#i’m surprised he actually feels for humans though? he’s actually a pretty nice guy

[urfavbooblover]

Hi:) can I request a dbh connor x reader fluff? It can be anything you are comfortable with, I only carve for a cute, , nervous, blushing Connor :’)

Hi! Thank you for your request :) I apologize for this late publish, i was taking a quite long break but i still hope you’ll be happy to read this and enjoy it, i had much fun to write this cute imagine btw!

Blushing mess || Connor x gender neutral reader

Warnings: slight cursing but just fluff

(remind me if I missed any)

- Detroit become human masterlist link -

Y/N’s pov:

I was awoken from my sleep, by my annoying alarm, as i rolled onto my other side, reaching out my arm and lazily turning it off, letting out a groan of frustration. Another day of work was waiting for me and i was already not having it. So much shit has been going on lately and it seems like everyone is expecting way too much from me.

I’m surprised Hank is pretty understanding when it comes to my situation, usually he’s a big jerk but we built a good and steady friendship, which lead us to being great work buddies if i’m being honest. He can still be a pain in the ass sometimes.

I sat up on my bed, my mind wandering off to think of one special person. Well, he’s not a person, Connor is more likely a machine, one of the androids to be exact. He has been assigned to work with Hank but they don’t get along very well, i’m full of hope it’ll change any time soon though.

I felt a smile forming to my face, just thinking about him. Connor is probably one of the main reasons i still enjoy work, don’t get me wrong i actually learned to like my job, he just makes it a lot better. I couldn’t help but feel interested in him, he’s not just good looking but i started a liking in his personality too.

I reached a different type of motivation for this day and decided to get ready and have some breakfast. I didn’t notice how fast time was moving forward, so that’s when i rushed out of the house and grabbed some coffee on the way to my working place.

Arriving at the police department central station, i got out of my car, reaching the entrance. I walked in and took a sip of my still warm drink. I greeted my coworkers as friendly as i could be and finally took my seat across from Hank.

“Morning Y/N”, he spoke, gazing up at me from his computer. “Good morning Hank.”, i replied in a somewhat really nice tone, noticing he wasn’t in such a bad mood today. Kind of suspicious if you ask me.

“Oh good morning Y/N. It’s nice to see you again.”, i heard a familiar voice saying, seeing Connor back at Hanks side. “Good morning to you too Connor. It looks like you’re being positive, huh?”, i said, my eyes never leaving him. I’m not quite sure but i could bet i just heard Hank letting out a scoff.

“If Lieutenant Anderson hasn’t told you yet, we got some news for one of the deviants, it seems like he has been spottet somewhere and we’re about to investigate the location. I did a good job myself.”, Connor explained and earned an unamused glance from Hank, who wasn’t too happy about Connor’s own praise.

“Well, sounds great! You guys should inspect and move forward then. I probably got lots of work to finish here.”, i said, expressing the last sentence in a bored tone. “Actually, we want you to come with us on the mission today.”, Connor replied, trying to hide the fact, that his lips formed into a small smile.

“Yea. More like you. It was your idea Connor.”, Hank stated, letting out a huff. He was obviously exposing him there. “What? Uh, maybe i just don’t mind some help.”, he defended himself, blocking off any accusations, even though his face was slightly flushed. Androids could in fact blush, they’re designed so much like humans, it’s crazy.

And I myself couldn’t help but grin at the situation in front of me. “It’s alright guys, i’m glad to come with you. I rather be out from this place anyways.”, i stood up, waiting for them both to return the act, so we could go.

____________________________________________

On the ride to the spot, it was mostly quiet. Connor was the only one who began to talk a lot, explaining everything about the deviant he found out and it was honestly interesting, but i could see from the passenger seat that Hank was annoyed by hearing all of this again.

it didn’t take too long though and Hank finally parked the car. I took a look out of the window, seeing an old house, the color was already coming off and it seems like the people living there didn’t care much about it.

After my small inspection, i opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. Hank was on his way to the front porch, as i heard another door close behind me. I turned my head, to find Connor right next to me. Was he waiting for me the whole time or why was he still sitting in there?

“The deviant is supposed to hide here. I just know an old couple is living there.”, he spoke up still looking forward, his gaze fixed on the house, before he decided to lock eyes with me. I almost forgot how beautiful they looked.

“Well, makes sense then, that no one took care of it.”, i responded, quickly turning my attention back to Hank, where i was about to walk off to anyway, but i was stopped when i felt a hand gently wrapped around my underarm. “I should mention, Y/N. You look very pretty today.”, Connor nervously smiled at me. I wasn’t even able to respond, cause he was gone in a second.

I don’t think i would’ve ever expected this. He couldn’t even keep the eye contact, was he that nervous? Little did i know, he was practicing how he was going to confront me about it the whole car ride. I like this side of him though.

I was so stuck in my mind, i didn’t even notice anything around me, till- “Y/N! Are you coming now!”, Hank screamed me out of my thoughts. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, realizing they’re both waiting for me. I jogged up to them, my eyes landing on Connor who was grinning from ear to ear.

“You need to-“, “Pay attention, yea yea. I literally just zoned out for a second, it’s not that deep Hank.”, i interrupted his sentence, cause i already knew what he was going to try to lecture me about again. He only sighed at me in response, as i slid past him to enter the house.

“And now? Where is everyone?”, i asked in confusion, us three standing in a completely empty, old fashioned furnished house. “Yea, if you would’ve paid attention earlier, you would’ve known by now.”, Hank responded in his usual sassy voice. “Oh come on Hank, just inform me, instead of going on with ur childish games”

“Nobody responded to our knocks, Y/N. They didn’t open the door, so Hank kicked it in.”, Connor replied instead, a soft expression on his face. I gave Hank a weirded out look, as he shrugged his shoulders. Who cares if he was even allowed to do any of this, i just quickly wanna get this over with.

“Okay, you know what? I will search everything down here. You two, go upstairs.”, Hank commands, already walking away from this scene. I spun around, taking a look at Connor, who watched Hank closely with narrowed eyes.

“Let’s get going, Connor.”, i said, preceding to get up the staircase. He followed shortly behind, as his voice could be heard really close to me. “Hank is pretty hotheaded. He’s somehow always mad at everyone.”, “He got a very short tempter. It’s like he’s always mad at the world.”, i replied.

Connor nodded his head, before i decided to enter one of the rooms. My hand had a tight grip on my gun, that my belt was holding, but it wasn’t needed, the room was just as empty as the rest of the house.

Connor scanned the entire room as he suddenly crouched down, reaching out his arm. I watched as his fingers touched the blue liquid on the floor as he took a taste of it. I’m used to him doing this but i still scrunch up my face every time. “The androids blood is still fresh, he must’ve been here just a few minutes ago.”, he said.

My eyes were wide, interested in what he had to say. “And maybe he saw the cop car and us approaching the house. He probably fled cause he was too afraid to face the situation.”, Connor added to it as i crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“Well, wouldn’t you do the same.”, i said with a slight smirk on my face, to which he was taken back. A nervous expression was painted all over his face once again, making my smile just grow wider. “I guess you’re right, Y/N.”, he replied, in a soft voice.

He had such a warm and welcoming look on his face as his eyes were fixed on me. You could say i was melting right on spot, trying not to show it too much. I could see his led on his face turning yellow for a moment, meaning he was just scanning me.

He quickly looked away though, now staring at the ground, which gave me the opportunity to silently watch him. He hasn’t said anything about what he has found out. Was I showing signs of anxiety? Most definitely.

“What’s wrong Connor? Are you nervous?”, i boldly asked, making him raise his head. “Nervous? Oh i was just-“, “You don’t have to lie to me, Connor.”, i chuckled, taking a step closer to him.

His cheeks were flushed and i could swear my heart was racing at this point. I’ve never had a guy being this cute, i also never had something going on with an android, nor have i ever felt anything for one. But with Connor it’s different.

And i wasn’t the only one who was all up in my mind, Connor seemed like his thoughts were overflowing. I may regret this forever now or my future me will be thankful i did this, when i decided to reach for his hand. My fingertips touched his skin as i grabbed his soft hand, my thumb slowly moving over the back of it.

His face was only turning into a deeper red tone and i wasn’t even able to read it. His eyes turned even softer if that’s possible and they were staring right into mine. My knees felt weak, but at least they could still hold my weight, right?

Connor on the other hand looked like he didn’t know what to do at all. I was in charge of the situation, which i myself couldn’t believe with a man like him. But it’s not like i didn’t enjoy any of this. Instead i moved closer to his body, till i could feel his breath, till our lips were only a few inches apart.

Soon to be, there was no space between us left anymore. Our lips finally touched and i was taken by surprise of how good his lips felt on mine. Connor’s lips moved smoothly against my own, my hand moving to the back of his head. I gently took a hold of his wrist, guiding his hand to my waist, placing it right there.

I didn’t know that androids could have such soft lips, due to my lack of experience with them. Connor probably hasn’t had any of them yet, but he’s even cuter this way. I never would’ve thought, that i would make the first move.

The kiss lasted for a good while, but someone just had to ruin it. “Hey guys, have you found-“, Hank rushed into the room, cutting off his own sentence when he saw the scene in front of him. We broke apart real fast as i spun my head around, facing the disappointed Hank.

“Hank we can explain-“, Connor tried to talk, but was now the one to be cut off. “Really?”, Hank said all bored, shaking his head. I could hear out the sarcasm though, he wasn’t mad at us for doing this. “And i thought this would never happen.”, he continued. Right, he was just mad it didn’t happen any sooner.

#detroit become human #dbh #detroit become human imagine #detroit become human x reader #detroit become human fanfic #detroit become human connor #detroit become human fanfiction #dbh fic #dbh imagine #dbh x reader #dbh fanfic #dbh connor x reader #dbh connor imagine #dbh connor #detroit #connor x reader #connor imagine #x gn reader #x gender neutral reader

[avillanappears]

godzilla x kong: the new empire

"For most of human civilization, we believed that life could only exist on the surface of our planet. What else were we wrong about?"

okay, I kind of fell off doing this, but we’re back! the best ever tumblr review series that’s written by avillanappears.tumblr.com! I came in not expecting much, but it turns out I really, really liked it, actually! I’m more pleasantly surprised than anyone, godzilla vs kong rubbed me very much the wrong way. godzilla and kong beating the ever-loving tar out of each other was fun, sure, but I have WORDS for the human stuff. I could fill a whole post with those, probably, but we’re not talking about that! we’re thinking good thoughts, about the one I liked!

it’s definitely a fun adventure film. hollow earth was a much more fleshed out setting this time, I loved the varieties of locales and creatures. giant, flying flamingo fish that shoot electricity? kong crossing a rickety bridge made out of the spine of a monster so massive, that it’s kaiju sized compared to him? this is exactly the sort of thing I wanted to see! it was fascinating seeing kaiju sort of “on their level”, in a whole giant sized ecosystem made for them. we got some of that in the atomic time of monsters by @tyrantisterror, and I think it’s such fertile ground to explore. godzilla’s flirted with the idea before in both its netflix animes, but this is them really committing to it. it makes my worldbuilding and specbio freak heart happy. we even got to see more hellhawks! I love those guys.

lookit that face

okay this is going pretty long, but anyhoo, I liked the character stuff too. kong was as lovable as always, you really feel for the big lug. even though he’s a living god the size of a mountain, there’s a real vulnerability to him. he’s just a sad, lonely guy who wants purpose and belonging.

he and suko had some kind of fast, but still very nice bonding. the human side was fun too, they fixed a lot about what I didn’t like from the last movie. jia had more of an arc going instead of just being “the one kong talks to”, bernie was a lot more enjoyable since they cut out the weird conspiracy theorist stuff, trapper was a fun guy. it was nice just seeing someone who loves monsters and weird nature stuff.

skar king surprised me with how personal of a threat he is, they really let him feel like a horrid, nasty piece of work. he’s more than just a big evil overlord, he’s a bullying control freak who wants everything his way, and it makes his wretchedness more tangible in a way.

shimo didn’t get all that much, but I love shimo. I love her, and I can barely even tell why, there’s just some kind of Vibe to her I resonate with. I think it’s how mythical she feels. the oldest of a line of gods, a great being of ice, controlled by a wicked devil….in fact it all felt very mythic. I appreciate that, I love it when kaiju works play out like weird mythological epics.

probably the most tangible complaint I can think of right now is that the godzilla stuff was pretty underwritten. it honestly felt like he was just….doing video game sidequests or something. like, it didn’t have Impact up until the very end when he finally meets kong and SPOILERS SPOILERS. and it feels a shame to kill scylla and tiamat off this early, I liked those two as unpredictable wildcards. with rodan and the others still mia, and two titans unceremoniously dead, it’s starting to feel like the monsterverse is sorta….flattening itself? now that kongs arc is done, I think we need to get back to a godzilla solo or two, flesh things back out a bit. but that’s for future peter to talk about, today we’re leaving things off on a high note. fun characters, dynamic locales, some great monster brawling, this one was a good’un!

godzilla cast monkeys into hell for their sins

#avillananalysis2024 #godzilla #king kong #godzilla x kong: the new empire #kaiju #long post

[mannatea]

Random thoughts about DBZ because I’m rewatching starting at the Great Saiyaman Arc.

Gohan is just so wholesome and good. Even after all these years I still stan with my whole heart. When he finds out that Mr. Satan has been taking credit for (more or less) his and his friends’ work during the Cell Games, and all he does is just have a giggle about it? I love him your honor.

These episodes start off so goofy after the more serious tone of the Cell Games arc, but even though they’re not very serious there’s enough realism in there for the silliness to feel grounded I guess? Like yeah, “Gohan goes to high school” sounds so dull off the cuff, but there’s something seriously charming about him trying to “fit in” and “be normal”—and to a degree it’s a relatable issue, too. He really is just trying to make friends and keep them (after a lifetime so far of not really having friends his own age)(I think Dende sort of counts for this but they don’t see each other as often as, say, a school friend group does).

Videl doesn’t half-ass anything and frankly that’s one of the reasons I will always love her.

Seriously, I love her so much. I wish they’d had more time to develop her character and go into a bit more about why she acts the way she does, but a lot of that can just be inferred. It’s not really surprising that she’s out there like a bloodhound sniffing out bullshit from Day 1 considering her father’s fame and what that has probably meant for her for the last 7ish years.

Also she’s a Fashion Icon actually. Spandex shorts and a t-shirt? Same, girl.

She does attach herself to Gohan awfully quickly, which ties back into wishing we got more character development, buttttt it seems pretty clear early on that part of the reason she wants to know who he is is because he’s “just like her for real”: she definitely seems to understand she’s found someone worth her time.

I think there’s probably something to be said here about her father’s bullshit too, and filling her head with ideas about how she can only date someone as strong as he is (when she believes nobody like that exists, especially not someone her age) but really I feel like that connection forms so quickly because Gohan is not a simp or a fan of hers; he just has a similar idea of justice, and she really vibes with that. It feels like a genuine connection to another person, which she probably hasn't experienced often.

Anyway I just love how earnest and hard-working she is.

And I’m sorry because the shipping goggles are permanently affixed to my dumb face at this point in my life with these characters, but it’s still pretty cute (and funny tbh) that Videl and Gohan have this constant back and forth of her doing something and him being genuinely impressed by her, even though her accomplishments are like, absolutely nothing compared to what he and his friends can do. It just kind of sets up Gohan as a “look at my awesome wife” kind of guy, which he definitely is. LOL.

I also really like how he manages to recognize that she has limitations (as she is just a human being) without ever really coming across like he’s disrespecting her as a person. Above all, Gohan does try to be respectful. Or when he’s worried about potentially coming up against her father in the tournament because he’s concerned beating her father in a match might hurt her feelings? He’s such a good kid.

He’s also dumb as shit re: the hair comment, but there’s something about that stupid 5 second scene that I love too… Like Gohan was just spitting facts about short hair being harder to use against her in a fight, but she totally misunderstood his meaning and then gets mad about it. LOL. It feels very…teenagery to me (as it should). But when she comes back with short hair anyway, it’s nice because even though she was upset for having misunderstood him, she obviously recognizes the truth in his words. It was good advice—so she takes it.

I also feel kind of bad for Gohan for all the teasing he gets at the start of the tournament for his “friend” being a “girl” like pleaaase give him a break. The poor kid barely has friends. Let’s not pigeonhole him into a romantic relationship too.

Honestly Videl needs time to build up a good friendship too. She kind of sucks at making and keeping friends and doesn’t need the pressure of romance on her plate (even though she’s obviously sorta interested HAHAHA).

I mean I like that they do get together in the end (obviously, I was the biggest G/V shipper in the old days lol) but that their friendship felt highlighted first and foremost was always meaningful to me personally lol.

Also to backtrack, it’s still hilarious that ChiChi was suspicious of Videl until she found out she was rich. ICONIQUE.

 Goten is the cutest little kid ARGHHHH. I love him so much.

One thing about watching the series in Japanese is that I miss out on the dub’s terrible rapping attempts by Gohan and frankly that is PEAK COMEDY.

Videl sounds 10x cuter in the original, too, now that I think about it. And Hercule sounds much more serious (despite his comedic relief character) which is a great contrast actually.

Announcer man is a fave too btw. I love him.

Backtracking again but Vegeta at the beginning of this arc was actually not as much of an asshole as I remember him being in the dub. But also why is his voice so smooth?? LOL.

Currently on the Trunks vs. Goten fight episode where Videl is like “WTF” about everything. I kinda feel bad for her, but I like that while her not knowing what’s going on is part of the comedy aspect of the episodes, she’s never treated like she’s stupid for it. For all of DBZ’s faults I will say some characters were done surprisingly well.

#dbz

[ruri-rari]

this anon is sending this ask because they are curious about your complete and unfiltered opinion on each surodame route 🤓

Slow Damage is a love letter to survivors- to those who have scars, both visible and not.

To me, it was wholly unlike many other visual novels or dating sim games I’ve played before.

In fact, it feels a bit unfair to view the game as just a series of different character routes that end with the guy of your choice because, ultimately, it’s TOWA’S story. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

So! Here is my absolute monster of an essay about my thoughts on each of the routes (both before and after playing the whole game), as well as their different endings. For reference, I played Rei->Taku->Madarame->Fujieda, which ended up influencing my pre-/post-True Route feelings a lot.

Rei’s Route

Pre-True Route: Rei is a totally sweetheart, and as much as I love Towa, he can do better. Not to say that I didn’t like them together! They just seem like better friends than lovers, especially considering this route was so heavily focused on all of Rei’s issues, and neither directly explored nor resolved any of Towa’s, which… felt pretty unsatisfying and unsustainable for a long-term relationship.

This route was noticeably longer than the others, but since I played it first, I enjoyed really getting to know all the characters of Shinkoumi more thoroughly. It explored gender expectations and dysphoria in a direction that I wasn’t expecting, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was handled. Kirihara’s arc was disturbing (a nice teaser for the theme of cycles of abuse throughout the game), but seemed tame in terms of violence compared to Ikuina’s arc.

Mad End: EYE-PUSSY!!! ME-MANKO(?)!!! Jokes aside though, this was both sadder and less traumatic than I was expecting after the whole Ikuina business. I was a little confused about how Rei could turn out like he did here, though Towa letting himself become Rei’s opinionless sex doll didn’t surprise me. Ultimately, I think this was supposed to show how both of them had given up on ever being understood by others; Rei turned to inflicting violence in the hopes of affirming what he BELIEVES a man represents without actually making the scarier choice to change and grow as a person, while Towa decides to waste away his remaining days not as a person, but as a sexual object.

Euphoria End: Towa drinking water!?!? In my edgy grimdark game!? (I was honestly so shocked that I ended up having to reread lines since I was so distracted by our beloved protagonist actually hydrating with something other than alcohol.) This ending was so cute! Tooth-rotting fluff! Rei’s haircut was another shock, but I think it was important for us as the players to SEE him grow into the person he wanted to become, so I liked it. Despite none of Towa’s issues being resolved in this route, I think he has a lot of hope in this ending. He’ll be loved, and dragged into living a healthier and more fulfilling life by Rei’s stubborn refusal to let him waste away. They’ll travel the world, make new friends, and continue to grow and change as people.

Post-True End: I appreciate this route a lot more after finishing the whole story. While my dissatisfaction with how Towa’s issues don’t get addressed still stand, I felt like that may be the point of Rei’s route.

You don’t need to confront and overcome all your past trauma in order to have hope for a happier life. You have to WANT a happier life though, and I think we get to see Towa do so here in a much healthier way than in other routes. (I’m looking at you, Madarame.)

As stated in-game, Rei’s route focuses a lot on the contradictions that come with being a human, and in that sense, I can appreciate how Rei and Towa fit together.

Taku’s Route

Pre-True Route: Oof. Taku – babygirl, I love me a good overprotective yandere, but this route HURT me.

From the unsettling topic of pedophilia in Asakura's arc, to Taku’s shame revolving around drugs, to the horror of what was implied about Towa’s past, I was tense basically until the credits rolled.

I spent a majority of the time frustrated with Taku’s refusal to communicate, and at Towa for not pushing harder…but by the end, I was so, so invested in them getting their happy ending.

Shame and control were the themes of this route, and those are difficult topics to handle well, but I think N+C did a good job here.

One of my favorite moments was when Taku rightly points out that Towa’s obsession with pain isn’t just for sexual gratification, but as a way to punish himself. FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT!! I like to imagine this gets picked up again once Taku is out of jail.

Mad Ending: PAIN AND SUFFERING. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think this ending was the most upsetting for me (though it may be tied with Fujieda’s Mad End.). Maybe because it was more realistic? (On a side note, props to N+C for clearly doing some actually research about drugs. I am SICK of anime and manga acting like taking ANY drug will give you reefer madness.) I saw Taku giving in to his desire to control Towa as just another manifestation of his shame, and in for a penny, in for a pound, right? So he slowly destroys himself, his morals, Towa, and any genuine love they had for each other. Meanwhile, Towa loses the only adult he ever felt safe with, and is doomed to die isolated and in fear. I hate thinking about it.

Euphoria Ending: I cried!! I was really proud of Taku for owning up to his decisions, and I loved that Towa learned that it’s possible to trust others. They may have been separated for two years, but their feelings only grew stronger during that time. I found it a bit funny that they had Towa wearing a totally different color scheme to show his growth (and to look good while standing under the cherry blossoms), while our resident old man came out of prison looking beefy. Loved that Towa mentions how Rei supported him during those two years without Taku. The only thing that left me conflicted was how Taku clearly knew a lot about Towa’s past, and how he had no intention of ever telling him.

Post-True Route: Taku, you fucker, I feel betrayed!!!!! I still like him and his route a lot, but all the discomfort I felt about his connection to Towa’s past has only been magnified tenfold! How much did he really know about what Maya was doing to Towa? Surely, as his doctor, Taku would have known for at least a few years that something really fucked up was happening to this child. I’m uncomfortable thinking about all the implications.

Madarame’s Route

Pre-True Route: Ah, yes. The fandom discourse creator, picking up the mantle left by Shiki of TNC and Mink of DMMD.

I was sad to watch what felt like Towa backsliding into his fucked up coping methods again after seeing the progress he made in Taku’s route, but ‘sane and safe’ is not the name of the game here.

In the end, I had a lot of fun playing his route and actually wished it was as long as the other three, especially since it gave us a lot of new worldbuilding and plot progression, as well as a showing us a big chunk of Towa’s past that had only been previously hinted at.

Granted, I spent a majority of the time trying to figure out just who the hell this guy was… Like, what drives him? What does he feel for Towa? What will he do if XYZ situation occurs? Much like our protagonist, I struggled to get any kind of read on him, so I was left feeling kind of frustrated by the time I finished his route.

Mad Ending: I mostly just found myself cringing through this ending. It was only while reading the last few lines and listening to the ending theme that I started to feel sad. I do think Madarame cared for Towa in his own way, but they have no hope for a happy ending here. Obviously, Towa is fucked; whether he kills Madarame or not, he can never go back to who he was. He’s not human, he’s Madarame’s dog. Meanwhile, Madarame clearly isn’t satisfied in this ending, especially if he WISHES Towa would go through with it and slit his throat someday. All around just a not good time.

Euphoria Ending: “Madarame makes me feel human again.” This quote really sums up what I think is the ultimate point of this route, and of this ending in particular. These two are so toxic for each other. That doesn’t change, even in their good ending. HOWEVER! Towa goes from drifting through life in a near-catatonic state of numbness, apathy, and self-hatred to living completely and fully in the moment. No past, no existential pain, just sheer adrenaline and the call of his most base needs. In a lot of ways, the Towa in this ending IS a lot more human than his previous self. Still, I was left feeling mostly worried for Towa, since despite Madarame’s declaration that he wanted Towa since the day he first laid eyes on him (and ignoring the whole “I-want-to-keep-you-as-a-pet” thing), I have no confidence in their relationship as we see it lasting long. What happens when one of them changes? Because they will someday. That’s just inevitable. So I can only imagine them drifting apart and then staying together in misery just like they do in their bad ending.

Post-True Route: Much like with Taku’s route, I am now haunted by questions about just how much Madarame knows about Towa’s past. We know Towa didn’t remember anything that happened with his mother during the years he spent with Madarame and Kaga, but the recklessness and need for violence that originally caught Madarame’s eye were very clearly a manifestations of Towa’s trauma… and I’m fairly certain Madarame knew that. So the question is, HOW much did he know and how involved was he? Clearly enough to know that even seeing the ruins of Maya’s mansion would send Towa spiraling in the True Route, but I like to hope that he had no involvement with Euphoria in its heyday. Regardless, I doubt we as the audience will ever know for sure.

Much like when I first played through Madarame’s route, I don’t think ‘romance’ is really the point; it’s about seeing a version of Towa that, while refusing to confront his trauma, has broken free of his complete and total apathy for life. A detail I really grew to appreciate with this route after finishing the game was how Towa’s, and therefore Maya’s, method of reading and manipulating people just straight up doesn’t work on Madarame, so we the players are forced alongside Towa to give up trying to do so… progress, I guess?

Fujieda’s Route

TIME FOR THE TRUE ROUTE, BABY!!! FINALLY!!!

Listen, I know this is technically Fujieda’s route since he’s the love interest here, but to me, this is actually the TOWA route.

Playing this part of the story totally recontextualized all the previous routes for me, and without that happening, I don’t think the game would be nearly as impressive as it ended up being.

Finally getting to uncover the truth the game had been steadily building up to, seeing all the plot points of previous runs come together as one story, watching Towa get to confront and overcome the trauma that has haunted him since childhood and get his happy ending was so, so incredibly satisfying.

When I first started this route, I was skeptical. After all, Fujieda barely shows up in the story before you unlock the True Route, so you have to go in already attached to all the other characters while knowing NOTHING about this random lawyer dude, and that’s hardly a fair competition. As I played more, my skepticism increased, because Fujieda is just so unlikeable during the beginning of his route; he’s cold, robotic, cutthroat, and clearly holds no regard for Towa, who at this point in the game I just wanted to shield from any and every bad thing that happened to him.

But as more and more secrets were revealed and Fujieda began to shed his armor around Towa, I grew to like and understand him a lot more. By the time he and Towa slept together in Towa’s apartment, I was completely sold on his role in the story.

As the title for this chapter of the story says, Fujieda and Towa are equals. The events that made them into the people they are may be totally different, and the way their trauma has manifested itself may appear to make them polar opposites, but at their cores they share a sameness that lets them understand and connect with each other in a way they’ve never been able to before. Through bringing the truth to light, they help make each other human again.

Mad Ending: tied with Taku’s bad end in terms of how upset it made me. After all the disturbing reveals about Towa’s childhood under Maya’s thumb that led up to this point, I was almost surprised by how… only mildly upset I found this ending? That is, UNTIL THE VERY LAST LINE FROM TOWA. That one whisper of “たすけて” had my stomach dropping and tears coming to my eyes. We just watched this character, through multiple routes, try and live with the fallout of his childhood abuse, AND THEN try so hard to actually face it, only to end up trapped as his mother’s slave just as he always feared. It’s heartbreaking if that happens, but he’s so far gone that he isn’t aware. It’s downright horrific if he has enough sense of self left to realize what’s occurring, but not enough to break free. Essentially, this ending is Towa’s worst nightmare come true, which I hate, but as a part of the story, was an incredible choice. Ending theme was also 10/10.

I just… have so many emotions about this ending. There’s so much hope for Towa, and every other character. THIS is the conclusion of Towa’s story, and I felt so proud of him for choosing to finally live. I would willing pay to play another 60+ hours of Towa getting to live his best domestic life with Fujieda without hesitation. Absolute 10/10 conclusion.

Euphoria Ending: Oh boy. I don’t have many words for the conclusion of Towa’s story. We finally get to see what true healing looks like for Towa and Fujieda both. So many plot points I had worried would be left unfinished were nicely wrapped up. (THE PAINTING??? TOWA’S ABILITY TO SEE SMOKE??? THE 大丈夫 GLITCH??? THE CHANGES TO THE MAIN MENU??? Stop, I’m gonna cry.) The inclusion of Maya’s diary was a great choice too; what we learn about her can never absolve or excuse what she did to her own son and many others, but it did make her human, and I think that was necessary for Towa to realize in order for him to come to terms with the abuse he suffered at her hands. She wasn’t a god, she was a sick woman who died sad and alone in the end. But Towa,.. he isn’t alone. He has people who love and support him, and who will stand by his side even when he fails. As he tells Taku in the final exploration section, he wouldn’t be where he is if he didn’t have all the people in his life who care for him.

#snips plays slow damage #slow damage spoiler #slow damage #I spent way too long writing this #please forgive the massive wall of text #I just have way too many emotions about this game

[iamlostsomewhereinthegarden]

Zhongli with child!reader Headcannons

This is one of the two headcannons I’m trying to do for my idol @rome-alone cause he’s hit 2,000 followers and I wanted to do a cool thing while expanding my horizons! 1 for each 1,000.

Also I am just obsessed with unfortunate children getting love and being taken care of and Sir Roma really be doing that for all of us on his blog sooooooooo

* Starting off you’re an abused kid that the Fatui found and Childe gave the child to Zhongli for a bit

* Yk, cause the old geezer must be feeling lonely

* Yeah it was a joke to his age

* “Hey kid, I’m going to be leaving you with a friend of mine, take care of Mr. Zhongli for me ok?

* You nodded and shuffled over to Zhongli prompting Childe to bid his farewells and leave

* Zhongli thought you’d be pretty bratty loud and rude as a lot of the kids are in Liyue

* But you were a pretty cute and obedient kid

* Oh and a money obsessed money maker

* You guys know Kokoino from Tokyo Revengers?

* Yeah the kid is basically him but poor and orphaned

* Wait no, like Seto Kaiba but remove the little sibling

* And his shitty father is replaced with a good one later

* Back to the actual plot line

* You’re a very very quiet kid

* But very friendly and helpful

* Also smart and incredibly lucky

* You once accidentally tripped into a pile of Mora

* And that’s not even the luckiest thing that had ever happened to you

* But anyways this is how for the first time ever people have seen Zhongli pay for something with his “own” money

* You also help with business deals and making money so he started actually having money of his own

* This obviously makes you two closer

* And you understand his big words and weird way of speaking very well so there’s no friction between you two

* He starts treating you as his own child

* Taking you everywhere, treating you like a human, buying you toys, clothes, food, especially (favorite food)

* You’re attached to the man now

* In fact you see him like an actual father

* Even though you don’t say it out loud you call him “papa” in your head

* ‘I wonder what papa will have us eat for dinner….’

* After about 2 weeks of no-contact with Zhongli Childe starts to get worried about you

* I mean, Zhongli is always broke, how will he afford food for the child?

* Is the child starving?

* “Shit”

* “Is the child alright?”

* “I should’ve left them with my family and they could’ve been friends with my siblings”

* “Is the kid dies I’ll blame myself forever”

* Walk into Zhongli’s place only to see you guys having fancy take out

* Did Zhongli finally resort to stealing, or something worse?

* How dare he do that in front of a kid!

* Childe lies to his siblings to keep their innocence!

* And Zhongli just straight up steals in front of a kid?!?!

* Eventually he learns the whole story and he’s so happy and proud of you

* But it’s time for you to go now

* “Say bye bye to Mr. Zhongli (Y/N)!”

* Childe tries to take you away but you fight back

* “NO I WANNA STAY WITH PAPA!”

* This surprises both men as you’re practically mute, the loudest you are is just below a whisper

* So for you to scream that it l really meant something

* Cautiously Childe puts you down and you scuttered back to Zhongli holding onto him tight

* “I don’t wanna leave papa, papa must stay with (Y/N)”

* Shocked Zhongli lifts you up holding you tight

* “Don’t worry little one, papa will be here with you for ever”

* So you end up staying and living with Zhongli forever

* You get a Geo Vision

* (If that’s even possible cause idk if he can give visions anymore after giving away his item(?) but you get one!)

* You switch between a staff like your dad and a claymore though you main the claymore

* You’re a successful Liyue diplomat

* And the actual opposite of your father cause you’re rich rich

* And you lead a nice life and become great friends with the Traveler, helping them to make money and get money from a non shady source like Childe despite how Paimon doubted you at first

* She ends up loving you cause you know where and how to get good food and you’ll pay for the food also

* Childe is also your uncle that you love but Yk he’s a shady hoe, and you love playing with his little brother and other siblings!

* Eventually you find a way to become immortal in order to stay with your papa forever

* You live a happy and peaceful life and don’t fight in wars

* You’re among the few that are neutral in the fight and just continue living your life as usual

* So you live through all of time peaceful, happy and content forever living with your father and all the little details in between depends on you the reader

* No longer shall he say or feel

* “😍Osmanthus😁wine🍷taste😋the😌same😘as🎤I👁remember 🧠but😔where🤔are😩those 👯‍♀️who💔share🎉the⛰memory❓”

* As you’d be there to share the memories with him

Heyyyyyyyyyy what do we think of my Geo Daddy headcannons?

#gn reader #gn!reader #child reader #child!reader #child!mc #child Mc #headcannons #genshin impact #Zhongli #genshin impact morax #morax #genshin impact zhongli #genshin zhongli #genshin morax #traveler #paimon #Childe #genshin impact childe #genshin childe #Liyue #genshin impact liyue #genshin liyue

[obwjam]

hmmmmm could you write a soft Jamie or Roy or Ted fic by any chance? bonus points if it's an especially skittish borrower being discovered by them

you’re so lucky that you asked this specific thing because i wrote a ted thing a while ago and was looking for an excuse to post it :) it just starts abruptly so please ignore that in favor of lots of soft ted

————————————————————————

“Don’t worry, Beard ain’t comin’ for at least another hour. I was up early, so I decided to just head on over to work. Just one of those mornings,” Ted chuckled. One of those mornings after a sleepless night of tossing and turning.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, it’s okay,” Ted said softly, putting his hands up in mock surrender when you started to inch back. “I ain’t gonna hurt’cha. Just call me the BFG. Or Gulliver. He was a pretty nice guy to all those Lilliputians.”

You had absolute no clue what he was talking about.

“BFG. Big friendly giant? Roald Dahl?” Ted questioned, before remembering that the chances of you reading a novel was probably zero. “Right, right. Tiny person. You’re not a Lilliputian, are you?”

Nothing. Ted frowned. He was used to people not taking him seriously, but being scared of him? That was a first.

“I’m just… well, I’m a little confused,” Ted confessed, trying to keep the conversation going. “Believe it or not, you’re the first tiny person I’ve ever seen runnin’ across a desk. Or runnin’ anywhere, really.”

Ted’s ever-persistent smile faded when he took a moment to see just how terrified you were. You hadn’t moved since the moment he walked in, and you weren’t sure you’d be able to until he left.

If he left.

“D’you have a name, little guy?” Ted asked, knowing full well he wasn’t going to get an answer. “I’m Ted Lasso. Though you probably already know that, don’t you?”

Nothing.

“How did y’even get up on my desk, anyway? No offense, but I—”

Ted was nearly stunned silent in the middle of his sentence. As soon as he asked that, it triggered something inside you; the intense fear of being reprimanded, of being punished simply for existing, all came to a head. You broke down, sobbing into your shirt as your heartbeat grew faster and faster.

Ted shut his mouth and stared, eyes practically shaking at the sight before him. Suddenly realizing how intimidating he must look looming over you, he slowly lowered himself into his chair, his gaze not once leaving you.

“Woah, hey, c’mon now, it’s — it’s alright,” Ted said as he sat, his voice quivering slightly. In a way, he knew how you were feeling, and he was usually good at comforting people. But he was lacking in experience with four-inch-tall people. “Look, I know I must look real scary t’you right now, but I promise, I would never hurt you, and I ain’t mad. I’m just… I just wanna talk, if that’s alright.”

In your mind, you knew he was telling the truth. You had seen him here for months, and you supposed this was way better than being discovered by anyone else. But he was a human, and all humans were the same. Dangerous. Reckless. Curious.

“You can understand me, right?”

He said he wasn’t mad, but the more one-sided the conversation became, the more worried you were that he would snap. Slowly, you shook your head yes.

You were expecting some kind of audible hooray from Ted once you actually responded to him, but you were pleasantly surprised when his only reaction was a warm smile. You felt your eyes widen a bit. That smile felt… genuine.

“Can I ask how you got in here? In my office, I mean. Or the whole building, really.” Ted was cognizant to keep his sentences short. His rambling was clearly making you nervous.

You swallowed, realizing quickly that your only way out of this was with a conversation. You opened your mouth to respond, and all the words got caught in your throat. Nothing but a small whimper came out.

Ted furrowed his brow in concern. How on earth was he going to get a response out of you? Maybe it was best to just leave you alone… but then he would be thinking about you non-stop every day he walked into work, and that wasn’t going to fly.

“I… I live here.”

Ted tilted his head and tried hard to suppress a smile, but he couldn’t. Your voice was so damn cute.

“You live here? All this time, Rebecca could’ve been chargin’ rent,” he joked, mostly to himself. “Where is… here, exactly?”

You shrugged. “Here. There. Wherever is safe.” You were not about to give him more details than was absolutely necessary.

Ted nodded. “Here, there, and everywhere. I get it, you could probably burrow into anything. Gosh, you are just… so small…”

This is what you were afraid of. Ted was very, very quickly getting attached to you.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” he stammered. He didn’t really intend to say that out loud. “That was inappropriate of me, wasn’t it? I’m sure you’re very aware of how small you are.” He groaned. “Dang it, I did it again.”

You didn’t mean to, but you sniffed a laugh. He was starting to sound as nervous as you were.

“I came in here to get some supplies,” you said, almost a whisper, but somehow Ted heard it.

He leaned in ever so slightly. “Supplies? You buildin’ somethin’?”

“Sort of…” you said, slowly turning your head around. Your hook was still there, dangling off the side of the desk with the paper clip stuck into the wood.

It didn’t take long for Ted’s eyes to follow your gaze. His expression brightened when he finally noticed, and he nearly reached across the desk to pluck it up before realizing that leaning over you was probably not the best idea.

“Can I see it?”

You looked up in surprise, and Ted gave a small nod as if to say it was safe for you to move. Carefully, you padded to the edge of the desk, yanked your hook up and gently placed it in front of you. You felt your breath hitch as Ted’s gigantic hand slowly descended, fingers pinching the paper clip like it was nothing to him.

He was speechless as he dangled it in front of his face, eyes moving rapidly as he tried to make sense of what he was holding. It was a tiny little hook made by a tiny little person. How did this thing actually work?

“…Wow,” was all Ted could say. “So you really swing around on this thing like some itty bitty Batman.”

You felt your face get hot. Were you blushing?

“I, uh. I need a new paper clip. That one’s old. ‘S why I’m on your desk. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Woah there, little buddy. You do not need to apologize to me, you hear? Gosh, that’s all you needed? You risked your life just so you could get one little measly paper clip? Jeeze Louise.” Ted leaned back, opened his drawer, snatched a paper clip out and plunked it on the desk in front of you. He didn’t miss the way you jumped at his movements. “If you need some post-it notes too, just tell me, I got hundreds of ‘em.”

“I…” you had no words. He barely questioned you and immediately jumped at the chance to help. What kind of giant did that?

“Go on, it’s alright,” Ted said gently, trying to coax you from the spot where you were frozen solid. “Take it. It’s yours.”

As soon as you picked up the paper clip, Ted’s heart practically melted. It was nearly as tall as you were. How could someone so small function in a world like this? It was then that he noticed just how ragged you were. Your clothes weren’t actually clothes — they were more like rags with limb-sized holes cut in them. They draped off your body like some regal gown, but Ted knew that you weren’t some kind of tiny royalty. You were frail.

“Y’know, I never had a chance to grab breakfast this morning,” Ted started, trying to gauge your reaction. You gave him nothing. “D’you — would you — I could take you with me to get somethin’, if you’d like. B-But you don’t have to say yes, if you don’t want to. You just — if I may, you really look like you could use somethin’ to… when was the last time you ate?”

You shrugged. “A few days ago, maybe.”

“A few days?! Well, that settles it. You’re comin’ with me.”

Almost instinctively, Ted placed his hand down on the table, dragging it back a bit once he saw how you shuddered at the movement. The top of his palm went halfway up your body, and he suddenly became nervous.

You took a few steps back, stumbling as your eyes darted from his palm up to his face and back down again. God, he was so big.

Ted flushed red. “I’m sorry, little guy, I didn’t mean it like that.” He huffed a laugh, and you were confused. “Gosh, some BFG I am. I’m not really helpin’ you, am I? I’m just scarin’ you.”

You sighed. Even watching him from afar, you couldn’t figure Ted out. You always waited for his facade to fade as soon as someone left the room; maybe a scowl, or mumbling something mean about them. But it never happened. Maybe… maybe he really was this nice. God damn it, were you actually feeling bad for him?

“I…” you started, pausing to see if Ted would hear you. He did. Of course. “I would… I would love to eat, actually.” Another pause. “Thank you.”

Ted felt his entire chest fill with warmth. He wasn’t really sure what was about to happen, but he knew one thing — he was going to keep you safe, no matter what. There was no way he could let you go now. He was determined.

“Hey, remember what I said?” Ted asked. You shook your head no. “I said I wouldn’t hurt you. And I meant it. Yeah?”

You shyly nodded, which immediately prompted Ted to smile. His eyes never left you as you gingerly climbed onto his palm, which was surprisingly still as you situated yourself.

Really, he could barely process what was happening. But he felt his heart skip a beat and his breath hitch when you made contact with him, your little tiny movements suddenly very sharp on his own hand. Boy, he thought, this is really taking having someone’s life in your hands to a whole new level.

“Are you good, little guy?” Ted finally remembered to ask.

A small nod. His heart fluttered.

“Right, I’ll keep you real close, alright? Make sure no one else sees you.”

You were waiting for that sinking feeling to hit, and while you were incredibly nervous, it never really happened. There was something about this giant… this… Ted… that you just knew was different. Call it instinct, delusion, whatever, but something inside of you felt safe.

Maybe this really was alright.

BONUS

“You really found one?” Beard asked incredulously. Frankly, he was shocked that Ted discovered a borrower before he did.

Ted nodded with an emphatic mmmhmm before an alarm bell went off in his head. “Say, how did you know that I was harborin’ a tiny person? I could have been hidin’ anything from you.”

Beard didn’t say a word, but he raised his eyebrows and curled his mouth in such a way that made Ted realize he probably didn’t want or need to know how Beard knew.

“You shoulda seen me,” Ted said lowly, trying to make sure his conversation didn’t get picked up by anyone else on the pitch. “Made a great BFG joke.”

“I thought the whole point of the BFG is that the giants eat people.”

“Hm.” Ted thought about that for a moment before his eyes went wide. Mouth agape, he turned to Beard, who gave a simple nod. “Oh, shoot.”

“That’s a pretty big mistake right there.”

“Ohhh,” Ted chuckled. “Ohh-ho-ho. That’s a good one, coach.”

“Thank you, coach.”

“You’re mighty welcome, coach.”

A pause.

“Can I meet them?”

“No, nope,” Ted replied immediately. “Oh, no. Absolutely not.”

Beard bobbed his head. “I figured.”

“Maybe someday,” Ted mused, thinking of how his tiny friend was probably enjoying some alone time in the makeshift Lego house he built for them. “Maybe someday.”

#giant ted truly does live rent free in my mind #seriously thanks for this ask cause i had this entire thing ready to go lmao #i’m just so obsessed with him UGHHHHH #asks #obwrites

[skye-huntress]

MagiRevo Volume 6 Thoughts

Back again with everyone’s favourite royal couple. This time we learn about Lainie’s mother and meet more vampire. There’s also a lot more action compared to previous volumes. And we finally address the inconvenient fact that Euphie and Lainie are effectively immortal, and their lovers are not.

You know the drill, spoilers are below.

Okay, so Ruella, from the prologue, total tsundere. I’m making my prediction now that she is actually into this Tiris girl.

From what we’ve heard, vampires in this world are basically brainwashed into continuing the research of their predecessors. Doesn’t seem like Ruella has ever even questioned why she and the clan should pursue “eternity” for the sake of some dead people.

I’m with Tiris, why seek eternity, when you can make the most of the time you have to do something that is actually meaningful to yourself?

‘Tis a bit of a shame, but I suppose Anis had to grow used to Euphie’s shows of affection sooner or later. She’s even reciprocating them of her own initiative. Even so, I guarantee Euphie is still the top in this relationship.

Why is Tilty gloomier because of the rain? Pretty sure she’s so adverse to being in direct sunlight, it’d make the uninformed question who is the actual vampire of their friend group.

In conclusion, it took only three months for them to make Lainie kind of OP in both swordplay and magic. If all vampires had just as much potential in general, and a lot more than three months to hone their skills, they’d be able to give even Euphie trouble.

We had a good balance in the detached palace. 4 girls, 2 couples. Royal couple attended to by the maid couple. I’m not too eager to see that change.

Interesting to think about, Ilia chose to be as reclusive as Anis and isn’t too fond of bringing in more people.

It’s not something I’m interested in, however I will say there may be a potential ship with Garkie and Navre.

Excited we are getting more Lainie and Tilty, sad that we’re splitting up our couples.

And of course, Euphie threatens Anis with a good time when she gets back.

I see Anis is still not comfortable with PDA, even though compared to Euphie’s coronation, a small peck in front of their friends is nothing.

Lainie’s mother is Tiris from the prologue? The plot thickens.

Tilty’s guess about a disease that affects vampires might have been on the money, but it’s early still.

Wow, Lainie actually went there. The anime touched on it but the novels haven’t really done so yet. The issue of how Euphie is immortal, and Anis isn’t. She was already willing to throw away her humanity in pursuit of magic, so doing so to extend her time with Euphie isn’t a huge leap for her.

As for Lainie, not surprised she’s already thinking about Ilia’s mortality. The considerable age gap aside, Ilia’s close to 30 already, and the average life expectancy in their world is probably shorter than what we take for granted.

Must be nice to at least have the option of extending your life, even if it means throwing away your humanity. In our world without magic or monsters, we just have to make the most of the time we have.

Makes sense that Anis quit adventuring. Now that her work has official support, she no longer needs to acquire her own funding and materials. Plus, her wife would never allow her to continue going off on her own.

Well, I wasn’t expecting this level of horror, not in this series. I’d expect this from some of the other series I’m into, but wasn’t expecting MagiRevo to hit me with this kind of body horror six volumes in.

I came here expecting vampires, and got an abomination that is an amalgamation of countless lifeforms that the vampire apparently consumed. Guess we know where all the monsters and animals in the forest went.

Everything about this encounter feels so messed up. We started with flaming horned guy trying to kill Anis and Garkie, to now mourning him and all he lost. We don’t even know his name!

So Ilia is resistant to the idea of becoming a vampire because then Lainie can’t feed off her blood? Fair point, I can respect that.

I had a guess we’d see Ruella again, but this is far from what I pictured originally.

So what happens after generations of brainwashing and overzealously accumulating knowledge, the vampires inevitably made a monster that is a reflection of how twisted and mad they’ve become.

They called Tiris a heretic and traitor, but she was probably the only sane one among them. However, Ruella did say she was exceptional enough to potentially become the matriarch of the clan, so perhaps Lainie really is OP, not because she is a vampire, but because she inherited her mother’s exceptionalism.

Anis lesbian-ed so hard she made the villainess instantly fall for her. Normally I’d be for this kind of development if Lilana wasn’t all the more determined to devour Anis especially. Nobody makes a meal out of our Anis, except Euphie!

Euphie finally had a chance to show off again, and it started out totally awesome, kind of reminded me of Weiss’ Arma Gigas summon. Then it backfired and we found out this girl can just absorb magic. I call hacks!

Anis did talk about throwing her humanity away to become immortal, but I didn’t think such a change would be forced on her. Guess the dragon’s prophecy was spot on, Anis really did become a dragon, albeit still in human form, with some vampiric powers thrown in for good measure.

Props to Anis for trying to give Lilana an out. I’ve been around the internet enough to know there are indeed people who’d be down for what she’s offering.

And of course for her final move, Lilana decides to turn into a freaking dragon, too. Anis, pretty sure that one’s on you this time.

I’m fine if she and the other vampires like her devour monsters, but leave the poor animals alone!

So Lilana stole Euphie’s move and made it her own, then Anis takes that same improvised move, puts her own spin on it and uses it to finally take down Lilana. Brilliant! Anis beat her at her own game!

Of all the shocks and twists this volume, the biggest might be Anis pulling a Euphie on Euphie herself. She’s certainly gotten bolder but she still doesn’t hold a candle to Euphie. We’re talking about the girl who used her coronation speech to declare her love and made out with Anis in front of all the attendants. We know who’s the top in this relationship and Euphie will no doubt remind Anis of that fact later, and they’ll both enjoy it.

With a battle like that, it almost feels like a finale of sorts but there’s still a lot of loose ends. There’s Ruella and the other vampires. Would also love to get a follow up on if any of the demi-human clans are still around. I do not want to think about the possibility that Acryl is probably the last of her kind.

We also don’t know how Tiris died, which poses an unknown risk to Lainie, Algard, and possibly even Anis.

Also it goes without saying I want to know what’s up with the changes to Anis’ body and what the reactions will be.

Well, at least I know how long I have to wait this time. The official translation for Volume 7 is apparently dropping in late July. So see you all again in about 4 months.

#magirevo #the magical revolution of the reincarnated princess and the genius young lady

[univvrse]

the coven (chapter 5)

minors DNI

previous parts can be found on my masterlist

reader x bakugou x shinsou x kaminari x kirishima

Coven- a formation of at least three or more vampires He told you they were dangerous- why didn't you believe him?

on my ao3 if you'd prefer

1.1k words

“Of course, I did,” you replied, “you took me home and just left me here; I thought it was all a dream.” He just stared at you for a moment, trying to read your emotions. Eijiro was habituated to just reading the minds of the people he spent his time with and could hardly remember how to read humans emotions.

“I’m sorry,” it didn’t sound sincere; it sounded like it was what he thought he should say. He gently brushed past you, inviting himself into your apartment; not like you would have protested.

Eijiro quickly surveyed the place with his eyes before walking into your living room and flopping down on your couch. Flicking his shoes of his feet with ease, not seeming to care where they went. It was odd how it was just him alone, you had assumed they’d stick together during the day and stay at home.

It was getting light outside rapidly and so without even thinking you went and closed the curtains before sitting down beside him.

The critical issue you thought of a moment ago entered you mind, “So, how come it’s just you today,” you asked him. “I had a huge fight with Katsuki last night, mostly about our hunting patterns, whenever we would find a human to sink our teeth into, he would steal them right from us.” He sighed “When Denki tried to pick him up on it, he hit him right in the face.”

“Jesus is he okay?”. “He’s fine- don’t stress it”, he sunk further into the chair and placed his arm around your shoulders. You relaxed into him, ignoring the cold radiating from his “skin”. It was nice- the way he held you, so delicately like you were something he could break with a single digit- you felt a slight blush form on your face.

“How’d you sleep,” he asked, pretending not to notice your flushed face. “Really well actually, did one of you guys run me here- I didn’t wake up at all?” “Nah, Hitoshi drove you here, we only really run places when it’s either late at night or we’re out hunting. A bunch of guys running at 700 miles an hour is kinda conspicuous you know?” He laughed.

It was kind of silly, how comfortable you felt sat in a literal murderer’s embrace. Although you hadn’t met many murderers in your time (in fact you hadn’t met any until the past 28 hours- at least not knowingly) you knew that even though he had killed so many; there was something different about him, he was almost lovable- they all were.

“So,” you asked- almost timidly, “What are you gonna say to Katsuki when you get home tonight.” you asked. “I don’t know actually, I’ll probably just suck him off, that normally gets him to change his mind pretty quick”.

You started laughing, assuming it was another one of his jokes however he remained stone-faced, unlaughing. You paused. “Wait is that like, not a joke are you really gonna you know”, you stopped talking for a second, wondering how to phrase it, however he interrupted you.

“I mean yeah, that’s the plan right now.” “Do you do that”, you cleared your throat, “often?” “Only when I want to- well you see. I don’t really know how to put this without freaking you out but we’re all together.” “Wait, like together together. You’re all dating.” Your eyes went wide- you weren’t surprised at the news. You had seen how they talked and acted around one another. You were filled with a different kind of emotion. Curiosity?

“Hey, I mean if you’re not okay with it I’m not forcing you to hang out with us. Or me for that matter. I don’t want to hang out with you if you’re not okay with who we are.” he went to get up, slowly though- human speed- like he wanted you to stop him. You reached out, grabbing him harshly by the wrist, he barely seemed to feel it- though he looked at you, deep into your eyes with something, almost sadness.

“No, I mean that’s fine. That’s cool actually I’m glad you guys are happy.” He cosied back onto the sofa next to you, resuming his earlier position with his arm round you. You leaned further into him this time, resting your head on his chest. The more time you spent with these immortal men the less you minded the cold. “I’m surprised you’re so cool with everything. The whole vampire plus the poly thing is probably a lot for a human to deal with.” he said, scratching the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t placed on your shoulder.

You were actually surprised at yourself, before you had met the enticing group of bloodsuckers you hadn’t even given a second thought to polyamory, your previous town was clearly more conservative than the one you found yourself in now. Actually, the one you were in now was probably the same considering you had not even met any other town residents.

“Not really,” you responded- trying to keep up the façade that you were much more chilled than you actually were. “You’re just like any other guys except you-.” You stopped yourself there, not wanting to dig yourself into an even deeper hole. “What, suck blood and have a staggering amount of sex?” You nodded, not trusting your voice to not crack, and slightly because he was making you feel like an idiot, “yeah basically.” he finished.

“Okay, I have a confession to make,” his hand slid down to your waist. “I didn’t come here just cause I was fighting with Katsuki. Actually, I wanted to ask you something.” You frowned but let him continue. “I wanted to ask- in fact we all wanted to ask I just pulled the shortest straw.” He laughed nervously at his own joke. “If you maybe wanted to- well you know.” He swallowed (can vampires even do that). “If you wanted to have sex with us.”

“Like all four of you at once?” you asked; concerned about your lack of experience. In actuality, you didn’t know how polycules worked or foursomes. Or even sex at all, you were still a virgin.

“No of course not, unless you really want to try that- not even Denki can take all three of us at once.” “I mean, yeah sure. Why not?” You tried to cover up the fact that you were a huge virgin and keep your cool façade. He smiled, clearly seeing through the walls you had put up.

“You’ve never had sex before, have you?” he laughed, though clearly not making fun of you. “Don’t worry, me and the guys can be quite- sorry can’t find the right word I can’t do English when I’m nervous. gentle"

#kirishima x reader #kirishima eijirou #vampire au #vampire #no beta we die like men #my hero academia

[theevilthatismokke]

IT HAS BEGUN

/bakeneko ryokan AU twitter event spoilers/

Ahh!! I was looking forward for this one!! And it’s here!! Ahhh!!

unfollow me everyone this is all i’m gonna talk for the rest of the week

Ahem. Excuse me.

Anyway, I figured we’d be “playing” this AU event as the Minamoto siblings (Kou, in this case), but I was kinda surprised we didn’t start already at the inn. But it’s nice to see this little introduction!

Poor Aoi-chan, looks like she was harassed to the point of quitting her job… From what I understood, apparently she told Teru she was going to come back for her diary (that she got from Akane?) after she got a better job (?)…

But then she invited Akane to go with her to the spooky inn, that’s infamous for UMA sightings and people turning into cats.

Hm.

I’m unsure whether Aoi is already thinking about “disappearing” (like whoever was suicide baiting her wrote), and invited Akane to go with her for one last pleasant moment, or if her choosing the cursed cat inn isn’t that intentional, and the place is calling to her instead, because she may feel unhappy. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither. Maybe it’s something more… normal? We’ll see.

Watch it be a third, crazy option like, Aoi was a cat/bakeneko/nekotama who tried to fit in the human world, realized it sucked and now’s going back home with her bf lol

“If could see that beauty one more time… I would gladly turn into a cat…!”

Did I ever mention here that I love Natsuhiko? Because I do. I love Natsuhiko. The funniest guy ever, hope you and your lady meet again and live happily ever after on cat heaven, Natsuhiko (lol).

On a side note, I’m curious about Natsuhiko’s earring. It’s green in the colored merchandise for the cafe, a color commonly associated with Sakura in JSHK. It’s also just one, so it might be just a fashion/style kinda thing, but it makes me wonder if Sakura may have given that to him.

Or maybe Natsuhiko just bought it because it reminded him of her. Either way, I like it, and it’s, to me, a nice parallel to the brooch Sakura always wears, which matches Natsuhiko’s hair color.

Look at them. Loook at theeem!!

Sumire peaking from behind (Hakubo’s too tall lol). Hakubo wearing a suit. They’re so cute.

Also, lol at their small exchange about political marriages. It kinda looks like Hakubo was trying to placate/dissuade the paparazzi and Sumire took him too literally. Or maybe, in a way that’s classic them, Hakubo didn’t know that Sumire wanted to get married to him (even if it was a political marriage). And likewise, Sumire didn’t get that Hakubo likely disliked the notion that he would marry her only out of political gain, since he emphasizes on the absurdity of a political marriage. (In other words, he’s saying he’d marry her out of love)

Well, who knows. Glad to see they’re still bumbling about, the idiots.

Makes me wonder what they’re gonna do at the ryokan. Is it going to be their honeymoon? Are they eloping? Just hoping to get away from the press and their yakuza families? Did their families send them there? I mean, I doubt it, but gotta think of all the options

I am… pretty amused that they are part of the yakuza, though. I was just thinking a while ago, that if you were to write and adapt Hakubo’s story belonging to a more modern time, he’d probably be part of a mob family.

Same with Natsuhiko’s situation? Him meeting Sakura as a child and being persistent in seeing her again was one of the scenarios I had considered for them before. As in, what their backstory might be like. Good to see it’s an option in one of the AUs, haha.

Though, this one might be a common theory among the fandom? I actually don’t know.

Very peculiar that Amane is already a nekomata here, but Tsukasa doesn’t even seem to be a bakeneko (if the flashback and newspaper are anything to go by. his cat ears were also a headband in the original shikishi).

Sooo. Considering the myths around neko mata and bakeneko, I’m going to assume that:

a) Tsukasa and Amane might not be related in this AU;

b) Amane took the form of his owner (Tsukasa);

c) Amane might have started the fire.

Also, judging by Teru’s reaction towards Natsuhiko’s declaration of love, and the assumptions above, it makes me how is the “general” relationship between kaii and human in this AU.

I mean, kaii in this seem to be part of daily life; no one calls Natsuhiko crazy for seeing a beautiful bakeneko lady, nor does anyone seem to bat an eye at Hakubo the oni appearing in the news. But maybe relationships between kaii and human are looked down on? Thus, why Natsuhiko’s a “freak” for loving Sakura, according to Teru, or why the news seem to jump at the conclusion that a relationship between Hakubo and Sumire could only amount to a “political marriage”.

Teru’s comment also makes me wonder… if something’s gonna happen to him, either in this AU or in the main series soon. You can’t judge other people (specially their relationships!!) without shit happening to you. JSHK’s “talk shit get hit” cosmic rule has been pretty consistent so far after all.

And, last but not least…

Nene?? Is that you??

*sees flower decorations*

It is you!!! Nene!! look at how cute she is

Dancing under the moonlight, Nene is romantic even as a cat, huh? That’s so cute, never change Nene-chan lol.

All in all, I look forward to the inevitable shenanigans. Whether it’s sad, messed up or just plain bizarre, hilarity is still guaranteed!

#a mokke's idle ramblings #bakeneko ryokan bakeneko ryokan #not gonna lie the neko mokke look extremely cursed

[sixpossumsinatrenchcoat]

game over

An Omori timeskip in the wake of the worst end. Part 3 of 4.

Kel finds Sunny by a frozen lake, fishing through a hole in the ice. For a second, it looks like there’s someone standing beside him, or—maybe it’s just his shadow? But when Kel bounds closer, the shadow dissipates. A trick of the light, maybe. Or just more weird dream stuff. 

“Hey bud! Catch anything good?”

Sunny glances back at him, and then turns coldly away. “I’m not talking to you.”

“What!! Why?? What’d I do??”

“No. Not like that.”

Oh. Good. Kel flops down in the snow and waits for Sunny to explain. 

…He doesn’t. 

Oh, yeah. Sunny isn’t really the ‘explaining’ type. Kel clears his throat. “So… What is it like?”

Sunny startles. “Oh. It’s just, you shouldn’t talk to me. You should be talking to Hero.”

“Huh?”

“Or Aubrey.”

“Huh????” 

Sunny shoots a glare over his shoulder. “Be more specific.”

Right. Sunny is also not the ‘fill in the blanks in your open-ended question’ type. He’s a pretty literal guy, that Sunny. “Sorry, sorry. I guess I just mean… uh… Hero’s pretty busy, you know? And I don’t even know how I’d find Aubrey.”

“She lives two blocks away?”

“Not anymore, dude.”

Sunny looks surprised, then dismayed. He always hated when things changed. 

“Sorry,” Kel says, shrugging. “But it’s all good. They’re sorta not that fun to talk to right now, anyway.”

“Less fun than me?”

“Uh, yeah! Are you kidding? Talking with you is the best!!”

“Was,” Sunny corrects him. He flicks the line expertly, a deft, practiced motion. Which is weird, ‘cause Kel is pretty sure that Sunny has never actually caught a fish. 

“Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean, though. Why would I talk to them instead of you?” 

Sunny gives him a sharp look. “I can’t tell if you’re playing dumb.”

“Wh– Hey!! I’ll have you know that I am exactly as dumb as I look!!”

Sunny turns away just a beat too late to hide his smile. “Okay. You should talk to them because they’re your friends—”

“You’re my friend!!!”

“—and they’re alive. So. That’s something you have in common.”

“...Ah.” It did sorta seem like that’s where this was going, yeah. “But… I don’t want to?”

“I don’t care.”

“Pff!” Kel sputters. “Ouch, dude, damn! Were you always this brutal?”

“Yes.” He pauses. “Wait. Maybe not last time. But still yes. I just forgot how to do it out loud.”

“Pfffww— Sunny!!! When you finally came out… Dude. Were you silently roasting me that whole time???”

“Of course not,” Sunny huffs. “You’re my friend. And anyway, I was—” He hesitates. “I. Had a lot on my mind.” 

…Huh. For the most honest guy Kel’s ever met, Sunny’s sure acting like someone who’s keeping secrets. “Huh,” Kel says, out loud this time. “There’s something you’re not saying.”

Sunny looks surprised. “Yes.”

“But if I ask, you’re just gonna say you can’t tell me. ‘Cause it’s ‘too late,’ or whatever?”

“...Yes.”

“Okay!”

Sunny raises an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Sure! There’s plenty of stuff I don’t wanna talk about. It’s all good, dude!” 

Kel flops back in the snow, belly-up under a violet sky. The frost feels crisp and crunchy on his skin, but without the sting of cold. Like laying in a field of salt. 

“I guess that's why we always got each other, huh?” he muses. “‘Cause everyone else is, like… Ugh. Sometimes it feels like they want to have a bad time. But it's like— Why would you wanna feel bad when you could just... look at something else?"

Sunny frowns.

Kel flicks some snow at him. “What?” 

“Just thinking.”

“Yeah, I figured. You wanna share with the class?”

Sunny shoots him a dry look. “Just. Maybe that’s why everyone got so messed up, after. Because… Um.” His frown deepens. Translating the looping, swirling snarl of his genius into normal human words was never Sunny’s strong suit. “It’s like. Homeostasis?” 

“Uh... huh?”

Sunny looks frustrated. He always did, when someone took too long to understand all the complicated math behind his weird analogies. “Like. Checks and balances. You made us have fun, and Basil made us be nice, and Hero made us be smart, and Aubrey made us be honest. And Mari made us fit together.”

“And you made us be cool and smart and brave!! And go on adventures! And play pretend and stuff!!!”

Sunny flaps a hand impatiently. “Sure. So we could all just do what we wanted, and it was fine. But then we split up, and it was. Everyone just—kept doing what they did. But. Without anyone to stop them.”

“Huh,” Kel says thoughtfully. It does make a sort of sense. And it explains why everyone felt so unfamiliar, after. Because he'd only ever known them when they were together. “That’s pretty smart, Sunny.” 

“Yes.”

“Pfff. So, what... You think I should talk to Aubrey because she isn’t fun?”

Sunny hits him with another flat glare. “No. You should talk to Aubrey because you’re stuck. And probably she is too. But you can still get unstuck. Just… probably not all alone.” 

“Uuugghhghhh… I’ll think about it, okay? But if she beats me to death with a nail bat, that’s on you.”

“I’m not worried,” Sunny says smugly. Then a shadow flashes over his face, and his eyes narrow. “Oh. Sorry. It’s time.”

“Huh??” Kel jolts to attention as Sunny seizes him by the shoulders. “S-Sunny?? Time for—??”

“WAKE UP.”

###

Honestly? Aubrey’s getting pretty tired of all the cryptic bullshit. 

The sweet, adoring best friend crashing in her apartment? It’s fine. It turns her stomach and makes her want to swallow glass, and all of that is fucking fine. But the faceless, inexplicably sinister stranger haunting her dreams? Who is that even supposed to be? It’s obviously not fucking Basil. 

“Because you never really knew me,” the shadow whispers. “No one did.”

“Man, what am I even supposed to do with that?” 

“Tsss-sss-ssh,” the shadow cackles. “You’re a riot, do you know that?”

“Literally what do you want from me?” Aubrey demands. “I'm just trying to get through the day. I'm not hurting anyone. I already know I'm fuckin' trash, so you’re kinda preaching to the choir here. So what is it? You want me to die? Is that it?”

“Hmmmm,” the shadow hums. It sits back on its heels, a movement that draws attention to its distinctly inhuman legs: more like a rabbit’s haunches than a person’s. “You’re awfully direct. If Sunny had been so forthright, maybe all this could have been avoided.”

“Wow! Cool! It’s almost like that’s completely fucking meaningless!” 

Another crackling hiss of laughter. “Oh, alright. I suppose I’m just… checking in on an old friend.”

“And that’s supposed to be me.”

It gestures at her, a clicking jerk of one long-fingered hand. “Who else?”

“Cool,” Aubrey snarls. She knows, she fucking knows that she’s a violent piece of shit, but that doesn’t mean she wants to hear about it every. Single. Night. “No, that’s great. That’s really helpful.” 

“Well,” the shadow snickers. “If hss-s-speaking with me is really so unpleasant, have you tried talking to… oh, I don’t know… literally anyone else?”

“So that’s what this is about.”

“Whatever do you mean?” it asks innocently.

“You fucking know.” Opening up. Talking to people. “Vulnerability and shit.”

“Hss–s-s-sss,” the shadow cackles. “You always did have a way with words.”

“So that’s your game? You think I’m—lonely, or something?” It’s hard to believe that any version of Basil would even give a shit. After what she did, he should want her to be alone for the rest of her life. 

But then again, this isn’t really Basil. 

“I think you’re afraid.”

“You—what??”

“I think you’re determined to martyr yourself. Because if everything was your fault, then turning your back is a mercy. But you’re wrong. It isn’t mercy. It’s cruelty. The same cruelty that killed me.”

That rocks her back on her heels. “I— You said I didn’t—”

“I said you weren’t seeing the whole picture. I never said your hands were clean. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” Its head tilts almost fondly. “My old friend.” 

Abruptly, the shadow’s goatlike ears flick up. It twists its shaggy head like it’s listening for something she can’t hear. 

“Ah. I’m afraid we’re out of time.”

She scoffs. “You got somewhere to be? No one’s stopping you. Feel free to fuck off at your soonest convenience.”

For a second, the shadow’s mirrored eyes look almost wistful. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it? But—no. This-ss is the last place I’ll ever be. You, on the other hand… There’s a whole world out there. Why not go and s-see?”

“Uhh, maybe ‘cause it’s the middle of the night? I have work in the morning.” 

“Yess, yes. A shame, that. Still. A little sleep deprivation never hurt anyone.”

She snorts. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it h—” 

Suddenly the shadow is towering over her, larger than life. It’s not skimming along the walls anymore. It's a pillar of shuddering dark, like smoke made solid. It tosses its head and stamps its goatlike legs, driving one cloven hoof deep into the ground beside her head. “WAKE UP.”

###

Aubrey jolts awake. Her heart is racing so fast, it feels like it’s trying to climb out her mouth. The room is all long twisted shadows, hunched backs and splintered bone and knees broken and bent back. She fumbles for the lamp, but ends up with a fistful of shattered glass. 

Right. There is no lamp. It’s just another broken thing. 

She tries to slow her breath but it’s so dark. It’s so dark. There’s no light in the room and the shadows won’t stop moving. She can feel something warm and slick on her palm. Blood. There’s blood on her hands. When is there not? 

Calm down, she tries to tell herself. You’re dreaming. It’s just another nightmare. But—no. She can feel the sting of shattered glass between her fingers. She’s awake. This is real. Her life is the nightmare. 

Aubrey jerks out of bed. Hisses a curse as she steps on another shard of the stupid fucking broken fucking bulb. She hates this apartment. She thought getting out of her mom's disgusting trailer would make her less angry, but this place is almost worse. It’s another trash heap for trash people. A graveyard for the almost-dead. Just somewhere to keep all her mistakes. 

She can’t be here. She can’t spend another second in this miserable fucking room, all alone in the squirming dark. She has to—go. Somewhere. To buy a new lamp or a RedBull or a fucking noose. It doesn’t matter. Who fucking cares? Anywhere would be better than here.

###

Aubrey’s complex is on the grimy side of the tracks, far from the bright lawns and clean fences where she grew up. 

She’d wanted to go even further. Far enough to feel sure that none of her old friends would ever find her. But it took her months to find a gas station shady enough to hire a kid with no high school diploma, no references, and a “trust me” approach to federal identification. 

It’s not like she could afford rent in the city, anyway. Where else would she even go? 

It’s three-something in the morning: late enough that the night owls are hunkered down at home, but too early for even the earliest of early birds. The streets are deathly still. If not for the crackle and hum of the streetlamps, she might be standing in a photograph. 

The only place that’s open at this hour is a greasy 7-Eleven near the other edge of town. It’s a long walk. But Aubrey’s so tired she’s seeing double. If she tried to bike it, she’s pretty sure she’d wind up wrapped around the smoking wreckage of someone’s car. And she’s killed enough people for one lifetime, thanks. 

Exhaustion makes her shadow stutter and stretch like claymation. She can’t bring herself to look at it. She can’t shake the feeling that it might look back.

…Whatever. Still better than spending another second of her life in that fucking apartment. 

###

24-hour convenience stores have always felt sort of outside of time. Like a pocket dimension where nothing ever changes. Row upon refrigerated row of Pepsi Blue and Mountain Dew: Code Red above the Diet Sprite and Cherry Coke. Stale cookies in plastic casing from brands that no one’s ever heard of. Expired corn chips that were last manufactured for sale in 1996. Pocket knives with novelty handles carved to look like bears or badgers or bikini babes with wooden water-balloon tits. Personalized keychains emblazoned with your name, as long as your name is John, Sam or Jayden. 

As soon as she’s under those brutal fluorescent lights, Aubrey feels herself relax. There’s something comforting about places like this. Places that never change, no matter how much you did. 

She nods at the kid working the counter and grabs a few energy drinks, a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, a pack of watermelon gummies. Then a few more energy drinks. Some insane impulse makes her pick up a Grow-Your-Own-Herbs kit—just a dusty pot of dirt with a packet of dried-up seeds taped to the front—mostly because it’s the kind of thing that would make Basil happy. Then she remembers that Basil is too dead to feel much of anything, and makes herself put it back. 

Aubrey pays for the snacks. Shakes her head when the guy asks if she wants a bag, even though it is actually a little too much to carry. Shuffles out into the parking lot. 

When she looks up, there’s a figure staring across the parking lot, silhouetted by the streetlights. Shaggy. Spindly. Staring. Her heart leaps. Basil—

—But it’s not. Of course, it’s not. It’s just some guy. Just some alive person who probably won’t ever have to stare at a stranger’s silhouette and wonder if they’re even real, or just another ghost. She ducks her head and moves to shoulder past. 

That’s when the figure calls her name.

You can read the rest here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46429294/chapters/117673759

#omori fanfic #omori timeskip #bad end #worst end #knife end #omori suntan #omori photobomb #omori kelbrey #(the kelbrey is platonic for me but is definitely open to interpretation) #omori stranger #omori spoilers

[tailsrevane]

[book review] forgotten realms: the legacy by r.a. salvatore (1992)

drizzt: *literally notices that something is off about “regis”* entreri (disguised as regis): hey drizzt remember ENTRERI, your arch nemesis ENTRERI, that really handsome & deadly & skilled & did i mention handsome ENTRERI? what do you think ENTRERI is up to drizzt: entreri: by the nine, you are taking the fun out of this. I AM LITERALLY ENTRERI. drizzt: you’re acting a little weird today, regis.

you know, i’m suddenly realizing that i don’t think the books i’ve read in this series so far have never actually gone out of their way to say that drizzt was smart? i just kind of always assumed he was supposed to be? is he a himbo twink? i’m starting to think he might be a himbo twink.

i continue to feel basically “whatever” about the drizzt/wulfgar/cattie-brie stuff. i did appreciate cattie-brie standing up for herself, and it wasn’t the most “cishet guy writing a female character standing up for herself” rote shit ever, but it also wasn’t… entirely not that? despite it seeming pretty obvious that some effort was being made? idk, just, mixed feelings here.

wulfgar’s “death” hit decently hard even though he super isn’t one of my favorite characters and i know it isn’t gonna last. the fakeout deaths are getting to be a bit much (a bit ominous considering how early this is in the series tbh), but they’re written evocatively enough that they’re still hitting. for now.

this book… sorta? kinda? slightly? actually takes a few tentative steps forward on the whole awkward racism thing that salvatore himself has publicly “my bad”ed about recentlyish? though, it’s not without its own shortcomings. idk. let’s talk about it.

okay actually, looping back to the cattie-brie stuff, it’s kinda weird that after all the hand-wringing about baby’s first human murder a few books ago (explicitly contrasted with the fact that she’s apparently unfeelingly slaughtered orcs & goblins with no issue), she’s the one who points out that maybe they should have a quick chat with the goblins before using them for target practice? and that that discrepancy isn’t… really… remarked upon? at all? idk, just feels worth mentioning.

also bringing back the sexism angle, drizzt (and the narrator, from what i can tell) seems to think that cattie-brie actually doesn’t give a shit about the poor little gobbies doing their gobby chores (they’re doing a good job!!!!!! be nice to them!!!!!!) and is just sublimating her anger at wulfgar into the whole “hey let’s maybe not do a mass murder without at least offering some non-murder menu options” argument. which, in fairness, cattie-brie does stick to her guns even after the battle that parlaying first was the right thing to do and she would argue for it again. but idk. there’s just so many holes in this thing. like, i’m not expecting it to be perfect or anything, and it did genuinely represent a slight step forward? maybe? but it’s still not great imo.

now, one actual improvement is drizzt actually coming to grips with the fact that his vow never to kill another drow while he kills orcs & goblins & others with impunity is actually pretty fucking racist. that was a genuinely pleasant surprise. i’m going to continue to be pretty guarded about this subject in these books considering, y’know, everything. but it’s nice to see even a little improvement.

but yeah, i think that does it for the stuff i need to take somewhat seriously. so here’s where i talk about why this one mostly ruled.

the fights between drizzt & entreri were obviously kind of headliners for me, and a very big part of why i liked this book so much. also i kind of totally expected entreri’s initial fakeout death to last until the next book he appears in, so having him pop immediately back in like a fucking slasher villain with his freaking bat-winged cloak??? that was so extra, i genuinely love it. no notes. you’re doing great sweetie.

drizzt spent a good amount of the middle of the book tied up and being taunted by other drow and/or entreri, which, y’know, yeah, tie that fucking twink up & show him who’s boss. i am not projecting. i am not.

(... i may be slightly projecting.)

yeah, ok, yeah. u caught me. mostly i’m just glad to have all the horny drow shit back for the first time since the dark elf trilogy. (which i get was actually the most recent series when this was written & originally released, but i read the dark elf trilogy first because it was the only one i was sure i was gonna read at first, shrug!) we start strong with vierna forcing dinin to kneel with a command spell (what no a powerful woman with a whip saying “KNEEL.” and being compelled to obey doesn’t sound good to me at all, why would *sweats*), and when he turns out to be too mouthy she turns him into a fucking drider and rides him around like some kind of fucked-up horse? which like, no the thing itself isn’t especially appealing, but as far as power moves go, nine hells.

ahem.

honestly the only way these books could pander to me more is if they had more orcs (and if those orcs were characters rather than faceless hordes), but i’m still really grooving on them atm. and my understanding is the next book has even more kinky drow bullshit in it, so can’t wait for that!

b-rank

#d&d #dungeons & dragons #forgotten realms #legend of drizzt #book review #books #reviews

[retrosofa]

I started re-watching Mahou no Mako-chan from the beginning and I have so many things to talk about. Here’s my commentary for the first thirteen episodes.

Episode 1: This episode has been fansubbed for years, so I won’t get too into it. It’s a beautiful episode written by Masaki Tsuji and directed by Yugo Serikawa. They’ve included music from the Cinderella ballet, which gives the episode a strong Disney-vibe. 

Episode 2: This episode is so insane. Mako pretends to have amnesia after being found on the beach by an old zoologist named Mr. Urashima. A TV station does a report on her and a couple shows up claiming to be her real parents. Mako goes along with it since she has nowhere else to go. Surprise, surprise, her “parents” are actually criminals who are just after money.

The man accidentally “kills” Mako, Mako’s real father shows up, revives her, and gives her a gift from her mother: a magic pendant called the Mermaid’s Life. Mako reunites with Mr. Urashima, the criminals come back for Mako and the old man just lets them take her despite her cries for help. As they drive off with her, Mako uses her pendant to brutally murder them in a car crash. Mako goes back to Mr. Urashima like nothing happened, and he basically goes “I heard on the radio those two were actually criminals. Anyway, you can live with me but I’m very strict.” W-O-W. Spoiler: Mr. Urashima is absolutely awful and will continue to do shitty things.

This episode implies that Mako’s mother also wanted to become human at some point but didn’t go through with it. I wish they would’ve elaborated on this more, especially since she barely appears in the series.

This is the first episode to feature Shinya Takahashi as an animation director. It looks really nice, though not a good as the first episode.

Episode 3: Mako enrolls at Karatachi Academy, which covers elementary to high school. In this episode we meet her classmates Bancho, Senkichi, Haruko, etc. They all become a big part of the show from here on. The conflict of the episode is about the school’s rich girl, Tomiko Tomida, who brings her mother’s diamond ring to school and loses it. Mako’s new friend Haruko is accused of stealing it. Overall a pretty average episode.

Oh, you know Mako’s signature blue and white outfit? It used to belong to Urashima’s daughter who died at sea. Wowzers. 

Episode 4: The twins that live next door, Taro and Jiro, are fed up with their mother’s strict ways and decide to run away. Mako accompanies them, as does their uh... pet bear, Kumagoro. Things escalate when an armed Korean refugee takes Mako and the boys hostage. At one point Kumagoro (who’s usually depicted as sweet and cuddly) viciously mauls the refugee. The episode started out so lighthearted and then got really dark out of nowhere. Also the refugee guy constantly calls Mako a “bitch” which really took me back.

Episode 5: Tomiko has some weird hostility towards Mako and starts spreading rumors about her. During a school trip Tomiko gets so heated, she attempts to drive away in a car and ends up crashing off a cliff. Mako tries to use her pendant to save her but her father just up and blocks her powers. There’s a hilarious scene where Bancho taunts Tomiko as she’s crying, hopelessly stuck on the cliff. Mako ends up rescuing Tomiko thanks to the help of a random guy (who looks like a poorly drawn Akira) driving through.

This is the first episode handled by animation director Fumio Eto. He sucks so bad it’s not even funny. Not only is his drawing style so flat and hideous but his actual animation skills are totally laughable. In his defense, he does tries to do some interesting things but he just doesn’t have the talent for it. Unfortunately he ends up handling the last episode. Sigh.

Episode 6: Follow up to the first episode. The little girl from the cruise ship is suffering from PTSD and is afraid of the ocean. Her father hired Akira to help her feel better. For some reason they changed her name from “Kaoru” to “Naomi.” She’s called Kaoru twice in the first episode and she’s even referred to as Kaoru in preview for this episode. It’s such a weird error and it really takes away from the episode...

Mako and Akira formally meet. He asks if they’ve met before but she denies it. Towards the end of the episode he directly asks her if she’s “the mermaid who saved his life.” I thought that was funny. In the end, Akira has a falling out with Kaoru’s father and leaves.

First episode to feature Fusahiro Nagaki as an animation director. He previously worked on Himitsu no Akko-chan. This episode looks fine but his art style gets really ugly later down the road.

Episode 7: Mako and Akira meet again. This time he’s working for Tomiko’s family. This episode makes it seem like the previous one didn’t happen? Akira doesn’t remember meeting Mako at all and this time she tries to tell him about what really happened during the shipwreck. It’s very bizarre.

Tomiko has a crush on Akira and gets jealous when he saves Mako from some yakuza guys. There’s this whole subplot about Mako helping a little girl sell flowers while her mother is sick at home. At the end of the episode the thugs come back with a freakin’ pro-boxer who kicks Akira’s ass. Mako saves Akira by using her pendant to uh... freeze the boxer guy. Akira runs off before the yakuza thugs come back and promises to write Mako.

By the way, Mako’s pendant only works if it’s in direct contact with sunlight or moonlight. Nobody ever explicitly tells her this, she just kind of figures it out on her own?

Another episode with Shinya Takahashi as the animation director. Visually, this episode looks great but there are some rough spots in the animation.

Episode 8: Christmas episode. Mako meets St. Nicholas, who believes mankind has lost faith. It's a very “true meaning of Christmas” type of story. There’s a very wild scene at the beginning of the episode where a smoking teenage girl hits on Mako’s father. 

Episode 9: This was the first episode I found totally unmemorable. A gang leader from another school writes a love letter to Mako. Bancho gets upset and starts shit with the other guy. Turns out the other gang leader is the son of a yazuka. For some reason Mako is blamed for all of this nonsense and Urashima slaps her for it. Yeah, fuck this episode.

Episode 10: Another stinker. Mako hates the cocky basketball star at her school. Nothing much else to say.

Episode 11: Mako meets a black man named Jim who is falsely accused of theft. This episode deals with racism, discrimination, and police brutality. While it’s far from perfect, it’s impressive an episode like this was produced in Japan around that time. There’s definitely a bit of a white savior narrative behind it, as Mako urges Jim to go to the police to clear his name. Jim refuses saying he doesn’t trust anyone and tells Mako how his innocent friends were all killed by the police. While it’s a bit flawed, it’s still remarkable they were discussing these issues.

There’s a nice scene where Jim and Mako are hanging out that features an instrumental version of Blue Light Yokohama.

Episode 12: Mako visits an old man at a fishing village that’s been horribly polluted by factories nearby.

Unfortunately this is another Fumio Eto episode and it looks especially awful. It’s such a shame because the direction in this episode is brilliant but Eto doesn’t have the skills to do it justice.

There’s a great sequence full of real-life photographs and news articles about the effects of pollution in Japan. I wonder if Hideaki Anno saw this episode growing up?

Episode 13: Mako’s father worries about what his daughter is up to, namely her sex life (I’m not making this up. He doesn’t outright say it but the implication is very clear.) This is a pretty cute episode where Mako and her father have a “date.” They go shopping, swimming and even clubbing.

Mako meets two boys in this episode named Dobin and Chabin. I think they’re named after types of tea kettles? I could be wrong. Amusingly they’re both voiced by actors who play Akira: Osamu Ichikawa and Isao Sakuma.

This is the second episode by the head screenwriter Masaki Tsuji.

Reviews on the next 13 episodes coming soon!

#mahou no mako chan #una sirenetta fra noi #maco la sirena #magical girl

[neoninky]

TWST Fanfic "Her Lost Voice" - Bonus One-Shot #1

So here's something different for all my Indigo fans out there~

While this doesn't tie directly into the main story of "Her Lost Voice", it is part of the Sacred Crown canon if you will and is part of a collection of one-shots that you can also find on my AO3 page.

Think of this as an Indigo Cerith vignette about his days at NRC. Enjoy~

Indigo Cerith: NRC Days

“Scarabia…”

The Dark Mirror’s voice rang clear throughout the hall as a few murmurs spread throughout the boys behind him.

“The guy who can barely walk? Really?”

“Scarabia, huh? I thought with his scary face he’d be Savanclaw for sure…he even has some scars.”

“Wait…do you think he came from the sea and that’s why he’s walking funny?”

“A merguy in the desert? He won’t last two minutes!”

Dire Crowley called for the rest of the students to hush so the ceremony could continue before looking to the nervous-looking young man, hesitating in front of the mirror, “Welcome to Night Raven College, Mr. Cerith. Your Dorm Prefect and fellow Scarabia students are over there.”

Sixteen year old Indigo Cerith nervously looked down at his human legs. He had been on land for maybe an hour and who knows how much of that time was spent in that weird coffin he woke up in. While he had gotten the hang of standing up straight, actually walking was…embarrassingly challenging. Not to mention the robe and clothes he woke up in felt so strange. Well, EVERYTHING felt strange, to be honest. The Scarabia Dorm Prefect was kind enough to wave to him so he knew where to go. Indigo took a deep breath and took his first wobbly step and then another.

A few of the other students snickered at the sight but Indigo just ignored them and thought of what Junonia had told him instead.

“It’s going to feel strange at first and you may feel a bit silly but don’t rush it…just take your time, Indigo. Soon enough you’ll be walking just like anyone else. Maybe even running or dancing,” she said with her motherly smile, “Don’t worry about what others may say or think. You’re going to do wonderfully, Indigo. I’m so proud of you, my darling boy.”

Indigo missed her and his sisters already but a pair of awkward legs wasn’t going to stop him from taking full advantage of this rare opportunity. When he finally made it to the others in his dorm, his Prefect gave him a friendly grin.

“Welcome to Scarabia, I’m the Dorm Leader and Third Year, Nasir Ali,” he said softly before extending his hand to the new first year.

Indigo slowly took his Dorm Leader’s hand and shook it, “Indigo Cerith…nice to meet you.”

He took a spot with the others and was quickly greeted by a few other curious but still friendly guys all from different years. As he continued to watch the rest of the ceremony, he noticed he was getting a few strange looks from another dorm standing across from them. The third year standing next to him noticed as well.

“That’s the Octavinelle Dorm. A lot of them are from the Coral Sea as well so they’re probably wondering why you didn’t get sorted into their dorm,” he whispered. When Indigo gave him a surprised look, he chuckled, “Those of us that have been through more than one ceremony can tell when a Coral Sea-er comes onto the surface for the first time. I gotta say though, this is the first time one of you guys ever got sorted into our Dorm. That’s pretty cool.”

Indigo blinked his ice-blue eyes up at his senior feeling a weird tingle of pride. No one had ever said he or anything about him was cool before…

-

He eventually got the hang of walking but everything about this place nearly knocked him right off his feet at every turn. Magic mirror doors? Ghosts? Flying on brooms?!

Everything…

…was amazing.

Well, maybe not everything.

It was cold and rainy outside the rest of the campus but inside the Scarabia dorm, the sun shone brightly upon the stretch of golden sand. Indigo had gotten used to the Dorm Uniform: the loose-fitting clothes and no sleeves were very comfortable and the hood allowed him to keep the sun from beating down on his head. But the regular school uniform….

Indigo glared at his offending garments as they waited for him inside the wardrobe in the corner. How did land dwellers do this every day?! He muttered to himself as he carefully changed into the much more fitted outfit. Pants up, buttoned and zipped. White shirt on, fully buttoned. Next was the maroon vest…more buttons. By the time he got the jacket on, his necktie clumsily tied and loosely hanging around his neck, he gazed at the most frustrating step….shoes.

Indigo was embarrassed to know that most land dwellers learn how to tie their shoes when they were children. Here he was sixteen years old and still struggling. Most citizens of the Coral Sea, no matter what neighborhood they come from, went to a prep school of sorts specifically to teach them the basics of surface life. Poor Indigo was flying blind and had to learn everything on the fly. Tying his shoes…walking…tying a tie…which utensils were used while eating and how to use them.

Flying a broom was definitely NOT covered at all.

His P.E. classes were absolutely mortifying the first month or so. Vargas groaned in frustration as Indigo clumsily fell off his broom yet again, making the other first years around him crack up laughing. Thankfully he was only a couple of feet off the ground, but even so, Indigo lay in the dirt for a split second feeling like an absolute fool.

That was pretty much the week and a half of Indigo Cerith’s life at Night Raven College: waking up and fumbling his way through his days. One day, Indigo didn’t leave for classes. He felt sick, frustrated, and too upset to try again over and over anymore. His roommates didn’t bother him much but as soon as the prefect heard from the other first years that Indigo didn’t get out of bed, he decided to check in on his junior.

Indigo wasn’t in his bed. He wasn’t in the kitchen, or the lobby…no, Prefect Ali found the first year staring into the fountain outside, hood over his head and no shoes on his feet.

“Indigo! You’re going to be late for class!”

The gruff first year glared at the Prefect, “I’m not…I’m not going. Not today.”

The senior had heard about the boy’s struggles from his classmates and around the dorm whenever Indigo wasn’t around. He seemed pretty distant and quiet. From what the dorm leader saw, the boy was earnest and he tried his best. Just…awkwardly.

“Ok sure. Take the day off and go for a swim. That’ll make you feel better!” Prefect Ali smiled.

Indigo looked at him like he was just messing with him but the senior’s smile didn’t falter whatsoever. Instead, he clapped a firm hand on Indigo’s shoulder, “You’re from the Coral Sea so living in our dorm must be hard for you. It’s a pretty big fountain so by all means, use it whenever you need! …Honestly, if you like, you could transfer into Octavinelle. It’d probably be a lot more comfortable for you-”

“No thanks,” the eel muttered roughly, “I have no interest in being in that dorm…it reminds me of home too much.”

In the short time that Indigo had been in school, he had been approached by some students from Octavinelle either trying to figure out who he really was because he looked “familiar” or just trying to get something out of him. All around, Indigo wasn’t ok with either. At least in Scarabia, no one bothered him or tried to corner him because he was different. Aside from the heat and dryness, life in Scarabia was very peaceful. Everyone left everyone else alone to their own devices because the entire dorm was more focused on their studies and own school-related ambitions…it was exactly what Indigo wanted, actually.

The dorm leader gave him a pleased grin, “Glad to hear it. You may be off to a rough start but I think you belong here. Just take your time and go at your own pace, Indigo! Studies are important, but here we value wisdom and application. If one way isn’t working for you, take a moment, and try again a different way! …oh! I can make a dry land potion for you as well so you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in your true form. I’ll bring you one after my classes are done, ok?”

Indigo watched his Dorm Leader leave with the rest of the students with a stirring in his chest. He knew that good feelings weren’t bad, that most people had them every day, but…that didn’t mean he was prepared for them.

After a day spent swimming in the large fountain, Indigo felt like himself again…and in the following days, he practiced walking. Practiced tying his tie and shoelaces. And he accepted assistance from his dorm mates that noticed his struggle and genuinely wanted to help. He focused on his studies and paid as much attention in class as he could. He even learned how to make his own dry land potions so he could go swimming more often. So when the first midterm exam results were posted…

Indigo stood in the crowd of anxious boys trying to find his name on the long list of top fifty scores. His pale eyes scanned the lower numbers first but he didn’t see his name so he went higher…nope…higher still into the 20s to 30s ranking…no ‘Indigo Cerith’. He started to accept that his name probably wasn’t even on there at all until another first year that recognized him from Homeroom yelled over to him.

“Indigo! Look over here!”

He saw the shorter Diasomnia freshman excitedly waving to him and made his way over to him. The boy pointed to the top of the lists, “Look at you, man! You’re the first freshman in the Top 10! Nice!”

Indigo’s eyes widened as he finally saw his name printed at…number seven. He grinned wryly at the irony but enjoyed the warm glow of pride growing in his chest nonetheless. The feeling didn’t last long as he noticed a few others shooting glares his way. Namely, upperclassmen who had gotten very used to their spots in the upper accolades of the overall test results. To be outranked by a freshman who flopped out of his coffin like a newborn giraffe was humiliating. However, they were also about to find out that Indigo Cerith wasn’t one to let himself get bullied by strangers…

The Savanaclaw Dorm was the first to find this out personally. It started with one accidental elbow shoulder bump in the hallways that turned into a challenge on the school grounds that very quickly turned into the aggressive beastman being sent to the infirmary and Indigo to the Headmaster’s office…

He was thoroughly warned and scolded by a very frustrated Crowley and sent back to his dorm. Indigo expected to be scolded a second time as soon as he returned to Scarabia…turns out the Dorm Prefect put him on kitchen duty after dinner but otherwise thought it was impressive.

“I can’t be too upset about self-defense but don’t start any fights, ok?” he laughed.

…unfortunately for Indigo, word spread fast and he couldn’t finish his first year without a few more cases of 'self-defense’. If nothing else, he helped him exercise and let off some steam. By the time he reached his second year, Indigo Cerith had gained a reputation as the undefeated 'Oasis Snake’ and suddenly he wasn’t being challenged because his opponent had beef with him so much that they just wanted the glory of finally beating him. It was very tiring for both him and the Headmaster. Indigo put his wits that kept him in the upper academic ranks to good use, however, and learned how to defend himself without damaging himself, his opponent, or school property. In that regard, Crowley eventually started turning a blind eye to it. Something about being 'so very generous’…

However, Indigo was met with a whole new challenge during his second year: flirting. Indigo was a very good student and very sharp but nothing could have prepared him for what happened during a Magift game between Night Raven College and their rivals Royal Sword Academy. This was years before NRC would open its gates to Sacred Crown Hall but that didn’t mean that the boys didn’t sometimes encounter the charming girls of SCH at their rival’s games. At this point, Indigo was well versed in the deep-seated rivalry between his school and Royal Sword…and apparently the fact that RSA had connections with the top girls’ school didn’t help either.

Indigo was painfully aware that he didn’t get out much and that underneath his scarred poker face and astute intelligence, he was absolutely clueless on how to talk to…well most people but girls especially. It was the weekend and a few of his dormmates invited him to the game on the RSA campus. Seeing as how their Dorm Leader would be playing in the match, Indigo decided to actually go this time. Like the others from his school, he was in his classroom uniform but wore a sweater cardigan instead of his blazer since it was a bit chilly that day. His focus started on the game itself, but he grew distracted once he noticed more and more of his classmates were talking about the elusive females on the other side of the field. For a moment, Indigo’s eyes flicked over to the same direction.

They were cute across the board, loudly, excitedly cheering for their brother school’s team. Some of them were even beautiful. Indigo forced his eyes back onto the field when he started feeling weird butterflies in his gut. Frankly, the only girls he ever got to be around were his stepmother and his sisters so this was entirely new territory and he had already decided that there was no way any of those girls wouldn’t be terrified of him. He had sharp teeth and scars on his face for crying out loud. Human girls would probably just think the worst of him or run away. Human boys generally ignored him or stayed cleared of him already. Or tried to fight him. It was pretty clear that either way, Indigo couldn’t win.

He got up to go get something to drink as he mentally shoo’d those thoughts away. He made a point to not walk too close to the girls in front of him which proved more difficult than he anticipated because his legs were already pretty long as a freshman. Now that he was a sophomore, he grew about three inches. Indigo also did his best to ignore the eel hormones that had been starting to brew since last semester. He wasn’t sure about humans but as far his own kind went, he was reaching the point of mating season becoming a reality.

Indigo already felt creepy enough, the last thing he wanted was to come on too strongly if or when he did get the attention of someone he wanted to attract. Ideally a female but if he was really honest, as long as they were attractive and meshed well with him then he didn’t really care about their gender. He did get a love note on his own campus where there were no females in sight last Valentine’s Day. Indigo didn’t think anything of it, but according to some of his dormmates it was shocking and something they referred to as 'forbidden love’. Other’s were less surprised and even congratulated him. He just wrote it off as another strange land dweller custom.

Indigo kept his eyes forward at a neutral position, trying not to make eye contact or stare at anyone around him when he suddenly noticed one of the girls’ compact fell out of her bag. When she didn’t realize it, Indigo carefully picked it up and cleared his throat to call out to her, “Uh…h-hey, excuse me. You dropped this.”

The third girl in the trio suddenly stopped and turned around, her strawberry blonde curls swished behind her as her spring green eyes looked up at Indigo. For a split second, Indigo stood holding out the girl’s compact as stiff as a statue, waiting for her to freak out and scream at him or something. The other two girls’ stared up at the taller boy with looks he had grown used to. The girl in question instead just skipped up to him with an embarrassed grin on her face, “Oh my god, thank you! I didn’t even notice it fell out!”

Indigo noticed she had a cute little red diamond on her cheek as she looked him up and down curiously. “You’re a Night Raven boy, huh? Which dorm??” she asked curiously.

The poor eel’s brain went into overdrive. He hadn’t expected to get this far into a verbal conversation and was dreadfully unprepared, “Uh…Sc…Scarabia.”

“Oh really? You look pretty rugged for a Scarabia boy!” she giggled, completely making his brain fog even worse, “Well thanks again…uh…what’s your name?”

“Sev-uh…um…Indigo. Indigo Cerith,” he mentally kicked himself for automatically slipping into his old name.

“Huh…you don’t talk to girls much, do ya? That’s kinda cute. Hey! Are you on Magicam??”

He wasn’t. Until about ten seconds later. The blonde winked at him returned his phone to him after helping him set up his account and adding him to her friends list, “Thanks again, Indigo! See ya later!”

And then the three girls hurried off in a gaggle of hushed giggling.

Indigo wasn’t sure if that was a successful conversation or not. He felt his whole body shut down in confusion as he replayed the whole situation over in his brain. He wouldn’t actually be that active on Magicam that year or ever but he did receive a lot of messages from other girls that were just as confusing as the diamond girl. It wasn’t until the next game between the two rival schools that he gained some traction and get a little bit more experience at this whole flirting business…

…all because of another fight.

This time it was basketball. He wasn’t sure how he even ended up at this game in particular especially when he didn’t even want to be there. Indigo thought Magift was pretty interesting but basketball? Not so much. Still, he had gotten roped into going thanks to the Octavinelle Prefect of all people. He and Indigo were in the same club and apparently, he had started a betting ring behind the faculty’s back and wanted Indigo there just in case things got out of hand. Surely no one would mess with the 'Oasis Snake’ at a school event, right? Also, this was his payback for letting Indigo swim around their dorm whenever the Scarabia fountain felt a bit cramped. Indigo was, again, minding his own business when he spotted two students from his school cornering a smaller student by the end of the bleachers, just out of sight of most of the room. The eel immediately felt his instincts kick in and left the Octavinelle group’s side to see what was really going on. The smaller student was actually a boy from Royal Sword. Most of Indigo’s schoolmates would have just ignored the situation entirely…but Indigo wasn’t a typical NRC student. The game was loud enough that no one noticed two guys getting beat up under the bleachers.

“Are you ok?” Indigo offered a hand to the roughed-up Royal Sword boy. The boy stared up at him as if he were an angel of some sort before slowly taking his hand.

“Y-Yes! Th-Thank you!” He stuttered as he straightened himself out before looking up at his savior with a sparkle in his eyes, “You’re amazing!”

Indigo blinked owlishly down at the boy, “Oh…it was nothing. Just didn’t seem right to leave you like that,” he mumbled.

“What did you say??” the boy said, holding a hand to his mouth trying to be heard over the enthusiastic crowd. Indigo looked over his shoulder to make sure the Octavinelle prefect and his crew weren’t looking for him before awkwardly leaning down to repeat himself more loudly.

“I said it was nothing. Don’t worry about it,” as he was talking Indigo realized that maybe he had leaned in a bit too closely because the boy’s face suddenly started to flush. He started to lean back but the boy grabbed his vest and carefully pulled him back.

“Can I give you my number?” the boy smiled up at the confused eel, “You seem really cool! I’d like to keep in touch with you! M-Maybe we can hang out at the next game?”

What was happening??? Indigo just blinked and thought for a moment…wait, he heard about this before. Humans exchanged contact numbers for multiple reasons but the biggest one was when they were interested in each other platonically. Oooor romantically speaking. The eel took a moment to look at the situation objectively. It was pretty similar to the Magicam situation with the pretty diamond girl which felt nice. Confusing but nice. And now…

The boy shuffled his feet and tucked a stray hair behind his ear as he waited for Indigo’s answer, never taking his rather doe-like eyes off of him. These little intricate movements were weirdly charming and gave the eel a similar butterfly feeling in his gut. He was…very cute. Piecing together all the little movements, the blushing, and the shy smile the boy was giving him…oh yeah this wasn’t a platonic situation. This also felt nice.

“Yeah….s-sure,” Indigo dug in his pocket for his phone. The boy’s smile widened as he rushed to find his own phone. Indigo gave the strange Royal Sword boy his number just before leaning down so he could hear him better over the blaring score horn as he gave his name and digits.

After the game, Indigo returned to his dorm without a word to anyone. It was night time and the cool breeze felt nice after being crammed in the crowded gynasium. Indigo sat his phone on the edge of the fountain as he dipped into the water. He released a relaxed sigh with his head above water as the rest of him changed into his eel form. Moments later, he heard ping from his phone only to be met with messages from Magicam that he had yet to answer from some girls he didn’t really know, a few from the diamond girl, and then in a seperate notification, a text from the doe-eyed Royal Sword boy.

“…..huh.”

The end of his tail started to wag as he checked the messages.

Indigo Cerith never really got used to the idea of someone finding him 'cool’ or even 'alluring’ in any way, but that never stopped him from somehow attracting people that thought those exact things about him. Girls, boys, it didn’t matter, they all came and went over time which didn’t bother Indigo at all. Being seen and given positive attention was wonderful, yes, but what made him the happiest was just being there at school, learning, and growing. He never boasted about his grades or his abilities, it wasn’t really his style, but Indigo always managed to stay within the top ten ranks when it came to exam results. He never excelled at flying on a broom or even Magift which didn’t bother him. Indigo’s strengths lied in subjects such as Alchemy, Potions, and History. Any physical prowess Indigo possessed came from his rough life at home and literally having to fight his sibling off on a daily. He was hungry for as much knowledge he could get into his system because he never knew how much time he had left. When he wasn’t in class, he could often be found in the library, or in the courtyard. Sometimes you could see him swimming by from the Octavinelle lounge. Either way, very few people could hold Indigo Cerith down for personal time. He was always doing something or going somewhere.

The strangest encounter he could recall happened during his third and final year on Night Raven’s campus. It started during the sorting ceremony. Indigo stood next to the Scarabia Dorm Prefect that had taken the place of Nasir Ali, arms crossed, his scarred face mostly hidden underneath the hood. He watched the new year’s batch of first years with mild interest. In the crowd of excitable freshman was one peculiar bean pole of a boy from the Queendom of Roses.

“Jasper Elfern.”

Indigo watched along with the rest of the room as this scrawny, wide-eyed freshman bolted up to the front and snorted as he nearly tripped over his own feet. Granted Indigo had very little room to judge considering how his first day went, but this kid still reminded him of small dog let off its lease. Jasper let out an excited whoop when the mirror sorted him into Heartslabyul. Figures…everyone in that dorm was kinda crazy. He should fit right in.

It was about two weeks into the new semester when Indigo had received another challenge from a gruff Savanaclaw. This time it was a hotblooded freshman that was too stubborn to listen to his seniors that had already tussled with the eel. Indigo just stood in the courtyard, arms crossed, waiting for the angry pup to throw his first punch or spell, if he were feeling ambitious. As usual, a small crowd gathered around the scene for the show. Among them was none other than Jasper Elfern.

“Hey hey, what’s happening now?” the freshman poked his head in between the other students to get a better look. The current Vice Prefect of Heartslabyul smirked as he recognized his enthusiastic junior, “Welcome to the show, Elfern. This has become a source of entertainment on campus. Another challenge for the Oasis Snake.”

Jasper looked Indigo up and down, his eyes growing wide at the older boy’s broad and calm stature, “Why do they call him that??”

“He’s an eel merman from the Coral Sea but when he was freshman, he got sorted into Scarabia. That’s a historical first alone, but he’s incredibly tough and wicked smart. He’s been in the top ten grade ranks since he got here and he’s beat every guy that’s ever tried to fight him. He’s become a legend of sorts,” the Vice Prefect laughed, “Either way, it’s always a nice break from boring classes to watch him school another thick skulled student.”

Jasper was already so entranced that he didn’t even bother asking why no one ever tried to stop the fights which were clearly against the rules….and then he actually saw the fight, if it could even be called that.

The freshman grabbed his magic pen to cast some sort of magical attack but before he could finish, Indigo shouted some encantation. The ground underneath the freshman suddenly turned into a whirlpool of quicksand that sucked in the freshman’s feet making him yelp and flail about. The ground turned solid by the time the boy had sank down to his hips. Indigo shot more magic at the other boy’s pen that flew out of his hand as he panicked. The pen became surrounded by a block of ice.

“Don’t worry, you’ll barely use magic this semester. Have fun waiting for it to thaw out,” he said in a bored tone before walking off to his next class. The freshman yelled out for his seniors to help him as the rest of the onlookers just laughed at his stupidity. The crowd split up but Jasper stared after Indigo’s retreating back with stars in his wine-colored eyes.

“He…is so COOL.”

And that was the beginning of the Oasis Snake’s first official stalker. Jasper didn’t have any ulterior motives or malicious intent. Did that stop him from asking around about him every chance he got or figure out his schedule so he could talk to him face to face? Absolutely not. Jasper was so curious it nearly caught him on fire. What was his home like? What was he really like?? Did he like tarts?! Anything and everything. The fateful day where Jasper Elfern finally caught Indigo at a standstill was just another day spent in the library. The Scarabian eel had camped out in the back corner by the older tomes, intent on doing more research for his club activities when suddenly he was ambushed out of nowhere. “Hi there!” Indigo lowered the book he was reading to see a wide-eyed Jasper smiling up at him from across the table. The junior narrowed his icy eyes as they looked the beanpole freshman up and down. “…can I help you?” he asked dryly. “You’re the Oasis Snake, right?? I’ve heard so much about you since my first day and I saw how you used magic to subdue that freshman from Savanaclaw. It was so COOL! I just had to meet you in person-oh I’m Jasper by the way. Jasper Elfern! First year, Heartslabyul.” Indigo huffed and returned to reading, “I know who you are. You’re that weird little first year that’s been asking around about me. You obviously have eyeballs so you can see that I’m busy right now.” “Oh that’s ok! I can wait!” …and so he did. Jasper just sat and watched Indigo read for a solid five minutes before the awkwardness of the whole affair got under Indigo’s skin. The eel glared at the bright-eyed boy as he slammed the book down. “What do you want, you little creep?” he growled. Jasper was unphased by his senior’s gruff attitude, “I wanna know more about you! You’re really interesting! Like what’s it like being the only aquatic type of person in Scarabia? Where did you learn how to fight? How did you get those scars-” “Mind your own business,” Indigo snarled at the boy to get him to back off to no avail. Jasper just tilted his head to the side, “You don’t have many friends, huh? I mean it does make sense,” Jasper laughed, “You’re super cool and handsome so I bet you’re actually very popular but that scary face probably makes you waaay unapproachable right? No wonder you’re usually alone!” Jasper suddenly stopped laughing as soon as he saw the venomous look on Indigo’s face. The eel looked as if he could turn the boy into ice just by looking at him. “The hell did you just say to me?” Indigo snarled, showing his sharp teeth. …and that is how Jasper Elfern got a black eye and how Indigo Cerith was put on rose painting detention. Indigo grumbled as he changed the color of the white rose in front of him. This had to be…actually he stopped counting a while ago. He could hear some sort of party happening deeper in the garden which guaranteed that he’d be alone until the work was done. Good, he thought, the last thing I want is more annoying brat-

“Hello!” Indigo groaned and put his magic pen back in his pocket. He didn’t even have to turn around. He knew that voice. Sure enough…there was Jasper Elfern just as sunshine-y as ever with one heck of a shiner and a plate with some sort of dessert in his hands. Indigo looked at the plate and then back at the boy with a questioning look. “A peace offering!” Jasper excitedly extended the plate toward the older boy, “It’s a strawberry tart! A Heartslabyul delicacy that tastes better when shared with friends!” …Friends? Really? Well, Indigo did feel bad for decking the kid. Really he should have shown more restraint, especially towards an underclassman. The Scarabia junior muttered a thank you and took the plate. One bite made his eyes go wide. Holy hell, this thing was delicious! Jasper beamed up at him, making Indigo feel a bit awkward. He swallowed both the bite of tart and his pride, “Thank you…and I’m sorry for punching you in the face. That was uncalled for.” “Eh, I deserved it,” Jasper chuckled, “Sorry for being so rude. I just find you so fascinating and I guess my enthusiasm overruled my manners.” “….Why?” Indigo couldn’t see the appeal of himself. At all. He was grumpy, stand-offish, kept to himself unless some idiot was challenging him to something, sure he had good grades but he wasn’t particularly charming or friendly with his peers. And apparently, he had a scary face. Great. So when Jasper just stared up at him like he couldn’t believe what Indigo was saying, it only made him feel even more out of place. “What do you mean why?? You’re great with magic, you’re smart and dedicated! Everyone talks about you like you’re a legend or mythical creature! Plus you’re so tall and muscly! You’re just so cool!” ….Cool? Him? Indigo snorted, “If you say so, kid. I don’t really care about all of that. I’m here to learn magic and so I can make something out of myself. So I can go back home and make life better for my family…that’s all that matters to me. What about you?” Jasper swelled with pride, “I’m going to be the next Heartslabyul Dorm Leader and reach for the very top! And someday, I’m going to return home and make some big changes for my country!” “Ahh. So you do have some ambitions aside from sticking your nose in my business,” Indigo smirked, “Good to know.” “Best of luck to you, Indigo-senpai!” Jasper stuck out a confident hand towards his senior with a bright smile on his face. Indigo took the boy’s hand with a half-grin, “You too, kid.”

Tagging: @nuitthegoddess @honey-milk-depresso @ladyrosemoon @iscarlettappel @foxwitchaine @victoria1676 @evieyouknow @feldya @wysteriadelights @1ndigowitch @aiimee9

#neoninky #twisted wonderland #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #sacred crown chronicles #twst ocs #night raven college #bonus material #indigo cerith #jasper elfern #scarabia #heartslabyul #school days #sacred crown one shot

[atopearth]

Cupid Parasite Part 1 - Common Route

I loveeeee how colourful this game is! Lynette is a really beautiful heroine, I love her hair and style, I can't stop looking at her haha! In terms of who out of the LIs catches my interest the most...I have to say from first impression/look, Allan and Shelby appeal to me the most👌 Lynette being a marriage matchmaker is cool, modern day cupid~ Also just wanted to say Claris is so beautiful!! Ooh, so Lynette is actually the Goddess Cupid! She looks so stunning!! Lmao at her literally shooting her bow at compatible couples to make them fall in love. Omggg Lord Jupiter is hot!! Minerva's eccentric look is pretty cool. I feel sorry for Cupid though, her father sounds so overbearing when it's not even her fault that people aren't getting married as much. Although I guess it might help if she knew more about love since she might not view people as simple "colours" that match or don't match. I totally support Cupid's decision to show her stubborn dad that she can be the best bridal advisor as a human and show that humans are capable. Like honestly, even without the human thing, Mars really needs to stop "living in the past" and think it's his way or the highway. It's about time Cupid rebelled against him, glad that Minerva is supportive. Awww Cupid's romcom look is so adorable and sweet!! I love it, she looks good in everything!

Lmaoo at Gill's profile, is he an obsessed lover? He sounds crazy lmao😂 I can't wait to do Shelby's route but I'll be patient and start with Ryuki I think. I am dyingg at Shelby getting his secretary to represent him😂 I guess it would be pretty embarrassing for the president of Cupid Corporation to be single and be a part of the famous Parasite 5 that everyone has given up on trying to find a partner for them loll. Glad to see Lynette pick up that it seemed to be Shelby but she just couldn't push it since he adamantly stated he's married lol. Btw I'm surprised Shelby's VA is KENN, mainly because I've been playing Brothers Conflict and thinking of Fuuto and Shelby as the same VA is just interesting hahaha. Oh and Limbo from Bustafellows too! I definitely prefer his voice as Shelby👌 I'm not sure what to think of Raul right now besides being a mythological geek? Worst part is that he actually has no intention of getting married and is just here for "research" on how to love lol. Gill seems smitten with Lynette though lol. LOL when Ryuki sprayed Lynette with a moisturising spray and said he doesn't recognise you as human if you don't take care of your looks😂 I am dead, Ryuki needs a S-rank face in order to see them as a potential partner😂 Excuse me?!?!! Lynette is only C??? She's freakingg hott!! It's the dehydrated face isn't it😂 Ryuki is definitely someone I would want to strangle in real life, but I am excited to see Lynette handle him and how much of a wreck he'll be on dates🥲 Allan working for a high-end pillow store is the most unexpected job for him, I can't imagine him selling pillows to people🤣 HAHAHA freaking hell, Allan is a riot, he only wants women who have partners already?! Ooh he wants to share partners with someone, okay that's better as long as they all want it lol. Nice to know he likes Lynette enough that he wants her to hurry up and date one of the other four guys at he can be with her lolll.

It's kinda sad to see that Shelby actually seriously wants to find a partner but he's being held back from the repercussions to the company if it were to be discovered that he's actually single. Ooh Allan is a god or something?!! How exciting!! Honestly, it was expected that I would get Agape for the love test, I mean I'm not as obsessed as Gill (hopefully lmao) but I do have crushes that lasts for yearsss so knowing Gill has been in love with Lynette since at least two years ago, he's definitely the obsessed type lol. I'm positive Gill wouldn't be my type of LI though, but we'll see haha. Ooh Allan is some sort of incubus and that's why he needs them to be in love with someone else? Oh and omg I didn't realise Jupiter is the Roman name for Zeus! Cupid aka Eros definitely has a different feel to the respective names. Allan basically doing a kabedon on Lynette was hot, more pls👌 except Lynette's right, he was basically demonstrating to the guys on how to see if a girl is okay with having a one night stand or something lol. LOL at Gill just telling his matchmaking partners how much he basically loves Lynette and how he's willing to do everything for her😂 He's a lost cause, at least the others might possibly like them, but Gill would never like them so it's crazy for him to even be here lolll. Shelby telling his potential partner to basically talk through his representative, and Owen reporting and relaying every question and answer between them kills me🤣 LMAO at Raul telling the girl "mythical facts" about how many times the gods made love in Greek myths, I died when he said he tried counting it😂😂😂 I feel sorry for the poor lady, her image of Raul is definitely ruined, how will she watch his movies now🤣 HAHAHA when Allan asked the girl with a boyfriend if she wanted to go to his place to try out his pillow😂😂 

A sharehouse matchmaking show with the Parasite 5? I'm innnn!! I live for the destruction they'll cause😂 LMAO at Raul bringing a statue of Neptune when he moved in to the sharehouse, legit dead😂 Excuse me, Peter the assistant director is so hot?! Why is he not an LI?! It was honestly expected that it would be impossible to do a sharehouse considering their personalities, but it was funny how they put the whole segment with the girls fighting over Allan into the show intro😂😂 Allan and Shelby half-naked is so beautiful, I love it👌👌 Omgggg Allan getting the perfect pillow for Lynette was the sweetest thing ever! It's obvious he likes her and thinks that he can only "be with her" if she's in love with someone else and that's why he keeps telling her to sleep with one of the Parasite 5 but yeah, totally understand why Lynette would be annoyed and turned off by the things he says.

Aww Gill is so devoted to cooking Lynette's favourites for her. Considering how stressed and stuff she is, Gill would be great for her. I'm glad we kinda got to know more about the guys through their own words. The most enlightening was probably Ryuki since he never talks about himself, so finding out that he actually signed up because his sister signed him up and his grandmother told him that he'll never be a great designer without getting married and knowing love was interesting. It was also nice to see Allan a bit more honest and tell Lynette that he does want to get married but his problem of only wanting women who are in love with other men is what it is I guess. I am DEAD, lmao at Raul asking the teacher if he can take the girl to an excavation site for a first date😂😂😂 Ooh so if a god falls in love with a human, they turn into a human? Is that what Allan wants? Even though Ryuki says a lot of crap, I do appreciate how seriously he takes "beauty", and how he even massaged Lynette because he knew the beautician wasn't good enough lol. He really excels in every area to fulfilling his perfect vision of beauty instead of just the "outside" fashion and I think that's really cool! It's actually really cute how Ryuki recognises their practice date as a date and says he'll pay for everything haha, can I please have someone pay for my beauty treatment, makeup and clothes for a dayyy too🥲🥲 I loveee how Lynette's portrait changed after the makeover, she looks niceee! LMAO that Ryuki literally can't see people whose "face grade" is too low for him, he just sees a black haze, I am dead😂😂😂 HAHAHA, I love how Lynette is realising how big of a problem this can be, and how if Ryuki were to date a girl that barely passes his grade, she might disappear from his sight if she were to take off her makeup😂😂😂

Omggg I love the guys all dressed up!! As usual, Allan takes my heart, Shelby looks good like usual, Ryuki looks glamorous and beautiful, Gill looks cool instead of cute, Raul looks less playboy-ish so a bit cooler, and Owen is just Owen lmao. Ohh wow, Cupid Corporation has an entire floor for couples to hold weddings? Dangg. Lmaooo when Lynette called Gill mother because he was taking care of everyone😂 I can't with Allan btw, I love how Furukawa Makoto voices him, his laugh at Gill being called mum was so lovely🥰 LOL at both Shelby and Owen thinking they could put a jelly drink on a plate and call it their "cooking"😂😂 I actually find it hilarious how Allan is the one with the most common sense when it comes to women, but I guess since he's a "player", he knows how to handle them much better. I'm really glad he's laying it out to Gill that every girl is different and that you can't force her to accept his "goodwill" aka him doing all the house chores without considering whether that's what she wants. LMAO at them all stripping to compare their sizes😂😂😂 I love Peter, he's like a parasite too considering how weird he is😂😂 I thought it was really sweet how they resolved the fight, and how honestly Gill wanted to properly rectify his mistake. It's nice how all the guys are getting along better after getting to see more of each other and their values even if it's different to theirs.

LMAO, glad to see that the Parasite 5 have finally attracted weird enough women to be okay with their "traits". I love the girl who asked if marrying Monsieur Esse means she'll be basically married to Owen because I 100% agree!! I love Owen and if he comes along with Shelby, it's definitely the best deal😂 LOL at the weirdoes who were okay with Ryuki misting them and saying they love how Ryuki looks at them like they're trash😂😂 Did all the degenerates sign up for this😂😂 LOL when Peter ran away saying he doesn't know how to talk to women. Shelby so honestly appreciating Lynette's passion for her work and praising her was so heartwarmingly beautiful! It made me feel so touched😭 Ryuki blushing whilst giving Lynette an expensive face mask, and telling her how he respects people who take their work seriously was so sweet! Lmao when Ryuki said Owen is such a quiet sleeper, there were times he thought he was dead😂😂 Awwww, all the guys getting Lynette a flower bouquet and telling her how much they like her as their advisor and how much they appreciate how hard she works for them and tries to understand them is so heartwarming🥺🥺🥺 Raul giving Lynette a kiss omggg!! I didn't expect that but I liked it! I miss Parasite House already🥺

I guess it's understandable for the guys to leave Cupid Corp considering their objectives, and it is true that I don't think they're really ready to find a marriage partner lol, but I guess the best thing is now that Lynette can fall in love with them and it won't be unprofessional hahaha, I was really worried! Anyway, it seems that they've all matured a bit after the reality show considering the messages they sent to Lynette and I'm glad for that. Can't wait to see how everything goes! On to Ryuki route!

Overall, I've been really enjoying Cupid Parasite and I loved the Common Route! It was so funny!! I kept laughing out loud at how silly they all were. Allan constantly looking for a partner who loves someone else never gets old especially when he flirts with every woman he sees lol. Ryuki spraying mist on every girl because her face is dry kills me too haha. I love how quirky they all are, and I love how the guys got the chance to bond together. It's been a while since I was so interested and invested in an LI so I legit can't wait for Shelby and Allan but I'll hold myself (and my thirst) back and see how Ryuki's route is🥲 Oh and I loveee the colours and music in this game, it has such a great vibe and I can't get enough of it hahaha. Oh, and I wish Jupiter and Peter had a route, they're both so hot🥺🥺

#cupid parasite

[editorauthoranna]

THE SHINING (Sorta) Book Review

The Shining

By Stephen King

Oh boy, oh boy, was this book nothing like I expected. I’ll start by  saying I’d never seen the movie and that I knew . . . well, essentially nothing about the book. Actually, the only thing I knew about The Shining was the few seconds of it shown at the drive-in theater in the movie Twister. And that was only after my mom said, “Hey, look, it’s The Shining.”

I’ve never been a horror connoisseur. Probably the opposite. I was the kid that jumped and yelped when tapped on the shoulder, and the scariest thing I’d seen was Alien through my fingers at age fifteen. But after meeting my significant other and his love of most things dark and spooky, I found myself at the tip of a compromise to watch more horror so long as I got to watch something cute after—though my love of movie romances died very quickly upon the re-watch and analysis of a few old favorites. But we’re not here to discuss that.

We’re here for Jack Torrance and his family. This isn’t a book review. Really. I don’t have enough exposure to the horror genre of  books (this was the first of its kind I’ve picked up) to give an actual review. But I can tell you what I thought was neat and (probably the  biggest reason this blog post might make someone argue with me) why I really disliked the movie.

So let’s jump in! I’ll do my best not to be super spoiler-y, but take this as your warning, just in case.

As far as horror goes, The Shining had a surprisingly sedate  pace. This isn’t a bad thing; it was just the exact opposite of the “BOO! AH!” I had been expecting. Instead, The Shining takes on the slow, steady feel of something approaching you from behind. Which . .  . okay, that might be worse. I freely admit I had to put the book down at least twice from getting so creeped out. Anytime Danny was alone, I braced for impact.

Jack’s rather rapid descent (that’s not a spoiler, right?) into the realm of those-that-are-very-mentally-unsound wasn’t a surprise. Even if I wasn’t sure who exactly had that axe when I saw the snippet of film, it wasn’t hard to figure out from about page—and here’s a laugh for  you—thirteen.

Unfortunately, I’ve discovered I’m one of those people that once they know what the source of “the scary” is, they’re not really that scared anymore. Fun facts about Anna. The scariest part of the book, for me, was well before the climax of the story. That’s not a critique in any way. Quite a few instances after the spoiler-y part I’m talking about—think outside with snow and, if you’ve read it, you’ll get it—were  pretty unsettling.

I definitely preferred reading the sections that were from Danny’s point of view. King does a nice job letting us into the child’s head without making him seem too much like an adult. That’s a hard balance to strike.

Now . . . the movie. I was well on my way to strongly disliking The Shining in movie format long before a friend told me that Stephen King hated it. I know. I know. It’s a “classic.” But it really shouldn’t even be called The Shining as there is very little to do with King’s book within that screenplay. I was, and continue to be, disappointed. Most of my major complaints are complaints King had about the movie himself, so let’s get into a few of those.

Problem #1? Jack Torrance’s character. In the movie, you know immediately that Jack is out of his mind. There’s no mystery.  No saying to yourself, “Hey, this guy is genuinely trying to be better, even if he’s sorta failing at it. He’s owned up to his mistakes (mostly) and a begrudging try is better than none at all.” Trying is a huge part  of redemption arcs, and King’s novel gives Jack tons and tons of chances to be better. Jack not taking every opportunity to be better is a part of Jack being human. It allows for a rounded and character-driven story.

Problem #2? The movie made Wendy look like a terrible mother. If you’ve read the book, you know she showed care and love for her son and would do anything to protect him even if she was frightened too. Movie-Wendy may as well have been a cardboard cutout placed on set.

Problem #3? Danny has almost nothing to do with the plot of the movie besides a few takeaways adjacent to the novel’s content. As I said for #1, The Shining is a character-driven novel. You have nothing without those characters and their flaws and feelings and fears. This is the main reason the movie flopped for me. It was just a two and a half hour calliope loop of incoherence with no character development anywhere in sight.

Now, before someone comes after me, unlike Stephen King, I didn’t hate the movie with a passion. I can appreciate the cinematography and Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance along with the creep factor, but the movie credits really should have said “inspired by” rather than  “based upon” Stephen King’s novel.

~Anna

#book review #horror #supernatural #stephen king #the shining #fiction #books #writing #paranormal

[seaottersandstrings]

something lgbt just happened to me (extreme emotional pain edition)

(ignore me I just need an internet void to scream in where she wont see it or read if you’re nosy and willing to be nice about it)

(also if anyone has any advice for how to not be so fucked up about the girl who is kinda your ex but not really (in the “never actually dated but we both had feelings and acted like it a lot” way) officially dating a new person for the first time since she shattered your heart into a million tiny pieces please dm me said advice this is 100% serious)

like we have all the same friends and it’s been over half a year so I feel weird talking to irl people about it. even I am surprised at how intensely the emotions punched me in the lungs when she told us she has a bf now. like cmon brain I knew we weren’t over this but I thought we were at least getting better. 

also there’s the added fun layer of “her own internalized biphobia and biphobic family members made it so our connection was always laced with shame and repression and suffering anyway.” and now she gets to celebrate this moment with friends and family and do boy talk with her mom and ask her parents for advice about this guy she’s known for a couple months and have an easy friends to lovers arc with him. while I was stuck listening to her family coo over how she should get back with her ex bf once he transferred to our college while she and I were literally sleeping in the same bed the night before. but bc I’m not a guy ofc nothing could possibly have been going on there. 

like you’re telling me I was in a years-long, will-they-won’t-they sufferfest where I was embarrassingly emotionally devoted to this person only for npc #3 to crawl out of the woodwork and get the instant stamp of approval for wanting to get to know her better and giving it the old college try? 

and to be clear I’m not blaming her she feels how she feels and obviously the bi/homophobia is a societal/community level issue. it just sucks so bad to fall so deeply in love with someone over such a long time and have those feelings be treated less seriously because of things we can’t control. like just on top of the regular heartbreak of it all. and believe me the regular heartbreak of it all is more than enough for my little eggshell heart to handle. 

and on a regular heartbreak level it also sucks because she’s a good person that I genuinely care about on a non-romantic level and still think very highly of. like our relationship wasn’t and still isn’t perfect but she’s one of the best people in my life and an objectively decent human being. so it’s not like I can even rationalize to myself “well it was toxic” (actually maybe the dynamic was but like SHE wasn’t a toxic person y’know) or “she treated me badly” or “she sucks so I’m better off now anyway.” like no she’s wonderful and her new bf is very lucky life just sucks sometimes. 

did I mention she and I are still best friends and even though we live in different cities now which helps I still have to pretend to be totally 100% excited about this for the sake of being a good bestie? like god I love being a lesbian if I had to do life all over again and got a choice I would choose to be queer every single goddamn time. but this is the most painful shit I’ve ever felt in my life and that’s a pretty high bar at this point. especially since this is technically not my first heartbreak but it’s my first one since realizing I’m a lesbian and not bi and started having a lot of The Piercing Loneliness of Breaking Every Societal Expectation feelings about it. like I think my brain was unintentionally pulling a “maybe I’ll turn out normal-passing” on itself (which is total bullshit) for a while there. and even though I know that was bullshit coming to terms with being a lesbian was so much harder for me than coming to terms with being queer at all and everything related to it has just felt so much more intense since. 

and on some level I’m also jealous bc she got out and can have a relationship she can celebrate and talk about with her family without fear and I can never have that. like bi people obviously go through so much shit and have a hard time getting both straight and gay people to take them seriously and as someone who lived that (in the “other people treated me like I was bi bc we all thought I was” sense) and thought that was who I was for 7 years I would never want to diminish that but oh my god being on the other side now I can understand how easy it is to let yourself get bitter. And I never want to be that person but at the same time speaking purely of my own experience it didn’t take me so long (2+ years) to figure out I was a lesbian because I just didn’t know like at some point deep down I knew especially near the end of my questioning era but I kept asking myself “well are you SURE?” because didn’t want to face the loneliness of it. Of closing the door on the last possible chance I had for my family and I to bond over something in a normal way for once. And coming out again was incredibly freeing but I also had to be willing to break my own heart to do it and the compounding heartbreak is just so much. 

anyway if anyone is reading this I love you and I hope you’re having a better day than me. happy new year. 

#repost bc I initially said this in the tags and went to like double the tag limit #which apparently exists #anyway happy new year yall #hope youre all having a better day than me #manifesting something better for us all in the new year