared at him from behind the gun, the blue eyes narrowed with murderous intent. 

“You got a reason to be barging into Ohm’s apartment?” The growl of his voice proved that this wasn’t a joke, and Luke’s throat dried up. He wanted to ask who ‘Ohm’ was, and what he had to do with Ryan, yet he knew he didn’t have any control in the current situation. 

“Hold your fire, Wildcat!” The familiar voice of his childhood friend was enough to loosen his shoulders, though air didn’t come back to his lungs until ‘Wildcat’ grunted and dropped the gun to his side. Ryan popped into Luke’s line of sight, his hands quickly cupping his bearded face and rubbing worried thumbs over his paled cheeks. “Oh my god, Luke, I’m so sorry. I texted you earlier saying I couldn’t hang out tonight.” 

“Phones broken,” Luke finally forced out, his face leaning into the calming caresses. Ryan’s touch was always soft, even with rougher hands than Luke’d expect from an accounting major. But from someone who held a gun…Luke’s eyes flickered back over to the man towering behind Ryan, finally picking up on the other people in the room. Their ages seemed pretty close, maybe a few years between, but none seemed as high strung as Wildcat. 

  “Do you need some water? Do you want to sit down?” Ryan fretted like there weren’t three other people in the room watching them, and though normally Luke would preen under the undivided attention, now he squirmed in his shoes. 

“What the hell did I just walk into? And why do they call you Ohm?” He didn’t like making Ryan wince, but he couldn’t ignore what had just happened. Someone had put a literal gun to his face. 

“That’s…Luke, if I tell you the truth, it’s important to know that I’d never do anything to put you in harm’s way.” Ryan’s eyes flickered over to Wildcat, who rolled his eyes and turned away. “Well, intentionally.”

“What, did you make a deal with the mob or something? Do you need me to help you find some cash to pay something off? Because me and Del ain’t got much, but-”

“He doesn’t know who you are?” The exclamation came from one of the men sitting on the couch, his glasses almost falling off his face when he pushed to his feet. “Ohm you told me you were gonna tell him two years ago with the broken arm-”

“Mini,” another man from the couch started, seeming to be the oldest of the group. 

“No, Moo, this is bad. Our boss’s partner doesn’t know about us, which means he’s a sitting duck for other gangs to kidnap him. He’ll be bait! Then what’ll Ohm do? Probably kill half of Manhattan to get him back-”

“I’m sorry, did you say the boss of a gang?” Then the second part of the ramble caught up to Luke, who turned his stunned eyes back to Ryan. He could see the nerves running over Ryan’s face, teeth nibbling on his lower lip and thumbs smoothing Luke’s beard. “Did he say I’m your partner?”

“Yet he’s not worried about the murdering part? Maybe we should keep him as our gang’s mascot.” The final member spoke, and Ryan’s eyes cut a cold edge Luke had never seen before when glaring at the couch.

“Smiity, enough.” Ryan’s demeanor relaxed after a prolonged stare, closing his eyes with a sigh. “You three go back to base and check in with the others. Wildcat’s in charge until I get there. Tell Vanoss to wait on the meeting with the Crows and see if Kryoz got any more dirt on the last boss’s widow. She’s gonna flip on them, and I want to make sure we get to her before anyone tries to shut her up permanently. I’ll be there in an hour.”   

“Got it.” The three made it seem natural to take commands from Ryan, which was another whirlwind for Luke. He’d seen this man get bossed around by kittens, and now he was being told that he ran a gang? The apartment fell silent for a few moments, both men taking time to collect their thoughts. Finally, Luke pulled himself together enough to step back from Ryan, trying not to look into how much he missed the other’s fingers on his skin. 

“Ryan, what the hell is going on?” 

“Um.” Gone was the force of a man that’d commanded four others without a hint of fear, leaving the kind and soft spoken Ryan that Luke knew. His eyes flickered around the room before settling back to Luke with a hesitant smile. “Remember how I told you that I was going to go into my family’s business?” 

“Your family is the mafia?” Luke’s hands laid limp by his side when Ryan nodded. “So, all those times you got hurt-”

“Training,” Ryan replied quickly, but the wince that followed proved that they weren’t pleasant memories. “And sometimes scouting missions that went a little sideways. But I’ve been given the reigns of my own branch now. They’re really nice guys once you get to know them, and we tend to try to avoid violence if possible. Really, Luke, we’re not like the movies at all.” 

“That Mini guy just said I was going to be used as bait,” Luke replied flatly. 

“Mini is dramatic,” was the quick answer, which Luke could see. 

“Why would I be used for bait, Ohm?” He tried out the codename, and his eyebrow rose when he caught the flush on Ryan’s face. 

“That’s cause…well, I was planning on taking you out. Like, on a date. And telling you all of this.” A pause came after, but before Luke could fully process that, Ryan blurted out more. “Because I’ve been in love with you since third grade but I didn’t want to be because of my family!” 

“Oh.” Luke tried not to let his heart jump through his chest at the confession, but his head was far too fuzzy to stay logical. This was more intense than the gun to his head. Ryan, the boy he’d been protecting for years because of how in love he was with him, had also been doing the exact same thing. Except his had the mafia. Luke kept forgetting that piece over the feelings aspect. He wasn’t sure what that said about him. 

“I’m so sorry.” The look of guilt on Ryan’s face was obvious, and his fingers curled into the bottom of his threadbare sweatshirt. “If you don’t want to talk to me again, I get it, I just wanna make sure you’re safe-”

“Hey, who said anything like that?” He didn’t hesitate to move back to Ryan, grabbing his waist and pulling him close until Ryan dropped his forehead onto Luke’s shoulder. “You think a couple guns and some wanna be tough guys are going to keep me from you? I’ve been trying to protect you my whole life; now I get to actually help out.” 

“What do you mean?” Ryan’s voice was soft against his collarbone, Luke running his fingers through the back of Ryan’s hair. 

“It means, boss-” 

“Lu-luke, that’s-” The little noise and squirm of Ryan’s hips proved that was a keeper. He pulled him back enough to catch Ryan’s faint blush, daring himself to run his thumb over the man’s lower lip and grin.

“Where do I sign up?”

#fluffy-papaya #Ohmtoonz #Sultry boys #Ohmwrecker #Cartoonz #Crimson drabblez #<3

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Behind the Fic: TW:OPT - Chapter 67 - 71

Woohoo! We finally end this Halloween Special. It took nearly a week to finish this mini Arc and I apologize for that. I really stretched this Arc for far too long.

Well, then on to the rambling because the behind the scene is actually pretty weird.

WARNING: This will contain a bit of spoiler for the newest chapters of my fan fiction Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure. Click here to read the whole mini-arc from the beginning!

The title of this 5-episodes mini-arc is the lyrics from “I Wanna Scare Myself” from Boo to You, Winnie the Pooh. This is probably one of the most memorable Halloween songs for me besides This Is Halloween. But also because I just really love Winnie the Pooh.

The purpose of this arc is actually three things: 1) As a bridge between the infirmary break and the future Leona's therapy; 2) Introducing the concept of 'first kiss' to Jonah; 3) telling that Jonah was born in Halloween day

Jonah's birthday is in Halloween was not because Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's actually also connected to the source material Jonah was based on.

I've made a list for every costume for the boys, unfortunately, only a few that appeared.

Now, let's talk about the actual Halloween celebration.

The Halloween Party was inspired by the Yule Ball from Harry Potter, which is why there was a dance between the prefects and their partner.

Jonah and Cater ship A-Deuce

Speaking of that A-Deuce moment, it was completely off-script. I just want to write something about Ace and Deuce because I feel like they are lacking (and oh boy, Octavinelle Arc will be a toll to write because of that one major change), so like back in, I gave them small moments together.

I'm actually pretty nervous about the actual Scooby-Doo part. I really want to write something about the Board Game Club to show how close they are. I don't know whether I succeed or not.

Writing Idia and Ortho turned out to be easy after my research, but I'm still not confident about how I wrote them.

Let's talk about Maryanne, shale we?

The Tale of the Unfortunate Sacrificial Flower is a made-up tale by me, but there are some inspirations.

This funny story was the base of this Halloween Arc. As you noticed, some parts were cut, like almost all of them. It didn't turn out to be similar to Ghost Marriage it's worse.

The original idea is for the Board Game Club to find an ancient board game where the spirit inside it corrupt one of the member. If that corrupted-being kisses you, you'll get corrupted too.

This was inspired by a very old YouTube Poop my brother used to watch called ”The Rise of Sqeegee” where Weegee (a parody of Luigi) corrupted Squidward and caused chaos. He got killed but always got revived at the start of every episode.

The board game was supposed to be similar to an Ouija Board, where the gang must find the letter to spell a word. This was inspired by the Destiny Board in Yu-Gi-Oh!

However, I thought that a fetch quest was too long for a mini-series, so soon the whole idea was scrapped.

The new idea was playing the main plot of Hocus Pocus (1993), 'Papa' Lilia's story in particular. The tale of a witch who wants to eat the soul of children to live an immortal life. Also, the part where the Sanderson sister will return if a virgin lit up the black candle

But instead of a witch, we have a very vengeful soul-ghost who also eats the souls of the magicians

And since this school has no child except Ortho, it was changed into 'young magicians'.

The black candle art was changed slightly. Since the soul-sucking ghost was locked in a box, she will be free if a 17 years old virgin opens the box.

The box itself was inspired by the Millennium Puzzle Box from Yu-Gi-Oh!

I'm not really familiar to Hocus Pocus (1993) so I don't know whether Maryanne similar to someone or not. Maryanne was supposed my interpretation of the chaotic mind of Weegee, keeping the original idea there.

I have a thing of writing a very creepy and haughty lady (I don't know whether I should call Maryanne seductive or not), so Maryanne was a blast to write.

Jonah is confirmed a virgin. And he's 17 by Halloween.

“ Chapter 69: Cover Your Eyes Little Buddy, Beware! “ has so many great lines, especially from Maryanne. I just love how she just shot the member one by one.

Azul in particular was commented a lot since Maryanne called him "Definitely not a virgin." I just think it's funny. He just looks like a mafia boss so he surely would have a harem. But I'll let you decide whether Azul is a virgin or not.

“We need to warn everyone!” Idia cried. “There are hundreds of virgins in that gym!” 

That's my personal favorite of the chapter.

There's a reference of Your Lie in April when Azul was calming Jonah down.

" Chapter 69: Cover Your Eyes Little Buddy, Beware! ” marks the first time Jonah ever caught a broom without smacking himself in the face.

Leona and Ruggie's interaction actually came out of nowhere. Originally, I want Leona just coincidentally walked up to the ghost's final battle or him noticing the disturbance from Savanaclaw. But I was like: "No. That's illogical." So, I made Leona go to the party.

Leona and Ruggie's interaction can be seen as romantic or platonic. I just really like how Ruggie was so loyal to Leona that even after he got Thanos-ed he still become in mom.

The ingredient of the exorcising spell was a reference to Witch Hazel's version of Macbeth's Double, "Double, Toil and Trouble" from Donald Duck Trick or Treat (1952)

The exorcism spell was made up by me and translated from English to Latin by Google Translate 

“O errantes spiritu supra inferna” = “Oh, wandering spirit beyond the grave” “exilium perpetuum” = “banish forever”

The whole conversation between Jonah and Azul in “ Chapter 71: And Who Better?! ” was originally supposed to go in “ Chapter 69: Cover Your Eyes Little Buddy, Beware! ” but it was nearly cut from the fanfic as a whole.

I really want Crowley to slowly be a father figure for Jonah, that's why the scene between those two exist.

Again, it was inspired by many Irondad-Spiderson fics

I actually made a list of the ages of the cast until this point. I presume everyone will reach their canon age during 2020. Here's the calculation: (Not include Lilia, Malleus, Leona, and Ortho)

Entrance Ceremony: September 1

15 During 2020 Entrance Ceremony: Ace, Jack 16 During 2020 Entrance Ceremony: Jonah, Deuce, Floyd, Jade, Jamil, Epel, Sebek 17 During 2020 Entrance Ceremony: Riddle, Trey, Azul, Kalim, Rook, Idia, Ruggie, Silver 18 During 2020 Entrance Ceremony: Cater, Vil

Some characters birthday are after September 1, so they are one year younger at the start of the story: Jamil (September 12), Ace (September 23), Jack (October 11), Trey (October 25), Floyd and Jade (November 5), Rook (December 2), Idia (December 18)

Halloween: October 31

16 During 2020 Halloween: Ace, Deuce, Floyd, Jade, Epel, Jack, Sebek 17 During 2020 Halloween: Jonah, Riddle, Azul, Kalim, Jamil, Rook, Idia, Ruggie, Silver 18 During 2020 Halloween: Trey, Cater, Vil

Some characters birthday are after October 31, so they are still one year younger than their original age: Floyd and Jade (November 5), Rook (December 2), Idia (December 18)

In conclusion: Jonah, who is confirmed to be a 17 years old virgin by Hallow Eve’s, is the oldest between the first year gang. He’s also a few days older than the Leech Twins!

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland fanfiction #twisted wonderland fanfic #twst fanfic #twisted wonderland fic #twst fic #twisted-wonderland: our precious treasure #behind the fic: tw:opt #jonah argentum (my oc) #leona kingscholar #ace trappola #deuce spade #azul ashengrotto #idia shroud #ortho shroud #ruggie bucchi #dire crowley

[popculturebuffet]

Jake Reviews Amphibia: Handy Anne and Fort in the Road

It’s finally here... the second time i’ve said that in three days but hey, Amphibia is back! After a years hiatus due to the show being shoved out in a month to get it on disney plus faster (Yet they STILL don’t have wonder over yonder so I can finally watch season 2. God damn. ), one of the best new shows of a year stuffed with them is back! I was excited about this one from the start. A great premise, a gravity falls pedegriee, and the wonderful Brenda Song, who I had a crush on when I was younger despite not really watching the first suite life that much, though I will admit what I saw was pretty decent and had a wonderful cast especially song and Phil Morris as Mr.Mosby.. it was just overshadowed by i’ts two leads being really sterotypical (the cool but dumb hustler and the stick in the mud nerd) and I was more of a nick middle schooler anyway so I barely touched it. Granted if I could go back in time and trade which shows I watched i’d trade it for Zoey 101 in a heartbeat, another show with awful leads but the rest of the main cast was really good concidentally. 

Anyways I did watch more of on deck to  kill time and absolutley hated it. Seroiulsy the show really sucks: Zack and Cody were turned into basically worse versions of Zack Morris and Ross Gellar, worse because while their just as douchey as those two, Mark  Paul Gossler and David Schiwmer can actually act and Cole Sprouse could not yet. I do say yet since Cole Sprouse has grown because he wasn’t half bad in the one season of riverdale I watched. Riverdale, what happens when you have the entire writers room snort a line of coke and then tell them to write the most insane archie fanfiction they can and stitch the results together. Just with Archie alone from what i’ve seen in read he’s started a vigilante posse ala homer simpson, nearly joined hte mafia, been framed form murder, had the local cheerleaders do a number for him while he played prison football, escaped prison to hide in canda from both his former mafia boss whose also his girlfriend’s dad and the cult based on a  DnD knockoff, got mauled by a bear and LIVED, and now is a superhero apparently. WHy I haven’t gone back to at the very least review this clusterfuck is a mystery.  But the point is the twins were really terrible at the time, and if the fact Dylan’s only major role recently is in the sequel to After, that film based on self insert one direction fanfiction, which somehow got a sequel while Birds of Prey probably won’t because god really does hate me. So it was bad and she deserved better, got better with the social network but hadn’t done much i’d seen, so a new cartoon starting her in her elment and in a great show for once had me pumped.  And.. my faith paid off. The show is beautifully animated, ahs a wonderfully morbid and fully fleshed out world, top notch voice acting (including BIll Farmer who is so unreconizable as hop pop I thought he was voiced by charlie addler), great jokes, action and storytelling. Just a slam dunk that left be jonesning for me. And now in one of the best weeks for animation in a while, more is here. I do mean that: 3/4 of disney’s major animated shows returning and close enough finally airing it’s a good time.  When we last left our heroes: Hop Pop buired the box that brought anne there and lied to her about it which even a year later I think is a terrible decision.. one made for understandable reasons as he clearly knows something more about it than she does, but one that’s bound ot backfire whens he finds out her new grandpa lied to her and betrayed her. The plantars also spent the season preparing to leave wartwood. Soon after, Anne was forced to finally stand up to her manipulative, if to my utter shock still caring about her and possibly being into her? I mean it’s not like I haven’t seen the “villian whose overcompensating for a terrible past and likes manipualting people redeemed and ending up smooching the somewhat reckless but good hearted heroine” before. 

Anyways Sasha ends up nearly falling off a giant tower, Anne tries to save her, with the rest of her new family pitching in, and Sasha, realizing just how terrible she’s been just.. let’s her self fall, only saved because Grime caught her. And just remembering that sequence god dman.. the fact they actually got the rights to lean on me for it really dosen’t help. But the day was saved and while Anne had a huge bundle of trauma, the family was ready to finally set out soon. And now a year later i’ts time. Now i’ve gotten all the personal stuff out of the way, let’s hop to it and see what the new season has to offer. Full review with spoilers under the cut!

Handy Anne

So the Plantars are finally setting off. We don’t touch on the Sasha thing much, just a quick bit at the begining to show that while Anne is insiting she’s fine it really traumatized her. I do like kids shows starting to show more that sometimes heroes just DON’T bounce back after something like this, especially young ones. While it’ isn’t nearly to the extent of Steven Universe spending an entire season having his lack of thearpy and unresolved issues slowly destroy him, it’s still nice to see. But the main thrust of the episode is it’s vacation time brother!

Yup after a few episodes of build up last season with the valley clear, Hop Pop has bought a suprisingly nice and affordable wagon (As Polly excitedly explains someone died in it) so they can finally set out to hopefully find Anne a way home. Their going to Oregon! I mean To newtopia, the beating heart of Amphibia: a bustling metroplis built on knowledge where they can hopefully find a way to get Anne and friends back home, while Anne hopes to find Marcy. The rest of the kids are also excited just to get out of the valley for the first time.  Everyone’s pumped.. but Anne starts to worry when she finds out Hop Pop has asked his friend Chuck, the “I grow tulips” guy from the bug ball episode last season who I forgot about but was reminded why I love him and am glad to have him back, to watch the house as given Amphibia is hard enough to surivive on a good day, let alone if your a stationary building. And Chuck dosen’t insprie confidence so Anne decides to fortify the house. And her reasoning.. is actually really sweet and shows how much she’s grown: Instead of like most times where her impulsivness is the reason shenanigans and life thretaning situations happen here.. she’s hit with the hard relization her new family is basically risking everything, their home, their farm, their chuck, to help her get home. 

So Anne decides to armor up the house, getting a fuck ton of shovels and a ton of suplies from the blacksmith guy who suprisngly for once DOES have what she needs for her veggies, to the point his not backtracking weirds anne out, and gives her a tub of goo. This can only end well! Meanwile the rest of the family pack. Polly having maybe 3 possesions gets done quick, Hop Pop is being anal reteitive as always with his ascots (hilariously done and Bill Farmer really is the MVP of this series), while Sprig’s gone half insane just picking out which slingshot to take as he never left, which polly of course exploits.  But things natrually go wrong as the goo creates veggie monsters the family fights (with sprig even calling fight time because this is normal to them at this point) the next mornign and then one colosus that destroys the house... and Anne’s anger and heartbreak over it .. awakens something. See something I hadn’t heard about and didn’t notice at the ebgining of the series was anne’s eyes flashing blue while fighting the mantis in the first episode. Many couldn’t tell if it was leading somewhere or just an animation error. Here though her eyes go bright blue in close up with it being clear this is part of her.. the question what is it and why? Just what power does she have now? And will it save the world or destroy it? Questions for later Anne saves the day, an admits she screwed up but Hop Pop is understanding: He’s touched by her actions but also explains their not just doing this for her: their with her all the way and any sacrifice is worth it. And I like that part of hop pop: while he can be overbearing, just see next episode.. he does genuinely mean well and has genuine wisdom, something they sometimes forget with grandparent characters in animation. He’s crotchety and a stick in the mud, but he’s still throughly nice and understanding and it shows here: He’s going to get his daughter back whatever it takes.. almost.  Hop Pop calls on chuck who in a whilrwind of tools and tulips fixes the place.. and proves to be every bit the legend I thought him. He sells tulips and he’s great. We’ll miss you chuck. But as they get ready to leave Anne brings up the box and Hop Pop, remembering what he did, hastily says it’s better with their contacts. WHich again just seems short sided: while he is trying to protect her, especially since next episode confirms there was some sort of apocalypse once so odds are her being connected to it might not be the best, he can’t dance around her connection to it forever, and hiding the fact some apolcaypse was caused by it is only going to backfire when some vilian reveals it or anne finds it out for herself. Taking her to a place full of infomration where he’ll now have to work to hide the truth is just asking for this to backfire. Not bringing it is one thing, dangerous people could still get the box and use it for their own ends.. we’ve seen female newt sabertooth in the promos and we’ve met Grime. But not telling her is just setitng himself up for a big and deeserved fall soon. But with that settled our heroes set out! 

Final Thoughts I:  Overall this was a good start to the season: my one real complaint is the town didn’t really see them off or anything, so the large and loveable supporting cast is just.. absent unless the series returns to wartwood at some point and it would’ve been nice to see them once last time. Even star vs, as bad as season 3 was, knew we wouldn’t be seeing most of the earth cast for a whie and had marco have a meaningful sendoff before he left. But.. given how tight the phacing seems to be this season judging by episode titles alone, and they only had 11 minutes here. I do think it could’ve been in hte next episode, but it dosen’t ruin a decent, fun start to the season really rooted in character stuff. Not the series finest 11 minutes, but still really good and a good way to start us off. 

Fort in the Road: 

First off your welcome for that episode screencap. Now this one’s also simple, but ends up having a rather sizeable revelation nestled inside. The Plantars are going down the road and while the kids want to you know explore, see places, actually enjoy the trip especailly since Sprig and Polly have never been anywhere else before, Hop Pop, being hop pop, instead just wants them to sit and be quite and follow his rules. I mean it is hte grind but you can at least make it FUN for htem; Just look at this guy. 

It took an episode longer than I thought to refrence the trail to oregon given this season is about a wagon trip, but I’m glad to do it .. and do it again. I will fit pays to be an animal in here somewhere I swear it. WE’ve got time left in the road trip.  Anyways this goes down terribly, though some rules like not posing dramatically as it smacks of hubris and never ends well. But understandably the kids are annoyed about it: Anne can’t even compallin because i’ts not in the rules.  So naturally as Hop Pop should’ve seen coming at the first opprotuunity Anne fakes being cart sick and they run off to see a weird looking ruin with Hop Pop chasing them and leaving the cart to polly because that can’t end well but he’s on a short time.  And this is where the season drops a 10 ton atomic bombshell. Anne being kinda magic in the last episode and it being fully part of things now is intresting and shocking.. but this is miles ahead of it and casts Hop Pop’s actions: Turns out whatever the clamamity box did set techniology in amphibia back to a little above the dark ages. I mean they have full light thanks to lightning bugs, but their still leagues behind.. but were once up to at least mid 2000′s levels of technology. The machine seen requires a disk to stop, but it’s still far beyond what I expcted from this world. Naturally Hop Pop shows up furious, then gets stuck on the assembly line with the kids deseprate to save him, with spirg ending up doing sow ith the rule book. Also we get Anne’s wonderful repsonse to Sprig asking what a disk is:  “I don’t know! i’m from another dimension not the 90s!”  They surivive, the factory blows up and the kids apologize and agree to go back to the boring way things have been going.. but Hop Pop thankfully realizes he’s been a bit overbearing and actually gives a good reason why: He’s never taken then out of the valley before and simply got overprotective. This is his family after all, all he has left of his kid and all he really has left beside Sylvia and the farm. It’s understandble he’d go a bit overboard. But Hop Pop decides to compromise a bit in a nice moment: while the impalment fields are obviously a non starter, he does get the kids ice cream (Anne even admits at this point she dosen’t pick the bugs out anymore), and they genuinely enjoy the trip while Sprig (in a hilarious bit of lampshadng as he does it repeadtly) wonders jsut what they were making.. and as I spoiled it was robots.. one of whom is now following them. Wether this means new doom or the plantars getting a new robot family member I don’t know i’m hoping for the latter. Everyone needs a vision in their life.   Final thoughts II: While having a bit of an obvious conflict with an obvious resolution the character work combined with the MASSIVE plot bombshell really make this enjoyable and I hope to find out more about just what the hell happened and what these robots are for. Just another good solid episode and an excellent duo to start the season.  Next week: Things take a turn for the western and Anne learns to hunt and more about the glow. And with the glow you need to grow to glow... until then i’ll likely have mor ereviews on this channel, I recently reveiwed all of season 1 of close enough if your curious, and until next time.. play us out Willie!

I love what i’ve seen of this throughly stupid movie. Bye ya’ll! 

#amphibia #handy anne #fort in the road #season 2 #brenda song #bill farmer #the suite life on deck #disney channel #disney xd #disney plus #anne boonchuy #hopidiah planter #sprig planter #polly planter #sasha #lord grime

[ourownsideimagines]

Anger Comes In Many Forms (Aziraphale x fem!Reader)

Characters: Reader (Female), Aziraphale

Requested: Yes

Requested by: @walrusgoddess​

Point of View: Third person omniscient

Warnings: Cussing, violence (not a lot), and soft bean Az, and ALMOST NO EDITING

Words:  2379

A/N: OKAY LISTEN, so I had something planned out w/ the reader and Az coming back from the shop from lunch and being harassed (and the reader of course sticking up for Az), but then I had the most wonderful idea of her just fucking decking Gabriel and had to write it. I hope this fits your idea hun!

—

Aziraphale did not get angry often. Some people would assume he didn’t get angry at all -- these people, of course, were wrong. Crowley knew that best, from experience. The angel has been a little more than irked by his fallen friend. His girlfriend has also learned this oddly fast, after experiencing a fight between her angel and his favorite demon. She didn’t have the faintest idea what the argument was about, because as soon as she’d entered the shop Crowley excused himself and stormed out, leaving her to calm down Az.

(Name) on the other hand, had a bit of a tempter, and often it got her into trouble. She’d given Az heart attack on multiple occasions when she would tell off a man twice her size for cutting them in line, or when she would tell men who were very obviously a part of the mafia to fuck off when they entered the bookstore. He loved her dearly, but her temper was going to kill him one day.

Today might as well have been that day.

Aziraphale had told (name) about his boss, Gabriel, on a handful of occasions. Often in complaints about how the archangel didn’t care about the end of the world, and would let everyone burn in the fires of armageddon.

(Name) had never met Gabriel, but she already hated his guts.

She remembers when Az had come to her, upset, because he’d tried once more to convince Gabriel that there was something they could do and he not only rejected the idea, but had made a rude comment about his weight. That was the final straw for (name), and she was prepared for murder.

(Name) had been away from the shop, grabbing some lunch, trying not to think of the fact that the world could end at quite literally any minute. On her way back, she could smell smoke in the air and began to worry. It was when she saw the roaring flames spilling out of the bookshop doors that the food left her hands, and her feet carried her to the building.

She ignored the pain of forcing the doors open, and flung herself inside.

“Aziraphale!” She shouted, but got no response. “Az!” With an arm out in front of her, she took a step towards the backroom, but was stopped when a beam fell from above, effectively blocking her path.

The world around her began to spin, and (name) began to cough violently.

“Aziraphale!” Someone cried from behind her. “(Name)!”

“Crowley!” She called back. The demon came into sight, storming his way towards her. Tears fell from her eyes, both from upset and from the fire. “He’s gone!” She sobbed. “I left to get lunch, and when I got back… Oh god, Crowley.” (Name) let out a low, pained moan as the demon dragged her into his arms, protecting her from the fire.

“Some bastard,” Crowley growled, making sure nothing fell over the both of them. “Killed my best friend.” He hissed. The two didn’t stay much longer in the shop, knowing that it would kill (name) to stay in there. After grabbing something off of one of the tables, Crowley lead her to his car, tossing his ruined sunglasses away in the process, allowing (name) for the first time to see the yellow snake eyes Az had once offhandedly mentioned that the demon had, when she had asked why he wore them all the time.

“Get in.” He all but snapped, trying to collect himself as he got in the driver's seat. (Name) got in beside him, not strong enough to make any arguments.

“He’s gone…” She croaked.

“Discorporated.” Crowley hissed. “And the bastards probably won’t even give him a new body.”

And Crowley was right. Because as (name) and Crowley sat at the bar, Crowley drunk, and (name) halfway there, Aziraphale appeared to them, albeit transparent to say that he’d left notes in the prophecy book they’d accidentally taken from the girl they’d hit with Crowley’s car (of which, conveniently, was the book Crowley had taken from the shop).

That’s how you found yourself stuck in traffic on the way out of London, towards Tadfeild, and why Crowley was suddenly cursing himself for messing with the shape of the M25.

“Come on, there must be some way across this.” Crowley muttered, reaching over you to grab the prophecy book. “Burning roads. Did you predict this, Agnes?” As Crowley began to flip through the pages, a hand reached of from the backseat, causing (name) to scream and jump away. Hastur crushed the new pair of glass with his hands and tossed it onto the seat beside him as Crowley grimaced. He then pulled you closer to him, in case Hastur got any ideas.

“You’ll never escape London.” The duke said matter-of-factly. “Nothing can.”

“Hastur!” Crowley said icily. “How was your time in voicemail?”

“Funny ha-ha, joke all you like, Crowley.” Hastur grumbled. “There’s nowhere to run.”

“Aren’t you to be lining up, ready for battle around now?” Crowley gave (name) a light squeeze when he realizes just how nervous she had become.

“Hell will not forget.” Hastur replied. “Hell will not forgive. You know where the real Antichrist is, don’t you.” Even (name) knew it wasn’t a question. “You’ll never reach him. You’re done Crowley. You think you’re going to get the both of you across that?” The flames before the car seemed to grow at the duke’s words. Crowley used his free arm to select a CD, much to (name)’s confusion. “There’s nowhere to go.”

“Let’s find out.” Crowley slipped the CD into the player.

“What- wh- why are you driving.” (Name) could hear the distaste in Hastur’s voice.

“Crowley,” She muttered.

“Trust me on this,” He mumbled back.

“That’s- what- Stop this thing!” Hastur demanded, and (name) slowly began to recognize the tune of Queen’s ‘I’m in Love With My Car’.

“You know the thing I like best about time?” Crowley drawled. “It’s that every day it takes us further away from the 14th century.” Crowley kept an arm around (name), and one hand firmly on the wheel. He gave her a tight squeeze. “I really didn’t like the 14th century. You’d have loved it then, Hastur. (Name), not so much. They didn’t have any cars back in the 14th century.” Crowley continued to speak as they drove closer, and closer to the raging fire. (Name) had half a mind to force the wheel to the other direction, but she was too scared to even more let alone tussle with the kind demon.

As they plunged into the fire, (name) was surprised to find that it was not hot -- whatever Crowley was doing to keep her safe, she hoped it would last, because even from her seat she could hear Hastur’s skin bubble and ignite. She tried to ignore his screams of pain, and Crowley’s howls of laughter, or the way he screamed at the burning car even after they’d finally exited the fire and entered the London rain.

The next few events happened in a blur -- they arrived at the Tadfeild Naval base, where (name) discovered that Aziraphale had taken possession of an older woman, who herself was accompanied by an older gentleman. They’d followed a group of four kids, led by the Antichrist, onto the base.

(Name) was shocked when Az pulled a gun on the Antichrist, and almost tackled him was it not for Tracy taking control back momentarily, causing them to misfire into the air.

“Why are you two people?” The Antichrist, Adam, asked. Az began to stumble over his words, but Adam stopped him. “I think you should go back to being two separate people.” At his words, Tracy’s form became distorted, and out of her Az stumbled ungracefully into (name). She almost cried in joy, throwing her arms around him. She pulled back suddenly, frowning.

“Were you just about to shoot an eleven year old boy?” She glowered at him. His eyes widened.

“I- oh - ah- Yes! But he’s the Antichrist!”

“He’s a child, Aziraphale.” She scoffed. “If I remember correctly, even you believed in nurture over nature.” That seemed to shut him up, if only momentarily, as they watched Adam’s three friends use a flaming sword to defeat three of the four horsemen.

“Wasn’t that your sword?” Crowley asked.

“Yes,” Az said. “Yes, I do believe it was.”

“You had a flaming sword?” (Name) asked. “Did you lose it?”

“Now I… gave it away.” He said, his cheeks flushing pink. (Name) would have questioned it further if not for Death’s departure. “See Crowley, it’s like I said-”

“Oh it isn't over.” Crowley said, shaking his head. “It’s far from over. Heaven and Hell still want their war.” Crowley stepped away, towards the children. “You, boy. Antichrist. What was your name again?”

“Adam Young.”

“So your friends got together and saved the world. Well done, have a gold star, won’t make any difference.” (Name)’s head swamped with confusion as a man and woman approached, the woman shouting at Crowley about how he had stolen her book, of which he tossed back to her. A slip of burnt paper floated downward, which Az caught, but would not let (name) see before slipping it into his pocket.

(Name) jumped out of her skin when a crack of thunder rang through the air, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground behind them. Az held her close as a nicely dressed man appeared, another figure appearing shortly after, rising from the ground, a gigantic fly adorning their head like a hat. They approached, moving past the group to stand on the other side of them.

“Lord Beelzebub.” Crowley said as he did an over exaggerated bow. “It’s an honor.”

“Crowley.” Said Beelzebub. “The traitor.”

“That’s not a nice word.” Crowley grimaced as he stood back up

“All the words I have for you are worse. Where’s the boy.” Crowley turned to look at Adam.

“That one.” The nicely dressed man spoke. “Adam Young.” He moved closer to the kids, stopping a few feet from Adam. “Young man… Armageddon must.. Restart.” He said with an unconvincing smile. “Right now. A temporary inconvenience cannot get in the way of the greater good.” By now, (name) had determined from Az’s previous descriptions that this was Gabriel, and that he was just as much of an asshole as he had been described. She watched as, together, Gabriel and Beelzebub attempted to convince Adam to restart armegeddon.

“Excuse me,” Az began to move closer to Adam, you following along, not wanting to leave his side, and him not wanting to argue. “You keep talking about the great plan.”

“Aziraphale, maybe you should just keep your mouth shut.” Gabriel demanded.

“One thing I’m not clear on.” Az ignores him. “Is that the ineffable plan?”

“The great plan!” Beelzebub snaps. “It is written. There shall be a world, it shall last for 6000 years and end in fire and flames.”

“Yes, yes, that sounds like the great plan.” Aziraphale gave your hand a tight squeeze as he spoke. “Just wondering. Is that the ineffable plan as well?” That’s when the realization hit (name) -- neither of them knew. Of course they didn’t know!

They just wanted war.

“Well, they’re the same thing!” Gabriel exclaimed after a few tense moments of silence.

“You don’t know.” Crowley and (name) said in unison, catching attention. Crowley sauntered over to stand with his friends.

“You know, it’d be a pity if you’d thought you were doing what the great plan said, but you were actually going directly against God’s ineffable plan.” Crowley looked around as he continued. “I mean, everyone knows the great plan, yeah? But the ineffable plan… It’s well… It’s ineffable isn’t it? By definition we can’t know it.”

“But…” Beelzebub frowned. “It is… written.”

“God does not play games with the universe.” Gabriel argued.

“Where have you been?” Crowley scoffed.

“Obviously not on earth.” (Name) muttered as Gabriel took aside Beelzebub to speak. (Name) turned again to Az, about to say something when the archangel shouted.

“Well at least we know who’s fault it is!” He snapped, eyes landing on the group. (Name) had had about enough of him, and tore herself away from Az to take the few steps to Gabriel. Az and Crowley both called to her, curiosity laced in their worry. Gabriel sneered down at her. “And what do you want-”

(Name) had only punched two other people in her lifetime, one of those being Crowley (for reasons she would rather not mention), the other being her older brother. Neither had felt as satisfactory as landing a perfect punch on the angels stupidly perfect face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Beelzebub was almost amused by the situation as Gabriel held his face. (Name) didn’t know if it was out of actual pain or from surprise, but she glared at him all the same.

“That’s for calling my boyfriend fat you bloody prick.” She spat. “And for all the other times you treated him like shit.” There was suddenly a hand on her shoulder, and she allowed Crowley to pull her back towards the group.

“She-“ Gabriel resurfaced, hand still over his face, but (name) was satisfied when she saw the slow drip of blood onto the pavement. “She broke my nose!”

“Oh, get over it, she could have done way worse.” Crowley gave her a knowing glance and she looked away sheepishly. She ignored the constant returning glare from Gabriel as he and Beelzebub promised to tell Adam’s father (Satan) about him ‘misbehaving’. As they finally disappeared, (name) brought herself to finally look at Aziraphale, whom had been staring at her with flushed cheeks.

“Did you… did you really do… that,” He fumbled over his words as he took a step toward (name), his cheeks only burning hotter as he refused to meet her gaze. “Did you just punch an archangel… for me?”

“I’d have done much more to that asshole if Crowley hadn’t pulled me away.” She promised. She grabbed his burning cheeks and planted a soft kiss to his lips. “No one insults my angel and gets away with it. I’d do anything to protect you, my love.” Az pulled her into a tight hug, too flustered to do much of anything else.

“Hey, you two.” Crowley said. “There are kids, don’t go getting call cutesy.” You rolled your eyes, but gently took your significant other's hand, prepared for whatever might come next, because he was at your side.

Then, the ground began to shake.

#good omens #good omens x reader #aziraphale x reader #aziraphale #x reader #aziraphale good omens #crowley x reader platonic #my writing #reese writes #reader inser #female reader #fem!reader #Aziraphale x fem!reader

[chenles-moonpies]

Mission, failed

• An nct mafia au, chapter 1

• 2k words

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"You go to china, find the boy, bring him back. Plain and simple."

"Plain and simple my ass. Does he know how many people are here!?" Winwin cursed as he looked around the corner from a fight they were observing. Taeyong, leader of his gang NCT, had sent him and Yuta on a mission to track down someone that fancied his eye. Normally Winwin did an exceptional job at spy work, but being paired with Yuta lately has had it’s consequences. "Also why am I with you?” Winwin complained,  “You don't speak a lick of Chinese and always mess up important details." The two had been paired together recently after Yuta begged a reluctant Taeyong to do so for weeks without consulting Winwin. He agreed eventually, “Fine. but I'm not sending you in the private jet when you go to China. Just Business class.” He had told Yuta.

"I'm offended. You know the rules! No solo missions." Yuta reminded his friend, "Unless you're in-"

"What's going on over there?" Cheers, or rather yells, were piercing the air around them. Citizens flocked to the middle of the bustling shopping roads where a fight broke out. Winwin and Yuta looked at each other before racing over to see as well. 

"I think that's the one." Yuta whispered. The crowd was rather large so it was a bit difficult to see, however Taeyongs words echoed loosely in his mind. "Short hair, gets in fights, Winwin I think we're done!" Yuta smiled brightly at the taller male. His response was a bit delayed. Could it really be him? Wasn't he a bit… small? 

"You IDIOTS!" Taeyong yelled, hands banging down on his desk. "I told you exactly what he looks like and what do you do? Bring me someone not any bigger than a Dream member!?" 

The man scoffed, "I'm not that small-?"

"Look, you want us to do well? Stop sending me with him!" Winwin fought back, pointing back to his partner. Yuta's face grew rather disgusted, if not disappointed. "What do you mean?" He questioned. "You always mess around and distract me." Winwin huffed. 

"Then stop getting distracted. It's not hard!" Taeyong bellowed. The room grew quiet until the tied up boy spoke, “You guys seem tense. Maybe you should take a bath or something, some tea might help, maybe some Vodka-”

“Shut up!” Taeyong shouted, cutting him off. The four men stood in Taeyong’s office for a moment, unsure of what to do. “I’m sorry, sir. Should we bring him back to China?” Winwin spoke sheepishly, suddenly aware that he should probably just comply with his boss.

“Are you insane or did you break into the drug stash on floor 15? We can’t let him go now. Leave him with me,” Taeyong sat down onto his chair and spun to face his back to the other three men, “I’ll talk to him.” Winwin and Yuta promptly left while bickering quietly. The door shut quietly with a click. “Ok, let's get to it,” Taeyong pulled up a pen and paper, “Name, date of birth, nationality, family and blood type please.” The man shuffled out of the ties restricting him, 

“People call me Ten. I was born 27th of February 1996, I have a mother and father and sister and I don’t know my blood type.”

“Whatever, we’ll just get someone in to test you. You didn't tell me your nationality.”

“Well i’m not Chinese as you thought.” 

“I didn't ask where you aren’t from, I asked where you are fr-”

“Why do you need to know, huh?” 

Taeyong stared at Ten with sharp fury. But that was only the exterior he showed. Inside he was shocked. No one had ever interrupted him like that. 16 members prior to Ten and it hasn't happened once. And that wasn't even the ones he had to “dismiss”

“Just tell me where you're from, pretty boy.”

Ten looked around at the pointings that hung around Taeyong’s office, “Is this you? Who painted it? Their brush technique is very… unique.”

“I Think you’d better sit down and tell me where you’re from before we have a problem.” Taeyong spoke through gritted teeth

“Thailand.”

“Was that so hard?” Taeyong pulled some papers from his desk, “Sit down, Ten.”

“Fine,” he responded, “But I'm sitting because I want to. Not because you told me to.” 

Taeyong slid a thin pile of papers across his desk and into the other man’s lap. 

“I’m not reading all that.” Ten said, picking up the pile.

“Don’t worry, I'll give you the summary.” He sat back in his chair, “This is the NCT X Building. Its headquarters for the NCT gang. I prefer the term mafia but… to each their own.”

“Oh, shit ok.” Ten pulled out a pair of glasses from a pocket in his silk shirt.

“Long story short my father founded the mafia and I took over after the incident. I never liked the way he ran it so i changed a lot of things. So if you ever think I'm treating you unfairly i’ll remind you he was incomprehensibly worse.”

“So you’re recruiting me?” 

“Call it what you want, you’re lucky I didn't just kill you.”

“Fair enough.” 

“You’ll get to meet the other members soon but essentially there are two sections: 127 and Dream. 127 handles korean affairs, mainly based in Seoul. Dream…” Taeyong paused to laugh, “Honestly it's more of an experiment than anything and the only reason I'm maintaining it is because they’re good kids and you can't exactly leave this organisations unless you leave in a hearse.”

Hang on, did you say ‘kids’?” 

“Yes, they're all pretty young. The youngest is 17 though so don't worry they aren’t too young. Anyway Dream only really handles very minor affairs but they've been doing well.”

“Jesus, you’re not gonna put me with them, are you?” 

Taeyong laughed, “You should be so lucky. You’ll probably get put into 127 but for now you’re a trainee. Sign here.”

Taeyong presented ten with a black piece of paper with a light grey print and a white signature line. “That's some shady shit, man.” Ten said,

“Fine,” Taeyong took the paper away, “this is a gang, you don't actually have to sign it,” He said, signing the name ‘Ten’ in neat cursive on the white line, “It’s just so the less intelligent members get a sense of security from the legitimacy of a contract. But you seem smart, so you don’t need that.” Ten laughed quietly in response,

“Now,” Taeyong whispered, pressing a black button on his desk, triggering the large mahogany doors to open, “Would you like to meet the others?"

"You said there's sixteen others, right? Why so many?" Ten questioned, following his new leader out of the room. "I have my reasons. This way."

The hallways were long, some narrow, Ten noted. It wasn't dark like he imagined gang buildings to be either. Most rooms had a large glass window to show into it but a few were kept a secret behind locked doors. They peaked his interest for sure, so the male made a mental note to explore once he has a bit more freedom. 

"In here is the main break room on the floor. Usually you can find Johnny, Jaehyun, or maybe even Jeno in here." 

"So many J names." Ten laughed. Taeyong couldn't disagree there. "Come in." He nodded his head as he opened the door. 

"Johnny, Jaehyun, meet Ten." Taeyong said, introducing him. Johnny nodded while Jaehyun presented his hand. "You must be the new recruit!" Another voice spoke out. A head popped over the edge of the old, slightly tattered, orange couch in the corner of the room. "Who are you?" Ten asked.

"Mark Lee. I'm in all the units. Well, was."

"What do you mean, aren't there only two?"

"He was in dream but graduated. He doesn't have an official position yet."

"That's why I'm in all of them. In Hopes of finding out." Mark said, pointing his thumb and finger at Ten like he held a real gun. "Enough chat. Anyone know where Doyoung went?" Taeyong asked. Everyone shook their heads no. 

"Maybe in U-" 

"Right, later then. I'm sure someone is in the cafeteria." Taeyong blurted, interrupting Mark. The leader walked out, the heavy door slamming behind them. "Mark, you idiot. No one can know about U so soon!" Jaehyun scolded, smacking the younger boy on the shoulder.

"What's U? I don't understand." Ten asked, his mind buzzing to know what secrets Taeyong was keeping. He'll be damned if he gives up trying to find out. "Who knows Honestly. Kid is so overworked I don't think he would know where his head was if it weren't attached." 

Taeyong re-entered, brushing something off his shirt, and was immediately bombarded with Ten’s questioning "What positions were they all?" Ten asked. 

“Does this guy ever shut up? Why does he want to know everything so bad…?"  Taeyong thought. "Johnny is the muscle. I count on him to keep people in check, sometimes to do the dirty work. Jaehyun is 127s Charmer."

"Charmer?"

"Every talented mafia needs someone to swoon others to get desired information." 

"That desperate huh?"

"You won't understand. Not yet."

Ten took in his sudden surroundings as he noticed Taeyong had been leading him down a couple flights of stairs. "Elevators?" He asked. Taeyong shook his head. "Not to the floor we're going to. Doyoung likes his privacy." 

After walking for what seemed like hours, Taeyong and Ten finally got to their desired floor. “I get this dude wants his privacy but this is ridiculous.” Ten complained, pretending to be out of breath. Taeyong let out a small laugh, “You know, Ten, I hope your sense of humour helps you get around obstacles and doesn't cause you problems.” 

“Well,I'd be lying if I said they hadn’t before.” The two approached a tall, oak door with a silver “DY” on it next to an eye hole. “Kind of weird that you guys have peep holes on bedrooms.” Ten said as he got on his tiptoes to look through it, “It’s blacked out!”

“Mhm. Everyone but me is supposed to have an eyehole to make sure no one’s up to any funny business but Doyoung has a tendency to disagree with that rule.”

“Ah.” 

Taeyong knocked three times on the door before opening it, “Doyoung, you’ve got company!” He yelled. A tall, slender man with dark wet hair entered from around the corner, “Taeyong, you might be everyone’s boss but you can't just come in here unannounced. I’m your right hand man not your slave,” he looked up from tying a black robe around himself, “I don’t just do whatever you want me to like the others d-” He paused, “What does he want?” 

Taeyong laughed, “Doyoung, you’ve never been the best at making people feel welcome.”

“This looks like a Jaehyun thing.”

“Huh?” Ten looked at Doyoung, puzzled,

“Is this another ‘date in exchange for information’ thing because I'm not doing that again, that's why we have Jaehyun.” Doyoung walked back around the corner.

“No, it’s not.” Taeyong yelled over to him, “And if it was, you’re not supposed to say that to the person.”

Doyoung re-entered from around the corner now fully dressed in a white dress shirt, a silk tie, and tailored slacks. “I have to go out.”

“I don’t remember you telling me that.” Taeyong responded.

“I don’t remember me needing to.” Doyoung pushed passed the two men.

“My name’s Ten.” Ten shouted as Doyoung started up the stairs,

“Thats nice.”

“He’s going to be rooming with you for now.” Taeyong yelled.

“What?!” Doyoung came back down the stairs.

“It’s only temporary while we make up a room for him. Everyone has a roommate and they have smaller rooms. You’re alone and you have a room that could fit at least five people.”

Doyoung stared angrily at Ten, “Fine. But if this lasts more than a week, You and I,” Doyoung looked Ten up and down, “We’re gonna have a problem.”

“I’ll see you around, Doyoung.” Ten responded with a smile. Doyoung stormed off leaving a tapping sound on the marble floor echoing throughout the halls.

Taeyong and Ten looked to each other as Ten laughed, “I like him.”

#Nct #nct u #nct 127 #nct dream #wayv #ten #taeyong #johnny #jaehyun #mark #jeno #winwin #yuta #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct writing #nct fic #nct fanfic #nct mafia au #nct au #kpop fic #kpop fanfic #kpop mafia au #kpop au

[slamsams-blog]

Goldeneye - #24WeeksofBond

24 Weeks of Bond continues this week with Goldeneye.  Ask anybody who grew up with an N64 what their favorite Bond movie is.  I’d be willing to bet 9 out of 10 of those people will tell you this film.  I grew up with an N64, I knew the Goldeneye video game before I even knew it was a Bond Movie.  The Goldeneye N64 game was my introduction to James Bond.  Today, i feel like shouting from the mountain tops...I can now confidently say, that Goldeneye is my favorite Bond movie.  

Besides the incredible amount of nostalgia playing multi-player Goldeneye in the basement of my best friends house almost every day after school - this movie is gritty, dark, witty, complex, and full of “punch you in the gut intensity”.  Sean Bean plays 006, and it is the ultimate villain.  Who would be a bigger adversary to Bond, then Bond himself?  That’s how close 006 compares to 007.  This film is as close to Bond vs. Bond that we will ever see.  We also have the overtly sexual psychopath in Xenia Onotopp (Famke Janssen) and Boris Grishenko (Alan Cumming) a high level computer programmer and overall sleazy creep who uses “boobs” as his passwords.

It’s hard to top this cast of characters.  It doesn’t end with the bad guys either, we have our seductive Natalya Simonova, who isn’t the obvious “sex appeal” pick, which is nice.  When we first see her, she has a wool sweater on,  a “Karen” hair cut, and a voice lower than mine - but she gets her shit done and nobody is going to tell her no.  I love seeing Natalya boss Bond around, one of my favorite Bond girls for sure.  We also are introduced to the new M, Judi Dench.  Of course, with any new boss, there is chatter within the work force and M finds herself over hearing some of it.  I do wish we had some moment where M proves her trust, but it’s all well and good in the end because she’s Judi Dench, the best M ever...with all due respect to Bernard Lee of course.

This movie starts hot, with Bond bungee jumping off a giant dam in Russia.  He then infiltrates their military base where he meets up with his pal, 006 Alec Trevelyan.  We see them tackling this mission together, but Alec finds himself in trouble.  Bond decides to improv, and adjusts the timers to 3 minutes instead of 6 - but Alec gets killed despite following orders.  Bond is now pissed.  He manages to escape by driving off a cliff to catch a falling airplane.  

This is probably the most eye-rolling part of this movie.  I can suspend my disbelief more than most (I’m a pro wrestling fan), but this is just non-sense.  He manages to catch up to the nose diving airplane, get in, buckle up, adjust the rear view mirror, throw on some AC/DC for the road, and escape.  We see the bombs going off, Bond has completed this mystery mission. We never really find out what the mission was for.  I guess just to introduce us to Oromov and Trevelyan who will become key figures later on.

We come back from an intoxicating rendition of “Goldeneye” sung by Tina Turner, and we are now 9 years into the future.  Think of all the potential movies we missed out on in those 9 years!  We see Bond in Monaco being evaluated  where he meets a crazy speed demon who turns out to be Xenia.  Bond later goes to a casino where he find Xenia there and starts to realize that something troubling is brewing.  After further digging, he finds out she has a connection to the Janus Group - a crime syndicate who has an unknown leader.  Not really sure what Bond is doing in Monaco. Was he on holiday? Was he sent there for something in particular?

ANYWAY (thanks mom), Xenia ends up killing an admiral with her apparent titanium alloy thighs during a hot night and steals a “Tiger” helicopter that can withstand any sort of electro magnetic blast.  Bond doesn’t get to it in time, and the helicopter takes off.  Now Bond is really curious...and pissed. General Oromov from the opening and Xenia set off one of the Goldeneye satellites which trigger an electro magnetic pulse, destroying every type of computer generated device.  They then enlist the help of Boris, who had just hacked into the FBI security system all nonchalantly before having a cig.

The Goldeneye destroys the area and Oromov tries to cover it up by blaming it on British separatists.  But doesn’t realize that Natalya had survived the blast.  Bond now wants to meet thee Janus, and goes to see a russian mafia don who Bond has had history with and gets a meeting set up.  This is when we find out that Janus is actually Bond’s ole mate, Alec Trevelyan.  Bond is stunned and shaken.  9 years after he saw his death, here he is. Trevelyan notes that he didn’t account Bond improving and setting the timers for 3 minutes which burned half his face, and broke his heart. “007s loyalty is always to the mission...never to his friends”. Tear.

The plan is to set off another Goldeneye in London, creating a financial meltdown, putting England back into the stone age.  But now Bond has entered the fray, and is keen on throwing a wrench into the plans.  He does so...with a tank.  In one of the more entertaining chase scenes in Bond history, we see Bond chasing down Oromov with a bloody tank.  Destroying everything in his path, and finding time to adjust his tie in the process.  Man I love this scene.  Oromov is also another great character. Played by Gottfried John, Oromov is a desperate, corrupt General - trying to put on a front as head of Russia’s space division, but also keep Janus’ plans in tact.  With flask in hand, and sweating profusely, he has to tell Janus that Bond escaped.

(Seinfeld reference alert)

Bond saves Natalya from the bad guys, yadda yadda yadda, SATELLITE FIGHT SCENE!!  Bond comes to blows with 006 on the second base where another Goldeneye detonator is being held.  This fight is so brutal and hard hitting that it really feels like Bond is fighting Bond.  These two, once friends, now bitter enemies.  Just watching this fight hurts.  And just when we think Bond is at a dead end, he kicks a lever for the ladder and drops all the way down to the tiniest platform on the bottom of the satellite, leaving himself with no room for error.  The fight continues on this tiny platform where we eventually see Bond kick Trevelyan off and grab his foot for a final farewell.

I don’t necessarily have a fear of heights, but I do have a fear of falling.  What happens next always leaves me with the feeling of my stomach being sucked up into my throat.  Bond has Trevelyan by the foot as he dangles thousands of feet in the air.  Alec finally looks up and says “For England, James”, then Bond says “STFU” and lets him go.  I get shivers just thinking about it.

Oh, did I mention this score??? The music that plays throughout this scene is heart pounding and really gets me going. There’s nothing like incredibly written fight music and Goldeneye has the cream of the crop.

There is just so much to love with “Goldeneye”.  But unfortunately for Pierce Brosnan, this movie will be his first and his best.  Goldeneye was such a tremendous success coming off a 6 year hiatus after “Licence To Kill”, that all Brosnan’s next films suffered because of it.  This film was so good because it was dark, had an unforgettable cast, and had a TOUCH of humor.  That scene where Bond goes to see Valentine is really all the humor you need - how about that Minnie Driver cameo? After this, I guess the writers went all in on the humor bit of it because the rest of the Brosnan catalog can be little more cartoony and goofy.  While I did enjoy “Tomorrow Never Dies” - it just does not compare to “Goldeneye”.

Pierce Brosnan is the perfect Bond for this era and this film in particular.  I just cannot imagine and older Timothy Dalton doing this film justice.  Goldeneye ushered in a new style of James Bond.  This film would be a taste of what was to come with the future Daniel Craig movies, and it provided an opportunity for a new generation of young, teenage movie goers to hop on board the Bond Band Wagon with the N64 video game.  It got me, that’s for sure.  This was the first Bond film I ever saw, and I’m proud to say that it is my favorite Bond movie ever.

That’s it for me this week, let me know what you thought and why it was your favorite Bond movie ever!

Reviews from Friends:

My Mom:

I watched with your dad and two of your brothers. It was a very intense and exciting film. Brosnan is so good. But it was pretty complicated and as is typical, I have a hard time keeping up with it all. That is why I loved the simplicity of last weeks choice. Lol. Because I’m old. The characters were great and I loved the feisty females

Jeremy Tillema:

Greatest bond movie produces greatest first person shooter on the greatest gaming console of all time. I said it.

Jake Benrud:

Great review Sam, and I’m with you on this one. This is a fantastic Bond movie and one of my favorites, if not my favorite. I think I have seen this movie more times than any other (I think Casino Royale might be second). I’m pretty sure I had the VHS, and I think you and I watched it numerous times. (I think Joanna was getting sick of me quoting the movie when we were watching it since I knew all the lines.) This is the movie that really got me into Bond movies. The action, the plot, the twists all made this an excellent and entertaining installment in the Bond series. Makes me want to fire back up that ‘64 and get the rumble packs out!

Tyler Dahlgren

I have been following along to these and have been giving them the Facebook like, but haven’t been commenting or watching along because honestly I could probably recite every Bond moving verbatim from start to finish. My earliest childhood memories (way, way earlier than any kid has a business being exposed to Bond) are of sitting with my Grandpa in his recliner while he munched popcorn and watched Bond. For better or for worse they are like a comfort food for me.

I say all of that to say this. Goldeneye is my favorite. I still remember watching it for the first time with Mark Kulig. We played the game and watched the movie more times than you’d think possible. The double cross, resurrection storyline. The characters. The cast is stacked. It all adds up so well and revived the franchise from some abysmal showings. I love this movie.

24 Weeks of Bond will return next Monday with - 

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

#Goldeneye #pierce brosnan #James Bond #Sean Bean #Famke Janssen #N64 #Nintendo #24WeeksofBond

[we-til12-things]

365 days movie review

Okay, where do I even start in describing the 365 days movie? Okay imagine like Beauty and the Beast but instead of being a Disney movie, it's a porno. Let's figure out what the hell Netflix got going on, okay so 365 Days and DNI basically translated in English means 365 days. It's a Polish movie that came out in February and recently made its way east United States by way of Netflix. It's based on an erotic book written by Blanca Lipinski. The movie adaptation here was written and directed by Barbara B Louis and Tomas climb ala.

365 Days cast and plot 365 Days/ 365 DNI softcore porn movie on netflix reviewThere is an 85% chance that there's a hundred percent chance that I said those names are wrong but onward the film stars Anna Maria as Laura said cuca and Michelle Moronne as Massimo maybe let's get into the plot here.  The movie starts where you see some sort of like mafia activity, there's a dude named Massimo and he's talking to his dad on this nice rooftop and the dad tells the son the most popular movie line in history you know what son one day you have to run the family business That's all good but the son is kind of distracted he's got these binoculars and he's looking down on the beach and he sees his beautiful woman. The next thing you know the dad just gets shot by some snipers on like another roof and literally just dies in his son's arms. Take the first three minutes of the movie cuts to five years later and Massimo is now indeed running this Italian mafia at the same time. That same beautiful woman that he saw these binoculars, her name's Laura she's on vacation in Sicily that's in Italy for those of you counting at home she's celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend who kind of sucks at being a boyfriend.

Coincidentally on that same birthday trip, Massimo randomly sees her at the airport and follows her to the resort that she's staying at we find out that Massimo has spent the last five years searching the globe for this woman and this is wild because it's basically like you're riding the train and you see the love of your life. She gets off the train all of a sudden five years later you pull up at Wendy's and there she is is Wendy's canceled anyway, back to Italy Massimo pulls up on her as soon as she's separated from her friends and kidnaps her yep on her freaking birthday. Massimo now has this girl from Poland all the way in Italy away from all her friends and family takes away her phone and her laptop and tells her ''I'm gonna give you a chance to fall in love with me'' what a treat Massimo what a freaking treat. He tells Laura that he'll never force himself on her and if she doesn't fall in love with him in 365 days uh-huh, he'll set her free she has a whole year to fall in love with this dude but in less than two months she's in love and my TV goes from Netflix to sex flix and off we go we got a movie so what's my take you might be wondering how I found out about this damn movie duh. Was the sex scenes real in 365 days? Well, sources have confirmed that it was NOT.

Check this airport, airplane girl scene in 365 days. (Explicit)

Lord of mouth is that wordplay yes it is but first things first this movie it was met with a lot of criticism and not just because it's about an hour and 54 minutes of freaky deeky sex but because some critics are saying it glorifies Stockholm Syndrome what Stockholm Syndrome you might ask that's John Stockton  Syndrome is when it's like when you fall in love with being kidnapped no it's when you are a kidnapper who loves no it's because that's the only make sense as when you got kidnapped right you know what let's just someone else can explain this. The robbery that named the condition Stockholm Syndrome is generally defined as the occurrence, were hostages form emotional attachments to their captors and/or begin to feel sympathy for them.

Criminologist and psychiatrists Nils Boudreau first coined the term Stockholm Syndrome in 1973 that year four people were held hostage during a bank robbery in Stockholm Sweden yet upon being released the hostages didn't show any anger towards their captor instead they defended him and even refused to testify against him in court since then Stockholm Syndrome has been spotted in various situations. It has been recorded in victims of sexual abuse human trafficking discrimination terror and political and religious oppression as well.

365 days Actors Instagram 1)Anna Maria 2)Michelle Morrone

Okay you Maxton points there and in this movie, Massimo is a mob boss so he has to a ton of money you can take her shopping and buy all this fly when she finally admits that she's in love with him, Massimo lets her have her cell phone back her laptop back so she lets her best friend pull up and her best friends like a girl you're trapped in a gold cage you're not really in love and Laura trying to convince her best friend that she actually is in love. There's actually FBI evidence that shows only 8% of kidnapping victims show any signs of Stockholm Syndrome so might not be as prevalent as we think it is but I in say it's an FBI why don't we use these are these Wikipedia I didn't make this up let's say we take the controversial nature of the movie away is it worth the watch?

No of course not from a storyline or acting standpoint but if you've been in quarantine for 90 days 13 hours and 26 minutes and you have the desire to see what I imagine is a 20/20 version of Fifty Shades of Grey Mazal find out what the hype is about these sex scenes are so damn steamy there's a good chance and I'm pregnant you know when you used to watch skinemax, I mean I don't have that channel but I would imagine thinking okay obviously they're not really having sex when you're watching 365 Days movie online.

If you really want to watch or stream 365 Days Online, don't forget to check out this link in the English version.

 I like you know it's not real but then you be thinking is that real because it'd be looking real but it can't be real could it be who knows, what they're allowed to do in Poland. I guess I'm gonna give 365 Days a 2.5 stars. 365 days movie was rated   3.3/10 on IMDB and no consensus yet on Rotten Tomatoes.   I probably would've given it two stars but it's at least I have to start with that movie sex in there obviously if you do watch this movie the ending will have you questioning if there's room for a sequel, I mean if a second movie of 365 dni is possible or not. There's been no news of another 365 dni movie but don't worry this book actually is a trilogy and the second book came out in 2018 and with this movie doing so well in Poland and now killing it in the United States on Netflix. 365 days had a $9.5 million at the box office. There are some beautiful songs and soundtracks in 365 dni movie:

Michele Morrone-Hard For Me Ghost Monroe-I Am The Fire The Rigs-The Hunted Michele Morrone-Dark Room Nick Kingsley & Hannah Hart-You Made A Monster Alex Condlife & Lamb Hands-You Michele Morrone-Watch Me Burn Malo-Kiss Me Röyksopp-Here She Comes Again  The Venice Connection-The Times Of Our Lives "- Everybody Loves An Outlaw-I See Red Fly Project-Toca Toca SATV Music-Finish Line

Robin Loxley & Smudge Mason-Coming Back Everybody Loves An Outlaw-Give Em Hell Mabel-Don’t Call Me Up  Raphael Lake, Aaron Levy & Daniel Ryan Murphy-Prisoner Raphael Lake-Another Wave  Lee Richardson, Jonathan Murill, Tom Ford-Here Comes The Thunder Theo Chinara & Craig Hardy-Lost In Your Eyes Michele Morrone-Feel It Everybody Loves An Outlaw-I See Red

Check this out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRpxw2UlXQ

Talking about the ending, did Laura died or got pregnant with Nacho's child? Well, we don't really know, some say she was simply kidnapped and some believed she could have been killed by Massimo's rivals. I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of Massimo's but as always thanks for checking out Movies Reviewer, who knew that I had so much range that I could also do softcore porn reviews, what a time if you fill in the post make sure you share this posts as much as possible every week you never know what you're gonna get if you've seen this movie let me know in the comments if you want to see a sequel if you haven't seen this movie let me know in the comments if you plan to see this movie thanks for reading, see you with another Movie Review.

[mamthew]

I finished Persona 5 Royal, after 135 hours. My feelings on the new content are mostly very positive, though do I have a few issues with it. Here's a suuuuuper long write-up first about Persona 5 and then about Royal. This is gonna have full spoilers for both versions of the game, so keep that in mind if spoilers for either game bother you. Persona 5 is my favorite game of all time for several reasons. The first is how masterfully it's written. Not necessarily line-to-line (and certainly not in the English localization, which could've used a few more weeks of edits to make the sentences sound more natural), but in its structure, thematic unity, and use of allusions to achieve that unity. The first two-thirds of the game are presented through a complex and well-orchestrated frame device that's honestly just a treat to experience. It presents the player with a glance at each upcoming story beat without the context to understand it, then lets them piece together the context as they go, giving the whole game a sense of mystery even as the player inhabits the characters at the center of the mystery. It also uses concepts from Jungian psychology to tell its story, most notably character archetypes, which means players can use knowledge of the archetypes to better understand aspects of the characters and their stories. It's beautiful, and it means that I often fall down rabbit-holes researching the allusions made and finding the connections they have to the story. The other reason Persona 5 is my favorite game is much more personal, but it actually played a major role in my radicalization (or if you're uncomfortable with such terminology, political reawakening). The game released in early April of 2017, only a few months after Trump took office, and partway through my first semester back at school after my five year...break. The game is about fighting back against societal injustice. It starts out small, with a high school teacher who abuses his students, but moves up to people with increasingly greater power exploiting increasingly larger swaths of the population: a famous artist using his clout to steal his students' livelihoods, a mafia boss stealing money from the people of his neighborhood, a CEO overworking and underpaying his employees while jockeying for a political position, a government prosecutor who fabricates evidence to maintain her perfect record, and finally a member of the Diet running for Prime Minister who uses populist rhetoric but only cares about gaining personal power. As in previous games, each protagonist gains their powers by awakening to their Persona (essentially publicly performing as their true, unfiltered selves), but in this game, the process is physically painful, bordering on body horror. The act of tearing off the masks so tightly glued to the characters' faces is cast in a similar light to putting on the glasses in "They Live:" doing so is painful and frightening, but allows each character to see the world for what it is, without the filter of the justifying ideological framework. In the last dungeon of the game, the characters invade the physical manifestation of the justifying framework, which takes the form of a prison in which the prisoners beg to be left inside, as the idea of freedom from the prison terrifies them. A vein running from each of their cells sucks out their life force, vampirically, and directs that life force into the manifestation of the concept of hierarchical structures itself, portrayed as the holy grail - a reference to Marx's Capital. This holy grail - which to Marx was wealth - is revealed to be a false god created by the masses because they wanted a god. However, it grew so powerful that now the masses serve it, rather than the other way around. It created its own artificial collective unconscious, barring its subjects from participating in a true collective unconscious free of its influence. At the very beginning of the game, a voice directly tells the player they may only play Persona after agreeing that the events of the game are entirely fictional, and any similarities to the real world are entirely coincidental. The game will not start until the player indicates that they agree to those terms. That voice is revealed to be the holy grail itself, implying that to refuse to compare fictional works to the real world or "get political" about these stories is to submit yourself to the justifying ideology. That's some powerful stuff, and grounding it in real-life examples of exploitation while following characters suffering from that exploitation made it hard to ignore, especially in the wake of the 2015-2016 rise of Fascism and at a time when I was back to studying literary analysis. The game seems specifically crafted to induce a radicalization in its players. It has a scene in which the characters attain class consciousness. For a chunk of the story, the characters try to fight against manufactured consent, as they are framed by the media and authority figures as dangerous villains just for taking a nonviolent stand against rapists, billionaires killing their employees, and corrupt officials. The citizenry believes it almost unquestioningly. The protagonists are often visibly enraged at the exploitation they see - much of which is based on specific real-world events - and the internal logic of the story suggests that this rage is the only moral response. Every aspect of the game bolsters these themes of hierarchy, exploitation, and rebellion, giving the game a thematic unity unlike any I've ever seen before. Even the smallest NPCs have full storylines running in the background that highlight the ways even these nameless characters are exploited, and the ways they've been socialized to accept this exploitation. Every book, every song lyric, every reference to a food item, every damn fictional allusion in a game ABOUT FICTIONAL ALLUSIONS ties back in some way to that larger theming. The thematic unity of this game sings, and playing it was unlike anything I'd experienced before. This game, for me, defined Leftism. I didn't put down the controller a full-blown Communist, but it gave me the tools I needed to ask the necessary questions to discard Liberalism. I probably would have gotten there eventually, and the game probably wouldn't have had quite as powerful an effect if I weren't a literary/media analysis kind of guy living in the time I was in, but even now, three years later, the game reads to me like a damn revolutionary text. So I was honestly terrified of Persona 5: The Royal, which came out at the beginning of this month. It's a rerelease of the game with added story content, including a new dungeon, a new party member, the return of a deceased party member, and a new ending. That's a lot to add onto a really fun game with unprecedented thematic unity that also helped me to redefine myself and my positions on...literally everything. If they messed with this unity for the sake of adding unnecessary content, it would heavily alter the game's effect, and my own personal understanding of the game, forever. That's not to say that the game couldn't be improved. The localization was kinda shoddy, it occasionally drifts into male gaze shit (glaringly so in the 2D animated cutscenes, which makes me wonder if the animation studio had different ideas about the project than the devs did), there are two scenes which are virulently homophobic, and the devs had originally planned for another party member who they had to scrap for time. The two homophobic scenes especially have made it difficult to recommend the game, as I've always had to add the caveat of "...but it completely undermines its own central thesis twice for cheap laughs and it's disgusting." I wasn't sure, however, that a rerelease would fix any of these issues, and I was really worried that adding ~25 hours of gameplay after the dungeon about the justifying ideology and the holy grail would undermine too much of what made the game so revolutionary to me. There is no larger threat to humanity than the ideological framework justifying capitalism, so I worried that moving away from that for the length of a whole-ass Kingdom Hearts game would make the game less effective. From a storytelling perspective, the party member they advertised they would bring back to life is an unambiguous villain, and I worried that bringing him back would both undermine the sacrifice from his death scene and rehabilitate the character, neither of which I wanted. The new party member was not the character they had planned for and cut, and her story as it was advertised did not involve her being exploited by people in power in any way. Rather, she's a star athlete and honors student whose success was attributed to her sense of personal responsibility, which runs pretty counter to the game's themes. I also worried that adding a new dungeon worth of gameplay would mean getting rid of the part at the end of the game where the protagonist willingly turns himself in and spends several months imprisoned, so that he can testify against one of the villains of the game. The thought of losing that bittersweet ending definitely didn't sit right with me. As I said at the beginning, my feelings on the new content are mostly positive. Before getting into pure spoiler territory, I'll say there's no going back to the original now that this version exists. They redesigned every dungeon and boss fight, retooled the battle system, added a LOT more voice acting to scenes where there hadn't been any, added a ton of new scenes further fleshing out characters and the setting, retranslated the worse lines from the localization (it's still not perfect but it's much improved), added new gameplay mechanics and personas, added a bunch of great new music, expanded on Tokyo, and FIXED THE FUCK OUT OF THE HOMOPHOBIC SCENES. I now actually really like the two nameless characters who were in the original just straight up predators, as they've been rewritten into overenthusiastic drag queens who get excited at the thought of introducing nervous kids interested in drag to the scene. They improved on dungeon crawling, too: the newly added grapple hook mechanic introduces a fun verticality to the dungeon designs, stealth is more challenging and rewarding, and each dungeon has new optional collectibles. They reimagined the procedurally generated dungeon you explore over the course of the game, too, giving it more room types, more music, a currency unique to the dungeon, a merchant, and ways to level up money, experience, and item rewards from the enemies in the dungeon. As for the new story content, the extra 25 hours of gameplay is not...counter to the themes of the game. Instead, it's set up as a story about Revolution vs. Reform. The question it poses to the people of its now-too-content Tokyo is "would you join the Phantom Thieves?" which translates more to something on the order of "if these exploitative systems still existed, but didn't really hurt you or anyone you know, would you still care enough to fight against them?" The new villain co-opts the place formerly held by the Holy Grail and uses it to rewrite reality to one in which everything is basically the same, but almost everyone in the city has everything they want (with the notable and noticeable exceptions of homeless people and service workers). The central conflict, especially to the characters who have regained lost loved ones, is whether they should still fight for a better world if most people are fairly happy. Tokyo never ends up agreeing that they would join the Phantom Thieves, but the crew still end up determining that they must restore the real world, because a world in which people are still critical of the justifying ideology has a path to a better world, while one in which people are uncritical will never find that path. It's a complex and interesting take from the beginning, and even moreso when the game uses imagery from the mythologies of the garden of Eden and Prometheus. The other dungeons correspond to deadly sins, but this one instead corresponds to "sorrow." The villain is so afraid of his own grief and the grief of others that he refuses to allow anyone to take risks, even if success would improve the world. The three new confidant arcs are well thought-out and engaging, too, especially the arc with the villainous party member, whose actor absolutely chews the scenery in this game. In the new story, he's so angry about being forced into a reality on someone else's terms that he fights tooth and nail to return to the old reality, where he was at least able to die on his own terms. It's...not as emotional as the game wants it to be, but it's a really fun time. Each party member also gets a mini arc in which they come to terms with what they would lose by returning to the old reality, and acknowledges how much personal growth they would lose by staying. These culminate a new ending in which each party member finds a way to work to regain some of what they had lost by restoring reality, going their separate ways in the process. The new content has a bit of a Persona 4 vibe, in that it's much more personal and contemplative, and the characters find strength by maturing and uncovering avenues to personal growth. As Atlus has pretty consistently existed both in the shadow of Persona 4's popularity and with the pressing need to make up for Persona 4's failings, it's not a bad angle. I do have some minor issues with the new story. It still means that there is no downtime after the original final boss, so newcomers won't really have much opportunity to consider the implications of that dungeon and boss before being thrust into another conflict. Its ending is not quite as clear-cut as the original ending, either. The protagonist still turns himself in, but the story basically...switches back to that reality a week before his release, meaning it's not nearly as much of a sacrifice and it's a decision this version of the protagonist technically didn't make for himself. The situation is probably also clearer to people who've played the original game than to newcomers. The old ending is kind of "required reading" for fans; it's still the canon ending for Scramble where the new one is not, and the new one is more impactful to players who've already experienced the original ending. This creates a major predicament when recommending this game to new players. Do I tell them to purposely not fulfil the requirements to get the new ending, then replay a 130+ hour game a second time? Should they keep a save at around the 85 hour mark, so they can reload their save and retread the 20 or so hours of game they've already experienced to get to the new stuff? There's no good answer, which is irritating. At least the original ending is included in this version, so those are options, but it's frustrating that I can't just recommend one or the other without caveats that are also huge time sinks. I dunno how to end this, and it's much longer than it probably should be, so I'll say that this game is extremely important to me, and I'm impressed that Royal is not less important to me. I sure hope we get a release date for the worldwide release of Scramble soon.

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal