#Dante has like 5 fucking scenes in 2 chapters

[griffinsboyfriend]

Idc if it’s spoilers but as a VIP user I feel I have to say. With just 2 chapters of TDG: PB still doesn’t know how to manage multiple LI.

[zizz-asdf-re-r-o-u]

my favorite NU carnival intimacy rooms

*as an aromantic kinky person whose not into bara or romance. so even though Olivine has a shibari H scene, i automatically disqualify Quincy, Olivine, and Dante. But i'm making an except for Morvay for a very specific reason.

And so my favorite rooms!

#10 Garu SR: First up, Garu's squeals/moans and Karu's screaming are immaculate to me. They do sound fake and not like actual sex, but I like it anyway. This is also the only scene where we see them switch midway and it's just so funny to me and also he's the only character that we'll see be able to do this. Not even Dramatical Murder ever has Aoba switching altars during a sex scene. I don't want that to happen every time, but I'm glad it happened at least once.

#9 A tie between both Garu Master's Gift rooms (his OG SSR): Yes, I know MG room 5 is a repeat of Garu's main chapter H scene (which I also like because extremely horny submissive Garu??? my jam), but it's literally the only Karu H scene where he explicitly says he wants to be fucked by Eiden (after 10 minutes of tsundere angsting) and even tells Garu to stay away so he can get fucked. Like c'mon, even Edmond doesn't get that enthusiastic. MG room 2 is just- Garu/Karu's butt is great, top tier A+ perfection, and Aster has a great taste in booty shorts.

#8 A tie between both Ethereal Guardian Garu rooms: room 2- we finally get Garu giving a blowjob! Now we just need one from Karu too. Also, Garu's submissive desire to serve is just so adorable and horny. Room 5- sadly, we have not gotten enthusiastic Karu since the original MG room 5, but this is the only one where Karu is finally not "Goddammit why won't you let me top!" so it feels less dubcony than usual. Also, I do find it funny that Eiden & Karu end up fucking all night long haha. And the arm scratching? A+

#7 A tie between both Forgotten Fruit Garu rooms: Ok I know this is a lot of Garu rooms but I genuinely love all of those. I usually hate omegaverse, but these rooms transformed me and I think I finally started to like cat/dogboys and omegaverse. One thing I haven't mentioned about why I like these Karu's rooms is because he gets this wide-eyed "shocked" orgasm face, whereas almost everyone else gets ahegao faces when they orgasm. Room 2 has a great shocked Karu orgasm face, not to mention he's actually (unwillingly) horny for once. Room 5 is horny submissive Garu and I'm finally convinced why Eiden never preps Garu/Karu cuz he's the only guy I believe who would have a self-lubricating asshole. (Edmond, Olivine, and Eiden are all humans so i refuse to believe they have self-lubricating assholes, we still don't know what's up with Rei's deal). Also, I know I mentioned I don't care for romance, but Eiden & Karu kiss! Multiple times! I don't think Garu has kissed Eiden yet! Another great thing about the FF rooms, is that we're finally convinced that Garu even without his memories still wants to be submissive to Eiden, so it's not like Garu has blindly following. And in both FF Garu and EG Garu, we see Garu/Karu in positions of power/taking charge of others, which normally we dont see from him. A lot of us know where Karu's character development will go but not sure where Garu will, but I think these are hints that Garu's character development is developing courage and growing his own backbone.

#6 A tie between both Elite Instructor Edmond rooms: Room 2, we get Eiden spanking Edmond and Edmond is tied up in a whip! So hot! Room 5, Edmond attempts to ride Eiden and I know I praised Garu/Karu's butt, but Edmond's butt is well-known for being immaculate as well. And this card, we get glorious views of Edmond's voluptuous booty. Also, I think I like Eiden's cheekiness with Edmond more than Karu, because I do believe that Edmond is a repressed tsundere & unwilling to admit his true desires, whereas Karu is not shy about his true desires; he just seems like he's being trampled over most of the time.

#5 A tie between Lakeside Spark Kuya room 2, Aromantic Exotica Kuya room 2, SR Kuya: Basically, Kuya using toys on Eiden- a blindfold + deepthroating, a ballgag + buttplug + collar, and a magic dildo. I already praised Garu's voice acting (and next I'll praise Morvay's), but Eiden's sex voice is almost as good as Morvay's, which makes sense since he's the protagonist and needs to be good. (Honorable mention to Afternoon Daze Kuya room 5: Kuya and Eiden kiss and they look so adorable together and Kuya looks like he's in love)

#4 Unique Mission Blade room 5: Ok I like this for a combination of porn ridiculousness and that it's almost as creative as Morvay SSR room 2. First up, finally we see the front of Blade's face! There's a running joke that we only see him in profile view, but this time it's the front. Second, ha. Only in porn, will you see someone trip into a hole, get stuck, and rather than their friend pulling the person out, they proceed to have sex instead. A+ choice, not to mention that they're supposedly trying to escape after being kidnapped haha. Also, Eiden gets the shocked orgasm face and you know how much I love the shocked orgasm face. And why this room is so creative, is there are scene changes! It's a hole in the wall situation and the animators managed to make this work because sometimes we see the wall and its just Eiden's torso getting fucked and sometimes we see both Eiden & Blade. Also if you pay attention to the sound design, Eiden's voice is a "inside a container echo" while Blade's voice sounds normal. THIS IS COOL. So it's like Morvay's SSR room 2, but advanced.

#3: Morvay SSR room 5- Ok so I'm just going to casually ignore that Morvay is saying "No" the entire time because this is fiction, this is fantasy, in real life this is violence and I think Morvay should definitely get the opportunity to charge Aster of r*pe/domestic abuse. However, because porn game logic, I think it's so so so absolutely cool & revolutionary that we get a twink femboy wearing a strapon fucking a much larger incubus. Also, Morvay's ahegao face and butt are sooo good. Also to everyone complaining that Aster is not trans and is using a strapon to deprive Morvay the satisfaction of a real dick or getting to eat... Aster literally shoves a bottle of Eiden's cum into Morvay's ass during this scene too. So he like technically kinda sorta fed him? Even if it was only the the aphrodisiac properties. (Which makes me wonder...um are Aster and Morvay just storing Eiden's cum randomly...)

#2: Aster SSR room 5- TENTACLE SEX TENTACLE SEX TENTACLE SEX!!! Except for both of Morvay's rooms, I think this is the MOST creative H scene in the entire game so far! We finally finally FINALLY get tentacles and that's like a staple in hentai. Also, unlike in Morvay room 5, Morvay originally wanted to have sex with the tentacle anyways and once they get going, Morvay does kinda become just 1 horny braincell. And he gets a happy ahegao face more times in this room than in Morvay SSR room 5. Also, Morvay's voice actor!??!! He almost sounds like he's having real sex! I know it's fake, but its still so so close. Morvay's voice actor is wasted on a character who the devs barely give attention to.

#1: Morvay SSR room 2- HORNY INCUBUS SUCKS OFF EIDEN IN A GLORYHOLE ROOM. Also also, we confirm here that Morvay enjoys getting spitroasted! Which means threesome potential? And with all the other dicks in the room, and Morvay giving handjobs to 2 of them while sucking off Eiden, I think this is the closest we'll ever get to an onscreen orgy, unless the devs step up their game. Also on the art/animation side, I'm extremely impressed they were able to make a gloryhole room in a vertical mobile game. Normally a mobile phone screen should not be able to fit this, but they made it work. Unfortunately, Morvay & Eiden's anatomy looks kind of off, but I'll ignore that just for the novelty of them trying to make it work. Basically, the most creative H scene in the game so far!!! This room proved to me that the devs ARE willing to push the envelopes of what a mobile game H scene can do, and go beyond just vanilla sex scenes.

[mako-neexu]

chapter 5 extra end notes (for after reading the chapter):

The park: 

I like the thought of dantes taking care of whatever is part of her that gets sunken down into the waste pit whenever the remnants would be chill or theres no much of it... 

Its also an HC of mine- more like its practically canon lmao - that guda's memories of their past is now blurred or they dont remember much prior to Chaldea. So things related to guda's home are practically hazy images at best, and at worst, some have fully dissolved in her trash heap. its sad, but thats why my brain is like: maybe the Count would take care of it whenever he had spare time... 

Dantes: 

the dantes i write really isnt the same in my head for each fic i write and combined with JP fandom feeding my brain, its hard not to give in and have just this guy say "my accomplice, i love you." to ritsuka but hes so extra and chuuni so he would be even waaay beyond that and thats just canon fact. 

that said, my favorite dantes would either be from Royst-sensei or tsunamayo/ nap and mostly gurekan (im trying to aim for tatsunami's dantes... hes just so good...) but this time i tried to write with a mix of royst-sensei and gurekan.. still i have my own interpretation so they're just my inspirations adslkfdgfh 

You also know dantes is stronger here considering that canon dantes absolutely crumbles before guda within 2 seconds of a silent stare compared to a 'please' www 

valentines gift: 

if you search for coffee candy in a search engine, youll see stuff like kopiko or werthers so like. this guy canonically cant drink coffee in the waste pit unlike in grand carnival anime so. why not gift him something thats stuff on-the-go? and also partly because i really want to know what kind of chocolate guda canonically gave the Count in the return gift valentines scene considering guda does custom made stuff to suit each Servants' taste... so i'll just use my imagination and conclude that guda makes different kinds of chocolate for him each year. this time being different as she's also visiting the count of her dreamsww

keywords: 

'guide' , taking your hand in mine, close companionship even without outright lovers' intimacy 

reading the entire fgo script that has dantes in it, i feel like exploding so like. the words 'guide' or 'taking your hand' is fucking intimate like bro. prison tower was basically a date and slowly getting married to each other akjdkslaskkl 

still i like an edguda thats not overly so sweet. and just the right amount. it kinda aches in a good way. but i love it. 

just the kind of intimacy where ritsuka would sit beside him, and dantes sitting beside her. and they just talk. that kind of thing is the best.

[scarletwelly-boots]

Books Read 2022

I read 30 books this year, which is sadly sixteen fewer books than last year, but I read an additional 15 graphic novels that I did not factor into the challenge. So not counting those graphic novels, I completed 60% of the challenge, much less successful than last year. This is my seventh year doing the Popsugar Reading Challenge. Let’s get into it under the cut.

1. The School for Good Mothers, by Jessamine Chan (a book published in 2022). This was okay but a frustrating read. A mom gets in trouble for leaving her infant daughter home alone for several hours and goes to a rehabilitation of sorts to learn how to be a better parent in the hopes that it will allow her to win back custody of her child. I didn’t like how I was unable to anticipate subtle genre shifts, but as I didn’t really read a summary ahead of time, it’s possible I could have prevented being blindsided by this. (This was the first book I read in a book club I joined this year, so I didn’t choose it myself. Normally I would read the synopsis before starting, and I probably wouldn’t choose to read it on my own.)

2. The Tea Dragon Society, by K. O’Neill (a sapphic book). This was a trilogy of graphic novels. The art was gorgeous and the world was so interesting I wanted there to be more to interact with. There are a bunch of queer characters, gay and lesbian and bisexual (if I remember correctly) and trans/genderfluid. The story is so sweet, and I definitely recommend.

3. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, by Benjamin Alire Saenz (a book by a Latinx author). Oh, god, this book was excellent. It’s a sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and it was a perfect follow-up. I loved how sweet Aristotle and Dante are, and it also wrapped up some somewhat loose ends from the first book. The ending made me cry and replay it (I listened to the audiobook, because it’s read by Lin-Manuel Miranda again), and it’s so wonderful. Highly, highly recommend.

4. In the Ravenous Dark, by AM Strickland (a book about a found family). I’m still trying to figure out if I liked this book. I certainly loved all of the queer rep: pan protagonist, poly relationship, gay characters, nonbinary character, etc. It was a very dark fantasy though, and the main character was super dark-gray morally. I felt like the world building was messy, especially after just finishing the author’s first book right before reading this one. I also think it could have possibly been several chapters shorter. Some scenes seemed unnecessary. If you like queer, dark fantasy with some slight late-oughts YA fantasy tropes (spoilers if I get more specific than that, but it involves some things a lot of YA fantasy at that time had) then you might enjoy it.

5. Beyond the Black Door, by AM Strickland (a #BookTok recommendation). I am not on TikTok, so I’m not really privy to the BookTok books, but I imagine this one has probably come up before. If you look up books with ace characters, it’s like the top of every list you find. It’s been on my To-Read list for about a year now, and last month was my month to pick the book club book, so I used that as an excuse to force myself (and a couple of my allo aunts and cousins) to read it. This book is so fucking good! The world building in this Strickland book is so organized and thoughtful and just fascinating. Kamai is fantastic ace rep (in my experience), and I think the book helped affirm my own identity a little bit, since I am struggling somewhat to come to terms with being ace myself. There are also gay and trans side characters. Highly recommend!

6. The Great Divorce, by CS Lewis (a book about the afterlife). So I listened to this book on my commute, and I didn’t really follow most of it. I also don’t totally remember what happened other than a guy visits the afterlife (and CS Lewis is Anglican I think, so it’s a very Christian afterlife, but not like the stereotypical pearly gates and angels in clouds stuff). I’d say it was okay, I guess, but I genuinely don’t remember how I felt about this. If you’re looking for Chronicles of Narnia, though, read Chronicles of Narnia. This isn’t that.

7. A Home at the End of the World, by Michael Cunningham (a book set in the 1980s). A little bit botched, as it follows two boys from when they are very small in the 60s, when they meet in middle school, and then through the 80s as young adults. I started this book at the end of last year (did I include it in the list last year? Don’t remember). I mostly liked it. I liked the polyamorous co-parenting angle of it, but it didn’t last long enough (I don’t know if that’s a spoiler). It was a little too slow for me, if I remember correctly. Like I was trying to finish it before 2022 but it was not engaging enough to hold my interest to finish on time.

8. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum (a book about witches). Another book club book. My dad has been trying to get me to read this book (and the rest of the series) for most of my life. I think I’ve only seen the movie once, when I was very little, but I’ve read and seen Wicked and love it, and really like the Cowardly Lion. I liked this book a lot. I felt like the parts that were not included in the movie were really interesting and even the parts I remember from the movie were good to read, too. The Scarecrow and the Tinman are gay, I don’t make the rules. Recommend.

9. Where the Past Begins, by Amy Tan (a book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022). So I may have botched this. I watched a documentary on Netflix about Amy Tan and it at least was added to Netflix this year, but I don’t know if it aired on PBS this year, too. It included a lot of quotes from this memoir and moments that this memoir covers, so I figured the book was the jumping-off point for the documentary, though I don’t think the memoir and the doc share the same name. It was really interesting, since I know very little about Tan. I’ve only read The Joy Luck Club and Sagwa, and both a very long time ago. Recommend.

10. The Startup Wife, by Tahmima Anam (a romance novel by a BIPOC author). Another book club book. This book was really interesting. I really wanted the app the characters created to be real, and I know very little about startups, but the trajectory of how the company went just seemed pretty realistic for the most part as far as I’m aware. It was okay, but I’d look up an actual summary to see if you want to read it. I don’t not recommend it, but again, it’s not a book I’d choose to read myself.

11. I Kissed Shara Wheeler, by Casey McQuiston (a book that takes place during your favorite season). Casey McQuiston continues to write excellent books. I also read One Last Stop this year (see further down). I would say this book is her second best so far, after Red, White, and Royal Blue. I liked all of the rep in this book as well as the enemies to lovers trope. It kind of starts out similar to John Green’s Paper Towns, if the boy in Paper Towns hated the girl in Paper Towns (I don’t remember their names; I read that book fifteen years ago), but was still determined to figure out where she went. And also if the boy in Paper Towns was also a girl, because Bas doesn’t read anything straight anymore unless I’ve been forced to by book club. Definitely recommend!

12. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman (a book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read). I don’t remember what my previous read was when I read this, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t botch this. Movie is better (sorry Neil), but the book is still really good and clarifies some things the movie doesn’t have time to show. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, though, so I am still obligated to recommend.

13. Can’t Take That Away, by Steven Salvatore (a book about a band or musical group). I kind of botched this. The two main characters are singers, and they both star in their school musical. This was hard to get through because of the anxiety the protagonist has (and I read some of the rougher patches on an airplane, a setting which gives me major anxiety) and definitely TW for homophobia and transphobia and bullying. But ultimately it was an uplifting story, and the main character is genderqueer. Each chapter is titled with their pronouns for that chapter, so I was excited that their pronouns change like mine do. It’s difficult in some parts if you’re sensitive to queerphobia, but I highly recommend.

14. ACE, by Angela Chen (a book with a character on the ace spectrum). This is a little botched, since this book isn’t fictional, but it’s written by an ace person who interviews several different ace spectrum people throughout the book. It’s really interesting and covers many different aspects of asexuality and intersectional challenges for asexuality. This is another book this year that helped me come to terms with my own asexuality, and also gave me a better understanding of allosexuality. More than once I texted my allo friend like, “Wait, this is how you experience this??” Or “THIS is what that means??” It was pretty eye-opening for an ace with the few times the author compares the ace and allo experience, so I think allo people could probably learn even more. Recommend.

15. Doctor Strange: God of Magic, by Donny Cates (a book about a secret). I don’t really remember what the secret is, but the entire premise is Loki ends up Sorcerer Supreme, so like, he’s clearly up to something. This is the only comic graphic novel I included in the challenge proper, so I think it was the first comic graphic novel I read this year, before I realized I was devouring Loki and Loki-adjacent comics at an ungodly (ha) speed and if I wasn’t careful I was going to botch half the challenge (not that I haven’t already done that in previous years with other books). This comic run was pretty good, if I remember correctly, and I think it’s my first introduction to comic book Strange, so that’s cool.

16. One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston (a book with a misleading title). I mean, I imagine this title could be misleading. I came into this a year and a half after it was published, and I follow the author on IG, so I knew what this book was about well before pre-ordering it. I thought it was pretty good, but I wasn’t super into it. I at least wasn’t as into it as I was into RWRB or I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Jane, though. Jane I’m super into. I’m also super into the way the audiobook narrator reads Jane’s dialogue, and maybe the narrator’s voice herself (pretty sure that’s the right pronoun), since I listened to a different audiobook with that narrator this year, too. Recommend all the same, or maybe just because I’m gay as shit for Jane.

17. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (a Hugo Award winner). Another book by my favorite author. This is actually a reread, but the last time I read this book was fifteen years ago. This is a retelling of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, except the Mowgli character is adopted by ghosts in a graveyard instead of wolves in a jungle, and the villain is a Jack the Ripper-type murderer rather than Shere Khan the tiger. It stands the test of time (I mean, it’s Neil Gaiman, of course it fucking does), and so so so good. Highly recommend.

18. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, by Mackenzi Lee (a book set during a holiday). Botched a bit. Not a specific holiday, just a holiday as in a trip. Still just as excellent as it was last year, still highly recommend. See Books Read 2021 for more information.

19. Husband Material, by Alexis Hall (a different book by an author you read in 2021). This is the sequel to Boyfriend Material, which I read last year. The boys are still very cute, but they’re still having trouble communicating, which is very annoying TWO YEARS after the events of Boyfriend Material. This one was a lot more dramatic than I remember the first one being, and I didn’t like the ending. So stick with the first one, which was very good.

20. The Measure, by Nikki Erlick (a book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page). Little bit botched. The author in question is Laurie Frankel, who wrote This Is How It Always Is, a trans book I read a few years ago. While a good book, the author is not among my favorites specifically. This was another book club book, and really good. I think this is my favorite book from book club this year that I didn’t pick myself. It’s a vaguely sci-fi book in which everyone over the age of 21 receives a box with a string representing the remaining length of their life, and then follows several characters as they navigate the (mostly American) world that changes in the aftermath of the receipt of the strings. It was really interesting, and neither unrealistically hopeful nor unrealistically cynical (in my opinion). Definitely recommend.

21. The Queer Principles of Kitt Webb, by Cat Sebastian (a book set in Victorian times). Holy shit I forgot how fucking good this was. I think this was the second book I read this year. A rich heir hires a retired highwayman to teach him how to rob his father and also they’re gay. I can’t remember much that isn’t spoilers, so that’s all I’ll say. But it was so interesting and hot and I highly recommend.

22. The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez (a book you know nothing about). I’m still finishing this book. Another book club book, but I’m not loving it. The narrator loses her best friend, and in the midst of navigating her own grief also takes in her friend’s also grieving dog. It feels very stream of consciousness, and I’m glad I’m listening to it, because I don’t think reading it myself would hold my attention for very long. I don’t really like the character of the friend either. So I don’t really recommend it.

23. Both Can Be True, by Jules Machias (a book about gender identity). Very good. A dual-perspective middle grade book. One of the characters is genderfluid (like me!). The two kids become friends because the other character ends up secretly taking care of a dog who was supposed to be euthanized at the vet office he volunteers at. (Spoilers, I’m sorry, but I think many people are concerned about this the way that I am, the dog does NOT die in the end). I was a little distracted through much of it because someone find an adult to help these children oh my god. But it was very sweet and I liked the genderfluid rep. Recommend.

24. She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan (an #OwnVoices SFF book). Another book club book, and the other book I picked this year. This is a fictionalized and queer-ified retelling of a historical Chinese dynasty. Many of the characters are inspired by and named after actual historical figures, but there is also a paranormal and supernatural element, and the character that becomes the emperor is gnc in this telling. I really liked this. I found it very interesting. I think the sequel is supposed to come out next year maybe? Recommend.

25. Walk In Love, by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe (a book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book from your TBR list you associate with a favorite place—church). This is the book we read in my Adult Formation class when I started attending Episcopal church last year, and we finished it this year. It was very interesting, and lays out the central beliefs of the Episcopal denomination. If you’re interested in different denominations or the Episcopal church itself, I recommend it. If not, it probably won’t be interesting to you.

26. Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas (a book that features two languages). Still so good. A reread, because it was so good the first time around. See last year’s Books Read for more information.

27. Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson (a book about someone leading a double life). This was a really interesting book. I liked the dual timelines and the changing perspectives. I didn’t really like that one of the characters’ bisexuality has such a central influence on her narrative arc, yet neither she nor the book itself nor any of the other characters ever name her identity outright. That was frustrating. But other than that, I did really like this book.

28. Peter Darling, by Austin Chant (a book featuring a parallel reality). UGH, still so freakin’ good. See last year’s Books Read for more information, and if you haven’t read it yet, READ IT, and if you have, READ IT AGAIN.

29. Lake Lore, by Anne-Marie McLemore (a book with two POVs). Oh my GOD, this book was so good. You’ve got neurodivergent rep, trans rep, enby rep, Latinx rep, so much rep. Plus magical realism. The book is dual-perspectives, so the audio book is narrated by Avi Roque (who narrates the Cemetery Boys audiobook AND voices Raine in Owl House) and Vico Ortiz (Jim from Our Flag Means Death). I loved it so much. Highly recommend.

30. The Living Great Lakes, by Jerry Dennis (a book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship). Botched a little. Part of the book takes place on a yacht, and part on a sailboat. I loved this book. It covers the geology, history, ecology, and the changing face of the Great Lakes. The introduction sucked me in, because he put into words exactly how I feel about my piece of the Great Lakes. Definitely recommend.

Okay, so it’s not that I think graphic novels aren’t real books. They certainly are, and I included a couple above and in previous challenges. However, I read so many this year, and many were difficult to fit into categories before I gave up and kept them separate. So below are the 15 graphic novels I read. Because I read them quickly and a long time ago, I don’t remember much about them, if I liked them or would recommend them, so I’ll say I remember that I do recommend Young Avengers. Great queer rep, as well as filling in some holes between Journey into Mystery and Loki: Agent of Asgard. That’s not to say I wouldn’t recommend anything else on this list, just that I remember that run better than anything else I read.

1. The Trials of Loki, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

2. The Mighty Valkyries, by Jason Aaron

3-6. Journey Into Mystery 1-4, by Dougie Braithwaite

7. King Thor, by Jason Aaron

8-10. Young Avengers 1-3, by Kieron Gillen

11-13. Loki: Agent of Asgard 1-3, by Al Ewing

14. Original Sin

15. Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth, by Oscar Bazaldua

My top ten new reads this year will be coming in another post. 

[gallusrostromegalus]

Just Some Proof I'm Writing This Fic:

The Fic has turned into a fucking Monster now, but I have the Tentative Chapter Titles for all of The Power Of Friendship (And This Gun I Found!)!! It's a Long Post, so the whole list is under the cut, but the Seasons are called:

Season One: Channel Island Caper

Season Two: Battle Royale With Cheese

Season Three: Make Lovecraft, Not Warcraft

Season Four: The Height Of Idiocy Is About The Same As This Tower

Season Five: Santorini Dreamin'

Season Six: It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Season One: Channel Island Caper

Episode 1: It's Not Like Any Of Us Were Going To College Anyway

Episode 2: There Was Definitely Room For Both Of Them On That Door

Episode 3: Parks And Desolation

Episode 4: A Very Particular Set Of Skills

Episode 5: How to Mine For Phish

Episode 6: We Can Have A Little Murder. As A Treat.

Episode 7: The Clown Pagliacci

Episode 8: Kink Shaming Is My Kink

Episode 9: Monster Mash (ed peas)

Episode 10: Does Anyone Know Where The Mountain Dew Is?

Episode 11: The Mortifying Ordeal Of Being Known

Episode 12: Friendship Speech

Episode 13: The Theological Implications Of Bugs Bunny

Episde 14: There's No Business Like Show Business

Episode 15: When Did Mötley Crüe Become Classic Rock?

Episode 16: Noodle Incident

Episode 17: This Episode Contains The Worst Joke You've Ever Heard

Episode 18: Dante's Disco Inferno

Episde 19: Ancient Egyptian Large Hadron Collider

Episode 20: That Belongs In A Museum!

Episode 21: My Husband With An Economics And Finance Degree Helped Me Write This Chapter

Episode 22: The Gods Have No Fury Like A Parent Scorned

Season 2: Battle Royale With Cheese

Episode 23: Maybe Next Time Use LoJack?

Episdoe 24: Ancient Egyptian Large Hadron Collider, Now With Pictures Because I Heard Y'all Were Stupid

Episode 25: Having Fun Ain't Hard, When You Have A Library Card!

Episode 26: Terms And Conditions Apply

Episode 27: Foresight is 50/50

Episode 28: Do You Do Children's Parties?

Episode 29: Ivermectin

Episode 30: Clown College Dropout

Episode 31: In Which You All Get To Learn About My Special Interest

Episode 32: IntricateRituals.meme

Episode 33: Ride Of the Valkyries

Episode 34: Math Problem

Episode 35: Because Things Went So Well With the Hindenberg

Episode 36: It's Like A Seder With Vincent Price

Episode 37: Feature Creep

Episode 38: Man's Best Friend

Episode 39: Above All, To Thine Own Self Be True

Episode 40: So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

Episode 41: Midnight Bender At Bernie's

Season Three: Make Lovecraft, not Warcraft:

Episode 42: Breakfast Club

Episode 43: Monster Factory

Episode 44: Beautiful And Terrible As The Dawn

Episode 45: One Is A Genius, the Other's Insane

Episode 46: Mine Will Be The Shiniest Empire

Episode 47: He'll Kick Himself When He Remembers The Rocket Boots

Episode 48: Deus Vult, Motherfuckers

Episode 49: Frankenstein Has Some Regrets

Episode 50: Scooby Doo Hall Scene

Season Four: The Height Of Idiocy Is About The Same As This Tower

Episode 51: Who's on First, What's on Second-

Episode 52: Chess With A Pigeon

Episode 53: Master Of Ceremonies

Episode 54: The Steaks Are High

Episode 55: Fuck Around-

Episode 56: -And Find Out

Episode 57: Beach Episode

Episode 58: An Old Priest And A Young Priest

Episode 59: Nobody's-Getting-Any-Slumber Party

Season 5: Santorini Dreamin'

Episode 60: Ignoring The Most Important Dungeons And Dragons Rule

Episode 61: Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right, But Three Thefts Do!

Episode 62: (in)Human After All

Episode 63: Destroy Your Local Golf Course

Episode 64: GIRL'S NIGHT!!

Episode 65: You Can Keep Your El Dorado, And To Hell With Burgundy!

Episode 66: It's Constantinople, Not Istanbul

Episode 67: The Most Dangerous Game

Episode 68: 'What I Did On My Summer Vacation' Essay

Season Six: It's The End Of The World As We Know It :)

Episode 69 (nice): It's Just A Jump To The Left!

Episode 70: At Least David Bowie Isn't In Here, Fondling His Balls?

Episode 71: All According To Keikaku

Episode 72: A Stranger In Paradise

Episode 73: Oh Mama I'm In Fear For My Life From The Long Arm Of The Law

Episode 74: That Left Turn At Albaquerque

Episode 75: The Power Of Friendship (+4 ATK/+10DMG)

Episode 76: Ammemoarpigi

Episode 77: I Hate Ending Stories, So I'm Not Going To.

I seem to be clocking an average of 5K per chapter so this beast will probably be... 385,000 words (72% of a Le Miserables) when I'm done?

lol.

[kinetic-elaboration]

February 23: Writing Projects - Help?

I’m really floundering in terms of what I should be writing, since I’ve finished the Clarke/Maya draft and I apparently can’t work on my Bellarke fic right now. So I’m writing out potential ideas partly for myself, and partly to outsource the process--which is to say I’m not expecting assistance but I would welcome assistance.

Any thoughts, tumblr? Anything you would like to see me actually finish and post? Anyone want to talk writing in general?

I have put this in a random order so as not to give away any of my own thoughts re: priorities.

Or Anyone Like You - Bellarke. Modern AU in which Bellarke have a stereotypical summer romance, and then later Clarke returns to the scene of the crime to Reminisce.

This is a series of writing exercises that almost has a plot. It’s supposed to be lowkey but somehow it’s been literally over a year since I worked on it.

oh well you’ve got me under your spell (chapter 2) - Bellarke. All the cliches: high school au, best friend’s brother, pining.

I loved this fic with my whole heart and fully intended to continue it but I got stuck and couldn’t unstick myself and now it’s like the Grail of writing. I have some plans/outlines/whatever but it’s not cooperative.

A Watch With No Hands Interlude - Bellarke. A canon-divergent AU in which the Ark stations come down all at once. Bellamy escapes Alpha Station to look for his sister and the rest of Prison Station, and runs into Grounder!Clarke and her peaceful, art-loving clan. Part One was my Bellarke Big Bang in 2019. It left off with Bellarke seeing flares from a potential Ark station.

The interlude is going to be two chapters and one has been written, the other outlined. I won’t post either until they’re both done. I haven’t worked on it in a long time and I’m a little intimidated by it, not just for that reason.

And They Lived: A Sleeping Beauty AU (chapter 5) - Bellarke. Clarke is Sleeping Beauty, trapped in the City of Light. Bellamy wakes her up.

I have the first two chapters up on AO3 and another two written in draft form, plus part of chapter five. There are only six chapters. I... don’t even know lol. It just feels like a mess.

The Party Fic - Various pairings. Modern/hs au. Nothing happens, I just wallow in my favorite style.

This is super self-indulgent and I don’t know if I’ll ever post any of it. Nevertheless I wrote one whole chapter of it and always thought it would be fun to write another.

Sequel to Where I’ll Spend Through Winter - Bellarke. A modern AU that’s basically just them pining for each other, a lot. In the sequel, Bellamy pines yet more, and Clarke (appears to?) move on.

This is the fic I’m fucking stuck on.

All Pair Challenge - various pairings, each stand alone. I’ve been working on this series for over a year and I’m literally 7 away from finishing.

Bellarke Bingo: Love Potion: Bellarke (unsurprisingly). The Blake siblings own a weird-stuff-and-antiques shop. Clarke takes a love potion and falls in love with Bellamy.

I have this mostly outlined but it has a lot of Issues, and I’m having a hard time figuring out both how to fix those issues, and how to start.

South - Murven. A modern AU in which Murphy and Raven take a road trip, stay in a bed and breakfast, share a bed, and maybe eventually make it to their destination.

Like Or Anyone Like You, this is in the form of a series of writing exercises, but it almost wants to become a real fic. I’m shocked by how long it’s been since I last wrote it.

Dual Timeline Fic: Jonty. Two stories--in one! A modern AU in which Monty can’t figure out his feelings and a canon-divergent AU in which both Monty and Jasper end up in the bunker and Monty still can’t figure out his feelings.

This one is straight up From the Vault lol. I haven’t worked on it in ages and I have no idea what happens next but I do like what I had.

Bellarke Exes - Bellarke. Clarke returns to town with her new boyfriend but her relationship with Bellamy remains complicated.

I’ve been working on this one off and on for a while. I continue as long as it works and then abandon it as soon as I get stuck.

The Marriage Fic - Jonty and Bellarke. Fluffy modern AU, est. relationship Jonty react to Bellarke wedding.

I only wrote one scene that I actually like but basically it’s the self-indulgent fluff universe that makes me happier when I’m sad.

Never-Contented Things! - Octaven. My original idea for the first round of Chopped 1.0. Raven works in a coffee shop. Octavia is a fairy who follows her home from work.

I have a decent idea of the Feel of this universe, plus an outline, but I want to do it justice, which is an intimidating prospect.

There’s Only One Bed!: Jonty. This is a request. I have no ideas for whatsoever other than what it says on the tin.

Autumn ‘Verse: Various pairings. Indescribable, in part because this fic has been 20 million different things over time. I realize this isn’t helpful. It’s sorta magical, maybe, and there might be ghosts?

Ark AU: Various pairings, including Bellarke, Wellven, Briller. The Ark never ran out of oxygen, and the delinquents are out of the Sky Box and trying to make lives for themselves. Some politics, some Law Nonsense.

This is a freaking epic and I’m having a good time planning it but will it ever be written? Other than the first two scenes? Idk.

Chopped: Maya and Octavia: For Chopped 2.0 Round 1 (?). Lexa doesn’t take Dante’s deal, and the Sky People/Grounder alliance destroys the Mountain. There are many casualties, but some survivors, and now no one knows what to do. I call it the “Maya and Octavia” fic because I had this idea they’d be the two main characters.

I don’t really want to write yet more MW and/or Maya fic right now but this one is tempting because I have this idea (lol) that it will be short?

Chopped: Briller: A reject from a round I didn’t write for, I think 1.0 Round 2? The one with the time loop. Farm Station takes over Mount Weather, then secedes from Arkadia. Briller are exes.

This one fell to the bottom of the pile once I decided I didn’t want to write a time loop or otherwise use the Chopped tropes for it. So now it’s just a universe, no plot. But I had fun writing Briller again recently so I’m wondering if I should resurrect it.

Frog Sounds: Jasper, Maya, Monty, Raven, Bellarke. The first four visit the last two in the woods.

I wrote this series initially just for some Atmosphere Practice / Nostalgia and then I just kept going. And then I stopped again. But sometimes I think I’d like to write more of it.

[freevoidman]

Okay I’m reading through Porg’s update so some of y’all can save your braincells and here are some great highlights (under a readmore bc i couldn’t help but tear into a few things she suggested):

Flat out ignoring that Vergil had changed by the end of the game as a result of V and Urizen’s separate experiences.

In trying to make V and Urizen their own character, she throws out the idea of Vergil being manipulated by the Qliphoth/Urizen (??? somehow??? even though the tree is implied to be non-sentient i believe???), with V being a Devil hunter looking through the remains of Mallet Island (which was completely blown up, turned to rubble, and then swallowed by the sea, so... that can’t happen), finding the cane which makes him youthful and not sick but... having the cane makes it so he can only kill demons through the cane??? for some reason??? And he needs the Qliphoth fruit to heal himself and free him from the curse???

How did she make V’s backstory even more confusing and complicated how the fuck did she do that

Almost immediately after bringing up the cane, she instead changes it to be one of the rings he’s wearing because she wants her “precious V” to use weapons other than the cane, which makes all the prior paragraphs about the cane’s curse and only using it pointless. She’s the one writing this fic, why can’t she edit her own work so it’s more cohesive?

Despite saying that V should be a Devil Hunter, she doesn’t explain why someone who is supposed to be killing demons would form a pact with at least three to fight demons. Her rewrite dismisses Visions of V, and she even states later that the manga is a waste of time as it won’t ever be translated into English (which 1) is not a limiting factor to reading it as many people have translated it already and 2) doesn’t dismiss it’s value at building up V’s character, who she supposedly likes the best).

Also, for someone who complains about DMC5 being a rehash of DMC3, she’s sure doing her best to change it to a rehash of DMC1 (Vergil being controlled by an outside force, bringing back Mallet Island, bringing back Mundus [the cane is supposed to be tied to Mundus]).

V apparently can’t be human because she wants to give him a devil trigger, despite having 3 familiars and his own strength. Okay I guess?

Also it’s really fucking sick how she describes V changing, because it’s apparently V fusing with Nightmare? Devil May Cry has never been one for body horror but she straight up says she was inspired by “The Thing (1982), The Fly (1986), Bloodborne, and Resident Evil 7″ for the transformation imagery and I wanted to nope the fuck out of there real quick.

Her segments of actual fiction writing and dialogue are really bad it’s almost like a parody Youtube skit.

She switches between prose and script writing randomly, it’s really odd. She does it primarily with Dante i’ve noticed? Here’s an example I wrote of what she does:

“Hey, don’t stress out about it will you?” Says John following a few steps behind VINCENT: Don’t get your panties in a twist

And that just happens... randomly? Like, there’s no indication why she’s doing that it just happens.

She straight up writes notes in her fic about the controls for character actions in-game what the hell--

She also shamelessly puts in a link to artwork that clearly isn’t her’s (and I highly doubt she got permission to post about) to try and show what V’s Devil Trigger would look like. I couldn’t find it because I don’t know how pixiv works, but that’s just a shitty move, especially with how she treats artists on tumblr when they draw art of Vergil.

EDIT: Porg has now straight up copy-pasted the art into her fic without the artist’s permission which is, we all know, fucking theft. While it is good artistry, is just a weird mashup of Vergil’s and Dante’s. It’s not all that unique and I don’t understand why she had to reference a bunch of body horror shit when all the Devil Triggers in game are essentially just a large flash of light and a seamless transition between forms??? It’s good art, I’m not trying to bash the artist, but... Porg, you could’ve been a little more original here rather than just ripping off another artist’s designs...

Everyone in her fic acts super casually to seeing Vergil alive in the Qliphoth and it’s like... honey, no.

Vergil acts WILDLY out of character holy fuck. Like, I know I should have expected that but this is NOT how Vergil would act in the slightest. She’s pretty much writing an OC.

Building off of this: EVERYONE acts OOC and... it’s not exactly cringey, but it is perfect proof that Porg doesn’t know what she’s doing and hasn’t properly analyzed the characters.

Dante acts weirdly... detached? There’s no sign of him acting like his normal goofball-y self, and he’s much more serious than normal. He actually acts more like cannon Vergil than himself, actually. (He also knows CPR apparently? Which... is a skill he would really never bother learning, so...)

Nero doesn’t act nearly as emotional, and acts calmly for some reason. You can’t feel any of his emotions behind his dialogue, only through the adverbs added to the tags)

V is too informative. He knows way too much about random shit that... no one should rightfully know. I’ll mention it more later, but... V doesn’t act like himself and I don’t really know how to explain it.

Vergil is essentially her OC. Seriously--he’s not as brooding or snarky, he’s far too open and apologetic, there’s practically no sense of rivalry between him and Dante. Weirdly, he acts more like canon V than fic!V does, despite the fact that Porg wants to establish V and Vergil and separate characters. His actions also make no sense when put alongside his canon personality. We aren’t reading anything about Vergil, we’re reading about Porg’s weirdly idealized version of him.

I’m going to make a break in the post here because I feel like this is the part that needs the most attention:

Porg goes OUT OF HER WAY to dedicate a GIANT portion of this chapter to her own OC: Nero’s mom. There are several long paragraphs of establishing the relationship between her OC and Vergil, talking about leaving Fortuna, how they were ‘happy’ and then saying that after a hurricane (inspired by hurricane hugo, you’ll see later) she got separated from Vergil, never reconnected with him, GAVE BIRTH, died from a demon attack with Nero staying near her corpse, and then Nero was found by humans and taken off the mainland to be taken to an orphanage on Fortuna. She wanted a massive amount of time to be taken out of the fun parts of playing Devil May Cry to establish a relationship that would never come back and essentially turn into a 15 minute soap opera inserted into a game about having fun killing demons.

Alright back to the noted highlights.

Porg confirms in her fic that the universe of Devil May Cry happens in the US, and that Fortuna is an island along the southeast coast and I want to fucking rip my eyeballs out at this point.

The ONLY REASON why she is doing this is because she lives in Florida. I know she does, and she just wants to imply that this is all happening near her home turf. How anyone who lives in Florida thinks an island like Fortuna can exist is beyond me though, because playing through 4, most of the buildings are inspired by Italian designs, and no one in the states would build an entire island with italian designs. I’ve been to Florida multiple times--there’s no buildings there even REMOTELY designed to match Fortuna.

EDIT: I have been informed that Porg actually lives in Pennsylvania, not Florida, which makes both more and less sense. Why Florida? Why not a hidden island up on the east coast? Why does this have to be taking place in the states at all Porg???

Yeah, let’s take Nero off the MAINLAND OF FLORIDA after a DEVASTATING HURRICANE and send him to an orphanage on an ISLAND which would’ve been hit the hardest by ANY hurricane. TOTAL SENSE. 

She tries to make her own timeline for the series using actual real world dates and events and it’s terrible (she references Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and confidently states that 3 took place in 1990, despite all evidence for the actual dates of events being fan theory established through circumstantial evidence).

There’s so much horror movie inspiration here--not cheap horror, but really twisted shit that... doesn’t fit with Devil May Cry’s tone at all? In the slightest? She references Jacob’s Ladder, plus all the other body horror media I wrote above.

Straight up just tears Vergil’s arm off which sure, I guess we gotta make THAT a parallel between Nero and Vergil. They can have a father son moment over being physically maimed.

In the scene immediately before this, Urizen picks up Vergil by the head and roots around Vergil’s memories (somehow???) to show him all the ‘bad moments’ in his life to traumatize him. She describes it as the audience getting flashes of him falling to hell, charging Mundus, being Nelo Angelo, etc. 

This causes Vergil to cry and beg for Urizen to stop. Then Urizen rips off his arm. So. Yeah. Another point for the OOC!Vergil/OC-taking-Vergil’s-place board.

Also this point ALONE made me realize that Porg does not know how much time, effort, and money needs to be put into making assets. Like, the entire fic she was stressing that everything be done in 5′s HD Graphics--including the ruins of Mallet Island, so I have to assume she’d want these little snippets in HD too, which would be a massive money hole creating these assets for one scene that lasts maybe ten seconds total.

I know I stated it in one of my earlier posts, but most of what she’s writing would fit better with a sequel for the reboot series, not DMC5. It would make her OOC writing of Vergil make sense, all the horror movie inspiration and body horror shit would fit better there, especially all the crappy dialogue too.

She somehow made Griffon even MORE annoying than in cannon.

BTW if I had to listen to poetry while fighting the final boss of a video game, I’d sooner turn my PS4 off. Not that poetry isn’t cool and all, but it cheapens the final fight and distracts you. It wouldn’t work.

EDIT: I realized this point made no sense without context, sorry. Porg made the Book of Urizen (the poetry book by William Blake referenced multiple times by V) either weirdly prophetic or made it out like Blake had inner knowledge of demon powers or... something along those lines, and V magically has the knowledge that reciting poetry from the book about Urizen will... harm him? Weaken him? Open a gate to hell (she mentions a portal appearing near him)? It’s very unclear, but she essentially rewrites Urizen as the final boss, and makes it three stages (V [Griffon recites some verses, which is what the first point was about], Vergil and Dante [this is where Vergil gets his arm ripped off btw], and then Nero) with all three of them reading poetry from the book to deal the “final blow” to Urizen. I’d much rather have Vergil be the final boss than have to go through a three-stage boss fight while every character I play as recites poetry to kill the boss.

She mentions Dante using Sin DT against Urizen but I’m pretty sure with her fuckery of the game’s events Dante can’t GET Sin DT? Because there’s no fight between Nero and Urizen where he’d intervene?

COMPLETELY IGNORES VERGIL’S DEVELOPMENT OF WANTING TO TRAVEL WITH HIS BROTHER THROUGH HELL TO ELIMINATE THE QLIPHOTH FUCK OFF.

Also she changed the lore of the Qliphoth so that it sprouts semi-naturally around every 500 or so years? So... shouldn’t leaving the Qliphoth roots be fine now? Since it’s natural?

Nico acts like growing back arms is totally normal

Wrote an INCREDIBLY shoe-horned in moment in the van with Dante filling Trish and Lady in about finding Vergil and everything that happened where, once again, Trish and Lady act almost completely nonplussed that Vergil is alive after 20+ years in hell, with about 9 of those ten years being trapped under Mundus’ control and corrupted by the Demon King

Seriously why is no one surprised in this fic that Vergil survived? Dante has a brief moment before finding him, but everyone finds out and accepts it like flipping a switch (once again--ESPECIALLY DANTE, which is NOT how the grieving process works)

Porg states that the ending is trash because the twins are fighting in hell, but completely ignores that most of Dante and Vergil’s lives have been built on conflict and they like fighting demons, especially Dante. Both of them were happy and doing what they love.

She also completely ignores through this entire thing that Dante was really fucking depressed in the novels leading up to 5 but hey I don’t even know if she can read.

I can vaguely agree that Trish and Lady were sidelined and they should’ve had a bigger role. However, I can’t fault the directors for not doing this, because they were already developing three playable characters with their own unique fighting styles. She writes all this shit about the story, writes notes about controls and mission layouts, but forgets that it takes a lot more than pressing a single button to code a game.

She just doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Seriously, none of these things are cohesive or edited properly, and despite her saying she wanted better for Vergil, or Nero, or Dante, or V, she writes all of them incredibly out of character and doing illogical actions. I just... I don’t get it.

The best part is--I can’t even tell her about these things, or give constructive criticism. She moderates the comments on her fic and isn’t afraid to delete anything she doesn’t agree with or can’t make a ‘passionate rant’ about.

[niksixx]

Chapter 5-An Angel in Hell

A/N: If you would like to be tagged, let me know💕

A/N: Reblog and leave comments. They motivate writers ☺️

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Sienna

April 25, 1981

Spending the night was the best decision Sienna could have made. Waking up with Nikki sleeping peacefully beside her seemed so…normal. Why did it feel normal?

He had promised to sleep on the small couch in their living area but Sienna wouldn’t let him. It was his place after all, he deserved to sleep in his bed. So finally, after talking for another hour, they fell asleep in Nikki’s bed together, arms wrapped around each other.

Cleaning the apartment would be a great way to thank him, so Sienna quietly, stealthily, slid out from under Nikki’s grasp and tiptoed into the living room. Rubbing her tired eyes, Sienna almost decided to jump back in bed. Chairs were broken, cigarette butts covered the carpet, bottles were shattered, and was that…was that a fucking roach?

Shivering, Sienna slinked around the bug, searching in cabinets until she found a trash bag. Everything was getting tossed. It was only one party; How could the apartment be this filthy?

After leaving two full trash bags on the porch outside, Sienna came back inside, ready to dig around for some wipes when she heard a door creak open. Looking up, she watched as Shelli crept out of Tommy’s room, head down, with her party clothes tucked under her arm.

“Shelli?”

Squealing, Shelli ran to Sienna, covering her mouth harshly. “First, be quiet you moron, they’re sleeping. Second, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Me?” Sienna chuckled. “I stayed the night. What are you doing here, my dear best friend?”

Shelli’s head hung in shame. “I, uh…fuck I had sex with Tommy again. I am such a fucking idiot.”

Sienna gave her a look. “Shel, you know Tommy likes you. Don’t use him.”

Their heads snapped over to the sound of Tommy’s door opening. With wide eyes, Shelli turned to Sienna and whispered, “Fuck, I need to get out of here. Meet me in the car, hurry!” And with that Shelli was out the door just as Tommy appeared in the hallway, blue sweatpants hanging on his hips.

“Where’s Shelli?”

Sighing, Sienna gave Tommy a sympathetic look. The poor guy looked like a sad puppy. “She left, Tommy. I’m really sorry.”

He nodded his understanding, clapping a hand over his knuckle. “She um…doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“Shelli is complicated, Tommy. She doesn’t let people in. Unfortunately, you’re not an exception to that little rule of hers.” Sienna could strangle Shelli. Tommy looked utterly devastated, like he knew Shelli only wanted sex. God, didn’t she tell him that the first time they met?

“Well, hopefully all this running away tires her out. Maybe the next time she comes back, she’ll stay.” Without another word, Tommy headed back in his room.

The sound of Shelli’s car horn sounded through the windows and Sienna angrily dropped the pack of wipes she’d found. Sneaking back into Nikki’s room, her heart squeezed at the sight of him still asleep. Gathering her clothes and phone, she quietly kissed his cheek. And when she saw a crumbled napkin in the corner of his room, she snatched it up quickly, snagged a pen from his desk, and scribbled her number.

“I cannot believe you, Shelli Rodgers. You should have seen the damn look on Tommy’s face.” Sienna hadn’t stopped yelling at Shelli since they’d stepped foot into their apartment. Shelli was wrong and Sienna would make her see that. “That boy really thinks he has a shot with you. Either give him a chance or leave him alone.”

Shelli groaned. “The sex is great. His dick is huge. You really expect me to leave?”

Dumbfounded, Sienna threw her hands up dramatically. How could Shelli not see that what she was doing was completely wrong? “Yes! Shelli, you are using him. Tommy isn’t too bright either because he knows you’re using him but he’s still hanging on to that little shred of hope that maybe one day you’ll actually like him back.”

“You know, you’re a little bit of a hypocrite too,” Shelli spat, shooting off the couch. “You don’t do parties. You don’t sleep with men unless you’re dating them. You haven’t drank in months. And yet you feel the need to scold me when you’re doing all the shit you’ve been against for years?”

Sienna’s cheeks burned. Shelli knew exactly why Sienna had kept away from the party scene. And now she was using it against her. Although maybe she was right. She hadn’t been to a party in over a year, alcohol never touched her lips in months, and she would never find herself in bed with a man until their relationship was serious enough to take things to the next level. But all that changed when she’d met Nikki and it seemed like all her morals went straight out the window.

Shelli sighed. “I’m sorry, okay? But I won’t change. All Tommy has to do is tell me he doesn’t want to see me, and I’ll leave. But he hasn’t, so I’m not going anywhere. And besides, we’re two adults just having some fun. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Huffing, Sienna marched into her room, giving Shelli one last look. “It becomes a problem when one person has feelings for the other. Stop messing with him and grow up.”

Sienna didn’t think anything else could ruin her day, but seeing the Veil almost completely empty was the icing on top of the cake. She hadn’t spoken to Shelli for the rest of the day and Sienna refused to apologize for scolding her. Maybe it wasn’t the fact that she was sleeping around that bothered her. The real issue was that Tommy was Nikki’s best friend.

Sighing, Sienna wrapped her body around the pole, doing everything she could to forget her fight with Shelli. Sienna, Cherry, and Bunny were the only girls working tonight, and all three wanted nothing more than to go home.

And Sienna almost ran out the door when she saw him enter the club. 5 foot 8 inches, buzz cut, tattooed arms, and a killer smirk. He hadn’t changed a bit.

“Well, if it isn’t the most beautiful girl at the club. Why don’t you come here and give me a dance, eh sweetheart?”

His eyes were dark, his voice smooth, and Sienna’s heart pounded, goose bumps forming on her skin as panic washed over her. Dante.

“W-What are you doing here, Dante?” Her voice was shaking as well as her body. Bunny shot her a funny look. God Sienna hope this was just a dream. He couldn’t really be there.

“What does it look like?” She squealed as Dante grabbed her wrist, lowering his voice. “I’m waiting for you to dance for me.”

Flashbacks filled Sienna’s head. Screaming, glass breaking, blood, bruises. She remembered it all. Taking a breath to calm her nerves, she lowered herself onto Dante’s lap, watching as a smirk spread across his lips. “I told you two years ago I’d always find you. You’re my girl, Si.”

“I am not your girl, Dante.” Her voice was sharp and she regretted it instantly once a dark shadow washed over his face. Fuck, she knew better than to speak to him that way. “I’m actually seeing someone.” She felt his body tense underneath her.

“You’re…seeing someone? Who?” He was more than curious as his fists balled at his sides. “Who is it?”

She swallowed nervously. “None of your business, Dante. Now you need to leave me alone after this. We’re done. I’m over you. It’s time you moved on.”

He grabbed her hips roughly, nails digging into her sides. “I will never move on from you. I told you, we’re meant to be together. You need to realize that and stop fighting me.”

“Dante…”

Grabbing her chin between his fingers, Dante brought her face toward him. Tears begged to fall from her eyes. “You belong with me.” And his lips were on hers, the smell of whiskey on his breath strong, tongue forcing its way into her mouth. And when Sienna’s hand connected with Dante’s cheek, she scrambled off his lap just in time as William, the bouncer, yanked Dante to his feet.

“Let’s go, pal.”

Surprisingly, Dante didn’t fight it. Instead, he wiped a drop of blood from his lip with his thumb and gave Sienna a smile, sending chills down her back. “I’ll come back for you, Sienna. I always will.”

[coe-lilium]

FGO Dantes drama CD

I’ve looked around here and found nothing about the story, so why not doing a post myself since I’m in the mood.

It’s a nice bonus published with TM Chaldea Ace back in April, basically a mini-detour in the novel proper timeline, adding some wider Nasuverse stuff (Church, vampires... possibly destroying every chance for the events of Tsukihime occurring in the Fate timelines where’s our Tsuki collab event Nasu. You can’t throw this kind of stuff at us and then hide, get to writing mushroom man!).   

To my knowledge, there’s no translated transcription, but reddit/BL got a detailed summary :D

*some names may have suffered from poor romanization*

Chapter 1: Faria recalls how he met Edmond and calls him his son.

Chapter 2: October 1837. Concetta narrates that this is the story of the Count of Monte Cristo's other revenge. Angelo Braga calls on Edmond in his home. Haidee warns Edmond that he should not have brought Angelo here, but Edmond tells her to go away, as it is not yet time for the two of them to meet. When Concetta comes to his room to tell him that Angelo has arrived, he's alone. Concetta asks if he was talking to someone, and he says that it was just a phantom.

Chapter 3: Edmond and Angelo talk over dinner. Edmond had apparently been sniffing around the church and Angelo is here for him, and the location of the treasure of Monte Cristo. Edmond reveals how he was taught by Faria and calls him his second father, and also reveals that this was a trap for Angelo, one of the Three Wise Men who got Faria locked up. The food is poisoned and Angelo has taken a lethal dose. It doesn't work because of his special church training and he attacks Edmond. They fight a bit (Edmond with a pistol) and Edmond can't scratch him, so he has Concetta activate a trap which blows Angelo up along with the mansion; Angelo does barely survive but Edmond finishes him off with a black key.

Chapter 4: October 1837. The count moves to Rome to continue his plot. The target is a cardinal. It's mentioned that Concetta is Giovanni's cousin. They plan to draw the cardinal in with money.

Chapter 5: One of Edmond's informants, one of many he has all over Europe, is killed. The killing was thought to be by bandits or pirates, but Concetta narrates that it "went over the line". The scene cuts to Tarantella interrogating a man. Tarantella talks about the role of the Eight Sacrament Association he's from: He doesn't expect to find any sacred artifacts in the man's home, but there's someone on the loose who was trained by a heretic who used holy relics for his own gains, and attacked a cardinal, and so he has to do his job here. The man notices blood on Tarantella's hands, and Tarantella says it's his daughter's blood, or was it his wife? Either way he will end up the same. Concetta narrates that the second set of killings was of a man who started an investment company in Spain, and his wife and 5-year-old daughter. Edmond's group are the only ones who realise that these killings are connected, as the man who was killed was related to Morrel. The killings continue, and some of the corpses are left without a drop of blood.

Chapter 6: Edmond is sure that the killings are the doing of the last of the Three Wise Men and is mad. The killer left behind a message by spelling out a word, letter by letter, with the organs of his victims: Tarantella. Edmond wonders if this is how the church works, or if Tarantella is just crazy, and if this is vengeance for Angelo, or if he's just playing around with people's lives. Either way he's mad, and drinks more of "the elixir". He tells Concetta to prepare, and she narrates that the counterattack began. They started by spreading information that the Count of Monte Cristo would be holding a huge party as bait, and they rent the Villa Medici for this purpose.

Chapter 7 (1/2): Haidee warns Edmond that this is way too dangerous. She wants him to live, and says that Faria would have wanted the same. Edmond says nobody knows what the dead want, and all he's doing is ridding himself of his own sorrows. Haidee wishes she could heal him of his sorrows, but Edmond just tells her to begone, and to wait for him on the other side beyond love and hate. Tarantella shows up and there's nobody else at the "party" besides him. He recognises the count by his white hair. Tarantella says that Faria turned his back on the church saying that he wanted to save all life. Edmond says that those are the church's teachings, but Tarantella says that's just the church's front, and the truth is different. Edmond says that they're a bunch of heretics, bloodstained murderers who themselves turned their backs on the messiah and the prophets, and activates a trap which fires spears at Tarantella, and then a trap which binds him with chains made to subdue tigers. Tarantella breaks out easily. Edmond shoots him in the forehead and starts laughing but Tarantella gets back up and pulls out the spears.

Chapter 7 (2/2): Tarantella uses a white light that burns Edmond and defeats him instantly, but doesn't kill him because he still needs to interrogate him. Edmond asks if the church is all monsters, and Tarantella says that not all members have power. The cardinal was a weak human for example, who wasn't even an executor- an inquisitor, who represents the will of god- like Angelo or Tarantella. Edmond is enraged by the claim that they're doing god's work and gets up again, blocking Tarantella's vision with his coat and stabbing him in the heart with a knife. Tarantella says that he's not just an executor, and asks where Faria's treasure is while hitting Edmond with more magecraft. Edmond says that there is no treasure. Tarantella observes that Edmond doesn't fear death, or pain, or damage to his body, thinking that time in the chateau made him strong, and says that he'll have Edmond recall what pain is like by destroying one of his belongings, and leaves. Edmond regrets listening to Ali and Concetta and not using explosives in the traps. Haidee calls out to him and asks her to give him more power. She says he already has it within him.

Chapter 8: Concetta is worried. She and Ali wanted to fight alongside Edmond but he refused, and Ali was sent back to Paris while Concetta waits at the inn. Tarantella shows up at the inn and enters her room. She shoots him in the heart but he heals immediately, so she goes after him with a knife going for the throat, but he doesn't take any damage and kills her.

Chapter 9 (1): Tarantella finishes sucking Concetta dry just as Edmond arrives. Edmond realises that he's a vampire. Tarantella says that he's not a vampire, and reveals his true name as Mikhael Roa Balldamnjohn. Faria narrates about dead apostles and Roa, and says that he wasn't able to tell Edmond about this because Roa put a curse on him. Faria also mentions that he left Edmond "the treasure of darkness", he stole from the church, that would one day help Edmond out when he one day faces a non-human enemy that he would lose to- The treasure of Monte Cristo, which has the power to remake a person. Edmond laughs and says it doesn't matter what Roa is, and that he, and not Roa, represents god's will, and starts burning with black fire. He immediately understands how it works, and how it's a weapon for him to burn his enemies, and quotes the bible saying "vengeance is mine". Roa recognises the black fire as the Monte Cristo Mythology, a legend hidden in the mountain of Christ, the despair of those without god, the flames of hell and the void, power equal to that from the age of mythology, which forces a magic circuit and magic crest into the user.

Chapter 9 (2): Edmond tells him to shut up and blasts him through the hotel's wall. Roa runs, Edmond flies after him, and they fight in the air. Roa uses the moves of multiple reincarnations, including the curses of the seventh and the barriers of the fourth. Edmond just gets madder and calls upon the fire of vengeance to eat his soul and turn to a black flame, breaking the barrier imprisoning him, and he grabs and burns Roa while laughing, declaring that they'll just have to see whose soul is incinerated first. Roa doesn't believe that there's such a thing as a fire that can burn souls, but Edmond says that this fire can. Roa can't heal and Edmond asks him to just try and pretend to be the messiah in front of god again. Roa says "bakana bakana bakana bakana bakana bakanaaaa" and starts to say that he can just reincarnate even if his body is destroyed, but is cut off when Edmond laughs at him and spouts his victory lines from FGO.

Chapter 10: By the time he realises it, Edmond is standing alone. Nothing is left of Roa but cinders. He feels something vanishing from his body, and believes that that's the treasure of Monte Cristo, and realises that he was saved by Faria again. His body will never be enveloped in black flames again, not unless he's someday reborn as something as inhuman as a vampire. He prays for Concetta to watch over his vengeance. He heads for the cathedral and is stopped by a guard, who demands to know who he is. He laughs and says that the Count of Monte Cristo has come for the cardinal.

Chapter 11: Haidee narrates that some time later the cardinal lost his position, and that it's unknown if Edmond killed him. Either way, his vengeance in Rome was over; But this is only the tale of the vengeance for Faria, the other vengeance, and so this is not the end but the beginning of the Count of Monte Cristo's story of vengeance in Paris.

 Get fucked Roa :D

Here’s to hope an eventual Tsuki collab isn’t too far from us T_T