#the concept of which has been weaponized against me for too long

[existennialmemes]

God Gives His

Wackiest Battles

to his

Silliest Soldiers

but he can't stop us

soon our shenanigans will dethrone that fraud for good

#shitpost #shitposting #silly posting #anti christianity #when i say god i mean the hegemonic Christian one #the concept of which has been weaponized against me for too long #they can have it i do not describe my concept of Divinity with that word anymore #because now it represents a very unlikable character in my mind #the stern faces man saying Thou Shall Not #it's just not for me 🤷🏻‍♀️ #I'm still a jewish witch though so militant anti-theists this isn't for you

[fatuifucker]

dreams come true

[art cr: @343_sashimiiiii on twt]

sub xiao x sub adeptus! gn reader ft tentacles

SUMMARY = inspired by an inazuman manga, you and xiao make use of your powers to summon a tentacled cyptid in your dreams...to have sex with of course

WARNINGS = smut, penetration (reader receiving), oral (reader + xiao giving), tentacles, bondage, dacryphilia, double penetration, overstimulation, reader calls xiao their "poor little bird" once, dream sharing and then dream fucking, both reader and xiao gets fucked by tentacles and then the tentacles make them fuck each other, their relationship is very wholesome they just fuck a lot too :)

W/C = 2k

A/N = i burnt the midnight oil for this please be proud of me :( also thank you to @vermillionbun for betaing <3

TAGS = @edenialucas, @huboi, @nejibot, @lovediluc, @yumixxn, @teallapril, @xiaoflwrs who asked me to tag her (you fucking whore)

The ability to bend and manipulate dreams is not a skill unfamiliar to adepti. But it is a skill you have long forgone in favour of your other adeptal arts. Thankfully, your partner has much experience in the art. If you could just convince him to–

“Outrageous. We are adepti. Our duty is to use our abilities to protect Liyue and its inhabitants. To use those abilities in such a sacreligious manner–”

“Would be perfect! Just think about it, Xiao! All those slimy tentacles…groping and touching every part of your body…so long and bulbous…filling up all your holes…”

You rub your thighs against each other as you conjure up that image in your head, while Xiao furrows his eyebrows. Although he would ask himself how in Rex Lapis’ name someone with your carefree personality became an adeptus, he already knows the answer to that. Having fought alongside you in the Archon War, he has witnessed firsthand your dedication and your steadfast attitude, purging enemies of the Great Lord of Geo with your weapon in tow. Truly, the ferocity in your eyes was a sight a behold, a terrifying side of you that made monsters cower in terror.

And this…is another side of you.

Ever since the Lord of Geo handed his control of the nation to the Qixing, you decided to acquaint yourself with mortal customs and activities, although your interest led you to questionable territory. Particularly, a type of illustration-focused literature known as manhua; which is a compelling concept in itself, worthy to capture the interest of an adeptus. The baffling part is that all the books that you have collected…are from the erotic genre.

Out of curiosity, Xiao once picked up one of your books and flipped open to a random page, only to find a detailed drawing of a naked couple having sex on a beach staring back at him. The worst part is, you weren’t even ashamed when you returned and found out that your s/o had discovered the true nature of your hobby, even pulling him down to sit beside you as you rambled on and on about the contents of your favourite books, all while Xiao fought — and failed to — suppress the red overtaking his face and ears.

He couldn’t look you in the eye for a week after that.

He eventually grew accustomed to your strange interest and upon your suggestion, started using your books for inspiration in sexual activities; though everything from the novels in that area has always been proposed by you.

This is just one of those cases. Upon learning of your newfound interest, an old acquaintance from across the ocean sent you books from her publishing house — apparently they go by the term manga in those parts — claiming it may come in handy. A few days have past since then, bringing you to today, with you shoving a book about an erotic love story between a tentacled-monster and a girl and begging Xiao to make the story a reality. Or close to reality.

“Your ability is adequate to form such a dream.” Xiao crosses his arms. “I don’t understand why I need to be involved.”

“Because it would be a nice bonding experience, don’t you think?” you insist. “Come on, it would make our sex life more interesting! And I can tell by that look in your eyes that you’re curious.”

Xiao scoffs. “Preposterous.”

“Oh well,” You shrug, laughing. “I won’t force you if you really don’t want to. Sex is supposed to be fun and it’s no fun if you’re doing it reluctantly.”

Fun…

That concept would have been lost from his mind eons ago if it wasn't for you; you who always pestered him, you who would bring him almond tofu and other human cuisine. Food which he would have instantaneously turned down if only it wasn’t made by you. You, the adeptus who welcomes change and dives headfirst into it. You, the person he would suffer through another millennia’s worth of torment for, just to protect your blinding brilliance. He takes one more look at the book in your hands as you skim through the pages, recalling the soft smile on your lips after the first time the two of you had intercourse together, the bliss that washed over him and cleansed his soul just for that one moment.

“It baffles me how you would find amusement in such an obscene thought.” He wets his lips, thinking of the vivid image you had described to him and the matching illustrations. “But I would like to know more.”

Your head shoots up. “You… you really want to try it? You really don’t have to force yourself if you aren’t interested…”

“You said it yourself didn’t you?”

You tilt your head.

"And I can tell by that look in your eyes that you’re curious."

Oh.

Oh.

“Xiao!” You jump into his arms. “I love love looooove you so much!”

The yaksha grunts, trying to suppress the glowing pink blossoming at the apples of his cheeks.

—

The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes again is an empty cavern. He awoke on a circular platform surrounded with water, thankfully with you beside him, just like the both of you imagined. You stir awake, gasping upon realising that your plan worked. “We did it, Xiao! We did it!” 

He stares at the scenery in awe, before tensing up at the feeling of movement under the water. A lone tentacle spews out of the water, greeting the both of you. You step forward, beckoning the creature closer. It rubs against you and you laugh, returning the gesture with a kiss. Xiao takes slow steps, approaching the creature with the stiffness of a startled cat. A tap on his shoulder forces him to whip his head around, particles floating to form his spear, when he realises it’s just another tentacle. It backs away, whimpering.

“It senses your nervousness, Xiao,” you say. “Relax, I told you that this is supposed to be fun. We’re both in control.”

Heeding your advice, Xiao awkwardly pats the creature. After some hesitation, it nuzzles against his hand, wrapping itself around his arm to the exposed skin on his bicep. The texture is slimy yet comforting. No surprise there, since you imagined the slime to have a calming effect when the both of you did the ritual. Just to ensure that the experience would be smoother.

More tentacles pop out of the water, surrounding the both of you. Xiao holds his breath as they wrap around him — around his legs, waist, arms — and hoists him several feet off the ground. One of them smears his crotch with its slime, another climbs up his chest to play with his sensitive nipples. Amber irises dart to you in panic, widening at the sight of your aroused expression as a thick tentacle moves in and out of your mouth while the others peel off your clothing. He watches one of your legs being pulled up and you choke as a phallic-shaped tentacle penetrates your hole. In this dream, it doesn’t hurt as much as it normally would and the excessive slime provides enough lubricant for the pleasure to undermine the pain.

Xiao’s attention is brought back to himself at a sound of fabric ripping. The tentacles waste no time in toying with the newly exposed area, smothering his pristine body with stickiness. A smaller tendril circles the base of his bare cock, stroking it to hardness. The adeptus’ body shivers, unable to withhold the soft moans coming from his mouth.

Most adepti either have high sex drives or have little to no desire. Xiao happens to fall in the latter category; until you pursued a romantic relationship with him, of course. As such, thousands of years without receiving or giving any kind of intimacy made his body — especially his nether regions — especially sensitive. He couldn’t stop himself from cumming immediately the first time you gave him a handjob, and even after sleeping with you for so many nights, he has to use his entire willpower to stop himself from ejaculating right then and there.

A light caress at his tip nearly sets him off, forcing a gasp out of him that is immediately silenced by another cock-shaped tentacle filling his mouth. Xiao struggles to take it in at first, so it waits for him to get adjusted. The adeptus gives himself a second to quell his nerves, breathing in through his nose before he begins sucking on the appendage. The size is…a lot to take in — literally and figuratively — and he couldn't help the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. It's long too, the shaft-like part of it hitting the back of his throat with little to no effort. How in Rex Lapis’ name are you able to take this thing so easily?

Still, Xiao does his best; spurred on by the tendrils toying with his dick and your muffled moans echoing through the cave. The yaksha has to restrain his gag reflex when the appendage in his mouth starts picking up speed. The contrast of the cold tendril and his hot mouth feels intoxicating, not to mention he is literally ingesting that calming enzyme mixed into the slime. In the midst of the lewd noises and the pleasure, his brain turns into mush and he barely registers the thick fluid gushing down his throat. He coughs as the tentacle retreats, viscous white spilling down his chin.

Xiao hears coughing beside him and he turns to see the creature has moved the both of you next to each other. Instinctively, the two of you lock lips, tongues intertwining and exchanging the monster’s cum through your mouths. Archons, he didn’t realise how much he misses your lips. If his arms weren’t bound at the back, he would have reached out to hold you. The two of you part, and you stare into Xiao’s cat-like amber irises; sharing a longing gaze as your chests rise and fall with exhaustion. The moment is interrupted when the tentacles shift the two of you again. This time, Xiao is underneath you while your legs are lifted up to your chest. 

“Wha– oh!”

A cry — yours, his or both, he wonders — resounds off the walls as you were slammed down on Xiao’s cock, before being lifted up and slammed back down again, over and over again at an inhumane speed. Hot tears stream down Xiao’s cheeks, overstimulated by the sudden euphoric cruelty brought upon by the creature. He tosses his head back, delirious at all the sensations he’s experiencing. The wet tentacles on his body, your tight hole clamping down on him so earnestly, his dick ploughing inside your deepest parts. It feels too unreal. 

Just like a dream. 

“X-Xiao! Xiao!”

He hears your calls for him in the sea of lust, hidden beneath the other vulgar moans and sloppy sounds. 

“(Name)…!”

He can’t take it anymore. The intimacy and pleasure of the moment completely overtakes Xiao's mind and he unravels at that moment, gasping as he gives all of his precious cum to you. Spurred on by his orgasm, you squeal as you tighten around him, reaching your climax a few seconds after. Xiao heaves, trying to catch his breath while the tentacles shift the two of you back to the ground. The moment they return back to the water, your body collapses on top of your lover

“(Name)?” He panics.

“Hnnn…it’s okay, I’m fine,” you assure him. “Just tired.”

Xiao calms down immediately, and wraps his arms around you. “Let us return.”

—

“Hah…that was fun!” you yawn, stretching your arm. “Let’s do it again some other time.”

It’s like the tiredness in your body vanished the moment you woke up in reality — you look even more invigorated that before — while Xiao could barely even move, only managing to grunt in response.

“Aww my poor little bird…” you coo, kissing your lover on the cheek. “Was it too much for you?”

“Ugh…because I was the one who had to stabilise that dream,” he mutters, shooting a half-hearted glare.

You laugh. “Okay, okay. Did you have fun, though?"

“...Hmph, I suppose.”

“Good.” You smile, kissing him again.

#genshin impact smut #genshin impact x reader smut #genshin smut #xiao smut #genshin xiao smut #xiao x reader smut #genshin xiao x reader smut #tentacles #sub xiao #gn reader #kinktober

[dotthings]

Congrats to the fans of the wee woo show. I don’t go here but it makes me happy to witness how this arc for Evan Buckley got to bloom and I’m happy because I hope this reflects another shift in the TV industry.

For some media commentary context for you: ABC network is owned by Disney. Fox network was owned by Rupert Murdoch. So I can see how the network change for 911 can easily be a factor on how this got greenlit, after years of creator Tim Minear’s intention to work in hints, on the off chance he could take it there. (I don’t go here, but I did my reading). Oliver Stark who plays Buck also revealed he's been for it and couldn't say anything, until he was sure they could do it, until it aired and was out there. (*steeples fingers*)

For further context, Bob Iger—with George Lucas’ vocal support—just fended off a right wing coup on the Disney board from the kinds of people (like Peltz) who complain “why do we need so many female leads” “why do we need movies with all Black leads.” While it doesn’t mean Disney is no longer an evil megacorp, I’m pointing out that its CEO defended inclusive Disney brand content to the shareholders and the board, as well as dismantling the idea that it can’t be entertainment while being diverse.

The ripple of this goes outside of the wee woo show fandom. I’m seeing the joy on my dash from people who don’t watch the show or don’t watch it regularly, as well as from people who have been watching a long time and noticed things and realized there was a progression and it was there all along, and I know how much this must mean to a lot of people. With the world being how it is, with what people are facing inside the US from the far right, in their real lives.

It’s very hopeful in general for inclusion levels on a major network TV show, owned by a big evil megacorp. Representation matters.

Also I'm aware the wee woo show already had a queer couple, plus it's already an intersectional inclusive series, that’s great.

There shouldn't be limits placed on inclusion though. “But you already have X” shouldn't be weaponized to tell people to shut up. There is no “enough” or “too much” when it comes to inclusion. While I'm not for undermining the inclusion that's there, I've seen that weaponization used with a series that hasn't been great on inclusion, and I've seen that weaponization used for 911, which is. It's a sus argument.

Indirect and unintentional as it is, also bi Buck shut down every concern troll, every gaslight, every denial, every rationale I've ever seen people deploy against bi Dean. Everything from people who don’t understand what bi actual means—“but he likes girls so he can’t be bi”—to “but he wasn’t declared bi from the start of the show so he can’t”—yes he can and the wee woo show just did. On one of the original big three networks. Or people who say it would "ruin the character." Really? “But he’s an action hero”—so what? Evan Buckley is a hero, Dean is a hero, both badass action heroes. “People who see this as canon are delusional”—Evan Buckley went O RLY? Not so delusional now, is it.

Evan Buckley avenged bi Dean.

It’s self-evident. It’s right there. Different show, different network, but the concepts are familiar, the situation has a certain familiarity. This turn of events on an ABC show didn't just make bi Dean fans valid. bi Dean fans were always valid, the bi Dean reading was always valid. But I appreciate how much what happened on the wee woo show bonked people with a truth stick, about self discovery, character arcing, queer readings, queer coding, and the validity of merely noticing things.

#bi Dean #dot trolls the media #dot trolls fandom

[luna-rainbow]

idk if you've seen that post, it's from years ago at this point, where someone is surprised to hear that Bucky has a disability. i think it's in an ask with a response like HE'S MISSING AN ARM. remembering that left me thinking,,, what are your thoughts on Bucky's own comprehension of his disability? like, i'm sure he experiences chronic pain, and he's aware of his disability *especially once he has a metal arm that can be detatched as we see in tfatws* but i also feel like he might feel guilty taking the title of disabled because he has the serum and is "super" plus he doesn't feel like he deserves the support/help that can and should be given to disabled people when they need it. ALSO he hasn't had all that much time to process as a human rather than a controlled weapon that he is missing an arm. his prosthetic has been welded into him,, with probably less sensation,, but it functions like an arm,, idk i just feel like it probably hits him out of the blue, too 🥲

Oooh thanks for the interesting ask nonnie! And yes I do remember that hilarious post.

Here's my usual disclaimer that this is just throwing out ideas and that canon lends itself to many different interpretations.

I think the first thing to consider is Bucky's relationship with disability as a concept. He was good friends with Steve, a chronically ill person, but sometimes people have a different bias when it comes to invisible illness versus visible body difference. I have seen people, including disabled people, who are more accepting of one type than the other. He had grown up during a time when disability was considered a "defect" and there was talk of eliminating them from the gene pool, so there might be some inherent fear of being seen as "disabled". At the same time, he had also fought through one of the bloodiest wars of human history but also post the antibiotic era, which means a lot of major injuries became survivable compared to WW1. He likely saw many people around him become physically marked in one way or another. I have a feeling that that experience would have reconciled him with the fact that the value of life is greater than physical wholeness. So overall, I think Bucky probably had a fairly accepting view on disability and illness back when he was able-bodied, and while he needs time to process the loss, that acceptance is probably somewhat protective against self-hatred.

The second thing is the curious subject of Bucky's bionic arm. I have met (lower limb) amputees who reject the "disabled" label, because to them once they put on a prosthesis they could walk and run and work and exercise. I think worrying about being "deserving" might be a small part of it, there's a bigger part of worrying about social perceptions of disability -- they didn't want the "handicap" label to be used to hold them back. I suspect you are right, in that Bucky probably sees himself as very capable, even super-humanly so, with the (very high-tech) prosthesis. He most likely feels that being a soldier is a big part of his identity and sense of worth. I suspect also...going back to what Bucky's relationship with the word "disability" means, his interpretation of that (given he came from the 1940s) might mean something that has a profound impact on function, and he may feel that he doesn't fit that mark.

The third thing is Bucky's relationship with body image, which has varied from movie to movie. The Winter Soldier had no qualms flaunting that arm, but then the Winter Soldier had no mind of its own, and its handlers knew the metal arm was intimidating. In both Civil War and TFATWS, we see Bucky wear gloves and long sleeves to hide his arm, which he removes when he starts a mission. It could be that he doesn't want to scare people or draw attention to it day to day, or it could be that he associates the arm with the soldier part of himself and he doesn't want to see it when he's trying to return to a normal life. Interestingly, in Wakanda, Bucky had been quite content to walk around without any sort of prosthesis at all. This might suggest that he's less bothered by the missing arm than he is by the need to wear a weaponised prosthesis.

But you know, people are fickle creatures, and I am sure when he's hit by PTSD or a bout of anxiety or depression, his views on body image and his physical limitations would take a very nasty turn and he would have to work through all the stages of grief again.

#asks #bucky barnes #bucky barnes meta

[minisugakoobies]

Burning Down | MYG

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: smut, crack, DadYoongi!AU, BadCop!AU

Rating: M (18+)

Warnings: weapons - guns, switching POVs, angst!, allusions to murder, mentions of blood, references to war, allusions to choking, Yoongi is not a good guy (ymmv)

Word Count: 1.8k

Disclaimers: NSFW, obviously I don’t own BTS - they just inspire me

Summary: You're going to finish what you started. But Yoongi won't let you take it all away.

A/N: Everyone thank Yoongi for those recent D-Day concept photos, because they inspired me to write another chapter! I think we're closing in on the end here 👀

Unbeta’d as usual. I’d love to know what you think - my inbox is always open! 💕

Part 5 💵 Bad Cop Masterlist 💵 Part 6

The house is dark when you turn into the driveway. Tall trees on either side of the gravel pathway stretch endlessly into the cloudy morning sky, their thick canopies providing the car with cover from the rain that’s just starting to fall. 

Jungkook leans pretty heavily against you as you walk him to the door, and your knock is a little clumsy while you struggle to keep your partner on his feet. A light flickers on in the window, and then the door suddenly wrenches open from the inside. A rather handsome man peers down at where you’re slumped under Jungkook’s arm. 

“Holy shit, what the fuck happened?” 

Seokjin is not an agent. Seokjin is a former combat medic. You’d met years ago on a tour in a foreign land. He’d saved your back and you’d saved his, more than once. The blood you’d shed together had formed an inseparable bond between the two of you that meant more to you than your actual family. Which is why you’re here, in the middle of the night, holding a man who is slowly bleeding out all over his doorstep. 

“For fuck’s sake, come in, I just bought that mat.” Seokjin ushers the two of you inside, glancing around. His house is fairly secluded, the copse of trees bordering the property protecting him from prying eyes, but he’s been in enough battles to know that you can never be too cautious.

He leads you and Jungkook into his living room, ordering you to help your partner onto the couch. He disappears for a moment and returns with a first aid kit - not the kind you’d find at your local pharmacy but one meant for the battlefield. You don’t ask why he has one so readily available. You know what it’s like to be haunted by war; always prepared for the day those ghosts might return.

You also don’t ask why he happens to have a small freezer in his basement where he keeps bags of blood. After he’d retired from the armed forces, Seokjin had gone into private practice. You have no idea just how “private” that means, what type of clientele he might be stitching up, accepting payment under the table instead of involving insurance. Or cops. It might be your place to ask, considering you’re a federal agent, but right now you’re not about to look a gift horse in the mouth - not when Seokjin’s busy saving Jungkook’s life. 

Afterward, as Jungkook sleeps, blood slowly being transfused back into his strong body, Seokjin makes you some tea and he sits in the kitchen as you stand and sip, staring out the window at the rain. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asks gently, rubbing a hand over the scruff on his chin. You haven’t even apologized for waking him so early. 

“No,” you reply honestly, but then you tell him, as much as you can without compromising your mission. As if it hadn’t already gone to hell anyway. You talk and talk, and soon it’s not the details of the job you’re describing, soon it’s how things between you and Yoongi started, how they progressed, how they ended - in bullets and blood. 

Seokjin is quiet once you run out of words. He drums his long fingers on his placemat, watching the spoon resting there as it bounces from the rhythm. “Well, to be honest, that’s not the worst break-up you’ve ever had,” he drawls after a few seconds. 

“Fuck off,” you snap, but your lips twitch of their own accord. He’s not wrong. “It wasn’t a real relationship. It was all part of the plan.” 

“Is that so?” Seokjin levels you with a sober look. “Then why are you here, wearing a groove into my kitchen floor with your pacing, while your partner drains my last bag of O neg? Was that part of the plan, too?” When you don’t respond, he plows on. “Because it seems to me that you went a little too deep this time. Got a little too entangled. Would you say that’s accurate?” 

“Sir, yes sir,” you chirp sarcastically, saluting him with your middle finger. Seokjin’s eyes crinkle as he laughs, and for one brief second, you’re back in the field, joking with your friend, and not sitting in his house panicking while your mission goes up in flames. But then you hear Jungkook stirring in the other room, and Seokjin’s laughter fades as he rises to check on his patient. 

Seokjin, as always, is right. You’d gone too deep this time. Let yourself believe the lie. As much as you didn’t want to admit that you could be compromised, you knew the truth. You’d fallen for Yoongi, and now you had to clean up the mess you’d made, before anyone else got hurt. 

Even if it meant breaking your own heart.

Seokjin wanders back into the kitchen. “The transfusion is almost complete, but he’s gonna need to rest for a while longer.” 

“Can he - “

“He can stay here, that’s fine.” Seokjin looks so tired. You wonder how you must look. Probably about half dead. “But what are you going to do now? Call for backup?” 

You shake your head and reach into your satchel, pulling out the box from Yoongi’s safe. Inside, as you’d expected, lies a key. 

“No. I’m gonna finish what I’ve started.” Jimin’s face flashes through your mind and your vision goes red. And then Yoongi’s, and your heart pangs, even as you make your vow. “I’m gonna bring him down.” 

Yoongi hates this. 

He hates hiding. His safe house isn’t nearly as luxurious as his other house or the vacation home he’d just bought on the bay. Most of the rooms here are nearly empty, save for a random couch or table. Except for the one room that is fully stocked with guns and ammunition, along with a small safe stashed with emergency cash. But beyond that, the house is bare. It’s not meant to be a long-term residence, he knows, but he hates it anyway. 

He also hates not having his daughter with him. He’d called Da-som’s friend’s mother at dawn and told her that he had to go out of town for work suddenly and asked if she could look after her for a few days. Not having her by his side fills him with anxious energy, makes him want to claw his skin off. He hopes this won’t take more than a day or two. 

But that. That’s the thing that he hates the most - not knowing. Not knowing where you are, or what your plan is, or how any of this will end. Makes him feel weak. Powerless. Like he used to be. 

Like when Da-som’s mother left him.

He fucking hates feeling powerless. He will not go back. 

From his perch on the table that serves as the sole furniture in this room, Jimin watches him stalk back and forth, like a tiger prowling his cage. He doesn’t say anything to Yoongi, likely not wanting him to bruise his throat again. Jimin’s developed a bit of a squeak when he laughs, and it has not amused him in the slightest. Although Yoongi thinks it’s pretty funny.

The burner phone in Jimin’s pocket buzzes and he flips it open. “Any sign?” 

Yoongi halts in his tracks, waiting.

Jimin sighs. “Fine. Just keep looking.” He tosses his phone on the mahogany surface, merely shaking his head at the older man. 

Yoongi resumes his steps. Where the fuck did you go? You couldn’t have gotten very far in Jungkook’s police cruiser. It never returned to the station, and Yoongi’s goons are sweeping the area under his orders. But even though he has everyone searching for you, you’re nowhere to be found. 

“We’ll find them,” Jimin finally speaks. “It’s just a matter of time.” 

“Time is running out,” Yoongi spits back. The longer you’re gone, the more likely it is that you’ve called in reinforcements. Set a trap in motion. He can’t just sit here and wait for the walls to close in on him. 

He needs to move. 

“Listen, I nailed the kid, so he’s undoubtedly slowing the two of them down. We’ve got guys watching the hospitals, the clinics, every medical center in a 100 mile radius - there’s no way they’ll get past us to get him some help.” Jimin smoothly slides off the table, brushing dust from the sleeves of his button-down shirt. “We just have to be patient.” 

Yoongi immediately pounces forward, pressing Jimin back into the wall behind him. He doesn’t touch the younger man, but holds him in place with the intensity of his stare. 

“No. I’ve been patient. For five fucking years now, I’ve waited to take my place at the top of the chain in this goddamn city. And now that I’m here, I’m not going to fucking hide and wait any longer. YN-” he curses silently at the slip-up, “she isn’t going to take everything from me.”

“What are you saying?” Jimin asks, wincing at Yoongi’s glare. The usual sociopathic gleam in Jimin’s eye is dimmed under the older man’s gaze. He’s terrified right now.

“There’s a key in that safe that she stole. It belongs to another box, where I have kept a very important list. Among other things.” If only he hadn’t kept that safe at his house. If only he hadn’t brought you there. If only you were who you said you were. “I’ve got to get to that list. It’s the only thing that she needs to bring this all down.”

“And you think you can get to it first?” 

“No.” Yoongi laughs, a cold, ugly sound that sends chills down Jimin’s spine. “I’m sure she’ll beat me to it. In fact, I’m counting on it.”

For the first time in hours, Jimin grins. “Okay, so an ambush, then?” 

Yoongi nods.

“You know I’m in. But… everything you just said, how you just got all this power…” Jimin pauses, considering his words very carefully, “are you prepared to lose it all just to beat her?”

“I’d rather lose it all in a blaze of glory than have that bitch steal it from me,” Yoongi retorts, ignoring the stab of pain in his chest when he snarls the word ‘bitch.’ Stop it, you pussy. Stop pretending like she means anything, he berates himself. 

“Blaze of glory? Fuck yeah, let’s go.” Jimin pulls his handgun from his holster and cocks it. 

Yoongi smirks. “Let’s burn.” 

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© 2022-23 by sunshinerainbowsbts/minisugakoobies. Crossposted to AO3. Please do not copy or repost.

#bts x reader #yoongi smut #yoongi x you #yoongi x reader #bts smut #bts fanfic #yoongi fanfic #min yoongi x you #min yoongi x reader #btshoneyhive #bangtantheatrenet #thebtswritersclub #min yoongi fanfic #bad cop!au #fic: burning down #possumswrite

[enderlaithdraws]

Crumb, Ranboo, Wilbur, and Charlie in the zombie apocalypses pt.1 w.i.p.

And a look into the creative process :D I'm giving this concept the title of "Zombie Apocalypse with The Crew"

Ranboo has a pistol (you can kinda see it on his right side) but his weapon of choice is a metal bat and a bowie knife. He calls it "The WACK N STAB"

I'm very proud of my nails into the crumbverses. Also I'm thinking about maybe the crew has a 5th member who is a doll or something of the sort. Just so they can joke around and keep high moral.

You can see that he is wearing no armor but some cloth and duct tape arm guards and goggles. In my mind the apocalypse happened before there was ample time to react. Meaning that the gear they have is mostly fast makeshift items from common objects. Any extra things like the guns each person has or extra apparel is from looting.

Also... Jorts <3

I'd say that at some point Charlie got lost and when he started following any human voice he could hear, he ended up right behind Ranboo. Who, instinctively stabbed what they thought was a zombie. mans took an L and a flesh wound.

The batchette is an idea from Instructables on Pinterest. I saw it while getting inspo and I could hear Charlie half screaming "Oh. my. gorshes... guys this power drill has given me a gift from God! BEHOLD... THE BATCHETTE!!!" Original image linked to this picture if you wanna get a better idea of what it looks like.

Wilbur! I feel the need to change face shape a bit to better represent him. Basically everything on him has a story. What he was wearing at the initial invasion and start of the apocalypse was a white button up shirt and black pants. He was on his way to meet with a tour manager in a café but chaos is unleashed before he can. Later on traded out some looted boots for his dress shoes. And looted the harness which he uses to hold items against his body and keep them from noisily bouncing around in a bag or pocket. At some point he gets stuck in a house in the country side that has been nearly untouched. But he knows it's only a matter of time before he is found by his predators. He has no way of communicating to the group and needs to fend for himself as long as it takes to reconnect. Which could be months. For that reason he finds an undershirt so he can unbutton his dress shirt and have more mobility. He takes down a large curtain and uses it to wrap around his legs as armor. (Think about it, its hard to bite or stab through a thick curtain.) And just cuts his pants so that it doesn't encumber him. (He doesn't take them off because the curtains are only covering his legs. Plus pockets are good for survival)

Once he's done with the curtain he finds some metal roller skate knee pads to help hold them in place and realizes that the curtain rod would make a decent weapon. Continuously looting the house he finds four kitchen knifes and some ninja stars in a bedroom (likely belonging to the family edgy teen) then attaches them using a hand held blow torch from the garage.

When the night comes he is barricaded in a top bedroom and there are zombies pounding on the door. It is a moonless, pitch black night and the little bit of light points out the glimmer of a golden cross necklace atop a bedside table. While he is no man of God. He can use all the help he can get. And continues to wear it even when he is safe. Not in a religious way, but in an idea that there is a greater good out there. And the world will be reborn again... someday.

rando in the back: *sniffs and wipes a singular tear from his eye* tHat is sO beUtIfUL..

So yeah that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak and if you have any ideas or wanna join in lemme know! While I am doing this for fun I would love it others could enjoy it too. So if you like it or think your friends/viewers would, then please Reblog. :D but what ever you do, have a good day!

BACK TO DRAWING AAAAAAAAAAAAA

#digital art #wilbur soot fanart #wilbur soot #charlie slimecicle #charlie slimesicle fanart #crumb cuptoast #crumb #crumb fanart #mcyt #misfits #Ranboo #ranboo fanart #ranboolive #zombie apocalypse with the crew #work in progress #artistic process #sketch #damn this is a lot of tags holy moly #but i wanna get this to the right audience so here we go #wwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeee

[arecaceae175]

Heroes Helping Heroes

Me and @bumblebeekitten were discussing this crazy amazing animatic by lordlorenz on youtube and we had a lot of thoughts and I must share! (@bumblebeekitten came up with the original concept and most of these ideas!!!!!! I've added minor details)

Imagine if the ghosts of the past incarnations of the hero's spirit are always drawn to the birth of the next incarnation. The spirits huddled over whatever cradle or bassinet newborn Link, Wild. They whisper hopes to the little one; that his childhood is long and happy, that he is loved by his parents, that the sword never calls for him. They know it's unlikely, else he wouldn't have been born otherwise, but they can hope.

Once his journey begins, they offer any aid they can to help Wild through his journey:

Hyrule using the chime of a fairy to guide an injured Wild to one of the fairy fountains, and letting a little extra healing magic flow through the fairies and into the food Wild makes. Hyrule giving Wild a gentle mental nudge away from a plant that'd be poisonous to eat and towards safe shelter.

Warriors a subtle ticking metronome that helps Wild time parries to guardian blasts or a subtle nudge to his foot that strengthens his stance to be able to handle the charge of a lynel. Helping cement sword forms and battle techniques into Wild's memory so he can be as prepared as possible to make it through his battles. Warriors also wrapping his scarf around Wild on cold or teary nights, giving Wild a sense of comfort and protection.

Wind being a bracing hand against a raging thunderstorm or guiding the winds beneath his parasail to get Wild further than he might have on his own. Encouraging Wild to play and explore and learn with childlike glee.

Legend guiding Wild's eye to the weak points of the monsters he faces and giving Wild and innate sense of which clothing pieces are best for the situation. Legend also gives him that subtle beat of kindness in his heart that makes him strive to try and help everyone he meets, be it the Koko who just wants to make dinner for her sister to the Gerudo needing molduga parts to save her husband.

Time standing vigil whenever wild goes into a memory, nudging and guiding wild in subtle ways to shelter when they inevitably overwhelm him. He has a constant watch over the different phases of the moon and helps bolster the feeling of anxiety that pushes Wild to be at a stable or village whenever a blood moon is due to rise. Time being horrified when Wild draws the sword at 12, trying to give him strength and hope and amplifying his moments of childlike joy.

Twilight. Ever present and faithful Twilight, the only physical companion of the chain. His fur soaks up the tears from pain and anguish alike, his ears and eyes stay alert whenever the exhaustion is too great for Wild to bear when sitting by a fire for the night. The extra fang and fury needed when courage falters. A companion, a friend, a playmate, a reminder Wild isn't alone and there is life and joy outside his duties.

Sky being the exhilaration Wild feels leaping from the tallest points he can or the feeling of wonder at the lush life of his world, his Hyrule. Sky filling Wild with hope at his lowest moments, helping him find his strength to carry on. Sky trying to reconnect Wild's spirit to Fi, and being completely heartbroken and confused when Wild can't pull the sword on his first try

Four making hidden weapons or shields gleam just a bit brighter in the light so that wild notices them or placing that extra arrow or rupies in the various crates, barrels, and pots he breaks. And Four putting as much of his energy and magic as he can in Wild's weapons to keep them going just a little bit longer in the heat of battle.

#ace's lu analysis #lu analysis #linked universe #the lu boyos #lu wild #lu twilight #lu sky #lu hyrule #lu wind #lu four #lu time #lu legend #lu warriors

[quibbs126]

(Sorry if you already did this)

Could you do a dark choco x caramel arrow fankid? It’s a rare pair but I love it:DDD

(also I love your art)

For all the people who requested this, here you are, this kid is Caramel Fudge Cookie. He was actually a bit up in my requests, but since so many people were asking I thought might as well do him early. I’ve been skipping around a bit

Now, for the name, I know there’s definitely a bunch of things with chocolate and caramel around, I just had to find something that was just called “chocolate caramel”. The original name I was going to go with is something with syrup, since I know both chocolate and caramel can be made into syrup, but I didn’t end up going with that, since he didn’t give me that vibe. Now, what he reminded me of were brownies topped with caramel, along with marshmallows and maybe some graham crackers as well (my family’s made those before, they’re delicious and now I’m hungry). Well the marshmallows and graham crackers make it a s’more, but the chocolate brownies with caramel are called turtle brownies. So, I named him Turtle Fudge Cookie (the “fudge” part isn’t part of the food name, but I didn’t think Turtle Brownie worked as well, so I just put it in instead. Also there is turtle fudge, but I was thinking of the brownies). I was also debating changing it to Caramel Fudge, since I thought the “turtle” part didn’t fit, but after asking my friend she says turtle sounds better, so I’m going with Turtle Fudge

Turtle brownie/turtle fudge:

I really want brownies now

Anyways, on to his design, I think he looks cute, but also I worry he looks too much like a mini Caramel Arrow and not enough like Dark Choco. Maybe it shows more when he gets older. Currently he’s like 8. He also originally had black eyes like her, but I wanted to change it to look more like him. Purple eyes like his grandfather was also an option, but my friend told me the red eyes looked better

So on to him himself, so he’s determined to become a Watcher and is basically starting early, since he lives in the Citadel. He’s always trying to train, he goes around telling people when their shifts change (he knows when they do, he’s not making up times to change), and he’ll spend hours (or at least he’ll try to, he’ll usually end up falling asleep) looking atop the wall for any sort of threat. Thing is, he’s a little kid and basically just looks like a tiny Caramel Arrow, so everyone just finds him adorable. He’s so sincere in his efforts that no one can bring themselves to be annoyed or mad with him.

I gave him a spear just because those are another weapon in the kingdom and I wanted to give him something different from his parents. He does know how to use a bow though, he’s just not the best at it

Oh yeah, another thing I was going to draw as a sketch but forgot to, I had an idea that he might have some weird connection to the Licorice Sea. Like, he can’t help but stare out at it, almost thinking something in there is calling to him. Not sure if I’m keeping that or it just stays an early concept

Another potential plot point is that he comes across Affogato Cookie sneaking into the Citadel, not knowing who he is, only that he’s trespassing. Affogato sees him and immediately thinks “is that a tiny Caramel Arrow??”. Upon asking if he’s related, Affogato learns that this kid is the son of Caramel Arrow Cookie and Dark Choco Cookie, which by extension also makes him Dark Cacao’s grandson. Realizing he has an opportunity for revenge against the people who screwed him over, he kidnaps Turtle Fudge. How successful he is (he escapes with Turtle Fudge, I mean how long before he’s found or even if he’s found) and what that revenge entails I’m not sure. But there is a possible scenario where Turtle Fudge grows up to be a loyal servant to Affogato, either not knowing his parents or thinking they abandoned him, probably due to brainwashing on Affogato’s account. If anyone wants to do anything with this concept, feel free

But yeah, I think that’s about it for Turtle Fudge. I’ll be honest, I feel like I focused more on the Carrow side of him and basically nothing about Dark Choco. I’m half debating whether or not Dark Choco is even there, or if this is an alternate universe where they had the kid before Dark Choco got banished, meaning Turtle Fudge just has his mother. I’d like him to be there, but it feels like how I wrote him Dark Choco either isn’t there or is just in the background

But anyways yeah, hope you like him!

Edit: I just realized the second one asked me what I think of the ship. I mean, I get the ship, but personally I like to see Dark Choco and Caramel Arrow as having a sibling relationship, so it just doesn’t work out for me personally

Also I am just now realizing the second person might have been asking me to draw Dark Choco and Caramel Arrow and not a fankid. Sorry about that, I’ve seen so many of these that if you give me a two characters and ask about a ship I’m probably going to think you’re asking me to make a fankid

#cookie run #cookie run kingdom #dark choco cookie #caramel arrow cookie #carachoco #chococara #I don’t know what the ship name is #cookie run oc #my ocs #my art #turtle fudge cookie #I think his face is my favorite part #I think his big eyes and triangle mouth make him look adorable #I wanted to add eyebrows but they didn’t look right on him #oh also I imagine him and Mallomar wouldn’t get along #child on child violence #but likely they’d grow to understand and respect one another #fankid #fanchild

[neechees]

since miisagi has been a bit of a topic here lately, i'm curious about your perspective on a narrative they've been posting about lately. they've recently been reblogging/posting posts calling it ignorant for people to say israeli people should just move out of the country, because most people who participate in colonialism are disenfranchised by their original countries (used america and australia as examples) and we need to have some amount of sympathy for that. what are your thoughts on this concept? it seemed like bullshit to me at a first glance, but i figured since i'm a white descendant i should probably ask like an Actual native person for their thoughts

I'm gunna start of answering this by showing a screenshot from web-archive of vaer blog & a "before you follow list" on that blog in 2018 (& this is AFTER vae started calling vaemselves "Ojibwe"). Look at the second last bulletpoint under the "Do not follow if you are a ____" heading.

Lol. Vae have been posting some "both sides" bullshit according to my beloved Palestinian mootie, so I think it's pretty safe to say that this person is a zionist. Normally, I'd say that 2017 is quite a while ago and is a long enough time for a person to have changed, but if this person is STILL using some z*onist talking points, again I'm inclined to believe vaer position is relatively unchanged.

Now, I'm not Palestinian so I'm not going to try to tell Palestinians how to decolonize or how they should feel about settlers on THEIR land. Unlike some other people. But I think it bears reminding that this is literally what Isntreal's zionism uses as a justification for its colonial existence, and as a justification for Palestinian genocide. Isr*el has also done things such as carrying out bombings against the Iraqi Jewish population in order to encourage them to move to Isr*el in 1950-1, which worked, so it becomes this loop of "its dangerous for you there, come move here!". (And I don't mean to say that certain groups, or in this case that I provided, Jewish people, are not discriminated against to the point of fearing for their own safety as it is already, that much is true: but rather its that this colonial State will weaponize that fact and then help commit atrocities against the population it claims to want to protect in order to reinforce genocide & colonization.)

People often use the "imagine if someone went into your house and said 'this is mine now' and just kicked you out" to try help people understand how fucked up the colonization of Turtle Island was & how stupid it is that people still celebrate people like Columbus. In a lot of cases, that analogy is quite literally what is happening in Palestine. Palestinians are quite literally being kicked out of their actual houses to make way for settlers.

So vaer literally just parroting colonial talking points, and given the screenshot above I am not inclined to give vaem the benefit of doubt. If anything this kind of shows me vae have DEFINITELY spent a good chunk of vaer life as a White person because the irony of defending the existence and settlement of one colonial, genocidal state (Isntreal) but not another (the "Americas"), despite the fact that the EXACT same tactics for genocide & colonization have been used in both, while claiming to be "Indigenous" to the latter and talking about Indigenous rights & issues that vae may not even have had to live through is just. Too much. The richness of calling OTHER people "ignorant" is red velvet rich.

#and i didnt know this until i looked at these old screenshots. #anonymous

[itsbenedict]

Just finished this game, which I played because my brain has been fried by work problems and I needed something to chill with, but mainly because @konec0 did the soundtrack and I wanna support what he's doing. Still appreciate you pitching in on Nepetaquest 2011 back in the day, dude!

Cuisineer is an arcadey restaurant manager game, and also an isometric hack-and-slash dungeon-crawler roguelike. You delve dungeons to get ingredients, you cook and serve those ingredients in your restaurant, you get money with which to upgrade things and get more ingredients and serve more food. Solid concept!

Does it work? Well... It's very cute, and very polished, but it's held back by some very strange design decisions.

In short... its primary and secondary gameplay loops clearly had a lot of love put into them, but the tertiary loop- the progression systems- are very weirdly balanced to the point of being almost broken.

Bad thing 1

The main problem: everything costs wood and stone. Everything costs wood and stone, and costs more wood and stone the further you upgrade things. But you don't get more wood and stone the further you get in the game, at least once your inventory space maxes out. Wood and stone give way to Magic Wood and Super-Stone of various sorts, which are required for stronger upgrades, but you still need big piles of the basic stuff and can't substitute the advanced stuff, and it's the limiting factor on every single purchase in the game except health potions and rugs for some reason. Combine that with sharply limited inventory space, and money from running the restaurant very swiftly stops mattering compared to how many times you've farmed the starting level for crafting materials. It functionally locks you out of what might be fun systems, like the decoration and furniture stuff- since doing anything cosmetic trades off against progression.

Bad thing 2

Also- in the dungeon-crawler half, there's not much advancement to speak of. You might think these resources could be spent to make you stronger, but... upgrading weapons is expensive and time-consuming and has extremely marginal rewards. Like, the starting weapon does 10 damage, and a fully-upgraded endgame weapon might do 15. The game seems to be trying really hard to avoid being an RPG and letting the player get stronger over time- the various mechanics for upgrading your combat capabilities are just not worth it, and the random weapon drops are mostly identical and do nothing but clutter your inventory.

(It feels like it's trying to limit progression so it can bill itself as a roguelike, even though that's not really what the game is on any meaningful level? Not a choice that really works for it as its own game, imo.)

Bad thing(?) 3

The game's combat is an odd duck. It's... very polished, and very compelling, if you use the one approach that actually works. There's nine weapons, but only a handful are viable with the way combat is designed.

Enemies have very short windows where it's safe to attack them, and are quick to punish you for bad timing or wrong positioning. Reminds me of a soulslike, almost. Healing is sharply limited, so you really need to be careful not to get hit by stuff- and there's so much stuff. Walk into a room, or too close to a room, and everything in it will instantly aggro you, including artillery enemies with long-distance ranged attacks. Problems appear quickly and overwhelmingly, so combat ends up being a case of... dodging massive walls of tomato danmaku and miscellaneous enemy projectiles as you charge into rooms full of enemies and hazards, trying to find one safe place to stand for one second while you hit one enemy for chip damage, over and over again until you gradually thin the enemy numbers and win yourself room to breathe. It's very intense and very fun once you get the rhythm...

...but some weapons just plain don't fit into that rhythm. Many enemies need to be consistently stunlocked to deal damage to them safely, and the reloading projectile weapons and slow hard-hitting weapons just can't do that, forcing you to take hits, which you can't afford to do. Narrow-hitbox spear-type weapons fare poorly against crowds of small enemies who can slip past your guard, which are Everywhere. There's a fun kebab weapon that lets you charge and dash around the stage, but levels are claustrophobic and full of hazards that punish you for doing that. As Chiyo Kumasawa foretold: the only thing you can rely on is your trusty mackerel.

There's also a weird and kind of funny tradeoff where... you can't meaningfully upgrade your damage, but you can roll elemental status effects that can give you some multipliers and useful passive AoE damage as you're dashing around trying not to die. But... these huge AoE elemental effects have very wide, obtrusive visuals that hide the enemies on the screen, and you really need to be paying attention to enemy animations so you don't get hit. It's a sort of unintentional tradeoff of defense for strength, which weirdly works.

Bad thing 4

The writing's kinda flat. You've been hoodwinked into taking on your parents' debt and running their restaurant, you have to pay it off- it's established pretty hastily and mainly ignored. The townspeople have very cute designs, but they're all kind of nothingburger characters whose lives revolve around the urgent need for you to deliver them lots of random food items for contrived reasons in exchange for recipes and stuff. Cast kind of comes off like some softcore smut artist's stable of OCs whose personalities were afterthoughts. Doesn't really go anywhere, the localization's pretty stiff, most jokes don't land... doesn't seem like there was a lot of effort put in there.

Good thing 1

I spill way more words nitpicking flaws than I do praising stuff, but I did enjoy this game enough to finish it, and it's not for no reason.

Firstly- the restaurant section. I have no complaints about the restaurant mode! It's polished to a mirror sheen, honestly. I'm given to understand the restaurant sim is a genre, mainly native to phones, and maybe this all works because it's cribbing mechanics from some more successful inspiration I've never heard of, but... it's just very enjoyable, void of potentially annoying cooking mechanics and letting you focus on queuing up dishes, keeping track of orders, and dashing around making sure everything is running smoothly. The balance job is very nice- the difficulty during lunch and dinner rushes is just enough to make you sweat a little as things ramp up, and they last just long enough to get the most out of the pressure without totally overwhelming you. Chef's kiss, no notes.

Good thing 2

konec0's soundtrack is real good! I mostly know him for his electroswing and HS fanmusic, but he can clearly pull off a wide range of styles. It matches the overall sound design really well and it's enjoyable to listen to. Excellent job there!

Good thing 3

The "final dungeon" segment does this very cool and fun thing where it combines the dungeon-crawling combat and the restaurant management into one challenging final exam where you have to survive combat arenas to scrounge up ingredients as you cook them up and serve them, which would maybe get exhausting in core gameplay but works really well as a challenge for the end of the game. Liiiiittle bit too easy in the first two rounds, but it's fine.

Good thing 4

I already mentioned this alongside the nitpicks, but: when the combat works, it works- the feel of it is satisfying, the challenge is well-calibrated, and the animations look great and convey what's happening well.

Good thing 5

Also the character art is very cute. Lot of fun designs there, even if as mentioned the characters they're attached to are pretty flat. The game's just gorgeous in general- the artists knocked it out of the park.

OH WAIT BAD THING 5

The game's cover/key art prominently features a squid that throws ninja stars! But there's no squid that throws ninja stars in the game! How the heck did that happen!!! Give me the ninja squid!!!!!

#cuisineer #game rec #idk if it's a rec since my opinions are pretty mixed but it should go in the tag #maybe i should go through and add a game review tag

[maddiesnowflake]

SHATTER ME TRILOGY REVIEW-

2/5 stars…

Almost every review of this series that I have seen raves about how amazing it is. I have to disagree. For some context, here is the plot summary of book one:

“Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.”

A plot summary for books 2 and 3 really isn’t needed since the storyline is so hopelessly redundant one can barely distinguish each book from the other. Essentially, the main character Juliette is rescued from her prison by the ruggedly handsome Adam Kent. They are taken to a District 13-esque underground base by the comedic relief character, Kenji. A resistance movement against an evil government whose motives are never clearly defined is introduced, a love triangle is formed between Juliette, sexy Adam and bad guy turned good sexy Aaron (who- plot twist- is Adam's long lost brother) , our main character discovers that she’s a super powerful girl boss, she takes down the government, becomes the government….yaddah yaddah yaddah.

My main issue with this book isn’t necessarily the plot. The concept of a person who can’t touch others without killing them is intriguing. The two sexy male characters that are conveniently the only people who can touch her without dying from her powers are obnoxious, but what can we expect from a dystopian YA novel? The thing is, a lot of the issues with this book are issues typically associated with YA novels, and in most books, they can be overlooked. BUT THIS BOOK HAS SOME OF THE WORST WRITING I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE.

The chapters (which vary in length, sometimes 1, 2, 3, or 15 pages long) are fraught with sad attempts at profound metaphors. Allow me to provide you with a few examples:

“Raindrops are my only reminder that clouds have a heartbeat. That I have one, too.”

I've never heard about clouds with a heartbeat, but whatever makes you happy I guess.

“I only know now that the scientists are wrong.

The world is flat.

I know because I was tossed right off the edge and I've been trying to hold on for 17 years. I've been trying to climb back up for 17 years but it's nearly impossible to beat gravity when no one is willing to give you a hand.”

I think we can all agree that this metaphor could've been made without the declaration that the world is flat, but that line will definitely cause the reader to do a double take!

“I am nothing but novocaine. I am numb, a world of nothing, all feeling and emotion gone forever.  I am a whisper that never was.”

.....this speaks for itself. or maybe it doesn't speak, since it's novocaine.

“Every butterfly in the world has migrated to my stomach.”

this imagery both disturbs and confuses me

"My eyes are 2 professional pickpockets, stealing everything to store away in my mind."

quick writing lesson: when a number is less than ten, you write it out in word form!! also what. just what.

"They want to delete every point of punctuation in my life from this earth."

“And we are quotation marks, inverted and upside down, clinging to one another at the end of this life sentence. Trapped by lives we did not choose.”

punctuation metaphors are really a theme here. quite possibly the only theme of this series.

"My mouth is sitting on my kneecaps."

"My jaw is dangling from my shoelace."

"My eyelashes trip into my eyebrows; my jaw drops into my lap."

There are so many other normal ways to just say she was surprised! I simply cannot understand the thought process behind these absurd sentences.

"My stomach is a flimsy crepe, my heart is a raging woodpecker, my blood is a river of anxiety."

"I crumble to the floor, folding into myself like a flimsy crepe."

The fact that a crepe metaphor was used at all, let alone twice in one book, is completely bizarre.

[…]his lips his lips his lips are 2 pieces of frustration forged together.”

This pattern of crossing out and repeating phrases is repeated several times throughout each chapter, and it is sooooo irritating.

To conclude, this book series gave me the same vibes as most soap operas: terrible quality, the plot is filled with intrusive twists that make no logical sense, and the characters have about as much depth as a puddle.

I will admit that I was entertained by this series, hence the two stars instead of one. But I was entertained in the same way a train wreck might be entertaining. This series is so bad it's hilarious. The fact that someone wrote this, reread it, thought it was decent, an editor read this, also thought it was decent, and then had it published is so strange to me.

If you are the type of reader who enjoys plots that aren't thought out whatsoever, if you can stomach the cringiest of writing phrases, if you are okay with the most muddled and rushed endings ever, and if you enjoy the most cliche events possible , you may be able to enjoy this series. Or maybe you can enjoy it while seeing it for the ridiculousness it is. However, if you read this and think that you have walked away with some profound and thought provoking quotes like a majority of people on the internet seem to think, please reevaluate. Expand your reading horizons. Try some classic literature. Or something.

anyways this is not as harsh as it sounds, please don't be offended if you are a huge fan, just my opinion. :)

#shatter me #ignite me #book review #unravel me #tahereh mafi #shatter me book review #shatter me review #shatter me slander #book hate #this is kind of a joke #juliette ferrars #adam kent #aaron warner #bad writing #kenji kishimoto

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

So this week’s story has raised a big question for me; just WHAT tools does Rasputin have at his disposal? Because even if we limit ourselves to the idea Rasputin ONLY has options that would technically tithe to Xivu, there’s a whole ladder of escalation beyond what we’re currently doing and below playing into Xivu’s hand. I feel like we’ve only ever seen the top (Warsats go BRRRRRR) and bottom (Give Guardians guns) of that ladder.

Short answer: Destiny's writers deliberately keep the extent of Rasputin's arsenal ambiguous, but I think he scrapped everything midrange a long time ago and was hoping to just nuke the Wrathborn from orbit.

Long answer: I said in an earlier post that Rasputin's four roles in the Destiny narrative are mystery, tragedy, power, and humanity. You're getting at the angle of both power and mystery. What arrows are in Rasputin's megaton quiver? We don't know. He has the warsats, of course, we know about those; we've also heard about fun toys like caedometric cannons and antimatter warheads under his control during the Golden Age. But then we also get hints at hidden and hibernating assets or secret projects - enough to bolster Rasputin's air of power and mystery and make it plausible when the narrative requires he pull something extra-spicy out of the closet.

Red probably did have more assets between "hand cannon" and "planetary defense cannon," but he lost an enormous chunk of matériel fighting the Pyramid Fleet the first go-round. Everything midrange would have either gotten scrapped for resources or bodged together into something bigger, and post-Collapse he had no incentive to rebuild those assets. He's been piecing together some defensive stuff that will hopefully mean less babysitting his facilities - his frames carry weapons and those perimeter defense towers pack a punch - but it hasn't been a priority.

But remember one of Rasputin's strengths is his adaptability, and not just his decentralized processing network. He's very good at taking what's on hand and turning it into what he needs. He fabricated the supercharged Valkyrie to use against Xol more or less on the fly, and scrambled long-disused assets into a brand-new artillery battery to take down the Almighty in a matter of weeks. The IKELOS weapons have that rapid-prototype look for a reason. Sleeper's hacked together from old Golden-Age weapon designs*. Red had serious manufacturing complexes in Hellas Basin at his disposal and, while we still don't know what Seraph energy is, it seems like he can fold it into matter on demand. So asking "what tools does Rasputin have" is a little like asking a chef with a pantry full of ingredients "what's for dinner."

*I like to think it's a miniaturized warsat cannon, but a friend of mine has a great theory that Sleeper's a vehicle-mounted weapon Rasputin made Guardian-portable by stripping off all that pesky radiation shielding.

In the specific case of the Wrathborn, though, I think Rasputin was hoping to get it all over with at once. He doesn't have the resources for a long campaign, and he risks contamination by Xivu Arath. Rasputin would rather go for major overkill than deploy too little up front and have to sustain and escalate. He's kind of a glass cannon right now, while the Hive can hold their own against Cabal attrition campaigns, and there's no attrition like Cabal attrition. And there's the additional threat of Hive corruption, which, we've never gotten an answer on whether Omnigul could have poisoned him, but neither he nor the Vanguard wanted to find out. We've already seen Wrathborn contamination subvert mechanical systems. And I've talked before about how he doesn't actually like combat that much; he has no concept of "fair play" or a proportional response. No, Red wanted to deliver one quick hammer-blow so massive he didn't have to deliver another, and it looks like he's not going to get that.

#Destiny 2 #the Warmind Rasputin #Season of the Seraph #BUNGO TELL ME ABOUT SERAPH ENERGY ALREADY #I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS #you ever think about the kind of manufacturing base needed to sustain Golden Age technology and how it's related to Glimmer production #sometimes I think about that #Rasputin: glass cannon? a bit #anyway back to working on the bow catalyst #output generated #this is the wager of existence

[benis-chillin]

Backlog Reviews 2024: Metroid Dread

Platform: Switch

March 9th, 2024-April 4th, 2024

This has been the big one for me for a while. Back in late 2022, I binged through Zero Mission, Samus Returns, Super Metroid, and Fusion, and have had a craving for this final 2D Metroid since. Not many game series have clicked with me in the same way Metroid has, so this is a case where I HAVE to play every game in at least SOME form.

And while I just found Prime to be a bit "eh" last year, I'm still going to give any of the other games a fair shake. Cause like with Sonic before it, I HAVE to know for myself. Even Other M will get that treatment someday.

And so, after a year of waffling that was terrible, I finally nabbed a cartridge on EBay and got to playing what may be one of my favorites in the series, if not THE favorite. If I were to describe how this game plays, it would be like if Samus had continued to get 2D games on the DS and 3DS after Fusion, and we're just at the next step of THAT evolution. It's insane how much of a progression this is from even Samus Returns, with new moves and weapons that I would've NEVER thought of for Metroid, but feel like, "Of course, why WOULDN'T you?" after you're introduced to the concept. They also keep the morph ball from you for a WHILE, which was surprisingly bold. After seeing my other favorite video game character regress so much in his 2D game design for his past decade of games, this was nice to see.

The world can become a bit unwieldy at times, but this is a fairly easy world to navigate once you've got the hang of it. While I didn't mind the more linear progression of Fusion and Samus Returns, I'm glad that they did cut back on Adam outright telling you where to go. He doesn't really have THAT much dialogue, and it's more just telling you what to avoid and what to look out for in terms of upgrades.

As for the story, it is REALLY good…Save for one thing I'll talk about later. It's fairly simple, but the stakes are high personally for Samus, and it ties her adopted heritage with the Chozo into the grander plot very naturally. This story could've gone really badly if not done right, and it warms my heart to see it executed so beautifully. And yes, when THAT moment happened at the end, I DID shed a single, sexy tear.

So that's a fair summary of the good stuff, so I'm gonna whine and complain a bit before we wrap up.

For one thing, bosses. Even on Rookie Mode, they're long, spammy, and kinda repetitive. The strategy for all of them is "don't get hit, and spam them with missiles." The only ones that break this up are Kraid when you sequence break for early bombs, and the twin Chozo warriors when they want you to learn how to use Storm Missiles. Everybody else was the same exact strategy, even the final boss against Raven Beak. And this problem wouldn't be so bad if there weren't SO MANY OF THEM, especially towards the end. It started to slow my progress, cause I'd wake up some days just NOT wanting to deal with any random boss encounter they'd throw my way.

They at least wait until the very end to throw the cheapest boss at you, unlike the latest offering by a certain blue rat that I played recently, but I'd definitely say the bosses were more of a negative than a positive.

E.M.M.I.s were also inconsistent. Sometimes, they'd work right and be this terrifying encounter that you just BARELY scraped past, other times they'd be a cheap kill that sets you back with no real consequences since there's not THAT much space between the E.M.M.I. doors in any given area. And then most of the time, they were just laughable clowns that you can just Scooby Doo around until you get to the next door. You can have some cool encounters with them, but even early on these guys are total posers.

And while I praised all of the moves we got earlier, there is a part of me that thinks MAYBE we got too many of them? Maybe it was my developing case of carpal tunnerl syndrome, or the Switch Lite's underscaled buttons for these kind of games, but the stronger I got, the harder it was to manage all of my weapons in a boss battle. Plus, there were upgrades I barely even used, like the Speed Booster, that maybe could've been cut. I know people are gonna be mad at me for saying the Speed Booster sucks, but you can accomplish most of what it does through normal movement and the Screw Attack, so I don't see the point of it. Samus Returns managed just fine without it.

And now for the spoiler rant, so if you don't want to be spoiled, just don't read the section between the big text, m'kay?

SPOILER ZONE

So at the end of the game, we find out that the events of the game have drawn out Samus' Metroid DNA she got back in Fusion. She is becoming more Metroid-like as time goes on, which makes sense given all of the X that are now out and about.

HOWEVER, the game explains this as her Thoha DNA she got as a child keeping it at bay until she met Raven Beak at the beginning, because he is a Mawkin. The Thoha were the ones who made the Metroids, so Adam reasons out that this is why the Metroid DNA kept things quiet until meeting the Mawkin, who slaughtered the Thoha on SR388.

SO HER METROID DNA WAS SCARED OF HER THOHA DNA!?

THAT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE!

Samus' Metroid DNA comes from the baby Metroid she spared during Metroid 2/Samus Returns, who descended from the Metroids who evolved out of the Thoha's control due to Aeion energy. This DNA is from a set of Metroids who have no loyalty to the Thoha, and would thus not CARE.

Additionally, if Raven Beak's Mawkin DNA triggered it in the beginning, HOW WAS SAMUS ALREADY NOT IN THIS STATE? This game establishes that she HAS Mawkin DNA inside of her! RAVEN BEAK'S MAWKIN DNA, no less! Did it just conviniently ignore that?

Not to mention that Other M established that the Baby Metroid was, in fact, a Queen Metroid larva, which is why it protected Samus at the end of Super and such. I think such special DNA would get past these boundaries regardless.

(And yes, I'm aware of the implication that Samus is a Queen because of this. We all already knew that, so it's irrelevant)

And finally, DNA DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!

Okay, spoilers over.

So yeah, my problems with it would bump it down to a 9/10 normally, but I'm going to restore a point because Samus looks damn sexy in her armor in this game. Every one of her main suits is hot af, so basically, in the merits of being oddly attracted to a woman in a robot suit:

10/10

Next…Idk. I'm gonna take a break to nurse my carpal tunnel for a bit. So…See you next mission, I guess.

#metroid #metroid dread #gaming backlog

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Safe Haven ~Bang Chan | Day 17.

Pairing: SpaceRebel!Chan x WitchQueen!F.Reader Themes: Fantasy AU | Sci-Fi AU | Royalty AU | Soulmate AU | Slow Burn | Mutual Pining | Angst | Smut | Fluff. Series Warnings: Third person POV · Very loose and liberal usage of Star Wars concepts (mostly to refer to weapons and tech). you don’t need to know anything about SW to read this, trust me · Physical descriptions of the main female character such as: can visibly blush, having long hair, and being short · Violence · Swearing · Mature themes and language · Original characters · Graphic smut (later chapters) · Mentions of the members of other groups (later chapters) · No one is straight, beware · Each chapter will include its own individual warnings. Chapters marked as M (Mature) either include highly detailed violence, or smut.

Chapter Warnings: suggestive · mentions of weapons. Word Count: ~6k | AO3

Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for a 18+ audience only. Minors do not interact. ✰This chapter has been reworked as of 16/08/2023

Previous Chapter: Day 15. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 60.

Disclaimer: the story presented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.

“Wow, look at your head!”

Wang Eun ran from where he’d been standing on the training grounds towards Felix, whose blonde hair had turned orange seemingly overnight. The change had earned Felix a similar reaction from Chan in the morning when he came knocking on Chan’s door, to which Felix had simply given him a sheepish smile and a shrug.

“I know, right? I was learning potion recipes with Her Majesty and Jenna last night”, Felix ruffled his hair gently, only for the locks to fall back into place right after, as if he’d never touched them in the first place. “It’s not the colour I wanted, but I think I like it anyway”.

“You did this with a potion?” Changbin seemed to be both confused and amazed. “You think I could drink one of those too?”

“Yeap! You can get any colour you want!” Felix started to stretch and warm up, standing right next to Chan who’d remained quiet most of the way here, and even now as they stood there all together.

Truth was, Chan was still brooding. He didn’t see, nor hear from the Queen yesterday at all. He’d not seen her since they kissed in the pool. Well, since he kissed her in the pool, and he was, quite honestly, having the worst time about it.

He did try to find her, which was the worst part. She was just nowhere to be seen, and Chan was positive she was avoiding him, especially considering she did meet Felix last night.

He did see Freyja, though. The panther had run to him with her tail high in the air and rubbed her forehead against him, which did warm him up a bit. Even if she was on her own, Chan still provided as many pets as he could, feeling a little comforted by her purring. It almost felt as if she had been trying to encourage him.

“Are you ready for today?” Wang Eun asked Chan, pulling him from his thoughts.

“I… Uh…” Chan wasn’t sure he’d be able to train today. His spirits were too crushed, and there was just no way he’d be able to concentrate enough to avoid Wang Eun’s blows.

Plus, he hadn’t even been able to wrap the ribbons around his bare limbs that morning. Not like he hadn’t tried, it was just that the second the things touched his bare skin, it felt too much like the Queen was there and he couldn’t bear it. So, he decided to be half honest when he finally answered Wang Eun. “You think we could just… not train today? I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I think I’ll just lift some weights…”

Wang Eun was about to say something, but Changbin cut him off immediately. “You can train me! Show me some cool moves”.

Wang Eun looked more than happy to give Changbin a hand, so he didn’t press Chan further. Chan knew Changbin was doing it for him more than for himself–considering he knew very well why Chan was losing sleep. He was honestly immensely thankful that Changbin took it in his hands to divert Wang Eun’s attention from him.

So he moved away from them both, and picked up some dumbbells from the rack in the corner to start a simple routine, something repetitive that he could do without having to think much.

“Have you spoken with Her Majesty recently?” Felix was close to where Chan stood, running on the treadmill. His sudden question almost made Chan drop his dumbbells, but he recovered quickly.

“I… Not really. Didn’t see her yesterday. Why?”

Felix hummed, clearly thinking something over before he continued. “She didn’t look too good yesterday, I wonder if something happened on her trip… Did you know she’s got a ball in her study similar to the one you’ve got in your room back at the base?”

She didn’t look too good… Was that a good sign or a bad sign for Chan? He didn’t know, and he clearly couldn’t ask, so he decided to focus on the other piece of information Felix had provided. “I’m not surprised. Anyone who communicates with you-know-who has one”.

When people joined the Alliance, they were usually given a crystal ball to receive news and missions from Dall, and to communicate with other units. The thing came with a base attached to a keypad, and the messages would display on the ball itself. It was honestly fiddly to operate, which was why in Chan’s unit, only Minho and Chan were the ones that knew how to use it.

“You think she…” Felix looked at his surroundings, no one else was in the area, but he still lowered his voice, just enough so only Chan could hear. “You think her trip was a mission from you-know-who?”

Chan’s eyes widened. He’d honestly not even considered it. “No clue, dude. Why don’t you ask her since you’re so close and curious about it?”

“I was actually hoping you would ask her”, Chan’s left eye twitched at Felix’s request. “Plus, you’re closer to her, she might tell you”.

Was he? Was he really closer to her? If he’d been at some point, clearly that wasn’t the case anymore. Plus, he had kind of already inquired about her trip, and she dismissed him instantly. “She won’t tell me, trust me”, and Chan was completely sure of it.

Felix had pressed a bit more about it, until Chan gave him one final no. He might’ve been too harsh when he said it, but at this point he didn’t really care. He would combust right there in the middle of the training grounds if he had to speak about his friendship with the Queen any further.

Fifteen minutes after Chan started lifting weights, Changbin essentially crawled back from the open area of the training grounds to where Chan and Felix were. The man was sweating buckets, and his face lacked its usual colour.

Changbin plopped down on one of the vacant benches, panting heavily. “Holy fucking shit”.

“I told you, dude”, Chan hardly reacted, repositioning his body to target a different muscle group as he lifted weights.

“Man, you guys are too weak”, Wang Eun stood by the bench, staring down at Changbin. He looked exactly the same he did fifteen minutes ago, barely even sweating. “Good thing you’re all hot and pretty”.

“Am I also hot and pretty?” Felix asked, still jogging on the treadmill.

“You’re the prettiest”, Wang Eun reassured him, picking up a couple of dumbbells for himself.

Felix chuckled, adjusting the tilt on the machine. “Wow, thank you, Wang Eun. You’re handsome yourself”.

Wang Eun stopped his movements immediately, and stared at Felix with wide eyes. Chan saw it as if it played in slow motion, how Wang Eun’s face was getting redder and redder by the second. He couldn’t help but scoff. There was no way this man was blushing over this…

“Uhh… Excuse me. I’ve got to… I’ve got to… Yeah”, Wang Eun dropped the dumbbells right where he had picked them up from, and left faster than Chan could tease him about it.

“See? You owe me some credits”, Felix looked at Changbin who was still fighting to get air into his lungs on the bench. “Told you he was all talk”.

Changbin huffed out a laugh. “That guy just kicked my ass, and he’s getting that flustered over you calling him handsome?”

“Must be my charm”, Felix flicked his non-existent long hair off of his shoulder. Which, even in his brooding state, made Chan chuckle.

“You are charming”, the sudden deep voice startled them.

The three of them turned towards the sound to find the High King stepping into their area. He sounded genuine, which was the most surprising part.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Felix, too, sounded genuine in his reply. “What brings you here?”

“Just coming for some weights”, His Majesty shrugged, making a beeline to the rack in the corner of the room. He eyed Chan as he walked past him, and stopped in his tracks to turn to him fully. “Have you seen my dear sister, Chan?”

Chan tensed immediately, and the dumbbells in his hands suddenly felt ten times heavier than they were. “Not recently, Your Majesty”.

His Majesty hummed, scanning the features of his face. The Queen and the High King didn’t look anything alike, truly. But they moved so similarly that it almost felt as if it was her scrutinising every single one of his features, which did nothing to ease Chan’s nerves whatsoever.

“You hang out sometimes, right?” Chan’s left eye twitched at the comment, and he was suddenly unsure as to why the High King was asking him this. “So if you see her and she’s a bit… weird, weirder than usual, don’t hold it against her. I think the moons are making her go a bit nuts these days”, he emphasised, rotating his index finger around his temple.

Chan blinked slightly. “Uhh… I’ll–I’ll keep it in mind, Your Majesty”.

A cold shower did very little to ease Chan’s troubled thoughts. When he left his chambers after that shower, he, once again, caught himself trying to look for the Queen. Not actively, but his eyes would certainly wander when he crossed the many corridors of the castle.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d see a peek of her pretty face when he turned around the corner, or if he’d find a mess of paintings on the floor from one of her many outbursts… None of that happened, though. Instead, he just saw the many workers going about their day around the castle, carrying out all their day-to-day activities as usual.

Chan pondered on what the High King told him earlier. First of all, why would he say what he said to Chan? Second of all, was he trying to make fun of his sister, or was he trying to show real concern?

It was hard for Chan to tell, since His Majesty’s tone would often not match the words he said out loud. If he’d been trying to show concern, that’d mean two people had already seen the Queen recently and were worrying about her. Which, in a way, made Chan worry about her, too.

Chan was deep in his thoughts, his feet were taking him through the familiar way he took every day to go to his ship, almost like they were moving on their own. But, out of the blue, he felt hands on his body. The alarm bells went off in his brain a second too late for him to defend himself. He was tugged with force, and was suddenly pulled into a room before the door slammed shut loudly behind him.

“We need to talk”, the Queen stared up at him, with her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Chan just stared right back, blinking slightly as his eyes darted all around her face. He suddenly didn’t know what to say, he was too stunned to speak, even when it’d only been a day since he last saw her. Although, considering the last thing they did then, he shouldn’t have been surprised that his body wouldn’t react, really.

The Queen held his gaze for a moment too long. Chan didn’t really know who leaned in first, but they were certainly kissing now. Warmth and fire spread rapidly within him, he brought one of his hands to hold the back of her neck, while the other laid palm flat on the small of her back, so he could pull her as close to him as possible.

The Queen’s fingers threaded in his hair, the soft scratch of her nails against his scalp made him groan, enough for his mouth to open and for her tongue to sneak inside to find his own. It was desperate, and messy, and his head was spinning. His mind was suddenly blank, the only thing Chan could hear were her soft whimpers against his mouth, and that ever-present hum in his ears.

Chan vaguely realised he was moving, and his back was now against a wall as Her Majesty pressed herself to his body. He was probably letting out the most embarrassing noises, but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care. Her warmth was too distracting, and too alluring, for him to think about anything other than her body against him.

In one swift movement, he flipped their positions, so he could now press her against the wall, and slot one of his legs between hers. The most delicious yelp escaped her lips with the motion, only for the sound to get lost inside his mouth, since neither of them seemed to want to pull away from each other.

For a split second, Chan worried he might’ve been getting too carried away, but that worry died almost as soon as it came when he felt a hand–her hand–find its way to his bum and fucking squeeze the flesh over his trousers. 

So he retaliated. Of fucking course he retaliated… Chan liked things to be fair, and it was only fair that he, too, got to cop a feel. His grip was probably a bit too strong, his neediness certainly got the best of him, but she didn’t seem to mind, if the sudden moan filtering between their kiss was anything to go by. Blood rushed from his head to his crotch with the sound, and all of a sudden his underwear felt unbearably tight.

The Queen was a strong woman, physically. Much stronger than Chan was, for sure. However, when she pushed him away, it was almost weak, like she didn’t really want to do it at all. Chan moved regardless, separating his body from her just enough for her to slip past him and remove herself from his space entirely.

Pacing around the room, the Queen’s fingers tangled in her hair, and she tugged the strands gently. “Shit, you’re dangerous”, her words came out in a breathless chuckle, and her chest heaved as she tried to get air back into her lungs.

“Me?!” Chan was just baffled, he just couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that flew past his lips, nor the question that came right after. “What about you, witch?”

The Queen looked at him, and Chan looked right back at her. Who had moved first? Chan didn’t know, and, at this point, he also didn’t care. All he cared about was the feeling of her soft lips against his own, and her tongue pushing against his while they kissed again.

There was a desk in the room, apparently. Chan realised it the moment he’d pushed her against it, when the thing dug on her backside as his hands held her hips in place, kneading the flesh over her clothes. When did the Queen move her leg? He didn’t know, but the warmth around his hip and the weight of her heel pressing on the back of his thigh awoke something within him, something primal and so incredibly dangerous if acted upon. 

His hand flew to her thigh, and he hiked her leg a bit further up on his torso to keep it in place, ensuring that her balance was secure with the desk behind her to stabilise her. He was dizzy. From the kiss, from her warmth, from the arousal that was close to burning him alive…

One of her hands tangled in his hair, and she tugged–not enough to hurt or pull him away, but enough for his body to react. His hips rolled forward for his very prominent erection to grind against her centre, which made the Queen moan loudly against his mouth, further making his head spin.

Chan needed to breathe. His heart was beating just way too fast, his breathing laboured further with every graze of her tongue and every minute roll of her hips, and the only active brain cell he had left was screaming at him to get oxygen into his lungs as soon as possible.

So, he disconnected his lips from hers, only to reattach them to other areas of her skin. He kissed the apple of her cheek, her jaw, settling on the soft skin of her neck. In a way, he felt ravenous, hungry. It was the type of hunger he could only satisfy with the taste of her on his tongue.

Every time his lips connected to her skin, every time his tongue got bold and prodded her exposed neck, every time his grip on her thigh tightened or his hand moved further up on it, the Queen shivered under his touch, which only fueled him more.

“Chris, listen–” Her words died on her tongue at the sudden roll of his hips. The movement had been almost involuntary, an almost instinctual reaction to his name coming out of her mouth. 

“Listen, I… I need you to stop”.

Chan froze.

That four letter word shocked his senses back into reality, as if a bucket of cold water had been dunked over his head.

He pulled back from the Queen’s neck to look at her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen, kiss-bitten, and her eyes were closed as she took deep breaths. Right then, she looked probably the prettiest Chan had seen her as of yet, and the sight certainly made his heart flutter.

Their movements had stopped, but their positions didn’t change. His hand was still on her thigh, his fingers lightly dug into her flesh, sporadically squeezing over the fabric of her trousers, while he hands were still very much buried in his hair. 

After a few seconds, the Queen took a deep breath and finally opened her eyes. “I can’t think clearly if you’re touching me”.

Even after saying that, she didn’t pull away. She made no attempt to remove herself from his space at all. Her hands just simply remained mindlessly playing with the hair on the back of his head.

Chan huffed out a laugh. “Me neither, clearly”.

Her Majesty chuckled softly. “At the risk of bursting into flames right here, I really need to talk”.

Chan pressed a soft kiss to her cheekbone, only to finally step away from her, letting her leg fall to the floor. The sudden lack of her warmth made his head spin, but he decided to ignore it. 

“I don’t know for certain what’s your… your stance on it, seems like it’s similar to mine. But you… you make me feel things. Too many. And it’s honestly a little scary”, there was sincerity in her voice, the feeling she described was something that, if anyone could understand, it would be him. “But we can’t do this”.

Chan blinked for a couple of seconds, and then took another step back, unsure of what to do. He suddenly felt… confused, and much, much less confident. It must’ve been obvious on his face, too, as her eyes scanned his features with clear concern in them.

The Queen inhaled deeply, dragging her hands over her face before she spoke again. “There are things you still don’t know about me. Things I wish I could tell you, but I can’t without putting a lot of people and you at risk. Besides, the Big Bad Wolf’s repairs are going smoothly. What’re you gonna do when it’s completely operational again? You know I can’t leave for long periods of time. Are you gonna stay here with me?”

Chan felt it then, the sharp twinge in his heart. She was right. Soon, he’d have to leave, he couldn’t stay. His mouth opened and closed a few times, while he just looked at her, trying to find suitable words to reply to her, but no words came out.

“Exactly”, her words were steady, almost impassive, but her eyes couldn’t pretend like her voice did. Chan could see clear as day all her unsaid words, and complicated feelings, swimming in them. “You’ll leave and return to your base to fulfil your own moral duties, while I stay here doing the same”.

His stance on it she asked? It was exactly the same as hers, and of course she could tell, because against his better judgement, Chan would often wear his heart on his sleeve, even when he shouldn’t have to.

The Queen was right, and it irked him in a way… Not only because she was absolutely right, but also because she was so fucking level and collected when she talked about this, while his heart was doing summersaults in his chest. 

“I must say”, Chan started, crossing his arms over his chest, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “I really admire how you can be so rational about this”, he finished off with a dry laugh.

The Queen looked at him for a moment, and then sighed. It was a tired, defeated sigh. “I have to”.

She moved just a tad closer to him, close enough so he could hear her whispered words. “It doesn’t matter how much I yearn to hold you, to kiss you, to be close to you”, the Queen brought a hand to her chest, spreading it wide open. “Even if it hurts me, I’ve got to be rational, otherwise I’d just give in to this burning feeling in my heart without hesitation, completely shamelessly and carelessly”.

Her words reached deep within Chan, they rattled that annoying box of feelings in his heart. Her Majesty’s eyes scanned his face for a while, until she let out another tired sigh.

“I just… I’m too dedicated to the Alliance. It’s what I spend most of my time on when I’m not actually ruling my planet. As long as I can’t be fully transparent with you, as long as the Charmer is loose around the galaxy… I just can’t do this. I don’t have time for this… and you deserve better than that”, her expression changed then, and he could see it clearly in her face, the struggle within herself.

A few moments of silence passed, a few moments where  neither of them were really sure what to do or say to the other. Until Chan moved, until that intense urge itching under his skin materialised into existence, an action that had started before he could even stop himself.

He reached for her hand, and held it in his. It wasn’t a tight hold, but it was certainly firm, and his thumb started to lightly brush her knuckles.

Chan saw her façade crumble with his touch, and her body gave in to their inexplicable pull to each other. The Queen moved closer, releasing his hand and wrapping her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his chin. Chan simply wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and brought one of his hands to rest on her hair.

“I’m sorry”, she whispered, her voice almost muffled against the fabric of his vest top. “I must be giving you so many mixed signals right now”.

Chan chuckled. “A bit, yeah”, he caressed her hair. It was pretty much a mindless action he wasn’t sure he was doing to ease her worries or his own. “I did, uh, kiss you first, so I guess it’s my fault”.

The Queen hummed, the vibration seemed to reverberate against his skin, reaching those secluded areas deep within his heart. “Darling, I’m just as guilty, trust me”.

Oh, wow. A term of endearment. It wasn’t mocking, nor teasing, nor playful. It was just… real, it fell from her lips so naturally… And it affected him, a bit embarrassingly, even. So Chan tightened his hold around her frame, and decided to break the heavy atmosphere with one of his insufferable comments.

“Maybe you’re right… It’s all your fault, witch”.

Her Majesty weakly slapped him on the back, but she chuckled regardless. “You’re so annoying sometimes, makes me want to–”

A breathless laugh fell from her lips as she cut her words short and shook her head.

“Makes you want to what?” Chan taunted.

“Makes me want to shut you up”.

“How?” Chan was delving into dangerous territory. He couldn’t help it, the urge was too strong. He really, really wanted to annoy her, to get under her skin and get her to do something, anything…

Again, sometimes, he was just a bit shameless.

Chan felt the sharp intake of breath against the skin of his neck, and one of her hands moved from where it had been resting around his waist to lay palm flat on the small of his back. “Don’t tempt me”.

“But it’s so much fun”, Chan pouted, he fucking pouted even if she couldn’t see him.

She hummed, and when she spoke, her lips ghosted over the skin of his neck, making the hair at his nape stand on end. “Is that what you want from me, then? Just to have fun?”

Her tone was level still, almost impassive, but there was an undertone of curiosity to it, like she genuinely wanted to know. The Queen pressed a soft kiss on his neck, and the feeling almost made him shiver. Chan supposed it was fair, considering he, too, had kissed her there earlier.

“No”, now was as good a time as any to be honest, so he was, all while sprinkling a little term of endearment of his own, because, why wouldn’t he, if he felt like it? “Your suspicions are correct, love. You, too, make me feel things. Too many”.

The Queen buried her face further in the crook of his neck, and an appreciative hum vibrated against his skin.

There was just something so comforting about having the Queen in his arms. Chan knew he had feelings for her, he’d known for a while… He’d known how the feel of her hands in his affected him, how full he felt when they spoke, when she shared those bits and pieces of her knowledge with him, how his heart reacted to her laugh, her voice, her presence in general…

It was odd, but now that he held her in his arms, it was almost as if there was something in the back of his mind telling him that this was what he was supposed to be doing, that urged him to just do it, to continue to do it, and, as he pondered on it, Chan’s resolve was clear. With his cheek against her hair, with his senses full of just… her, there was no doubt in his mind when he spoke his next words. 

“I’ll wait”.

The Queen took in a shaky breath, and her arms around his waist tightened their hold ever so slightly. “I wouldn’t ask that of you. It’s not fair”.

“I know”, he was set on it, there was just no other possible option in his mind at this point, he was in too deep already. When Chan had a goal, he would strive to achieve it, regardless of how hard it could be, and for her, he decided right then and there, without hesitation, that he would wait. “But rebellions don’t last forever. Eventually, we’ll win, and I’ll come back. We’ll figure it out then”.

The Queen’s hold tightened around Chan’s waist a bit more, and all of a sudden, a thought passed briefly in his mind, a drop of doubt that had nothing to do with his feelings, but hers. “As long as you’d take me, of course. Otherwise you can just tell me to fuck off and I’ll leave you alone forever. And that’s a serious offer”.

He heard the Queen chuckle again, her breath fanning his neck made goosebumps rise at his nape. Pulling back from the hug, she laid her hands on his chest, and Chan’s hands moved from their place around her shoulders to rest on her lower back with her motion.

While Her Majesty looked right into his eyes, she had a glint of something in her eyes, something that Chan was certainly mirroring in his own.

Hope.

Bringing a hand to the back of his head, her fingers played with the curls there, before she offered him a soft ‘Thank you’.

Chan just regarded her with a smile. She broke eye contact, and once again, her eyes darted all around his face, until they finally settled on his mouth. He could practically see the cogs turning in her head, so he stayed still in their embrace, waiting for the Queen to make her decision.

Ultimately, she leaned in and kissed him, giving into the pull. That burning flame inside of him spread like wildfire all throughout his body as soon as her lips made contact with his, as soon as he kissed her back.

The unspoken words in her actions were very clear to Chan. This was a promise. A promise of a future… of a future together.

Chan could feel heat on his face, on his neck, and his chest. It was everywhere, and when the Queen pulled away from the kiss, he noticed a soft blush had spread over her cheeks as well. Her eyes focused on his kiss-swollen lips for a moment before she finally looked him in the eyes with a shy smile on her lips. 

“I have to go now”, the cursed words left her mouth as the fingers of one of her hands mindlessly tapped Chan’s chest, while the other twirled a strand of his hair.

“I know”, Chan removed himself from her space then, taking a tentative step back.

The Queen regarded him with one last, almost apologetic smile, and her words of ‘See you later’ were the last thing she said to him before she turned around and walked away, finally leaving the room.

Even then, after the incessant pulling sensation diminished only slightly the more she moved away, his resolve didn’t waver. Chan was absolutely sure of what he’d told her, about what he’d promised…

Now, he had something to hope for. A newfound goal that was quickly ingraining itself in his mind.

We’ll win, and I’ll come back.

“I just need to know where to connect the thing to. That’s what I’m missing and it’s driving me crazy!” 

Chan, Changbin, and Felix decided to stay back inside the Big Bad Wolf after repairs ceased for the day, just so they could talk to their friends back at the base. Jeongin had picked up this time, the man was completely stressed out of his mind as he couldn’t continue repairs on the Shining Starlight without knowing where a specific circuit board was supposed to connect to.

“Okay, describe to me in detail, where exactly are you trying to plug it into?” Chan was rubbing circles on his temples, there were no doubts in his mind that Jeongin was trying to connect the thing to the wrong connector within the console. He remembered quite vividly how Jeongin had ignored him ages ago when he was trying to show the younger man how to do this.

“Okay, so there’s the main unit, right? So, I crawl under the main unit, and open the farthest left panel–”

Chan cut him off. “Your left or the console’s left?”

Silence fell on the line for a few seconds, and eventually Jeongin let out an exasperated groan. “Oh, shit”.

Changbin chuckled from where he was sitting on the floor playing cards with Felix, meanwhile Felix just shook his head disapprovingly at his friend on the other side of the line, placing a card on the pile in front of him, forcing Changbin to pick up four cards from the other pile.

“You should pay attention to me when I show you things”, Chan sighed. “What’re you gonna do when you’re old and I’m gone?” He added with the most dramatic tone he could muster.

“Man, I’m sorry, okay. Sometimes you just talk too much and I get distracted”, Jeongin lacked any semblance of remorse, which made Chan scoff immediately. 

Chan was about to reprimand Jeongin, when, all of a sudden, Minho’s screams could be heard through the line, very, very far away. The man was surely running into the communication room, screaming ‘Guys, guys, guys, guys’ repeatedly, like a chant. The tone slowly increased the closer he got.

There was rustling, a ‘What the fuck, dude’ from Jeongin, and then Minho was talking right into the communicator. “Shut it, this is important!” He was clearly addressing Jeongin, who very gracefully swore at him in the background. “Guys! Who’s there?”

“All three of us”, Felix said–their game of cards now forgotten once he and Changbin stood up and came to Chan’s side, right by the communication system.

“Jaebum’s unit’s been rescued. Dall’s just sent a message to all units”, Minho was slightly breathless, but he sounded relieved, which was the same feeling that washed over the three men inside the Big Bad Wolf.

“Holy shit, do we have details?” Changbin asked, clutching Chan’s shoulder–for moral support, Chan supposed.

“Seems like four of them had been captured, obviously Dall didn’t specify who exactly. In any case, apparently a couple of days ago a few units were able to assist and the rescue mission went smoothly”.

Chan let out a sigh of relief, slumping on his chair. “Man… That’s great”.

And it was. It was great that they could rescue them. Chan felt a lot of respect for Dall, whoever or whatever the person–or thing–was, they had proved time and time again to be someone they could count on when things got really bad.

Not like it mattered much, anyway, but he wondered if at any point, they would come clean and show themselves, or if, once the Alliance’s goal was fulfilled, the person–or people–would never reveal their identity at all.

“Do you think Dall was there with the unit as well?” Felix asked. He had always had special curiosity towards the identity of Dall. Sometimes, he even got borderline annoying with his speculations and conspiracy theories. Chan would humour him most of the time regardless, even if he had no real interest in the topic.

“It’s not like anyone could tell anyway, no?” It was Jeongin now talking on the other side of the line. “No one truly knows anyone from Dall’s unit, either, so it could be any random guy”.

“Or girl”, Changbin offered.

“Does it even matter?” Chan asked, to no one in particular. “For all we know, Dall could be several people, they could be a man, a woman, a person with no or unspecified gender, or even AI. We’ve been following them for so long already, I don’t think it matters that much”.

“Dude, where’s your sense of curiosity?” Felix was pouting and everything, which made Chan chuckle.

“You mean my sense of gossip? Outside of the Alliance, clearly”.

“Anyway”, Minho cut them off. “There’s another thing they mentioned, kinda unrelated to the rescue mission”.

Chan sat up straighter on his chair, listening intently as Minho continued. “Seems like they’ve found some sort of material that’s highly effective against the Charmer’s creatures, and they’re working on developing weapons to use them against the damned things”.

Chan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and his two friends next to him looked pretty much the same.

The Charmer’s mutated creatures were incredibly difficult to beat, regular blasters of any kind hardly scratched them, and any other physical weapon would break if you tried to impale the things. So a breakthrough like this was huge, getting weapons that could beat the creatures would mean they could get even closer to their goal, to finally win.

Chan was very curious. “Did they say what it was?”

“Nope. Just said they’ll keep us posted–Yes, Jeongin, you can talk now, damn”.

“Guys, any news on when the ship will be operational?” Jeongin asked.

“I was told today the tentative end date of the project is around two months from now”, Chan offered, sounding less excited than he thought he was going to be.

Earlier, as soon as Chan had arrived to the ship, Talboot had given him the news. After assessing the ship fully, they determined the ship should be fully operational within two months, possibly even before that if everything went smoothly. It was something that both excited him and gave him pause. He couldn’t help but feel conflicted after his conversation with the Queen today. 

Chan had to leave. They had to leave. All three of them. They needed to return to their routines and continue their active involvement in the Alliance. Even if his heart was screaming at him to stay, he just couldn’t. So, knowing that he only had a couple of months at best to enjoy more of the Queen’s company made him feel… oddly distressed, to put it simply.

“That’s great, isn’t it?!” Minho sounded genuinely happy about it.

Chan decided then to shove his feelings as deep as they would go. There was no point in brooding about it now, much less in letting his friends know about his conflicted feelings.

“Yeap. It’s great”.

Maybe, if Chan said it many times out loud, he’d start to believe it.

Previous Chapter: Day 15. | Series Masterlist. | Next Chapter: Day 60.

© therhythmafterthesummer 2022-2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.

#stray kids fantasy au #stray kids fanfiction #bang chan fanfiction #bang chan fic #skz fanfic #skz fanfiction #stray kids fanfic

[quortknee]

I am curious to know, what do you like the most of the WH40k universe and what do you like the least?

(note: i got too excited and rambled on for a while, sorry about the really long answer lol)

HI ANON, I’ve just recently gotten into warhammer proper— the black library more specifically. I’ve only read eisenhorn (excluding magos because I wanted to read ravenor beforehand), and the first three horus heresy books so far. I know about some other key story beats just because I am online™ and I cannot avoid the older, more well-known lore. I have never played the tabletop game nor any of the video games (yet). SO it’s a bit challenging to answer this properly.

that said,

off the bat if i could answer this OUT of universe, my favourite thing would be Dan Abnett just as a writer because that guy rules. my least favourite would be how games workshop is seemingly allergic to good business decisions regarding the reprinting of their older books and that they have done nothing to stop scalpers going hog wild lol. ALSO how mcneill writes women and "exposition" (aka tell and re-tell the reader important info so they KNOW it is important rather than treating the reader as a thinking being who can understand subtext and remember the most basic of things from previous chapters/povs/books)

jokes aside, here’s some answers to your question from my current perspective (this is so hard so im gonna share a couple rather than just one each, as i couldn’t pick. most of my gripes with 40k are out of universe minus one woman thing which ill mention below):

I very much enjoy the structure of the inquisition and how many moving parts and types of people an inquisitor employs while on the job. creates a really compelling and vibrant group dynamic within a noir-ish subgenre (i guess? i couldnt figure out how exactly to word that). although i am incredibly biased as the eisenhorn series has coloured my view on the inquisition quite ardently on its own so who knows!!

speaking of Eisenhorn and his crew; glossia is a really cool secret code concept and i personally love it, but that could also just be the romantic in me enjoying the beautiful idea of using personal relationships and poetry off hand with no written cipher to encode your speech

I love how chaos and faith are written as Things; how all of humanity is a hair’s width away from being corrupted, as it is simply the human condition to surrender to faith and “our” base values when threatened or otherwise. It’s really beautiful and tragic

speaking of tragedy; the creation and existence of each of the primarchs and their legions of astartes is just absolutely brilliant. The Emperor creating astartes after the thunder warriors (i think?) to give his soldiers more humanity overall and THAT being the thing that is his downfall (or ascension depending on how you look at it ig) is so beautifully tragic.

Fav characters so far have been literally every main/supporting character in Eisenhorn as well as Loken and Tarvitz from HH. I also think Magnus is really interesting as a primarch so far. Poor guy though lol. I am aware of his uh... big oopsie

Hereticus is still my favourite book I’ve read so far within the black library. (SPOILER: Fischig staying true to himself and his faith and doing all he can to save his friend but not knowing he just contributed to the very thing he hates most (chaos) through Osma, resulting in Medea having to kill him after hailing him to their location to give him a chance to apologize and rejoin the band (against Eisenhorn’s will). And THEN as a last stand while Aemos dies, he and Eisenhorn work together to turn Fischig’s freshly murdered corpse into a perfect daemonhost to imprison Cherubael as a weapon/tool for Eisenhorn to use in the coming battle… END SPOILER) I am still not over it and I don’t think I ever will be. That book is fucking nuts. Abnett did not have to go that hard but I am grateful for it regardless

i hate the remembrancer Petronella Vivar with a burning passion, she is the worst written character in the series period (so far?)

characters I would beat over the head with a steel pipe: Osma, Heldane, Erebus, Eidolon, Lucius, and Petronella. The other characters in this list I can still appreciate as villains. Petronella though... I could probably list some others too but those are the ones who came to mind right away

Other than Petronella idk what I would say regarding what I like the least as of now. I love the other remembrancers (minus the way Karsky was written in false gods, but again this is a McNeill issue), so its literally just her I can't stand. I blame McNeill for this though, with his glaring inability to write a compelling woman whatsoever

also orks are silly i like them

i hope this is satisfactory to you, anon!! please excuse any errors, i answered this first thing in the morning and got way too excited about it lmao. ty for the ask : D

#i could probably go on #but i am tired #ty anon :3 #warhammer 40k #wh 40k #40k #asks #thoughts #i complained about mcneill several during this and i think that says a lot

[linkspooky]

Have you read taq’s translations (well… mostly a translation) of Mai’s story in the JJK’s 2nd Light novel?

Here it is if you haven’t: https://mobile.twitter.com/undetaqted/status/1403453706016727042

I know it isn’t technically official and all, but it was still a nice read and the characters seem to be very true to themselves. It’s a little nice adventure focusing on Mai a bit. Which is always nice in my book.

Let me know what you think about it.

Yo.

I actually loved reading this, not to pat myself on the back or anything but it feels like my read of Mai was accurate, from what little screentime she gets in the proper series considering how much this adds to her character. 

Number one is that there is a lot of dualism at work with Maki and Mai’s character, and just to clarify I’ve said before I hate the way the twist about twins in the Jujutsu World makes them share cursed energy, and treats them like the same person. Dualism is different than that. By dualism I mean: 

Yin and Yang is a concept of dualism; all things have two facets: a Yin aspect and a Yang aspect; nothing is purely good or purely bad. The two qualities oppose each other while at the same time complement each other.

Dualism symbolism can be used for regular siblings too, there’s a trope on TVtropes called, Sibling Yin-Yang. A lot of the friendships like Itadori and Megumi, or Satoru and Suguru represent dualism too. Maki and Mai also play with dualism between their characters, and I believe the ideas represented by them are the “stronger” sibling and the “weaker” sibling. However, their narrative is a subversion of that, because they both have strengths and weaknesses and Mai’s belief that she is weak is just a perception she holds for herself. But anyway, speaking of the dualism the story starts out right away bringing up two concepts “Beautiful, and Ugly.” 

With the beautiful comes the ugly and in the long expanse of history, the good and the bad are mixed together and dye the earth. Tradition and rigidity, family and feuds. Sorcerers and curses. To someone who can see through to the ugliness behind, these streets cannot be said to simply be beautiful. Kyoto’s colors are born from tradition and they annoy Mai, which is why she has been displeased for the short time since they’ve all returned from Tokyo.

The last two lines are especially telling of Mai’s character, Maki says herself she has a bad attitude but unlike Mai she is more of a positive thinker, thinking she can overcome the adversity of her clan and climb to greater heights. Mai on the other hand, tends to dwell in the negative, not only negative thoughts about herself, but her desire to “fall down” she has an incredibly low self image and it comes across in her caustic personality, and how she seems perpetually agitated. 

The story also establishes quickly where Mai’s self image comes from, she’s internalized a lot because of what the clan says about her. I would say Maki is more self-oriented, while Mai is more other people oriented, first in the way Mai values perosnal relationships more and second because of how oversensitive she is to the opinions of others underneath her feigning indifference. 

“Maki’s results during the event notwithstanding, she managed to buy time against the special grade and contributed a weapon. There’s rumors that she’ll be up for promotion. I wonder if this news has already reached home.” Miwa and Nishimiya exchange a troubled glance. Mai laughs softly. “I wonder what they’ll say to me, who, unlike Maki, has a cursed technique but went up against her and lost.”

Mai’s self image also comes across with how much she belittles her own accomplishments, even when she is acting selflessly or accomplishes something she constantly downplays herself. When Miwa and Nishimaya are trying to be more positive towards Mai or compliment her, Mai can’t really even receive those compliments. 

“But I’m surprised, Mai-chan, that you saved this kid before.” Mai closes her eyes. “I said, it was just a Fly Head.” “If it’s just a Fly Head then you could have just left it. You didn’t have to help her.”

“Even if it’s mostly harmless, seeing something as ugly as that doesn’t make you feel good. But honestly, I do kind of regret helping her.”

The chapter uses a lot of visual symbolism tied to the eyes, like the fact that Mai could see curses when she was growing up while Maki could not, or the fact that Mai’s fear of curses came from the fact she could see them everywhere, and her dependence on Maki from the fact Maki could be brave and support her scared sister. 

However, Mai tends to dwell as I said, she lets the ugliness of cursed spirits ruin any of the beautiful sights. It is interesting to compare them, Maki can’t see cursed spirits but she can be brave. Maki however, tends to be blind to other aspects, like her sisters feelings towards her or even the people around her as she has an entirely self-centered focus. Mai tends to be really aware of the things around her, knowing herself and others, knowing her sister. Mai is aware of her own fear and weakness, and constantly troubled by it. 

Since she was born, Mai has been surrounded by terror. It’s unclear how many times she’s hated that she was born with the ability to see Curses. The blue skies are gorgeous, the colors of the streets are brilliant but it is not all beauty. If she hadn’t been born into a family of sorcerers, hadn’t known that the world was cursed… Her eyes might have only seen beautiful things.

If there is something Mai is incapable of seeing though constantly dwelling in the negative of everything, and exposed to the ugliness of the world around her is that she can’t see the own good in herself. Even when she is trying to be brave, or trying to keep a promise to someone else, Mai can’t simply admit it. She always finds some excuse or way to frame herself in a negative light, and once again Mai has a lot of internalized toxicity from the Zenin clan. It’s important to remember the differences in their circumstances, Maki left the clan to become her own person, while Mai remained in the clan left behind, she’s still forced to cater to the expectations of everyone around her. 

She believed her, believed that lightly made promise. And it is the image of that foolish young girl that Mai cannot stand. That is why she’s going. There’s no point in believing, promises are made to be broken, and to be the one to show that—It’s just that she doesn’t like it.

Mai’s incredibly self-aware, and aware of her own weakness, but this isn’t an entirely bad quality because unlike Maki, Mai knowing how weak she is can ask for help from the people around her. There’s a contrast in Maki’s only female friendship Nobara being based around Nobara’s admiration for her strength, whereas Mai, Miwa, and Nishimaya share weaknesses with each other. Nobara and Maki are paired up in the Kyoto Battle and the Shibuya arc and Nobara runs off to fight alone both times. Mai is too weak to fight on her own, but she asks for help and has good cooperation with her friends, and also they like hang out and stuff. 

It’s not enough. With just the wind and the bullets, they can’t hold it back. Mai as she is right now doesn’t have the strength to land that final blow. But that’s fine. Because she never thought that she would win on her own. All this time, she’s been waiting down this corridor. “You can take it from here can’t you, Kasumi?” “New Shadow Style. Simple Domain”

Mai’s weakness is that she’s more dependent on others, but it’s also her strength, she forms deeper relationships with people. That’s the attitude of the Koyoto students in general, their life as Jujutsu Sorcerers make it harder to connect, connection may be a weakness or a hazard but they want to connect. 

#askspookies #mai zenin #momo nishimiya #miwa kasumi