#making their life goal picking on other minorities to feel special. everyone in life starts out w a lack of info @ some subjects & thatsfine

[kirishoshego]

Moneypulated PT.2//Aizawa

!!!MINORS DNI!!! 18+ONLY!!!

Special thanks to Emmie for creating this awesome S&M event and letting me participate and those who requested a part two of my first Aizawa piece x

If you like Sadism and Masochism, BNHA; AOT and Haikyuu the event is definitely for you :)

Pairing: Sadist!Mob-Boss!Dom!Aizawa x Masochist!Sub!femreader Words:3.2+

Summary: When your life is threatened Aizawa realized just how important you are to him. A small fight leaves you bend over the couch, cross eyes and leads to him admitting his feelings for you.

TW: slight mention of torture (a bit more at the end), s&m, controlling Aizawa, calling him sir, knife play (no blood), slight ass and nipple play, orgasm denial, slight oral, biting, spanking, hair pulling, dirty talk, slight bit of degration and teasing

Three month, three weeks and three days. That’s how long it took you to develop positive feelings for him. He gave you everything, but privacy, something you had to learn rather quick because that man was strong and even though he doesn’t look like it, heavy. You told him no twice. The first time left you bruised for at least three days, fucked into oblivion. The second time left you sobbing from his impact play. You hated how little you could control your body, dripping wet before he slipped into you. Something he would love to taunt you with. „Always so quiet and modest. Yet here you are begging to be fucked by a criminal after he spanked you blue and green. Don’t tell me you like that. Tsk, dirty girl,“ he told you with a slight smirk on his face, one hand having a strong hold in your hair to hold you up so he could look at you. The other one pinched and played with clit, milking orgasm after orgasm.

He knew how to work his charm, knew how to impress you. Listened, remembered basically every detail about you. Aizawa wanted to know everything about you, from childhood memories to teenage drama to your goals and dreams. Of course he was genially interested in you, after all he wanted you at his side, but it was also helpful to know one or too secrets. Just in case. It was understandable that he was a bit shocked and also even more alarmed when Shota noticed how fast you adapted to the captive state of yours. There was no attempt of you running away, either because you knew it wouldn’t work with guards everywhere around you, or because you were afraid. So he tested it out. Gave you a car, told you to go enjoy yourself, get pampered for a surprise he had prepared.

First thing you did was getting new underwear because as much as you… appreciated him buying it for you you would like to have a few comfortable pieces that cover more than 3 inches of your skin. You stopped to get a nice drink at a small restaurant, got a small snack before you ended up buying four new plants. A smile creeped up on his face when his phone signaled him he got a new message from Shinso. Attached to it was a picture of you smiling while picking up the most sad looking flower he had ever seen.

It happened while driving back. You realized happiness started to form in your stomach at the thought of seeing him again. Excitement about showing him what you had bought. How could you be happy? After how he treated you in front of so many men, so many strangers. But then again he took care of a man who had sold you for his addiction. You knew he was in the hospital right now, after trying to enter the casino again. At first you thought he was there to get you, to show at least some sort of remorse. Even though their boss told them not to tell you those details Denki let it slip that Kirishima caught him gambling. With that your last string of attachment ripped apart. It wasn’t hard to choose between being left alone with nothing or a slightly questionable man who (as much as you would like to deny it) made you feel good, save and wanted.

That day was the first time he took you to the casino with him, introduced you to a part of his world. The one that was less brutal. He wouldn’t not let you see someone getting tortured. But he knew how gruesome it can get and even though he wouldn’t tell anyone, he threw up after his first time, felt sick the first five. It just made it so much easier to get people to talk. Or make them stop. Sometimes they need to be taught a lesson or too to not put their noses in his businesses.

Rumors started to spread around fast after your first appearance. Shota Aizawa has a trophy wife. Something that made him weak. A pretty one on top of that and she was supposed to be his little lucky charm. Every table you appeared at, the house would win. You didn’t play yourself, you only sat besides your... Well, besides the mob boss himself.

There was no explanation for it really, it wasn’t luck per se. It was math. Some liked math in school, some didn’t. What you liked more though was winning. And games like these were hard to predict, but not impossible. Another aspect were their faces. Everyone focused on their face and those of others, tried to keep cool while detecting a mistake of others that they forgot about other limbs. Some tapped their fingers against the table or cards, others would play with their drink, swirling the ice cubes around without touching it. Some bounced their legs, crossed them, scratched them. Once you caught their mistake it was over for them.

While some got scared because of it, others seemed to find a challenge in it. They wanted to beat you. How could you know that one night you will have the son of another mob boss on the table? He was supposed to be a spy, simply collect information about you and leave. But the opportunity to beat you and therefor Aizawa was too alluring. How could he know that he will lose almost 33 Million yen in one night? And with those 33 Million yen came a big target right on your back.

In less than 24 hours a collection of pictures and informations about you was delivered to Peony. In less than 24 hours your world was turned upside down yet again. The freedom you were given was taken away in order to protect you. His worry for you was understandable but when he decided to have Bakugo and Kirishima on your heels 24/7 you had enough.

--------------------------------------------

„I’m inside the house! The house has walls almost thrice as high as Kirishima’s 7 foot frame, a massive garden with six well trained guard dogs running around. You have the best alarm system there is on the market and still I’m not even allowed to use the bathroom in private. It’s humiliating,“ you explained to him angrily. „I would rather humiliate you than pick up your dead body limp by limp,“ he tried reasoning. „Do you even hear yourself? How can you say something like that? Do you not trust your men? I can defend myself! Eijiro has-„ suddenly you went quiet, realizing too late what gravitating mistake you just that you had just exposed yourself.

„Eijiro has what? Continue doll. I‘m all ears,“ he leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms over his in a black shirt clad chest. „We shouldn‘t be changing the subject now. I need-," „What you need is to tell me what Kirishima did,“ you wouldn‘t be so on edge if he yelled at you, screaming at the top of his lungs, slam his hand on the desk, anything. Instead he was dangerously calm, collected, ready for you to make the next step. Knowing you were trapped like a small mouse between a wall and an awaiting cat, only playing with its fear.

„I will tell you if you promise me he isn‘t going to suffer any consequences. He had no ill intentions,“ you started explaining, making a step forward and trying to look as timid as possible so he will show mercy. „You actually think you‘re in a position to negotiate? Oh darling, it is breaking my heart a tiny bit to see you’re underestimating me,“ he faked a pained expression before closing the gab between the two of you.

You knew better than to relax yourself into his touch as he caressed your cheek, planting a small kiss on your forehead.

„Now,“ Aizawa stood behind you within a second, your wrists in his hand behind your back, something cold against your neck. „Please continue before I lose the small amount of patience that is left inside of me,” he sounded threatening, his voice deep and raspy, mouth dangerously close to your ear lobe. The knife near your aorta send adrenaline through your whole body, your pussy pulsing as you caught sight of your current position in his window.

You noticed his eyes wandering over the curves of your body, as the sound heavy breathing hit your ear. It seems like he was holding back, but be the looks of it all he wanted to do was drag the knife along your clothes and watch it drop to the floor. It wasn’t on purpose, more or less, but your hand brushed against his crotch, hearing him hiss as you touched his hard length for a mere second. The grip on the red handle tightened, pulling your body into his and leading your hand back to his crotch.

Eyes met in the window as he licked his lips. He tilted your head back slightly with the tip of the sharp blade, kissing the spot behind your ear.

„Sorry kitten, but this isn’t the time to play,“ he whispered into your ear while you started massaging him through his suit pants. A smirk appeared on your face as you agreed with him ‚oh I know, sir‘ you basically purred. Within seconds you pulled yourself away from him with your whole strength, bowing as he went to grab your hair and kicking back into his stomach as you turned which send him to the floor as he stumbled. Grabbing the knife from his hand and dropping onto his hips as you held the knife to his throat.

„Eijiro taught me how to defend myself, so I don’t have creepy old men all over me,“ you told him, a sudden wisp of a moan leaving your throat as he grabbed your hips and ground his pelvis against yours. „I didn’t know I’m a creepy old man. Wasn’t it just yesterday that you begged me to stuff you? And wasn’t it you that screamed my name so the whole house could hear who fucks you ‚like a god‘? Hm… I must confuse you with someone else that came cross eyed all over me considering I don’t play with brats,“ as the last word left his mouth he flipped you around, turning you so your stomach was flat against the freshly cleaned floor, hand in between your shoulder blades to hold you down.

He thanked the sun for shining so brightly and the clouds for not appearing, considering it lead to you dressed in the shortest little sundress you could find in your closet. The color suited you so damn well and the dress made it so easy for him to uncover your ass. His hungry eyes starred at it in its full glory, feeling his rock hard cock to twitch in his pants.

The blade was dragged across your skin and he could have fucked you right then and there as he noticed how you tried to clench your legs, goose bumps appearing on your skin. „Don’t tell me you enjoy this, such a dirty girl,“ he stopped right at the hem of your underwear, dragging the flat side across your clit and earning another moan of yours. He chuckled, „I see.“

Suddenly the blade was back at your throat, his other hand massaging your ass. „If you try to move or forget to thank me I might have to use the sharp side next time and we don’t want that do we doll?“ Shota asked you, the tip slightly pressed onto your sweet spot as you took to long to reply for his liking. „No sir,“ your voice was slightly shaky as the anticipation inside of you grew. „Not so tough anymore, thought so,“ he loved your submissive state, every time he thought he went too far you were there dripping wet for him.

Without a warning his hand came down hard on your ass, massaging your cheek before disappearing again. „Thank you sir,“ you moaned, the next slap delivered right after. „Thank you sir,“ you said again, feeling our wetness slowly seeping through the thin fabric covering your cunt. Every once in a while he would dip his fingers between your folds, playing with your clit until you’re about to cum, only to stop and spank you again.

Once your ass was a bright red and noticeable handprints adorned your flesh he decided he had enough. The last few thank you’s gave away that you started crying softly, maybe slightly caused by the pain, but more at fault definitely were the denied orgasms.

„Had time to overthink your statement from earlier?“ Aizawa went down to your ass, pushing your panties to the side and dragging his tongue across your slit, dipping inside for a second to collect some of your juice. Kisses were plastered across your abused skin, bitting down onto it to hear you moan again.

„I give you ten seconds to go over to my couch, get undressed and bend over it,“ if you weren’t so incredibly needy right now you might even had begged for some more spanks.

You could hear him get undressed as you did the same, back turned to him to allow him a nice view on your behind.

You could feel his presence even before he touched you, the smell of his cologne mixed with his sweat hitting your nose. Rough hands collided with your ass once more, before wandering up your back, one finding its way into your hair, the other one holding his thick girth in his hand and dragging it from your clit to your hole. You whined as you noticed him going back down again with his tip, which lead to him plunging into your throbbing pussy all at once. Curses tumbled from the both of you, finally getting what you wanted.

Shota pulled you up by your hair, allowing his hand to play with chest. Cold metal came in contact with your nipples and only now did you realize that he had brought the knife with him. It took maybe a minute for your first orgasm to hit, considering the ones you were denied earlier had you on edge already. „Done already kitten? Does that mean you want me to stop?“ He knew it meant everything but. It’s just, having you beg for more gets him every time and he can’t deny how powerful it made him feel, which he needed now more than ever. „No, fuck. Please sir, need mo-oh, more,“ a moan cut through you as a single thrust hit your g-spot directly.

„Take it then,“ he pulled you down with him on the couch, his back against the backrest as you straddled his legs. Do to the new position his cock was even deeper than before and you were shaking with almost every bounce as you went up and down on him. Black eyes wandered from your face to your tits to your cunt, watching him disappear inside of you over and over again. Aizawa’s arms wandered from its resting place back to your body, one going to your back, the other one staying in the front.

You hissed, eyes growing wide as you felt rough fingers circling your puckering hole, while the other ones drew lazy patterns on your clit. Every now and then he would meet your movements, burying himself even deeper inside of you. By now you were a moaning mess, clenching around him as you could feel another knot building up in the pit of your stomach. „It’s alright, I got you. You can cum, I know you want to,“ Shota groaned, picking up the speed of his fingers and watching in pure bliss as you came undone once again, slowing down and pulling you into a deep kiss.

As you went to get up from him, your body now sensitive he grabbed your hips, pushing you down again. „Just because you’re on top doesn’t mean you get to control when we’re done,“ he said, delivering a harsh slip to the left side of your tits, before grabbing your throat and pushing you down into the mating press. „You have to remember your place doll. I get decide when we’re finished and I’m not done yet,“ he grunted, snapping his hips as the hand around you held you in place firmly. A warning slap heated up your tears stained cheek when you tried to wiggle away from him and he felt you clenching around his dick.

You looked so good with mascara running down your face, he thought, feeling himself getting closer and closer as you moaned his name like some sort of prayer. „Again, please,“ you said, feeling the third high coming. It took him a second to understand what you asked for, but when it finally clicked he cursed under his breath, telling you how perfect you are. As he slapped you again, holding your face in his hand and kissing your lips hotly you were holding onto his arm for dear life. Stars appeared in front your eyes as you came once again. You barely noticed anything but his thrusts turning sloppy before he released himself inside of you, buried deep and painting your insides white.

„I didn’t know pain turned you on so much,“ he said with a lazy smile on his face, looking down on your face, your embarrassed expression hardly hidden. „Me neither to be honest… You know how it went in the past,“ you hinted at your unsatisfied sex life with your ex husband, who thought doggy style was already pretty kinky. No shame to vanilla people, but now you knew it wasn’t what you wanted. „It’s good to know, we will test out more things in the future,“ the thought of it turned you on again already and you kissed his chest, letting him know you like the sound of that idea.

„I love you, you know?“ He mumbled as the two of you laid on the couch while drawing patterns on your back lazily. Your heart skipped a bit, this was the first time Aizawa mentioned his feelings for you. „You don’t gotta say it back, I know it’s all a bit messy,“ he said, kissing your forehead. „No, it’s just… After sex the mind is always bit-,“ „Yours might be after that but mine is as clear as ever,“ he cut you off, making you roll your eyes and laugh gently. „I love you too,“ it was mumbled, almost unnoticeable, but he heard you just fine which was all he needed.

————————————- Extra—————————————-

„I run this town. Piss me off again and your wife will find out about your little affair with your little lover boy. She’s pregnant, right? And you would like to be able to care for her don’t you? If so, I suggest you to never threaten my wife or my men ever again. It won’t just be your finger that I cut off, understood?“ He knew killing him off immediately will only cause war. He would win, of course, but it would be unnecessary and taking too much of his energy. „Yes Mister Aizawa,“ the hatred and fear in his eyes pleased him enough for the day, so he walked out of the room, ordering Bakugo to drop him off a few miles away from everyone. A nice nightly walk might clear his head he explained so the man bound to the chair could hear him just fine. „Don’t worry, I will let you keep your finger, but you should hurry, they turn bad fast,“ with that he went into the dark, ready to get home to you.

©kirishoshego//do not repost on any plattforms

#Shota Aizawa smut #aizawa smut #bnha smut #mha smut #bnha aizawa smut #bnha shota aizawa smut #mha shota aizawa smut #shota smut #aizawa x reader smut #aizawa x y/n smut #aizawa x you smut #shota aizawa smut #shota aizawa x you smut #shota aizawa x reader smut #shota aizawa x y/n smut #aizawa x you #aizawa x reader #aizawa x y/n #bnha x reader smut #bnha x y/n smut #bnha x you smut #bnha aizawa x reader smut #bnha aizawa x y/n smut #bnha aizawa x you smut #mha aizawa x you smut #mha aizawa x y/n smut #mha aizawa x reader smut #bnha shota aizawa x you smut #bnha shota aizawa x reader smut #bnha shota aizawa x y/n smut

[demonslayedher]

any random trivial thoughts you have about the lives of the slayers? i like to think that nezuko keeps the acorns inosuke gave her in a jar as a collection and that inosuke is determined to fill the jar completely, hehe. also, do you think an official announcement of nezuko’s existence was made to the lower ranked demon slayers or did it travel through word of mouth. imagine oblivious demon slayers visiting the butterfly mansion, only to be greeted/encountered by nezuko

If I may add to that thought about Nezuko having a jar, Gotouge has stated that Nezuko is okay getting tossed around and bumping her head in the box because she heals from it immediately, but one of this days Tanjiro is going to open it and it will pour with acorns and glass shards, and she'll just be sitting there glaring with disappointment. (Hopefully Nezuko keeps the jar in a safe place at the Butterfly Mansion instead!)

As for telling the whole Corp that Nezuko got the OK from Oyakata-sama and the Pillars, I can see that being like a low-key announcement that spreads like a rumor, just kinda whenever the crows get around to that detail between missions. It makes sense that Oyakata-sama wanted to tell the Pillars first, and since the Pillar meeting was coming up pretty soon when Tanjiro passed the Final Selection, Oyakata-sama had probably planned as soon as he got Urokodaki's letter than he was going to have Tanjiro and Nezuko at that meeting. Even if we set the Pillars aside, though, there's wide-spread hatred against demons throughout the Corp. It probably helped to have the Pillars generally on board first. I can imagine the rest of the Corp being very curious (if cautious) about Nezuko, and although we see characters who get the pleasure of spending time with her getting to baby her, most Corp members who meet Tanjiro probably don't get to meet Nezuko face to face. Daytime is problematic, or Nezuko would otherwise be asleep a lot of the time even if Tanjiro is busy in settings when he'd meet other Corp members. Still, I think Tanjiro's reputation as a nice guy would spread even faster, so even people who were iffy about Nezuko would probably get to know Tanjiro and be like, "oh, she's probably fine."

But if we're going to get into trivial headcanons about the Slayers' everyday lives, you know who I think gets babied more than Nezuko?

Inosuke. Most of the Corp members are freaked out by him at first, but as it dawns on them that Inosuke grew up all alone, it may bring out a nurturing side in them, and it makes everyone happy to see him get better at fitting in among humankind. They get to feel proud of him as he picks up on limited amounts of etiquette and gets marginally better at picking up names, but most of them are still likely to make a quick exit when he starts getting too rambunctious.

Zenitsu, however, is someone who should know better and most people find him really annoying until they go through Pillar Training with him, as that's the strongest bonding experience most of the Corp members have ever shared, aside from the really close bonding that probably occurs a lot among members of the same Final Selection batches. However, the Corp members who have witnessed Zenitsu in action (and who were rescued by him) have nearly the same awe for him that they have for the Pillars, so they never say anything to him about how indebted they feel.

Since more of the Corp members have met Inosuke and Zenitsu than have met Nezuko, Tanjiro's saintly reputation mostly stems from how much of those two numbskulls' company he can stand, and how he can keep them in line (keeping a demon sister in line must be easy in comparison). Also, Tanjiro is not just good at tending the fire to make good rice, his sense of smell makes him a master at seasoning food perfectly, and many Corp members have cried thinking of how their own mothers never cooked so well. Tanjiro is also very good at tending to people when they fall ill.

The Pillars are so advanced in Breath technique that they don't generally catch colds unless they are recovering from serious injury or like, poisoning themselves. Normal Corp members catch minor illnesses all the time, though, and that's part of why they're so slow to advance. They tend to have to take time for lots of little things instead of just major injuries sustained in battle. They still train as much as possible to make sure they don't get rusty when it's time to take a mission again. These recovery periods are some of the only times when they can maintain a reasonable sleep schedule, many of the members who survive to old age feel long term effects of sleep deprivation in addition to lingering injuries. Since the Corp members can't very well engage in long-term goals, simple pastimes are encouraged in the daylight hours to help keep them in the moment. The Butterfly Mansion and most of the Wisteria houses are well stocked with board games like Sugoroku and card games like Karuta, as well as tools for shuttlecock and paper for origami.

While many of the Corp members try to be virtuous, and in indeed there are other circles that have their own sort of main-character like Tanjiro equivalent, there are still those who have less polished, or certainly far less positive character. The rougher members tend to spend their salary and free time on vices. Oyakata-sama understands his children are under a lot of stress and turns a blind eye to it (or two blind eyes, I guess).

Different Breaths tend to come with their own cultures, and overtime different Cultivators tend to get different reputations based on the members they send into the Corp. Like, "Oh, Yamada-sensei? Then you must be a stickler for the 10th form" or "Yamaguchi-sensei? Are you okay out there? I heard he's real half-assed on Breath technique." There is a certain amount of awe that students of former Pillars automatically get, and although some of that is due to pride and jealously, people who have been in the Corp long enough tend to get over these notions and just realize that everyone's doing their best. Since they're core Breath styles there may be other Thunder and Flame Breath users throughout the Corp from different Cultivators, but, pardon the pun, they can't hold a candle to the students of former Pillars (or the Rengoku clan in general) and it's highly, highly unlikely any of them would ever get close to the same level of mastery. There's plenty of Muratas in every Breath, basically.

Speaking of Murata, he and others like him probably had an easy time of settling down and getting married after retirement. Years of experience as swordsmen certainly gave them a mature edge over the average Joes they otherwise would be compared to, but they also have the advantage of not being freaks. Takeuchi remains life-long friends with Yushiro.

The young maidens of Wisteria houses get flirted with all the time. Many of the Corp members are starved of TLC, and while the maidens of the Wisteria houses are polite and have deep respect for the work the swordsmen do, they know they likely will not know most of them for long. However, when there is a true connection between a Corp member and a Wisteria House family member, they tend to make very solid matches. Girls make up a slim percentage of the swordsmen in the Corp, and this is why they tend to get sent on undercover missions a lot more. Demons tend to put their guards down more around women, as they'd more likely be on the look out for male swordsmen.

Girls make up a larger proportion of the Kakushi, and traditionally feminine skills are highly prized. Gotou is very proud of his sewing skills, even though he only does small repairs and has never been tasked with tailoring full uniforms. The Kakushi use a lot of code words and have a very insular work culture that is hard for outsiders to break into; even Oyakata-sama finds himself confused by a lot of it, but he appreciates that it makes them efficient and mostly leaves them be to organize themselves as they see fit (his orders are still absolute, though, so none of them are aware how much autonomy they effectively have.)

Hand signs like "don't breathe" and "don't listen" are unique to the Corp (yes, I have looked them up, consensus in the Japanese fandom is that they are unique to KnY), and taught by Cultivators. Inosuke didn't have a Cultivator to teach him so it took him a while to catch on the existence of hand signs. He makes up his own confusing hand signs to impress people with how flexible his joints are.

For many, Pillar Training was harder than undergoing Cultivation (but still less harrowing than the Final Selection). In Cultivation they tend to get specialized attention from someone who cares about them and actually knows a thing or two about how teaching works. Pillar Training does not fit this explanation at all, especially in the teaching department. As mentioned before, this is when a lot of Corp members who used to find Zenitsu insufferable come around and start to appreciate him more, for they survived different stages of training together, and every time he blew his top and complained, they were grateful he gave (loud) voice to what they were thinking but were too afraid to say. Instead of getting down and depressed, it riles them up enough to keep at it, however ridiculous the Pillar's demands are. Suffering under the Pillars also broke down perceived barriers between different ranks, building a more solid level of comradery among a lot of the Corp. However, this was also the most time most of the Corp members ever got to spend with the Pillars, who they always felt were untouchable and who they feared bothering. They feel very genuine affection for them by the time they all enter the final battle.

Once Inosuke figures out that Zenitsu can only bring out his full abilities in his sleep, he tries to goad Zenitsu into fighting him at full strength by insulting him in his sleep. He did throw a really good punch at him one time, but usually he only sleep-argues back. Other times Inosuke hits a sore spot and Zenitsu starts sleep-crying, in which case Inosuke gets bored and leaves. Once Tanjiro realizes this about Zenitsu (thanks to Inosuke having point-blank explained it to him), he puzzles over it and figures Zenitsu may not be aware of how powerful and helpful he is, and this hurts his confidence, but then again, how can he not know if he's so aware of his surroundings even in his sleep? As Zenitsu sleeps, Tanjiro has been puzzling over this a long time and how he might best be able to help Zenitsu reach his full confident potential, and by the time Zenitsu wakes up and drowsily looks over at Tanjiro, Tanjiro looks him in the eye and very seriously asks, "Zenitsu, what is your problem?" Naturally, Zenitsu interprets this as Tanjiro suddenly being very disappointed in him, and Tanjiro has unwittingly done more harm than good.

On the contrary, Tanjiro has unwittingly done a lot of simple good for most of the PTSD-suffering Corp members with his little throw-away positive comments, just like he did for Muichiro and Aoi. Most of the Corp members have never met Oyakata-sama, so Tanjiro is to many Corp members what Oyakata-sama is to the Pillars. It's like they all have an Oyakata-sama shaped hole in their hearts and Tanjiro just falls into it like a good proxy. After all is said and done and Tanjiro and Nezuko read all the kind wishes left for them in deceased Corp members' wills, Tanjiro is consumed with some guilt that he can't place faces to all the names, though he remembers the majority of them. While his memory is still fresh he works hard to recall the ones who escaped him, and then he makes sure to refresh his memory every year with annual visits to the graves.

#kny fandom theories and meta #or just general headcanons #but they have their basis in little fanbook details like favorite games and such #Kimetsu no Yaiba #Demon Slayer

[hslllot]

Part I. Draft Day

fic masterlist | rated: m, mature | word count: 4.6k content/warning: hockey harry, nosey family members, a very brief mention of anxiety, overzealous hockey stans. 

DRAFT REPORT: The 411 on Harry Styles by John Michaelson for Sportsnet

There’s this kid named Harry Styles. He plays hockey. Ever heard of him? 

At this point there’s not much else to be said about the british Fighting Hawks’ centre, a lock to be the No.1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. 

Dubbed a generational talent, Styles’ abilities are at a level typically only seen in video games. We all know the Edmonton Oilers will select him with the first overall pick on June 26. In years to come, hockey fans from around the globe (but especially Oilers fans) will be on the edge of their seats, watching to see if the phenom can develop into a future Hockey Hall of Fame talent the way Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux did. 

Here’s what you need to know about Harry Styles: 

Age on June 26: 19 Birthplace: Redditch, Worcestershire, England Current team: University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks  Position: Centre Shoots: Left Height: 6-foot Weight: 190 lbs NHL Central Scouting Rank (North American): 1st

Harry Styles is a franchise-changing player in every sense of the word. He looked like a pro player even before he flew across the pond at a young age to play in the Canadian Hockey League. This has been a long time coming but the future is finally here.

He is talented beyond his years and always has been… Styles has played against older competition his entire career. Growing up in the small village of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, England, the options for minor hockey teams were limited. Styles struggled to find a team in his age group that matched his talent level and was forced to play with older kids - and even then his talent was unmatched. Like the two other players from the UK currently playing in the NHL, Styles eventually had to leave home and play junior hockey in Canada, where he still had to play up a year against Canadian kids that grew up in a country that eats, sleeps, and breathes the game. 

He should have been drafted 1st overall last year… Styles shocked the hockey world in 2013 when, instead of declaring for the 2014 NHL Draft, he announced he would be attending the University of North Dakota and lead the Fighting Hawks to an NCAA Championship. Styles, ever the media-trained athlete, dodged questions about why he chose to go to university for a year before joining the NHL, simply stating “University was always a part of the plan, no matter what happened with hockey.” The hockey community let out a collective sigh of relief when his agent, Jeffrey Azoff (whose father was, coincidentally, Wayne Gretzky’s agent), announced shortly after his championship win that after one year at UND, Styles would be declaring for the 2015 Draft. 

His trophy case is full... Harry Styles has won pretty much every individual hockey award he could possibly win in his career so far. During his CHL career with the Vancouver Giants he won Rookie of the Year, multiple MVP awards, the award for most goals, assists, and overall points, and scholastic player of the year. During his short-lived NCAA career with UND, he won Rookie of the Year, the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s hockey player, and was named to the Academic All-American team. Unfortunately, Great Britain’s ice hockey team will not be qualifying for the Olympics or the World Championships any time soon, so unless Styles applies for Canadian citizenship, international trophies and medals will be difficult to come by. Regardless, I have a feeling that there will be many Stanley Cups in his future. 

He really hates underperforming… The kid puts a lot of pressure on himself. As we have seen with many successful athletes, an insatiable inner drive to compete can lead to greatness. Styles has that drive to be great and can be his own worst critic. “When I was growing up, my mum was worried about me because I was a bit of a perfectionist.” Styles told The Hockey News back in December. “When I had a bad game, I would get so upset about it. It’s just how I am and how I think every athlete should be. Good is never enough. It’s important to always keep learning and growing to better yourself.”

He is excited to play for the Oilers… Not that he would have anything bad to say about any of the 30 NHL teams, but the Oilers do hold a special place in Styles’ heart. “It’s a great hockey town with fans that are super passionate about the game.” He told The Hockey News. “They’ve been on a bit of a slide the last couple years but the team has a great history. Not many people watch the NHL where I’m from, but my dad was always interested in it and that’s how I got into the game. He was an Oilers fan during their dynasty years with Gretzky and Messier… So if they do end up drafting me first overall, I’ll feel honored to be a part of the team, and it’ll be a nice tribute to my dad.” 

Be sure to catch our live 2015 NHL Draft coverage on June 26 starting at 5pm EST/2pm PT only on Sportsnet.

“With the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft the Edmonton Oilers are proud to select, from Holmes Chapel in England, Harry Styles.”

The room erupted in loud cheers and applause as the Edmonton Oilers drafted the National Hockey League’s newest and most sought after commodity. 

Y/N’s closest friends and extended family roamed around her parents’ living room, congratulating one another with hugs and handshakes like one of their own family members was just drafted. That wasn’t the case though, they were all just deeply invested in the hockey team and the boy from England that was meant to turn things around after so many years of losing. They were so invested, in fact, that the family organized a gathering similar to something you might see on a holiday, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

While it was not a normal holiday, for Y/N’s family it was just as significant. It was Draft Day. And every hockey fan in North America wanted Harry Styles to play for their team.

“That’s quite the suit, isn’t it?” Her uncle Will pointed to the television where the young man is dressed in an ornate red floral suit and black dress shirt. The suit was flashier than what most hockey players would wear, but it’s clear that Harry Styles is not like most hockey players. The camera panned to him as he stood up from his seat and hugged the two brunette women sitting next to him. He stuck out like a sore thumb among a sea of other young hockey players all dressed in variations of black and grey as they patiently waited to be drafted from the stands of the BB&T Centre in Florida. It was clear to Y/N that, much like his hockey skills, Harry Styles’ fashion sense was superior compared to his peers.

There was an air of excitement in the room as the draft party, all clad in blue and orange jerseys, watched the generational talent walk down the stairs of the arena and make his way to the stage. They collectively held their breath, the room becoming silent, when he arrived at the stage where both the owner and general manager of the team were waiting to greet him. Harry shook their hands before they handed him his own blue and orange jersey. As he slipped the jersey over his head and posed for a photograph with the executives, the silence in the room broke and excited conversations and speculations for the upcoming season continued. Y/N couldn’t help but feel a stir in her belly and a sense of anticipation for what the upcoming hockey season would bring. 

Her thoughts lingered on the man on the screen, wondering what it might be like to meet him, when her brother pulled her out of her reverie. “Can you believe you’ll be working with the Harry Styles?” 

No - she couldn’t quite believe it. 

In fact, everything happening in her life right now seemed a bit too good to be true.

Set to start her third year of university in September and having to complete mandatory practicum hours in order to graduate the following year, she somehow managed to secure a placement with her favourite hockey team. The Oilers were only taking three students from the university program and everyone in the program wanted one of those spots. 

The application process was incredibly stressful for Y/N. One telephone interview, one in-person interview, and a practical session where she had to demonstrate her athletic therapy skills to the team’s head trainer. She did well with the phone interview, given that they weren’t able to see her. She was able to look down at the talking points she wrote in her notebook and pause to take a couple deep breaths without making it obvious that she was reeling on the inside. Her anxiety got the best of her during the in-person interview though, freezing up when they asked simple questions like “why do you want to work for the team?” and “what experience do you have working with sport teams?”

She left the interview feeling embarrassed, but instead of taking the time to wallow and feel sorry for herself, she went home and spent hours upon hours taping her brothers’ ankles in preparation for the practical session the following day. There was no way she was going to let the opportunity fall through the cracks. Her dream of working for the Oilers was the whole reason she decided to go to school for athletic therapy in the first place. She was never any good at playing hockey but she knew in her heart that, someday, she would work for the team she loved so much. At the end of it all, she reckons her taping skills saved her, so she took her brother out to his favourite restaurant to thank him for letting her use his ankles for practice.

Fast forward a few months and she’s now stood in her parents living room thinking about how in three months she could be taping Harry Styles’ ankles.  

At the time of her application, no one knew the Oilers would be picking first in the draft. The aura around the team was a bit negative at the time (because of all the losing) and there were rumours circulating the city that some of the star players were rude to the support staff and liked to party a little too hard at The Ranch (which contributed to said losing). 

When she first decided to apply for the position her father warned her, “there’s a saying that you should never meet your heroes. What if they’re all a bunch of assholes and you end up hating the team you’ve loved your whole life?” 

Y/N ignored her father’s warning but silently hoped that others would feel that way, narrowing down the applicant pool. However, the rumours circulating the team had no effect on the amount of students applying for the job. The fans were loyal in Edmonton (a city not known by many around the world unless you follow hockey or are compelled to visit North America’s largest shopping mall) and although the team was losing, every kid studying athletic therapy wanted a shot with their favourite team. Y/N knew of at least fifteen students that she beat out for the position. 

Now, it’s late June and there is a general hype surrounding the team, as if Harry was about to come in and shine a light on the Decade of Darkness (a term Oilers fans use to characterize the recent years in which their favourite team hadn’t made the playoffs). That’s a lot of pressure to put on one person, but Y/N supposed that he’s been dealing with this kind of pressure since he was sixteen, maybe even younger. 

Everyone at her family’s draft party was, yet again, watching the television intently while Harry gave his first interview as an official member of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team. While Y/N normally loved watching these types of interviews, she was a bit zoned out- mesmerized by the look of him. The suit, the wavy chestnut hair, the dimple in his left cheek, the accent. The accent. She had never really been that attracted to hockey players, which many people found hard to believe given that she’s such a fan of the sport. All of the guys from her high school who played minor hockey were rotten and thought they were better than everyone else. She did have favourite players in the NHL, players that she loved and admired, but they were her favourites because she loves how they play the game, not because she wants to fuck them. 

There was something different about Harry Styles though. Not necessarily that she wanted to fuck him (especially since she recently signed an employment contract that would forbid it), but she was certainly feeling intrigued by him. He doesn’t look like the boys she went to high school with. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s British, or that he opted for a suit that set him apart from the rest of them, or maybe it was the duality of the way he held himself with unshakeable confidence in his floral suit, his gaze set intensely on the person interviewing him, posture strong and dominant, while simultaneously speaking so softly, his words laced with kindness and gratitude.

“When do you start working with the team, Y/N?” Her uncle Will asked from across the room, prompting everyone to look in her direction waiting for her response. 

The news that Y/N would be working for the Oilers this season shook the family. As soon as her dad shared the news with his brother, she started receiving messages expressing congratulations from her many aunts, uncles, and cousins, shortly followed by messages asking if she would be getting free tickets to games. 

“Um, mid-September, for training camp.” 

“You get to meet Harry Styles?” her 9 year old cousin, Billy, asked. 

“I do. I will be one of the team’s trainers.” The young boy held a look of wonder on his face, as if realizing for the first time that that his oldest cousin was actually kind of cool. 

“Do you think he’s single?” Her aunt Maria asked with a smirk on her face, turning to the television to look at Harry Styles. Aunt Maria doesn’t care much for hockey but she never failed to mention which players she believed to be handsome. She was also the nosey type of aunt that liked to inquire about Y/N’s dating life. “Maybe you two will hit it off.”

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes at her aunt, waving off her comment. But before she could retort, her father chimed in. “Ha! Yea, right! That’s not going to happen. She’s not allowed to date anyone on the team, it’s the rules. Plus, Y/N knows better than to get involved with any of these guys.” 

Her father was right. It is the rules. Y/N thought back to when she went into the Oilers headquarters back in April to sign her employment contract. She asked a lot of questions, making sure she understood everything about the document she was signing. 

“Personal relationships? Even friendships are forbidden?” she asked the head trainer, TJ, for clarification. 

“It depends. You can be friendly, sure, but I would avoid spending time with the players outside of training and game times. Could be seen as unprofessional.”  

Y/N understood why such rules were in place, and she had no issue with it at the time. A woman securing a position on a professional sports team was rare, let alone a woman securing a position with a professional men’s team. She knew when she chose this career path that it would always be an uphill battle and that she’d have to work harder and be more strategic than the men in her field. She wanted- no, needed to excel and prove that she could be a talented athletic therapist and a valuable member of the team, so she had no intention whatsoever of messing that up with any type of personal relationships. She also understood the power dynamic between the professional athletes and the support staff, the different ways in which power can be abused, and how personal relationships could complicate things. It all made sense to her. Plus, she was happy enough with just becoming friends with the other trainers and she probably wouldn’t have a lot of free time, anyways, balancing her practicum and her school work.

Today, however, she couldn’t help the very slight pull on her heartstrings at the thought of not getting to know Harry Styles on a more personal level. 

As if he’d even be interested in the first place.

In a hotel restaurant in Sunrise, Florida, a few hours after the draft, Harry Styles sat with his mother Anne, sister Gemma, and agent Jeff, celebrating his newly drafted status over a bottle of champagne. He knew he should be feeling elated, like it was the best day of his life, but all he felt was exhausted. The conversation at the table happened around him while he sat in his own head, unable to think about anything but what it might feel like to be tucked into his bed in his childhood bedroom in Holmes Chapel. 

The weeks leading up to the draft were an absolute circus filled with interviews and talking to the media nearly every day (he hates talking to the media), shooting promo for all of his endorsements (he’s thankful for the money they give him but he knows he is an excruciatingly terrible actor), and flying around North America to visit all of the potential cities where he might be drafted (it was a pointless tour because everyone knew where he was going to end up). 

He had only tonight to celebrate with his family before it was all set to start again. Him and Jeff will fly off to Edmonton tomorrow morning for a week to speak to the media there, meet the teammate he’ll be living with, and do a surprise skating session with some kids at a summer camp. Meanwhile, his mum and sister will fly back to England.

“Any idea where you’ll live then?” Anne asked her son, pulling him out of his thoughts and back into the conversation. 

“Hm?” He hadn’t a clue what his mum just asked him but he’d hate to admit that rather than listening to anything the three of them had been talking about for the last hour he’d been thinking about how he’d rather be sleeping “Sorry, I think the champagne’s got to me a bit.” 

“The team’s got him living with one of his older teammates and his family.” Jeff stepped in, knowing Harry wasn’t fully paying attention. “They do this with the young guys to get them used to living on their own. Teach ‘em how to cook, do laundry, and keep ‘em in line. He won’t be partying every night and bringing girls back to his place if he lives with the guy’s wife and kids.” 

“Oh please,” Gemma chimed in. “Not like any of that would be an issue for Harry. He’s been away from home for years. And he’s hardly got time for partying and dating.” 

Harry shot Jeff a look warning him to keep his mouth shut. When Harry found out about the living arrangements the team had planned for him, he was less than pleased. After all, he’d just spent the last year living in a dorm room at the University of North Dakota where he had complete freedom. Gemma was right, he didn’t have much time for partying and dating. But he liked having his own space, and he really liked being able to invite someone over after a game, either to celebrate a win or relieve some stress after a loss. 

“You never know, some of these young guys get their first big pay cheque and a taste of the big leagues and it can go off the rails pretty fast.”

“I like to think I raised my baby to know better than to get caught up in a pay cheque.” Anne placed a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder and he quickly reciprocated, reaching up to place his hand over hers.  

Not liking where this conversation was going, Harry finally cut in. “You did. And Jeffrey, you know I’m not that kinda guy. Either way, none of this matters if I don’t make it past training camp. For all we know I could be going back to the juniors for the season.”

“Doesn’t matter who you are or what kinda guy you are, H, it’s just what the team does. It’s tradition. And c’mon, I know you like to keep your expectations in check, but the team’s made it pretty clear that you’re gonna be in the starting lineup come October.” 

Jeff was right. The team had all but promised that he would make it past training camp. The question wasn’t if he’d make it past training camp, but in what shape he’d be in and how long it would take for the team to start winning games.  

“The coach said I’m small and need to bulk up, especially since I’ll be playing against older, more experienced men.” Harry could feel the weight of his mum’s gaze as she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not quite where I need to be yet, but I’ll get there.”

Harry and his family were stood in the hotel lobby with Jeff, convening on plans for the morning when he felt a small tug on the hem of his red floral suit jacket. He spun himself around, ready to confront the individual bold enough to touch him without his consent, to find a young girl, no older than five years old staring up at him. 

Harry looked at her, a bit taken aback and undoubtedly with a bit of confusion written on his face, and then spotted, a few feet behind her, two individuals who were most likely her parents. Suddenly, he realized that he may have actually had a few too many glasses of champagne and immediately tried to compose himself, standing straighter and trying to will away the exhaustion in his eyes and the haziness in his mind. 

“Oh - um, hello there.” He cleared his throat before using the soft voice he reserves for adorable, small children like the one stood before him. 

“Are you Harry Styles?” She asked with wide eyes and a small, timid voice.

“I am, sweetheart. What can I do for you?” 

A bright smile etched itself onto her face. But instead of answering him, she looked back at the adults standing behind her, motioning for them to help as she was too shy to proceed on her own. The man, who Harry presumed was her father, moved to stand beside her. 

“This is Millie. She wanted to say hi to you because she’s a big fan of yours.” 

Harry lowered himself in front of the young girl so that he was crouched down and eye-level with her. “Hi Millie, it’s a real pleasure to meet you.” He reached out to shake the young girl’s small hand. “Have you got anything that I could sign? Or I suppose we could take a photo if you’d like?” 

The young girl removed her hand from Harry’s, nodding her head eagerly. She began to unzip her jacket, revealing a bright orange Edmonton Oilers jersey underneath. 

“Oh? Look at that! You’re an Oilers fan. In Florida?” Harry lifted himself from his crouched position and directed his question toward at the girl’s father.

“Yes, well, we actually travelled here from Edmonton, to watch the draft in person.” Harry raised his eyebrows in shock. He knew that the flight from Edmonton to Florida is long, and likely expensive. The tickets to attend the draft live probably weren’t cheap either. “It’s not every day your favourite team picks first overall! Let alone gets to pick a player like you. We were so excited so we decided to make a family trip out of it. Turn around, Millie, show him the back!” Millie’s father handed Harry a sharpie as Millie turned her back to Harry. 

It was at that moment that Harry started to understand the weight of the moment. The name ‘STYLES’ was embroidered on the back of Millie’s Oilers jersey, above the number ‘15’ indicating his draft year. He was speechless. This was, after all, the first time he was seeing his name in the classic Oilers’ orange and blue colours adorned on a fan’s back. 

The feeling was different from earlier at the draft when they presented him with his own jersey. This one belonged to someone else. Someone bought his jersey before he’d even ever played a single minute for the team. They flew across the continent, from Edmonton to Florida, just to watch him get drafted. It was a lot for his hazy, champagne-diluted mind to take in.

Realizing he’d just been standing there staring at the jersey, he cleared his throat once again in hopes that he could hide the unknown thoughts and emotions he was trying to reconcile. “Wow, um, I didn’t realize you could get these already.”

Millie’s father laughed, “Man, they’ve been selling these in Edmonton since they announced we’d be picking first in the draft.” Again, the feeling was overwhelming for Harry. 

We’d be picking first in the draft.

To this family, and probably others in Edmonton, the Oilers were “we”. They win together, they lose together. If the Oilers pick first in the draft, they all pick first. It was their team. And now he, Harry, was a part of that “we”.

Harry reached down to sign the jersey on Millie’s back, quickly scribbling his autograph on the left side. As he straightened himself, he felt Anne move to stand beside him, apparently having sensed her son’s unease and unconscious need for his mother to join him in this moment.

“Hi, I’m Harry’s mum, Anne. Would you like me to take a picture of the four of you?” Millie’s father eagerly handed his phone to Anne and waved his wife over to be in the photo. Several photos of Harry and the family were taken, followed by a few of just Harry and Millie. 

“Would you mind if I took one of Harry and Millie on my phone as well?” Anne asked as she snapped the last photo. “This is the first time Harry’s met a fan wearing his name on an Oilers jersey. We’d like to remember it.” 

The family was more than happy to oblige so Anne took a few more photos on her phone, including one where Millie’s back was to the camera and the ‘STYLES’ name in full view. 

It was so like his mum to understand how special the moment was and to come in and save him. He couldn’t quite articulate what he was feeling in that moment, as understanding emotions and sentimentality were not his greatest strengths, and he most definitely never would have asked to take a photo to keep for himself had she not done it. 

The obvious feelings were joy and gratitude. Every day he was thankful to play the game he loved, to be successful, and to have fans that loved and supported him. It didn’t always make sense that complete strangers paid him so much attention just for playing a game, but he accepted it and always tried to show those strangers kindness in return. However, there was another feeling lingering, one that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Looking at his mum, he knew that she knew what it was. She always knew. And certainly she would make him talk about it later.

As they separated from the family and walked toward the hotel elevators, where Gemma and Jeff were waiting, Anne grabbed onto her son’s arm, holding him close as they walked side by side. 

“Do you see that they love you already, my darling?” She asked. Harry raised an eyebrow at his mum, unsure of what she was going on about. “I know you. I know that you care what people think and that you are scared to disappoint them. You just need to step out on the ice and be yourself. Just be Harry. They already love you and this is only just the beginning.”

WOW! OK. I know it’s a bit of a slow start, but I wanted this chapter to be more of an introduction to harry and the mc and to the fan culture that harry is about to experience!! I’ve already started on the next part so that should be up before Christmas! If you’ve made it this far, all I can say is that I love you and appreciate you. If you liked it, please let me know. I debated not posting this so many times (and I might even regret it later) so feedback will certainly ease my troubled mind!! I ALWAYS LOVE YOU, BUT ESPECIALLY TODAY!! xx Shan. 

Harry’s Draft Day Look

talk to me about generational | fic masterlist

#wow i'm so nervous to post this #generational #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfic #harry styles series #harry styles au #harry styles x reader #hockey harry styles #athlete harry styles

[eventyrstuff]

So I started reading Manhwas after Kdramas, and I wanted to make a list as well.

I absolutely love Isekai themed Manhwas - specially historical, time travel and villainess themed. Most of them are based on a web novel but I could not find the novels per se so I read them as Manhwa at Manganelo Site

So here goes the list, I will input few at a time as I am rereading them again.

Warning: Unedited. I’m sorry if I mispell or has grammar lapses. Unabashed fangirling at times.  ALSO SPOILERS. IMMA GIVE OUT A FEW.

Inso's Law - Ongoing (Chapters: 81)

What made me read it: I found the earphone scene in Instagram and I instantly fell in love with Chunyoung. I mean I have this weakness with Black Haired characters. When I read the plot, I knew my tween heart will absolutely love this. The Main Character (Dan-I) woke up to a romance novel/parallel world where in she was friends with these very popular kids (I still can't believe they were 14 at the start). She did not want to be center of attention or to have any relations with the Female Lead and her reverse harem, but come on no one can resist those guys and their pretty faces and weird colored hair. The storyline may be a bit overused but my teenage self is very happy. 10/10

Is it visually pretty: YES. Everyone is pretty. This manhwa is also memeworthy. May not be as aesthetically pleasing as WMMAP but still 10/10

How much do I love the characters: I love Dan-I's internal monologue but hate how she sees herself as just the minor character, everyone adores her! Yeoryoung is the best friend you'll absolutely adore. Ju-In is adorbs. Chunyoung is LOVE. I love Jiho and Eunhyung too but Chunyoung is my ML. Ruda and Yeodan though *swoon* Other side characters are awesome too, but too much characters makes me forget a lot of em. Haha 10/10

Favorite part of the story: I LOVE their friendship so eveytime they show how much Dan-I is important too, all those text messages (especially Ju-In's HAHAHAHA text), Chunyoung is my fave so everytime he is in it I mean damn him and his beautiful hair, enchanting eyes and that smile *faints*, everytime Dan-I state one of every web novel laws, everytime Dan-I breaks the fourth wall and say how bullshit the story is hahahaha

Am I going to reread it again: Yes will do again and again

How do I describe thee: This was my first Manhwa! I'm a sucker for high school setting kind of stories. I really like it, makes me nostalgic of times I spent reading stories back in high school. I admit I was one of those teenagers who fell for the trope of being normal then every guy suddenly likes you *reverse harem for the win* but seriously this manhwa is one of my personal fave for being close to my tween heart. I really thought Dan-I was on a parallel world rather than a web novel as she did not got isekai'd to another person, she's still herself and it's still her family - it was like fanfiction of her own life. I like all characters eventhough, yes it's bullshit to have those kinds of friends (come on! A chaebol, a model in one group of friends in a normal highschool?) It's typical, it' cliche I know but their friendship is really #goals. When I first read this I was really cheering on Chunyoung to be ML, but when I read spoilers that Jiho will be the ML I thought whaaaat I shipped Jiho with Yeoryeoung. Then when I reread it I did saw how subtle his love was and it's really cute. I was really focused on Chunyoung since he has a lot of screen time showing off his affections but Jiho did too on the littlest of things you will see. Well, I'll wait for his time to shine. I just hope Dan-I finally notice them. And I want to know how she will be explaining to them her situation and how everything will be resolved - will she be going back to reality? *that's gonna suck* Also can I have Yeodan instead? Thanks. 10/10

Who Made Me A Princess - Ongoing (Chapters: 81)

What made me read it: I keep seeing screenshots of Athy's various expressions on the comments in manhwas so I searched for it. The plot is interesting, and as mentioned I absolutely love Isekai theme. But this is not romance (mostly), the story focuses on the dynamics of a father and daughter relationship. The main character was reborn as a character on a novel she was reading, Athanasia - the princess who was executed by her father. Knowing what will happen to her when she turns 18, she plans on saving herself. She changes the course of the story in order to survive. 10/10

Is it visually pretty: YES. JESUS CHRIST HAVE YOU SEEN DADDY CLAUDE. INSANE VISUALS. I mean the way the artist drew everything is pleasing to my eye. BUT ALL CHARACTERS ARE HOT. 100/10

How much do I love the characters: ONE MUST PROTECT ATHY FOREVER. Daddy Claude breaks my heart. LILY AND FELIX ARE THE CAPTAINS OF MY SHIP. Lucas is love. Can't help falling in love with Ijekiel/Ezekiel. I adore Jennette. DIANA AND LP'S ATHANASIA ARE DEAD BUT THEY DESERVE BETTER. Anastacius you evil motherfucker, I like you too. 100/10

Favorite part of the story: Every Athy expression. Tea time with Daddy Claude and Felix. When Lily is overprotective. Athy's debutante ball. All the boat scenes are gold. Everytime Claude shows how much he adores Athy even when he's supposed to hate her. When he picks her up and when he shows emotions. When Claude and Felix bickers. When Lucas teases Athy. Best boi Ijekiel/Ezekiel when he shows how much he likes Athy. Adorable Jennette and how she yearns for family.

Am I going to reread it again: Yes and No. Probably up to Chapter 45, I don't think my heart can take after that. Maybe when the manhwa is finished.

How do I describe thee: I AM EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED. When I first read this I stopped at Chapter 38,  I read another Manhwa and actually forgot about it but decided to reread again after. I thought this will be a funny, heartwarming story of how a daughter earns her father's love. OH BOY GET READY FOR FEELINGS. I love Athy so much, she just wanted to survive the story, but she was loved, she was finally happy. Claude was like fuck feelings but can't help but adore Athy. I love their relationship so much. It physically pained me after Claude loses his memory - BRING BACK THE FUNNY CHAPTERS. I cannot read that scene in Claude's birthday ever again without bawling. I like Jennette, I really do, but I hate how everytime Claude has headaches (especially when with Athy) he calls for Jennette. It hurts me the way it hurts Athy like I was the one being betrayed. I hate how what's happened to LP Athanasia might still happen ro present Athanasia and it will def break me. I hate Anastacius for being an evil bastard that he is but I hope his growing love for Jennette will be his redemption. This was the first time I did not care for the romance or love triangles (Lucas and Ezekiel/Ijekiel are still precious bbys). Still 1000/10 will recommend even if it's not yet finished. I just want everyone to have a happy ending. Also for my LilyxFelix ship to sail. Thanks. If you have spoilers, gimme.

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion - Ongoing (Chapters: 133)

What made me read it: It was on one of the recommended list and it caught my eye due to the title like pfft how very specific. It's Isekai so I know I'll love it. The Main Character got pushed (literally) into a novel wherein she got the role of Raeliana - a minor character whose death is the catalyst for the story to start. And of course our MC will not follow through the storyline and make her own destiny and survive. She ended up asking for the duke's (Noah, my love) help and became his fiancee, thus starting a butterfly effect for this manhwa's awesome story and twists. 100/10

Is it visually pretty: Definitely, everyone is absolutely pretty and the art is great. Not as insane as WMMAP but I got a lot of meme material. 10/10

How much do I love the characters: Raeliana is def one of top female lead for me, she's bad ass and not as dense as others. Noah, my love, is perfect. Even his brother that I could not remember his name because it's hard to spell. Naomi though is hilarious. Raeliana's family especially her mother. JUSTIN. GRANDPAAAA. SIR ADAM - NUFF SAID. No to Beabitch though but that says something for being villain. 100/10

Favorite part of the story: Chapter 130 hehehehe. Everytime Raeliana is BAMF who saves herself, everytime Noah flirts with her, Sir Adam and his aloofness and chibi self, the emperor's 40% playing pranks, Naomi and the emperor's bickering - which by the way ship it, when Noah confessed, when Raeliana confessed my heart could not take it, ALL THE TWISTS

Am I going to reread it again: YESSSS 100%

How do I describe thee: One of the God-Tier level Manhwa, I read because of Isekai I stayed because of the twist of that Isekai which is freaking mindblowing. Raeliana sets the standard for Female Leads, damn girl needs no man to save her shit. I LOVE HER. I LOVE THIS MANHWA SO MUCH. Noah is just perfect for her like it was really *winks* destined for them to be together. I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING. I love everyone, except that bitch. Also this was a first for me to have the MC admitting they were isekai'd to a novel and realizing her feelings and his feelings and accepting it and I just asdfghjkldfdfse 10000/10 READ THIS AND FALL IN LOVE WITH SIR ADAM WITH ME.

Living As The Tyrant's Older Sister - Ongoing (Chapters: 73)

What made me read it: The meme (you know the one - K.O), if you haven't noticed yet I am a collector of Isekai Manhwa. But this one def made me laugh at all chapters. We have your Main Character being thrown into a web novel (a novel her sister wrote btw) where she play as the Emperor's older sister - Alicia. She knows how the story goes (same old same old where she will eventually die) because she was her sister's consultant regarding the storyline and now regretting how she suggested to change the male lead. As always she devised a plan to stay as a minor character and survive but ended up sleeping with the main lead - Ares. 10/10

Is it visually pretty: Not a masterpiece but definitely meme material, all the screenshots I have stored are all memes from this manhwa 8/10

How much do I love the characters: Alicia is hilarious badmouthing bamf, very pretty very memeworthy. Ares could work on his personality a bit more but when they are together they're comical. Her brother is a typical tsundere and a fanboy. Lancelot is your typical nice guy. THAT BUTLER THOUGH BEST WINGMAN. 9/10

Favorite part of the story: Every meme hahahaha just read it this manhwa is the embodiment of a meme

Am I going to reread it again: Yes whenever I need a laugh ahhahaha

How do I describe thee: I AM WHEEZING. This truly is a comedic manhwa. You can't take it seriously because of the way it was drawn. If you really want a laugh this one's perfect. At times it is cringy when it exag a bit of their reactions but still 100% you will laugh. Not perfect but story is good, I like how it's still given a thought. But read it for the memes you won't regret it. 9/10

Survive as the Hero's Wife - Ongoing (Chapters: 79)

What made me read it: It's on the recommended list and someone mentioned that the art is *immaculate* and it is. IT REALLY IS. Well here comes another Isekai manhwa where the MC is pulled inside a novel where her character will be killed. But this time she was a minor villain character and the Male Lead's wife! 10/10 who are we kidding, I love em all.

Is it visually pretty: this manhwa is a work of art, it is *chefs kiss* visual explosion. Everyone is insanely hot, even the villains. The background, the characters - their hair and wardrobe is truly 1000000/10

How much do I love the characters: I really did fell in love with Canaria and Cesar. Best soft couple. Their luscious hair though so pretty. Noah best boi. Best team of suspicious knights - Miller, Raya, Jax and Ethan are loves. Best friend Ricardo. Even best butler Oscar. 100/10

Favorite part of the story: The visual explosion. Chos. When Canaria is being supportive waifu and Cesar is being an innocent best boy, they are just very soft and loving and I love their scenes so much, that popularity vote in the consort's palace ahhahaha, Jax and his misunderstanding, Ethan everytime he eats (all the time), Cesar's blushing face, everytime we are introduced to a new character because we know they are going to be gorgeous as hell.

Am I going to reread it again: MOST DEF ITS VERY PLEASING TO THE EYE

How do I describe thee: BEAUTIFUL. GORGEOUS. ENCHANTING. Boy, the visual is absolute masterpiece, Canaria's hair alone (love all her hairstyles) and her clothes, I want all of em. Cesar is the embodiment of a perfect male lead - soft boi. Best boi. Pretty boi. I love how he loves Canaria and how they truly support each other since being married at freaking 12 years old. This type of love please.  1000/10 Also, I am a lot curious about that Oscar,I think he is related to the emperor and the lady ghost in Noah's story - a lovechild? *gasps*. Also-Also if you will be reading this at Manganelo, translation at Chapter 76+ is a bit off but still grateful for the translators for what they give

Up next: It’s villain themed time (The villainess lives twice, beware of the villainess the villainess reverses the hour etc)

#manhwa list #who made me a princess #insos law #the reason why raeliana ended up at the duke's mansion #living as the tyrant's older sister #survive as the hero's wife

[thegayagenda-forkids]

Why Cami is important, and why we need more of her types of characters.

While everyone is watching the Cartero/Tennis Boyfriends storyline, as well as Elena’s story and Gabi’s story, I want to talk about the only openly gay character at the moment (Episode 7/8), Camilla, but to really get to talk about her, I have to dive a little bit into the history of gay characters in comedies.*

**I’m only including gay characters in comedies because otherwise my list would be too long to be able to dive into, and this post is going to be mostly about Cami.

So, the first openly gay character to appear on American TV is Steve, played by Phillip Carey in 1971 on “All in the Family.” He appeared for only one episode, but he opened the door back when being gay was taboo, and wrong, and he wasn’t killed onscreen or beaten up. In fact, he was played straight, in a way. Throughout the episode, the main character is speculating about several other men being gay, while Steve was described by that character to be “a real man’s man.” It’s at the end of the episode where Steve comes out to him, dismisses the rumors about the other men the main character suspected, and then he was never seen on TV again. And his appearance is so important because it challenged stereotypes of what gay men on TV were, and where it was appropriate to see these topics. He opened the door for more gay characters to show up.

However, it was a bit of a double-edged sword because for the next several years, the gay characters we saw were “very special episode” characters, approached the same way these characters would approach cancer, or drugs, or addiction. They were a sensitive topic people need to know about, the episode will be less funny to show the full gravity of the situation. But, gay people were seen on TV.

Slowly, people start accepting that gay people exist, and while they might not wish direct harm on them, the general attitude was still very anti-LGBT rights. So gay characters shifted on tv and they were no longer sensitive topics to approach, but a minor/recurring character who was overwhelmingly male, flamboyant, stereotyped to hell, and typically, the “Gay Best Friend.”

The true turning point, in my opinion, was Ellen DeGeneres on “Ellen.” She was the main character of her show, personally in the process of finding herself and coming out, and then deciding to have the character she played come out in a serious, but relatively humorous way. There was backlash, her show didn’t last much longer after that, and overall, she took a huge risk. But she started the first step of the process: character first, sexuality second. She wasn’t defined for being gay like every other person, with potentially the exception of Steve, was up to this point.

But Steve and Ellen served different purposes. Steve de-stigmatized the idea of gay people appearing on TV by only revealing he was gay at the end. He only appeared for one episode, let everyone see how throughout the episode, he was the opposite of gay men they built up in their mind, and then only let the hammer drop right before vanishing forever. Ellen went through four years of people getting to know her, she was the principal main character, and then she came out after. Steve allowed gay people to be shown more on TV, Ellen allowed us to get to know them.

Then around that time, let me just say this: “Friends” was pretty problematic with several issues like the character of Ross and how Chandler’s birth parent transitioning, but there was one thing that was pretty well handled and relatively holds up, and that’s Carol and Susan. Now, by no means was their portrayal and representation perfect, and Ross frequently made jokes revolving around the fact that his ex-wife was a lesbian, but they were never jokes about Carol being wrong or weird, but rather self-deprecating ones, and then the show went on to show them raising and co-parenting a young boy with Ross and they even had the first lesbian wedding on TV, and, at least in my memory, they were never sexualized, meaning that they weren’t created to be objects of mens’ desires, they were simply in love and trying to lead fulfilling lives with each other.

And now we go from the sidelines all the way front and center with the original airing (not the reboot) of “Will and Grace.” The main character was an openly gay man living with a straight woman, who had a gay and an ambiguous, but potentially, bisexual best friends (Jack and Karen). And boy, was this show the first of it’s kind. Will wasn’t portrayed as flamboyant and taking on a stereotypical job, but rather the respected position as a lawyer, owning a nice apartment, and him being gay was only used as a fact while he dated men throughout the show. People at the time earnestly believed Will and Grace would get together in the end by how un-stereotypical and “not gay” Will acted.

But acting as his foil was Jack, perhaps the most flamboyant character to ever grace TV screens. He was loud, overly dramatic, cared too much about his appearance, and his goal was to be an actor. And he wasn’t automatically Will’s boyfriend because he was also gay. He was Will’s closest friend, a confidant, and though he could be an asshole, Jack was true to himself, even if his true self was every gay stereotype shoved into one body while Will got to break those stereotypes by being a well developed and well rounded character.

From there, Gay characters are a mixed bag. Normally in tv shows marketed for people 16 and up, not for children, and typically as side characters. We get our Kurt Hummels, our Mitch and Cams, our Oscar Martinezes, and all these others. They’re occasionally the main character in a cast, most of the time the side characters, and they’re varied. They’re also more visible, and they’re popping up more and more. Now, I’m not even going to get into Brooklyn Nine-Nine in terms of Queer representation because I could go on for days about how they’ve got it, and go into the similar media and target audience.

I’m, of course, talking about “Good Luck Charlie.”

Now I know, I KNOW! It was one episode where there were two moms that showed up for a play date. But it was one of the first kids’ shows to show a gay couple, and by kids, I mean that it’s marketed for people under 16 as well. And it was also pretty well addressed. The parents are wondering how to separate the couple in order to hang out while their toddlers played at the same time as arguing over who was the child’s mother since they each only met one. And when they open the door to Cheryl and Susan, they greet them normally and the only acknowledgment that comes is the father hitting his head like he had forgotten a word and saying “Taylor has two moms,” simply settling the argument about who was Taylor’s mom. And the rest of the episode was just about the parents trying to make friends but being annoying people until Susan and Cheryl fake headaches to leave. The episode treated them not as a “Gay Couple,” but rather a couple who happened to be gay. Not even Modern Family 10 years after the pilot can act like that.

And I KNOW you guys are waiting for it: Cyrus Goodman and Thelonious Jagger Kippen. I bet if I were to take a poll right now of who’s Disney’s first openly gay character, at least 90% of people would say it’s Cyrus Goodman. He was developed as his own person first; this adorable, quirky boy who loved his two best friends more than anything and would get over-enthusiastic for anything they did or he decided to pursue, and he went through panic, then he came out to Buffy. It’s also impressive that for Disney’s first gay main character, they didn’t have him already self-assured that he’s gay, but rather figuring it out and terrified when he came out to Buffy. He was afraid of what she’d think of him, what she’d say, and how their friendship would continue, which I touch more on *here.* At the same time, T.J. is also developed from a bully and antagonist to one of Cyrus’s newest, closest friends. He faces homophobic microaggresions while developing feelings towards Cyrus until he finally finds the courage to confess and start something new at the last episode. The fact that T.J. didn’t come out as gay until the last episode does not diminish his worth as a gay character. He was groundbreaking too because he is the first gay love interest in a Disney Show (and I mean mutual, because otherwise, that title would go to Jonah Beck and I’m not sure he can be counted as canon anything).

And now everyone is focusing on Bobby and Liam on “Diary of a Future President,” which is what the writers are shooting for, but we cannot forget about Cami! She is a form of casual representation that we need more of in writing. There was no marketing for her by Disney as a gay character, and she portrays a realistic representation. She mentions her girlfriend, makes small comments like “you two are hetero goals,” and lets us glimpse into her life. And she doesn’t take over a room like Jack does, she’s there for Cami, and has a good relationship with her kids, as proven by Gabi trusting her to pick up Bobby and Liam from Jupiter. And then the significance of Cami freeing Bobby and Liam from a storage closet is something I touched on earlier *here*.

So why is Cami important? Because she is the casual representation we want and deserve! She’s not a big deal on the show, but she also not diminished. She doesn’t need to make headlines to be important. She’s real, and believable, and I’m hoping there’s more of her as well as characters like her. Casual representation is important too, and it’s important because she’s not the only queer character on the show, and the other queer person isn’t her love interest.

Hopefully I got my message across that Cami is the next step of queer characters in shows.

#diary of a future president #doafp #cartero #tennis boyfriends #andi mack #andi #ambi #jandi #cyrus #t.j. kippen #jamber #jonah #tyrus #marty #jonah beck

[mymoodwriting]

Kindness Goes A Long Way

F!Reader x Sicheng

Genre: Post Apocalypse AU

Warning: Anxiety, Fear, Revelations

Words: 2.4K

Chapters:

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Epilogue

Prompt: The end of the world is hard to accept as it is, but it’s even harder to be alone. It seems fate had brought you to Sicheng, someone who can definitely survive in the abandoned waste land that had become of Earth. You then find yourself with a group of others, and you might just have a chance at survival. The only problem is there’s something off about the group, something they’re not telling you, and it might mean the difference between life and death.

    As you opened your eyes, you could feel and hear the panic going on around you. The first thing you saw was the ceiling, recognizing it, and knowing you were still in the safe haven. Before you could really come back to yourself someone pulled you up and started dragging you along. You stumbled behind them, soon recognizing Haechan.

“What… what happened…”

“We gotta go!”

“Huh?”

    An explosion shook the environment, and you finally became aware of the attack around you. Vague memories of the infirmary were surfacing and you remembered what Sicheng had done. You saw Johnny, Mark, and Jungwoo running ahead of you as well, someone you didn’t recognize at the front leading the group.

“Where are we going?”

“Out.” The one at the front spoke. “We need to escape this place.”

“But… they know everything. All the possible exits and-”

“Not all of them.”

    You wound up in the tunnels, coming to a dead end. It gave everyone a chance to catch their breath, and then you noticed a secret passageway being opened up. You couldn’t say anything before you were ushered in, and began running again. As you ran you started to feel dizzy, and your feet gave out under you. The only reason you had clarity before, was probably because Sicheng was occupied, or even injured, and thus his connection was lost. Now it was clear that he had gotten it back. You were the only one affected, trying to fight back.

“Y/n!” Haechan was quickly at your side. “Y/n! What’s going on?”

“I… I think… Sicheng… you have to go…”

“We can’t leave you.”

“He’ll find… all of us… please… run!”

    The other man pushed his way towards you, and then he electrocuted you. It took a moment to register what happened, and a hand over your mouth muffled your screams.

“What are you doing, Taeyong!”

“You said there were nanobots in her system, a shock should disconnect the signal.”

    You were out of it, but Sicheng’s presence was no longer in your mind. You laughed, a bit hysterical, but you were quickly pulled back up to your feet.

“We need to keep moving.” Taeyong said. “Let’s go.”

    You continued down the tunnel, no running this time, but still moving quickly. When you came to a dead end, you realized all the weapons that were around. Taeyong grabbed something, telling the rest to arm themselves as well.

“What… what about the others?” You asked. “Everyone else that-”

“We can’t worry about them.”

“But there’s so many-”

“You can stay if you want, but I can’t. We were abused, and infiltrated. Others need to be warned and we can’t get a signal out down here. We’re fucked down here, so we need to go.”

“Yeah… yeah you’re right…”

    Once everyone was armed and ready you moved out. The sunlight caught you a bit of guard, somewhat having forgotten what it was like to feel it on your skin. Although you quickly snapped out of it and ran behind the others. Right now the goal was to just get as far away as possible. The chances of going undetected were low, but there was always the chance, just not this time.

    As you ran, you began to hear the familiar sound of drones. You glanced back for a moment to see two fast approaching. You yelled to the others to warn them, and then Jungwoo stopped and fired an EMP device. It landed on one of the drones and went off immediately, bringing them both down. It was a win, but would certainly attract more attention to your location now.

    A part of you wanted to stop, feeling like a liability, but you didn’t have to dwell on that too long. Haechan suddenly collapsed, and brought you to a halt. He was shaking, and you recognized a disk on his back, electrocuting him. When you tried to reach for it you screamed from a minor shock, scrambling away. One by one you saw the others fall, and looked back to see some drone approaching, along with actual robots. Despite not wanting to abandon your friends, your own fear drove you to stand and run.

    You thought you’d get electrocuted yourself, but instead the drones caught up to you. They got in your way and forced you to stop, circling you. Since you had nanobots within you, they were probably aware of that, and behind more cautious. You heard as their ammo chamber switched around, and then you were shot with a tranquilizer dart. You didn’t even fight it, just collapsed to the ground, the last thing you saw was the blue sky.

♥♥♥♥♥

    To wake up in the haven once again, you felt like everything that had just happened was merely a bad dream. You kept that belief until you looked around. You weren’t in your room, or the infirmary, and Sicheng was next to you, a holo screen projected in front of him. Robots and drones were also clearly visible in the area, and then there were the humans. It was eerily quiet of life, just the sounds of machinery and order in the air.

“Sicheng…”

“Ah, you’re awake.” He shut off the holo screen and knelt down next to you, gently petting your head. “How are you? I was worried when you suddenly fritzed out. Thankfully the drones just tranqed you.”

“What…” You felt the tears coming. “What happened…”

“You know what happened. Well, maybe not exactly. Everything’s fine now. There was resistance as expected, but we’ve taken control now.”

“What… what about… casualties…”

“…”

“Sicheng…”

“A few… some humans are very resistant, and things get complicated. There are injuries as well, but everyone will be treated appropriately.”

    Sicheng sat you up, and you could get a better view of the haven. The humans were standing around like cattle, being ushered to who knows where. You didn’t even realize you were on your feet until Sicheng was leading you somewhere. 

“At least this is all over now. I can finally get you home.”

“Home?”

“Yes, we should have been there long ago. There is so much for you to see.”

“I…”

    You were trying to wake yourself up, but the tranq you were given was certainly strong. Next thing you knew you were somewhere else, closer to the entrance of the safe haven. There were a bunch of robots and drones around, but none paid you any attention. You noticed this big pod on the floor, multiple ones in fact, and then you noticed the people in them. You stopped in your tracks, suddenly pretty awake.

“What?” Sicheng followed your gaze. “Ah, that’s just for transport. We have a rather long way to go, and this can make the trip easier.”

“Ah…”

“You’ll be fine, just like going to sleep.”

    Before you could think of some protest you began to feel tired. You leaned against Sicheng, barely able to keep your eyes open. You couldn’t fight him as he picked you up and put you into one of those pods. He promised everything would be fine, and that he’d see you soon. He placed a soft kiss on your forehead, and then you drifted off to sleep.

♥♥♥♥♥

    Again it felt like a dream, waking up in some medical place, and the strange nurse attending to your IV drip, which was blue, certainly didn’t help you think anything was real. When they noticed you were awake they offered a smile, but left without a word. You’ve seen it before in movies, the protagonist waking up in an infirmary and immediately getting out of bed and ripping out the IV. It seemed foolish, but being in a similar situation, you understood the need to do so. Although you actually couldn’t.

    When you tried to move you realized your wrists were strapped down to the bed, as were your ankles and torso. You were basically immobile. Of course you were still too weak to make a fit, so all you could do was look around, and that certainly didn’t help. You weren’t alone, a row of beds across from you, and at your sides, and many were occupied. They were all in a similar situation as you, and then you recognized someone.

“Haechan… Haechan wake up…” The boy groaned. “Haechan… please…”

“Hm…” He slowly woke. “What…”

“Haechan, are you okay?”

“Where… what happened?”

“We lost… I think… we’re south…”

“South? Isn’t that… wasteland?”

“I’m not sure… I just-”

    The nurse came back, and this time you were well aware of the glowing blue eyes. They didn’t speak and approached Haechan. You weakly pulled on your restraints, scared for him.

“No! No, leave him… Haechan…”

    The boy drifted back to sleep, and you were scared to be alone. You thought maybe the nurse would put you under as well, but they simply left. It was quiet again, besides the humming of all the machines. It felt so isolating, and then you heard the door open. When you glanced over you could see Sicheng. He seemed especially happy.

“Hey, I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

“Where… am I?”

“My home. I showed you a bit before, remember? Now I can show you for real.”

“What… what are you going to do…”

“Nothing yet, we’re still collecting data, but now that you’re here, things should go by faster.”

“Data? On what?”

“You. Now I talked to the nurses and got special permission to get you out of bed. So let’s go.”

    He messed around with the machines, and removed the IV and other needles. He undid all your restraints and helped you up. You were a bit unsteady at first but then got your footing. He walked with you, slowly at first, leading you out of the infirmary. You saw other people around, or at least they looked like people. Smaller drones floated around the halls, and there didn’t seem to be any robots in sight.

    When you got outside you were met with blue skies, a warm sun shining down, and just normalcy. You had to rub your eyes to make sure your vision wasn’t messed up. It looked like, and felt like, you had just stepped out of a small clinic. Buildings surrounded you, along with trees planted along the sidewalk. It seemed like a normal town, so happy and peaceful, as if there had never been a war, as if the world hadn’t ended.

    Sicheng led you down the street to a beautiful park, and that’s where things got more insane. You could see kids, and their families, enjoying the weather and having picnics. The kids were smiling and laughing, playing games with each other. You felt like you were hallucinating, that things couldn’t just be this great, not after everything. While you were lost in your own world, Sicheng brought you over to the shade of a tree, sitting down in the grass, his arms wrapped around you.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“…”

“This planet has such beauty that needs to be preserved and protected.”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No, not at all. I assure you this is very real.”

“How… the world… it’s in ruins…”

“But it can be repaired.”

“What… what are you?”

Sicheng sighed. “I was human once…”

“What?”

“I’m different now, better.”

“We were at war… I don’t…”

“Yes, I understand your confusion. The robots were hunting us, until they saw a better way.”

“A better way?”

“We didn’t have to fight each other to death. This planet was dying, the people were dying, so there needed to be drastic change. By coming together, we can be better.”

“Coming… together…”

“Here.” Sicheng placed your head over his chest, it was quiet, and then he had a heartbeat. “I’d say we’re the next step in human evolution. A combination of man and machine that works harmoniously together. Improves the quality and longevity of human life.”

“You’re… you’re part robot?”

“Yes, we merged to become a better… being.”

“Why… but… we were killing… each other…”

“We were, but things have changed. There was no point in slaughtering each other if we could save one another.”

    You were still trying to wrap your head around everything he had just said. Even trying to understand the reality of the world around you. Although everything came to a halt as you finally put the pieces together for a mystery that had been following you since the beginning.

“You… you saved me… because I was compatible… does that mean… does that…”

“If you’re asking whether or not you can upgrade, the answer is yes. Despite the goal, such an operation can’t be performed on everyone. It’s a sad reality, although there is hope you can help change that. Your bioengineering background makes you all the more important to protect. We’ve slowly been expanding, and hopefully one day the whole world will be as beautiful and as peaceful as this.”

“No…”

“Hm?”

“I don’t… I don’t want any part of this!”

“I understand your-”

“What about all the people who aren’t compatible!? What do you do with them?”

“We make sure they live a good life, and are here to help usher in the next chapter of human history.”

“So you enslaved them?”

“It’s not like that.”

“It is!” 

    You didn’t care that you were attracting attention, and ruining this peace. You pulled yourself away from Sicheng, just wanting the distance, because there was nowhere you could run, nowhere to escape to. Sicheng didn’t seem concerned with your outburst, calmly approaching you.

“We should get you back to bed. There’s still a lot-”

“No! I don’t want this! I don’t want any part in your delusional utopia!”

“I understand your concern, I was in your position not so long ago.”

“Stay away from me!”

“I’ll help you adjust, it’s gonna be a lot to process, but you’ll be okay.”

“No! No, no, no!”

    You wanted to run, you wanted to do something, anything, but you couldn’t. Sicheng’s eyes had a soft glow to them, and something was quietly and softly pushing down your panic. He got close to you, gently petting your head.

“You’re gonna be alright. When you open your eyes again everything will be different, and it’ll be wonderful. I promise.”

    You wanted to cry, to fight, to scream, but all you could do was relax in his embrace. Your world, the world as you knew it was fading. You could barely keep your eyes open, and you so desperately wanted to stay awake. You couldn’t worry about the others, the fact that they were going to go through the same thing as you, except they didn’t know their fate. You never imagined that you’d wind up here, but as your world grew dark you knew there was no going back. Your fate was sealed, and there was no telling what came next.

#nct #wayv #winwin #kun #yangyang #ten #lucas #hendery #xiaojun #dong sicheng #qian kun #liu yangyang #chittaphon leechaiyapornkul #wong yukhei #wong kunhang #xiao de jun #haechan #jungwoo #johnny #mark #taeyong #lee donghyuck #kim jungwoo #seo youngho #mark lee #lee taeyong #nct au #wayv au #nct scenarios #wayv scenarios

[bardicknowledgeblogger]

Critical Story Beats

While it’s not really an aspect of the rules anymore, a lot of us who play D&D and other similar TTRPGs like to make use of the Nat 20 = Auto Success, Nat 1 = Auto Fail rule with varying degrees of success and excitement.

I’ve seen people post their stories of Nat 20s and 1s resulting in hilarious and ridiculous moments as a DM allows the player to get away with something they probably shouldn’t have been able to, or failed horribly at something that really should have been easy to accomplish. I’ve read posts from frustrated DMs trying to keep players with godlike luck from just auto succeeding encounters they shouldn’t be able to waltz through like this. And in my own games, I’ve simply seen Crits be... well, not much. You succeed or fail in a way that doesn’t really make much of a difference from a normal success or failure.

Obviously everyone runs their games a bit differently, and there’s not anything wrong with having silly story moments or more low key interactions at your table if that’s what works for you. But lately, I’ve been trying to challenge myself to make moments in my stories more engaging, and that includes handling Critical Failures and Successes. So I wanted to share a few different ideas, philosophies, etc... on how to handle these rolls! Hopefully you find some things to apply to your own games as well! 

(This is mainly on how to make the most of your Nat 20s and Nat 1s - if there’s interest I will make a different post about how to handle problems with it, such as succeeding the impossible and how to curb that without players losing “faith” in their Crits)

Everything below the cut because it’s a tad long...

Making Things Interesting

This has been a guiding philosophy for me lately in all of games, as I strive to make sure that every choice made, while still narratively coherent and satisfying, is also as interesting and intriguing as possible. I want my players to feel enraptured with every moment, and that idea has carried over into my narration of critical fails and successes.

In the past, I wasn’t very good at handling Crits, especially the failures. In a combat, if a player rolled a Nat 1 for their attack, my response was often to have them just.... drop their weapon, or a spell just failed to cast. It wasn’t very interesting and proved to just irritate and frustrate the players because it was a minor inconvenience that resulted in a wasted turn and nothing more. Similarly, Nat 20s in many non-combat situations were the same as usual successes with the added flourish of “You do it flawlessly” Which was.... fine, but not very exciting. This year, I started to try and change things.

When a player rolls a Nat 1 or a Nat 20, I take a moment to pause as I think “What would be the most interesting thing to happen in this situation? What bad thing could completely shift the tide in this one moment and introduce a new conflict/what amazing thing could shift everything in their favor and create a satisfying and exciting moment for all?”

A recent example I’ve had of this - My players were navigating through a massive underground cavern, and were entering a larger room that was pretty dark and had some unique traits that had been different from the rest of the cave system. I had my players roll Perception, to see how many of these details they picked up on, and one of the players rolled a Nat 1. Now, in the past, I would have made some joke about them being too busy watching their feet to make sure they didn’t trip that they didn’t notice anything happening around them. But this time around, after some consideration, I decided on something different.

What if instead, they were so focused on trying to see something, trying to see anything, that they started seeing and hearing things that weren’t really there. Many of us have been in that position before - it’s late at night and you get an uncomfortable feeling so you look around in the dark of your room, and suddenly you feel like you definitely saw something move out of the corner of your eye, or heard a shuffling noise. So that’s what I did.

While the other players started to get details about how the cavern was carved out, signs of drawings on the walls, etc... the player who rolled a Nat 1 became convinced that they could hear whispers and shuffling in the darkness, could see dark shapes flitting about just at the edges of their vision. They started to panic and nearly started blind firing spells in an attempt to chase whatever it was off and had to be coaxed the rest of the way through the cavern.

Instead of a forgettable moment, it become a defining experience for this player as they navigated through the cavern - an experience that has shaped them in some way. And that’s the goal.

How Do You Want To Do This?

If you’re a fan of Critical Role then you’re familiar with this line and the excitement it can summon up. This is something you can carry into your games as well in regards to Critical Successes.

Now obviously not everything is going to be something you can give any player control over. But allowing the player the opportunity to really bring the vision of their character to life for an exciting conclusion to an encounter, or for any epic moment really, does a lot to build hype and excitement in the game. It make players eager to see that 20 come up on their die, and gears them up for what is coming next.

The easiest place to put this into practice is in combat. Obviously this works incredibly well if they get a Critical Strike that finishes the enemy off, as you can give them full control of the narrative if you’d like. However, there are still ways to apply it in the combat even if they aren’t finishing it off.

I try to reward my player’s combat crits by turning the tide of the fight pretty drastically, allowing them to stagger or even cripple the opponent with their attack. If your players seem eager to engage with narrative and add their own flavor and flare to the actions of their character, this can be a great place to allow them to do so. You can tell them “Your attack manages to cripple the opponent’s arm - how do you want to do this?” And let them build their role in the story. It may not be quite as spectacular as you had originally imagined, or perhaps its something completely different from what you would have done - either way, it is likely to get your players more engaged, and way more excited for these strikes.

Extra Rewards and Penalties

Finally, and something I’ve already vaguely alluded to in the previous sections, you can handle Crit Fails and Successes with “extras”. Sometimes a player fails or succeeds a task where there’s not a lot you can do with it - Maybe they’re picking a lock, and they roll a Nat 20 to do so. There’s unfortunately not a lot they can get beyond succeeding to unlock it (unless you had planned additional traps or something that they can now bypass) so in these instances, I try to think about what extra they might get out of the situation.

Maybe as they re-positioned themselves to finish unlocking the door, they jostled a nearby potted plants and noticed that just in the dirt was a small ring of keys that may be able to be used on other doors or chests within this place. Maybe, if you were planning an encounter in the next room for a guard they were going to alert coming in, they find that guard asleep and you mention that the player was so expertly silent with their lockpicking they didn’t alert or awaken the guard, allowing the players to bypass him altogether.

Obviously there are still some limitations here, and it may not be the most exciting thing, but it can still elevate a success from “Yay, you did it just like you would have if you rolled one of the other 3 numbers” to being something special. This same principle can be applied with Nat 1s, if they fail at something that simple can’t have consequences. 

I mentioned my Perception example above, but sometimes a Perception check simply can’t be twisted into anything more. So in addition to them missing out on whatever was going to be noticed, give them something extra to focus on instead. Maybe they trip over something and twist their ankle - not enough to have major mechanical effect, but enough to be frustrating and something to keep them preoccupied from the other information. Or perhaps they see something that is ultimately useless but stands out to them - a shiny pebble on the side of the road that has a strange green hue to it. If the player really plays along and even takes the pebble, trying to determine what it does, this is something you can potentially play with later. Maybe the pebble is a mark used by goblins to track potential people to rob? Perhaps the stone grows bigger every day until they start receiving movement penalties. They possibilities are truly limitless.

There’s obviously a lot more you can do, but these are the things I’ve been trying to incorporate into my own games. I want there to be magic to seeing a 20 come up on the die, and a sense of dread to seeing a 1. I don’t want it to be a minor annoyance, I want it to be a defining moment in the story.

As mentioned at the top - I will look at doing another one talking about how to handle Impossible Successes and Failures if there’s some interest!

#d&d #dungeons and dragons #rpg #dming #dm tips #critical success #critical failure #crit #crit fail

[radiantresplendence]

Doctor Takuto Maruki Was Right

Maruki is the Councillor Arcana in Persona 5 Royal and is a fantastic character that the original game was sorely lacking. I’ll be talking some spoilers here. Be warned. 

We can talk about how Demiurge/Yaldabaoth/Yagor/Jägermeister (or whatever you want to call him) is straight trash and shouldn’t be the overarching antagonist of Persona 5 another time, but that’s not what’s important here. 

What’s important here is that Maruki wasn’t in the original game and that does a disservice to everyone who played it. 

For the vast majority of P5R, Maruki is just the high school counselor who was brought in to the school in the aftermath of the Kamoshida incident as a means of damage control. He’s kind, emphatic and insightful and genuinely wants to help anyone seeking his services. 

The Phantom Thieves, due to their involvement in the Kamoshida incident are mandated by the school to talk to him; as the game progresses, most of the team members form some sort of connection to him, save for Akechi and Futaba (I believe) as Akechi is only a Phantom Thief when his goals align with the team and Futaba isn’t a student. 

Even Yoshizawa and Yusuke interact with Maruki, as Yusuke goes out of his way to do so after hearing about him from the other thieves and he was Yoshizawa’s counselor after the death of her sister. 

Over the course of his confidant, Joker gives Maruki his perspective on some of Maruki’s research, which is later revealed to be Cognitive Psience. At the end of his confidant arc, Maruki reveals that he’s known that Joker’s group were the Phantom Thieves since he saw them exit the Cognitive world during the first heist. He says he supports the thieves and their justice but he has to go a separate way. He then exits the story until after the defeat of the God of Control.

If you finish Maruki’s Confidant Arc by the time that he leaves the school, Maruki completes a belated Cognitive Psience paper that he was working on with funding from a college in Toyko and winds up applying his theory when Mementos merges with the real world. 

In short, Maruki fully awakens to his persona with the special ability to rewrite cognition. When the cognitive world and the real world are merged, however this power becomes absurdly potent, and Maruki begins to warp reality in order to make a world where no one suffers. 

Maruki’s machinations affect all of the Phantom Thieves positively: Joker doesn’t go to prison because... Akechi is alive and confesses to his crimes in Joker’s stead. Akechi is let off the hook for his crimes. Morgana is a human. Ryuji was never injured and is still the star of the track team. Ann’s friend Shiho never attempted suicide. Yusuke was never exploited by Madarame, who instead acts as a passable father figure to him. Makoto and Sae’s dad was never assassinated. Futaba’s mother is alive and is presumably in some sort of relationship with Sojiro. Finally, Haru’s father wasn’t executed after his bossfight and he was never an exploitative egoist. 

There’s a lone exception to this: the girl who the game refused to let join the Phantom Thieves; a girl who had been receiving therapy from Dr. Maruki since before the start of the game due to her trauma from the death of her sister, Sumire Yoshizawa.

In a way, “Kasumi” was Maruki’s prototype for the world he wanted to create. She couldn’t process the guilt she felt for surviving the crash that killed her allegedly more talented sister and consequently wished that she was her late sibling. 

Now the world that Maruki creates is essentially a utopia, where no one suffers and crippling psychological harm is unable to befall anyone. Now we can consider the value of free will that Maruki is removing by becoming a new “God of Control”, but as a card carrying deterministic nihilist, I see it as more or less as trading the whims of an uncaring chaotic universe for those of a benevolent eccentric. The game frames this as a stagnation of humanity, something I don’t entirely agree with. Maruki understands that physical wounds (aka hardship) are inescapable (and can provide adversity to fuel growth) and his big theory revolves around altering cognition to inoculate against mental illness. Any issue with Maruki’s world revolves more around his personal flaws and lack of moderation than it does with his theoretical framework. Regardless, Maruki’s world is more ethical than what it replaces. 

In the third semester, if we ignore some of the alterations like reviving the dead as they’re more of a condition of the world than an effect of it, many people who would otherwise be sick or destitute are not, and the natural conclusion of Maruki gaining full control (as evidenced in the bad ending where you side with the doctor) is a world where no one is. Essentially, the Phantom Thieves in the third semester who fight against Maruki are condemning these people to poverty, despair and a miserable death. Ethically, for the sake of their own morality, the Phantom Thieves are the bad guys. 

Maruki’s motivations need to be examined closer. He is someone who has been largely unable to move past his own trauma (as evidenced by the entire third semester and foreshadowed in the scene where he runs into a college friend) so he has come to the conclusion that he should dedicate himself to moving others past theirs. I mean, mind-wiping your fiance of most of her life with you to cure her of her PTSD and having your life’s work stolen by Shido as you try to pick up the pieces would probably leave a guy feeling pretty empty. Essentially Maruki has resigned himself to his own sorrow after repeatedly being dealt a bad hand, so to speak. 

I think we can safely say that at the very least, Maruki has been emotionally displaced (if not worse) since the incident with Rumi and having his life's work defunded has led him to a place where his only real desire is the pursuit of a singular goal: obliterating sadness. Not his mind you, but everyone else's. 

Basically, Maruki is not well, emotionally or mentally, despite him being able to function as a productive member of society. Completing his contract with a cosmic entity and taking the throne of the god of control, enables him to pursue his goal far beyond what he was capable as a mere doctor with a special power. He infests the human subconscious to further his goal and relentlessly tightens his grip on the world. Despite having augmented physiology in the fused metaverse as a persona user, I feel that he's a mentally ill man who's burning the candle at both ends, so to speak. I think, if anything, fully awakening to Azathoth’s power exacerbated his preexisting mental state. 

To evidence my claim of Maruki’s declining illness, allow me to cite: putting a friend and confidant into a vegetative state because he couldn’t solve a moral dilemma in a month’s time, tentacling a teenage girl and brainwashing her because her dissent is a rejection of your life’s work, picking a fistfight with a high schooler while screaming about stuff unrelated to him, choosing to martyr yourself in resignation to your own suffering when you have the power to avert it. 

Imagine a world where Maruki became the new ruler of the Cognitive World, but acted in a more limited capacity that is more in line with his original research, than the extreme conclusion of it. Consider him acting more like the collective subconscious's guardian angel than the god of control, possibly with the blessing of the Phantom Thieves. I think that’s more what a sane Maruki would settle on, feeling responsible to use the powers he was granted by his contract with an outer god. 

With that out of the way, let’s discuss the way that Maruki implements his agenda.

While working at Shujin, Maruki isn't anything particularly special as a counselor, as it's neither something that he's particularly skilled at, nor is it something that he's passionate for. It's more or less a case of his job being something that he is qualified to do. 

We know that his real passion was cognitive psience research. In essence, he's a scientist over a health professional, even though the funding for his area of expertise was slashed to bits forcing him to take an alternate career path. Especially early on, the way he’d approach his job would certainly be influenced by his passion. To that end, I think you need to analyze his session with Yoshizawa from a research perspective. He rewrote her cognition to be that of her sister’s because he thought it would help her move on. His actions here were absolutely unethical, as he was experimenting on a minor without guardian consent or full disclosure of information, but initial results of his cognition rewrite were positive (especially in the short-term, despite Yoshizawa struggling more in the long term than she otherwise may have). 

"Kasumi" in a lot of ways is a proof of concept for the world he creates in the third semester, even if she isn't necessarily an optimally-functioning prototype. Now, I think Maruki was definitely acting as a bad counselor, and a "mad psientist", if you'll allow my pun, in the flashback. In the third semester however, there's no validity in examining him as a counselor, as he's not actively doing counseling. You can't even really examine him under the lens of ethical science, as he's essentially beyond morality. The man has the power to massively warp reality, raise the dead and alter memories. Essentially, his powers are such that only the end result of any action he takes really matters. If Maruki were to harm or kill someone, regardless of intent, he could make it never happen. So, only the ends of his actions can really be taken into account. 

The ends of his actions are, of course, to obliterate human misery, and he proved effective at this. The exceptions being Sumire Yoshizawa (albeit before the full implementation of his agenda) and himself (his palace is the Laboratory of Sorrow after all.) I guess what I'm getting at here is that, Maruki has to be judged as a god for all of his actions in the third semester, as that’s really the only lens applicable to his role there. 

With that in mind, the questionable actions that he takes in the third semester are basically just holding Akechi’s life hostage and forcing Yoshizawa to be Kasumi. He avoids physical altercation with the Phantom Thieves until they literally approach him with a mutual agreement of force. The Akechi situation is one that Maruki claims to be unintentional, and I do believe him. I think the awkwardness of that reveal is more due to Maruki’s social ineptitude and difficulty revealing that sensitive piece of information than it is anything nefarious. As for the Kasumi situation, Maruki has every ability to revive the real Kasumi and adjust Sumire’s life to become one more satisfying to her. In the end I think that that unfortunate situation has more to do with an ill man with unlimited power unable to distance Yoshizawa’s rejection of his initial gift as a personal sleight to everything he’s spent his life working towards. With his work being pretty much the only thing he’s currently attributed meaning to in his life his swift rejection of dissent makes a little more sense. 

This leads to something I consider mandatory, Yoshizawa needs to rebel against the fate Maruki assigned to her, or every member of the Phantom Thieves would be working against their and all of humanity’s best interests. 

I think no one would disagree with me when I say that his role in the third semester is that of a god antithetical to the themes of Persona 5, and thus narratively has to be deposed for a satisfying conclusion. Looking objectively at his grand plan however, even with his hiccups, I can’t really say he’s wrong, even if his implementation isn’t as clean as I (or even himself in a better frame of mind) would like.

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #takuto maruki #review #not really a review but this is how I tag stuff like this to keep it organized #media analysis #kasumi yoshizawa #sumire yoshizawa #azathoth

[jokertrap-ran]

Collar X Malice ~UNLIMITED~ Seiji Minegishi Route PRIDE Translations (Part 1)

Translator’s note : MC’s name shall remain as my normal (ラン) Spoiler FREE : Translations under cut !

Ran Hoshino: Yes, this is the Special regions crime prevention office speaking.

Male: Oh, hello! I can go through this line regarding any inquires about the X-Day incident, right?

Male: I've heard that the isolative measures that have been placed onto Shinjuku will be lifted soon, but...When will that happen!?

Ran Hoshino: Oh...I'm afraid that I can't disclose the exact date at this present moment in time.

Ran Hoshino: My apologies, but if you could wait for the official announcement to pass...

Ran Hoshino: ...Yes, that's right. Of course, understood. This is behind the 6th district's park, yes?

Old Lady: I'm really sorry about this, Hoshino-san. I don't want to be viewed as odd in the eyes of my neighbours but, I just can't help but to be concerned...

Ran Hoshino: No, not at all. Every little bit of information you provide will ultimately help in crime prevention of the area.

Ran Hoshino: Please feel free to contact us again if you find anything amiss.

Old Lady: Yes, thank you. I'll be leaving it to you then.

Ran Hoshino: Urgency: Low. Location: Shinjuku District 6. Classification: Suspicious person...There.

It has already been 2 months since we nabbed the perpetrators involved in X-Day; 2 months since the destruction of Adonis.

And those of us in the Shinjuku station spent the end of the year post-processing and cleaning up the mess it left behind all the way through the New Years.

But in all honestly, truth to be told... The SRCPO's job hasn't changed significantly from the past, much unlike the other departments.

We mainly deal with minor reports detailing minor offenses on a day-to-day basis and gathering all information related to X-Day.

Working alongside the Life Safety Division, we strive towards attaining regional security and crime prevention. Our goal and the amount of work we do is no different now.

Ran Hoshino: Whew...

I looked up after entering all the records from our conversation and saw Mochida-senpai crack his neck a couple of times before he made to stand up and leave his seat.

Masanobu Mochida: How about you take a break now, Hoshino? I see that the wave of reports have finally calmed down.

Ran Hoshino: Good work, Mochida-senpai. There were really a lot of them today.

Masanobu Mochida: Yeah. During the X-Day Incident, I was always thought to myself about how I wanted to resolve the case as soon as possible and free myself from the daily madness of being kept busy everyday, but...

Masanobu Mochida: I never would have thought that I'd be even busier after we finally managed to wrap the case up.

Ran Hoshino: I think that just goes to show how much everyone's getting jittery in their boots waiting for the quarantine to lift. 

Ran Hoshino: Even the calls I got today! 60% of them were all regarding the matter of when the quarantine ban was to be lifted!

Masanobu Mochida: I'm about the same as you in that aspect. "I want to make a bullet train reservation, so could I please know the date of when the quarantine ban will be lifted?"

Mochida-senpai replied with a bitter smile.

There's a platform specifically meant for those enquiries, we are faced with a situation where everyone is more concerned about special defence measures due to X-Day.

While I'm glad that our direct hotline is becoming more widely known, it's quite a challenge deciding if special defence can handle the enquires and redirecting them elsewhere.

Ran Hoshino: Seems like it'll take a while for the system to calm down...Still, I feel like the number of calls have drastically reduced now.

Masanobu Mochida: It's been 10 months since Adonis made their first statement...This just goes to show that everyone is able to have a peace of mind now that the turbulent times are over.

Ran Hoshino: ............

The case is over.

Rolling the words over the tip of my tongue, I turned and fixtated my gaze at the window.

Ran Hoshino: ...Mochida-senpai. The X-Day Incident is truly over, right?

Masanobu Mochida: What's with that out of the blue?

Masanobu Mochida: Of course, not everything has been solved. We'd have caught all the suspects if that were so.

Masanobu Mochida: Adonis has been destroyed and the isolation ban, lifted. I think it's fine to say it's done and over with for now.

Ran Hoshino: ...I guess you're right.

My hands ghosted over my neck, feeling the skin there despite no longer feeling the weight of the collar.

I could only feel the warmth radiating from my skin through the material of my shirt.

Gone was the feeling of the restrictive and cold collar that had used to be there.

Ran Hoshino: (I guess I should count my lucky stars that I'm still able to continue my line of work in the police...)

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

--Last year, December.

A collar had been placed upon my being by Adonis. The day that we were threatened by the coming of X-Day.

[We'll kill you if you tell the police]

Bound by those words, I was forced to rely on on others, those not of the police. Investigating in secret.

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

But the X-Day Incidents continued on, the victims increasing by the day.

Even if we managed to catch the perpetrators, their memories were erased. We were utterly helpless.

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

Stuck, I made my decision then. --I'd tell the police everything.

It was inevitable that I'd become a burden to the police, to get the collar off and to solve the case. Of course, with it came the fact that my life itself was also endangered.

We still managed to remove the collar in the end thanks to the help of Sasazuka-kun and co. And above all...

We were able to nab Adonis thanks to the trust that the Investigation Headquarters had in my words.

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

They took my actions in stride, choosing to go along with my choices rather than to abandon me.

It is only with thanks to a good many others that I am now able to stay on as a police officer.

Ran Hoshino: (That's right...There's no longer any need for me to fear my death, no need for me to be afraid that today might be the day I breathe my last.)

I was finally able to let go of that one fear of mine now that Adonis has been destroyed.

And the city of Shinjuku too.

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

My throat's going to get wrecked by winter if I'm to continue picking up calls all morning.

I've still got some time...I should go get some tea and lozenges before my break ends.

Someone called out to me, just as I headed out with that intention in mind.

???: Good work today, Hoshino-san.

Ran Hoshino: Oh, Minegishi-san. Good work today. I didn't know that you were coming over today.

Seiji Minegishi: Yes, I came to see how the Investigation Headquarters' faring.

Seiji Minegishi: I have to show my face around here once in a while since I am the commissioner after all. Otherwise, people will start questioning my position.

Minegishi Seiji, the individual overseeing the X-Day case back in the Investigation Headquarters.

He was always stuck around the Shinjuku station, giving out commands during the incident.

Since the case has been closed and marked solved, he's now more often found in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department now that things have settled down.

So, it's been about three days since I last saw his face around here.

Ran Hoshino: You're going back and forth the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department now, right?

Seiji Minegishi: Yes, I have some other cases to handle now that the X-Day Incident is more or less resolved.

Seiji Minegishi: What about you, Hoshino-san...? How's everything after that ordeal?

Ran Hoshino: Well, the reports regarding that matter has reduced considerably. But, I can't help but to feel that the dams holding in the public's anxiety has been broken...

Seiji Minegishi: Ah...Yes, while that is also a cause for concern, I'm actually asking about you, yourself.

Ran Hoshino: Huh?

Seiji Minegishi: Because you're the only one who Adonis has "allowed to live" despite being in direct contact with them.

Ran Hoshino: Oh...

My hand unconciously reached up to my neck.

We have yet to find the perpetrator who had placed the collar on me.

Despite the fact that they had ran away, we can't ignore the possibility of them returning.

It was natural for him to harbour doubts. Realizing his apparently concern, I adverted my eyes and turned away.

Ran Hoshino: Nothing much has changed...

Minegishi-san had widened his eyes in response before a wry smile formed on his face.

Seiji Minegishi: ...I apologise. It wasn't my intention to corner you between a wall and a hard place, I was just concerned about your mental state.

Ran Hoshino: Come again?

Seiji Minegishi: A good many things happened throughout the incident. So...When you really think about it, I don't think you can say that you have a peace of mind yet.

Ran Hoshino: No, I'm fine and well. ...I've really must have been a hassle to you. I thank you for all the help and consideration you have extended to me.

Seiji Minegishi: It wasn't me at all, no. I didn't do anything. In fact, I think Sasazuka-kun and the rest were the ones who had truly managed to help your cause.

Ran Hoshino: Oh, yes. Of course. I was just about to go visit them again.

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

The odd combination of a group of people who had left the police force for one reason or another, working together to uncover the secrets of the X-Day case. ——Also known as the "Investigation Headquarters".

They had all separated ways and continued down their own paths in lives after the X-Day case had been closed. I was indebted to them.

And Sasazuka-san, who had just recently re-joined the force had gone back to the Metropolitan Police Department.

I heard that Enomoto-san and Yanagi-san we're both struggling to run a full-fledged detective agency on their own, a 2-man team.

And I've also heard that Shiraishi-san had taken a long vacation, disappearing off to god knows where...

Just recalling their individual faces made nostalgia well up within me.

—— —— ≿————-　❈　————-≾ —— ——

Ran Hoshino: It certainly does feel a little odd. To think that the case was closed just 2 months ago...

Seiji Minegishi: Heh, well you're absolutely right. It doesn't quite strike you as reality, seeing as how the quarantine ban has yet to be lifted as of yet.

Seiji Minegishi: I'm sure the citizens feel the same way too.

Ran Hoshino: I think so too. Most of the calls we've been receiving are more often than not citizens who are voicing their concerns.

Seiji Minegishi: ...In any case, there has been no reoccurring cases ever since Adonis was shut down despite there being remanants of them lurking about.

Ran Hoshino: Yes, but on the contrary...

Ran Hoshino: ............

Seiji Minegishi: Hoshino-san?

He looked at me curiously, noting the slight hesitance on my end.

Softly prompted by him, I opened my mouth once more to speak my mind.

Ran Hoshino: Crime rates have actually fallen as of late and there are lesser large-scale crimes that aren't related to Adonis. I'm sure the statistics show as such too.

Ran Hoshino: "Because Adonis had become a deterrent".

...That's right. It's been quite the hot topic on the internet recently. So much that most people actually agree on this as a whole.

Adonis had simply brought justice onto whom they deemed evil in their eyes.

Of course, their the whys and wherefores of their actions were unacceptable, but still...

Weren't they rather effective? They made criminals afraid of commiting criminal acts. They feared that they'd be next to face the brunt of it all.

The plausibility of that story is still being widely discussed over the net even now.

Seiji Minegishi: I see. So you're saying that there's a dwindling rate of crime thanks to Adonis?

Ran Hoshino: It feels rather conflicting when you actually read about someone justificating Adonis...

Ran Hoshino: Even though Adonis should be no doubt, evil in terms of legal and human rights--

Seiji Minegishi: Well, they're not exactly wrong either. It is a fact that Adonis does exact justice, in a sense.

Ran Hoshino: Eh...!? Seiji Minegishi: It is without a doubt that those whom they've disposed of did have some shady business.

Seiji Minegishi: But ethics aside, I think they exact justice on those people because they believe that they're right.

Ran Hoshino: But...Their actions are only lynching and nothing else!

Ran Hoshino: The school bombings and net-game killings, even if it's for revenge, it's still no reason to cause deaths across the board!

I've never had such a mindset for vengeance, not one that'd drive me to such viciousness.

That's why I can also never understand just how hurt and broken the suspects are.

That being said, this country still has it's laws. You'll only be denying the police's existence if you let them go scot-free like that.

Ran Hoshino: I don't think that such a terrible sight is justice at all...

There are many videos up on the net. I clenched my fist, recalling how bloody it was.

He gave a small chuckle in reply.

Seiji Minegishi: ...It's exactly as you say, Hoshino-san. Their judging criterias are way too general and vague that one may find it subjective.

Seiji Minegishi: If everyone could exact their own revenge, the vicious cycle will only continue to no end.

Ran Hoshino: ...You're right.

Seiji Minegishi: So even if Adonis was upholding and exacting justice as they deemed fit...

Seiji Minegishi: They are still to become outlaws of this country for passing judgement against the law.

Slow but steady, the evil will grow.

Minegishi-san placed his hand upon my shoulder, a small smile on his lips.

Seiji Minegishi: Seems like we had a misunderstanding. I don't agree with Adonis' way of handling things.

Seiji Minegishi: It's just that, I'm sure...That there a still a handful of people out there who still believe in their version of justice.

Seiji Minegishi: Even if Adonis is destroyed now, there's no denying the possibility of a second or third Adonis being created due to them.

Seiji Minegishi: ...And that's precisely why we must strive to understand how and why people sympathise and agree with Adonis on that matter.

Ran Hoshino: Right... You do have a point.

Seiji Minegishi: Have more confidence in yourself. You did the right thing.

Ran Hoshino: Thank you...

Previously looking at me in encouragement, his eyes slid close as he smiled.

Thinking about it, this might actually be the first time we've talked together so closely.

Feeling unrest, I opened my mouth to speak again.

Ran Hoshino: You're amazing.

Ran Hoshino: You're always so logical about things. I guess you're reliable and that's a relief.

Seiji Minegishi: Haha. Well, the subordinates wouldn't know what to believe if even the boss' blur as a squid.

He laughed at his own joke before jolting up, as if he had just remembered something.

Seiji Minegishi: You say I'm "amazing", but... I think you're the amazing one here.

Ran Hoshino: Amazing? Me?

Seiji Minegishi: Of course. Do you not remember how you were collared during the X-Day incident, putting your life at stake...

Seiji Minegishi: Any normal person, regardless of whether they're a police officer will have been used as a spy to get them leaks on inside info.

Seiji Minegishi: But you managed to put up a resistance till the very end, even going so far as to sacrifice your being. Not everyone's capable of that.

Seiji Minegishi: But more than anything else...We were able to control the Adonis situation thanks to your trust in the police and it's top brass.

Ran Hoshino: No, I should be the one saying that. It was thanks to the trust you and the rest of the Investigation Headquarters had in me.

Ran Hoshino: I was only able to get out of that precarious situation thanks to all of your instructions on how I should proceed with that collar on me,

Seiji Minegishi: ...How humble, not to mention, how stubborn.

Ran Hoshino: Sorry. But it's a fact that I didn't do anything...

Ran Hoshino: This all happened only because they didn't decide to kill me first, right off the bat. I mean even I'd have no choice but to comply

Ran Hoshino: if they told me that "We'll kill you if you refuse to become a spy for us right now".

Seiji Minegishi: That seems plausible. Truth to be told, it is your courage and judgement that has brought peace to Shinjuku as it is right now.

Seiji Minegishi: I was probably able to lead this case to it's closure only because the collar was on you.

That being said, being told as such tickles me a a little on the sides and I can't help being humble.

I just so happened to have the collar forced upon me and managed to successfully close the case.

Unable to hold his gaze any longer, I found myself adverting my eyes from his.

Seiji Minegishi: ...But...

He trailed off.

Seiji Minegishi: Why were you the one they chose?

Ran Hoshino: What?

Seiji Minegishi: ............

He stared at me, lips forming a frown as he pondered over something.

--Why was it me?

It was the very same question that had been circling through my head back then.  

I couldn't see why it had to be me.

Ran Hoshino: Minegishi-san? Um-

Office Announcement: Calling for the Shinjuku Station's Special crime prevention. A report has come in from a public phone in a park at Shinjuku's 6th district.

Office Announcement: The caller sounds like a girl, reporting that she was going to be killed and managed to escape.

Office Announcement: All patrols in the vincinity are to head to the scene, immidietely. I repeat, a report has come in from Shinjuku's 6th district-

Ran Hoshino: That announcement!

Seiji Minegishi: Indeed. It's not time for a drawn-out conversation right now. I'll head to the Crime Department.

Ran Hoshino: Of course!

——≿————-𝕿𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊… ————-≾ ——

#Collar X Malice #Collar X Malice Unlimited #Collar X Malice -Unlimited- #CxM #CxM-unlimited- #CxMu #Otome #Translations #Seiji Minegishi

[cutegirlmayra]

Lavinya the Red Fox’s part in Soler’s story

This is for @solerwolf21​‘s story, where he was wondering if I’d let Lavinya have a cameo for it!

Here’s the scenario he gave me for my Sonic OC (Who is OP and basically Genie-like from Aladdin. Just a jester, comedy relief character to be honest, but as brilliant as Jack Sparrow’s accidental tomfoolery)

Our chat: 

solerwolf21 : Alright if your down theres two the first is like an intro to the character if you want but basically shes doing some task around the base (leave that up you) and she's about to bite it in doing the task but Soler comes to help her and we learn that they know each other (this definitely isn't the first time he's helped her)

The second is later on Shay escapes and Soler, Shadow and Sally are late to get there but someone is distracting him turns out is its our girly (again you can go nuts with whatever it is shes doing) but before Shay could get in a hit Soler comes in for the save again and though he tries to scold her slightly she feels she's saved the day (which she sorta did lol)

cutegirlmayra : Lol sounds legit how Lavinya behaves lol My first idea is that he's trying to get past her and she slams her hand into the wall to block him and looks up like, "Hey, you're hot." and he's like really confused. "I didn't say that out loud." And he's like, "Are you an idiot?" and she goes, "Wow, but you said that out loud." lolololol

I wrote this immediately after:

First part:

It wasn’t long before the base was trying to recover, and work continued with only a minor set of hiccups…

“HYUK!” A red fox with strange blonde hair suddenly flung her back up from bending over to collect some files out of a cabinet. “Hyuk! Hyuk!” she seemed to have hiccups, and looked around for some water.

Not finding any, her tails suddenly shot her back and made her jolt towards what looked like a corner. “Ow! Hey!” the tail, as though having a mind of its own, felt around a moment before finding a cooler and began to pour a drink.

When it presented the drink to her, she sighed in relief, “HYUK!” she quickly took the cup and drank down the water, holding her breath to try and get rid of the hiccups while the tail seemed to ‘shake it’s head’ at her stupidity to even manage her own life.

“Office work…” she plugged her mouth to not hiccup, when nothing came out, she slowly opened the hand like a barn door… looked down to her mouth to wait… and then continued, “Isn’t really my forte…”

She was startled again when Soler walked by, seeming troubled and maybe focused on staying lost in his thoughts before his foot crinkled a piece of paper in his speedy walk.

“Huh?” He bent down and picked up the paper, amazed by it’s importance before examining the rest of the room. “Why are all these documents scattered everywhere?” He must have thought they were still being ransacked, so the Red fox girl quickly ran over to aid him.

“N-no-no! It’s just a light hurricane of hiccups.” She wagged her hands out in front of her as though to calm him, but he thought she was speaking metaphorically and sighed.

“Lavinya… why is it there’s always a hurricane of something when it comes to you?” He helped her picked up the papers, “You’re more suited for something where you can move around… maybe not something as delicate as… paperwork organizing.” he looked at the crinkled pieces of important papers and sighed again, ‘Who put her up to this anyway?’

“Hehe… yeah… well,... my portal hopping and poofing doesn’t exactly suit well with the princess…” She gulped, feeling her nicely cooled throat by the cold water as she did so. “They say I’m too dangerously unstable for a mission…. Since I could compromise things, and I’m not too good a messenger since I either forget or lose the message in the process. And last time, my brilliant tape recorder was almost stolen by Eggman’s forces too… soo…. I’m kinda here.” she looked around the office, showing her disdain but also sorrow at being so useless to everyone. “I can’t control my powers… so I can’t really follow directives.” she picked up another paper, and her tail swished to do the same, holding it up to her like a mouth of a creature.

She smiled sweetly and took it, “Anyway, that must be hard to understand, right?”

He looked down, thinking hard about what she said. “Actually? I completely understand.” he flopped the papers down on the desk and walked by her, patting her shoulder. “You’ll master your abilities in time. Keep at it. I know there’s a special word and symbol we can’t say or draw around you, but besides that, you’re kinda impossible to defeat, right?”

“Defeat?” She looked a little offended, “What am I? A monster to you!?”

“Well, you do say your tail is a evil mastermind.” he jokingly pointed to her tail, which at the time, was acting like a normal tail. “Who’s to say you aren’t just covering for your random tendencies to cause trouble?”

“I don’t mean too!” She slammed the papers on the desk and stormed after him. “Hey! Soler! Wait!”

“I’m leaving you in the hurricane.” he waved behind him, smiling slightly at how silly this crazy girl could get, but knew in his heart her circumstances weren’t so far off from his own… except, they were completely different, but the feelings and desires to be enough for others were the same.

----

Situation 2:

Shay flexed through the dust of his latest attack, brushing off the rubble and then cracking his individual fingers, “My poor neck…” He taunted, cracking it before rolling his shoulders as though just coming out of a leisurely spa-day. “Now… where is that charming brother of mine..?” he turned to what looked like an office, room with the wall crumbling away from it. “They don’t just kill themselves, now do they?” he continued to march with a purpose before seeing a blonde but red fox girl stick her head up, trembling, from below a desk.

He smirked, seeing the fear. He gestured for her to slowly withdraw back behind the desk, and her blue eyes just simply blinked at his gesture.

He held a finger up to his mouth as though she should remain silent, and continued towards the door.

However, before he could reach it, she slammed her hand into the wall just before the door, putting her elbow up to loop her hand behind her head, and pretended to seem like she was just chilling there.

She stuck up her lower lip and continued to play it cool… even seeing his eyes… slowly… narrow to a deadly, hostile glare of annoyance.

She thought fast, “You’re hot.” she slipped out, checking him out in a humorous way that was completely faked.

Confused, he just narrowed his eyes and slightly withdrew his neck back at her appalling display. “What did you just say?”

“Nothing out loud, I can assure you.” While her hand was behind her, she silently kept snapping it, waiting for something to randomly happen. A rubber duck poofed in behind her head and landed behind her. As it squeaked about hitting the ground, rolling till it’s head got in the way, he slowly turned to glance down at it, then raise an eyebrow.

“Eh heh, office decor. They say it’s like your home so…” she stopped herself from furthering that awkward sentence…

She kept snapping and many random items fell from behind her. A miniature rowboat, a toy snake, a slinky, a stuffed puppy, before Shay finally had enough of it.

“Are you an idiot?” he grabbed her hand that was--not so secretly--snapping and shoved her back against the door.

“Ow!” she flinched, her eye twitching slightly at the pain. “Well, you said that out loud.”

“I won’t say this again.” He leaned in and softly spoke out such harsh and cruel words, twisting his grip to really tighten and pain her arm further. “Get out of my way, witch.”

Her eyes widened slightly.

She flexed out her hand and fell back through a portal.

Out of surprise, he let her go, amazed as the vortex looked so incredibly pitch-black with other minor colors swirling around that he honestly thought she just did something magical. He felt around the space, unable to see anything, before the red fox girl’s head popped out from the ceiling.

“Yoohoo!” she called and he turned around to blast a Chaos beam at her, but she was already portaling to another spot in the office. She blew a raspberry as he suddenly was playing whack-a-mole with this strange fox girl.

“What kind of power is this!?” he stepped back and slid on the rubber ducky, causing him to fall on the rowboat which blasted a horn. He covered his ear and turned, but that triggered the toy snake which clomped on his nose. “AH!” he jumped up to his knees but the Red Fox girl grabbed the slinky by having her two arms stick out of the portals, making a pretty twisty bow as she locked his legs together.

He tried to get up but stumbled from the horrible knot and fell down again, unable to move much but he did struggle.

As he fell, she removed the soft puppy plushie as his head hit the ground hard, and then proceeded to look at the puppy as though not sure how this would help but started whacking him with it.

The door opened and seeing her friends, she held her hands up and swayed them over her face, “Hurricane~” she teased, knowing only Soler would get the reference.

She had stalled him just long enough, and that was honestly her goal.

“Lavinya…” Sally marveled, seeing him struggling to break the slinky and realizing that her power made it an unordinary slinky. “Did you do this?” she looked at her in awe.

Lavinya flexed like a strong man a few times, her tail joining her, “Well, ah-ha, yeah, I did~” she showed off, “But I was honestly going for a sword…” she deflated herself a bit and let her arms dangle down from her hunched back in front of her. Her head also seemed despondent.

“Hmph, maybe you’re not just a clown after all.” Shadow walked by her, rubbing her head as her entire character changed to sudden glee, and he went to finish the ‘rope-tying’ she had started.

“ENOUGH!” Shay blasted the room with a Chaos Blast that had each of them shoved up against a wall.

“Offph..! He hit the mole…” she joked, even while in pain, and slid to the ground. He was strong enough to finally break the strange alien slinky as the rest of Lavinya’s summoned objects suddenly poofed out of existence once she was hit and fell to the ground.

She gripped her head, and as he grabbed her tail--which mimicked biting him, as though it had regained it’s separate personality from her again--looked as though ready to rip her to shreds.

“I’m not very fond of games…”

“Lavinya!” Soler swung a punch to a--once again--distracted Shay and helped her up. “What did I say about trouble!?”

“Sally… S-Shadow…” Lavinya weakly pointed to them as Shay’s eyes shook.

“Oh no.”

-need more @solerwolf21​? lol it was fun xD- (This is based on my commission I made for him as well.)

I JUST REALIZED THAT THE COOLER WOULD HAVE FLOODED AND THE RUBBER DUCKY SLIP AND FLOATING ALONG THE SLIPPERY FLOOR WOULD HAVE MADE SO MUCH SENSE AND BEEN SO MUCH MORE FUNNY LOLOLOL

Note: My spell check is the WORST on the planet, so if there’s some errors forgive me T-T

#cutegirlmayra #solerwolf21 #lavinya the red fox #sonic oc #cutegirlmayra oc #me ocs #me sonic ocs #me writings #lavinya dabble #me dabbles #me prompts

[constantlyirksome]

A Case for Big Mouth and Why it Works (Season 3 Review.)

South Park, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, for a long time we’ve been saddled with adult cartoons whose main goals were shock and awe to set them apart. But recently, with the introduction of streaming creators are taking risks. Bojack Horseman, a show equal in its whimsy and despair, is about to air it’s final, sixth season, proving a show can be mature, and tackle adult issues, and not resort to cheap shots or punching down with racism or sexism.

Big Mouth, created by Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg may not shy away from lewd, offensive and downright disturbing visuals, but I would argue that it falls more in the thoughtful and complex category.

The third season is just as debauched, but it still manages to carve out a lot of time to make thoughtful observations, in between dick jokes and people wanting to fuck turkeys. Peppered in here and there are jokes that are actually well crafted, and storylines that are progressive and joyful.

Season 3 picks up right after the Valentines Day special. Andrew, a newly recruited incel and asshole has gone full entitled male, violent chauvinist while his best friend Nick, now guided by Connie the hormone monstress, becomes more thoughtful, trying to become an ally to the girls in his school. He’s not good at it but he tries.

Guiding these two, and all the other freaks in their class, are Connie and Maurice the hormone monsters, who push the kids to do stupid things without thinking in an apt representation of how shit puberty actually feels. Maya Rudolph as Connie has been the shows MVP every season, her voice dripping like honey as she tells Nick and Jessie to rob people and jack it.

That’s my favourite thing about Big Mouth, all aspects of human development and thinking are recognized by some form of beast, wizard or hag driving the process. The embodiment of human shame, Shame Wizard, last season’s breakout star voiced by Harry Potter’s David Thewlis, only appeared once in S3, but many new friends showed up that were just as nuts. An old flying hag starts following Andrews's mother around, the embodiment of menopause, screaming both the joys and heartache of a woman’s reproductive going out of business sale. Voiced by Carol Kane (Kimmy Schmidt) she teaches Mrs. Glouberman to embrace her new stage of life.

A talking phone name Cellsea voiced by Chelsea Peretti sucks Nick into the virtual vortex, the embodiment of the human addiction to screens and phones. She’s basically Gina from B99 in a phone, she bullies and berates nick, goading him to do irresponsible shit, and it’s marvelous. Returning are the talking ladybug, Mirror Missy, Depression Kitty (a giant purple cat representing depression) and many more.

The creators of this show are coming out with a spinoff called “Human Resources”, which will likely feature all these whimsical nightmares that I’m very much looking forward to.

Bigmouth S3 focuses on more than the two boys this season, giving thoughtful, and dare I say heart-warming stories for it’s more minor characters Missy, Jay and Matthew. Matthew (another disciple of the always horny Maurice) has his first kiss with another boy, successfully taming his hormones (proving men can do this) to have a sweet romance with him. Missy grapples with being “too nice”, letting her mean alter ego loose against toxic men and bullies in a truly marvelous way.

Jay finally comes to terms with who he is.  After being all sorts of confused on Valentines, he binge watches a Netflix show about a queer magician to try and help him understand who he is. After an amazing musical number featuring Martin Short and the ghost of Freddie Mercury on the many different ways you may choose to self identify he becomes sure and confident in his own bisexuality. It’s an awesome thing to see a young kid unapologetically say he’s bi, refuting people who think “bi is just a stop towards gay.” With the help of a new pansexual classmate Ali (voiced by Ali Wong) encourages him he feels okay telling his classmates.

Although he lives with Nick and his parents most of the season after his family “home alones” him, not for the first time, he’s able to go home finally to try to help his family grow like he has.

The season tackles current politics, first with the trappings of toxic masculinity and double standards in how males and females are supposed to behave. At one point Andrew (before realizing what a jackass he’s being and unintentionally ending up at a Nazi rally) says “I do feel out of control all the time and I think I’ll use that as an excuse for my actions.” After starting an online manifesto the girls and Nick help him realise this is not the way to go. Mr. Lizer the fake woke teacher at the school is a cautionary tale against following this thought process into adulthood, coming across as truly repulsive.

Nick’s obsession with his phone and that whole storyline DOES feel like a boomer wrote it “kids these days on their phone”, it’s a bit ham-fisted but Cellsea is so funny and rude that it is still an entertaining plot thread.

Other funny threads include an incestuous trip to Florida, a story about the history of female orgasms and vibrators which is actually pretty informative, and a PSA against selling ADHD medication to people who don’t need it. Although these stories border on the obscene they never punch down. A person’s identity is never the butt of a joke, they’re celebrated (there’s a lovely little creative scene that describes the story and relevance of Passover Seder).

So go watch season three of big mouth! If you can look past all the cartoon genitals there’s something in there for everyone. Plus it’s worth it to watch Coach Steve (who is more of a cryptid that pops up for a few frames every episode this season) get a makeover from Queer Eye’s fab five, and to hear Tan France call him a “really dumb man.”

#big mouth #nick kroll #jenny slate #john mulaney #maya rudolph #chelsea peretti #jason mantzoukas #nick birch #connie the hormone monstress #maurice the hormone monster #andrew glouberman #reviews

[wondersbeyondcompare]

Twisted Wonderland OC: Majid

Wow, this was long overdue, but I finally got his basic profile together (・・;) Here, have some doodles I made of him just to get his design consistent 😆

*EDIT: I managed to get more of his backstory stuff together as well as make some minor tweaks to other parts of his profile, so I’m reblogging this again just in case anyone was interested in an update!*

***

“Don’t you dare try to wake me... You’re no diamond in the rough after all...”

Full Name: Majid Shahin

Name Meaning: Majid (“Glorious”); Shahin (“worthy of a king”) [Somehow remembered his parents giving him his first name before their disappearance; chose his last name from a bakery he was fond of back then]

Dorm: Scarabia

Year: 1st year

Birthday: May 12

Age: 16 years

Height: 5’10”/1.78 m

Place of Origin: Land of the Hot Sands

Voice Headcanon: Komatsu Shouhei

Personality: Usually seen sleeping at the entrance of the Scarabia dorm as if he were some kind of underpaid security guard (which he technically is, but he doesn’t take his job too seriously, much to the annoyance of Jamil who gave him this task in the first place). If he’s not sleeping, Majid acts mildly annoyed with everyone he meets. He acts a bit kinder towards people with a good heart or those he’s interested in observing. Majid can fulfill most tasks that are asked of him, and, of course, there has to be a bribe, but the type of bribe involved depends on the person. If a person has good intentions behind the task they’re asking of him, Majid will ask for something that is relatively easy for them to acquire; if the person has bad intentions, however, the item he asks for becomes much harder to get. However, even Majid can’t clearly define the line b/w “good” and “bad”, so sometimes his requests just depend on how he feels throughout the day. If a person tries to offer him something that doesn’t meet his standards, he will shut them down. Hard. There are times Majid will help out other people on his own initiative, but this is very rare and something he adamantly avoids doing.

He likes things like money and expensive objects, but he acts more like a collector of these items rather than actually using them as a status symbol/showing off his wealth. Somewhat like a hoarder in that aspect but this may also just be a habit he had formed while growing up. Also fond of observing certain people in order to understand their motivation behind their actions, but, honestly, if he had to choose b/w this hobby and sleep, he would much rather choose the latter. 

Likes: Naps, money, expensive items, lava lamps, honesty, warm weather, sand sculptures, his magical abilities, being secure, golden jewelry, meat, puzzles, magic carpet rides, some sweets

Dislikes: Liars, cowards, passive aggressive people, directly interacting with people in general, cold weather, whenever his Scarabia upperclassmen drag him into their shenanigans

Background: 

Majid doesn’t remember much from his childhood, but the absence of any kind of support system (both financially and emotionally) left him at a disadvantage while growing up. He would often spend his days roaming the streets in search of necessities, relying on both resources given to the homeless from certain establishments or resorting to stealing from vendors behind their backs. The orphanages in the area were far too few and poorly maintained, so Majid tried his best to avoid being picked up by the workers there in order to at least keep his freedom by staying out on the streets. 

Although the young boy was often found alone, he did at one time manage to make some friends with some of the other children in the area, tagging along on their little adventures throughout the town. This was the one time he felt like he belonged somewhere; where he was surrounded by people who actually wanted him around as much as he did with them. Unfortunately, this feeling led Majid to become overly dependent on the group, sometimes purposely delaying their adventures just so they could stay together a little longer. He didn’t really think of himself as selfish for doing this nor did he see it as something wrong. But eventually the group became fed up with these delays once it began to cause troubles with their families back home. They kicked him out of their group, admitting that they only let him join in the first place because they and their parents pitied him since he was the poor, annoyingly clingy orphan with nowhere else to go. At first Majid couldn’t believe them, desperately denying to himself that what they were saying wasn’t true, that maybe they were just saying this out of anger and everything will right itself in the morning. 

And that was when, at the worst possible time, one of his powers revealed itself to him. The ability to see into other people’s hearts. It wasn’t as if he heard an otherworldly voice telling him if they were lying or not, but rather it came as an overwhelming epiphany. He sensed every bit of their frustration with him, their anger at his actions, as well as the brutal honesty behind their words, all in a new kind of clarity. Majid couldn’t bring himself to respond at that moment, not even after they had long left him behind. Once he snapped out of his stupor, the boy tried to compose himself by carefully sorting out his thoughts and feelings about the situation, but it was no use. He felt numb. And he was alone again. Perhaps this time, for good.

Majid tentatively tested out this new power on various people around town, seeing all the different kinds of malice people held in their hearts. From lying shopkeepers to narcissistic “do-gooders”, everyone had their own hidden agenda, and young Majid could see it all in a frighteningly clear display. He developed a distrust in other people because of this and habitually used his ability whenever he felt like someone was lying to him. He became better at theft, now having less guilt while taking from the vendors because, well, they were “bad people”, so why should he care about hurting them? He was one dishonest person among many, so he wasn’t worried about spoiling the rest of the bunch if they were all rotten in the first place.

Majid didn’t start developing his other magical abilities until this one day when he caught sight of a parade marching through town. After pushing his way through the crowd, he watched in awe at the procession of dancers, musicians, exotic animals, and, at the very end, the smiling young heir of the Land of Hot Sands, just barely keeping his balance on the camel he was seated upon as he showered his excited subjects with golden coins and jewelry. Rather than becoming impressed with the parade itself, Majid admired the respect the heir was given. He knew that this respect was mostly due to the latter’s high social class, so Majid decided to aim for some other goal that would allow him to be viewed favorably by other people. To stick it to those who only saw him as pitiable and useless. In short: he wanted to become rich. 

He learned how to use his power (as well as other abilities he discovered along the way) to his advantage and often offered to do favors for people in exchange for money or other expensive objects. It was slow going, but he accumulated a lot of wealth over the years, with his living spaces resembling that of the inside of the Cave of Wonders in Aladdin. The floors were littered with gold coins, glittering gemstones, ornate vases, and many more riches beyond compare. 

Majid prided himself on his wealth at first, happy with all that he could attain with this kind of lifestyle, whether it be items or connections with those in the upper social classes. But he slowly found himself becoming bored. Majid did think of giving some of his wealth away, yet somehow he couldn’t bear to part with it. It may have been selfish of him to keep it all to himself, but this was all he had; one of the few great accomplishments in his life.  That and he had a general dislike of other people. Majid never found the need to get close to others since his ability could more or less tell him whether they were trustworthy or not. However, this led to him being unable to form any meaningful relationships with anyone else and left him feeling a whole lot lonelier than he wanted to admit. Sort of like an empty feeling in his gut that never went away. Since nothing seemed to satisfy him, Majid would often find himself sleeping his days away. The life he was living at that moment wasn’t fulfilling to him at all, so why bother staying awake all the time? He could afford to laze about a little bit too.

He stumbled upon the Night Raven College by chance… If chance involved being forced into a black coffin and carried off to the middle of nowhere only to awake in some strange castle headed by a sketchy man with a crow mask. Majid was reluctant to join at first but became intrigued at the prospect of a “magical academy”. A place where people had abilities similar to his… Now that didn’t seem boring at all. (Of course, his opinion changed upon meeting Kalim and Jamil, but at that point it was too late to back out of his enrollment 😂)

Majid does try to live up to Scarabia’s overall resourceful attitude, but he often just uses this as an excuse to find the easy way out and “conserving his energy for more important things” by sleeping all day. He’s not easily interested in his surroundings or the meaningless things people seemed to indulge in during their everyday lives. Deep down, Majid wanted something special. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he knew it had to be something irreplaceable and brought him fulfillment. A diamond in the rough.

Powers: 

Sand Manipulation- Can create and manipulate sand; can generate sand storms; can also create quicksand out of regular sand which, if he becomes angry enough, can become strong enough to drag a person’s entire body under

Seeing Into Others Hearts- Uses this ability to figure out a person’s intentions behind their actions; won’t give him exactly what a person is thinking about, but will give him overall *ahem* vibes that come from within them (can sense if a person is lying to him through this ability); his eyes glow a little brighter when he uses this

Summoning Through Scarab Beetle- Not really a power of his own but rather a spell that was cast on his scarab beetle bracelet by his upperclassmen who became angry at him for constantly slinking out of his dorm duties; the beetle resides with the dorm leaders, Kalim, and Jamil; whenever the two halves of the beetle are joined together, Majid is teleported to wherever the beetle is; leads to some pretty rude awakenings for Majid

Lava Manipulation- Can’t actually create lava but can create an illusion of it being there; people can see and feel the effects of the lava he “creates” but it can’t physically hurt them; mentally on the other hand… that’s a different story

#tried to base his powers off of the cave of wonders scenes in aladdin #but i didn’t want to give him too much power b/c 😤 that would only inflate his ego #adding another rich kid to the dorm 😔👌 these darn rich people i swear- #fun fact: he wears sunglasses during school hours so he can try to get away w/ sleeping in class #mostly during lectures #would work if only he could avoid the accidental face plants onto his desk when he nods off lol #twisted wonderland oc #art #my art #my post #Majid

[aurantia-ignis]

First impression

That fuchsia is terrifyingly saturated, why is it so saturated. Actually every character in this game is terrifyingly saturated. ^^; This designer just wants everything to be saturated and bright lol

Impression now

He’s potentially a good boy with all of the set up and his supposed character development IF ONLY THEY MANAGED TO DO IT PROPERLY. I very much enjoy him as a character though =D

Favorite moment

When Rose was all “You screwed up kid, get out of my house” and he was all “DDDDDD:!!!!” and I’m just excitedly going YES because there’s the character development arc I’ve been anticipating for him! <3

Idea for a story

I don’t have any ideas for continuations, but I DO have a lot of ideas for… fix-it fics =w=;;

Because Bede, like Hop (and basically half the Galar crew), had so much potential already written in the game, but he was never allowed to fully reach it. Instead, he was given funny, barely logical scenes to end his supposed character development.

To sum up the points of Bede’s character arc in game: (under a read more)

- Bede was an orphan whom Rose took a minor shine to. He gave him a pokemon and endorsed him. Bede threw himself into the life of a trainer, working hard to gain the approval of Rose

- Oleana orders him to collect Wishing Stars for Rose, and he does so, to the point of doing bad things like destroying an important mural. Rose disowns him, kicks him out of the gym challenge. Bede is devastated and has an existential crisis.

- Opal picks him up because she sees that he is Pink

- Opal starts training Bede ‘harshly’ to succeed her as the Fairy gym leader. Bede put aside Gothorita and Duosion in favour of Fairy type pokemon.

- When he sees the player character, he pleads for a chance to fight them because he thinks that ‘ever since he met said character things have gone wrong’. Even though the player character has done absolutely nothing except defeat Bede in various battles. Bede wants to risk his entire career as a trainer on the battle, promising to retire if he loses.

- Bede loses, and the audience cheers him on asking him to continue. Bede does so as the Fairy Gym Leader.

The problems I have are:

(1) Him just abandoning his psychic pokemon in favour of the fairy aesthetic. One of Gen VIII’s biggest failing, I feel, is how the pokemon, in general, seem more an accessory to the plot than a part of the plot itself. Everyone says they love pokemon, but how many times is that actually shown in what they do?

Both Hop and Bede are shown to abandon their original team mates, and while Hop goes back to use Dubwool and Corviknight, Bede never does. And if he continues his life as the fairy gym leader, he never will (unless he does like Raihan, which. Hey GF, if Raihan is allowed to have a non-dragon Torkoal why can’t Bede use his psychic mons??). And while you might argue ‘Oh they’re just living in Ballonlea with him, he still loves them’, imagine how it feels for the two of them. Having fought with Bede for so long, aiming to become the best trainer with him, protecting him and supporting his goals, suddenly they’re relegated to ‘pet’ status instead of being his battle partners, while he goes off fighting with his fairies. Of course, maybe his mons are happier enjoying the pampered life, but still… The possibility exists. :’(

(2) Bede never gets a chance to play any part in the battle against Eternatus, despite having been a part of bringing that about. His role is supposed to be a pawn used by the villain, who gets a redemption arc, but honestly, it would be a much stronger narrative if Bede is given the chance to make decisions towards his own redemption, instead of being dragged into it by someone else (especially when the way Opal does it looks very much like she isn’t giving him a choice).

(3) Staking his entire career as a trainer sounds like Great Determination, but the fact is, him stepping down a trainer has absolutely no impact on anyone (except his pokemon, poor souls) and is therefore pointless as a threat.

Now, if you’ve gotten to this part, it might sound like I dislike Bede, but I don’t! I actually really like the potential he carries, and I think he’s got a fascinating story and personality! With that said, here’s how I would have wanted to see his character arc executed:

- Bede was an orphan whom Rose took a minor shine to. He gave him a pokemon and endorsed him. Bede threw himself into the life of a trainer, working hard to gain the approval of Rose. His team included Hatenna and Ralts.

- Oleana orders him to collect Wishing Stars for Rose, and he does so, to the point of doing bad things like destroying an important mural. Rose disowns him, kicks him out of the gym challenge. Bede is devastated and has an existential crisis.

- Opal picks him up because she sees that he is Pink (but also she briefly saw him in gym battles and knows that he uses two Fairy/Psychic pokemon). Bede puts up more of an argument along the lines of ‘I don’t know you, you’re weird, just leave me be, I am a failure’, and Opal tells him ‘you can sit here and sulk, or you can come with me and I will MAKE you a success’. Bede is hesitant and uncertain, but chooses to go with her in the end.

- Opal starts training Bede ‘harshly’ to succeed her as the Fairy gym leader. Bede is pushed, but also shown true kindness for the first time in his life. (As the player character, you see him and Opal in Ballonlea in a small cutscene)

- Rose and Eternatus happens. Feeling guilty that he had collected half of the wishing stars that contributed to its awakening, Bede runs away from Ballonlea and goes to the tower. Despite his efforts, he loses to Oleana/Rose, which is where Hop and the player character come in. When player character talks to him, he apologises and asks them to stop Rose and Eternatus.

- After Eternatus events clear up, before the battle with Leon, Bede asks player character for a battle (in the stadium?), because he thinks that having run away from Ballonlea, Opal won’t want to be bothered with him, so he needs a chance to prove that he’s of some use to somebody.

- Bede loses, but Opal has been watching their battle. She pokes him with her umbrella for running away, but praises him for his use of his fairies, and a few other unexpected spectators also cheer for him and how he showed off the fairies. Bede agrees to go back to Ballonlea and continue as the Fairy Gym Leader.

Bede’s character arc was always based on the fact that he wanted to be acknowledged, to gain approval, to be loved like he had never been before, and I’d really have loved to see it come to a satisfying close.

Unpopular opinion

Everything I said above I guess? HAHA. Maybe the fact that he often seems to be seen as the Mean Rival stereotype, but he actually has elements that could have made him shine. He’s unrepentantly mean, he thinks he’s better than everyone which reflects in his attitude and design. Even as a fairy trainer he has a mean streak (which is cool because fae are known to be mean too =D).

I love the fact that he realises he doesn’t need to be the most powerful to be loved; that he finds that measure of peace, which later reflects in the fact that he evolved Sylveon (a mon that evolves from affection). He still wants to beat the player character, but not because he thinks that it’s the only way he can be loved. Rather, it stems from his own desire to be strong, and to show off fairy type pokemon, because after spending time with Opal, he had realised that he does love what he’s doing as gym leader.

Unfortunately the story screwed him over by not committing and giving him the closure he needed in his arc. ;w; Poor Bede.

Favorite relationship

With no one, because none of it was allowed to properly flourish ;w; But I’d have liked Opal and Bede’s relationship if it had been written well! I really, really do like the concept of it ;w;

Favorite headcanon

Everything I said above again LOL. Uhhh I guess on the subject of Pokemon, I’d either have liked him to not have Gothorita and Duosion at all, or he gets to use them in his gym battles like Raihan and Torkoal, or just take out the Psychic pokemon part entirely and he always had a liking for Fairy types, which is another reason why Opal took an interest in him.

(*Special thanks to artpharos for helping to get some of my thoughts out more clearly!)

#thank you for asking #this got EXCEEDINGLY LONG #I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT BEDE COULD HAVE BEEN OK #IT'S ALL THERE IN CANON #EXCEPT NOT #pokemon swosh

[midnightcrewsubs]

MEDITATIONS ON A STRONG MAN... (REPOST)

Since this is the last episode of a series that has taken years to release, I asked (or attempted to anyway)  pretty much every person who was involved in this project if they'd like to say a few words regarding their thoughts on this series and working on it.  So without further ado:

HeatMetal - Founder of Over-Time, Translation checking for last dozen or so episodes, Coolest Dude in Town

stronger is good even though his costume is weird

Steel A Jeeg - KITsubs co-founder, Lead Editor for post-sjutton eps, occasional timer, old person

"Jeeg may have won the battle, but the war still rages on. Onward down the endless road of battle."

sky79 - Timing & Lead Translation episodes 23-39, translation checking for 1-22 v2s

(ANY COMMENTS MOCKING HER SPELLING WILL *NOT* BE TOLERATED)

Something about Stronger? Hmmm.. actually I think it's one of the borest KR series. Especially in the middle, when they revived Titan. But on the other hand, it shows some good scenes, when "villians" are fighting (or at least they try) between themselves for the position they have (or which they could have). I was disappointed when they showed Tachibana as comic chara. .mean, he doesn't deserve it. He is someone, who fought with all Riders after all, so I thouhgt it's somehow

And Shigeru .. he alone is a chara, I wasn't sure how I should feel about at beginning. Sure, he is hero, who protects the world, but the way he uses is a little too "showy". Like he thinks, no one is better than him. But there is something heroic about him. Would you be able to remodel yourself for the sake of your friend? Or something else? He threw all his life away, since the result was him being a cyborg. What could mean, he is immortal in some sense. So he lives forever, even when all his friends or people he knows aren't here.

And in the end, he stays alone. That's sad, don't you think? I think, the decision to remodel oneself takes courage to do it. In the end, when I knew the actor is dead, I've started to like him. Because, we will never see him like that. The actor is dead. In the last episodes, he was similing so brightly and happy, that I could only cry. We will never see that smile again. And the feeling which he gave with his smile at that time was really nice for me.

What I am thankful for is, that this serie brought all the Riders together. This is something I like. I still think the Riders are living in one universe so they should know each other. Going Fighting only alone is something I don't prefer. Showing, that there are others fighting with you for the same goal, is the thing I imagine, when I hear the word "Rider".

About Yuriko. I was crying when she died. Really.  It was such sad ending. And something I thought it's useless. Why couldn't she stay alive? It would be nice to see, how are both of them living after the end. Happily ever after? Or living apart, and remembering the fights they fought together? Since they both liked each other, is there a way they could have lived together? This we will never know.

 I'm not sure if I said everything I wanted I've never thought about talking about it

Abigail - MCS co-founder, Editor for first half of series, occasional timer

I truly enjoyed this series. A fun main characer, fun villians, and silly Showa plots come together in a good way and puts this up there with Black as my favorite Showa Kamen Rider series.

It was fun working on what little I actually did to help sub Stronger (which really wasn't much at all to be honest), and I hope you all had as much fun watching it.

I want to give a special thanks to Jeeg and the KitSubs guys for helping us finish this after real life happened. You guys are amazing.

So with that, I end this post of my thoughts that no one actually cares about with this.

RIP Titan and Shadow, you were too good for this world and I really wish you would have got to fight with each other the entire series. Finally, may Stronger continue to fuck with people forever more.

Zetta - MCS Co-Founder. Belgian, Translation checker for episode 1 and first few post Sjutton episodes.

Stronger is a cool guy and I'm happy he's completely subbed.

Ryoma - Editing for first half dozen eps, All around Deutschbag

I never thought I'd see the day where Stronger is fully subbed... also screw you, Cas.

Sandy - Timer involved with v2s of episodes 2-21

As a series, Stronger has a dedicated spot among my favorites of the Showa era. As a hero, Shigeru has a dedicated spot among my favorites, ever. Stronger is an exciting, emotional ride, from beginning to end, and I’m beyond thrilled that it’s finally been completed for everyone else to enjoy. Soar through the sky! 

Bunny Hat - DVD Encoder, timing assistance, master of DVDs

[Don't really have anything to say] other than how much I hate it when Toei uses laser-disc masters for DVD releases.

Kilo - Project Organizer, distro & Editing, useless

I can almost remember it like it was last month when Abi was talking to me about stuff he had going on and I offered to help with a certain project that was giving him minor technical headaches.  I didn't really know what Kamen Rider was aside from references in Kururu Gunsu.  But I just fell in love with the persona of Jo Shigeru.  The actor portraying him had this (to use a now overused phrased), arrogant swagger that exuded strength and confidence.  Along with delightful side characters like Tackle and Tachibana and over the top villains like MISTER TITAN, it started me on this path to obsession with tokusatsu, kamen rider and fansubbing.

I've made friends, I've lost friends, I've lost sleep, I've laughed and cried.  I'm not sure if I'd do it all over again, but I'd definitely be drawn to and etertained by Stronger no matter how my life turned out.

I'm extremely thankful to everyone who... well "assisted" is too light a word to describe all the manhours and effort put into this project, but I'm happy to have known them all and that in the end it wasn't all for nothing and that now lots of people can potentially enjoy this show as much as I did!

Champstice - Timer involved with v2s of episodes 2-21, Irish Person

Stronger is a show of firsts: First time a rider had a powered-up form, as opposed to just having a sound effect play. First time the antagonists truly fought amongst each other, as opposed to the occasional internal quarrel that usually ended with an evil character that appeared only in that episode being killed off. And the first time we had a female Kamen Rider (Frankly, SPIRITS only explained why she wasn't considered a Kamen Rider after she died, not why she wasn't considered one while alive).

At the same time, it's full of the same spirit and energy that makes Kamen Rider so enjoyable to watch. At least to me anyway. I hope everyone that's been watching Stronger since it was first picked up by MCS truly enjoys watching it's finale. And to those of you that plan to watch it at some point, whether it's soon or not for ages:

Honestly, you're in for a treat.

#showa kamen rider #kamen rider stronger #masked rider stronger #kamen rider #showa tokusatsu #tokusatsu

[cyberramblings]

Ex-CoD Kid’s Thoughts on the New One

I wanna talk about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This is 2019′s Call of Duty game (there is one every year). This is a little confusing because it is a reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series that started with 2007′s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The first three Call of Duty games were set in World War II, which is funny since the whole series is now associated with a modern or near-future setting in most of the games, to the point where 2017′s Call of Duty: WWII stood out by being set in World War II again, which hadn’t been done since 2008′s Call of Duty: World at War (which was the first one to ditch the numbers and also the first one I got into as a kid).

Anyways, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (the 2019 game, which I will now call MW) is one of the biggest leaps the series has taken in a while. These games are kind of notorious for not changing much from entry to entry. The Call of Duty franchise is also kind of notorious for alternating between three different developers in order to crank out a game every year. This gets a little weird because obviously the franchise as a whole shares a lot of traits and code in common, but for example, the Modern Warfare subseries and its corresponding characters can only be touched by one of the three developers, while another of the developers has exclusive rights to the Black Ops subseries and its characters. All this to say that yes, a new Call of Duty game, but the folks (Infinity Ward) who make it only get to make a new one every third year (formerly every other year until the PS4/Xbox One era).

Well, I guess what I mean to say here is that the Call of Duty games tend to be two steps forward, one step back. There’s actually relatively little consensus on which features to include or throw away between games. 2018′s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 got rid of regenerating health, only for 2019′s MW to bring it back, but also bring back Black Ops 4′s healthkit item. Imagine that times a hundred every year. Even Call of Duty fans usually don’t agree on which features should return or not.

So with that all being said, MW introduces the most new features that I can recall in a Call of Duty going all the way back to its namesake (CoD4) which either invented or popularized the modern model for picking a loadout and unlocking new items for it. I want to run through a few of them and why I like them.

1 - Attachments Reborn

Call of Duty has long featured attachments for guns as an integral part of multiplayer gameplay. At first, you would have to pick between a scope or a silencer or more bullets. The red dot sights were so popular that some of the games introduced ways to have multiple attachments, but at the cost of other parts of your loadout, such as forgoing grenades. MW finally, gloriously allows you to have up to five attachments on your gun with no tradeoff.

It also features far more attachments than before, up to 70 on some guns as opposed to the dozen or so maximum before. This is because there are multiple subvariants of suppressor, stock, laser, nearly two dozen scopes even if they mostly fall under a handful of categories. This also means that attachments are less of a pure upgrade and more of a trade off, but this means you can transform almost every gun into more of a short range weapon or long range weapon. It’s really satisfying to transform a gun into something it’s not, especially when you need to for...

2 - Camo Challenges

Call of Duty the last decade has featured unlockable camouflage patterns as a reward. At first, they were an incentive to get headshots with each weapon, then later special camo challenges would be unlocked after getting all the headshot-based camos. MW skips that first step and has you unlocking  ten categories of camo challenges, each with ten camos each as you complete the specific task. At first, the challenges are things like getting kills, getting headshots, getting kills while crouching, but later they become getting 3 kills in a row, getting kills from far away, etc.

What this essentially means is that every single gun in the game has 100 little milestones of progress and each of those milestones has a tangible cosmetic reward that even other players can see. After getting all 100 camos for a gun, you get the 101st camo: Gold! But it gets better: getting Gold for every gun one of a certain type (assault rifle, pistol, etc.) unlocks Platinum for all guns of that type! One step further: getting Platinum for every gun type (and thus Gold for every gun) unlocks Damascus (named after Damascus Steel), which is a cool multicolored camo. More importantly, it shows that you spent a lot of time getting these challenges done. And most importantly, it basically means that you can “beat” the multiplayer of MW.

I really like this because it gives me a goal to work towards, even if I don’t stand much of a chance of ever actually completing. It was really cool to pick a gun as my favorite right off the bat then use it at close range, long range, etc. as I completed all the milestones and unlocked all 100 camos for it, which let me “beat” that gun and move on to the next one. On one hand, I can see how the game becomes less fun when it is just a grind for these camos, but on the other hand, it is really cool to have a goal to work towards, and I have never felt as attached to the unlocks in a Call of Duty since I was a kid. I’ve almost never played Hardcore mode (a Call of Duty staple that takes away your crosshair and minimap and reduces everyone’s health) but it has become my go-to for getting some of these challenges done, and now I really have a taste for it.

3 - The Rest

MW has a bunch of other little new features that aren’t as life changing, but I wanted to mention anyways. The visuals, animation, and sound design are much improved and much more realistic. The gun sways so much more realistically as you walk forward, for example. The nighvision missions of the single player mode particularly look realistic since they’re just green. The campaign itself is much better than other recent Call of Duty’s, but it is still ultimately forgettable at the end of the day if slightly more enjoyable. I did appreciate that it gives you rewards for the multiplayer mode instead of expecting you to play it just to play it. MW also brings back the Spec Ops coop mode from prior games but with unlocks and XP tied to multiplayer, which is nice, but I’d rather just play multiplayer.

Speaking of, MW lets you toggle which modes you do or don’t want to play online instead of having to pick one mode to play, which is nice because otherwise, certain modes never get played online, especially as the game ages. Also this CoD features special “Missions” that you have to commit to focusing on one at a time that unlock free gun cosmetics (slightly different looking attachments and versions of guns) that offer yet another way to be rewarded for just playing the game, while also helping to make me experience different playstyles.

Of course, this CoD also features a free battle royale mode that seems to be a big success, and I enjyo it fairly well, but it can’t compare to the nonstop action of normal multiplayer. Also this CoD features crossplay sorted by controller typer, so I can get matched with Xbox players or PC players but only if they’re using a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard. This is great because it lets me play the free battle royale mode with my dad on my PC while he is on the PS4, so we can each have our own screen.

Also I appreciate that this game offers splitscreen at all, even if it can’t be used in battle royale, Spec Ops coop mode, or even the larger multiplayer maps such as the brand new Ground War, which features big maps, vehicles, and selectable spawn points just like the FPS competitor Battlefield. It feels a little janky, but it is nice to have the option when I need to blow up vehicles or shoot people from very far away for a challenge.

Oh, you can also reload while aiming down the sights. That’s new. Plus you can mount your gun on a waist high surface to reduce recoil, but it just ends up being annoying since you are forced to do it for challenges. Also this is minor, but certain weak killstreaks or overpowered perks have been turned into “field upgrades”, a usable ability with a cooldown. I like this because they’re not quite like an “ultimate ability” in Overwatch or Black Ops 3/4, but they add a tiny bit of a skill ceiling and agency.

Oh! This is also the first CoD in a long time to not feature a 50 dollar season pass that just provides a little over a dozen multiplayer maps. For context, the other big shooters (Rainbow Six, Counter Strike, Overwatch, Paladins, Battlefield) don’t charge for maps and haven’t in years, since it just divides the playerbase and makes matchmaking harder.

This CoD also doesn’t lock new guns behind lootboxes, which had become a big problem for the last several games. Furthermore, this game doesn’t feature lootboxes at all, which is a new development in the right direction. Instead, this game has pricey (10-20 bucks) cosmetic bundles in the style of Fortnite and a battle pass (again like Fortnite, but almost every game has this now).

Conclusion

So what’s the takeaway? Well, I know Call of Duty is a very popular game that doesn’t need defending, but I really think this new one is special and very much pro-consumer. I refused to get excited for it before release after years of microtransaction-riddled cash grabs, but this one is a real breath of fresh air. There is a lot of content here, and they provide more for free. You get to play all the new maps and modes for free and unlock the new guns for free. The battle royale and normal multiplayer are both getting a lot of support and constant content. I just hope this game doesn’t drive off the edge of a cliff when this year’s new game comes out, but that is a whole other topic (there are rumors, but nothing has been confirmed about this year’s Call of Duty if there even is one. It would need to come out pretty soon, despite no information about it existing. If there isn’t one, it would be the first year since 2004 without one, but this most recent game has been pretty exceptional in my opinion and Corona couldn’t be predicted).

#call of duty #modern warfare #call of duty modern warfare #cod #mw #cod mw #call of duty: modern warfare

[venkaissad]

Happily Ever After ~ Kim Hanbin Requested One Shot

Pairing: Kim Hanbin x Reader 

Genre: Angst, Fluff

REQUESTED

As far as you could remember, you only had one goal in life. It motivated you to work hard, even though your family struggled with financial problems. You could only dream of pretty clothes and expensive makeup, not even mentioning a good phone or computer. But as a kid born and brought up in the countryside, it was just a part of a normal life for you. Your parents never heard you complaining, and sometimes even felt as they were taking you for granted. Working on the farm was your obligation, but so was school. They required you to have high grades and an exemplary behavior. You never had time for yourself, but you knew it was their way of protecting you. Your parents wanted you to have a better future, maybe even wished that you will become a doctor like your aunt’s son. But you were never the kid who liked to study. You were barely passing your classes, and never really stood out from the other kids in that department. Fortunately, you were good at hiding it. Teachers also developed quite a liking for you, so you gladly focused on the things you considered more important. You knew you were doing the right thing, and so did many people around you. Since you were young, they have constantly kept on complimenting you on how pretty and well-spoken you are. It caused you to quickly develop confidence and social skills, which later on helped you with making useful connections. The older you became, the more special you felt. You started attending dance classes in middle school, and took up vocal lessons as soon as you were able to convince your parents to let you. They said that they would keep you from going to them if your grades dropped, but you knew they couldn’t be much worse. You weren’t the smartest, but you sure as hell were talented in the creative department. With how much work you put in improving, your abilities quickly increased and you got recognized through various contests. And that’s why the first thing you did after graduating, was to audition for several entertainment companies to become an idol trainee. It was your dream, the only thing that kept you sane while studying for your exams. And now, you were so close to achieving it. After waiting for quite a long time, you finally received a response that you were waiting so long for. From all the companies that you’ve chosen, you got into the one that you fancied the most while preparing your audition. Your parents were shocked to say the least. The fact that they didn’t really believe in you was a little hurtful, but instead of sulking you focused on celebrating your success. You finally bought some nice clothes and a smartphone, met up with your friends and took care of the animals for the last time. And after having one last meal with family, you got into a bus and went straight to Seoul. It all seemed like a dream, one that you never wanted to end. But when you got into the vehicle, you immediately started feeling out of place. Almost everyone was dressed so nicely. Even young kids looked better than you. Hell, they even smelt better than you! You could feel your cheeks getting red. But nothing was going to stop you from achieving your dream, even if it meant that you had to swallow your pride and deal with the embarrassment. At least that’s what you thought before you saw the city for the first time. It was not only enormous, but also kind of terrifying. Your hometown was really small. If someone got lost there, they would probably find the right way in a minute or even less. But in a city this big, you didn’t know if there even was a good path for you. Everything seemed so big and loud, and people didn’t have the same friendly vibe as your neighbors. You anxiously walked around looking for some clues, until you stumbled upon a small restaurant. As soon as the smell of food hit your nose, you immediately started feeling really hungry. You checked your wallet, and after counting up your savings, you decided to go in and order something. You got inside and took a good look around. The dining room was quite small and packed with people, but it seemed really familiar. Everyone in the crowd was smiling brightly and chatting. It almost felt like a big family gathering. You slowly started walking, but you still were focused mostly on admiring the interior design. The restaurant was quite nicely decorated for a BBQ place, so it made a great impression on you. You also noticed that it was extremely clean, and the table tops seemed to be made of a material similar to marble. The smell of beef made your mouth water, but you also felt a similar pain in your stomach. Were you able to afford anything in here? You swallowed your spit harshly and started looking for a non-occupied table. Your hand clenched on the handle of your suitcase. Were you going to be okay? Finally, you spotted one and started walking quickly into its direction. Unfortunately, you were never able to reach it. 

Someone bumped into you with a tray full of drinks. Beer spilled all over your new dress and you stumbled backwards and onto your bottom. Your luggage fell backwards and crashed into one of the chairs. As soon as you felt the hard ground, you let out a weird nose and covered you face with your hands. At this point you were lost, hungry and extremely embarrassed. You could feel the material sticking to your body. Not to mention the fact that the reek of alcohol will probably not leave your hair anytime soon. You cautiously removed your ’’shield’’ from your face and looked up. You thought the guy would flee after bumping into you, but he remained hovering over your small frame. He also extended his hand in your direction, not bothering to pick up the tray or pieces of broken beer mugs. You swear you could’ve seen the genuine worry in his squinted eyes. But you also might’ve been mistaken, as he was visibly drunk. You started to have some doubts. You weren’t going to just trust him because he was handsome and seemed nice. You started dusting yourself off in a preparation to get up. 

’’I’m sorry…are you okay?’’ the guy asked before you even had a chance to prop yourself up. He seemed embarrassed, which was pretty predictable in this situation. You smiled nervously noticing that his hand was still right in front of you. This is the situation that your mom asked you to avoid. Not to mention the fact that your company wouldn’t appreciate the fact that you’re engaging with random guys. It seemed innocent, but you knew how strict the rules were. You exhaled loudly and put your hands on the ground. And that was when you realized your mistake. The guy wanted to save you from this, but your wariness held him back from going through with his plan. A big piece of glass pierced right into your left hand. You screamed out in surprise causing people’s eyes to fall on you. The man seemed startled too, as he crouched down and reached for your injured palm in panic. He looked at it with wide eyes. At that moment, he reminded you more of a lost puppy than a man who could help you in any way. You were used to minor injuries, so he seemed more scared than you. You chuckled and slowly backed your hand away. The look of confusion appeared on his face. You on the other hand started to feel more confident after the initial shock. 

’’It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault.’’ you smiled brightly at him, which caused him to let out a big exhale and slowly start to calm down. The guy also let himself smile a bit and slowly got up. Once again, he extended his hand for you and this time you caught it with your unharmed palm. I guess it can’t get worse now, right? He pulled you up cautiously and immediately stopped holding onto you. He seemed even more nervous than you. 

’’Should we go to a doctor? I can pay for the treatment. and the dress… and maybe your suitcase…” he barely got these words out. He seemed so nervous, that you almost felt sorry for him. Did you look like a person that would want to harm him because of an accident? You slowly nodded your head, as you obviously needed help with getting to a hospital. You couldn’t just walk around with a piece of glass stuck in your hand, right? 

’’Then, let’s get going. I will take you to the nearest hospital.’’ he said as he was taking care of his bill. The waiter didn’t seem thrilled about the mess you two made, but after receiving a larger tip he smiled at you. After that the guy disappeared for a while. As you assumed, he went to explain the situation to his friends. After he came back, he took you luggage and slowly started moving towards the doors. You nodded your head and soon after went out with your new comrade. He seemed much more relaxed as he was slowly pulling your suitcase towards the road. You also developed a more secure feeling about you current situation. After some time, your taxi arrived and you suddenly started to feel uneasy again despite your previous confidence. Your gut feeling told you to not trust him. You slowly reached towards your suitcase as he opened the door for you. 

’’I’m sorry but… I think I would prefer to go there alone.’’ judging by the way he moved towards you, the man barely heard what you said. Were you really that nervous? Damn Y/n, you should step up your game. Maybe the city was nothing like your hometown, but you still were the same brilliant girl loved by almost everyone around her. The guy smiled a bit and slowly backed away with your luggage still in hand. 

’’I understand your concern. But please, let me put your suitcase in the trunk. I would also like to leave you my number, so I can pay for the damage…’’ he seemed so innocent and genuinely worried about you, that you almost invited him to get inside the car with you. But you had to remain strong. You watched him as he put the baggage in the back and took out a piece of paper from his wallet. 

’’Excuse me mister, do you have a pen?’’ he asked softly, almost as he was afraid to anger the man. Honestly, you weren’t surprised, you held him in place for quite a long time. The older guy gave him a marker after searching for it for a while, and your new ’’friend’’ wrote down his number for you. Your eyes scanned the paper while he was telling the driver where he should take you. 

Kim Hanbin. What a pretty name. 

~

After over a year of training under JYP, this was finally your time to shine. Your CEO announced that the company is going to debut another girl group. Obviously you didn’t know you will be one of the members at first. You weren’t really experienced yet and your training period was quite short. Also, let’s not forget that you couldn’t really dance for the first two weeks because of your wound. Yes, the one that you got because Hanbin bumped into you. It didn’t seem like much, but it definitely slowed down your progress. Of course, you weren’t mad at him. He paid for your treatment and even visited you almost every day. Kim always brought flowers and sweets with him, which in the end caused you to gain weight, but you didn’t complain. It was very nice of him and you quickly grew attached. It started out innocently. After you got out of the hospital you two only met once in a while. You mostly visited various cinemas and parks, which made it harder to spot you. No one knew about your secret meetings, which made the whole experience even more thrilling. Your friendly outings quickly turned into something more. Hanbin always brought small presents for you with him, and you made sure to prepare a delicious homemade meal for him. His colleagues started to catch on, so he introduced you to them and started inviting you over to their dorms. It was fun, like, really really fun. He was not only your escape from the hard training, but also the boy that you slowly started to fall for. After a year, you could say with full confidence in your words that you truly love him. But you never actually told him yet. He was always the one confessing his feelings for you. Honestly, you weren’t really sure why. You weren’t shy or scared, you truly trusted him. But still, something held you back from fully committing to the relationship. Maybe it was the fact that you wanted to focus on your debut? You weren’t so sure about that. Nothing has changed since the CEO officially announced that you were the part of the debuting team. Of course, it helped with your confidence, but it didn’t fix the problem that was bothering you the most. 

’’Why is it so hard to say that I love him?’’ 

That was the only thing that was on your mind before you went up on the stage. You couldn’t get it out of your head, but as soon as you heard your fans, everything went blank. Your blood started rushing and happiness took over your body. You weren’t stressed like the rest of your group. You were ready to mesmerize the audience. After you finished your first performance and came backstage, you immediately saw Hanbin waiting for you. Your heart started beating faster and you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling widely. You were disgustingly sweaty and overly excited, but he still looked at you with the same love in his eyes. That’s when you knew. You realized that he was the one. The guy who supported you through your training period, who understood your struggles and helped you so you could overcome them. You felt tears slowly dancing at the corners of your eyes. Hanbin looked at you with concern, but you knew that you were crying because of how happy and loved you felt. Your legs felt so light, your head was spinning and you could only focus on your lover. You ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. 

’’I love you, I love you so much Hanbinnie.’’ you said these words with such sincerity, that even your tough man was moved. He slowly backed away, and as soon as you saw his eyes getting watery, you pulled him into a passionate kiss. ’’I love you too Y/n.’’ 

~

It was your third anniversary with Hanbin. For the past three years everything between you two was so good, that it was almost hard to believe that you didn’t fake it. You hardly ever argued, always did the best for each other and found time for meetings despite the tight schedule. Kim even moved, so he could invite you over to his place. He wanted to spend time with you, not you and six boys ready to burst into his room at every second. Everything was so good that you found yourself addicted to him. You loved the way he smelt, the way he drooled in sleep and his tendency to lose socks. You were so good to him, and he was even better to you. Nobody outside of your friends circle knew that you two were dating, so there was also no pressure. Nothing about your relationship was worrying. In that department, you both were extremely happy. The problem was that you slowly started to develop numbness while going on stage. You didn’t really care about music anymore, as your company was forcing you to perform to songs you didn’t enjoy yourself. Hanbin was a producer, he could freely express himself and feel satisfied by his job. It wasn’t the case with you. You despised your work, even though you always dreamed of being an idol. Fans also noticed that you were getting sadder with every performance, which drew unnecessary attention to you. And that’s how your relationship was discovered. Someone took photos of you and Hanbin on your anniversary date and everything started to crumble. People started attacking you, saying that you were spoiled and ungrateful. They said that they worried about you, but in reality you were just becoming lazy because you got yourself a boyfriend. It hurt. It hurt so much that you stopped seeing Hanbin and started discussing with your agency to terminate your contract. Other girls from your group were extremely supportive, but you still felt like you betrayed them. You didn’t really go out of home for a month. You didn’t pick up any calls and never opened doors for Hanbin. But after such a long period of time, you felt like it was time to talk to him. So you called him. After a month of silence you called, and he picked up immediately. 

You slowly stepped out into the rain, allowing your trembling posture to get soaked. At this moment you craved only this feeling. Cold numbness hitting your delicate skin and smearing tons of makeup which were supposed to make your face prettier. People always expected their idols to be flawless, happy and ready to please them. Through all of your life you dreamed of becoming a singer, every thought and action your body processed was dedicated to this goal. But now you started to feel tired of it. You debuted too soon, you weren’t ready for all the pressure that was put on you. The constant pressure left your mental health in a terrible state. It felt like something was eating you from the inside, slowly taking away all the happiness that existed in this world. At first, you tried to endure it, clench your teeth and go on as a perfect idol. You had Hanbin after all. He was always there, ready to take away everything that could cause pain. It was impossible to go on without him, so you decided to quit. Throw everything away, let the precious time spent on training go to waste just to save him, his dream. Hanbin always made sacrifices for you. He moved out of the dorm, spent less time with his friends and visited you after almost every showcase and practice. You never did anything for him. All you did was take things from him without giving anything back. This time it was your turn to pay him back for all the kindness. Since the first day you came here he was supportive, it made you rely on him way more than you should. So it was the end. When the dating scandal has broken out you knew exactly what you were going to do. His life was hard enough, he didn’t need more stress and burden in it. And that’s why this relationship had to come to an end. You weren’t crying. You already made up your mind and crying over it was totally pointless. No one was going to care. You were an obnoxious wench who stole their idol, it was your fault. If you weren’t so careless nothing would have happened. But you let yourself fall in love with him anyway, and that’s what destroyed everything in the end. Your legs slowly carried you towards his apartment. You could’ve sworn that you felt your skin becoming paler and colder with every second. And then you saw him, as drenched in cold water as you, maybe even more. That was the moment in which everything came crashing down. Your confidence hit the rock bottom. You felt your hair sticking to your crumbled face, mascara slowly dripping down from your cheeks and your knees starting to give out. Your steps became slower, more inconsistent and unsure. He started running towards you, the supposed love of his life. His trembling arms slowly wrapped around your body preventing it from hitting the ground. Your eyes started to suddenly feel very watery. How can you do that to him? How can you just leave him and break his heart? You swallowed your spit and tried to back away from him, but Hanbin just held you in place. 

’’I want to break up.’’ your voice was very weak. It was so easy to tell that you forced yourself to spew out these hurtful words. Everything seemed so disgusting and hurtful at that moment. You both were standing in a middle of the street, surrounded by old shops and trash flying around because of the wind. It didn’t look like a scene from a romantic comedy. People were passing by, some even took photos of you, others simply didn’t care. Some kids played in a puddle of water nearby, while their older friends watched the heartbreaking scene which took place right in front of their eyes. 

’’I won’t let you leave, not like this. You have to think this through, talk with me. Then I can let you go. But not yet. Not now. Please.’’ his desperate plead caused you to spill first tears. He followed right after you. Hanbin’s sobs filled your head and made your heart ache. You were about to say something, but you were interrupted by a blinding car light and a sound of a honk. The vehicle stopped abruptly and made so much noise on a command of the angry owner that you just wanted to get out of here. 

’’Let’s go home baby. Let’s just go home and never come back.’’ his words hit you like a train. Should you just let him abandon his career and focus on taking care of you? Yours was already done, and even before the scandal it was just exhausting. You held onto it only because of the hard work you put into becoming an idol. But did it even matter now? You finally got out of Hanbin’s arms and grabbed his hand. 

’’Let’s go then.’’ you cooed softly and started leading him towards his apartment. The car finally was able to pass through, and you were back to quite a stable state. That’s it. You’re going to do it. You’re going to be a selfish prick again and just take Hanbin for yourself. Why care about his fans if the only thing they did after the scandal broke out was disrespect you both? Shouldn’t they care for his happiness? 

If they truly wished the best for him, they should accept your decision in the end. 

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