#And the way they do the time loop it's not that repetitive

[littlecajunlady]

I'm watching Round and Round and as far as Hallmark movies go this is definitely one of the better ones. Hanukkah time loop movie makes it unique at least.

[ultfan]

me when tumblr recommends me someone defending dr3 in the tags and i read through the entire thing and get mad bc they don't understand what brainwashing really is.

[svtskneecaps]

friends and fiends if this truly spells the Over for the qsmp i may let the brainworms that have been festering in me for MONTHS--A YEAR, EVEN--win.

i may summarize the goddamn fucking lore.

[dhmis-autism]

i feel like the original series was red guy centered, the first season was for yellow guy, and i am BEGGING AND PRAYING that season 2 will be more about duck!! i will probably cry if anything happens to him though lol 💀 everytime writers break a comic relief character i just OUGSHGS.. it gets me.

h well I don't think you're wrong about that! Webseries being Red Guys time to shine, S1 of the TV show being for Yellow (esp the last two episodes I think? Even thought outside of that, he does get a lot of focus/he IS the one who talks to the audience the most directly). From what I remember hearing, the pilot was pretty Duck-centered.

But I think even if he GETS his big moment in the sun, so to speak, it's NOT going to be as emotional as the other twos. On top of him just not being a very um… let's say sentimental character, he's just not the make-you-cry type! It's just not him imo!

IDK, I operate under the opinion that… in his weird little head, the most important thing that he values over everything is keeping the three of them together. Both because he thinks of them as a weird little family AND because he really doesn't have anyone else outside of the trio. We also know from the interview, and you could maybe argue from the Family episode ( Who do you love?/Anyone who loves me back., I asked every member of my family who they loved the most, and they all said me ) that being loved is something that he actually values QUITE a bit! More than you would assume on first glance! He's weirdly upfront about it haha!

In that way, I imagine that if they were to TRY to pull something to put him in the spotlight in the way you're imagining (i.e. something emotional and focusing on his issues like they did with Yellow & Red) it would either focus on his desire to be loved OR his dedication to keeping the three of them together. But I would argue they both already did that in the Family episode AND put him through the worst case-scenario in regards to those more emotional aspects of his character ( here I think the worst case scenario to him is the other two rejecting him, harshly, unambiguously and to his face, multiple times and the three of them separating ). AND THE THING IS… THAT ALREADY HAPPENED! THAT DIDN'T BREAK HIM!

He had his little pout over it in his dress and was like FINE! I DON'T NEED THEM ANYWAYS! So, I really don't think that big "character-breaking" moment is coming. If the Family ep didn't get him I honest to God don't think there's anything else the house could throw at him that could get under his skin.

[lanternlightss]

maybe the real time loop was the restarting of the world we made along the way <3

LITERALLY

making amends and mending them <3 a new life, a new day to discover <3

[ernmark]

I love time loop stories. Really, I do.

But I'd love to see a story about what happens after you emerge from the time loop.

When, after months or years of repetition, you have to learn how to live with a choice you can't redo tomorrow.

When you meet someone new for the first time and have to figure out how to navigate this brand new conversation.

When you reach for the same day's clothes and realize that you can't wear them because they got dirty. Your laundry, your dishes, your body, your teeth, all the tasks that reset with the loop are suddenly stacking up and you need to set aside time to do them.

When you reach that first weekend and your schedule radically shifts and you don't know what to do with yourself, which is terrifying but also exhilarating in ways you can't explain.

When you casually drop facts learned from those books you spent a dozen loops reading, and you realize you retained something worth keeping.

How your memory gets weirdly good all of a sudden, despite not having all that repetition to fall back on, because suddenly every experience is fresh and new.

And when the seasons change, and your hair grows long enough that you want to cut it, and when you realize it's shocking because you didn't think you'd ever see something as incredible as the passage of time.

[gffa]

I have been drifting back to STAR WARS fandom lately and I have been greatly rewarded for it, especially in the gen fic veins, because there have been some banger fics authors have been putting out! And the thing that really gets me in the fannish heart is that there's more and more fics about the Jedi, both for exploring the characters and the culture. I have been able to find multiple fics that have been kind to Mace Windu! I have been able to find multiple fics that explain what attachment actually is to the Jedi and to Star Wars! I have been able to find multiple fics that lift my spirit up or punch me in the feelings in exactly the right way, both for the usual disaster lineage faves, but also for the Jedi as a whole. I'm serious, that means the world to me in this fandom, and I desperately want to share that with you all. LET ME SHOVE FIC AT YOU THAT LOVES THESE CHARACTERS AND THIS WORLD AS MUCH AS I DO!!

FICS THAT PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE WITH HOW GOOD THEY WERE: ✦ wayfinding by night by wrennette, obi-wan & luke & cast, time travel, 10.2k     Before him stood a fellow Jedi, worn and weary with loss. Obi-Wan finds himself on Ahch-To and helps Luke find a path through his grief. ✦ may you inherit his light by notbecauseofvictories, leia & bail & anakin & cast, 2.5k     When your father dies, say the Coruscanti, you are left clutching a star map for a different galaxy. In this, as in many things, Leia is her fathers' daughter. ✦ No Freedom From the Storm (But Peace In Its Midst) by Be_Right_Back, mace & cast, ~1k     Mace is freefalling. On his way down, he meets Hatred, and reaches for Serenity. ✦ "...if you remain his student" by Peppermint_Shamrock, anakin & ahsoka & cast, 3.9k     Ahsoka doesn't leave the Jedi Order. This does not save Anakin. This was never going to save Anakin. Nor stop him. ✦ a distant fire is burning by e_va, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cal, time travel, 47.4k wip     Cal Kestis can move backwards in time (kinda-sorta-not really), and his confrontation with Darth Vader in the Fortress Inquisitorius plays out a lot differently. Fixing the timeline while stuck in his 10-year-old body will be quite the task, but Cal is up to it. He has to be. (Obi-Wan, Anakin, and the clone troopers have no idea what to make of Kenobi's weird new padawan. At least the kid fits in, though.) ✦ No Death, Only the Force by ExtraPenguin, anakin & mace & depa & shmi, 2.8k     Anakin Skywalker is just about to to free his mother from the Tuskens when the Force rudely yanks him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant – and into Mace Windu's body. Mace, on the other hand, gets tossed into Anakin's body on Tatooine. ✦ Well Met by avocadomoon, obi-wan/padme (unconsumated) & corde & anakin, 19k     "Here and then gone again," Padmé said. "It must be lonely." "Sometimes," Obi-Wan said. "But a Jedi is never truly alone."

THIS FANDOM HAS A HAMMER AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF NAILS AND A REALLY GOOD STAPLE GUN, WE'RE FIXING WHAT CANON BROKE AND NOBODY CAN STOP US NOT EVEN GOD: ✦ Begin again by mauvera, obi-wan & qui-gon & anakin & padme & mace & dooku & cast, time travel, 78.9k     Five years into his self imposed exile on Tattooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi is gifted the chance to go back and bring hope back to the galaxy. With hindsight on his side, he fully intends to save his master, save his padawan, make some new and old friends again, prepare the Jedi for a war they’ll hopefully never see and begin to pull apart all the many tangled threads of the Sith Lord’s plans. ✦ Repetition by Peppermint_Shamrock, cody & obi-wan, time loop, 3k     Cody wakes up from a nightmare on the way to Utapau, again and again.

CANON-COMPLIANT (MOSTLY, UP TO A CERTAIN POINT, WHATEVER) DISASTER LINEAGE: ✦ it's like i can feel time moving by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 5.4k     “Hi,” Anakin says. It's after midnight. “Is everything alright?” “Can’t a man stop by his old master’s room?” Obi-Wan stares at him blankly. “Are you out of food?” ✦ yes, I will take you / I will love you, again by foreverstudent, obi-wan & anakin & cast, time travel, 2.5k     "So you have tried, Padawan." Qui-Gon takes a moment, and his expression is steely but not unkind--the one Obi-Wan remembers from particularly grueling training sessions. "Would you try again, if you had the chance?" OWK!Obi-Wan gets another chance, with a child he once left behind. ✦ No Good Deed Goes Unpunished by kittona, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.1k     Anakin gets a bit overprotective when his loved ones are sick. Luckily, he has the best home remedy for a cold. ✦ nothing a cup of tea can't fix by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 1.5k     when Anakin shows up to Obi-Wan's quarters in the middle of the night, the Jedi Master knows something has gone awry. answering Anakin's desperate cry for help, Obi-Wan is reminded of how very, very prone to dramatics his former padawan and grand padawan are. or Ahsoka gets sick and Anakin flips his shit. ✦ Stick Figures by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 2k     war is hard. war is draining. to make it more bearable, little mementos* are routinely given. *mementos: encouraging notes, funny little drawings, little gifts, fun snacks, and poems which might get Anakin in trouble. ✦ When the Ground Breaks by stolen_pen_name23, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 4.7k     An earthquake causes devastation on the planet of Berchest. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka work together to help save civilians until disaster pulls them apart. ✦ never fear, young one by marverse, obi-wan & ahsoka & cast, 6.2k     Ever since her first day of being a padawan, Ahsoka Tano remembers the words that Master Skywalker had once told her. And every time, she wonders, wonders, and wonders. ✦ the street's a little kinder when you're home by gigglesandfreckles, obi-wan & anakin, 5.2k     "So catch me up," Anakin says. "What did I miss?” Nothing. Nothing happens when you’re gone. “Oh, the usual.” [or: anakin goes missing. obi-wan doesn't handle it well.] ✦ holding anchor by foreverstudent, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka, 3.2k     At the landing of Point Rain, an injured Obi-Wan allows himself to be sentimental over his former padawan, and Anakin patches up his old master. ✦ Nothing to Say by KCKenobi, obi-wan & anakin & satine, 3.2k     (or: Anakin and Satine don’t know how to talk to each other. Until they remember the very important thing they have in common.) ✦ Aggressive Negotiations by SkyBlue1309, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 2.2k     People forget that Anakin was raised by the Negotiator. He was bound to pick up on a thing or two. ✦ At The Window by Peppermint_Shamrock, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k     In the early days of Anakin's apprenticeship, Obi-Wan searches for him in the Temple. ✦ The Words by Ibelin, obi-wan & anakin, 3.9k     Obi-Wan Kenobi has never said I love you in his life. He can say a lot of other things, though.

JEDI CULTURE AND WORLDBUILDING AND CELEBRATION: ✦ Refractions of Light by Independence1776, ezra & kanan, 1.3k     Kanan celebrates a Jedi holiday with Ezra. ✦ The grand outing by Ingata, dooku & sifo-dyas & obi-wan & bant & garen & reeft & yoda & cast, 4.5k     Eight younglings and two Jedi masters on a field trip. What could possibly go wrong? ✦ into the statue that breathes by spoonks, obi-wan & feemor & cast, 8.5k     The night watch in the garden was supposed to be the calmest of them all. No mischievous Padawans “sneaking” in or out, or ne’er-do-well civilians conducting “business” around the lower-level entrances that they didn’t know existed. No the gardens was still, and it was like time was frozen in ice that slowly melted away with the rising of the sun. A slow drip, drip— Drip. Immediately Feemor turned towards the central waterfall. Someone was standing there. Whoever they were, they were small and moved through katas with their hands open like a greeting. ✦ The Temple vs. Order 66 by LauraBWrites, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & cody & jedi & jedi temple, 3.9k     The Temple cannot defy the Will of the Force. But it can, it will prepare for the possible outcomes. It can damn well fight back. ✦ We Three Runaways. by Aethir, obi-wan & depa & komari, 2.7k     In which Depa and Obi-Wan bond, and a new sister is found. ✦ A Short Break by Peppermint_Shamrock, luke & yoda, ~1k     Luke complains about his training, and asks about Jedi training of old. ✦ we are made of our longest days by bereft_of_frogs, obi-wan & anakin & cast, 4.4k     Two years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan and his new apprentice are called to a remote moon to fetch a baby who’s showing signs of a rare, unique power. On their journey home, Obi-Wan reflects on the last child he brought to the Temple and catches a faint glimpse of three possibly entwining futures.

I AM A PREQUELS ERA BITCH AND I'M MAKING THAT EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM: ✦ the salle at dawn by maragny, anakin & mace, 1.5k wip     Master Windu is the best duellist in the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker is seventeen, he duels Mace for the first time, and it ruins both of them for anyone else. ✦ Saving People Counts as Revenge, Right? by ImperialKatwala, obi-wan & anakin & dooku, time travel, 4.3k wip     Count Dooku of Serenno is an intelligent man. His methods may be a bit severe, and he may not be allowed true freedom to plan campaigns in the war he helped create, but he has always had an eye for strategy. Moving the pieces around the board and plotting out where they will need to be next. So, when he opens his eyes after Anakin Skywalker cut his head off, he knows to take a moment to assess what’s going on. ✦ if I could find solid ground again by maragny, anakin & depa, 1.5k     “You never told me what we’re doing today,” Anakin says, a little hesitant. “I…I don’t know much about Jedi things yet.” "Good thing we’re not doing Jedi things, then,” Depa replies. “We’re cooking!” Or, Anakin and Depa, finding their places in their family. ✦ Birds Fly in Different Directions by Triscribe, jedi & clones, time travel, 14.6k     In the corridor beyond her quarters, other Jedi were emerging from their own doors, most of them wide-eyed with shock. A few merely looked blearily concerned, and Aayla heard snatches of questions as she darted past, queries as to whether everyone experienced the same distressing vision. But those who clutched at their chests or throats, their weak points- those Jedi bore a muted horror in their eyes, and Aayla didn’t doubt they’d just suffered their own betrayals from trusted men.

✦ The Master, The Padawan, and The Force by Pandora151, padme & ahsoka, 1.9k     Padmé Naberrie was never one to procrastinate. More than that, she maintained a steady, consistent schedule — something that she’d managed to keep ever since she was a Padawan. She was always on top of everything, from her responsibilities with the war to training her own Padawan, Ahsoka. She was well-known throughout the Order for being steady, reliable. And most notably, no matter what, she didn’t just forget things. Which made her current situation all the more…ridiculous. ✦ Off-by-one Error by Jessepinwheel, obi-wan & cast, 12.2k     A stranger appears in the Jedi Temple. Nobody knows who he is or where he came from. Nobody knows what has happened to him except that it must have been something truly terrible. The stranger's name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. ✦ splinters of light by wrennette, dooku & jocasta & sifo-dyas & yoda & jaster & jango & cast, time travel, 22.5k     When Dooku's dying consciousness was sent back into his younger body, at first he remembered only that something important would happen on Korda VI, and soon. His investigations brought both clarity and confusion, and a conviction that he must atone for evils not yet enacted. ✦ The Road that Reaches by ExtraPenguin, anakin & mace & yoda & depa & shmi, 11.5k     As the Council sits down on Naboo to consider the newly-knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi's request to take young Anakin Skywalker as his padawan, they're informed of what transpired on Tatooine – and that Anakin used to be a slave. Mace Windu goes to interview the young child to confirm this, and gets rather more than he signed up for. ✦ the salle at dawn by maragny, anakin &/ mace, 5.1k     Master Windu is the best duellist in the Jedi Order. When Anakin Skywalker is seventeen, he duels Mace for the first time, and it ruins both of them for anyone else. ✦ through the dark (like two flames) by treescape, kanan/cal & quinlan, 5.3k     A Jedi found him on Bracca. Or, in the weeks after Order 66, Cal Kestis and Caleb Dume are reunited on Jabiim. Five years late, on the run from Inquisitors, they have a decision to make. ✦ Resilience by TemporaryUniverse, obi-wan & mace, 3.3k     Twelve years after his defeat at the Battle of Naboo, Obi-Wan's greatest enemy has returned from the dead. Obi-Wan has faced Maul and lost. Now it is time to face himself. ✦ The Buried Truth is Your Favorite Lie by Peppermint_Shamrock, dooku & yoda, ~1k     Dooku tries and fails to leave the past behind. ✦ Hanging On by the Last Threads of Our Hope by IllyanaA, ahsoka & rex, 5.2k     Ahsoka and Rex have endured too much. After the Fall, they stay together until they can't, but the Force has a way of bringing them back together. It's a fact for which both of them are immeasurably grateful.

MULTIGENERATIONAL STAR WARS IS THE BEST STAR WARS: ✦ Future Tense by CeruleanTactician, obi-wan & anakin & luke, time travel, 1.4k     Obi-Wan and Anakin find themselves twenty years in the future, where they meet a young man by the name of Luke Skywalker. ✦ Keepsakes by Coalmine301, obi-wan & leia, 2k     “You were the one who gave me my bantha, weren’t you?” “Yes,” Obi-wan nodded with a small smile. “Your father told me they were your favorite animal. At least then it was.” ✦ Why the Sith Don't Have Class Reunions by Peppermint_Shamrock, anakin & palpatine & maul & dooku & ventress, time travel, 1.9k     Sith apprentices rarely agree with one another (there’s a reason for the Rule of Two, after all), but Darth Sidious is starting to think that it’s worse when they do. ✦ My Dear Padawan by Tulak_Hord, luke & yoda & palpatine, time travel, 3.2k     In which a time-travelling Luke Skywalker successfully saves the Galaxy in perhaps the most horrifying manner imaginable. ✦ The Return by Pandora151, obi-wan & leia & haja, 1.4k     Haja wonders about the others. He wonders about the people he’s sent to the Path from Daiyu — not just Kenobi and the Princess, but that Force-sensitive boy and his mother, the Nautolan teenager from a few weeks ago, the young Kel Dor child and his even younger siblings. Did they all make it home? Are they safe? Was all of this worth it? ✦ Message From Guiding Light by Batsutousai, obi-wan & leia & mace, time travel, 2.2k     Ben and Leia never make it to Mapuzo on the borrowed supply shuttle, instead finding themselves in the middle of the Clone Wars.

FRIENDSHIP WITH CANON ENDED, THIS COOL AU IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND NOW: ✦ Not A Moment Too Soon by Triscribe, depa & kanan & cast, 2k     The first time she stumbled, her padawan said nothing, simply offering his shoulder for her to lean on. ✦ Parallel Lines by Pandora151, obi-wan & anakin, time travel, time loop, 10.7k     Darth Vader leans back in his chair, allowing a small smile to form on his lips, hidden by his helmet. “There is no escape from this, Obi-Wan,” he utters. He looks down at the neat line of text, and the Force echoes his words. “No escape from the past.” ✦ through the dark (like two flames) by treescape, ca/kanan & quinlan, 5.3k     A Jedi found him on Bracca. Or, in the weeks after Order 66, Cal Kestis and Caleb Dume are reunited on Jabiim. Five years late, on the run from Inquisitors, they have a decision to make. ✦ Loth-Cats and Loth-Rats by TessaDoesThings, mace & depa & kanan & ezra, 19k     All Mace Windu wanted out of the Post-Clone Wars world was a simple trip with his lineage to the long-forgotten Jedi Temples of the Outer Rim. However, on Lothal, the three might have bitten off more than they expected. The Republic may have triumphed, but the roots of what could have become the empire are gripped in the corners of the galaxy, and it might be time for some aggressive space weeding. Or a coup d'etat. That would work too. ✦ a princess, a farmer, a teacher by jesuisdeux, obi-wan & luke & leia & bail, 1.4k     Early in the morning, a girl and few men knock on a door. They don't wear anything resembling a soldier, but Obi-Wan has been a soldier long enough to notice the tense shoulders and wary looks beneath civilian clothing. She doesn't wear anything resembling a princess, but Obi-Wan knows these fierce eyes and grace coming from a righteous cause. or A New Hope AU where Vader doesn't attack Leia's ship and Leia herself delivers the news to Obi-Wan and consequently Obi-Wan doesn't die. ✦ What I Wouldn't Give To See Your Ghost by Triscribe , depa & kanan & cast, time travel, 1.2k     “Who are you?” Depa demanded, externally calm but internally frantic. “What is this place? And where is my padawan?” ✦ when that day comes by katierosefun, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & maul, modern au/reincarnation au, 44.8k     [or: the alternate universe where anakin skywalker has the chance at some new life…but only if he saves the life of a reincarnated obi-wan kenobi. the catch: neither of them know who the other was in the galaxy far, far away…but that might very well change.]

[terrencetheshark13]

Thinking about time loops thinking about time loops thinking about time loops

"Why would you go back?" "why would you do that to yourself?" "Doesn't it hurt so much?"

You don't understand you can't understand you weren't there you didn't experience it you don't know

It hurts but it's all I have left it's going to be better next time I know it I know it even as the knife goes in my back again even as it stays the same I know it's going to be better because it can't keep going this way

It gets better it gets better it getsbetteritgetsbetterITGETSBETTERITGETSBETTER

I have to get out I need to stay

just one more loop, just one more loop, just one more loop

day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after day after

it's always the same, but there's still that glimmer of hope, isn't there? Because it's gonna be different, just one more loop

just one more. just two more. just three. just ten. just fifty. just a hundred. just one more loop.

"Doesn't it hurt?" isn't the hurt all I have left? There's comfort in the repetition the repetition the repetition. How could there not be? In here you don't have to face out there. And that hurt is much, much, more painful

The same pain over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again dulls over time, even while it takes more and more each loop. But out there? That's new pain, that's a change in schedule, that's something different, and you don't want difference, do you? That's why you're here isn't it? Desperately hoping for the next loop to change, when the change is out there. You know it's out there. Deep down the repetition is comforting, the blade in your back keeps you steady, you wouldn't want to face the unknown, would you?

Oh it's beautiful? Well it hurts just as much, and you know it. You know you can't face it out there, with no one to help you, none of that disconcerting familiarity. The familiar pain is oh so much better than unfamiliarity, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?

You can keep going around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and hope it changes, the only change that will happen is if you make it. But you're not willing, you're too easily taken in by the familiar, comforting, pain.

It's so much easier to hope for change than to work for it. Just one more loop, right? One more loop, right? One more loop one more just one one one one one one

Just one more loop and I'll get to the end of the circle, one more loop and there's something different, right?

You can get out whenever you want, but you don't want to, do you? You don't want to, you don't want to

You can stay here forever, right? You can stay here forever. You can stay here forever. You can stay here forever. Stay here forever. Stay here forever. Stay here forever. Stay here forever. Stay here

"Why don't you just leave?" I can't, you don't understand, I tried, I can't, I don't want to, it hurts so much, but out there? Out there it hurts even more

Don't ask me how I know, because I don't. I only know what the time loop told me and it told me I can't leave, it told me I don't want to, that it will hurt, that we're already so deeply connected that to escape would kill us both. You don't understand, it hurts too much. You haven't died the way I have, you haven't lived, haven't hurt, haven't seen what I've seen.

Let me out, please let me out, please let me out, please let me out, please let me do it again, please let me do it again, please let me do it again, please let me do it again, please let me do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again I can't leave just let me leave let me loop let me leave let me loop let me leave let me loop let me leave let me loop

Don't go, don't go or we both die because too much of ourselves is contained within the other, I can't leave you and you can't leave me, a self sustaining system

You're me and I'm you and I can't leave without killing you and I can't kill you without dying in the process

[jibunbosh]

Mesmerizer is a satire of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and the rest of the modern short-form vertical video format

A brief thematic analysis.

I'm sure there are countless people already interpreting the imagery and details in this wonderful song & MV, like here and here, so I won't spend too much time retreading that ground. Miku and Teto are dancing. Miku gets hypnotized. Teto signals for help, but gets hypnotized at the end as well.

That part is obvious enough, but that's still pretty surface-level. What is this seemingly hyperspatial horror scenario supposed to mean to us?

While checking to see if anyone before me's already come to the same conclusions as I did and if I should bother not writing this text post at all (lol), I came across udin's great analysis video. She comes to the conclusion that the song tackles themes of disillusionment with reality and the ways we indulge in escapism to relieve ourselves of the pains of the world.

I agree with that reading! From practically the very beginning, we have Miku call to us - the viewer - to push away our true feelings. Teto comes in to peddle a solution, inviting us to surrender and empty our minds - in her words, "pretending to know nothing."

You, the viewer, are a critical character in this masquerade. For nearly the entire video, Miku and Teto's eyes are unfailingly trained on you. Or, well... perhaps they can't actually see you, but they can see a camera, or whatever other aperture the point of view is supposed to be from. And they know they're being watched. (Who else would Teto be sending distress signals to?)

Let's put a pin on that for later.

udin notes very early on that Miku and Teto are, conspicuously, kept in vertical frames - very similar to the video formats of TikTok (and Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, and whatever other clones of the format exist.) You know, just like the animator Caststation's Rabbit Hole fan MV that went viral some months ago.

Hey wouldn't it be crazy if the song's producer, 32ki, released Mesmerizer shorts too haha. Wouldn't that be crazy.

Wow, wild.

These short-term vertical videos are captivating & alluring. If you're reading this, it's more likely than not that you've also found yourself caught up in them at least once, scrolling through the infinite algorithmic slurry and forgetting about the real-life issues you have at hand. Would you say, then, that you felt hypnotized? Mesmerized, even?

And so these two invite us to join their world and focus on the... uh... rectangle.

Their dances are repetitive, following the same loop. Their outfits are distinct, but their choreography isn't. They're copying the same formula, repeating it ad nauseam to the best of their ability.

They're doing a fucking TikTok dance.

Back to the pin I told you about earlier, with Miku and Teto looking at a camera.

Miku sways with the camera, eyes looking directly at it like a swinging pocket watch. She's been looking at it the entire time, after all. We've been seeing her via our screen this entire time, but, again, she doesn't necessarily see us. She's beholden to the camera, which she dances for day after day, caught up in its spell. She's hypnotized by it. Eventually, she breaks.

Teto, on the other hand, resists. For a while, anyway.

Despite her being the one jumping to us with the "solution" at the beginning of the MV, there's very quickly good reason to question how much agency she has in this. She dances for the camera as well, but she doesn't want to. She's signalling for help. She wants out.

Many content creators (as much as I personally loathe the non-specificity and soullessness of the term) have struggled with the adaptation to the short-form video format, and the preference the algorithm has had for these captivating, bite-sized videos. They're catchy, and easily drive up metrics. Practically anyone who's publishing their work via video format online needs to learn to adapt or fall behind, even if that means whittling their content down to fit the frame, the time, and people's shortening attention spans. Sometimes, that means compromising on specificity and completeness... or, in other words, the true representation of a full work.

The song's writer, 32ki, has been releasing songs on YouTube for several years. Their first YouTube Short, however, was posted only a year ago: a short, whittled-down segment of their previous song, CIRCUS PANIC!!!, hoping for it to win the ProsekaNEXT song contest. It was their first song to achieve widespread popularity and hit a million views.

The shorts, however, aren't the "true" versions of the song. The full song just won't fit.

We're being mesmerized as consumers of this endless stream of content, rather than appreciators of music and art. However, that relationship isn't completely symmetrical across the plane that is the 4th wall. Miku and Teto are trapped not by their attention spans, but by a compulsion to project their "truthful acting" and peddle that window into a colorful, problem-free world.

We, as the collective audience, need not dwell on any one thing for too long - we need only swipe, and move on to the next video. However, Miku and Teto are trapped behind the screen for eternity, day after day.

They're the only characters we get to see, of course. There's no evil 3rd voice synth character that's plotting to keep them trapped in there. We can't put a face to whatever force is hypnotizing them and trapping them behind the screen. It's faceless - like the inscrutable algorithms of YouTube recommendations or the TikTok For You page, or the impersonal corporations that develop & maintain those aforementioned apps. Miku and Teto's likenesses, on the other hand, are being exploited and extracted from for their entertainment value, being strung along by that metaphorical hypnotizing force like puppets on a string.

Many people, represented by Miku, enjoy their success on such platforms. It's freeing and liberating to throw oneself wholeheartedly into such an endeavor, of course! Others, represented by Teto, harbor their doubts of the emotional veracity of such a medium, but know they have little choice lest they face destruction... perhaps not literally as a person, but as an idea.

Wouldn't it be easier just to let oneself be swept away by it and give in?

[dollfacefantasy]

Down for the Count

pairing: leon kennedy x fem!reader

summary: while spending time with leon, you want to play fight. but having you in such a compromising position is obviously going to lead to something more.

cw: nsfw (18+), smut, p in v, daddy kink, size kink, praise/degradation

word count: 5.3k

a/n: yay a- a- another one. thank you so so much to @sleepyluxe and @explorevenus for inspiration and ideas on this one when i was struggling. both of them are so smart and wonderful and i love them so much. i hope everyone enjoys <3

tags: @sleepyluxe @kaitkatme @tosuckmyweenis @pupthepokemonenthusiast @bizzarethirst @death-paint @petitecolibri @iron-toxinz @wildest-dreams-at-midnight

Small drops of rain fall outside and splatter onto your windows. You and Leon are lying in bed, limbs intertwined and bodies pressed against one another. The bedroom was dim from the overcast weather and felt perfect for the lazy day you were having.

Leon rubs your back while taking deep, even breaths. You can hear his heartbeat in the position you're in with your head on his chest. You were happy to see him so relaxed. It wasn’t everyday that the two of you could spend time together like this.

His large palm trailing up and down your skin in soothing repetitive strokes has you melting against his side, feeling so at peace and attached to him. You instinctively lean into his touch for more. You nuzzle his chest and drag your cheek against his pectoral muscle.

He chuckles at your little display and tightens his arm around you. He’s still caressing your back as he plants a gentle kiss on your forehead.

Your eyes flutter shut momentarily. For a second, you just take in the soft sounds of rain outside and the feeling of his strong body wrapped around you between the soft blankets. It felt almost like a dream, like you and him had created your own little world for just the two of you.

Everything felt so relaxing right now, but at the same time, it all was building a need inside you. Whenever Leon got this soft with you, it just made you crave him more. You couldn’t get enough. Even though you were as close as physically possible, you still wanted closer.

In an attempt to satiate your desire, you reach over and grab his free hand. You lace your fingers with his, feeling that extra bit of intimacy you longed for.

While holding his hand, it’s impossible to not notice the size difference between you two. His hand engulfs yours completely, almost looking as if he’s made on a different scale. You bring his hand closer and stretch out your fingers against his to look at the disparity before locking your hands together again.

“Your hands are so small, sweetheart,” he notes, seeing what you were thinking about.

You respond with a shy smile and gently nudge his thigh with your knee. “Or your hands are really big.”

“No, baby, look at you,” he says with his own smile spreading on his face. 

He pulls your hand up and examines the size. He smirks as he loops his thumb and index finger around your wrist to show how they could touch.

“My little doll,” he coos and kisses the crown of your head. He absentmindedly plays with your fingers like he’s studying the different ways they could bend and stretch with his own.

The sweet names he called you, the loving tone of his voice, the constant physical contact. All of it only served to intensify the yearning you felt. You really just could not get enough of him, and it made you feel restless.

You hook one of your legs around one of his and pull slightly. He doesn’t react, so you continue, adding your other leg. You playfully squirm your legs with his to push and pull them. He drops your hand on his chest and looks down at you with a knowing smile. You nudge your head against his bicep as a way of signaling what you want.

“What are you doing?” he asks and brushes some of your hair out of your face.

“Nothing…” you say in a coy tone as you continue your movements.

He shakes his head, picks you up by the waist, and places you on top of him so that you’re straddling his abs. He smiles up at you, looking so cute in only his shirt and your panties. He already knew what you wanted, having played this game with you many times before.

“Try again, pretty girl. Use your words,” he says. His fingertips coast over your hips, causing chills to run through your skin.

“I wanna play,” you say, running your hands over his chest as you look down at him.

“You do, huh?” he says as his eyebrows raise. He squeezes your hips and a short laugh escapes his throat. He knew the mood you were getting into. “Well, what do you wanna play?”

“I wanna wrestle,” you say with a devious smile.

“Oh, do you now?” he says. He shakes his head and exaggeratedly sighs, “You never learn, babydoll. You know how this is gonna end.”

You whimper playfully and stick your bottom lip out into a teasing pout. Your hands grab Leon’s own and try to pull them off your waist. He tightens his grip and smiles to see you already struggling to match his strength at something so simple. Blood rushes to his cock as you squirm a little on top of him.

“See? We haven’t even started, and you’re already whining. Do you just want Daddy to let you win? Is that it?” he says and grabs your hands, pinning them to your hips.

“No…” you say, feeling heat flash in your belly. It was harder to be a tease when he slipped into this role. He could read you so well and drive you wild so easily. You wriggle in his grasp a little more, purposefully pushing your clothed cunt down on his stomach in search of some friction.

He looks up at you with a cocky glint in his eyes. He could see the effect one simple word had on you. He lifts you again, but this time, flips you over, pinning you down on your back with him on top of you. He holds your wrists down to the mattress and has his knees planted on either side of you. He leans down and trails some soft kisses on your neck before raising his head again to look down at you.

“You’re no fair,” you whine as you try to escape his grasp. Your legs try and fail to snake out from under him while you yank your arms, attempting to free yourself.

“C’mon, sweetheart. Just surrender, and then we can get to what you really want,” he says.

“I just wanna play. I’m not perverted like you,” you respond.

“Oh, really? You’re telling me if I slide my hand in those panties, that cute cunt isn’t gonna be all wet and sticky for me,” he says. He moves your wrists up above your head so he can keep them down with one of his hands now. His now free hand moves down to your lower body, lightly petting your center over the thin fabric of your underwear.

Heat floods your cheeks. His tone was dropping lower, becoming more seductive. You shake your head and struggle more. You maneuver your hips to try and get his hand off you. In truth, this game revved you up like not much else could but part of the fun was acting like it didn’t. He understood that just as well as you did though.

“You’re cheating,” you whimper with a gasp as he presses down on your underwear and slots his fingers between the folds of flesh. You bite your lip as his digits brush over your clit. 

“Oh, it seems like someone’s not so innocent,” he laughs, feeling your damp arousal through the cloth.

“Leon,” you whine. You put more effort into your struggling now. It still didn’t make any difference, “Stop cheating.”

He squeezes your wrists and brings the hand that was toying with your pussy up to your face. He holds your jaw and directs you to look straight at him. 

“Maybe I’ll listen if you ask properly and stop throwing a fit like a brat,” he says and kisses your nose.

“Daddy…” you correct yourself and speak with more composure, “I wanna wrestle. Please.”

“There we go. That’s better,” he coos as his fingers rub your jawline. Two soft kisses land on each one of your cheeks before he gets off of you. A smug smile graces his face as he takes one of your hands and gives you a firm pull to your knees.

“Ok, you know how to start. Not that it will make any difference,” he says with a mocking smile as he gets into position.

The two of you are kneeling across from each other on the bed. Your stance mirrors his, legs spread for balance like he taught you. You put up your arms and grasp his hands to begin. You thread your fingers between his and try to get his arms to bend so you can take the advantage.

It’s clear to both of you that he could get you in a hold right here without really trying, but like a wolf batting a bunny around before making the killing strike, he gives you a moment to think this time will be the one you can finally win.

He just can’t get enough of you. The cute way your face scrunches as you focus on getting his wrists to bend, your sweet and quiet grunts, the way your pretty leg extends out behind you to gain more leverage. And most of all, the size difference between the two of you that was even more apparent now. God, it drove him up the wall. 

This is why he couldn’t cut these moments short and win right away. If this was a real fight, he could shatter every bone in your hand without a second thought. Have you down and himself moved onto the next target without straining his smallest muscle. But he would never do that to you. His darling girl, his perfect baby. Never.

He never ever used his full strength while playing with you. In the beginning, he’d been concerned about putting his hands on you at all. Every small whine or whimper had him fawning over you, immediately checking if you were alright. Once you two had been together for a while and done this dance a few times, he relished those soft noises, each one stoking the flames of desire within him.

Now, he advances your little game as you still struggle to gain any control over him. He twists your wrists and inverts your hands to make you vulnerable. One of those soft cries leaves your mouth, and his lips curls upwards further in triumph.

He bends your wrist in a certain way and is able to spin you around, bringing you backwards and holding you flush against his chest. He locks his arms over yours and leans down to press some kisses to the crook of your neck.

“What do you do now, pretty baby?” he asks in a husky whisper.

You crack a smile of your own now as you remember what to do. You become dead weight, sliding down and flaring your elbows. You manage to push his thick arms off of you and escape his hold. You flip around as you fall forward and land face up on the mattress.

This was possibly Leon’s favorite part of this game. The moments where you could use tricks he’d taught you. In the beginning of your relationship when you’d just started this kind of thing, you were so eager to learn, and he found it so endearing.

You’d asked him to teach you some of his ‘secret agent moves,’ and of course, you were interested in roundhouse kicks and suplexes. He’d laughed when you said that, having trouble imagining you being able to lift anyone over your head, let alone suplex them. But he was thrilled to teach you some basic self defense. The way you focused and responded to each direction with a brief ‘mhm.’ The sight of your eyes lighting up when you got something right. Both had him falling for you hard.

In this moment, after you successfully broke free of him, your eyes do what they always do. They dart to connect with his, searching for his approval, the reassurance that you did it right, that you did it just the way he taught you to. He meets your hopeful gaze with a short laugh and a nod.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Proud of you,” he says. He takes in his favorite view, the way you glow as you bask in his praise, before lunging forward and pouncing on you. “But that doesn’t mean this is over.”

A startled squeal erupts from you at the sudden movement. You frantically flail your limbs as he tries to grab them. If he could get your wrists pinned down here, it was over for you. Luckily, you hook your heel at his hip and kick, giving yourself an opportunity to dart out from under him.

You fling your body across the bed, attempting to crawl away and get to the ground to get some solid footing. But before you can make it, a large hand wraps around your ankle and drags you back. You claw at the blankets that are bunching up beneath you, but it’s no use.

“Where do you think you’re off to, little love?” he teases.

The game is over now. At least, that’s what you were thinking. Leon strays from his usual strategy of getting on top of you here. Instead, he pulls you up and puts you in a headlock. His bicep wraps around your neck and holds you to his side.

“What do you do here, precious?” he asks.

This one’s a bit harder to get out of. Your natural inclination is to try and push him off by the waist. However, he’s way too strong for that to work. Your own head would probably pop off before you could slip out of his tight grip.

You rack your brain for the correct answer, but it’s kind of hard to think when the bulging muscles of his bicep are against your cheek. Finally, you figure it out and dig your fingers deep into the point on his wrist that causes his hand to spasm and loosen up the hold.

You slip out of the headlock and lunge across the bed, but he’s too quick. He’s on top of you in no time, caging you against the mattress from his position hovering above your back. You roll over underneath him to look up at his face.

“Nice try, but you should’ve gone for the leg, honey,” he says and gives you a few gentle, patronizing pats on your cheek.

“No, you were kneeling, and that move only works on the ankle,” you say.

His eyebrows raise and it’s hard to mask the pride in his eyes. He can feel his heart swelling in his chest. “That’s right, baby. Smart girl,” he says and leans down to peck your nose before returning to his position so he can give you that smug look, “But you still lose.”

“No fair. If you’d taught me how to suplex people then I could’ve won,” you huff.

“No, you couldn’t have,” he laughs.

“Uh, yeah I could have,” you say.

“Nope. One, you could not lift me, don’t kid yourself. And two, that’s not how a suplex works. You weren’t in the right position,” he says with a smirk.

“Whatever,” you concede, rolling your eyes.

He chuckles and lifts one of his arms to stroke some hair from your face. As his fingers coast over your skin like it’s the most delicate surface on earth, you take advantage of his less stable position. You lock your fists together and bat your forearms into his side, causing his other arm to buckle and him to fall to the side of you. You shoot up and start to rush to the edge of the bed for the second time, but again, he’s too fast.

His fingers dig into the flesh of your thighs. His thumbs press into the sensitive area behind your knees. He yanks you back and pins you face down. He’s straddling your lower back with his hands on your arms and his feet hooked over your legs. His weight was firm on you this time. No room to roll around or dart to freedom. You still wriggle and squirm between his thighs in defiance.

“What’s wrong, baby? Not ready to cry ‘mercy’ just yet?” he mocks.

“You’re no fun. You never let me win,” you whimper, trying to flail your limbs for a potential escape.

“I don’t think you’d even know what to do if I let you win,” he says with a cruel laugh that has your panties dampening with more arousal, “You’d probably have to ask Daddy what to do wouldn’t you? Needing me to teach you what to do then too.”

You whine as your cheeks heat up.

“You know it’s true, baby girl,” he whispers, leaning down to speak directly into your ear. His breath fanning over you had chills breaking out across your skin.

But you still didn’t want to give in. You writhe more beneath him and try to thrash around the best you can. You attempt to push yourself up with your arms, but that doesn’t work. Not only were they held down, but when he saw you doing that, he twisted your wrist and had them pinned to your back with ease.

You buck harder, trying anything you can to get some type of chance. But all the struggling was a little tiring. Your muscles were starting to plead with you for a break, aching and cramping. He lowers his hips to press more of his weight on you. The combination of your dwindling energy and his increased efforts to keep you in place didn’t leave you with much optimism.

Your attempts get weaker, but your noises of protest get louder. You whimper and whine, occasionally throwing in a strained cry of “Daddy” to try and gain some sympathy. Like every other time you’ve done this though, the only thing your pleas do is get the blood rushing to Leon’s dick. You can feel it getting hard against your ass. You can feel the thick outline of it through his pants, and at this point, your panties are uncomfortable because of how wet you are. You shift your hips, pushing the roundness of your ass against the stiff length of his cock.

“Look at you,” he purrs, leaning down and rolling his hips into the fat of your ass, “This is nothing for me, baby. You’re gonna tire yourself out while I haven’t even broken a sweat. I could do this all night long, sweetheart.”

His hands release your arms, figuring you're done with fighting. He slides his own beneath your shirt. The rough skin of his palms drags along the smooth expanse of your back. His fingers ghost along your sides. He even reaches around to feel what he can of your tits while you're pinned down like this.

“Such a silly girl, thinking she ever had a shot at winning,” he breathes and presses some kisses from behind your ear down to the nape of your neck.

“I did,” you whimper, “You cheated.” Your eyes flutter as you try not to go dizzy from this alone. His lips just felt so good against your neck, and his voice felt even better to your ear.

“Aw, ok baby, you had a chance to win. Sure you did,” he coos condescendingly. He pulls your shirt up and over your head, tossing it off the bed and leaning down to press kisses all over your shoulders and upper back.

“I did. You set me at a disadvantage from the beginning cause you were trying to distract me,” you say, squirming a little more.

He quickly put a stop to that with a firm grip on your shoulders. “Mhm, I’m sure, princess. Daddy’s just so unfair, isn’t he?”

“Mhm,” you pout.

Leon chuckles at your stubbornness. He presses a kiss to your cheek and nuzzles your temple as he inches towards the main event. His hands knead your ass, giving it a gentle pat. Then, his fingers hook around the elastic of your panties and tug those down.

He can’t stop the arrogant look on his face when he sees your cunt glistening for him. Two of his fingers delve between your thighs with an exploratory touch. They stroke up and down your pussy, feeling the gathering slick and grazing your clit.

“Oh, baby. You’re making such a mess,” he chides playfully , “Daddy will make it better. Don’t worry, sweet girl.”

You grunt in pleasure at the touches. You rock your hips as much as you can in this position, but he pulls his fingers away. Whining in frustration again, you turn your head to shoot him a look. You see him trying to get his sweats off while still holding you down.

The slight struggle makes you giggle. He tries to maintain his stern facade, but it’s difficult to suppress the love pooling in his eyes when he hears that happy noise burst from your lips. That was why he played these games with you after all. Instead of just getting down to it and doing what he wanted, he always went the extra mile to see that smile. To make his baby happy. He gives your face a gentle shove and finishes up what he’s doing.

“Oh shut up. If you weren’t such a little brat, this would be a lot quicker,” he grunts.

That only makes you laugh more. He rolls his eyes and smiles now that you’re looking away. He manages to get his clothing and your underwear off while maintaining a good hold on you. Your time being a smartass is over as soon as you feel the warm, solid length of his cock hit your ass.

You bite your lip at the feeling of him lightly rubbing it on you. Your whole body heats up, nearly feeling the sensation that’s about to overtake you.

Leon knows exactly what’s running through your head right now, and it only serves to boost his ego. The clear power he held over you activated some primal desire in the deepest recesses of his heart.

“What’s that? Don’t hear you laughing now, babydoll,” he says.

You drop your face against the mattress, hiding your shy, lustful expression. You whine in protest from a mix of frustration and desperation at him making you wait. You start to squirm again. You pull at the mattress to try and gain some distance. You try to wriggle enough to shake him off. He isn’t put off at all by your little fit at all, only tightening his grip and pressing you harder into the mattress. He grins, leaning down, lips brushing the shell of your ear as he speaks.

“God, sweetheart. Every time, I wonder if it will fit. I mean, I know it will, I’ve got that hole trained to take my cock perfectly. But just look at you. It doesn’t seem like it should work. You’re just so small, baby. I feel like I’ll break you in half sometimes,” he breathes.

After he finishes speaking, you go to reply, but you feel a shift in his position. You close your mouth, choosing to focus on the chance to play some more, but you quickly realize why one of his arms had moved. It was only to reach down and guide his cock as he bullies it inside of you.

“This is how you like it though, huh?” he asks through a clenched jaw as he pushes in until he’s bottoming out, “No room inside you for anything else but my fat cock. No thinking unless it’s about how much you love Daddy, right? Yeah, my baby, that’s how you like it.”

And just like that, you’re over playing. Any idea of riling him up by resisting is gone. You were getting what you really wanted after all. He was stretching you out and filling you up so perfectly. His body was all over yours, the sensual contact between the both of you, warm skin against warm skin.

Normally, he’d give you time to adjust, cooing praises at you and kissing your face as your cunt sucked all of him in. But he wasn’t in the mood to be patient with you right now.

He buries his face in your neck and keeps his arms firm in their place that has you boxed in. You’re whining and whimpering as his cock nudges spots of bliss inside you. His hips roll into the plush of your ass, trying to get as deep as possible.

“Oh, I know my pretty girl loves to lose. Especially when this is what you get. I spoil you, babydoll,” he teases, “But you’re always so brave going against Daddy, giving it all you have. So much fight in you, but the loss in the end is clearly your favorite part.”

“No…” you barely get out, still trying to be difficult. Even though you were done playing, you couldn’t just admit defeat. Your eyes were fluttering and your body trembled with the ecstasy of being full.

“Oh, it’s not?” he mocks you, “You wouldn’t lie to Daddy, would you? Cause that would break my heart, honey. My good girl wouldn’t do that, right?”

All you can do is whine as his cock keeps pumping in and out of you. You weakly shake your head that you wouldn’t do that, you wouldn’t be a bad girl and lie. He knew exactly which chords to play to get you like this.

“That’s what I thought. I know this is what you really want when you act like you wanna play, babydoll. You just want to feel how helpless you really are. How Daddy can hold you down and fuck you full of cum in any position he chooses. You just have to take it, and you love that,” he coos and kisses your cheek.

His arms close in around you. He brings them up and wraps them around your neck. Your chin rests on the crook of his elbow. He ruts into your pussy with slow and even but deep thrusts, grunting in your ear with each movement. He’s so all consuming, you don’t think you’re physically capable of a response at the moment. But it works out because he just keeps talking.

“You could just ask, but that’s no fun. You need me to show you what you want, how you want it. Isn’t that right? Cause what Daddy wants is what you want,” he says before nipping at your earlobe.

Pathetic sounds of pleasure tumble from your mouth as he speaks. You squeeze around his cock in pulses as the words hit your ears. You drool a little, not really noticing since your mind is clouded with euphoria.

He notices though. He swipes the saliva off your chin with his fingers before sticking them in your mouth. He laughs as your soft lips close around the digits obediently and suck on them without a second thought.

“Aw, my sweet baby. Poor thing. So fucked out. There’s no fight left in you anymore, is there baby girl? No, there isn’t,” he croons.

You whimper in defiance but keep sucking regardless. He smirks and decides to tease while still working his hips against you over and over. He slides his fingers back out of your mouth and rests them on your chin, making you feel them so close to your mouth, covered in your spit, but just out of your reach.

“Stop,” you whimper, “Just give ‘em.”

“That’s not how good girls ask for what they want, is it? You know better than that,” he whispers.

Your fists tighten around the blankets below you and you squirm a little. “You’re so mean to me,” you complain before a desperate whimper bubbles from your mouth again.

“Oh, I know. Daddy’s so mean, isn’t he? So mean to you,” he mocks.

You whine again in a mix of pleasure from his cock buried inside you and annoyance as he continues teasing. You begin to speak, but as you do, he shoves his fingers back into the warm, wet embrace of your mouth.

“Hush, stop complaining,” he says and continues thrusting, his body sliding on yours with the motions, “You’re getting exactly what you want.”

Your eyes roll back, and your response slips back down your throat. You suckle on his fingers again, some more saliva dripping from your lips as he pushes them flat on your tongue. Low moans emanate from you around his fingers. The cocky look is permanently displayed on his face now.

“‘Daddy I wanna wrestle!’” he mocks you with a chuckle, “No no no, all my sweet girl wants is for me to pin her down and stuff her full of my cock till she’s just a little mess for me. Drooling with no thoughts in that cute little head. Those pretty eyes, totally empty, just locked on Daddy. My needy baby.”

You just nod at this point, giving up on any form of difficulty or resistance. Your eyes begin to water as his fingers probe deeper into your mouth. Thinking becomes more of an abstract concept as he hammers into you, driving you closer to the finish line. Muffled expletives and calls of “Daddy” sound around his fingers.

He was feeling the rush too as he got closer to his own high. His arm that was still around your neck tightens its hold on you. His head is right next to yours. You hear his breath in your ear becoming more ragged as his thrusts grow more erratic.

“Fuck, babydoll,” he grunts, “Perfect pussy’s gonna make me cum.”

“Uh huh,” is all you’re able to mutter with your mouth full.

He nuzzles his face into your hair and removes his fingers from your mouth to just hold onto you as he fucks into you with increased focus. He plants light kisses on the side of your head while low moans rise out of him. His hips sputter as the coils of release contract within him.

“Are you ready for it, sweet girl?” he groans, “Daddy’s gonna fill you up just how you like. All for you, pretty baby.”

“Mhm, thank you Daddy,” you whimper, leaning your head into his as your body spasms with the imminence of your release.

“My good fuckin’ girl,” he grunts before sharply exhaling and moaning against your shoulder.

His hips rock against yours as you both reach your peaks. Your body convulses beneath him as you cum, euphoria flowing through your body in waves. Choked moans come from you while he growls against your skin. He continues his deep strokes, flooding you with his hot, thick cum. Your eyes flutter closed as you feel the craving inside you satiated.

Leon stays inside you for a few moments longer as you both come down from the high. His chest puffs out against your back as he catches his breath. Soon enough though, he rolls off of you. The air feels cool against your back now that he’s finally off of you.

You take a moment to catch your breath yourself and look over at him. He brushes some hair out of his face and stretches a little. You crawl over to him and curl up against his side, nuzzling into his chest. He strokes your hair and gives you a soft kiss. His thumb runs across your jaw as he looks into your eyes lovingly.

“Satisfied, sweetheart?” he asks with his cocky smile.

“Mhm,” you hum and snuggle against his chest, lying how you were before this had begun. You adjust the position of your head to get comfy with a cute smile on your face. “You didn’t really win though.”

“Oh, is that so?” he asks. He tilts your face up and guides you to look up at him.

“Well, in real wrestling you have to pin the person on their back. Their shoulders have to be down, y’know?” you say.

“That is true,” he says and rolls on top of you, looking at you with a loving smirk, “So I guess you’re ready for round two?”

[snapscube]

So something I’ve been wondering for a while… why are there a bunch of Sonic Heroes cutscenes in the Shadow fandub?

because two things were simultaneously true:

there were not enough individual cutscenes in Shadow the Hedgehog for the final product to reach my target runtime, even considering the time loop angle

there are not enough individual cutscenes in Sonic Heroes to feasibly make its own fandub down the line, at least not with the way i currently do the show.

so i decided not only would including Heroes cutscenes be a nice way to incorporate some extra footage we could work with and get us to the 50 minute mark at minimum, since Heroes is unlikely to get its own dub, but also they ended up being a nice way to pace out the time loops a bit more and break up the repetition!

[robo-writing]

Cockwarming with the MK1 boys

Kuai Liang

Cockwarming? Never heard of it.

You have to explain it before the visual clicks in his head, and it’s only then you see him nod in agreement.

Surprisingly receptive to the idea, it doesn’t take him much convincing. He enjoys the idea of close intimacy.

When would you like to start?

“Now? If you say so, little bird.”

There’s a peace that blooms in him, despite the salacious position you’re in. Hands rubbing into your bare back, nose buried into your neck as he inhales your scent, the hitch in your breath as you adjust yourself on his length.

It would be relaxing, if the feeling of your pussy wasn’t currently driving him up a wall. Everything is heightened this way, every breath making you clench against him, every movement making him shudder in bliss, a repetitive loop of sensations that keep the both of you trapped in each other’s embrace.

You move, he follows. You whimper, and he tastes the sounds on his tongue. You stay like that until you fall asleep, where he wakes up and the first thing he feels is the warmth of your cunt.

Bi-Han

Confusion is painted on his face when you tell him your idea.

Eyebrows raised, he didn’t know you to be the type to be so forward, surprised at just how eager you were.

“Hm, seems simple enough.”

At first he didn’t understand the appeal—if you wanted to have sex he could easily hold you hostage to the bed.

But fine, he would indulge you.

As it turned out you are far more creative than he gives you credit for. He might enjoy this newfound position more than he thought.

Every time you squirm, it’s another slap to your ass. The sound rings loudly in your ears, the clash of skin only dwarfed by your whimpering.

“Bi-Han, please—“ you beg, arms wrapped around his neck, scared to move anymore in fear of your husband’s wrath. “Just a little bit, I need more—“

Another hand comes down on your backside. You jump in response, then shiver when Bi-Han’s cold hands soothe the aching flesh.

“You decided the rules darling, no moving.”

You almost want to argue, but the look in his eyes freezes you in place. You’re forced to obey, shaking with anticipation for the moment Bi-Han finds you ready and fucks you like you need.

Tomas

“You want to what?”

Poor Tomas, his face turns a shade of red you’ve never seen before. He has to ask you to repeat yourself to make sure he heard you correctly.

When you do he becomes even more flustered, but it does spark a certain…curiosity.

He’s open to anything when it comes to you, and he would be a liar if he said otherwise.

As sweet as Tomas can be, it’s like he’s a different person when you’re like this—possessive, greedy even. He holds you by your ass and refuses to let go, kissing at your face when you shudder at the feeling of his cock inside you.

So big, so fucking full.

“Is this what you had in mind?” He grunts, barely stopping his hips from forcing you to bounce on his length. You can see it in his eyes, the barely-held back urge to dig his fingers into your skin and fuck you like he wants to, it’s only your pleas that keep him complacent for the time being.

You see shades of the sweet man you’ve come to love, almost overshadowed by the lust that pools in his very being. He wants to cum so bad, but more than that he wants to be good for you.

Johnny Cage

“You’re not kidding right? Please tell me it isn’t April.”

He’s over the moon, he’s actually thought about it before but was worried you wouldn’t be up for it.

But hearing you ask for it? You’ve given him far too much freedom, and you might regret that in the future.

Safe to say that it becomes his new favorite pastime.

Johnny was the one who invited you over in the first place, something about “needing to focus on his newest script.” A very obvious lie, but you suppose that hindsight is 20/20, especially where your boyfriend is concerned.

Instead of focusing on memorizing his lines, he instead memorizes what makes you tick, what buttons he has to press before you’ve become a writhing mess in his arms, how far you fall on his cock before your legs start shaking.

“Can’t help it baby,” he says, rutting into you softly. “You’re just feel too damn good.”

You almost want to beg him to fuck you, but you know him better than anyone—if Johnny says he’s going to keep you on his lap, he means it. So even if he’s barely focused on the script in his hands, you can be sure as hell you’re going to be sat on his cock until he’s had his fun.

Kenshi Takahashi

He laughs a bit, entertained at the thought.

You, sat pretty in his lap? It makes his heart beat faster.

He asks if you know what you’re getting yourself into, asking him a question like that, but your excited nod is enough of an answer for him.

“Okay then, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kenshi feels the heat that spreads through your body, a benefit of losing his sight. He knows all your weak points, his heightened senses aware of every reaction you have to his touch.

He knows you better than you know yourself, even without sento he knows how desperate you are to move.

“This is what you wanted, right?”

He coos in your ear, tattooed hands rubbing circle against your shaking hips, a gentle squeeze reminding you to keep still. You nod in reply, but it doesn’t stop the soft noises leaving your lips.

Raiden

Turns into a shade of pink you didn’t know existed

Lost for words, it takes him a moment to register what you’ve said before responding

“Well, if you’re interested, I wouldn’t mind…”

Poor man, he doesn’t know how to express himself, but he is very on-board!

He tries his best, really he does, but how exactly is he supposed to stay still when you pulse around him so deliciously?

He knows he’s supposed to enjoy this, but being unable to move is driving him up a wall. You have to scold him like a child every time his hips try to move higher.

He stares at the ceiling, head tilted backwards in an attempt to calm down his racing heartbeat, afraid that even the sight of you will make him lose control. In, out, his breathing is labored, your voice doing nothing to quell his urges.

“Relax baby,” you say, running your fingers through his hair. “We still have the rest of the night.”

Kung Lao

You’ve never seen him smile that wide before.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

If you didn’t ask him, he would’ve. He’s just glad you saved him the effort.

The moment you two walk into the bedroom he’s pawing at your pants. He’s impatient, and can you blame him?

“Kung Lao, calm down!”

You try to plead with your boyfriend, but it goes in one ear and out the other. What was meant to be a relaxing past time is now a struggle to keep his wandering hands to himself.

“Come on, don’t you want me to touch you?” He teases. His lips find their way to your nipple, lapping at the pebbled nub while his fingers slide between the two of you.

“This wasn’t the plan,” you whine in response, unknowingly pressing yourself into his greedy fingers. “I wanted us to enjoy this…”

“And we will,” he promises, circling your clit with a twinkle in his eye. “Just want you to feel as good as possible baby.”

Liu Kang

He’s heard of the act before, but never really gave it any thought.

“You sound like you’ve thought about this often, darling.”

He can’t help but tease you a bit, but he’s completely in agreement.

When he has a moment of free time he invites you to sit on his lap, grinning when his fingers dance across your skin.

For a god, Liu Kang sure can be a tease.

In his private quarters he keeps you close to him, one of the rare moments where he has no obligations and can simply enjoy himself. You thought this would be a perfect time to act on your little suggestion, and he thought the same.

Where you erred however, is misjudging a god’s patience.

Two hours ago you eagerly stripped for your husband, and in those two hours you’ve been left teetering on the edge, every time you close your eyes for a moments peace Liu Kang finds it fit to let his fingers remind you of where you are.

A repetitive cycle with no end in sight.

Your clit throbs with an incessant need, but you’re unable to do anything except take what he gives.

Syzoth

Beg your pardon?

You literally see his pupils dilate at the thought

“Really? Are you sure?”

He has his own misgivings about the idea, still ashamed of his ancestry as a Zaterran. It took him a while to become intimate with you but this…

You assure him that this is something you want, and he eventually agrees.

You gently coax Syzoth onto the bed, making your hips flush with his. You can see the doubt begin to flood his mind, until you drag his hands from the bed and onto your body.

“There’s no rush baby,” you murmur, resting your head on his chest. “Let’s just stay like this, hm?”

You hear his heartbeat return to its natural rhythm, his hands slowly brushing against your spine. Tentative, testing the waters, as if you’d shatter if he held you too tight. As the minutes pass he becomes more comfortable with your position, the feeling of your warmth enveloping him.

“I admit, there is something very peaceful about this…” he hums. You make a noise in agreement.

[onlyswan]

summary: in which your period cramps bring you to tears but jungkook’s gentle hand is warm.

> fluff / wc: 2k

> warnings: boob massage !!, mention of sex, mention of period blood

note: a little sumnsumn for the physical intimacy of it all <3 and my fellow period havers who get unbearable period cramps and sore boobies </3 and before u ask - yes, i’ve been listening to joon’s closer on repeat a lot. like a lot. and it makes me devastatingly emotional. + feedback is always appreciated :DD

—

your head accidentally bumping against jungkook’s shoulder as you curl up in pain is what ultimately wakes him up. out of habit, his blurry eyes gloss over at the time displayed on the digital clock. 3:14am.

he cups your face in concern, which is visibly stricken with agony. two of his longest fingers brush back the strands of hair that fell over your eyes, and they flutter upon shortly after. his lips curve into a frown when he notices your eyelashes that kissed your cheeks goodbye are wet from unshed tears. you fell asleep at 9pm earlier, and he thought you’d feel better when you wake up in the morning, but he turned out to be wrong. your period cramps seem to be particularly bad this month, adding up to the fact that it arrived two weeks early.

“want a massage, baby?”

his deep morning voice sends a shiver running through your spine, and you quickly try to cover it up with a whine. “yes, please.”

he grabs the lavender essential oil from the first drawer of the nightstand beside him, and his hand already turns slippery from barely holding the bottle. you force yourself to lie down on your back, allowing your boyfriend to apply three pumps of the oil on your stomach. he pulls your shirt back down to shield you from the airconditioner before lowering the waistband of your shorts to reach your lower abdomen. he lathers the oil across your soft skin, hoping to ease the tension of the muscles beneath it.

“your hand is so warm.” you mumble with a shaky sigh, at last finding the inexplicable relief you desperately needed. the hot compress that has gone cold too quickly beside you would hang its head in shame if only it could hear. “you’re a godsend. thank you.”

he hums in response, inching closer to give your temple a kiss. his tender rubbing gradually turns into adept kneading, mindful of exerting just the right amount of pressure so he won’t cause you any more pain. next thing you know, he’s lying on his side and using your arm as a pillow as he peppers kisses along the expanse of your jaw and neck.

with your eyelids fluttering open and shut from drowsiness, you lazily grasp jungkook’s wrist to guide his hand higher on your torso. “it’s sore here, too.”

he grazes the swell of your right breast with a feather-light touch. “where?”

“there . . . there. hurts.” you whimper weakly when he applies a little pressure on the side near your armpit, unconsciously digging your nails on his forearm. you despise how your eyes are watering again, and you’re not even sure if it’s because of the pain or simply put, jungkook’s existence. “and under it.”

with courteous gentleness, his four fingers dance across your skin in repetitive movements. he creates circular motions from under your breast to the side, and then he makes his way back to where he started to do it all over again.

“does this feel okay?”

the scent of lavender and your boyfriend’s affectionate ministrations carry you to slumber’s glittering gates, but his voice nudges you away before you can take a step inside the land.

“huh?” you whisper tiredly.

he snickers with his eyes closed. “i asked if this feels okay. are you getting sleepy again?”

his heavenly therapeutic massage doesn’t cease. his thumb brushes against your nipple every now and then, which is why it’s unsurprising to feel it perk up and harden under his touch. he continues with following the loop he made, determined to shoo away the soreness that’s causing his lover to tear up and sniffle in pain.

“so nice. i’m falling asleep soon.” your fingers thread through his dark hair, loosely hugging him to your chest as you drown yourself in the scent of his shampoo.

“does the other one hurt too?”

his innocent question makes you chuckle. this causes your body to vibrate and to trigger the sharp pain shooting up on your sides. holy fucking shit, that hurts. hormones are a bitch.

“yes, but not as much.”

jungkook fights off sleep as he alternates between massaging your lower abdomen and chest. your skin gradually dries up as it absorbs the essential oil, but he doesn’t take this as a signal to stop at all. he keeps going anyway. as sleepiness clouds his mind, however, he impulsively cups your breast in his hand and allows himself a firm squeeze. the two of you knew it was inevitable, really, because it’s obviously a reflex for him at this point. and yet, your breath still gets heavier, as if this is the first time you’ve been touched by him.

“you’re so squishy. want to stay like this forever.” he mumbles almost incoherently. he gives the soft flesh another squeeze, and another, and another, before pressing his fingers on the side to carry on with his massage.

“you know, i’m starting to think you really mean that.” you recount all the other times he hazily uttered the same words while holding your boobs and/or nuzzling his face against them during non-sexual encounters simply because he finds them, in his own words, so comforting. one of these days you ought to ask: does he have the same affinity for them as you do for his doe eyes?

well, not that you mind. clearly, you get more privileges from it than you originally thought.

“mhmm, guilty as charged.” he replies with a toothy grin.

he pulls you closer by the curve of your waist as if your bodies could possibly get any closer than this, but he stubbornly insists and he painfully yearns. lost in a haze— he wants to get under your skin, let his pounding heart cross the distance and meet yours like two penpals throwing caution to the wind. however, your hearts are prisoners to your vessels.

isn’t this the reason we have sex? make love? to be as close as humanly possible? more than what they call an instinct, honestly speaking, is it not an enigmatic ache? a greedy appetite for love?

maybe that’s also why jungkook refuses to stop stealing kisses from your lips despite uncontrollable giggles racking the both of you. he holds himself up on top of you, planting his hands on the mattress. teeth accidentally knocking once, lips landing on the corners of your mouth, the air becomes warmer but he refuses to let go of the moment when he finally aims right. maybe that’s why he still chases after you despite getting reluctantly pushed away, feeling like he just won the nine-digit prize at the lottery when he gets rewarded with one final peck. it’s as if to say i don’t want to be a stranger. i don’t want to forget. let me mold the memory of the shape of your lips onto mine.

“your hair kept tickling my ear.” you tilt your head to the side to escape, gasping for air.

his playful giggles continue to fill the dark hours’ ringing silence, relentlessly moving closer to snuggle with you again. the scent of lavender has hung to the fabric of your shirt, and it soothes him to sleep like a lullaby.

“you made all the blood gush out. i hate you. need to go change before i stain the sheets.”

the loss of your warmth causes him to muffle a groan against your pillow, his hand holding on to yours until the hook of his pinky finger slips away from your thumb. he hears the walk-in closet open and close, and then the same with the bathroom door. the sound of water running from the shower serves as white noise as he loses the battle against the angel of slumber.

feeling refreshed after a quick warm shower, you go back to bed with your pain finally cranked down to a bearable level. however, the sight of your sleeping boyfriend snoring with his mouth slightly open makes you click your tongue with a laugh. the stubborn man somehow always ends up using your pillow, or you as a pillow. with a silent grunt, you carefully carry and drop his upper body to his side of the bed, followed by his long legs. you adjust his head on his special pillow to keep it elevated just enough, so he won’t complain about a sore neck in the morning.

the snoring stops briefly, and then comes back softer this time around. well, that’s good enough.

—

jungkook jolts awake at the sound of his 5am alarm, rushing to turn off the phone tucked under the side of his pillow so it won’t disturb you. as he stretches out his limbs, he rubs away the remaining sleep in his eyes to look at your sleeping figure properly. you’re facing him with your hand curled up around his tattooed forearm. your phone is propped up against your pillow, still faintly playing the ghibli film ‘princess mononoke’. he takes it with him when he soundlessly climbs off the bed. he leaves it turned off on top of the nightstand beside you before stumbling inside the bathroom.

he sleepily stands infront of the mirror as he brushes his teeth, tucking his hair behind his ear to observe the lines that formed on his face, the most probable cause being that he slept on his side again. with his exhausted eyes closed, he starts massaging his cheek with the heel of his palm to increase the circulation of blood and oxygen, which will make the lines fade away quicker. he still smells the traces of lavender from not too long ago. he splashes his face with water, and they get washed away and replaced by the smell of his face cleanser.

it’s already past 6am when he deems himself prepared to leave for work. he turns off the stove and refills your hot compress with the water he heated up, softly singing the words to ‘dynamite’ as he does so. he runs through the choreography inside his head, making small lazy movements, just to keep his body familiar with the dance moves.

with his backpack swung over his shoulder, he goes back inside the bedroom to bid you goodbye. you tossed and turned in the empty queen-sized bed while he was gone, and you’re already lying on your back with your shirt riding up above your belly button.

“aigoo, aigoo! you’re a messy sleeper, i’m a heavy sleeper. we really belong together.” he converses with himself as he pulls your shirt down and places the hot compress over your lower abdomen.

you attempt to turn to your side again but he holds you back, putting your hand on top of the hot compress to keep it pressed against you.

“hey- hey, baby. i’m off to work now.”

you only hum in response, raising your arms to reach for him. he instantly bends down into your embrace, pressing his lips to your forehead for a kiss that lasts a little longer than usual. “mmmm-mwah!”

“can’t- open my eyes. i bought new face masks yesterday. are you wearing it?” you mumble. “the other brand’s strings are too fragile. i fucking broke five of them. don’t wear those anymore.”

he chuckles at the way your voice gets louder while saying the curse word then drops back down to quiet mumbling right after. it’s sickening how being in love makes him fawn over the smallest details about you.

“yup. found them in the living room.” his thumb brushes against your cheek lovingly. “take it easy working today, okay? i love you.”

you nod your head repeatedly. he doesn’t understand the slurred words that manage to escape your mouth after that, and perhaps, he doesn’t need to. he knows that you love him too.

—

taglist! @alanniys @jjkeverlast @queenofdragonsandcats @yvesismywife @enhypenslay @jeonqkooks-main @witchfqllen @virgogentlejk @rkie @jeonwiixard @monilyv @bermudaisy @ameliejeannelaurent @takochelle @the1921-monsters @investedreader @seagulljk @yeow6n @yoonqkiss @hopeworldjimin @lllucere @unnatae @zqynmlk @bxbyyyjocelyn @zkdlllin @koostarcandy @tswisal1 @fragmentof-indifference @laylasbunbunny @jjk-jeongirl @cherishoshi @taexidriver @luaspersona @yn-lifeu @loveejkk @bloopkook + send an ask / dm if you want to be added (or removed) :D

[honeytonedhottie]

some manifesting exercises⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🎀

this post serves as a bunch of manifesting exercises that i have tried and do. its simply a collection of some of my favorite manifesting exercises and it can serve as inspo or something that you'd like to try

manifesting is super fun and effortless and i think that its important to make the manifesting process fun and enjoyable and not overcomplicate it or make it seem harder than it rly is. ENJOY getting everything that u want ✨

robotic affirming - it's exactly as it sounds. its how i manifest a lot of my desires, this is def specified taste though so it won't be for everyone but i rly like it personally cuz i manifest fast with it. all u do is just choose an affirmation (1-2) and affirm it as much as possible ; while doing mundane tasks, in bed, in the shower, repetition is the key to this one. i use this for just about anything.

voice memos - this gets u into that state of mind where you're like "it already happened" so you'd make a voice memo of u talking about ur desire as if you already had it. so if im manifesting a new makeup product my voice memo would be : "today i used _ it was so GOOD. it made my lips so moisturized, i love the way it looks on me and it even smells nice" etc etc. or think of it like ur sending a voice message to a friend being super excited that one of ur manifestations materialized. i use this for sp's a lot.

saturated mind - since i like to write, i'd write vaunts and scripts and affirmations lists and when i had the time/when i wanted to do it, i would sit with a subliminal and put it on loop, and i'd time myself for x amount of time (at least 10 minutes for me) and just VAUNT and READ all of it nonstop. while writing its important to use repetition and speak about my desires in the present tense and use affirmations are customized to ur desire.

eavesdropping - this one is pretty fun i think, its just imagining that someone (friend, family member, classmate whatever) is talking about u regarding ur desire. its called the eavesdrop method bcuz its like ur eavesdropping on ppl talking about you, except their speaking about u positively.

writing a story - write a story about urself in relation to ur desire. for example, lets say u rly like cookies. you'd write a story about urself receiving the cookies, eating the cookies. how you felt when u saw the cookies, how it tasted etc etc. and be GRATEFUL as though it happened already. saying "it is done" always triggers that feeling of fullness for me.

[ohwormwood]

breaking down over in stars and time's use of tarot cards

[woe, spoilers be upon ye!]

[no seriously, this contains spoilers for the entire game. proceed with caution]

BECAUSE IF I HAVE TO BE TORMENTED BY THIS KNOWLEDGE, THEN SO DO YOU.

Act 2

Six of Swords

Transition, change, rite of passage, releasing baggage

Siffrin is, in the start of Act 2, beginning a new journey. This card is pretty self explanatory, but also is a form of major foreshadowing. Six of Swords has a heavy implication towards evolving and bettering yourself as a person, going on a journey that is absolutely essential to growth. Whether or not this journey is at all pleasant is entirely left up in the air, but given the rest of the game, it’s more of an indication of hard-won lessons.

Siffrin asks “How does the boat not sink?”, which is kind of hilarious, given that they end up almost sinking into complete despair by the end of the game, only saved by getting help and changing, completing their journey and starting a new one.

The Star (Reversed)

Lack of faith, despair, self-trust, disconnection

Stars play a huge part in this game (it’s literally in the name), so this card felt kind of inevitable. The most important part of this card is that it serves as a sort of omen for what is to come. In Act 2, Siffrin is blissfully unaware of the overall impact this will have on his psyche, of the turmoil it will bring him. But the most important part of this card for me is the idea of loss of faith. The very first line in the reference site’s description is this; “The Star Reversed can mean that you’ve lost faith and hope in the Universe”. This is likely indicative of the gradual crumbling of Siffrin’s hope over the course of the game. The site also notes that “You may be desperately calling out to the Universe to give you some reprieve but struggling to see how the Divine is on your side”. Siffrin pretty much does this in the latter half of Act 3, as things become more and more hopeless. This is, for lack of a better term, a test of faith. Given how the Change God mocks Siffrin for the Universe never talking to them directly, this is nailed home pretty hard. But, in Act 2, a lot of the concept of The Universe and Wishcraft isn’t introduced, so this serves more as a premonition than anything else.

Another note: Loop. Loop is a star. Or ate a star. Either way, they have a deep connection with stars (and The Universe as a result). I bring this up because of the general meaning behind the UPRIGHT version of this card, which is a sign of hope, faith, and guidance. Loop serves this purpose throughout the game as Siffrin’s “helpful companion~”, so the connection here there is nice. But the entry states this; “When confronted with a challenging situation, you can either crumble like The Tower or stand firm in your conviction that the Divine is everywhere”. Because of the 2 Hats situation, we know that where Siffrin eventually overcame the challenges of The Star/The Universe, Loop did not. Instead, they made one last plea to the Universe for help, and The Universe listened. But we know the obvious twist of fate here is that Loop is literally helping themself by helping Siffrin. They gave in, crumbled, and lost their faith in the end, only to be the thing that helped Siffrin keep theirs and eventually free themselves. 

Ace of Wands 

Inspiration, new opportunities, growth, potential

Most of Act 2 Siffrin is spent with this idea in mind. At this point, Siffrin is pretty lax about the true meaning of the loops, believing them to be an opportunity to beat the king, each loop full of potential to achieve their goal. But the twist here is that for the Ace of Wands, there is always potential but never a guarantee of success. Siffrin experiences this first hand at the end of Act 2. 

Eight of Pentacles

Apprenticeship, repetitive tasks, mastery, skill development

Another nod to Siffrin’s frame of mind in Act 2. The slow mastery gained through the overall leveling system in the game actually accomplishes this card’s meaning pretty well- you repeat everything, over and over, and it is only when you master it that you are able to defeat the king. Siffrin notes a lot that in a couple of loops, he will likely be able to remember interactions by heart, and some he actually does recall completely, like when the very first interaction with Mirabelle in Dormont at the start of each loop. He’s essentially memorized the script, mastered the actions, the choreography, and now is faced with the fact that he has to do it over and over again. It will turn into monotony by proxy of being so familiar and easy. 

Siffrin also notes that “they seem happy to be working”, which is another nod to how he sees the loops towards the start of the game, less of a curse and more of a boon that requires effort to properly utilize.

Act 3

Two of Swords

Difficult decisions, weighing up options, an impasse, avoidance

There are a lot of hard choices to be made in Act 3, so this likely isn’t referring to any one instance. This is where the Eight of Pentacles card comes back into play, in a sense- there is still more to learn here, more to master, but a lot of that requires decisions that have greater weight than those in Act 2. People’s lives are at stake. However, it is only by doing this and making hard choices that Siffrin eventually learns more about Wishcraft and the way things work in the loops. 

Interestingly, when Siffrin describes this card, they describe someone holding scissors. An intersection of 2 blades, but the thing here is that no matter which side you’re on, they can still cut you. Alternatively, this could just be a representation that Siffrin, who is the main Scissors Craft user of the party, is the one stuck with these decisions. 

Six of Pentacles (Reversed)

Self-care, unpaid debts, one-sided charity

Siffrin is the king of never giving themself proper self care. They are also the king of tearing themselves apart to give everything they have to the party. They are willing to sacrifice everything they have for a “perfect ending” where everyone is happy… everyone but themselves, that is, because they do not receive the same fulfillment in return. They give and they give and they give, but the party does not give in return, not in the way they need. Not soon enough to prevent them from falling apart at the seams over it. 

The note here mentions that it shows “someone walking on the sky and offering flowers to sky people”, but then when flipped shows “the man is touching the ground, and giving flowers to normal people”. This kind of struck me as strange, as no matter what orientation the card takes, they will always have their feet on the ground. This also isn’t the last mention of sky people, but I haven’t really delved deep enough into theories about that to understand what that really means in the context of this card.

The Hermit

Soul-searching, introspection, being alone, inner guidance

Hilariously, this is something Siffrin completely lacks for most of the game. They avoid thinking about themselves and their own sense of self for a vast majority of their character arc, and it isolates them. While this card means well in its message of introspection, it’s also key to note that this withdrawal from the outside also can lead to being alone with your own thoughts, something that Siffrin experiences more as the game continues. And their refusal to acknowledge what they want almost breaks them. 

The loneliness aspect of this card is further hammered home by the fact that Siffrin says “they look sad and alone”.

Five of Wands

Conflict, disagreements, competition, tension, diversity

Misunderstandings and miscommunication is at the heart of this card. And oh boy, does Siffrin deal with a LOT of that in the loops. My brain immediately goes to the whole “touch therapy” arc and Siffrin’s refusal to clarify that they don’t dislike touch, which eventually leads to Memory of Touch. It’s also a bit of foreshadowing of what is to come, especially in Act 5 and the breakdown of the party’s trust in Siffrin because of their break in communication and understanding with each other. 

Siffrin asks “Why are they fighting?” when this card is drawn. The answer is that they don’t really understand themselves. This is conflict driven by a lack of communication and understanding of the other parties at hand. As the description for this card says, “No one is listening.”.

Act 4

Eight of Swords

Negative thoughts, self-imposed restriction, imprisonment, victim mentality

Act 4 starts with Siffrin experiencing quite possibly one of the worst endings to the loops he can imagine, so it’s safe to say that at this point, their deterioration is rapidly worsening. They begin to spiral, and the idea that there is no way out begins to appear. However, the main crux of this card’s significance is that there is a way out, but it lies in freeing oneself. There is a gap in the swords, and if one was to take off the blindfold they could get out. The description of this card calls this “imprisonment”, which ties in pretty nicely to one of the screens you can get when you loop back; “You are in a prison of your own making”. The description for the card also reads “You surrendered your power to an external entity, allowing yourself to become trapped and limited in some way. You may feel that it isn’t your fault – you have been placed here against your will”. This is heavy foreshadowing for the idea that Siffrin’s own wish to The Universe that got them trapped in the loops, not the wishes of The House or The King. 

Siffrin asks “Why is he alone?” when drawing this card, which kind of projects onto themselves. They feel alone, they feel trapped, and they believe that there is no one who can help them, but that isn’t true. They have the ability to change things, but they are afraid. 

Ten of Swords (Reversed)

Recovery, regeneration, resisting an inevitable end

There are good aspects to this card, but the main focus in this case is likely the idea of resisting the inevitable. This is pretty much what the whole deal with the Head Housemaiden is, the repeated attempts to find some way to change something that, by the nature of the wish, cannot be changed. And yet, Siffrin is unable to let go of this. It’s also noted that this card represents past trauma that is still being carried around and still hurts the bearer. Siffrin spends this Act searching into their past, tearing up painful memories (or lack thereof) in the process. They carry the burden of being without a true geographical/cultural home to go back to. They cannot let go of this, nor do they want to. But the card’s description notes that “these old pains need to be dealt with once and for all. It may be difficult to delve back in, but it's the only way to release yourself of this pain and allow it to pass from your life”. In a lot of ways, this nods to the avoidance of pain that Siffrin displays when they are unable to cope with their trauma from the past and the loops. It is only through promising to tell the party their wish and deal with the pain and fear of their trauma that they can move on and begin to heal. This card pretty much represents the whole crux of the story’s meaning. 

Five of Pentacles

Financial loss, poverty, lack mindset, isolation, worry

Loss is a major theme of Act 5. The loss of memories, the loss of a home, the loss of faith, and, perhaps most importantly, the loss of hope. The card’s description says “You no longer feel safe because it has all been stripped away from you in one blow”, and this is pretty much what happens. Siffrin is in a crisis. They are exhausted, they are alone, and they are profoundly terrified of what that means. At this point, they are searching for help desperately, but are unable to ask for it. This card explicitly deals with fear of rejection and reaching out for help- the situation is dire, but, as seen with the card’s depiction of lit church windows, there is help nearby. The issue is that one must be willing to accept it. There is fear that you may lose something important- in Siffrin’s case, his found family- but there is no telling if that will actually come to pass. 

To further nail the loneliness aspect of this card home, Siffrin says that the figures on the card “probably don't have any friends”, something he starts to believe in the latter loops as the group loses their identities to the script. The in-game card also is different from the real card, and is said to show empty glasses, a pretty on-the-nose reference to Siffrin’s “glass half empty” mentality as they lose hope later in the game.

The Hanged Man

Pause, surrender, letting go, new perspectives

The Hanged Man gets a pretty bad reputation if you don’t really understand what it means. It’s a card about acceptance, pausing, and entering a new phase in life. But this change is heavily implied to come via unfavorable circumstances, situations outside of one’s control. The description says that when a person is unable to pause when they need to, unable to stop their actions, “The Universe will probably put things on hold for you, in the form of continued obstacles, ill-health, and breakdowns”. And this is pretty much what happens in Act 5. Siffrin is ground to a screeching halt by their own body, exhausted, starving, and mentally/physically fatigued to the point of actual sickness. On the topic of “surrender” and “giving in”, things get more pointed. Siffrin gives in to Mal Du Pays (very ‘L'appel du Vide” style), almost dying as a result, but then conversely gives in to the party’s urges to tell them what they wished for, to let go of their fear and stop looping. 

Siffrin notes that the Hanged Man “Look(s) like they're about to die, but they're smiling”. This is more of a connection to the end decision of Siffrin to let go of the loops and tell the party about their fears. They are facing down something that they are terrified of, something seemingly insurmountable, but rather than continue to fight and avoid letting go like Loop did, he instead chooses to surrender and tell the party.

Act 5/6

The Fool 

Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit

There are two versions of The Fool, technically. In Act 5, if you take the card and inspect it immediately, Siffrin will give a manic laugh and tear it to pieces. In a lot of initial interpretations of the card, some people will assume The Fool to be what the card says they are- a fool, someone stupid and tricked and hopeless, about to send themselves to their doom. But the reality is that this card is not really about that- it’s about new beginnings and the start of a new journey, but specifically through a leap of faith- a leap of faith that Siffrin has to take at the end of Act 5. While he is going through The House during this act, however, he is unwilling to accept this advice, either because it is misinterpreted or consciously, and instead tears it apart.

When the card is examined after the game, rather than during the final loop, Siffrin seems to recognize the card for what it actually means. He says “It's a traveler. He seems to be starting a new journey”. Siffrin’s title in the Profiles is literally “The Traveler” (alongside having the Traveler’s Hat), so this is a direct statement of new beginnings for the party and Siffrin’s life, a new journey they are taking with their family rather than alone. 

-

annnnd that does it for me, i've spent no less than two hours writing and researching for this post so ima go take a nap now, gnight

[m1d-45]

a break in routine

summary: wishing for sethos and alhaitham, sagau edition

word count: 2.7k

warnings: minor spoilers for alhaitham story quest, minor spoilers for alhaitham/kaveh lore, author knows nothing about sethos, obvious favoritism is obvious

-> gn reader (you/yours) and unspecified travelled (they/them)

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay || @cupandtea24 || @genshin-impacts-me || @chaoticfivesworld || @raaawwwr || @ryuryuryuyurboat || @undrxtxd || @rainswept || @wanderersqt || @rozz-eokkk

< masterlist >

it was an ordinary day in sumeru city.

the streams bubbled across water-worn rocks, dusk birds flew lazily through the skies. shroomboars wandered from field to field, and scholars studied their craft. workers honed their trade, merchants sold their goods, and all was normal for the average citizen.

for two certain vision wielders, however, the sun high above seemed to taunt them. it, and the large clouds drifting by, hid the stars from view. there was no way to watch the constellations shift across the sky, to try and pinpoint the moment where the existing ones fell and new ones rose in their place.

but they had jobs to do. they couldn’t afford to be so distracted. so they breathed, forced their hands from their vision, and took another step forward.

in the desert, anxious feet paced around camp, the crackling fire lighting up the tents as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon. the sand had yet to start cooling, but there was a blessedly strong wind blowing through. not enough to be worried about, but enough to wick away sweat, making such repetitive movement bearable.

he couldn’t help it, really. in all his time with his vision, sethos had never once seen his constellation in the sky. he never expected to, having never met you in person, but tonight was different. tonight, gourd and god were falling from the skies, and his heart raced. static electricity had clung to his skin all week, shocking anyone who tried to touch him if he didn’t let it discharge through his vision first. it had become habit to tap the frame before trying to touch anyone else, but the symptoms weren’t the source of his concern. what was important was the source. he wanted to know the reason why his eyes seemed to be attached to the heavens above, the reason for his unnatural restlessness and the irritating feeling that he was waiting for something but being unable to determine what.

a skim of local chatter and a run-in with a rtawahist scholar had mostly answered his questions. he’d never heard of the stars shifting being such a personal experience for vision-wielders, but even the scribe was in a strange mood lately. if he was affected, level-headed and known for his cold logic, then it made sense that sethos couldn’t seem to sit still, right? right. it had to be.

he looked up again, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the last of the sun’s rays. the clouds were moving unnaturally quickly, clearing the way for the first stars to shine through. it still wasn’t quick enough.

he dropped his hand and head, huffing a sigh and continuing his patrol around camp. it was too tight to be of much use, but his mind was wandering enough for his body. the scraps that he remembered from the scholar were looping in his head, over and over with every beat of his feet on the sand and his heart in his chest.

the name that had popped into his head when he received his vision. its meaning, decrypted using books older than the archons. the thin lines of electro shining through the gold casing. an hourglass, forever bleeding sand, a clock forever counting down to some event.

an event that was rapidly drawing closer. something that prickled beneath his skin and stole his breath, something that he couldn’t prove but couldn’t ignore. the few clouds were clearing, letting him see the stars above. they didn’t mean anything to him—he could pick out the wayfinding stars with ease, the tail of the lesser lion and the ear of the hare guiding his travels, but everything else was nonsense. rtawahist dedicated itself to documenting everyone every constellation that rose and fell, but he didn’t even know how to pick them out. he’d pulled up his vision at some point, tracing the seal of the temple with his thumb like it would help him find what he was searching for.

he didn’t see the first star fall. all he saw was a flurry of shooting stars, each shining a bright blue. one was violet, his hand tensing around his vision at the sight.

that annoyed him. he searched himself for a reason as to why—you had cast down stars into the city before, so why did it hurt now? he was uneasy, dragging his eyes away from the sky in favor of easier motions. he didn’t understand the sky, but he understood his camp. he knew the tents he walked around, knew the dunes he searched for scorpions, and that was enough. he didn’t need to understand anything more than this, no matter how much he might want to. he was just sethos, and that was okay.

for the rest of the night, he paced with a vendetta. he wrapped his vision in cloth to keep his hand from seeking it out, pacing the same loop around and around. tent, rock, different tent, different rock. occasionally he would see the shimmer of something too blue to be a regular sky, but he always turned away. he didn’t need more distractions.

it took him until dawn to realize that the lines of his constellation were sparking with electro.

in the city, the grand scribe had long since readjusted to his old position. his routine was strict and with no room for error, his feet guiding him out the front doors the moment the bells rang. anything happening before his shift wasn’t his problem, and anything that happened after for someone else to deal with. he knew this regiment well, and had long-since familiarized himself with the routines of those around him. it made things easier.

kaveh returned to the city just after dusk, when all the usable light had fallen from the sky. tighnari was never away from gandharva ville after dark. cyno could be a wildcard, but even he stuck to a (loose) curfew. when he didn’t, he often had good reason.

this system worked well for alhaitham. he knew where everyone was with some non-zero degree of certainty, and if he couldn’t find them then he knew who to ask. there was always variability in human behavior, but with enough back-up plans this could be easily accounted for. some required more than others, some none at all, and some…

some liked to disobey all of his observed trends for little apparent reason.

he pushed through the front doors of the akedemiya, seeing the usual crowd of scholars. some were preparing to leave, others had just returned, and he didn’t care about either group. straight ahead, standing beside the railing, was kaveh.

he wasn’t waiting for him, or else he’d have turned around by now. he was dressed in formal wear, stitched together scarves draped over his shoulders like a cape. he lowered the sound dampening on his headphones as he approached, chatter and windsong filtered out. kaveh was standing with his hands on the railing—not currently acting as a vessel, but still under some sort of control. that’s the only reason he dressed up like this.

red eyes found his, then looked away with a smile. hm.

alhaitham had asked the traveller more than his fair share of questions about divine possession. he’d only experienced it once before, when investigating siraj, but rumors had carried much more details than what he’d experienced. realms of stars and invisible floors, even varying levels of presence and control, which he hadn’t thought possible. sure, the distance between your world and teyvat was likely farther than he could comprehend, but why would you be able to specify exactly how someone moved one moment and then be a mere spectator the next?

the traveller, expectedly, had little to share. what could they know of a god’s motivations? all alhaitham could do was speculate, blindly waiting for something to change and give him more information.

it was somewhat unnerving, seeing kaveh like this. it was always obvious when a vessel was being inhabited, but they were typically doing something. they never stood still for long. shopping, talking, fighting, anything was preferable to… this. kaveh was an explosive who’s fuse was far too delayed, leaving him on edge. he was still breathing, so it wasn’t as if alhaitham had been pulled into some other dimension. he’d heard from tighnari how disorienting it could be being pulled into the sky—a “banner,” he’d called it, though he didn’t say why—for the first time, and was thankful it didn’t seem like that had happened. then again, kaveh was also clearly under your control….

…for the first time in a confusingly long while—when had the sky turned dark?—alhaitham tore his eyes from kaveh’s, looking around. everyone had left.

no scholars chatted about their problems. no guards stood by the door. no birds chirped in the trees, not even when he removed his headphones entirely. the clouds had frozen in the sky. no breeze disturbed his skin, not even slightly. it was as if he and kaveh were in a private bubble of time, frozen in place.

“just wait.”

he looked back. kaveh had snapped out of his trance, evidently, his hands shaking from the force with which he gripped the railing. alhaitham put his hand on his back to steady him, not missing the feverish heat to his skin.

“are you okay?” he asked cautiously, trying to match what he was seeing to what little knowledge he had on hand. his heart was racing, trembling as if the non-existent wind could blow him over at any second.

“it’s… been a while.”

“…” was that possible? sure, the first time had certainly rattled him for a few days, but he’d assumed that it got easier with time. then again, even the traveller needed a few seconds to adapt whenever you left, and it wasn’t as if alhaitham knew everything about being a vessel. a few trial runs in a few chance domains didn’t make him an authority.

he set that aside for now. “what are we waiting for?”

kaveh waved a hand up, towards the sky. “wait.”

he looked up, searching the gaps between the rapidly clearing clouds. they didn’t drift away, instead turning more and more transparent, letting him see the shapes beneath. his heart twisted as he recognized his own, a bird drawn out in barely-there lines of green so thin he wasn’t even sure if they were real. he’d always had strong elemental sight; was that it?

he waits. eventually, nine random stars light up blue, shining brightly before burning out. one glows purple, growing larger and lingering for a little longer.

a starshower. kaveh had been brought here as witness to the stars falling, and alhaitham had probably just been caught in the bubble of time around him. he inches a little closer to him at the thought, selfishly wanting to watch.

another batch lit up, and the purple one fell out of the sky. it dropped over the south-eastern horizon, likely landing in inazuma. another, north towards mondstadt.

another. the blue paled in comparison to the bright light from his constellation, the six stars flashing in turn. lines of gold shot along his vulture’s silhouette, the light coalesced into one single star. it was a pinpoint that rapidly blossomed and grew, overtaking the stars around it. he could feel his heart begin to race, watching and hoping as it drew closer and closer.

he didn’t know what this meant. he didn’t know the difference between blue and purple and gold, he didn’t know if there was a significance to his constellation shining, but he wanted it. he couldn’t understand what it was, couldn’t rationalize a reason to, but he wanted that star. it was his, and he’d fight to get it.

it was easier than that. he didn’t have to do anything but watch as the light grew and grew until it enveloped his whole person, striking all the breath out of his chest.

so this was what it felt like. light danced across the surface of his skin, filling his vision with a mixture of green and gold. he could feel his heart beating in his chest, every pulse of blood pulling more energy into his soul. it wasn’t the same as the brief moments before, in the cave; to compare the two would be like claiming a drop of water was the same as the sea itself, simply because both were blue. “disservice” didn’t begin to cover it.

he understood kaveh’s disorientation now. if he ever got used to the feelings of love and joy and pure adoration poured into him, he’s not sure he’d like whoever he became.

“alhaitham?”

all at once, the world came back into place. the wind wicked what he belatedly realized were tears from his face, birds and insects too loud to be comfortable. he’d grabbed onto kaveh’s shoulder at some point, which he now released.

he coughed, finding it unusually hard to breathe. “apologies. let’s leave.”

kaveh laughed, dramatically hooking his arm around his shoulders. to any bystander, it might have just looked like he had zoned out for a moment, but kaveh knew. kaveh was there in that private hollow of time, and was the only one here with him now, the only reason he could put one foot in front of the other.

the ramp down from the akedemiya was longer than he remembered, though the streets were appropriately empty. it was the one normal thing that had occurred in the past… however long he’d been trapped in time, and he clung to it as a lifeline.

kaveh is the one to unlock the door, both of them ducking inside. he sinks into the familiar couch, barely bothering with his boots or coat. his fingers slip on the clasp holding his vision to its chain, fumbling for far too long. he doesn’t blame himself.

it was largely the same as the last time he’d seen it. a pale gold frame wrapped around a shining green crystal, the sigil of dendro glowing within. but when he turned it over, the outline of a vulture shone brighter than before. dendro energy flowed freely, barely restrained by the glass. he didn’t consider his control over the elements to be weak by any means, but even a fool could see that something had changed. it was more than training, more than what could be achieved by practice alone. for the first time, the power lent to him by his god was his to keep.

“it looks like you owe me one,” kaveh jokes, holding out a thick mug. he isn’t usually one to drink coffee, but for now he makes an exception. it’s as bitter as it is dark, clearing some of the fog in his head.

“…why would i owe you anything?”

he smiles. it’s soft, genuine, and rare. “i may or may not have been told i was joining a team of ‘the grand scribe’s favorites.’ if i hadn’t been there, you might’ve missed it.”

that’s ridiculous. the idea that a mortal could have any leverage on where the divine cast their light was laughable at best and pathetic at worst. so why had he said it?

kaveh’s presence didn’t alter your actions, but it certainly changed his. normally he’d have gone straight home, entirely missing the time bubble caused by his presence. sure, arguably the star would have found its way to him all the same, but he would have missed the meteor shower.

“…fine. i’ll pay you back later.”

his words were stiff and he had to force them out of his mouth, but it didn’t matter.

kaveh laughed.