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shocymer · 2 months

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Goodbye Summer

"The friend label is a label I'm going to hate. Our story ended without even started."

Pairing : Mingi x afab!reader

Word counts : 4k

Contents : highschool au, angst, flashback, lived by the beach, TW! mention of divorce, slightly depressed reader, miscommunication issue.

A/N : The fic is inspired by "f(x) - Goodbye Summer". It's been my favorite song since it was released (bcs relatable af). Also this one took a set in early 2000 with Taiyou No Uta as my reference. Oh btw I don't use japanese semester system, I matched it with how it goes in my country. I hope everyone enjoy it! ♡

2nd Year. Autumn 2006

You walked through the class corridor while sorting some papers from the student council. You heard fast paced step behind you,

“Better watch out girly,” he took your papers and continue running again.

He laughs maniacally, at some point he stop in the middle of corridor waiting for you to catch him up. As he saw you getting closer, he lift your paper high up. He amused by your action, struggling to reach those papers.

“Mingi! Can you stop!” You keep trying to reach it.

“Nah, I don’t want to,” he lift it even higher.

“If you don’t stop any moment, I’m gonna-”

“Hmm? Gonna what?” He put his face in front of you, staring into your eyes. You saw the opportunity as he lower his grip.

“Gonna grab this damn papers, thanks by the way,” you managed to get it, swiftly walk away from him.

He followed you, asking if you’re getting busy again as student council. You responded him with annoyance till both of you immersed in conversation as you walked back to your classroom.

2nd Year. Winter 2006

You blew your hands to heat it up. Today is awfully the coldest day since winter started. Silly you, you forgotten your mittens leaving it out nicely on your study desk. You keep cursing to yourself as you only brought limited hot pack and is enough for your stomach only. Everything’s ruined because the exam period.

“You keep blowing it like a freshly baked bread.” Mingi suddenly walk beside you.

You only gave him side eye. Too lazy to respond him. Like who the hell blowing a fresh baked bread out of the oven, that isn’t funny at all. You muttering some words and keep rubbing your hands.

He notice it before he took one of your hand and guide it to his winter coat pocket. He hold your hand tightly. You took a glance at him, he keep a straight face remain unbothered. It’s not the usual himself. You knew him that he’s a playful silly guy who always teasing you whenever he likes.

“Stay still if you don’t mind, I don’t bring mine too,” his eyes darting towards his hands.

You shrugged a little bit, nodding your head. “Thanks Mingi. We almost at school too.”

He smiled and grip your hand tighter in his pocket.

2nd Year. Spring 2007

“.. I like you,” faintly you heard a love confession.

New semester is just started and the vibe suddenly change. ‘New semester new you’ , ‘love is in the air’, and you blame the pollen scattering everywhere as it worsen your allergy. Just like the situation right now, you can find love confession almost every spot in the school including the stairs.

You never get the hype of other students cheering on it like an interesting show. And now you’re trapped, have been hiding for solid 7 minutes on the 3rd floor stairs. Afraid of make them feel awkward if you suddenly pass by them. So you politely hiding in your place. You’ve been on your flip phone to kill some time, but you’re growing impatient wondering who take a love confession so long.

Curiosity kills the cat like people said, you took a little peek between the railings. You saw the girl, but you’ve got no idea who she is. Then you tilt your head to get a better view, you saw the tall familiar figure. You recognize those side profile, those tall nose, and those eyes, it’s Mingi. Your heart sting for a while then you sat on the stairs quietly trying to grasp the situation. At the end you only heard their laughter slowly fading away.

2nd Year. Summer 2007

“Got some plans for summer?” Mingi poked your arms.

You lift your head trying to look at him. Headache taking over you as today is the last day of exam. 2 weeks of distress you only facing your books non-stop. And finally your hard work has paid of when the summer break getting closer.

“Dunno, gotta wait the result come out first.”

“Wanna go to the beach?” He asked you again.

You let out a heavy sigh, “I’m worried if I’ll take summer class.”

“We’re going afternoon, incase if one of us get that supplementary class,” he assured you.

You nod at him. He pat your shoulder before leaving you to talk to another classmate. Everything felt awkward after you saw him that day on the spring. First of all you’re not that close to him. Both of you only a casual classmate. But since that day, you tried your best to avoid him hoping it’ll hide the strange feeling in your heart. Deep down inside, you intended to move on from him hoping you can be your usual self. And this summer break is surely a perfect timing.

⁠✧

The summer breeze blew your hair gently, leading you to grip your hat tightly. Mingi told you to meet him before the railway that separate almost half of the town. You waited him, sitting on your bike. Your eyes look towards the sea from this distance. The beach is not difficult to reach, it only took 10 minutes from where you live. But going with him is a rare thing.

There’s still no sign of him. You pull out your flip phone, trying to check the time. Undecided whether sent him a message or not, you keep opening and closing his contact. During the summer break you didn't contact him at all. Still unsure about your feelings, you’re afraid of falling too deep. So you just wait for his message if he remembers those plan he made before. You reread his last message,

(Minkimingi) Meet me by the railway tomorrow afternoon, cya!

You let out a heavy sigh and finally send him one,

(You) Where are you? I might get carried by the wind cuz waiting you for too long.

The vibration startled you, didn’t expect him to replied you so soon.

(Mingkymingi) I don’t live by the shore my dear princess, please be patient.

Gasped by the nickname he gave, you slump your head to the bike handlebar. ‘Goddamit Song Mingi, I shouldn't have come, right?’ Still battling with your inner thought, suddenly you feel a cold sensation at the back of your neck. You turned quickly only to find him chuckling while holding a can of cold drink.

“As a good friend, I know you must be craving this,” he handed you the drink.

Yeah friend. You forced a smile before reaching those drink. Open it up instantly then chugging it. You’re observing him without you realize. He’s still in his summer uniform. As you guess he took the supplementary class. Beads of sweats rolled down his forehead, of course that’s the result of him riding his bike in a hurry. Till his eyes met yours, returning your gaze.

“I never expect you’ll suit in those white.. flowy.. dress..”

“Friends do not do that,” you put emphasis on your words by reflex.

“That?”

Without thinking you answered him quickly,

“complimenting each other.”

He ruffled his hair as frustration drawn on his face.

“Well.. let’s say it’s not a compliment, but what’s wrong with friends complimenting each other?”

Fed up by every time he mention that label, you pedal your bike away towards the beach leaving him alone. You heard him yelling from distance,

“we’re still waiting others! Where are you going?!”

“I’m tired of waiting, meet me at the beach!” You yelled back at him.

⁠✧

The sky began to show its golden tinge. The seagulls flew to and fro over the sea. The waves rolled rhythmically and some of your classmate surf on them. Everyone is enjoying this moment, some of them playing volleyball, some of them splashing the waters towards each other, then here you are sat on the beach while thinking about your original intention of coming here.

You guessed nothing changes. The fact you’re still bitter by him is irritated you even more. You’re eyes are always on his presence, knew damn well that he’s still looking good without even trying. Just like right now, he wear a loose black t-shirt damped by water mixed his sweat, school uniform pants still hanging on him, and those brushed back damped hair while riding his surfboard.

“Say cheese!” One of your classmates push the camera shutter. Capturing the summer break moments before the new school year starts. You couldn’t help but pose for a few photos, until you didn’t realize Mingi pulled your hand. He mouthed you to follow him.

Obediently follow him, you started pedaling your bike behind his. He took you to a higher place than the shore. Stopping his bike, he look back waiting for you. Not too long, you stopped right beside him.

“We can get a better view here,” he smiled at you while his hand is pointing the sky.

You raised one of your eyebrow in confusion. He chuckled by your expression. Then he continued his words,

“I don’t know what you’ve going through. Somehow lately you seems.. different. I hope this will makes you better.”

Suddenly some loud bursts heard along the night sky decorated by the flickering light of fireworks. Leading you spontaneously looking up at it. It’s beautiful just like him. Like the light in the midst of a dark frantic mind. Even the fireworks weren’t enough to keep you entertained, you end up staring at him. Capturing the way how the smile carved onto his face.

“I like you Mingi,” you said it in a whisper.

You know it won’t be heard. You know that he belongs to someone else. And you know he appreciate you as a friend. At least this will ease your feelings even just a little.

⁠✧

The nights were getting colder. Both of you walked side by side while leading the bikes towards home. You talked to each other properly after a couple of months dealing with your antics, avoiding mingi by making some excuses whenever he came close to you.

You stop at the railway, he continue to lead his bike till the other side of railway. He gave you a small waved. You return it while looking at his back getting further away.

“Mingii! I hope we’re in the same class next year!” You yelled at him.

He looked back, raised his hand to give an ok sign from a distance.

3rd Year. Spring 2008

You rushed out from your class only 2 minutes before the class started, not in the mood to be a good and obedient student today. You’re gonna exploded in any minutes, home is in a mess and so does your head. Still hesitated skipping class at the library or leaving the school, you stopped your step right in front of the school gym door. Peeking through the window, you saw someone is dribbling the basketball.

You open the door slowly, decided to skip your class here. Startled by the sound he look into your direction. You thought there’s another students but none of them. It’s only him.

“Oh.. Mingi?” Yes that’s him, who you never talk to since those summer. Both of you only passed each other for a few times. Just saying hello and nothings more. Human can only wish, but fate said the otherwise. It all happened because you’re completely in different class.

“Hey, what’s up,” he greeted you back before tossing the ball towards you.

You catch it, slowly dribbling it towards his direction. He played along with you, a wide smile adorning his face. Trying to grab the ball before he asked you,

“How’s life?”

You almost tripped taken aback by his question.

“Um.. yeah.. great I guess,”

Finally you passed him through then you managed to shoot the ball. Mocking him, you jump out of the joy. He put a ‘Just watch, I can do better’ expression towards you. The squeak of shoes and laughter filled the gym. Both of you were playing in the joy, even you forget all of your tangled mind.

The least thing you ever wanted coming all of a sudden. You saw your teacher’s silhouette through the window. You quickly grabbed mingi’s hand and guide him to hide under the window hoping your teacher won’t notice. Both of you stayed still for a couple of minutes.

He checked if it safe already, then decided to leave the gym quietly while holding your hand. You both tried to stifle the laughter and keep walking only to find your teacher waiting for you at the corner. It ended by the punishment after such a long tired lecture. Mingi and you were on the knees side by side while raising both of your hand right in front of the gym.

“Sorry, we're busted,” he whispered to you.

“It’s not even your fault, please don’t blame yourself,” you mouthed back to him.

After quite some times, he looked at you with a mischievous smile. You're pretty sure he got some wicked plan. He gave the signal by counting down in whisper. You take steps, risking for everything he’ll do. On the last count you both ran away from your teacher hand in hand, giggling all the way.

3rd Year. Summer 2008

Everyone gathered, some of them were hugging each other with laughter, and some of them were crying in joy. Today is the graduation day. Right after the graduation ceremony you strolling around the school, trying to recall everything that was happen for 3 years you studied here.

Library was your best friend in your senior year. You swept the bookshelf with your palm as you walk pass through it. Opened one by one of your favorite books, before putting it back to the shelf. You leaned to the wall, closing your eyes. Last year of school is the roughest. Your parents divorced, you lose the desire to make some friends, leading you alone in the most of your times, and you lost him in some type of ways.

You saw him from the window. He’s friendly as he ever be. Talking and laughing with his friends. He never changed and so does your feelings. He always be the one you’ve crushed the most. But you know your place and never engaged those feelings. You wondered if you can talk to him for the last time.

Your 2nd year classmates waving at you. Shouting from the schoolyard under where the other students gathered including him,

“Heyyy!! Come here!” They keep calling your name with the smile on their face.

“Yeahh wait for me!” You shouting back at them as you hurriedly left the library going down through the stairs.

When you reach the schoolyard, you throw yourself at them. Hugging them in joy. Tears almost rolling down your eyes, you didn’t talk too much with them either for the last year. Even though you passed each other at school, you’ve been busy by your own problems that ended up distancing yourself from others.

Your classmates keep taking pictures, asking you to join them. They’re busy pulling in everyone whoever been the same class with them to take pictures together. As all of your classmates are almost gathered, you positioned yourself to take a group picture. Your shoulder bumped with someone accidentally.

“Oh sorry, I don’t mean to-”

“No problem,” his eyes widen before he smiled at you.

It’s Mingi. He’s standing next to you, joining as you do. You took a glance at him, he lose the second button of his uniform already. You shake your head, then you look into your friend’s camera, ready to take the group picture.

Before you left the group’s photo session, he pulled your hand as if he wanted to say something. The expression on his face was hard to read until he finally sighed and smiled at you.

“What?” waiting on his response.

“Nah, nothing. See you later princess.”

He pat your shoulder for the last time before he left you standing alone. Your tears fell without you realizing it. There’s no “later” for you. You won’t be here and you don’t know when you’ll be back. At the end you only murmuring to yourself.

“That should be my line silly.”

Summer 2023

“Babe I remind you once more, don’t forget about today reunion okie.”

You chuckled, betting that she’s already telling you for a hundred times this week.

“I promise you I’ll come. Don’t you hear me right now? You can guessed where I am.”

The sound of crashing waves and birds chirping is in the background. You walk along the beach while on the phone with your friend. You just return to this town full of memories early in the morning.

“Wha- what! why don’t you tell me when you arrived?”

“It’s not a surprised if I tell you sooner.”

Both of you talked animatedly for a while until you ended the call, assured her for the last time that you’ll come to the class reunion.

15 years since you left this town to a completely opposite province. Moved to your mother's hometown, helping her business after your graduation the aftermath of your parents divorced. You lose contact with everyone and ended up missed two reunions. But somehow last week an unknown number called you. That was your 2nd year classmate back in the high school, excitedly inform you that there will be a reunion soon.

⁠✧

The restaurant atmosphere is filled with laughter by your friends, reminiscing their memories when they were still in high school. They chatted with each other lively. Some of them enjoying the dish while chugging the beverages, and some of them are curious about you due to your disappearance without a trace for years.

An hour passed by the event started. A figure you didn't expect and missed appears. He slide open the restaurant door. The same wide smile adorned his face as he greeted the others. Unless he looks much more mature. Short black hair neatly styled with a few strands fell over his forehead, glasses hanging on the nose bridge, a silver necklace with a cross pendant dangle on his neck, button up white shirt that it’s sleeve rolled up almost touching his elbow finished with a black vest and pants perfectly fit on his body.

The smile slowly faded when his eyes fall into yours. A look of disbelief crossed on his face when he saw you here. He brushed away those expression immediately then took a seat in front of you. You two exchanged glances for a moment. You wanted to talk to him, but your voice hitched. Heavy feeling fills your heart, opening up the old memories that you thought were all over.

He tapped his fingers on the table looking a little nervous. Occasionally sipping his glass of beer to divert it. Without realizing it, your eyes fell on his ring finger. A white gold ring circled his finger sweetly. Somehow makes you feel a little relieved to open up a conversation.

“It’s been a long time Mingi.”

“Yeah, good to see you,” he took a deep breath before continuing his words.

“You’re… gone. Just disappeared without a single notice.”

“I went back to my hometown.”

“Why don’t you tell me before?” He showed you the same expression as the last time you saw him.

“It’s just so sudden, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you”

He sighed for a second time,

“As long as you’re fine. That’s all.”

“I’m doing great. Thanks for your concern.”

You pat the back of his hand, assured him that you’re completely fine. He only replied you with a bitter smile.

“Listen.. listen! Guess what? I managed to print the damaged photo,” one of your friend raised a big photo album proudly.

“Why it seems like in every reunion you always got new photos for the same reason.” Chirped by the other friends.

“Shut up! You don't even know how difficult it is to repair an old damaged roll film,” she rolled her eyes.

She put the album to one of the tables before instruct them to take turns if they want to look at it.

“And.. this one for you.” She handed you a big brown postal envelope,

“everyone already got all of this photos. I don’t know why some of it are missing so others who likes taking pictures complete it, including him.” She pointed Mingi with her head.

“Ah.. thank you.” You received the envelope and looked at it carefully.

Meanwhile Mingi immersed on seeing the album. He turn the page one by one slowly. Sometimes he chuckles when seeing some funny moments. Until he noticed the page with unfamiliar photos.

Oh maybe this is the newly printed, he thought to himself. He always pays attention to you in every photos that was taken. Only to realized your eyes were always on him in almost every photos. He turned the page quickly to confirm that.

Before you open the brown envelope, Mingi tap your hand lightly.

“Can we talk outside? If you don’t mind.”

You nodding at him, proceed to follow him outside.

He took his glasses off, pressing the bridge of his nose with the thumb and index finger. Then he looked at you in miserable stare. You notice something doesn’t feel right.

“What’s wrong Mingi?”

He averted his eyes before pull out a wedding invitation to you. Stammering on his words,

“I’ll.. get married next month.”

It doesn't hurt that much when you receive it. You definitely expect it. However life still goes on doesn't it?

“Oh! Congratulation on your wedding. I hope you’ll enjoy your new life.” You tried to smile at him.

Clenched his jaw, he’s trying to suppress the frustration. He's been looking for you for almost 11 years. Until finally gave up in the last few years, and only to find you appeared at the class reunion unexpectedly.

“Is it easy to say that?”

You don’t quite understand what he really means,

“..isn't it easy as long as she's the love of your life?”

Lowered his head, reality just hits him back.

“Yeah.. Right..”

He pulled you into his arm tightly. You’re frozen by his sudden action, still trying to digest what was just happen. When you intended to let go, he told you his final request.

“Please let me hug you for the last time.. as a friend.”

⁠✧

Your eyes wandered out, sitting by the train window. It’s quite a long day, you take the last train after returning from the reunion. Can’t deny it, you feel ecstatic after meeting them.

Shifted your bag to grab the phone, your hand touched the brown envelope that was given to you earlier. You decided to pull it out from your bag, loosen up the strap to see it’s content.

You look at the photo by photo carefully. School festival, school trips, graduation day, and mostly summer breaks, everything’s stored well. Except one photo tucked in between has a contrast vibe.

The paper is duller and it was taken at night unlike the rest. You recognize it, that was your side portrait with fireworks in the night sky. You turn the photo over, there is the date and a small note written on it.

August xx, 2007

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it my princess?”

Covered your mouth in disbelief. Tight feeling rises in your chest made you lose focus till some photos fell over the train floor. You pick them out one by one while looking at it.

Your eyes automatically on him by the photos. He always looks at you from a distance just like you did. The tears flowed unstoppably. All this time he also felt the same way. You hate him who always hide behind the word “Friend” as if he’s pushing you away. You closed your eyes, it's all too late now.

“I liked you too Mingi.”

Only the sound of train tracks was heard afterwards.

⁠✧

The friend label is a label I’m going to hate.

The feelings I’ve hidden still remain as a painful secret memory.

The photos that can’t define our relationship is a heartbreaking story.

Our story ended without even started.

- Goodbye Summer

a/n :

They used analog camera that contains film roll in it.

"He lose the second button of his uniform." That means he already gave it to someone who's supposed to be important (romantically) because it's located near the heart. People believed it's same as giving your heart to someone. Based on japanese students when it's graduation season.

Cutie patootie looks like this in the reunion, minus the tie.

"The moon is beautiful" is a popular japanese phrases 「月が綺麗ですね」 (Tsuki ga kirei desune). It means "I like you."

#song mingi #mingi x reader #ateez mingi #ateez fic #ateez x reader #ateez #mingi angst #ateez ff #kpop fanfic #ateez fanfic #ateez angst #mingi #shocymer

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mytaiyakeylover · 11 months

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forget school, this s’comfier.

synopsis: you need to get ready for school, but seishiro has other plans for both of you today. well, just like every other day actually.

pairing: seishiro nagi x gn!reader

a/n: believe it or not, but this is my dream scenario🤭 oh, and please excuse the silly dialogue; i know it's dumb😩 also, sorry for deleting the original one. it’s just that tumblr had for some reason decided to label it as mature, so i had to repost it🥺

warnings: none, except for nagi using the word “prostitute” once. i’s not what you think, i swear!😭 there’s nothing suggestive behind it! sei is just oblivious af, srsly.

word count: 1.1k

ps: i want to emphasize that i have immense respect for individuals who persevere through challenging circumstances, regardless of their backgrounds. i don't intend to discriminate or disrespect anyone. this idea just crossed my mind, and i couldn't help but indulge in it. i admire people who continue to push forward despite the difficulties they face, and i will never disrespect them for simply doing whatever they can to overcome their challenges.

You huffed frustratedly as you tried to squeeze yourself out of the strong grip. Seishiro’s large body was draped over you like a thick, warm, but also very heavy blanket. Usually you would enjoy it, but the aggressive rays of sunshine were just by luck landing on your body, which made the added warmth emitting from your boyfriend only bothersome.

(E/c) colored eyes squinted harshly due to the annoying brightness that was streaming through the window. A grunt escaping your lips as you tried to push the sleeping giant off of you.

“Sei, wake up!” You whined, palms pushing against his chest firmly, but also with a hint of gentleness. The boy, however, only tightened his grip in response as he snuggled closer to you.

“Five more minutes,” he replied, voice muffled and puffs of air coming from his mouth sending ticklish sensations over your neck, causing you to giggle. Alas, no matter how much you wanted to, you simply couldn’t indulge the boy. Your teacher had said that you would be having an exam today and you had been cramming like crazy over the weekend for it.

“You literally said that half an hour ago,” you said, a childish pout etching itself on your lips. His answer didn't surprise you whatsoever; it had practically become a daily routine for both of you.

Every morning, you would try to coax Seishiro into freeing you from his confinement, and without fail, you received the same responses. They always varied between “Five more minutes” and “But you're so comfy, (Y/n).” On some days, when he felt particularly needy, he would say, “Can't you just ask Reo to bribe the teacher for you?”

He would always say that as if he didn't attend the same school or share classes with you. However, the most frustrating aspect was that you consistently stayed in bed, leading to scoldings from the teacher whenever you arrived. Well, Seishiro, for the most part. They weren't as strict with you because, unlike the lazy titan, you always studied hard and achieved good grades.

“Come on, Sei,” you huffed, giving him an exasperated look. “You know how much I’ve been studying for this algebra test.”

“You didn’t need to do that,” he muttered groggily, face nuzzling further into the crook of your exposed neck. “Excuse you, one of us has to go to school to get a degree and then a job. Or did you forget that you need to work to earn a living?”

“Work is such a hassle,” was the only response that you received and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at him. That was just such a Seishiro thing to say.

“I could be your personal prostitute though,” you blinked at that, the boy’s words not fully registering in your brain. Seishiro, on the other hand, was staring at you with his usual nonchalant expression, urging you to believe for a second that it might have been just your imagination. But the clock keeps ticking, and Seishiro is tilting his head as if he’s awaiting a response.

Suddenly, you feel the way your face begins to heat up. A part of you is pretty damn sure that you must be looking like a human-sized tomato by now. You try to speak, but nothing’s coming out, and for the first time since you woke up, you find yourself completely speechless.

“H-Huh?”

“Y’know, ‘cause you’ll be working for us both, which means you’ll basically be paying for me loving you,” he mumbled sleepily, his face now resting on your chest, much to your embarrassment. Your mouth keeps opening and closing, but no words come out, making you look like a fish. Seishiro remains completely oblivious, however, as you start squirming in his strong embrace.

“H-How c-can you sah-say that so ca-casually?” Seishiro arched an eyebrow at you, grayish eyes peering up at you quizzically.

Heart squeezing harshly at the way he was looking at you, beating so loudly you could practically hear it echoing inside your eardrums. You just couldn’t take it, he looked so innocent it almost made you burst. How he could say something like that without even batting an eyelash was beyond you.

Seishiro blinked at you, chin resting on your chest as he gazed up at you lazily. “Aren’t prostitutes paid to love someone because they don’t have a job?”

“Sei,” you trailed off, eyeing him hesitantly as he watched you with nothing but sincere perplexity. There was a moment of silence where neither of you did anything but stare at each other. Then your hand cupped his cheek, thumb caressing it tenderly as you looked at him with a sweet yet awkward expression. Seishiro didn't mind, however, simply leaning into your touch.

“You think prostitutes are actually romantic partners that refuse to have a job?” He tilted his head, his eyelids growing heavier with each passing second, as the softness of your voice worked like a lullaby for the white-haired boy. The blush on your cheeks had long gone fainter, as did the erratic beating of your vulnerable heart. Seishiro hummed at your inquiry, head bobbing sleepily as he was trying to nod in confirmation.

Hands brushing through his snow white locks, your (e/c) colored eyes looked at him with a fond expression. The fact that he managed to doze off so quickly was something you found utterly adorable and you couldn’t help but snicker with amusement at what a big baby he was. But then you paused, which urged the boy that was lying on top of you to furrow his eyebrows in dissatisfaction.

Lips pressing into a thin line, you spoke, “Sei, we still need to get ready for school.” The boy, however, ignored you in favor of his long awaited cuddles — as if he hadn’t been cuddling you the whole evening prior.

“Sei!” you whispered-yelled, right eye twitching in annoyance and embarrassment as the boy nuzzled himself further into your body. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips, and his face displayed nothing but pure bliss, as if he were in heaven. Another blush appeared on your face, and you felt as though you might faint. God, what were you supposed to do with this gigantic puppy dog?

“Don’t fall asleep damn it! We’re going to be late!”

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bentonthegay · 19 days

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I made a post about labels being as useful/important as you make them and I want to branch off of that to specifically talk about the m-spec umbrella.

A lot of discourse exists over this but aside from that, I know a lot of people have struggled with not knowing exactly where they sit on that spectrum, when they have imposter syndrome with the label(s) they have chosen, dealing with being invalidated, etc. so heres some validation:

You're not inherently transphobic/enbyphobic for identifying as bisexual. Maybe it's just the term that's felt comfortable for so long and that's chill. Maybe you like it because it's a bit more vague than some other labels, maybe you use one of the lesser "known" definitions of bi even if it's a long standing one (i.e. attraction to the same gender as yourself and other genders), or maybe it's just the label you vibe with and the specific reason doesn't really matter!

Pansexuality doesn't mean you can't occasionally crave interactions (romantic/sexual/sensual) with people of specific genders! If your version of pansexuality is attraction regardless of gender, that doesn't mean that occasional drifts from your norm/usual magically means you have to change your label.

Omnisexuality isn't the exact same as pansexual and I know a lot of y'all are tired of hearing that it is. Overlap certainly exists and many people could identify as one or the other, but that's true for so many labels on different spectrums.

To my polysexuals, I too am frustrated with the constant correlation to polyamory (people think they're the same thing). I don't even identify as polysexual and I feel that pain.

You're still homo/heteroflexible even if you're dating one of your exceptions/rare cases of attraction to someone of that gender. You don't have to drop this label if it makes you happy and brings you comfort. Your sexuality is not invalidated by the person(s) you are dating.

M-spec gays/lesbians are so valid and boiling sexuality down to 100% strict AF labels is harmful. There's so many reasons one may identify as such, and regardless of your reasons, it's not any stranger's business.

Abrosexuals (who consider themselves/their label mspec) aren't confused. You're not doing anything wrong by acknowledging your sexuality is fluid and embracing that.

The multisexual umbrella is such a diverse and expensive spectrum that trying to reduce people down to one strict definition of being attracted to multiple genders is silly. Sexuality as a whole is a very complicated thing and can be experienced in so many ways. Sometimes something is just too vague for you personally, or even too specific, and that's chill. Whatever label or lackthereof makes you happy is the right choice.

#no discourse ffs #lgbtqia #lgbtq+#mspec #multisexual #bisexual #polyseuxal #pansexual #Omnisexual #mspec lesbian #mspec gay #heteroflexible #homoflexible

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akajustmerry · 5 months

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i think it's weird that ppl will point to lesbians saying they think a famous man is pretty or something innocuous like that as evidence they aren't a lesbian. because what you think and what you want to act on are 2 really different things tbh. for instance, ppl will tell me my "type" based on celebs i like or whatever because yeah sure i find certain features really pretty in my mind but when you actually look at the whopping THREE whole dates i've been on in a decade they were all with very different looking people that don't necessarily match my "type". it's very fucking silly IMO to treat someone's sexuality like a mystery that requires hard evidence to solve. i am not excusing the misuse of labels that perpetrate lesbiphobia or biphobia. i think people who want to dilute these historic identities to suit themselves because they haven't unpacked their own homophobia need to work on themselves. but people behaving like a lesbian saying they like colin firth movies somehow invalidates their lesbianism is immature af. sexuality isn't just about what you like, it's about what you actually want.

#my sister is a huge lesbian and loves colin firth movies but it's not because she likes men!!!!!!!!#it makes me mad when our parents act like her liking Mr firth is some kind of last hope!!

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exstasyplague · 8 months

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Just wanted to say, I have loved reading you jjk analysis while I hyperfix on the fandom. I have one question that I hope you can give me some answers to. Regarding Geto, do you believe that he's earned the title of special grade like Gojo and Yuki? I fully believe that he could reach a monster level like Gojo but I also think plot didn't let him grow more. Because people call him weak for losing against Toji (someone who also beat Gojo) and he wasn't at his prime yet bit then they also say Yuta was able to easily beat him and I think while the jjk 0 was good, it didn't utilize Suguru. Because it felt like he didn't do anything for the 10 years he defected and I think it's just because 0 was made so early on. Hope this isn't a bother, I just really like how in depth you are.

hiii. thank you for your kind words <33 it's time *cracks fingers* for a little...

Analysis on Suguru Geto's Powers

first of all. let's remember together what a special grade in jujutsu kaisen means~!

— a power so unpredictable that it's labeled as a calamity

— somebody powerful enough to overthrow a country on their own.

so far so clear? great.

let's also look a bit into what suguru's abilities are.

CURSE MANIPULATION

as the name implies, he can absord curses and manipulate them according to his needs/ desires, with no limit on how many at a time.

doubting him comes easy now that we know what gojo suguru's full strength is, but back in their highschool days they were called the strongest for a good reason: they were on par. on balance. gojo's birth caused cruses to go crazy and the one with the most efficient skill against curses was geto. he was so powerful in a way because gojo caused so many curses to exist, widening his range of possibilities. beautiful parallel imo.

MARTIAL ARTS

no secret that my man can throw hands. not only does he have good curses, he can also fight alongside them/use them as a distraction since unlike most shikigami users, he goes into full offensive mode. that poor old man was DONE. you've also seen how well he handles cursed weapons in jjk 0 and in general how high his battle iq is. geto was a menace.

he beat this dude so hard his literal life flashed before his eyes. and look at how casually he does that 😭 i can't. kenjaku ain't ever gonna excude this type of MAJESTY.

even if his fight against toji wasn't as flashy as gojo's, let's not forget that he actually did have a moment where he caught fushidaddy by surprise.

considering the fact that toji is literally a battle genius, that's very much something.

*clears throat.*

anyway.

the destructible power of his curses is also insane. he killed a whole village like it was just play time, no advanced plotting needed. you can say whatever you want, but being able to act on a whim like that... this absolute freedom of choice only comes from strength.

tell me that shit's not scary af.

and let's not forget that he got deemed so dangerous by the jjk society that he got put on par with a curse and even in the jjk 0 movie 'he had to be exorcised'. you know how in the manga they talk about saving riko and how because they're the strongest it doesn't matter what aftermaths they get? yeah. that's the perks of having power, the perks of being 'the most powerful'.

geto wasn't in hiding mode after his silly spree— he was easy to find at his temple and he was sentenced to death on sight yet in 10 years no fkin sorcerer was able to kill him.

they fr knew his whereabouts.

gege also shows him in his full splendid strength through his art.

geto was more than powerful— he was a low-key beast.

his only holdback was the world in which he lived, all the anguish and misery it brought him. he started doubting himself. he started losing faith in himself as human and a sorcerer and so he sought other paths through which he could find meaning, dooming himself beyond salvation. (his cursed technique is so shitty he can't live without giving it a meaning and clinging onto a meaning, let's not forget that manga panels about the awful taste and everything).

mentally he reached stagnation and from that point...he was meant to die.

that doesn't make him weak. he definitely deserved his title and definitely was the strongest along with gojo. hope this helped

#jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #geto suguru #jjk analysis #jjk manga #jjk 0 #power scaling #jujutsu kaisen analysis #jjk anime #jjk geto #cursed energy #CT #curse manipulation #geto suguru analysis #geto analysis #suguru

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strayheartless · 7 months

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[Authors note: so I posted this earlier and then deleted it because of a few reasons. I wasn’t going to address it but I feel like maybe it’s important. 1. The rejection sensitivity is hitting hard today and my panicky brain got the better of me. It happens. 2. I am extremely new to my own gender presentation and struggle with feelings of not being “non-binary enough” which is silly. If you feel like that too, maybe because you don’t pass traditionally or you feel like you don’t experience dysphoria or euphoria in the same ways as people on the internet do, I just want you to know that your not alone and I see you. Your gender is yours and how you wish to express that is up to you! I love you!]

***

Okay back to the post!

I’m going to be honest. I read Cloud as gender non-conforming. Like they use he/they pronouns (even if Tifa seems to be the only one that ever uses they) but also don’t necessarily go by the label non-binary.

Clouds answer to “are you a boy or a girl” is just to look the person directly in the eye and say “I’m dangerous when provoked.”

And in therms of AGSZC (hush and let me have my ship) I feel like it was Genesis who helped them figure it out , but also oddly Zack is pretty good at helping cloud feel comfortable too.

Like, just Zack making little comments when cloud wears a skirt to one of their dates, “you look pretty,” “that’s colour looks good on you,” “I like your eye makeup!”. You know just little things to make cloud feel comfortable presenting as themselves to Zack.

Angeals never had a problem with it because he grew up with Gen who constantly gutter stomped gender roles and has been presenting as non binary since they were ten.

Sephiroth has gotten better with pronouns and gender stuff since meeting Gen. He absolutely does his best to remember that Genesis goes by They/them and that if he’s not sure about Cloud, he can absolutely politely check. However, Hojo (the disgusting little ear worm) constantly tries to undermine Sephiroths progress.

The first time Hojo ever met cloud he misgendered them purposefully and them made a really transphobic remark and Angeal flew across the table at him so fast nobody actually saw him move.

I dunno man. Gender questioning Cloud is just on my mind at the moment… also protective af SOLDIER boyfriends…

#ffvii #cloud strife #gender fuck you #gender queer cloud strife #non binary #non binary Genesis Rhapsodus #agszc #final fantasy characters #final fantasy 7 #ffcc #crisis core #ffvii angeal #ffvii sephiroth #fuck Hojo #no seriously #just get rid of him #kill him with death

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bop-culture-is · 2 years

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Sorry if this is a silly question; What is a battleaxe bisexual/longsword lesbian?

it's not a silly question at all!

a battle-axe bisexual is a bi person who believes that the only valid mspec orientation is bisexuality under the false notion that any other mspec label than bisexual is biphobic. they are also typically asexual exclusionists for some stupid reason.

a longsword lesbian is a lesbian nonbinary/trans exclusionist. they typically don't believe that trans women can truly be lesbians (which they can) and that nonbinary/gnc people can't be lesbians under the also false notion that it's lesbian erasure. they're usually just TERFs in disguise.

it sucks because these would be otherwise badass terms. i'd love to call myself a battle-axe bi. it sounds cool af. i’m bi, i want a battle-axe! i just don’t hate pan people.

it wasn't even originally supposed to be a queerphobic term, but queerphobes do tend to ruin everything.

#not bop culture #asked and answered #battle-axe bisexual #longsword lesbian #lgbtq

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georgiapeach30513 · 7 months

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Jennifer, I hope you don't mind me sharing a few stream of consciousness thoughts here. Your posts re: the guys got me so excited to join in lol

The Nsync stuff is just SO crazy to me! 9 year old me was there dancing around the "Celebrity," excited AF...while also wondering why Justin received "Gone" and several opps to take center in photos. I let that rock for a little while until it was impossible to ignore the writing on the wall - and Justin was also my absolute fav at the time.

I look back now at videos of them all goofing around and playing silly car games and wonder, "was he always like this? How? Was it a mixture of his mom, Johnny, and the guys giving him all sorts of allowances for being the 'baby'?" I remember my crush on him wearing off when his solo "Diary of" MTV epi. premiered and he tried to be "funny" and act "hard" while en route to some location. It disappeared completely when the Britney and Janet (and Mandy, and Jessica Simpson, etc. etc. etc) came out.

I agree with all you said. Justin was my favorite throughout NSYNC’s entire run. I had a build-a-bear that is named Justin Randall. So looking back, I agree. The writing was on the wall.

Lynn is a stage momager. I think she always wanted Justin to be the star. She toured with them because he was a minor through a lot of their career. So yes, I think she had a lot to do with the eventual breakup.

Oddly, the original NSYNC debut album there was more JC led songs on it. I think the label wanted him as the star. Fans thought otherwise, so there’s the re-recording of For the Girl Who Has Everything and he gets a verse.

I also think Gone was to prove Justin could carry a song.

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rubbish78 · 9 months

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The reason I am falling in love with the band McFly again….is because of their friendship and love for each other.

It shines through interviews or whenever they talk about each other. Their bond as a band is so fucking endearing and pure like it genuinely makes me tear up.

Lol not the music? If I’m being honest when I initially got into McFly (for me back in highschool 2006-2010) was because I found them all cute af. Along with British accents and them being so funny and silly in their interviews, I was instantly hooked.

Music was just a bonus to me anyways tbh lol

They seemed like best friends and were openly affectionate with each other even if it was seen as “gay” by ppl. It was lovely to watch and see what peak male friendship was like.

McFly members: Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter were strangers when they meet each other in 2003.

It was not a group of friends making a band with each other and then got big, no, it was a label was trying to make a British boyband. Auditions were held (interesting story how each of them initially got in but I don’t feel like writing it) and the label had them live with each other in one house.

Dougie being the youngest at 15 years old and Tom being the oldest at 18 years old… it could have been a totally disaster with the clash of personalities and teenager antics but somehow they all clicked with each other and became not only solid well-working bandmates, but best friends as well. Which, I think is a very rare thing to happen, especially as the band was formed to make money initially.

20 years has gone by now and McFly are closer than ever, always supporting each other publicly with whatever projects they took on individually.

So much change and rough patches have occurred between them over the years yet today they somehow they all remained close friends.

You can really feel how much they care about each other by their interactions and through the music….

…and I think that’s beautiful 🥲

#damn I didn’t mean to make it this long #bitch I’m emotional #literally I can watch hours and hours and hours of interviews with them and not get bored #they are so funny and witty always joking inside jokes #you can feel their friendship #silly gross boys but omg they love each other so much #and yeah they have done dumbass things #addiction was a struggle for Dougie but he got through it and they stood by him

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the-fiction-witch · 2 years

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7th what would my lovely wife like for Christmas?

TV SHOW GODLESS COUPLE: WHITEY WINN X READER RATING: FLIRTY AF + KINDA SMUTTY

I smiled as I sat making notes at the table of who was to get what we couldn't forget anyone LaBelle being such a little place everyone was so friendly and kind, but being newlyweds it's not like we had a lot of money so I was having to be smart and economical this Christmas time that and having to send parcels of things across the country to my family, "Whitey?"

"yeah darlin'?" He jumps having been half asleep in his bath at the time

"What's something I could do that's not expensive for everyone?" I asked

"Ya could bake?" He suggested

"Hu?"

"Bake. everyone loves your cookies and pies" he explained

"you know that's not a bad idea actually whitey"

"Ya say that like my idea's aren't always amazin'?"

I stayed every quiet making notes on how I could even do this baking for a whole town, I'm gonna need so much sugar and flour

"My ideas are amazin'" he says getting out of his bath wrapping his towel loosely around his hips

"Like what?" I giggled

"marryin' you? that was one of my bestest ideas's ever" He smiled hugging me from behind wrapping his arms around my neck and kissing my head

"Awwwww it was whitey" I smiled turning and giving him a little kiss "Go put pants on"

"Fine." he rolled his eyes going towards the bed and dresser but he sat on the bed throwing his towel away smirking at me "Unless ya could think of somethin' for us to do?" He smirked

"Cute whitey, but I'm busy" I remind him

"but darlin'? I'm so lovely and relaxed after my nice warm bath well... almost all of me" He smirked glancing down to his erection and biting his lip a little

"Whitey, I am trying to work"

"fine. Mean wifey" He whines getting up and getting some pants on

"What do you want?" I asked

"Hu?"

"what do you want for Christmas whitey?"

"Awwww darlin'" He smiled coming lifting me out my chair and giving me a nice cuddle "ya don't have to get me anythin', just havin' my lovely wifey to cuddle and kiss Christmas day is more than enough" he smiled giving me a kiss

"But -"

"No buts. you're my wife ya don't have to get me presents. I get a present every day of the year gettin' to come home to my lovely beautiful wife" He smiled

"Awwww whitey" I smiled giving him a kiss and nuzzling into his chest

"Now, what would my lovely wife like for Christmas?" he asks kissing my hair

"something" I smiled stroking his skin

"Ummm what somethin'?"

"no it's silly"

"No, tell me" He smiled stroking my jaw pushing my chin up to see his face "Anythin' on this earth my wifey wants?"

"A baby"

"A Baby?"

"yeah" I shrug

"well... I'll be honest darlin' I'm not sure I can get ya one for Christmas, I mean honestly darlin' if ya wanted a baby for Christmas I kinda needed to be notified in like... march or April"

"whitey" I giggled

"what I would, I'm not sure I can get a baby delivered in less than a month? I'm not sure that's possible" he says "But. doesn't mean I'm not gonna try" He smirked pulling me closer "If my little lady wants a baby then I will gladly give her one. just ya know it might arrive a little late for Christmas"

"That's fine whitey" I giggled "I love you"

"I love ya too my darlin'" he cooes "But as that big present might take a while, how about I get ya some more kittin' stuff? so ya can knit for baby?"

"that sounds lovely whitey" I smiled "Then how about some wood tools so you can get building baby a crib? and toys and all sorts of other things?"

"Perfect my darlin'"

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poppyseed799 · 3 years

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Okay fellow 3rd life fans I think it’s time I come clean. I have been silent about this the entire time, thinking about staying quiet cuz it seemed the whole fandom disagrees with what I’m about to say but I will stay silent no longer.

I don’t get why people say the Desert was “clearly the bad guys”.

Let’s get this out of the way: I mainly watched Scar’s POV along with Grian’s. I watched a fair amount of Martyn’s episodes as well, a couple from Scott and then random episodes from Skizz, Cleo, Impulse, Jimmy, and probably more. Definitely plot important ones I watched from more POVs than just my main guys Scar and Grian.

I just don’t get why, when people look at all of the different factions, they look at the Desert and go “yes they are clearly in the wrong and the only ones I can easily label as the villains in the overall story” what??? Don’t even get me started on “it’s interesting that the villains won in 3rd life” what??? I always viewed them as the more innocent ones, although the story is very morally grey so it doesn’t say TOO much lmao.

So let me explain why! Well, honestly, I’m more confused as to why y’all say they’re so obviously the villains, so I’m just explaining why I’m confused here lol.

So first of all let’s get the scamming and monopolies out of the way. I have less to say about the monopoly so let’s start with that. THEY NEVER HAD A MONOPOLY… if the idea of making a monopoly is bad enough for you guys, then might I remind y’all of the cow monopoly that was attempted? Everyone was looking for ways to make business… and a SAND monopoly was CLEARLY doomed to fail!! Not to bring Dream SMP into this but if y’all are gonna say OG L’Manberg was innocent because they didn’t succeed in the potion monopoly at all then let’s have that same energy for the Sand People!!!

Now for the scams. “Oooh poppy how are you gonna defend the scamming” BECAUSE IT WASN’T SCAMMING??? Scar made it clear what he wanted and what the person would receive in return. They were told they were going to receive a piece of paper and they agreed to it! Don’t listen to Grian “don’t listen to Scar it’s a scam the papers don’t mean anything” because he was LYING. Not purposely, but he was lying. Scar NEVER said “hey Grian let’s scam people with fRiEnDsHiP” instead he always told Grian that it WAS real and that he WOULD go through with all of the papers. And he did! There were a couple of mishaps but obviously it’s really difficult to control every situation. Plus Scar had a hard time remembering all of the friendship passes lmao. But he really did try, he really did value these trades, it wasn’t scamming just because Grian thought there was no way it was worth it.

The only Scar hater I stan is Skizzleman he had all right to be mad at Scar but that doesn’t mean Scar was the enemy of the whole story lol

Now onto something that I don’t know how to start explaining but is a very big reason why I’m confused about the fandom calling the Desert the bad guys. NOBODY IN THE SMP TOOK THEM SERIOUSLY. I saw SO many posts about how “Scar and Grian seem like fun guys in THEIR POV but in others POV they’re really scary!” Like no? I always thought it was the opposite. Like watching Scar’s POV I was like “ah man they have to kill people cuz red life this is so dramatic they are feared by the server…” BUT THEN I WATCH SOMEONE ELSE’S POV AND THEY LITERALLY SAY STUFF LIKE “lol we don’t have to worry about Scar” “dang all those people just exploded. Anyways Scar is the weakest red life and we have nothing to worry about when it comes to him it’s all the other red lifers that are a problem” “lol there goes those idiots trying to make a monopoly on sand so silly” and I’m like. Oh. The entire server treats them like silly cartoon villains that never achieve anything. And yes they say these things WHILE hunting the Desert People down like what. Basically the server treating the villainous things the Desert did as not very serious made me think the same, which is why I’m so confused that people think they’re the Big Bad Guys.

ANOTHER THING relating to how the server treats the Desert: alliances!! The Desert was very loyal. Scott and Jimmy trusted the Desert, which shocked many people on the server but were they wrong? No! The Desert trusted the Hobbits back fully as well. They were the only alliance they fully trusted, but they didn’t go behind their other allies’ backs just cuz they weren’t so sure about the alliance. Sure there were comments about Impulse, but that idea was fed to them by Impulse’s allies, they had no other information. And yet they STILL gave him stuff and didn’t flinch when alone with him above Dogwarts, because even with him being suspicious he was still their ally and they are loyal as heck!!! Sure there was Impulse’s demise but like. That was endgame, everyone was looking for a reason to kill someone, and the Desert was told that Impulse was sus af and his own allies didn’t trust him so it was an easy pick. Bdubs coulda said no. And yeah Scar betrayed Bdubs in the end but like. Once again, endgame, and also it was “kill the person who stuck with you since the beginning” or “kill the person who is only on your side cuz you gave him a clock a while ago and lied to you about liking watches”. What do you expect? Plus the ending showed how loyal Scar was to Grian, the guy who owed him his first life and stuck with him till the end. Beautiful.

ANYWAYS EVEN MEMBERS OF DOGWARTS WERE LIKE “I have a hard time killing Scar because he hasn’t really wronged me personally in any way, he’s fairly reliable as well” LIKE… bro they were ENEMIES. Scar also didn’t really want to hurt them!!! Also can I just say that the only reason Scar was as bad as he was was because he was the first person to go red? Red lifers are supposed to be like the villains, so I don’t disagree with people saying that at FIRST Scar was a villain cuz he was red (although wtf were some of these guys up to using excuses to kill people while green (not talking about Grian)) but he wasn’t even that bad while he was red. He was just the worst by default since he was red lol. Which was entirely not his fault, and he only wanted to kill Ren pretty much lol. So I guess Scar being the villain depends on if you consider Ren to be the main character of the entire server.

Which is another thing I don’t get… why people see Dogwarts as the good guys. There was a CLEAR corruption arc people. Dogwarts had loyalty, but it was very ride or die, as in “if you don’t ride with us you will die”. You watch these guys call everyone (not just the desert people) “filthy peasants” and not realize they are acting like villains??? Plus the ominous “red winter is coming” like what. Not saying they weren’t good at the start, nor that they were completely and totally bad, just that if you were to frame ANYONE in this MORALLY GREY SERVER as “The Bad Guys” why not the ones that made it their entire thing????? YES they were good at first, they had regrets and cared so much about their people (just not anyone else lololol). It’s a tragic story, and you’re gonna write it off like “no even when they started doing bad things to people who never hurt them it was justified” even when they regret those things towards the end or after death so clearly it was wrong??? Guys.

I don’t want to call anyone the Bad Guys in 3rd life tho. They all did bad things, they all had valid reasons, they all had people they cared about. I just don’t get why people pick the Desert when they try to pick villains. They weren’t totally innocent but I never saw them as THE villains. For me, even while watching Martyn, that was always Dogwarts, and even then I don’t consider them Total Villains because the server is so grey! I loved them I just think that if anyone is the bad guys maybe it’s the self-imposed king that threatens to take ALL of your lives if you don’t show complete and total loyalty to them and wave their banner above your house to show it. Even if that king started out innocent and only went red to protect his friends. Once again tho I don’t like picking Bad Guys for this server. It was a very good story without having a clear right or wrong.

Just wanted to confess that, don’t really feel like arguing about it cuz I see enough people calling the Desert the Villains just scrolling thru the main tag lmao.

#3rd life smp #third life smp #3rd life spoilers #dsmp WISHES it could achieve the moral greyness 3rd life has #long post #I had more I wanted to say but I didn’t know how to fit it in I’m bad at writing rants

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mahiwaga-bghn · 3 years

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Do you take art requests? But it's not really a request, more like I wanted to ramble with someone about okikagu again. Seeing your three sadists with Kagura just made me remember that at separate points, both Nobume and Kamui have called Sougo a killer. Nobume tells hims 'You have the same eyes as me - a murderer', while Kamui says to him, 'I'm one of your kind - a killer', and then even Sougo eventually in his depression says, 'There's no police here, just a manslayer'. And I just can't get

over how you have the three of them acting all edgy, but Kagura just sweeps their insecurities and throws it out the window. Kagura tells Nobume it's fine for to be as she is, as long as she no longer cries. She tells Kamui that he should just go back to be a 'baka-aniki'. AND SOUGO. Even before Nobume and Kamui, with Kirie, Kagura had that trust in him. For all that Kagura will insult him as an S or everything under the sun, she never calls or treats him as a bloodthirsty killer. Despite his tendencies, his ruthlessness, his reputation, and everyone around him calling him a killer, Kagura never treats him as anything else but a brat or a chihuahua. And even when Sougo was ready to accept that role as manslayer, it's Kagura who pulls him back from the abyss. Even when he became part of the mafia and Shinpachi was unbalanced, when Kagura arrives, they just go back to playing. I love how good an influence Kagura is to Kamui as a little sister, to Nobume as a precious friend, and to Sougo as what?? That's one of the things I really love about their bond, that Sougo has someone around his age who will fight seriously with him, but also play with him just as much. That despite him being treated as a killer because of his work, there's a person who's seen that side of him, and yet is not intimidated, and more than that goes out of her way to reassure him about his insecurities. She's not afraid to put him in his place, and yet believes in him so much. I just really love them. I'll just answer your question in one go since it looks like there's a word limit for it 😆 But yes- you just spoke my heart out ; - ; Despite Kagura being the youngest out of all of 'em, she's also the most mature out of all of them which is one of the main reasons I adore her so much <3 Kamui, Nobume and Sougo. The three sadists who've been emotionally drained and had to 'mature' faster than anyone else, can finally act like silly teenagers and a brother when they're with Kagura. Especially Sougo! No one would ever think he's a freaking 18 years old especially how he always act like an idiot elementary student always picking a fight with Kagura also exactly why she just calls him a brat 😆 And even when Sougo was ready to accept that role as manslayer, it's Kagura who pulls him back from the abyss. This ; - ; You see, it's really amazing how in BFY, Sougo was now labelled as 'Manslayer Okita' there since Kondo was also captured in that timeline ( except for stupid reasons but my point still stands ) . Meaning, Kagura, who was equally devastated at the missing Gintoki, wasn't there to pull him out. To comfort him, to bring him back to his senses. This is also why I can't bear to know exactly what happened in that 5 years because I know it'll be angsty af and I can't handle that ; - ; Even when he became part of the mafia and Shinpachi was unbalanced, when Kagura arrives, they just go back to playing. That idiot was grinning like a brat the whole fight and we all know he's the happiest when 'the stubborn brat' is back just by his his silly dialogue <3 Like c'mon! If that wasn't a confession idk what is 😆 and to Sougo as what?? That's one of the things I really love about their bond, that Sougo has someone around his age who will fight seriously with him, but also play with him just as much. That despite him being treated as a killer because of his work, there's a person who's seen that side of him, and yet is not intimidated, and more than that goes out of her way to reassure him about his insecurities. She's not afraid to put him in his place, and yet believes in him so much. I just really love them. This is also why I really love their dynamics so much and I can't see them being with other casts of the show ; - ; They just- compliment each other so much and are clearly made for each other ; - ; They can stand on equal, fight each other/ fight for each other, can entrust their backs. But not just on the battlefield. Since Kagura, a Yato, loves to fight. Something Sougo already provides her. And since he's a tax robber, of course

he has a hefty wallet and a bank account ready to fill Kagura's stomach with tamagokake gohan for a lifetime 😆 He also wouldn't have to worry making the same mistake Hijikata made ; - ; and finally can have a family and a home he can go to ( But of course Shinsengumi is also family but that's different 😆 ). Thank for rambling about this to me cause I'm also looking for somewhere to release this big okikagu trash in me somewhere 😆 I'm sorry if this became so long 😅 But I hope I answered alright (?) About the art request, I'm not sure if I can take any this month so please do wait maybe late october ?

#okikagu #I feel like I released a good amount of relief in me xD

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cygnetofthesea · 3 years

Text

Moments: Elite Fanfiction

This is a silly, goofy, bit I wrote while I was making tea yesterday. Sometimes I have an elaborate process and it made me think of how Nadia would have to teach Guzman his way around a kitchen since he grew up with a chef and maid and he needs domestic lessons lol. Will be part of a series of one-shots with GN domesticity. Warning, this is ridiculous af and a big stream of consciousness, hope you guys like it anyway! oh also some mild references of racism and islamaphobia

"You know when I asked you how to make tea, I didn't realize I was signing up for a science experiment."

Guzman looks on with wide eyes as Nadia pulls out a pot, filling it with water while grabbing a measuring cup. She smirks and winks at him as she pulls out a can of evaporated milk from the fridge.

"Hey, you said you wanted to learn how to make my favorite tea," she says with a shrug. "This is how."

Guzman eyes the supplies Nadia laid out on the counter and points at the can. "And what's that?"

"Milk."

He balks at her. "Milk? I've never seen milk in a can before."

Nadia snorts at his bewildered expression and rubs his shoulder affectionately. "Oh you poor, rich baby. Let me teach you. This is called evaporated milk. It’s usually used to make desserts but I like putting it in my tea. Makes it smooth, thick and delicious."

Nadia hums in delight at the thought of the delicious tea and Guzman can't help raise an eyebrow suggestively. "Smooth, thick, and delicious, huh? Sounds familiar."

She gasps, scandalized, and shoves at his shoulder. "You're such a pervert. Don't ruin the moment."

He tickles her waist, teasing. "I thought I was creating the moment."

Nadia fixes a stern look upon him, eyebrows raised, even as she fights back a smile. He sees her trembling lips and wants to tease her some more but instead pretends to be properly chastised.

"Yes ma'am," he says solemnly, his hands clasped together in supplication. "I promise to behave."

"Good," she says with a nod and misses how he mutters "For now," under his breath.

Nadia takes out a glass measuring cup, different from the other ones she had pulled out, and fills it with water.

"Wait, what is that for?"

"This is a measuring cup," Nadia answers patiently. "I'm using it to measure out four cups of water."

"But you already have those measuring cups," Guzman says, gesturing at the smaller, ceramic ones.

"Those are for dry ingredients, this one is for wet ingredients. Like water."

Guzman scratches his head. "This is way more complicated than I thought."

"We haven't even begun! Really, it's simple, just pay attention." She pours four cups of water into a small pot with a wooden handle."

"Wait, why are you putting it in a pot?"

Now it's Nadia's turn to look at him with bemusement. "Where else would I put it?"

"I don't know, in a kettle or something?"

"I told you, I'm making stove-top tea. Kettle tea is fine, but doesn't work as well for what I'm trying to do."

"Oh ok," Guzman says as though he understood even though he didn't. He watches her set the pot on top of the stove attentively, leaning against the counter. "Continue."

Nadia shoots him a teasing look. "I'm going to turn on the stove now. Will you be able to behave near the flame? No hanky panky."

Guzman lunges toward her, wrapping her up in his arms. "Well since you gave me a warning, I'll take advantage of the moment now, thank you." He smacks a kiss against her cheek.

She doesn't struggle out of his grip, instead slaps at his hand on her hand as though calling his attention. "If you're going to goof around, at least pay attention."

"Ok, ok, I'm paying attention." He rests his chin on her shoulder, looking over to see what she was doing. "When does the tea part come in?"

"Oh my god, Guzman!"

"Sorry, sorry, go ahead." He squeezes her bashfully to alleviate her ire.

She heaves a deep sigh. "Ok so as I was going to say," she says pointedly. "Let the water boil for a little bit before you put the tea in."

"How come? Why not just throw it all together?"

"Because the water isn't hot enough to steep the flavors out of the leaves. The leaves will just sit there but the flavors aren't being activated. Only the heat can draw it out, especially if you want the tea to be strong, which I do."

Guzman nods like an attentive student, Nadia's curls brushing against his cheek. He can't help but lean into her more, rubbing his cheek against hers. "Right, that I knew. Now I know to keep the leaves in longer when I make it for you."

"Exactly." She smiles and lightly caresses his ear with her free hand. "So, once you see the bubbles on the surface like that, it means…?"

She waits for him to fill in the blank and like a good student, he says "It’s ready for the tea leaves?"

"Good job!"

She actually sounds genuine when she says that and Guzman, like a dork, feels his chest swell with pride. Hah! He got something right. There was hope for him yet.

She steps away from him and gestures to the loose tea leaves. "Would you like to do the honors? Remember half a cup of the leaves."

Guzman nods eagerly, reaching for the leaves and the measuring cup when Nadia abruptly halts his movements. "Half cup, Guzman!"

He looks at the measuring cup in his hand, confused. "Isn't this half a cup? It looks small."

"Honey, no. It's labeled, see? That's a whole cup. We don't want me dying of heart palpitations."

Guzman whips around to look at her, wide-eyed. "You get heart palpitations? I didn't know that. Are you ok?"

He moves closer to her but she soothes him. "It's ok, it's nothing serious. I've just been over-caffeinating lately because of classes. I should probably slow down on it," she says, rubbing her chest absent-mindedly.

He places his hand against her heart, a frown on his face. He feels the steady thump and he relaxes a little. "How long has this been happening?"

She sets her hand over his. "It's ok. Life of a college student who's double-majoring and with a minor," she says with a wry smile.

Guzman's frown deepens, bordering on a pout as he pulls her into a hug. "You work too hard."

"It's all I've ever known," she says with a shrug, chuckling when he squeezes her tighter.

"It's a good thing I'm here, then."

He hadn't fully grasped just how much stress she was under. He knew, logically, that she had a lot on her plate with school and even a part-time job on the side. She had sent him a copy of her course schedule and her work schedule so that he knew where she was and could coordinate calls accordingly. He remembered opening up the email and balking at how packed it was, his own stress level rising on her behalf. But whenever he would talk to her, she was dismissive and said it was normal.

Nadia was always good at shielding stress sometimes to the point where she wasn't even aware of it herself and it worried him. But he was here now and he would take care of her.

He presses a kiss to her forehead, pulling away softly. Just then he sees the water bubbling over and as though they were in sync, Nadia's eyes widen and she whips around.

"The water!" they shout in unison, rushing to lower the heat.

They watch the bubbles fade until it's just a low simmer. Nadia sighs, shaking her head. "Yeah, that's not a step. Let's not repeat that."

Guzman salutes her and turns back to the measuring cups, taking care to look at the label on them to make sure he picked up the right one. He was definitely not trying to send his girlfriend to an early grave, especially not now that he finally has her.

"Ok, I got it!" He brandishes the half cup proudly, checking to make sure she saw. She shakes her head affectionately at his boyish excitement and claps again, the gesture genuine.

"Nice."

He carefully pours the leaves into the cup, glancing at the water to make sure it didn't bubble over again, but the heat was low and it was sage again. He gets a good whiff of the leaves and is pleasantly surprised by the smell.

"Whoa, what kind of leaves are there? Where do you get them from?" He looks up from smelling them and grins at her. "You know, since they're a staple for you."

"There's a middle eastern café not too far from here with live music and good food. They have a little shop at the back where they sell tea and all kinds of other snacks. Ooh we should go this Sunday night. I think that's when they're having their special and a performer who's supposed to be really good."

Guzman brings over the tea leaves, his grin widening at her excitement. He can't help but beam at her happiness, every time she smiles so brightly or gets excited about something.

"Definitely. Anything you want." He gestures toward the now boiling water with the cup of leaves. "Is it ready?"

"Fire away!"

Guzman looks at her, cautious, before his eyes flit to the open window. Nadia rests a reassuring hand on his shoulder knowing where his mind had gone.

"Don't worry," she says.

Guzman grimaces. "I've heard New Yorkers are crazy and assholes. Especially after what happened here all those years ago."

"It's not anything more or less different than what I've dealt with before." Before he can say anything else, she nods toward the pot. "Toss the tea in before it boils over again."

Guzman knows that he'll always worry about her and about people being hostile or worse, violent, toward her just because of her appearance, her beliefs. But it wasn't because of her, Nadia wasn’t the problem. It was others and what others perceive her beliefs to be. He knew all too well how radical racists could be, creating their own narratives. He knew because once upon a time, he was among those assholes.

He never resented Nadia for her hijab or religion, but he certainly didn't discourage other people's narrow perceptions. Not until he got to know her and learned that all the stereotypes that ignorant people perpetuated were complete and utter bullshit. If he could beat up his past self, he would but instead, he would fight for Nadia. She was no damsel that was for sure, but he would be right by her side, fighting alongside her. Fight for her beliefs, her rights, her freedom. He would spend the rest of his life righting his wrongs and making sure those that did wrong her, would soon learn not to.

But now was not the time for dark thoughts because his girlfriend was looking at him expectantly. He had wanted to learn how to make her favorite tea so that he could make it for her whenever she wished, he wanted to be able to bring her some small piece of comfort when she needed it.

He steps closer to the stove and pours the tea in. He watched in fascination as the boiling water rose to engulf the leaves, turning the once clear water a thick, dark sludge almost.

"Wow, this really is a science demonstration," he murmurs. "It looks like wet mud actually."

Nadia snorts. "Yeah, I suppose so." She looks at him with sparkling eyes, the amusement shining bright. "Your fascination with the simplest thing is both hilarious and cute."

"My parents always drank coffee and even then I never saw them actually make it. Probably because they never actually made it themselves," he adds.

"Well, allow me to humble you," Nadia winks. "Ok now stir with the wooden spoon."

Guzman obliges, stirring the boiling, dark water carefully. The sludge had looked thick on the surface but as soon as he began to stir, the smooth liquid gave way to the spoon.

"Nadia, you humbled me the moment you blackmailed me at that party."

"Hmm I think it took a bit more time than that. Ok so you're now going to let the water boil with the leaves. Then you're--"

"What? There's another step?" he asks, astonished.

Nadia gestures to the can of what he now understood to be evaporated milk. He made a mental note of the size and appearance of the can for future reference. "Yeah, what did you think that was for."

Guzman stammers. "Well…I guess, I don't know, I thought that's supposed to be the last step? Isn't that how the British do it?"

"And when exactly did I become British. Moreover, when were the British deemed to have dictatorship on tea-making?"

"True," he concedes. "I guess I didn't realize there were so many ways to make tea, especially ways that took soooo long."

Nadia shrugs with a grin. "You want quality tea, you have to put the work in."

Guzman couldn't help the broad smile that broke across his face. "Sounds familiar. I had to work really hard for you, didn't I? Worth."

He considers this a moment as Nadia pulls a box from the cabinet. They've been together for awhile now and living together for three months already and still, Guzman had moments where he couldn't believe they were truly together. How many times had he fantasized about running away with Nadia? Too many to count and yet he had never envisioned this particular scenario. The reality was so much sweeter than anything he could have imagined.

"Glad you think so. And I'm grateful you were patient with me." She pushes the open box toward him after kissing his cheek. "Ok now you're going to grab the other measuring cup, the one that's labeled two thirds."

Guzman looks between Nadia, the box, and the simmering pot of tea.

"Nadia, are you making tea or a potion? Are you secretly a witch and this is your way of telling me?"

"Hey, it wouldn't have taken so long if you didn't keep interrupting with your commentary. You talk a lot." She flicks his ear lob teasingly. "Now hop to it."

"Yes, master."

Guzman takes care to find the correct measuring cup this time and scoops the white granules from the box. "And what is this?"

"Sweetener."

"I thought that was the sugar." He gestures at the shaker labeled azucar. Nadia was so organized he never had trouble finding things even when he first moved in.

"It is, but this is sweetener. It's a good substitute for sugar sometimes, especially for me since I drink too much tea."

"This doesn't have your label on it though."

Nadia twists the box to the side where the brand and logo is presented with the word sweetener on it.

"Oh."

Guzman pours in the milk then the measured amount of sweetener, watching the color change into a pretty brown color, resembling a light chocolate.

"This is cool actually, I feel like an important scientist. Look what I just created."

"You are an important scientist. My scientist, you did great work."

She rubs his back in that way that's become familiar to him.

Living together, he saw another side of Nadia, one that made him fall in love with her even more and he hadn't thought that was possible. He loved the way he stretched as she woke every morning, the way she put toothpaste on his brush automatically, the way she hip-checked him to spit into the sink before he could, the way she always served him a heaping helping of food like she thought he had been starving for a month, the way she rubbed his back or neck or hair as she passed by him around their apartment. These small moments meant everything to him, these casual but intimate touches that told him she loved him and was thinking about him, kept him in this perpetual state of contentment and he never fails to return the touch.

He does so now, pulling her to his side and kissing her temple and he watches her turn off the heat. He's taking note of everything she's telling him and showing him so he can surprise her with her favorite comfort drink.

"Is it done now?" he asks eagerly. He wanted her to try it and he was excited to see if he had managed to replicate the delicious way she makes it.

"Almost. We have to strain out the leaves."

"Ah shit."

"We should definitely cook more often," Nadia says in amusement, pulling two glasses down from the cupboard. "Forget take-out, we're cooking. I get dinner and a show."

Guzman takes the small strainer from her, taking care with the steaming pot. "Hopefully not burned dinner. I just pour the tea into the cups now? Through the strainer?"

"Exactly and then we're done."

Once Guzman pours out two glasses of tea, he sets them in front of Nadia with a flourish. It's silly but he's still proud especially when Nadia hops excitedly.

"Done?"

"Done"

Guzman watches anxiously as Nadia takes a careful sip, waiting with baited breath for her final verdict.

Nadia sighs in contentment. "Perfection."

"Really?"

"Really."

Nadia sets down her cup to return his enthusiastic embrace. "I know how to make tea now! Who would have thought?"

She pulls away and takes another sip, smirking over the rim of the cup. "Definitely not me."

He sticks his tongue out at her before reaching for his own cup. Nadia was right, it was perfect.

"You know I'm going to expect this to be a regular thing now, right?" Nadia says, her smiling lips pressing against his.

He pulls her close, letting their glasses clink lightly. "Anything for my girl. That's why I wanted to learn. So I could make it for you whenever you wanted."

And he kept that promise for the rest of their lives. Even when they were old and graying, Guzman made sure the love of his life had warm tea ready with a kiss.

#Guznadia #Guzman x Nadia #Nadia x Guzman #Nuzman #Netflix Elite #Guznadia Fanfiction #Guznadia Fanfic #cygnetofthesea writings #cygnetofthesea edits #cygnetofthesea graphics

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hopeymchope · 3 years

Note

How would you rank the 18 Class Trials from THH, DR2, and V3 from worst to best?

This is... virtually impossible for me, lol. Comparing the trials from each game to each other?

How about I just rank them within each game? That'll make it a little easier for me to deal with...

DR1

6) 5th. It's driven by lies and ultimately rushed to its end before the characters can draw any solid (pointless/meaningless) conclusions. So of course it's last for this game, and it’s probably last for the entire series as well. If there are any saving graces to this trial, it’s the surprise when your closest ally is willing to let our protagonist die... and that this trial contains the fake/bad ending route.

5) 3rd. Although the main culprit is pretty obvious from the jump, it requires some surprising twists to explain how everything got to be the way it turned out. But did I always find those twists plausible? Errrrm... not really.

4) 2nd. Pretty good trial that's hurt for me by the fact that there'd barely be any need for a trial at all if a certain third party didn't dick around with the evidence for no reason. Also, the dual nature of Toko is an incredibly predictable reveal. Without those two aspects dragging it down, though, this could easily go higher.

3) 1st. Sure, the major hint given and, subsequently, the eventual culprit are pretty obvious, but this one establishes so much about how the trials work and how much the details you observe will matter that it’s still pretty fun that first time around. The initial surprise of the first victim makes for a great way to keep you invested in the trial experience. This trial is damn near iconic now, so it feels almost mandatory to respect it.

2) 6th. DR1 still has the best "final trial,” easily. SO MANY great reveals, and they all totally work for me. Nothing rings false or disappointing, and it also features Makoto finally coming into his own and taking the lead. I nearly labeled this my top pick for DR1, but...

1) 4th. It's easily the most emotionally dramatic/satisfying for me, and there’s something weirdly inspirational for me about Hina’s incredibly harsh stance during it. This one GOT ME IN THE FEELS, and in part that was because I saw so little of it coming. After the more predictable elements of the first and third trials, this felt like the writing was firing on all cylinders.

DR2

6) 2nd. You have to accept a couple leaps of logic to make this trial keep flowing, and the fact that trial is ultimately reliant on someone noticing a candy that’s very small and hard to see while the person is also in a stressful situation and they are groggy from being drugged/asleep and it necessitates the person retaining this seemingly useless detail inside their brain .... that’s always bugged me. The “escape route” conversation even retroactively raises questions about the first trial. Oof. On the upside, the reveals it brought us about Fuyuhiko and Peko were incredibly important, satisfying, and legit surprising turns. And it’s pretty cool how it’s basically a two-for-one combo trial because you have to solve the Twilight Syndrome case before you solve the current case.

5) 3rd. Other people have pointed out the leaps of logic and missing pieces of this trial, but at the same time, the candlelight hanging is so intense and the ultimate reveal of the culprit is such a brutal turn that I have to give it some props. The culprit’s primary plan is ultimately one of the most ingenious in the series, IMO, and definitely one of the most twisted/fucked-up, which earns it some points.

4) 4th. This is probably the single murder case in the franchise that I understood the absolute least about when entering the trial, for better or worse. On the one hand, that made it really fun to see the mystery gradually unfurl, but on the other hand, it made it tough for me to provide the right answers at certain points in the trial, leaving me fumbling. A big part of those issues was how it was initially hard for me to wrap my head around the nature of the funhouse via the provided 2D graphics... but once I eventually got there, I had to respect the creativity that went into devising such a “weapon.” Also, it can be hard to tolerate Komaeda in this trial. He’s even more of a know-it-all-but-reveal-none-of-it jackass than ever before, and his turn towards overt cruelty towards the others (and Hajime in particular) left me raging. The culprit reveal is good, but the motive does beg the question of why he didn’t just come forward from the jump.

3) 6th. There are a lot of great reveals in the final trial that totally reframe how you see the characters, and some of them are deliciously twisted. There’s also a ton of great dialogue provided, and in retrospect, it’s actually sort of neat to have one endgame mastermind reveal in this franchise that doesn’t involve the “They were hiding among us this whole time” trope. All that plus the surprise return of our surviving heroes from the first game! However, this is also where they officially reveal a core element of DR2 and its setting that I've never liked. This knocks the trial down a few pegs for me. Of course, by the time you reach the trial, I'm sure 99% of players have already figured that particular "twist" out. There’s adequate evidence to predict it in the first freaking chapter, and I know this because I DID predict it in the first chapter of my initial playthrough... which further hurts the supposed “reveal” of the island’s true nature when it comes around.

2) 1st. Probably my favorite of the “first trials,” there are lot of components that go into this one. There’s a combination of two premeditated killers plus one spur-of-the-moment accidental victim, there’s a satisfying (though admittedly maybe too easy) reveal of the killer being one of the most unpleasant people to be around during the first chapter, and I really dig how audio became a very important component of the mystery due to the total blackout. This is also the part of the game where we learn just how twisted Komaeda really is, which is HUGE both in terms of its immediate shock factor for a total newcomer and in terms of its impact on the game as a whole. Of course, since it’s a “first trial,” it can’t be too complicated... but they still manage to confuse so many of us with “MEAT ON THE BONE” :P

1) 5th. Again, I will almost always give the most emotionally intense one the top slot. The “traitor reveal” is obviously THAT MOMENT in DR2. I also love how this one used the strange internal logic established early in the game RE: Komaeda’s luck to develop the eventual solution. And forcing us to make use of evidence gathered in multiple locations outside of the immediate site of the body/murder? That more complexity of that type that I see relevant to a trial, the more I appreciate it, and this one has loads of that stuff. Although I guess the investigation isn’t technically part of the trial itself... but it’s still very relevant to it.

DRV3

6) 4th. I found this whole trial to be just... extremely predictable. Maybe it’s because I was so far into the series that I’d gotten used to its tricks by this point, but this was the most predictable trial for me since the first one in the first game. The whole looping/rollover map setup of the VR? Obvious. The murder weapon? Obvious. Our culprit’s ongoing confusion at everything discussed? Obvious. There were only a couple of points I didn’t have already figured out when I walked into the trial room, and those turned out to be basically irrelevant (such as the bottle of poison). The eventual motive is at least a surprise, but I also found it hard to accept that this culprit would really kill people over it. Overall: Super lame.

5) 3rd. Another double murder trial, and once again one murder overshadows the other. The séance murder is definitely clever. Sure, you know the culprit pretty early on, but the methodology is the good part. However, the real fascinating one for me is the art lab “locked room” murder. Going into the trial, I couldn’t fathom how they were going to explain that one, and I found the answer both smart and satisfying. It’s funny to imagine how many times the culprit had to try that stunt with the lock before it actually worked, heh. This is probably the best of the three “double murder” mysteries in the series, but the trial isn’t as emotionally affecting as the 3rd trial in DR2 to me. Moreover, the trial loses points for the most infuriating Hangman’s Gambit of the series and especially for the motive reveal. When the killer’s motive can be boiled down to “they’re basically just a psycho serial killer,” it’s not very interesting.

4) 6th. The first part of the trial, which deals with re-assessing the first case? It’s pretty damn on-point. That leads to the mastermind reveal, which... isn’t great, really. It’s not a terribly interesting character to make the mastermind, they have no interesting motives or characterization to unevil, and they’re ultimately just a pawn behind another, off-screen group of masterminds. But then things get uproariously funny to me. The metatextual stuff is just so goddamn ridiculous. It’s frustrating and annoying how much of our not-mastermind’s explanation is clearly full of lies and half-truths that we’ll never have complete answers on, but that’s also part of what makes it all fascinating. We get to swap protagonists like four times! There’s a fake-out Game Over! These are really cool things. But it all leads down the road of our protagonist arguing that fiction does affect reality (yes, good), that fictional people can still matter (definitely) and that... fictional lives are equal in value to real ones? Uhhhhh slow down there, champ. That only works for YOUR universe, where fictional people can be made out of living, breathing individuals. But in light of the metatextual stuff you’re surrounded by, you kinda sound silly AF right now?

3) 2nd. Look, this is still incredibly irritating to me. Also, if you go down the alternate “lying” route at one point, you are forced to accept that these piranhas were somehow trained to only eat dead things, which is just... so deeply dumb. But what is good is the entire ropeway conceit (which is a very significant part of the trial!) and the idea of the partition inside the tank. This was a murder with an elaborate, intelligent plan that is very well-executed. And the motive reveal? It’s one of the best in the series! I respect that stuff. (If I had the right to toss the execution in as part of the soup, I’d say that it’s also one of the series’ best. Let’s call it the icing on the cake.)

2) 1st. The writing that made this trial work is undeniably clever. The way the narration told us exactly what was happening without really telling us what was happening? It was a masterstroke of both great writing and perfect localization coming together. When it becomes clear during the trial what is about to happen, it’s a huge shock. The transition to another protagonist with the lights flickering out and back on is beautiful. Even the core concept of a protagonist who was willing to step up and try to kill the mastermind immediately is just deeply interesting. And obviously this one made my emotions run high. HOWEVER! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kaede Akamatsu was a more interesting, unique, and compelling protagonist than Shuichi Saihara ever was. Ultimately, the protagonist-swap, no matter how well-written, was a mistake because they shifted us from a unique character with an interesting new perspective to a character who is, in many ways, “Makoto Naegi with even less self-esteem.” Yes, I know he has aspects that make him distinct as his own person, but there’s still just too much there that feels like we’ve done it before, and he never fully escapes from that. It feels like a massive waste and a huge missed opportunity to ditch Kaede like this. Now, if they had just done the protagonist swap in reverse — making us start out with Shuichi before flipping things over to Kaede — we could’ve had ourselves something amazing here.

1) 5th. I know I decided that I couldn’t rank all among each other, but if I did do that, I feel confident that the 5th trial in DRV3 would rank very high indeed. You go into the trial unable to even determine who the victim was due to the fact that two people are missing and there was nothing left of the body that spoke to an identity. Going into it, you naturally figure that one of the two missing parties has to be the victim and the other one is probably the culprit. But even with just two friggin’ suspects, the amount of turnabouts in the case that made me rethink all my assumptions was insane. Sure, the explanation for how the person inside the Exisal can maintain “character” is pretty damn thin, but once you get past that, I don’t think there’s a single false note in the trial. It even breaks unprecedented ground by continuing into another Non-Stop Debate after everyone has already voted. And of course, it culminates with a lot of intense emotion. Even the execution is emotionally satisfying! ..... although I’m not sure if I should count the execution as part of the trial, but hey, still. As far as Dangan trials go, the fifth one in DRV3 is basically a masterpiece.

#danganronpa #asks #danganronpa trials #drv3 #dr2 #dr1 #drv3 spoilers

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