#That's it that's the only advantage to writing now. I would technically be allowed to do it constantly.

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

You've heard of gay character who can say they're gay and be in a gay relationship onscreen now get ready for Jewish character who does literally anything beyond avoid pork and celebrate Khanuka in the Christmas episode or stomp on a glass at their wedding

[number1jeonginstan]

Now I can’t stop imagining Perv!best friend Seungmin, like idk him taking advantage of your trust in him to take pics of you, when your not looking or when your asleep. Insisting on doing sleepovers at his house just so he can take advantage of your sleeping body, literally anything 🤤

If you’re not comfy writing that stuff it’s okay, but if you are can you? I need to read some more perv Seungmin 😭

Love your work, stay safe and healthy! Can I also be 🧡 anon if not taken? 🥰🧡

A/N: I hope you like this! I wrote this borderline deliriously, but it was fun! Please tell me your thoughts 🧡 anon <3

Pairing: Kim Seungmin x afab!reader

WC: 1.1k

Warnings: technical somnophilia but kinda not, non-con video taking, please don't read if not comfy!

Seungmin and you were having your monthly sleepover, you would barge into his dorm room, causing Jeongin to leave and hang out with his other friends. You would bring your throw blankets and projector while Seungmin prepared his bed for the two of you and snacks the both of you enjoyed. 

“Hey Minnie, what movie should we watch this time?” you asked, lying on his bed, legs splayed out in front of you. You never thought much about how you were supposed to act when it came to Seungmin. The two of you were always comfortable around one another, to the point you could share clothes, or just be abnormal in front of one another. At least, that’s what you thought.

What you didn’t notice was the way Seungmin was staring at you, lust in his eyes as you were wearing his clothes. His shirt and shorts adorn your body, the sweet smell of your perfume rubbing against them, making him want to groan. 

He swore he would never wash them again after you took them off. Why would he when your scent was imprinted on them? 

“I’m not sure, want to watch Oppenheimer?” he asked, plugging your projector into the wall, trying to ignore the sight of your nipples rubbing against his shirt, you weren’t wearing a bra. Fuck. 

“I don’t really know Minnie, isn’t that movie really long?” you asked lying down on his bed, your face pressed against his pillow as you stared at the shine of the projector in front of you. “I mean, it is, but you fall asleep during any movie I play, so?” 

“Fine, Oppenheimer it is” you sighed watching as Seungmin lay behind you, your ass pressed against his crotch as the two of you got comfortable. You didn’t notice, but Seungmin could feel himself getting semi-hard at the feeling of you slowly rubbing your ass against him as you reached in front of you to eat some popcorn. 

He was immersed in the movie while you were slowly drifting away, the only thing keeping you awake was the feeling of his hand reaching across your body to grab handfuls of popcorn at times. As he emptied the bowl, there was no reason for you to stay awake. 

He noticed how you began to fall asleep, your body becoming more and more limp as time passed on, your breathing becoming slower. He tried to ignore it, his eyes flickering from you to the movie playing on his wall. 

It wasn’t until he felt you turn around, cuddling his body that his focus came off what was happening on the wall and shifted onto what was happening next to him. Your cunt was directly on his crotch, your legs were wrapped around his thighs, not allowing him to move. Your arms were wrapped around his back, your face pressed against his chest. 

He couldn’t move without rutting his cock against you, but was it really that bad of a situation? Before he could even think about it, he felt something wet pressing against him. 

Your cunt was soaked, this had never happened before. When the two of you slept on the same bed, you were usually sleeping in the fetal position on your side as he lay as stiff as a brick, too scared that even touching you would cause him to go hard. 

He didn’t expect anything else until you began to rub your cunt against him, soft whimpers escaping your lips and onto his chest. He groaned out loud, his cock getting harder by the second. 

It wasn’t really his fault if you were the one doing this right? It wouldn’t be his fault if he brought his hands down to slowly pinch your nipples through his shirt. He was just trying to help you, you were the one who needed to cum, or else you wouldn’t be humping against him like a bitch in heat. 

He needed this scene to be imprinted into his mind forever, you were already the main thing he jacked off to, the pictures you sent him asking what bikini looked suitable for the trip you were going on with all your friends, or that time you opened the door for him in just a tank top and your underwear. 

But now, having you next to him, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He slowly patted the free space of his mattress next to him in an attempt to find his phone. You wouldn’t mind if he recorded the way you dragged your cunt along his cock, did you?

He didn’t care, slowly turning on the camera, making sure the flash was on so he could see the way you were running your pussy up and down his cock. He could tell you were close to cumming by the way your face scrunched slightly, your breathing becoming more un-even as you whimpered out “Minnie” 

He had to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. You were moaning his name, begging him to fuck you in your dreams. You wanted this too, but why wouldn’t you tell him that you wanted him, it would make everything easier. 

He was snapped out of his trance as he heard you speak in your sleep. “Fuck, you feel so good Minnie, you are so big” 

This was all he needed to rut back into you, both of your highs getting closer and closer. All it took was him running his fingers against your clothed nipples for the both of you to cum, his boxers covered in his cum as it slowly seeped through his pants. 

You both sounded out of breath as your arms wrapped around him tighter, not allowing him to move, but he wasn’t mad about it. He slowly kissed the top of your head and fell asleep wrapped in your arms.

When you finally left in the morning, whispering a goodbye in his ear, reminding him of an assignment you had due tomorrow. As you left his clothes on a pile in his bathroom, closing his dorm door, he felt like he could finally breathe. 

As soon as he made sure you weren’t coming back, he ran to the bathroom inhaling the scent of you on his shorts as he replayed the sound of you moaning his name in his mind. He felt his cock twitch in his boxers again, still covered with last night’s cum. 

He couldn’t believe he captured the moment on video. Hopefully, you didn’t notice, but what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you, right? Maybe one day he would be able to confess his feelings, but today was not that day.

[thecameronchronicles]

Eighteen: Part 2

TW: Degrading language. Language. Smut. Semi-public sex. Cheating. Semi Dark!Rafe!.

SUMMARY: Your tumultuous relationship with Rafe becomes more bold. 

WORD COUNT: 2200

REQUESTED:

Anonymous asked:

Part two for Eighteen? 🥹 I’m begging

*ONLY BECAUSE YOU ASKED SO NICELY, LOL ;) *

Eighteen Part 2

You tried not to think too much into it, but you couldn’t help but allow your insecurities to get the best of you as you hadn’t seen Rafe since that night. For someone who hung around nearly as a second skin to your family, it was beyond strange that you hadn’t seen him in nearly three weeks, every day having worsened your diffidence, but also your guilt. You found it difficult to look your sister directly in the eyes, in knowing her boyfriend’s cum had stained your thighs and how desperately you wanted it to happen again. Which was why when he hadn’t shown, a portion of you had become relieved as you found it easier to avoid your sister than him. 

“I think he’s cheating on me…” You heard her speak into her cell as you crossed in front of her room, her words making you swallow hard. 

“No, he hasn’t even tried to call and when he texts it’s just one worded responses…I know, that’s Rafe, but…yeah…He’s-he hasn’t even kissed me since then…I think he met some skank at that party…should have known better than to have him around my sister’s friends, they’re all easy and desperate for his attention. Maybe I just have to get his some other way…” You cringed at the idea of your sister seducing him, even if it was technically her right to do so, but it only worsened the nausea in your stomach. Luckily, you had school to distract you from him, a few more weeks until you would no longer have this as an excuse, but for now, you basked in its ability to be a diversion. 

But through the pointless lessons from teachers already drained from another mundane year coming to a close, your mind fixated on him. Frustratingly so. Enough that you had done everything but write your initials next to his in the margins of your notebook. And annoyingly in accompaniment came the swiftness of the day as you pulled yourself onto the steps of your high school to return home. 

“Your sister asked me to pick you up…says she had something to do with Scarlett, so,”

“I can walk, it’s not far-”

“Wasn’t a request. We both know how she can be if you don’t listen to her. So why don’t you spare us both the headache?” But to this, you only cocked your head as if to offer a silent ‘you know why I can’t’. Yet he was indifferent to this as would only look at you with this lack of care. 

“Then if not for her…” He leaned closer to you to where only you could hear him. “Then to keep anyone else from taking advantage of you being alone, because God knows that ass is still mine…” 

“Rafe-”

“If I have to get out of this car, you won’t walk for a week…” You swallowed hard before looking in either direction, noticing the eyes and whispers to your clear lack of comfortability that he seemed to ignore or simply revel in, as you obliged. 

“There’s my good girl.” The second you got into the car, his hand was on your inner thigh, leading upwards, until you would shift away from him. Once you had done this, he released a scoff before repeating the process, only now, doing so with such conviction to your thigh that his knuckles turned white as your skin turned red beneath this new grip. 

“You don’t want this? Because your body is telling me otherwise-”

“It doesn’t matter what I want, Rafe…You’re with my sister! Who sent you to come get me because she is out buying lingerie because you’ve been ‘pulling away from her’. She thinks you met someone at my birthday party and she plans to get you to focus back on her. And you should! So it doesn’t matter what I want-” Suddenly the car veered off of the main road and into an alcove covered mostly by low hanging branches and the fact it was less traveled and hidden unless you knew it was there.

“And what about what YOU want? I’ve seen you sacrifice for her since I’ve known her-and you.” He was somewhere between angered and compassionate as he spoke towards you.

 “I’ve also seen the asshole you brought around that don’t deserve to breathe your air let alone touch you…and to know someone else got to be with you…” His hand wrapped tightly around his steering wheel as he scoffed. 

“If I thought for one second you didn’t want this, I never would have done it…” He brought you to face him, hand to your cheek but fingers at rest within your hair. “But I’m too invested now…All I can think about is being with you…inside of you…” His eyes fell to your mouth as it would part in anticipation. 

“Rafe-”

“For once…what do YOU want…”

“We can’t-” He pulled you tighter, making you gasp. 

“What. Do. You-” Before he could speak, you had your lips against him. You’d craved him to such a degree that it was an obsession. Everything about him from the sweetness he broadcast solely to you to the way he would rival this and kiss you with such carnality. 

“Come here…” He groaned, unbuckling your belt and pulling you over his lap. 

“Rafe-” He silenced you with another kiss, this one purely desperate as his tongue coaxed your mouth wider, to which you’d obliged. Once he was certain he had convinced you by his actions alone, his fingers came to the hem of your shirt, removing it swiftly, before making the bitter chill of your new skin warm by his hands and his lips. For this, he was thorough and slow, his hands working the back of your bra’s clasp as you set your hand on his chest. 

“I won’t let anyone see you…” He promised as you looked in either direction of the windows surrounding you. 

“I can’t, Rafe…” He let out a deep breath, “Not when I know in a few hours, you’re gonna be with her.”

“But I haven’t been. I haven’t even kissed her…Not when I have you…YOUR lips…” he would kiss them, “YOUR skin…” He traced what was exposed with his fingers, “YOU.”

“Please, I don’t want to complicate-” He rolled his eyes before pulling the button of your shorts free until his hand slid inside, a finger immediately inside of you as he used the arm wrapped around your waist to guide you to ride a second finger now set inside. 

“If you don’t want this, why the fuck are you taking it so well, huh?” When you didn’t answer, he would curve his fingers. “Hmmm?!”

“Please, Rafe…”

“Please? Stop?” You whined. 

“Or come? Huh? Gonna use your big girl words? Cause I’m not in the mood for charades-”

“Please…I want…” The arm from your waist now came to your neck.

“Tell me. I’ll give you anything you want…You just have to ask…” You searched his eyes for a second as you knew he meant it. But the thing you truly wanted wasn’t possible. THIS shouldn’t have been possible. But with the way he touched you, the way he made you feel at peace with your guilt, it was dangerous. Because it was consuming and intoxicating, liberating even. And it was all you wanted. 

“You.” His eyes narrowed for just a second as he licked his lips before that grip tightened. 

“I don’t want to taint you with that…You’re too good-” You shook your head. 

“The things I want aren’t, Rafe…”

“Tell me.” He ordered. “Tell me what you think makes you so depraved…I’m sure I can wage a war against it with my own-”

“I want you to never stop touching me…” He smirked. “It’s all I can think about. And I want you to do it when she’s in the next room…at those weekly family dinners…texting and calling me when you can’t be there, reminding me of this-” You fished his shirt as he deepened the fingers inside of you. 

“I want you to fuck me and never touch her again…” He moved faster. “And I want you to be only mine…”

“Consider it done.” He lifted you just high enough to unbuckle himself, before you were sunk onto him, your expression of pleasure making him react in amusement. 

“THIS is what matters. THIS right fucking here. THIS feeling. You and me-”

“Rafe-” You moaned. 

“You’re my girl…Say it…Say you’re mine.” He demanded, that cruel hand form your necknow moving to your hair before you would hesitate, drawing your own hands to his chest and forcing him as far back in the seat as its stationary rest would allow. 

“Not until you do.” His face twisted with approval, lips curved to a grin and eyes darkening further in lust. 

“Yours.” He growled as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Now you. Tell me what I wanna hear…”

“I want you to touch only me. To only fuck me, Rafe-”

“Say that again-”

“Fuck me, Rafe-” He growled. 

“Nothing feels like this…I swear to God, nothing feels like you…” You nodded. “You can have anything-everything you want…I’ll make it happen…” You smiled before your head would fall back with gravity. “But for right now, just take it…fucking take me like I know you can…”

“Rafe…” You groaned. 

“Get in the back. I want that ass…” You smirked, but only in the mischief of disobeying him for your own benefit, only turning around and setting him back inside of you. Although the space was compressed, his claustrophobic grip was freeing in its own right to make you feel as if you were spacious enough for control. 

“FUCK-” He grunted, a hand to the back of your neck sending your eyes into a roll before you smirked before feeling his finger find your clit through the slickness made by his effect on you. 

“How am I supposed to explain this seat?” You turned back to face him. 

“Seems like a ‘you’ problem-”

He blew out a breath of disbelief before taking that hand around your neck. 

“You’re so fucking perfect, I wanna come the second I’m inside you-”

“Yes! God, please,Rafe!”

“You want me to come?Hmm?”

“YES!” You groaned, whining more than moaning as he basked in it. 

“Then make me. I know you can…I know you can, hard, too…So do it…come on…” He endorsed as you used the dashboard in front of you for stability as he wrapped his hands over your breasts. 

“Shit! Keep clenching like that, and I’m gonna make you squirt so fucking hard this seat will be the least of either of our worries-”

“YES! PLEASE!” 

“Yeah? Then make me come…make me come so I can focus on you…” He breathed quickly, his release imminent and at its edge as you would be rooted in place as he worked those final thrusts into you. But as you would feel him expel into you, the familiar warmth offering that peace you had missed for weeks, you weren’t able to move as his hand at your shoulder kept you in place. 

“Rafe-” As you tried to speak for what sounded like objection or even guilt, he would force you against him until his chest was flush with your back and his hand to your neck kept you there. Meanwhile, his second hand made that descent to your clit. 

“I want you to stain this seat…I want to have you with me wherever I go…I want to remember my good girl like this…so you’re gonna come and you’re gonna come hard for me because that’s what a good girl does. And MY good girl is gonna squirt all over me-”

“Rafe!”

“You feel it?”

“YES!”

“Then do it…give me what I want-make me happy, make me proud.”

“Rafe, I’m gonna-I’m gonna come! I’m coming!” The spurts of your release coating the front of the car would prompt him to growl into you, his hand tightening around your neck in approval, as he would continue. 

“Rafe-”

“Again! AGAIN!” Your body was battered in the best way as he would drive that second release to your edge. 

“FUCK!”

“Yeah? That good?”

“SO GOOD!” You belted. 

“Good…Because this has to hold me over until next time…” You paused as he quickened his fingers. “Because next time, you deserve better than to be fucked in some car-”

“Rafe-”

“Don’t you say it…Just come-just come for me.”

“Oh God…”

“You worship HIM or ME?”

“Yo-YOU!”

“Then you say MY name.”

You nodded, obeying in repetitious moans and groans made behind his name, before you were granted that countless orgasm brought forward by gracious overstimulation. He would assist you into the passenger side of the car, watching you try and compose your trembling legs, as he smirked. 

“Rafe-” As you tried to convince him that this had to end or at least harbor some form of proper discussion, you were silenced by a hand to your jaw and a collision of his lips to yours. 

“THIS is all that matters. We’re too deep in it now…And now since I know what you want…I’m gonna give it to you anytime you want it. Even if it is calling me when I can’t be there…beneath the table at the weekly family dinners…or when she’s next door…You know why?”

You nodded. 

“Because I’m yours.” He agreed with a bob of his head.

“And I’m yours.” 

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae  @belcalis9503

[waterfallofspace]

And Revenge Comes In More.

(Sequel to ‘Entertainment Comes In Many Forms’) 

The one in which G/ojo learns that N/anami is a lot more revenge driven then he had planned on. And enjoys every second of it~. Feat. Allergic/Induced G/ojo and snz!fucker slightly sadistic N/anami. Also known as: G/ojo tormented N/anami with his cold, so now N/anami is gonna torment him with some allergens. Technically this is a ‘sequel’ to my previous fic, but you don’t have to read that one to understand this! Mostly just context on why N/anami wants revenge. But the sneeze fun can be appreciated with or without reading it! (at least I hope haha~~) Also, I’m not the most comfortable (skill or knowledge wise) in writing deeply smutty things yet, so this miiiight be a bit of a tease as I didn’t write any actual full on stuff happening, so consider this a warning for that I guess!! I might do a third of this little series at some point where it goes all the way, but I have no plans just yet, still not sure of that kind of writing style for myself!  Aaaaaaand yes, this is another fic, I have a problem, but I guess worst case no one sees it and I got to have fun writing something I enjoy, so hey, hope y’all don’t mind!! J/JK brainrot is just real and I can’t… I can’t get this out of my head…. hahaha~~ To anyone who bothers to read this, thank you! And I hope you enjoy~~ ((References to swearing, and snz!fucker play (slightly-over-the-borderline smut), in case anyone doesn’t like those))  Characters: G/ojo, N/anami, and N/anami’s sadistic side mixing with a snz!kink.  Word count: 3.2k

~~~~~~~ Gojo knows from the second he walks into the apartment, he’s in deeper trouble than he’d thought. See, about two weeks ago he’d tormented teased his dear boyfriend Nanami with a cold he’d caught. Nanami had told him about a certain… interest… of his. Namely, sneezing. And see, Gojo had a cold… so how could he not use this to his advantage? However, this was…. during a meeting… and Nanami, ever the stickler for things like “privacy” and “decency” was not the biggest fan of this little encounter. ‘Much as he may have enjoyed himself once we were alone’. Because of this, a week ago (after recovering from his illness) Gojo had offered a bit of retribution. His deal was an inducing session. No holds barred, anything goes, Nanami gets to induce him in any way he desires for the whole night, and… whatever that may lead to… will come with the territory. Gojo had assumed that Nanami would get a bit of sneezy fun, and then they’d move on. What Gojo hadn’t planned on was Nanami asking for a week to ‘prepare’. Hence, when he walks into the apartment and sees the tray of items sitting on their coffee table, draped in a sheet, he starts to realize that maybe he’s signed up for more than he bargained for. But upon seeing the look in Nanami’s eyes as he gestures for Gojo to sit on the couch, Gojo decides that he’s completely down for whatever may follow.  “Blindfold off.” Gojo smirks, this was one part he did see coming, especially since the only light currently on in the apartment was in the hallway. Nanami is well aware of how photic Gojo is. ‘Wasn’t even aware that sneezing from bright lights was called photic until I met him.’ he muses to himself, delicately removing the blindfold, and placing it in Nanami’s outstretched hand. Sure enough, the hall light is nowhere near bright enough to invoke a reaction. “Whenever you’re ready, Nanami dear.” Smug grin on his face, Gojo leans back, one leg crosses over the other, the picture of relaxation. All of this changes the second a smirk forms on Nanami’s face. ‘Well that look is deeply unsettling’ Gojo thinks, allowing his confidence to slip just a little. Nanami reaches under the sheet, careful to keep the rest hidden, and pulls out his first object, taking a seat on a chair next to the couch. “A flashlight? Starting pretty basic, aren’t we Nanami? If I’m honest, I expected more from you. With a week to prepare, bright light is what you came up with?” It’s a bluff and they both know it, Gojo’s well aware that bright light is only what they’re starting with, and that Nanami must be saving the best for last. “Close your eyes. You open them when I tell you to.” “Oh~ Bossy, aren’t we~? Power gone to your head, Nanami?”  Despite this, Gojo does as he’s told. While obedience isn’t something he’s known for, he did offer compliance, ‘though I never specified it would come without teasing~’ he allows, making sure to paint another shit-eating grin on his face. Gojo doesn’t need to see Nanami to know his eyes are glued to him, he can feel the lustful gaze burning into his skin. “Open your eyes now.” Gojo complies once more, surprise flooding his face as he feels something soft brush the tip of his nose. He barely has time to get his wrist in front of his nose before the sneezes burst out. “hept’ISHH’shiew-! ihh’kTSH’ue-! hAH’ASHH’iew-! hh’KTishhh’yuu-!”  Sniffling pathetically against his wrist, Gojo manages to lock his eyes onto the feather Nanami is twirling in his fingers, the flashlight sitting on the tray once more. Nanami meets his eyes, a mischief evident in them, suggesting this was always his plan. “Well well well, bit of a trickster today, I see. Proud of ourselves, aren’t we?”  “Bless you.” “Why thank you. Still polite as ever. Some things never change. Shall I expect blessings all night, then?” “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” Gojo lets the smirk work its way over his face once more, lowering his wrist with one last snfff- not quite wet yet, but if this first fit was anything to go by, they were certainly going to get there.  “Feathers. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff. I do have quite the sensitive nose, but I’m not allergic, they’ll tickle just as much as anything soft would.” Nanami grins, a hand brushing his hair back. A gesture that to most, would seem quite common. But Gojo is not most. He recognizes the action for what it is; an act of pride in himself and his methods. A hint of worry seeps back into Gojo’s mind, ‘Just a feather alone wouldn’t bring this kind of confidence. Not to someone like Nanami. He wouldn’t feel this satisfied with just a mild sensitivity reaction.’  Sniffling again, Gojo notices, quite suddenly, that the tickle is still there. A slight buzzing at the back of his nose. ‘No, this is more than just a sensitivity, otherwise it would have stopped once I finished sneezing.’ “hhAH! Ahhh… What diihhhd… you do to it?” “You see,” Nanami starts, letting himself slip off the chair, and slide onto the couch next to Gojo. “It’s not just a feather. It’s a feather from our feather duster. And, well, it just so happens I had a bit of cleaning to do earlier.” “Hehhh…. ehh! hIH’kTSH’oo-! KISHH-ishh’oo-! hahh’DTSH’yuu-!  I should have gueehhh… g- guessssed- hehh…. hEH’DT-! guhhh… lost it.”  “Bless you.” “I cahhhn’t… Nanami… I… hehh… hIH! gotta… g-hahh gotta sneeze…!”  Gojo’s eyes are fluttering shut, a single tear running down his cheek as he hitches wildly, head tilting back. Nanami smirks, letting Gojo’s hand grab his and pull the feather up to his face. They both pause as he leaves it just out of reach of his nose, well aware of the unstated rule. ‘This is your turn, so unless you allow me, I can’t do it myself.’  Thankfully for Gojo, this is only act one of the revenge, and the torture isn’t meant to start just yet. Nanami moves the feather back to Gojo’s nose, gently tracing around one nostril, then the other, the light touch more than enough to send him over the edge. “Th- thankyou- hEH! hH’ESHH’oo-! hept’kiSHH’ieww-! mMMpfsshh’oo-!”  “Bless you.”  Just as he goes to open his eyes, Gojo finds himself squinting in the light, ducking back into his hands with another fit, this time the softer, ticklish type that he gets from photic fits. “ishh-! tishh’oo-! hh’ishh’shiew-! pshh’oo-! kshhh’iew-! hept’ktshh’ooo-! hEP’shhh-! Nngt-! hh’dNGt-! Nxxgt-!”  Fingers lightly pinch his nose as Gojo stifles the last few, a hint of mischief in his voice as he manages to stop the onslaught. Nanami leans back from where he had hit the light switch, a smirk dancing on his face, mischief matching Gojo’s in his own eyes. ‘God, he looks good like this.’ “I’ll admit, you got me with that one. Wasn’t expecting it in the slightest.” “That was the idea, yes. Bless you again, but don’t think you won’t pay for those stifles.” “Oh~?”  There’s a light sing-song tone in Gojo’s voice as he lets his eyes trace down Nanami’s body. The tremble in his knees doesn’t go unnoticed, and neither does the hunger in his eyes when Gojo’s beautiful, albeit watery, blues meet them once more. Try as he might, Nanami was never able to hide his true intentions from Gojo. He’s always been able to read him like a book. ‘He’s holding out much better than I had thought, but there’s a slight shiver in his voice whenever he speaks. Guess even the most proper of us can’t hide every physical reaction.’  Nanami reaches over and wipes away a stray tear that had broken free from the ocean in Gojo’s eyes, ‘photic tickles do always come with watery eyes’ getting a warm smile in return. As much as he hates to admit it, Nanami was always captivated by the shimmering blue orbs, and the beauty that the glistening wetness brought to them was almost inhumane. Gojo uncrosses his legs, allowing them to slip further onto the couch as he lays back, giving Nanami the perfect position to slide in on top of him, hovering just above his hips, perched on his knees. Now angled over him, Nanami also has the perfect position to further torment Gojo’s nose. Reaching back under the sheet, Nanami pulls it off entirely, the smirk reforming once more as Gojo’s eyes go wide. A single flower of lavender sits on the tray, under a glass bowl. Gojo twitches even just looking at it, a knuckle raising to rub at his already itchy nose. As if just the sight of the blossom was enough to light the fire burning in his sinuses. “I know I said anything you want, but I wasn’t expecti-” “What, you thought I wasn’t going to use one of your most desperate allergens? I’m not a novice at this, Gojo.” “My sincerest apologies, Nanami. You’re qu- heH! quite right, I shouldn’t have underestimated you. Now are wehhehh… gonna get on with it?”  Simply lifting the bowl off it had spread the scent throughout the living room, Gojo’s nose responding in kind. A light snfff- escapes, a mistake, if the way his eyes flutter is any indication. Nanami lifts the blossom gently, Gojo leaning back until his head was on the pillow at the end of the couch, hands tucked at his sides, already bracing against the tickle he knew was coming. Kneeling over him, Nanami allows his hips to gently brush Gojo’s, not missing the gasp in his breath, or the lust filling his eyes. “hihh’KTSH’oo-! hePT’shiew-! nnGXt-!”  “Bless you. Stifling without your hands, impressive, but doesn’t earn you any points today.” “Worth a shot~. Are you plahhhhning to start the inducing any time s- hehhh! soon? My nose is alreahhhhhdy starting to ti… to tiihhhhckle! hEH’ISHH’yuu-! hH’MMFSH’oo-! dnXT’shoo-!”  There’s no response from Nanami, ‘Unless you count the way his whole body is practically trembling~. Or the chewing on his lip, ya know, I’m not even sure he realizes he’s doing that!’ but one isn’t needed. Instead, Nanami starts tracing the lavender around the base of Gojo’s chin, dragging it up his jawline, right up to the bridge of his nose. Gojo, for his part, starts hitching the second it touches his skin, as if the pollen is soaking through into his nose via osmosis. His eyes snap shut, the tickle swelling-  “Hehh… ahh! Ehhh… hihh-hEH! hEPT-” Just to have it crushed by Nanami’s firm grasp on his nose, pinching it shut. Gojo lets out a whine, nose practically trembling beneath the grasp. They pause like that for a second, Gojo managing to pry his eyes open long enough to see the desperate arousal painted clearly over Nanami’s face, before they crash shut again with another wave of hitching. Finally, the tickle dies down, and Gojo’s breathing evens out. “I thought the point was to make me sneeze, not stop me from sneezing?” “That is certainly a part of it, yes. But you were cruel, doing… that… in public, in a meeting no less, so this? This is going to be just as cruel.” “I never knew you had such a sadistic side, dear. I have to admit-” Gojo pauses, letting his eyes meet Nanami’s, lust burning through his own just as fierce as his boyfriends. “-It looks stunning on you.” Their mouths meet, Nanami gently biting Gojo’s lower lip, eliciting a moan in response, before it turns into a shaky inhale. Taking this cue, Nanami continues running the lavender down Gojo’s nose, right around the edge, tracing each pink and twitchy nostril. “hAHhh- I… I have…. I’mgonna… hehh!”  This time, instead of stopping the sneezes, Nanami lets the lavender rest just under Gojo’s nose, the blossoms gently touching the tip, before letting it slide all the way in. The reaction is instant, and he’s careful to keep the blossom in during the fit, prompting Gojo’s hands to grab Nanami’s hips to brace himself. “ISHH’oo-! hehh’TISHH’ooo-! hEPT’DTSHH’yuu-! eHKSHH’shiew-! nN’GSHH’uee-! hAHH… hehh! neH’KTSHU’yuu-! haAH’GNSHH’oo-!” Gojo manages to meet Nanami’s eyes through his watery gaze, noticing the way Nanami’s legs tremble, hips pressing against his, a moan forming in his own throat as one breaks free from the other man. Deciding to try to put on a bit of a show, Gojo attempts to speak through them, a slight flush filling Nanami’s face at the attempt. In response, Nanami’s hands twitch, moving the lavender still inside Gojo’s nose around, relighting the tickle with a passion. “Oh god Nanahhhmihhh- mM’PSHH’oo-! hEH’MFFSSHH’yuu-! It ti- ticklessobad… nnH’ZSHH’oo-! ZESHH’shiew-! I can’t stop… Ijustgotta- hePT’KESHH’yuu-!  hhAH’ASHH’ieww-!” Tears are fully running down his face by the end, his eyes watering so much he can barely see. Nanami gently places his lips on Gojo’s forehead, pulling the (now soaked) lavender out as the sneezing finally starts to taper off. He softly wipes the tears away, meeting Gojo’s bleary look with a deeply lustful one of his own. “Yo- heH’ISHH’shiew-! Ishh’oo-tishh’oo-! You see- hiHH! holdonnotdone…. hAH’ESHH’yuu-! ‘Scuse me! You seem to be enjoying the show.” There’s a teasing tone in his voice, but the soft blush settling over his cheeks has nothing to do with arousal. Instead, it blooms in response to the soft touch Nanami’s hands are giving him, brushing his hair out of his eyes, wiping the tears from his cheeks. A softness that Nanami is always capable of, but only Gojo ever truly gets to see. The blush spreading across Nanami, however, has everything to do with arousal. A feeling that it seems, he’s reached his limit on containing. Letting his hips fully rest against Gojo’s, he leans in, teeth meeting Gojo’s ear. Their breath catches at the same time, Nanami’s releasing in a moan against the flushed skin of Gojo’s neck, while Gojo releases his in the form of- “hH’hEPTShhh’ooo-! nGT-! hh’DTSH-! kNXT’shoo-! Ohgod- ashh’oo-! tishh’oo-ishh’iew-hAH’ZSHH’yuu-! Hehh…!” “B-bless you.” Nanami offers in the pause, he can only keep the whimper out of his voice for so long it seems. ‘It’s honestly impressive he held out this long’. In the pause, Nanami leans back up, mischief flooding his eyes as he waits for Gojo to start hitching in earnest, then pinches his nose shut right as the fit starts again. A desperate look is all Gojo can get in before the tickle takes over completely. “Nahhhnami whatareyou- nNGT-! DNNT-! GNXXT-! P- please I haahhhh-! hH’nGXT-! Knntt’shoo-! ehh’DXGT’shoo-! Nanami it- hAH’gehDNTT’shoo-! It’s just gonna- heH’XGT-! DTNNGT-! Nxxgt’shoo-! Gonna keep going if you don’t let me…. Letme…. Ihaveto… heH! hh’NXGT’shoo-!” Despite the pleading, and the desperately itchy look Gojo’s face has twisted itself into, they both know that if he actually wanted to, he could easily pry Nanami’s fingers off. However, Gojo keeps his hands pinned under his legs, not even attempting to raise them.  “Bless you. Use your words, Gojo. You’ve certainly never had a problem using them before.” “hEH! Nanami I have- ohgodnotagain hH’NXGT-! dgxnnt’shoo-! ktnXGT’shoo-! I have to sneeze-! nN’GTkk’shoo-!” “Bless you love. You seem to be doing just that. What is it exactly you’re asking for?” Gojo lets his mouth hang slightly open, though at this point, it’s not exactly a choice, he’s still human after all, he needs air. But the way he lets his tongue brush against his lips is entirely for the show. “Please let me release the sneehhh-! Sneezes.”  “Clear and concise. See, I knew you had it in you. You have permission.” With that, Nanami removes his fingers, and waits- And waits…?  “hEH-! Ahhh… hihhIH…. hEPT-!guhhhh…. Hehhh…”  Nanami feels his mouth run dry as Gojo’s breath catches, over and over, his pink nose twitching, not unlike a bunny. “nAhnami- god it… it tickles so… I can’t…. I just… hehh-! hAH! Guhhh… hehhh…huH-! HEPT-! Fucking hell… I just…”  Normally he’d receive a punishment for the swearing, but given the current situation, Nanami is feeling forgiving. Gojo’s entire body is starting to tremble with the desperation of his nose. Nanami bites his lip harder, body trembling for a whole different reason. Both of their eyes are glossed over, yet again, for different reasons. Running a hand through Gojo’s hair again, the moan coming from the blue-eyed-beauty only half from the tickle still tormenting him, Nanami leans forward once more, bringing his warm lips to Gojo’s flushed skin. His breath is hot on Gojo’s neck, his teeth sinking into the sensitive skin. A moan falls from Gojo’s mouth as Nanami lets his lips touch his ear. “Nahhnami… I… Ihaveto- hehh! to sneehhhh- sneeze-!” The response that creeps out from Nanami’s mouth is as much a moan as a command. “Beg me for it, Satoru.”  A playful smirk briefly flashes across Gojo’s face, before he lets his eyes flutter closed once more. He allows his breath to hitch for a minute, savouring the way Nanami’s hips grind against him, before forcing his voice back out, not even needing to exaggerate the whining tone. “P- pleaahhh… please… hehhh! hAHH!… please Kento, let me sneeze~! I… I need to so-heHH! so bad….” With that, Nanami leans in, letting their lips meet, hungry and trembling. Gojo gasps against the feeling, pulling back to suck in a deep breath, before pulling Nanami back into it with just as much hunger. They stay like that for a moment, caught in a battle of wills and tongues, before finally, Nanami lets his nose brush against Gojo’s. Shivers shoot down both of their spines, moans spilling out of them in harmony as Gojo rears his head back, having only enough time to duck his head into Nanami’s chest before the long-denied sneezes take their revenge. “Th-thankyou- hAH’heTscH’oo-! hH’ZSCHH’yuu-! Hehh… hah’ketCHH’ooo-! mMpSHH’oo-! nN’KTSHH’yuu-! hePT’ISHH’iew-! mMFFSHH’iew-! hAH’RASHH’uue-! Oh that one was looudd-heH’KSHH’ooo-!” With a brief break, Gojo gasps, letting some air fill his lungs again as the tickle fills his nose. Nanami reaches over to the table, grabbing a handful of tissues, and pressing them to Gojo’s nose as the next wave of sneezes overtakes him. “iSHh’oo-! heH’tiSH’oo-! ASHH’iew-! nN’hetCH’yuu-! mmSHH’oo-! MMPSHH’oo-! heH’mPFShh’iew-!”  “Bless you, Satoru. Blow, while you can.” Gojo does he’s told, letting a harsh blow out, pausing for a few sneezes to slip through- “hEH’ktSHH’oo-! ashh’ieww-! hH’ESHH’oo-!” “Bless you. Again.” He follows the command willingly yet again, knowing he couldn’t resist if he wanted to. After another blow, Nanami switches out the tissues for clean ones, gently cleaning up Gojo’s nose. The feather-light touch of his fingers through the tissues is enough to prompt another small fit from Gojo, which he catches, planting a light kiss on his forehead. “Ishh’oo-! Tishh’oo-! heH’ketshh’iew-! hAH’ashHH’iew-! ishh-tishh’oo-heH’ISHH’yuu-!” “Bless you, love.” “Thank you.” Nanami sits back, letting Gojo sit up fully. Both men are panting, a fierce hunger still burning in their eyes. Gojo lets his hand slide around Nanami’s hips, pulling him in for another deep kiss, this time he nibbles on Nanami’s lip, a light chuckle breaking the kiss at the way Nanami whimpers. “Shall we finish this in the bedroom, Nanami~?”  There’s no answer. There doesn’t need to be. The way he grips Gojo’s arm is answer enough, pulling him up off the couch. They both take a pause to breathe, before they start laughing like teenagers again, a contest to see who can get to the bedroom faster is initiated without words. They never did need words, they have something far deeper. Something that nothing on heaven or earth could ever take away from them. Something true to their very souls. 

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Twin Suns"

In which the end of the Malachor arc is profoundly beautiful.

First off, obligatory live reaction version from 2017.

Second, I would be remiss if I did not link back to this close read of "Twin Suns" (by greenreticule here on Tumblr), from which I draw quite a bit of my own analysis and opinions about the themes and messages of the episode. Check it out sometime, there's ten parts (technically eleven but the last post in the series is more of a memoir/personal reflection by the author and therefore not as relevant to our meta purposes) and it is a loooooong read but worth it, in my opinion. I don't always agree with every single point of the analysis (the stuff about the Sequel Trilogy, for example) but there's a lot of things that resonate and that I incorporate into my own interpretation of the episode so I figured I'd mention the source.

Onwards!

Rather appropriately we open on a shot of the titular twin suns themselves.

The next series of shots are stark and empty, nothing but the vast white desert, emphasizing the loneliness and isolation of both Tatooine itself, and Maul in particular.

And he is not, ah... taking Ezra's rejection or the long wanderings out in the desert well. To say the least.

From this first opening monologue we can already tell that Maul is fraying. He spent ten years in the depths of madness and it seems like he's descending into madness once again. Even his clothing reflects this, sandblasted and torn, a ragged hood recalling the one he wore at the beginning of Malachor as he feigned being weak and decrepit, and uneven wrappings circling his arms, asymmetrically.

His mood swings from "Visions and Voices" are more pronounced, one moment warbling pitifully about being lost, about being so close to his target, the next shrieking Obi-Wan's name skyward like an obscenity.

Obi-Wan has managed to elude him all this time since Dathomir, and Maul is beginning to get desperate.

RIGHT, SO THIS IS THE PART WHERE I GET BACK INTO MY BLUBBERING KENOBI SHOW FEELINGS BECAUSE "JEDI CANNOT HELP WHAT THEY ARE. THEIR COMPASSION LEAVES A TRAIL. THE JEDI CODE IS LIKE AN ITCH. [THEY] CANNOT HELP IT." AND SOB FOREVER ABOUT HOW WHOEVER IT WAS ON THE WRITING TEAM THAT CAME UP WITH THAT RAW-ASS LINE, THEY UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT.

So not only is this a callback to the previous times Maul lured Obi-Wan out to him in TCW, this now also a call-forward to Kenobi and I just want y'all to appreciate for a moment that Maul is using the exact same tactic on two different Jedi, simultaneously.

Maul is luring Ezra and taking advantage of Ezra's compassion, hero complex, guilt complex, and sense of hyper-responsibility, in order to then exploit Obi-Wan's compassion and protector-guardian streak, so that he can kill Obi-Wan when Obi-Wan comes to Ezra's rescue.

Because that's what Jedi do, that's what Jedi are, the Jedi Code is like an itch they cannot help it--frick man, I'm already emotional and we're not even two minutes in.

A general overview of the music this episode, and I'll comment on specific cues as they happen, but I mostly want to point out the frequent lack of music, actually. This episode is very stripped down in terms of theme and instrumentation and there are long stretches of utter silence, to help us absorb the atmosphere. It's very effective in making Tatooine feel utterly desolate, like we're alone on this journey with the characters.

This episode had originally been very ambitious, we've been told from behind-the-scenes commentary, longer, more complex, a lot more plot points, but as it was coming together they very wisely pared it way down to the barebone tacks, cutting out all the excesses and stripping things down to a simple character journey narrative, making the resulting story that much more profound and intimate.

(Plus the saved budget allowed us to get some absolutely gorgeous animation and new pajamas for Ezra. XD)

He looks so comfy in them.

This sequence is heavily styled after the cold open in "Legacy", camera movement and shot choice almost exactly matching. This is not a coincidence, as the basic premise of both episodes is the same: Ezra receives a vision through the Force, and it moves him to action.

Unlike in "Legacy", however, when the Force itself was moving to comfort Ezra and connect him to the voices and images of his parents one last time before their death, this vision is artificially constructed, sent to him by Maul--like the ones in "Visions and Voices"--to deliberately manipulate him, pull him away from his support network, make him act out of fear.

A false Call To Action, in an artificial Hero's Journey narrative that Maul has constructed for Ezra to follow. (More on that later.)

Side note, completely unrelated to all this meta, but an observation I just want to point out: It's the middle of the night and Kanan is not in his room on the Ghost. Where exactly was he eh? Perhaps a certain Twi'lek pilot's room? *eyebrow waggle*

Anyway, after Ezra's Weird Force Tele-Distance Holocron Call we move to a scene that is a bit heavy in the exposition department, by virtue of it having to hold the burden of the extra plotlines they pared down. It's maybe not quite as effective as it could have been but it serves its purpose: It establishes that they identified the "desert planet with two suns" as Tatooine sometime offscreen, and that they asked about Obi-Wan and Bail Organa lied through his teeth about the man being dead. So therefore they must have decided to give the matter up, and let Maul chase ghosts in the Tatooine sands.

Rex being clearly distraught at Obi-Wan's assumed death. :(

Kanan also reminds Ezra that the last visions he got from and about Maul were a trick designed to manipulate him.

Ezra's insistent though, as he always tends to be whenever the notion of being able to obtain "the key to destroying the Sith" pops up. So Hera takes him aside for a moment.

Her face and how often she touches Ezra's arms and shoulders in this scene hurts. :( And the strain in her voice when she asserts that if Obi-Wan were alive he wouldn't be hiding in the desert, he'd be helping them, Hera understands Jedi nature too, she just hasn't gotten the full picture, doesn't know the reason why Obi-Wan is doing... well... exactly that.

This is where the story beat parallels to "Legacy" end, because this time, Ezra does not receive Hera's blessing to go. Instead she reminds him, rather sternly, that he is supposed to be there with them, planning the attack on Lothal, she needs him and his focus here.

Recall Yoda's line about Luke: "Never his mind on where he was. What he was doing." Since all the way back in Season Two, when his mere presence started to become a danger to the safety of his friends, Ezra has been growing more and more obsessed with finding a way to kill the Sith, whenever Maul turns up more distracted. It ties straight back into his motivation for becoming a Jedi in the first place that he told Yoda in "Path of the Jedi".

"I just want to protect myself and my friends. And not just them, everyone. I'll protect everyone."

Ezra has an abundance of that natural Jedi urge to protect (planted by his parents, nurtured by Hera), the itch inside him intermingles with his clingyness and attachment to his Ghost family in particular. When everything went wrong on Malachor he internalized that failure severely, and his natural Jedi compulsions went overdrive into a crippling sense of hyper-responsibility, magnified by his guilt and leading him down the same path Anakin walked--seeking more power, from dubious and deceitful sources, in order to prevent another personal tragedy from happening to him again.

His desire to protect got twisted into attachment, into a clingy possessiveness, into a fear of more potential loss. In this way his flirtations with the Dark Side mirrored Anakin's, though ultimately Ezra never went far enough that he wasn't able to come back, the disaster at Reklam and his reconciliation with Kanan enough of a kick in the head from the Force for him to be all, "NOPE, I REGRET EVERYTHING, I'M NOT DOING THAT AGAIN."

But even though Ezra came to his senses and rejected the Dark Side, he was still not on the right path. The aftereffects of Malachor remained and he kept letting that Sisyphean unattainable goal of defeating the Sith--himself, personally, or else personally enabling it to happen--pull him away. Kept letting it move him out of place in the narrative.

He was supposed to be here, Hera needed him here. "You're in the wrong place, Ezra Bridger," Obi-Wan tells him gently, later. Ezra lets Maul, lets his obsession with destroying the Sith, yank him out of order in the cosmic destiny of things.

The Force has a place for him. But it is here and not there.

But he kind of has to go on this perilous journey for it to finally kick in.

(One of the scenes I do kind of wish they had kept from the original extended plot is the one where Hera and Kanan and Zeb all kind of commiserate about how "the kids", meaning Ezra and Sabine, are growing up and leaving home, and how they have to let them go, even if they might make bad choices, really playing into that whole parental angle and explaining why they didn't immediately rush off after Ezra.)

Despite Ezra's half-hearted assurance to Hera, it's clear he has no intention of obeying her order to stay put. His sense of impulsive hyper-responsibility is too strong, he's following the same instincts that led him to obsess over and misinterpret his other two major Force visions.

So he swipes a training A-wing.

He's such a little shit I love him. <3

This is the point of no return and Ezra is unwittingly drawn into Maul's trap, which mimics the beats of a classic Campbell Hero's Journey.

Joseph Campbell, for reference, is a writer and philosopher who purported the idea of the monomyth, that in all stories and all mythologies across cultures there are similar patterns and cycles. His Hero's Journey is often styled as a closed circle ("It ends where it began."), with a dividing line between the Known and Unknown worlds and various stops and characters and plot elements mentioned along the sides. The Hero's Journey monomyth, incidentally, was one of George Lucas's major inspirations for writing Star Wars, wanting to create one such classic mythological narrative.

So we have all the elements in place here. We have the Call To Adventure (the distorted holocron message). We have the Refusal Of The Call (Hera ordering Ezra to stay and him initially not fighting her). We have the Supernatural Aid (the pieces of the holocron that function as some kind of magic compass). We've outmaneuvered the Threshold Guardian and crossed over into the Unknown (Ezra swiping the A-wing from under the technician's nose). Along the way we'll pick up the Ally or Helper (it's revealed Chopper snuck along and went with him). And we will be facing Trials, Tests, and Tribulations (everything from the initial Tusken attack to braving the harsh elements of Tatooine's unforgiving sand and heat).

...But it's all wrong.

See, Ezra has already answered the Call to his own Hero's Journey, the one that started for him all the way back in the pilot, when he returned Kanan's lightsaber and crossed the Threshold into the Unknown world of being a Rebel and a Jedi Padawan. This falsely constructed cycle Maul has drawn him into is not his narrative. It was never intended to bring him enlightenment, never intended to complete, only to be used to further Maul's selfish ends.

That Ezra manages to find enlightenment and complete the cycle anyway is something that happens in spite of Maul, and not because of him, and takes some severe course-correcting from Obi-Wan. Over and over this episode we'll hear this idea repeated, that this was not where Ezra was supposed to be in the story, it's not his job or responsibility to deal with Maul, he is where "[he] should never have been".

We'll table that for now and come back to it, have a moment to enjoy some pretty caps.

Thus far, music-wise, we've had a couple ominous cues, and a bouncy jaunt full of Rebellion flutes and brass as Ezra made his escape, in between a couple of the aforementioned long bouts of silence. There's a bubbly little bit when Chopper is discovered. (And I can't even tell you how much I love the touch with Ezra startling so bad he smacks the A-wing cockpit window and bumps the steering column so that the ship swerves out of place--PART OF THE METAPHOR MUCH?) Soft vocals filter in as Ezra consults the holocron shards, holding in long, mystical notes. A lone viola sounds, mournfully. Higher strings sound with spiritual reverence as Ezra gets out of the A-wing, as if to suggest his goal, his enlightenment, is just up ahead.

Then, darker notes like a pulsing heartbeat. The voices go discordant.

Then the Tuskens attack and hell breaks loose.

One of the underlying threads this episode is Ezra and Chopper's devotion and loyalty to each other so I really like how, even though Ezra told him to find cover, Chopper doesn't and charges in to get a Tusken off Ezra instead. Ezra in turn shields him with his own body when the Tuskens score hits that make the A-wing explode.

And that's Ezra's, "I'm in so much trouble." look lol.

Maul, meanwhile, decides to go ahead and murder all the Tuskens and I would not fault you for thinking back to another lightsaber-fueled Tusken massacre.

In fact, probably any parallel or allusion you think of during this episode is in all likelihood deliberate. Frankly I'd argue that this is one of the most important episodes of the show, with how integral it is to Ezra's character arc.

Which is why it was so annoying and asinine that people complained that Ezra took up most of the episode's focus and whined that it should have been only about Maul. Hello, do you understand the concept of a protagonist?!

Speaking of allusions though, we get some lovely call backs to "Visions And Voices" with Maul once again letting Ezra hear him inside his head and catch fleeting glimpses of him, this time in order to lure him further out into the desert. Maul is still trying to keep him in the false cycle, tempting him away from escape.

And Ezra's sense of hyper-responsibility, of This is all my fault and I have to fix it, leads him right down Maul's preordained path.

"I have to help Master Kenobi, if I can." As if Obi-Wan needs any help dealing with Maul, ha ha.

Another moment of pure heartwarming loyalty from Chopper here, he has the opportunity to keep going along the path to safety, but begrudgingly chooses instead to stay with Ezra, through thick and thin.

Ezra once again returns the favor by refusing to leave his side when he runs out of power.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Ezra staggers, looking completely exhausted. Also the sandblasting in his hair and clothes kjhfkasjfha.

Taylor's acting here is heartbreaking, he makes Ezra sound SO lost and scared. :(((((((

Maul decides to rub things in a bit and oh hey some mirror dialogue here, eerily similar to a certain exchange in "Gathering Forces". :D

Grand Inquisitor: The Darkness is too strong for you, orphan. It'll swallow you up even now. Ezra: No. Grand Inquisitor: Your master will die. Ezra: No! Grand Inquisitor: Your friends will die, and everything you've hoped for will be lost. This is the way the story ends. Ezra: NO!

And in comparison:

Maul: He is dead... He is dead. Ezra: No... Maul: You led me to him. Ezra: No. Maul: You failed your friends. Ezra: No! Maul: You will DIE!" Ezra: NOOOO!

~It's like poetry, it rhymes.~

Also this is terrifying.

So I've legitimately teared up like... twice watching this show. This was one of the times. This moment right here where Obi-Wan's feet step softly into frame.

Yeah it got me.

Cut to... Night. A quiet campfire. Ezra comes to and things are suddenly put into perspective.

"You're in the wrong place, Ezra Bridger."

(The voice they got for Obi-Wan is perfect btw, sounds just like Alec Guinness.)

Obi-Wan explains gently that he is not "the key to defeating the Sith". He never was. Maul's desires muddied the holocron vision, he used Ezra to get his own answers and left Ezra with only partial answers. Because Obi-Wan is associated with the key to defeating the Sith but he's not the Chosen One.

And neither is Ezra.

He is a narrative "chosen one", a key player picked by the Force, imbued with purpose, but defeating Vader, killing the Emperor... that was never his task to take. After the loss he suffered in "Legacy" Ezra had been letting himself get obsessed with the idea that he could fix that problem--the problem of the Sith--himself.

But that is not his role in the story.

It is not yet sunrise (Luke and Leia). So the moon (Ezra) must endure.

"You win by killing an Inquisitor." "No, you win by surviving."

Ever since before Malachor, Ezra has been stepping outside his station, trying to do things he was never meant to do, instead of what he was supposed to do, which was to help the people in front of him, right now, do what good he can in the moment. (Something that he'd gain clarity on via a falling out with Saw in Season Four.)

"What you need, you already have."

Ezra lost sight of that in the grief over his parents, in his guilt over Malachor. He was never going to be the one to defeat the Sith. Yoda and Obi-Wan both knew the only ones who even stood a chance... would be Vader's children. Maybe Ahsoka. Perhaps that was even why Yoda advised going to Malachor, to test and see if Vader could be saved, or killed, by his former padawan. Someone who he might have had a strong enough attachment to that it would cloud his judgement. (Just as Obi-Wan's mere presence would drive Vader mad with irrational murderous rage and yet, paradoxically, a cloying need to have him back.)

"We asked for a chance to destroy the Sith... and we failed."

Vader has no connection to Ezra, therefore Ezra will not be the one to end him.

His task is to endure, keep the darkness back, and hold the line until the narrative chosen one who will do that task (Luke) is ready to take up the sword. This is not Ezra's role in the story. He has his own destiny, his own part to play in the Rebellion.

And he needs to return to it.

Obi-Wan closes the broken cycle for Ezra, rescuing him from The Ordeal or Abyss, and sending him back to the Known world with the Boon (his sage wisdom) irregardless of how false the path there to him was. Ezra is freed from the obligations, responsibilities, and burdens he wrongly took on himself... to return home, and rejoin his own Hero Cycle.

And then all that's left is to "mend this old wound". (Maul)

Maul has what he wanted, or so he thinks. His old enemy, his past, ready for the killing. His future and legacy, his apprentice, within reach for taking.

But things have changed. Obi-Wan is older, wiser, more serene and at peace with himself and with the Force, in spite of all he's suffered. He has grown from his failures, let go of the past, and found balance, while Maul has regressed, repeated the same mistakes, clung to the hurt and pain in his past and deteriorated, been sucked almost dry by the Dark Side.

And Obi-Wan pities him.

Maul is scalded by this, upset that after everything he's endured, Obi-Wan seems to have taken no ill effect. And it's not like Order 66 and Anakin's betrayal didn't hurt him (hell we have all of the Kenobi show to demonstrate otherwise) but that he's processed those emotions and feelings and traumas, and returned to a settled baseline. He is more a Jedi now than ever, and revenge is not the Jedi way.

And can I flail a little bit inarticulately for a moment about the dichotomy between Obi-Wan's "I had no intention of fighting him, though that seems inevitable now." and Thrawn's "It was not my intention to utterly destroy Lothal but that is inevitable now."?

So Maul digs for something to bait Obi-Wan with, touching about the reason he's there on Tatooine to begin with, discerning that there is someone that Obi-Wan is protecting. Notes of Sith vocals creep into the music here, a sequence that sounds like Maul's arrival on Tatooine from Phantom Menace ("It ends where it began.").

And with this implicit threat towards Luke, Obi-Wan ignites his saber.

SO much ink has been spilled about this duel. I was surprised at how short it was at first too, but it makes perfect thematic sense in hindsight. The way Obi-Wan slowly baits Maul, drawing Maul's mental frame of mind back to Naboo, because he knows that Maul is stuck in the past, constantly reliving that moment of triumph and defeat over and over again, fixated on it as the shatterpoint where things in his life first went wrong. He can't let it go. He can't move on. He has to keep going back to that moment over and over to make things "correct" and kill the one he pins the blame on for his pain. (But this will not fix him, even if he accomplishes it.)

An entire story is told solely through foot placement and stances. Maul moves through the stances he's used in duels with Obi-Wan before. Obi-Wan shifts through his classic New Hope lightsaber grip, to his iconic Soresu.

And then he switches to Ataru, to the same stance Qui-Gon used.

The music has been tense throughout, but now the Force Theme creeps in. There's a flare of recognition in Maul's eyes; He knows this, this is familiar.

So he lunges, using the same lightsaber trick that he used to kill Qui-Gon...

...except it doesn't work.

I love the look of quiet realization and acceptance in Maul's expression. It's just like, "......Oh."

Maul submits and falls in defeat, into his enemy's arms, yet another parallel to Phantom Menace, to the start of everything between these two men. And then he asks something heartbreaking: Is Obi-Wan protecting the Chosen One? The one who would defeat the Sith?

And because Obi-Wan no longer believes that Vader can be saved, he answers yes. (Amazing how well this scene fits with the later Kenobi show.)

With his dying breath, Maul finally recognizes his true enemy, accepts and forgives Obi-Wan as his brother, as a fellow victim of Palpatine, and declares with almost prophetic insight, "He... will avenge us."

Not take revenge, avenge. As Trilla Sundari would admonish Cal Kestis in the Jedi Fallen Order video game, Maul also asks for restitution and justice with his last words.

(I do kind of wish we got one brief reaction shot from Ezra as he sensed Maul passing, just for confirmation that he knows. It's inferred but still.)

Back with Ezra as he returns home with the Boon, and he's also claimed the prize of Maul's ship, the Mandalorian gauntlet. (Again, just the briefest scene of him finding it, that would have been nice.)

"I was wrong. This is where I'm supposed to be. You're my family. And we should go home."

Ezra has finally forgiven himself for Malachor, completed the arc he started in "Legacy" (or maybe even earlier), and returned to his proper place. His family accepts him back with the laying of hands like a benediction.

And meanwhile, just to wring your heart one last time, we return to Tatooine, to watch Obi-Wan watch over Luke from a distance, a scene drenched in OT nostalgia, from using the exact audio of Aunt Beru calling Luke to closing us out with Luke's Theme and Binary Sunset for the credits, reminding us that the shadow will not hold sway forever.

Eventually, the sun will rise. And a new hope will emerge.

Trust in the Force.

Man, there aren't enough words to tell you how much I love this episode. It's so beautiful and poetic and thematic. It's the lynchpin of Ezra's character development, he needed to be in this episode, to go on this journey. It's gorgeously animated and there are so many many layers of parallels and themes, motifs and archetypes, that tie into the monomyth in general and Star Wars in particular. I'm astonished how well it melds with later canon material (JFO and Kenobi), but I guess that just speaks to how true to the spirit and essence of Star Wars it is.

It's just beautiful.

[kny-agere]

hi! if requests are open can i request a little!giyuu and cg!misturi? Giyuu regressing after a hashira meeting and mitsuri caring for him?

no pressure ofc!

RAWR I LOVE GIYUU N MITSURI

maybe it’s bc I kin Giyuu and I want Mitsuri to be my cg or that I ship them lgjfyhfu but I love any excuse to write them interacting (*≧∀≦*)

★彡☆彡★彡

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?” Kyojuro has already asked several times. It’s on the verge of being annoying but Kanroji sees the caring underneath.

“Leave her alone.” Obani is a lot less gentle with his words. Though he too looks disappointed at her promised absence.

She can only offer an apologetic smile. “Sorry boys. Oh buy I’ll some dessert next time we go out though!” She would buy it either way, but the offer is nice.

Turning in the other direction she sprints off towards Tomioka. While they didn’t have preset plans, she was hoping they could make some now. He didn’t often like changing things last minute, but the man was weak willed when it came to Mitsuri.

He’s walking slow. It’s not hard to catch up. Even when her footsteps are audible he doesn’t look towards her.

“Giyuu-kun! How are you?”

He blinks at her question. “Fine.”

“Ah are you? You were so quiet at the meeting.”

“Sorry?” He’s usually quiet at the meetings, and in general. “…How are you?”

“I’m good! I just wanted to see you.” Mitsuri grabs his hand, pleased when he allows her to cling to him. Even now it’s not rare for him to pull away. “Are you going back to your estate?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re okay if I join you? I don’t have any other plans.” It’s technically true though she doesn’t disclose the ones she turned down.

He stiffens slightly. “What do you want?” Giyuu tries not too sound harsh but it’s debatable if he succeeds. The man can’t stand indirect language.

“You looked a little sad at the meeting, and Shinazugawa-san hit you!” She’s switched to using the wind hashira’s last name ever since the girl witnessed him antagonizing Giyuu.

“He does that usually.”

“Oh I know! Or I mean- I thought that was just how you guys were, but he says some really awful things sometimes.”

The man frowns.

“S-sorry. Are you ok?”

Unwilling to lie, but also not wanting to admit his feelings, he remains silent.

“Can I take care of you?”

That is something he can accept, even if it’s only with a small nod. “Once we get to my estate.” His voice has already grown softer.

“It’s not too far of walk right? Can I carry you?”

“I said once we get there.” Tomioka strikes a good balance between kindness and assertion this time. He can’t force himself to make eye contact still, pink cheeks denoting his true feelings.

“Ok!” For now Kanroji focuses on grasping his arm. She pushes right against his side to get closer to him. Though it’s likely they’ll spend the whole afternoon together she still enjoys taking advantage of their meetings.

Tomioka’s will is clearly crumbling. His pace varies, slowing down while he leans against Mitsuri until he snaps out of his stupor and pulls her along. His eyes start to get that spacey look where all he wants to do is cling to the woman. Every few seconds Mitsuri can sense the man glancing towards her.

“Giyuu-kun,” she singsongs, “Are we almost there?”

“Jus’ up th’ hill.”

Though he still rejects the offer to be carried the woman does have to drag him all the way to the door. Even once inside she has to direct him to the couch while Tomioka continues to slip deeper.

The man, with his some conscious still left, tries to sit beside Kanroji. She’s quick to interrupt him however and guide Giyuu into her lap. As his head nestles against her chest all the weight in his body sinks into her. He must’ve been more upset than he was letting on if he regressed this quickly.

“Yuu-chan!” Kanroji sweeps black bangs out of his eyes. “Are you hungry?” When she tries to peek at his face he only smashes it harder against her shoulder. After a bit of poking and shifting she still only catches a glimpse of one blue eye.

“C’mon sweet boy let me see how pretty you are.” Pulling back he simply follows the movement.

Surrendering for a moment she lets him hide from her while continuing to stroke his hair. Slowly she pulls off the tie holding all the strands in place. A mess of choppy black spills over her arms.

“It’s so soft! Do you want me to do it for you?” Mitsuri tries to keep her tone casual.

Giyuu takes the bait. He pulls back to look up at her with too trusting eyes. It almost makes the woman feel bad for tempting him to come out of hiding. “Inna braid?” It’s the only style that he’s ever asked for. Anything else and the boy is quick to turn the offer down.

His choppy locks don’t lay nicely when she tries to thread them together but Tomioka is very patient. She’s convinced that half the reason he tolerates it is just because of the feeling of her fingers running gently over his scalp.

Combing through the mess of black she carefully sorts through any knots in the hair. Despite its messy look the man takes care if it. Mitsuri doesn’t even need a brush to get through it.

Dividing it into three sections she slowly starts weaving them together. He stills until he’s a statue, not daring to interrupt Kanroji’s skilled hands. She has to start with smaller braids on either side of his head to capture the overgrown sides before intertwining everything into a proper do. It doesn’t take very long, but by the time she’s done Giyuu’s eyes are already dropping.

“Don’t fall asleep yet sweet boy, we have the rest of the afternoon still.” Mitsuri lifts him back up into her arms. He gladly nestles into them again, happier now after receiving a bit of pampering.

“Are you having a better day now baby?”

“Hmm… maybe.” It’s rare he even attempts a joke, she’s caught off guard for a moment. But after taking a moment to recover her hands poke at his sides.

“Nuh-uh, try it again or I’ll go home!”

“G-good! M’days good now!” He struggles to hold in happy little giggles as he admits the truth.

[yukidragon]

Can you imagine a romantic evening between MC and Jack in the department? Maybe Jack will have a nice meal and the MC will wear a flashy dress to surprise Jack. One night where they both profess love, where they forget the bad and focus on it, maybe, Jack could take advantage and propose marriage to MC?

I must admit that I LOVE Alice (MC) and Jack with all my heart. They are a beautiful couple and they deserve a happy ending ❤️

Gosh, thank you so much! I’m really happy you like Alice so much. 💖 Don’t worry, I intend to write her and Jack having a happy ending together.

That’s quite the romantic idea you have there. MC and Jack have a dinner date that leads to him proposing is super sweet. Naturally, this is going to depend on the type of MC, whether they’re interested in marriage, and how their relationship goes, especially after the events of the game.

Naturally, I’ve already got some ideas for how it might go with my MC, Alice. Since you wanted to hear some images, and we could all use some nice fluffy goodness after the past few headcanons, I’m going to just go nuts and have fun with the topic of marriage and proposing with my OTP.

Just as a heads up, these thoughts will get spicy. This is an Adults Only game after all, and Jack is a very needy yandere who wants to fill his sunshine with his love.

Before I begin, let’s do the tags. If you want to get tagged in my future headcanon ramblings, please let me know!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars

While I’m at it, here are links to my SDJ fanfics, Sunshine in Hell, and Sunshine in Another World. I’d love it if you read them and left a comment. Thanks!

The subject of marriage was something that came up while they were still in the friendship stage of their relationship. The first time Alice ever told Jack she wanted to get married eventually was one night when she was tearfully venting to her supernatural friend about her shattered dreams of a future with Ian. She dreamed of her future wedding, of having a big family with her best friend who loved and understood her the most... and he betrayed her.

Jack comforted Alice that night, cuddling her close and reassuring her that she can still have that dream someday, but with someone who truly loves her. She appreciated the reassurance, but didn’t believe it. If the bond she had with Ian was so flimsy, how could anyone truly love her?

It was painful for Jack to hear Alice think that way about herself, to not realize or even be ready to accept just how much he loved her and how much better she deserved. Still, it helped him understand her better too, her dreams for the future that he promised himself to one day give her. She was still hurt by the lies of false love, but eventually he would show her what real love felt like... because even if her love for him was platonic right now, he knew she cared about him.

The next time the subject of marriage comes up between them is a while later, though they’re not in a relationship. Alice is invited to a wedding and asks Jack to be her plus one. Technically her invitation didn’t allow for a plus one, but it’s not like they would see him, right?

Naturally, Jack was elated by the invitation, and he showed up dressed in a very colorful but snappy suit. Come to think of it, it probably would look a lot like the suit he wears in the Aphrodesia crossover.

Minus the bloodstains of course. (And the wise guy dog man underling accessory.)

As always, whenever I show some of Jambeebot/Sauce’s beautiful art, I must give full credit to them for their hard work. I also want to remind everyone not to post the private art posted on the Snaccpop Patreon. Let’s always remember to be respectful of the original creator and the team working with them, okay?

Alice is used to Jack’s mysterious supernatural changes of clothes by this point, such as his super cozy robe and pajamas. (She has admittedly swiped his robe a couple times for herself despite how big it is on her, since it’s just so comfy.) Even still, the sight of Jack in a suit is striking. She can’t help but think it looks really good on him, and her heartbeat picks up at the sight of him.

Jack, naturally, overhears Alice thinking about how handsome he is, but he still asks her what she thinks, just being a little cheeky about it and wanting to hear her say what she’s thinking out loud. He might give praise easily to his sunshine, but he will soak up every drop of it she’ll give him like a plant dying of thirst.

Flustered at being asked after what she was just thinking (which she shouldn’t be having about her friend), Alice has to take a moment to recover, and she deflects, trying to overcompensate in being friendly with her praise, because she is not going going to make this weird. Jack just rolls with her being gently teasing even as she compliments him, bantering back with her lightly, and the nervousness melts from her quickly so they have a fun exchange.

Jack, naturally, praised Alice for her gorgeous dress. The way it hugged her curves was just... Mmm... It was tempting, to say the least. He had to look away and calm himself down, or she was going to catch just how much he ached to show her just how much he appreciated the view. His words came out soft, sincere, and a little shy, as he worried about coming on too strong. Alice is skittish about romance, and if he approaches her too fast, he might ruin things.

The flattery works very well on Alice, though inwardly she struggles to believe it. When Jack continues to praise her, talking in detail about what works about her outfit and her appearance, she gets so flustered she has to tell him to stop. Her face is cherry red, and her heart is pounding so hard she’s sure he can hear it. It feels way, way too good, and she redirects the conversation towards getting to the wedding on time.

Jack adores her reaction, and he wants to keep making Alice flustered, but he allows her to change the topic. It’s addicting to overwhelm her with praise and making her feel good, but he knows when to stop. Someday she’ll be ready for him to tease and please her as much as he wants. Someday.

The wedding is a beautiful ceremony, and Jack imagines that it’s him and Alice standing there before the officiant, saying such sweet vows of love. He can even imagine some of the things he would say to her. The couple only has eyes for each other, and he can’t help but want that, his gaze constantly straying to his sunshine. To his delight, she sneaks glimpses at him as well, only to look away quickly with pinked cheeks when he catches her looking.

Yet there’s a faint hint of somberness to Alice throughout the wedding, a wistfulness that doesn’t escape Jack’s notice. He waits until she’s away from others during the reception to ask her if she’s doing alright. She says she’s fine, and he gently broaches the subject of how she feels about getting married someday.

Alice is pensive as she swirls the drink in her hand, non-alcoholic despite the open bar. Her thoughts are all over the place, wanting what the married couple have, but thinking that’s something out of her reach now, along with other complicated thoughts about Ian.

After Alice admits she isn’t sure, Jack tells her it’s okay to still want this, to want to get married. His perceptiveness startles her yet again, and he continues before she can linger on it for too long, telling her that just because Ian’s love is fake doesn’t mean that all love is. Someday, she’ll realize there’s someone who truly loves her and will only look at her like the beautiful, irreplaceable treasure that she is, forever.

Alice is blushing all the way to her ears after that and barely manages to thank Jack, overwhelmed. Her heart pounds, and a small part of her can’t help but think that he certainly makes her feel that way... and how it feels almost too good to be around him at times.

Jack is quick to remind Alice that he’ll always be there for her, as long as she wants him to be. Again she can barely do anything more than thank him, but she appreciates him entering her life. She wished for a friend, and he’s everything she could ask for and more.

Soon enough someone comes by asking for her and their conversation comes to an end, much to Jack’s regret. However, before going back, Alice sneaks a squeeze to Jack’s hand, which he tenderly returns.

As Alice returns to the reception, she thinks that maybe Jack is right. Maybe someday she can be as happy as the married couple, only with the right person by her side.

After Alice and Jack get together as a couple, the subject of marriage is brought up again. Though it’s a heart pounding topic for both of them, there is the logistics of it they need to consider. It’s a more serious discussion that hangs heavy over the happy light and fluffy feelings.

A big wedding ceremony isn’t going to happen, sadly. Even a marriage certificate won’t work out, as ghosts(?) aren’t something the law is much concerned about. They could never get married in front of a bunch of friends and family who wish them well on their new life together.

Jack promises that he’ll be with Alice forever as long as she wants him to be, even without a ceremony, softly kissing her lips to emphasize his love. She asks timidly if he really wants forever with her.

“More than anything,” Jack breathes before kissing Alice again, this time more deeply.

The conversation starts to fragment from there. Words of love and promises of forever are exchanged. Jack needs to hear her say that’s what Alice wants too, and oh when his sweet sunshine says the words he longs to hear... he just has to show how much he loves her.

It’s not an outright proposal in so many words, but the sentiment is there, a small thought at the back of both their minds. It’s a promise that sparks desire and the two of them make love several times that night.

Dates between the pair range from innocent outings having fun, like visiting the park, the museum, the movies, etc... to more intimate private dates at home.

Though, admittedly, the “innocent” outings didn’t exactly stay G-rated like they did before they were dating. Jack just can’t help himself, and there’s a thrill to whisk his sunshine off into a secluded area where they’re not supposed to be so that he can show her his love even in a place where they might get caught. Alice is so cute when she struggles to remain quiet, especially when he can be as noisy as he wants, constantly showering her with sweet words and encouragement as she takes him so deep. It’s so much fun to see her flustered face, flush with excitement, and to tease her gently about them making love in such a risky place even as he praises her for it.

On those sorts of dates, Alice dresses a little nicer, but not too much, not wanting to attract unwanted attention from other people. It’s on the date nights at home that she tries to make special sometimes by dressing up in clothes definitely too... inappropriate to wear to a wedding.

(Oh hey, it’s my art for a change! Remember this from Alice’s initial concept sheet?)

Thigh-high stockings, a short skirt, midriff showing, fishnet sleeves, delicate jewelry, high heels, hair styled, and makeup carefully done... Alice might struggle to see herself as attractive, but she still gives it her all when dressing up for a date that isn’t just a casual outing. She wants to feel attractive on these nights... and Jack certainly does his absolute best to make sure she does.

Jack dresses up as well in that nice fancy suit. He can’t look shabby when Alice tried so hard to dress up for him, can he? The sight of her after she comes out of the bedroom once she’s finished is just... wow. He’s stunned every time, but his heart skips a beat as he realizes she bought a new outfit just for his eyes only. It’s such a rare treat to see her wearing clothes made to flatter her body instead of hiding it away.

At the same time, a more primal part of Jack wants to mess up all that hard work Alice put into her appearance. He wants to pin her down to the bed, smear the lipstick with his kisses, displace her top to give him access to her breasts and leave marks as rosy as her lips. He wants to pull her panties aside and gain access to the hidden treasure underneath, to drive himself deep inside her as she wraps her stocking-covered legs around him and calls his name as he reduces her to a beautiful loving mess.

Jack has to take a moment to compose himself. Later, he promises himself. Oh, there will be time to make plenty of messes with his sunshine later, but first comes the date. Alice worked so hard for his sake, and he would never want her to feel like her plans went to waste... and he certainly doesn’t want to throw away his own.

While Alice spent all that time getting ready, Jack cooked them a delicious meal. He went all out, preparing all of her favorite dishes. He even lit a couple (very colorful) candles to set a romantic atmosphere. She gave him access to her phone a while back, so he uses it to turn on the playlist he selected. He made sure to pick only nice romantic songs that would add to the atmosphere and not distract from it.

Alice has no idea what Jack has in store. She’s just happy to be on a date with him, treasuring these private moments together. They talk, they laugh, and they enjoy the meal he worked so hard to make. Jack doesn’t eat often since he doesn’t have to, and he’s mindful of her financial situation, but Alice enjoys eating together with him, especially on special occasions. He basks in her praise for his cooking, as well as the happy noises she makes as she takes those first surprised and pleasured bites. It makes all the work he put into cooking worth it, and when he mentions how he made it with love, her cheeks turn pink, and she tries to banter back that she can feel it.

“So can I,” Jack says, his dark eyes soft and adoring as he reaches across the table to place his hand on hers. Alice turns her hand over to lace their fingers together and admires his eyes in the romantic candlelight. “Sunshine... Alice... I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Jack,” Alice replies just as fondly, and she can say it easily now, her light blue eyes soft and shining in the light. “So very much.”

Even though the sun went down a couple hours before, Jack feels as though he’s basking in warm sunshine when Alice looks at him like that, and her words make him melt into a puddle of goo.

It’s time. Jack stands to move around the table to Alice’s side, their hands still laced together. She smiles at him and reaches out for him with her other hand as he bends down, expecting a kiss or even more... only for him to go lower. It catches her off-guard until she sees him get down on one knee and pull a ring box out of his pocket.

Alice is too stunned so speak, so Jack fills in the silence. He had an entire speech prepared. He talks about how much he loves her, how much she meant to him, how much she’s always meant to him since the day they met. She’s his angel who saved him from hell. She always looked at him like a person and cared about him even when she was afraid he wasn’t real or that his intentions might not be truthful at first. She was so kind and courageous, giving him a chance to prove how much he cared about her despite her misgivings or how hurt she was in the past.

Jack knows he can’t give her a grand wedding in front of all her friends and family... he can’t even promise a legal marriage. What he can promise is forever. Even if the world could never understand what they have, it doesn’t need to, because their love is more important than anything else in the world.

“Alice... will you marry me?”

The speech moved Alice to tears, smearing her makeup, but she was beyond caring. It was all she could do to choke back a whimper or sob so she wouldn’t miss a single word of his proposal. However, even after Jack finishes, her voice won’t work, too choked up with emotions, and she manages to nod. In her heart, she screams the word “Yes!” over and over, but her voice won’t cooperate with her. When she still can’t speak, she throws herself into his arms and clings close, nodding over and over as she buries her face into Jack’s neck and cries, overwhelmed and full of joy.

“It’s okay,” Jack coos softly as he nuzzles into her hair. “Take your time. I’ll be right here when you can say it out loud.” He kisses her softly then. “God... I love you so much.”

“Y... yes,” Alice eventually forces out, her voice cracking. “Yes,” she says again a little stronger. She repeats the word again and again, as it comes more easily each time. Finally she pulls back, her carefully done makeup ruined, but to Jack she’s never looked more beautiful. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Jack... Jack, I love you so much.”

Jack can’t hold back, he kisses Alice, pouring all his love into that single gesture. She returns the kiss with just as much enthusiasm, pawing at his back, a part of her desperately trying to get closer to him than is humanly possible. He draws her closer in return, only parting when she needs to breathe. As she catches her breath, her face adorably flushed, he slips the ring on her finger.

For a moment, Alice can only stare at the ring in wonder. It’s a beautiful thing, a gold band with a sunburst design around a blue stone with red and yellow accents. After a moment though, she has to ask how he got it, wondering if it’s something as supernatural (and unseen by others) as his changes of clothes.

Jack admits he ordered it online from a jeweler. He had to do it secretly so she wouldn’t find out, but he earned the money himself.

Stunned, Alice can only ask how, and though Jack is loathe to bring up Shaun during a moment like this that should be only about the two of them, he has to mention his friend and rival because he does owe Shaun for helping him. Practical effects for a horror movie are a lot more effective and unsettling with a ghost(?)’s help after all.

Alice can’t help but be moved by how far Jack went for her sake, and the tears flow anew. She kisses him, and he eagerly returns it. The time for talk has passed, and now it’s time for them to show how much they love each other with their bodies.

The mess they make together is even more amazing than Jack imagined. Alice is so beautiful wearing his engagement ring, moaning his name and telling him how much she loves him, forever. He makes sure to reward her for saying those beautiful words he longed to hear for so long by praising her, worshipping her body, and making sure she feels nothing less than the most beautiful and lovely person in the world.

Whatever else Alice might have expected to happen on their date night between dinner and their bedroom is forgotten as they lose themselves in each other. Even after Jack finishes inside her, he doesn’t pull out, and she won’t let him either with the way her legs remain securely locked around his hips. Kisses, soft and lazy follow in the afterglow, peppered with soft murmurs of love.

It would be a perfect end to the night, but Jack isn’t done, not by a long shot. Soon the fire is stoked again, and Alice welcomes to heat. She loses track of how many times they make each other cum, and soon all she can say is his name as he thoroughly loves her well into the night.

The next day, a text is sent in to her boss from her phone, stating that Alice is too sick to go to work. Jack lets her sleep in late for once and admires the way the morning sun makes his sunshine, his fiancée, shine.

They really will be together forever. Alice, this beautiful, wonderful ray of sunshine who pulled him out of hell truly loves him and wants to be with him forever. Jack can truly believe it now, and he’s never felt happier.

[geralddurden]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 23

I

Dr Marcus was not imposing. He paced the stage like a sergeant, raising his voice at intervals and not bothering to check whether the students were listening to him. A couple of students took advantage of the principal's indifference to get in the way by talking in hushed tones. He was about to order them to shut up, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Not for now; not when his livelihood depended on the scholarship Umbrella Pharmaceuticals had given him for nothing more than graduating from college at seventeen. When he read the terms of the contract, he didn't believe the requirements were so affordable, or low; or rather, so low, because that class was full of nondescript, presumably stupid preppies. They were all older than him, but he detected no one who stood out except the fifteen-year-old nerd with whom he had been lumped together against his will. This nerd, William, feared him; he could see it in his distance, in the way he avoided eye contact, in the way he pretended to ignore him.

He was amused. He was very amused by his acne-grained face, the languor of his lanky frame and the haggard bags under his eyelids. He looked like a youthful parody of Albert Einstein, straight out of the Manhattan Project to try his luck in the pharmaceutical industry. Being two years younger, he figured he would be smarter or more competent than he was, though he couldn't be sure he was much clever. If there was to be only one of him left at the end of the course, William had better be as clever as he was smart. Until then, he would have a good time and work as hard as it took to secure a position of importance at Umbrella and never return to New York.

II

They were gathered around a rectangular metal table in a corner of the main laboratory. James Marcus had left, and from now on his training would be handled by the company's scientific and technical staff. He had sat in a corner, between two petulant students, and in the same row as Wesker so as not to face him. They had been summoned by one of the facility's senior researchers for a class on research team building and management. He had brought his notebook with him and was writing down in shorthand everything the researcher said. At one point, as the professor questioned the rest of his classmates, he turned to his left and met Wesker's inquisitive gaze. He instantly withdrew his eyes to alternate his attention between the professor and his notebook.

He thought of his roommate as a threat. He had seen first-hand that the rest of the students were not the smartest in their class and, from what they said, had been put there because of cronyism. They, who were already rich, had come for the certificate. Therefore, the only one left as a rival was Albert Wesker. He would not allow him or anyone else to take the job away from him. He had endured and fought long enough to go back to Baltimore with his tail between his legs. He had staked his best cards on that chance and would do anything he could think of not to lose the hand. He would show no mercy.

[ur-local-demon1]

My thoughts on the Owl House finale

So you guys got the silent treatment from me for a while, sorry about that lol. I’m finally back (sorta) to briefly talk about the Owl House Finale, and I might dive deeper into analyses and shit as a future video on my YouTube channel. I’ll talk both about what I didn’t like, and what I did like in that order so we can end this post on a good note. Here we go!

If you click keep reading, you’re okay with seeing spoilers for watching and dreaming.

I didn’t like:

Not getting to know more about the whole Caleb - Belos - Evelyn - Hunter situation. Hunter still doesn’t know that Flapjack used to be Caleb’s/Evelyn’s palisman, that he is technically related to the Clawthornes, or that Caleb stopped being a witch hunter since he legit dated one. I would have given an organ to live in a universe where in the five seasons this show deserved, there would have been an episode where idk, Hunter would have communed with the dead and got moral support from great great great great great [...] Grandpa Caleb and Grandma Evelyn. 

The close to no explanation as to why the Titan was trapped in that in-between space, why was Luz here and not actually dead, and why couldn’t he use the last of his magic to go back himself. We don’t know a lot about papa titan and it’s sad because I really like him. The past of the boiling isles as a whole is still a very abstract concept, even the characters don’t know a lot about it, or the truth anyway. 

Willow’s body in the time skip. Now I believe this is the point where people are rolling their eyes at me, but that’s okay I stand by what I’m about to say. If you write in representation in any piece of media you are creating, you can’t just write it out afterwards. Allow me, a mid-sized girl with a body shape similar to pre-time skip Willow, to deconstruct the arguments used against the people who spoke out about it. “Isn’t losing weight a good thing?” --> It depends on why someone lost weight, but in Willow’s case, no since she isn’t a real person. She’s fat rep. She was written to be fat to represent fat people, especially potential fat kids who watch the owl house and want to see people like them on screen. “She works out everyday, and she’s a flyer derby player, of course she lost weight” Skinny ≠ healthy + Fat ≠ unhealthy. You can be fat and an amazing athlete. Wrestlers are often fat and it gives them an advantage. You can be fat and also have visible muscles in other parts of your body like your legs or arms. If she was a real person, that wouldn’t be a problem obviously, but she’s not. The only reason she is fat is for us to have representation and see ourselves on screen. We would have went crazy if a tv show announced that the main character is a lesbian, only that in the final season she starts dating a man because she found out she was just confused or some shit. That’s basically what happened with Willow. Anyway, much love to the animators who tried to fix the damage and draw her with an accurate body type in some scenes here and there of the time skip.

What I did like: 

Belos’ death. A pathetic death for a pathetic man. The panic settling in him as he slowly realises that there is no way out for him, the last futile attempt at fooling someone in hopes of getting his power back, the growing frustration the more he understands he has truly lost all control over everything, even his own body, while still refusing to admit he inflicted this fate upon himself for absolutely no logical reason. He isn’t given a death where he breaks down and sees the error of his ways with terror as the end closes in on him, no. He is crushed, much like his dreams of being the brave martyr witch hunter general who saved humanity through any way possible. 

Luz’s death. A slow, quiet, painful yet still beautiful moment that she somehow accepted. Much like Luz, no one knew what to say, and the small moment where we didn’t know what would happen to her were genuine torture. I’m a sucker for MC’s who die but not really (Hi Anne, Adora, Magnus, Hazel and now Luz.)

Papa Titan. Follow up, Papa titan being genderqueer/nonbinary idk, a Quing. 

The fact that there is a way for Luz to go back to the boiling isles and the human realm. Really happy they didn’t pull a second amphibia parallel lol. 

LILIT’S HARPY LOOK AAAAAAH-

Alador x Darius, I see you (Darius’ blush, him shaking Alador like a ragdoll). I have a thing for ships that barely get talked about in canon and are about old gays.

WAFFLES ToT

Amity’s new hair. Some of my friends don’t like it but oh well. The little Grom Queen crown crystals fit her. 

THE COUPLES EXCHANGING JEWELRY

The ending scene. We got to see Luz’s quince (kinda, I still would have loved a full episode but oh well). The fourth wall break where everyone says bye to the collector but also to us, seeing all the characters we’ve loved for years grouped together to celebrate this. It’s bittersweet, mostly sweet.

[thechillsquid]

Omg? What’s this? An axolotl Dream writing? Goddamn! Haven’t touched this au in a while huh? Or at least written for it, I’ve certainly doodled the frilly idiot here and there, but well!

Here we go, looking into Dream and Punz relationship and why it worked so well, aka, Dream wasn’t the only one that made a deal with god.

As always, this au was inspired by axolotl hybrid Dream designs made by @beaskaa and @ryucreates and I highly recommend checking both of them out, even if beaskaa isn’t as active nowadays on tumblr

———

Punz was, by all accounts, a sight to behold. Quick with a bow, skilled with a sword, and knowing of all the little secrets there were to know.

They were dangerous and they were powerful. But the thing that allowed him to be so successful? No one knew a damn thing about him. Sure, people no doubt heard rumors and his reputation was nothing to be simply brushed aside, but when it came down to it? No one knew where he truly stood and no one knew his true goals. It worked beautifully for them.

You see, Punz and Dream had known each other for a good while. They had made plans, had trained with one another, and while everything seemed to have spiraled out of control with one broken mask, Punz never wavered.

Punz was all too used to the way things could change, the mercenary had known his friend’s secret for ages afterall, because Dream had known his.

They were both creatures of habit and both creatures commonly overlooked. Most don’t seek power just for the sake of it afterall. And certainly no one expects an axolotl and a cockatoo to hold grudges.

Punz was certain that Dream would come back around with something new. 

The admin always had and always would be quick to adjust. Punz just had to be patient… right?

Even… even if it had been some time. But it wasn’t like him and Dream didn’t talk, they just… couldn’t really talk about all that.

Too many eyes and ears on them.

That had to be it.

Because Punz was getting that steady creep of paranoia crawling back up his neck and he could just see the way Dream was getting more and more antsy.

Any day now… any day.

He just… had to wait.

Be patient.

Steady.

Ready.

~

Dream was a coward. Or at least, he was being one right now.

The currently human-formed axolotl had been wandering about, having finally managed to shake off a talkative Tommy when the not-quite-teen (had it really been a couple years now since him and Tommy had initially met? The kid was almost 18… time sure did just fly by) had spotted a certain newly revived man (Wilbur hadn’t even gotten a moment before he was being descended upon).

It was as he kept on going alone that he eventually realized where his feet had led him.

Punz’ tower.

He stared, shifted on his feet, and then frowned. Sure, he’d spoken with the mercenary recently, but he hadn’t spoken with them.

You see, despite common opinion that he had made some large and deadly plan (hell he’d even made himself and Punz believe they had something more for the future) before Punz ‘betrayed’ him, it really had just been one hell of a power trip. A power trip that had turned into an all-consuming lust for utter control. It hadn’t been extravagant, it hadn’t been well thought out, and it sure as hell hadn’t been stable.

Dream was powerful, but the moment the advantage was lost? Things kind of fell apart. Espically now that, while technically capable once more, Dream had lost most of, if not all, his previous reputation and sway over the server.

Punz still held power, but they also had a stable reputation, everyone convinced that they had truly switched sides for a good score. There was no reveal of their involvement in Dream’s plots, no reveal of the betrayals held in the shadows, and there was no evidence that Punz was anything else than what everyone assumed.

At this point… was it even worth it? Was any of what they worked to earn worth it? Espically now that it just… prime he needed to speak with Punz didn’t he?

Dream sighed, pinching his brow before slipping into the tower, if he didn’t go in now, he’d loose his bravo.

~

Punz was settled on an absent ledge, admiring some newly aquired treasures gained from making a deal with BadBoyHalo (an odd job of designing a trap that would hold Skeppy for at least a week, seemed Bad wasn’t over the two’s latest ‘divorce’).

They were admittedly distracted, though to be fair, they were also used to people being noisy and announcing their presence rather than startling him.

“Hey,” the voice gave him a heart attack, the mercenary’s feathers flaring up as he froze in place. A familiar chuckle sounded to their surprise and Punz turned with an annoyed glare. His crest fell slowly, beak clicking shut with an newfound stubbornness.

So it seemed Dream had decided to pay him a visit today.

He still didn’t appreciate the interruption, form briefly involved in a warm, golden glow before he sat in human form. He gave Dream a frown. “Thanks for knocking,” he huffed, fiddling with his gold chain, “I would have thought you’d let me know when you’d show up.”

“Uh… oh yeah, I could have… where’s the fun in that though?” Dream gave a sheepish grin, shrugging as he plopped himself down next to them.

Punz snorted, a smile working its way onto his face, “How’ve you been?”

“Oh, fine,” Dream waved him off, “Sorry again, for the, um, short notice visit…” He paused, raising a brow, finally taking note of the treasure pile Punz had been in the midst of studying. “What’s all this from?”

“Deal with Bad, paid me to make a trap. Now, what are you up to?”

“Besides ruffling your feathers?” Punz gave a lackluster response, a simple quirk of a brow. “But uh,” Dream shrugged again, adjusting himself so he was laid back on the floor now, “I don’t suppose if you’d… be up for a little chat, Punzo?”

The other’s interest was caught, “Oh? Go on.” The mercenary leaned back as well, arms rested beneath his head.

“So. It’s… uh, it’s been awhile hasn’t it? Since we’ve done much of anything regarding,” they could see Dream give a twirling hand gesture out the corner of their eye, “You know, ‘The Plan.’”

“Mhm.”

“I… I have been giving it some thought this last week or so…”

Punz smirked, “Didn’t hurt yourself doing all that, did you?”

“Fuck off,” a smile was clear in Dream’s tone, “But well.” A pause, a sigh. “I’m not quite sure if I have… have a real want to start things back up again.”

“What?” Punz pushed himself up, giving the other a sharp look, “‘Real want?’ The hell is that supposed to mean?”

The other didn’t look at him, fidgeting, “Well… why did we start any of this in the first place…?”

“…what are…”

“You heard me,” Dream spread his hands with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling still, “Why the fuck did we start hurting our own friends?”

Punz tensed, frown deepening, “It wasn’t… we weren’t— nothing was uh, it wasn’t personal, it was…” The mercenary frowned, “They were simply… in the way of—“

“Of what!? Our stupid fucking power trip?” Dream all but snapped, finally looking at them, “Sure, it started harmless enough! Trying to keep the server from falling apart, upgrading our weaponry, making sure people knew not to fuck with us, but just… just the killing and the, the fucking…”

The admin blinked back irritated tears, his emotions clearly getting the better of him as he made a frustrated hiss. He took a deep breath, let out, and moved to sit up with a resigned chuckle. “It just… it was, sure it was nice to be feared and known, but just…”

Punz raised a questioning brow.

“I didn’t enjoy it. I don’t think I really ever did, I just… I’m happy now.” Dark eyes met steady blue, tired and thoughtful. “I’m actually… I’m actually happy.”

“…But what about—“

“The Plan? Let’s be honest,” a defeated grin, “We both knew I wanted them to throw me in that prison so I’d have time to make up some bullshit. We didn’t have shit anymore.”

Punz turned away, eyes narrowed. “And now you’ve decided to…” They turned to stare pointedly at the other, “Now you fucking—“

“I’m sorry.”

The mercenary cut themself off, looking coldly at Dream.

“I’m just… I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry I didn’t come to talk with you, I’m sorry I let this whole thing spin out of control, I’m sorry I let it just go out…” The admin pinched his brow, looking away with a grimace. “I can’t go back to who I became… the anger’s burned out of me. And… I’m pretty sure it’s burned out of you, too. Hasn’t it?”

Punz sighed as they gazed off to the side, running a hand through their hair. The silent tensed like a coiling serpent, after a moment, the other’s frustrated groan cut through it. “Fuck.”

Dream blinked over, meeting the other’s gaze. Punz stared back, biting hard on his lip before finally speaking again, “Fuck you. Okay, so what, I still waited a fucking year, I just… I’m going to strangle you, you dumbass.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely,” The bite had all but burned out the other’s words.

“You going to at least revive me?” A weak smile touched upon the admin’s face.

Punz rolled his eyes, shoving at the other’s shoulder. “No. I’m going to let you fucking rot… so what. You just going to go off on your merry way?” A new bitterness slipped into his voice, a low whispering of ‘You just going to leave me behind again?’ haunting through those words.

Dream gave a hopeful smile, “Want to get some lunch?”

“…”

“I’ll pay?”

“…sure.”

~

Tommy had been trying to have a casual day sat infront of his house, Shroud hissing and spitting as the spider skittered about on his lead nearby. It was as he finally was entering zen mode that he heard someone coming down the prime path.

The young adult (he wasn’t some kid anymore, he was a big man) looked over with raised brow to see Dream walking along with a cockatoo settled on his shoulder.

Tommy called over, “Oi, prick!” Dream gazed over with a dry frown. “When’d you get a fucking parrot?”

The two stared at him, Tommy stared back. Dream smirked, “What parrot? This is Punz.”

“Ha ha, fuck you. But like, seriously, what’s up with the pa—“

“Want to hear a secret?”

Tommy’s mouth clamped shut, the lanky blond admittedly curious. He shrugged, “Sureeee?”

The admin sauntered over with a smile, gesturing to his bird again, “Punz, would you like to say something?”

He snorted, opening his mouth to ask what was up with this weird bit when the fucking cockatoo spoke up. In Punz’ fucking voice. “No one will ever believe you.”

Parrots could mimic people right, that was like their whole thing, Tommy was about to say so with a frown when in a shimmer of golden light, the cockatoo vanished and the mercenary stood between him and Dream, grinning sharply.

Punz shoved his hands into his pockets, leaning back to take in Tommy’s dropped jaw and sputtering. They snorted, shared a look with Dream, and in another flash, the bird was back on the guy’s shoulder.

“Alrighty! Byeeeeee~” The admin went sauntering back down the path, the cockatoo looking back with a tauntingly raised crest of feathers and a mocking head bobble.

He simply stared after them, brain trying to figure out what the fuck that just was. He blinked, blinked again, and slowly sat back down.

“…the fuck is wrong with this server?” Tommy asked the thin air. Thankfully, for the sake of his sanity, the air did not infact respond.

[fosermi]

The Lux Noctis: Sunburst

Hello again everyone! What? You thought I was done for the day? I have spent a good week or so designing these characters and they will be posted. As of writing this though, I only have 4 finished in total but the rest are on the way!

Full disclaimer going forth from here, I took all the good stuff of the GoC lore and threw the rest away or completely made it up myself. In all technicality, the Lux Noctis are my OCs even though they're supposed to fill in the position of canon characters. That being said, ROTG and GoC do not belong to me as all of you should already know! All rights are with Dreamworks and William Joyce.

Again, I also want to thank @josiedoe for being my idea bouncer for these kids! without their help, I might not have come up with half the stuff I did!

if you missed the first post, Voidlight <- here you go!

Sunburst is the second eldest. Born from a Yellow dwarf much like the earth's sun, he has earned the title of "sunshine boi" in a figurative and literal sense.

Sunburst's origins are a lot calmer than Voidlight's. Unlike his older sibling, Sunburst was created through a trial and error experiment that the Lunanoffs did in an attempt to recreate Voidlight to become the young prince's protector.

Needless to say, this is how they figured out what stars to choose from and what to do in order to call for one's help. As in make a pact deal sort of thing but with all the benefits and no majorly condemning consequences. (At least to the Lunanoffs and their people)

This is also how the Lux Noctis started to formally be known as the young Lunanoff's protectors. Lux Noctis have an innate instinct that they all follow: to protect. (Even Voidlight has this!) It is an exceptionally strong urge to protect those smaller than them so they had naturally gravitated towards the infants and toddlers.

Sunburst, although probably the sweetest of the group, has been spoiled by the family as he is their greatest achievement yet! He likes his morning tea and would rather play than work though he's still a great fighter with a sword. He's not the bratty spoiled kind but more like the "I don't know how because I was never taught" kind of spoiled as many of his mundane tasks such as bathing and shopping for clothes was done for him. Everyone in the kingdom loved sunburst and he knew it but never took advantage of it.

He stayed with the Lunanoffs for two generations just as voidlight had done and had taken care of Tsar Lunanoff III and IV before exhaustion took hold and was allowed to return to the stars where he resumed his original yellow dwarf star form right next to Voidlight's brown dwarf, creating the second star of the constellation.

That's all for now and if you want more details, feel free to hop on into my inbox!

Voidlight -> Sunburst -> Starshine -> Starlight -> Starbeam -> Moonlight -> Moonshine -> Nightlight

Master post

[dmclemblems]

Did you know, when Hopes was just nothing but trailers, I actually thought Dimitri would join forces with Edgeguard. It's going to be up to Claude to save the Church and Fodlan from them. D1m1gard Team Up has so much more build up from the story because they had history. They are stepsiblings! Why the devs didn't take advantage of that, I would never know. Instead of allowing Claude shine, they threw him and Almyra under the bus.

Tbh that's a totally new one I've heard. Most people thought it was going to be a golden route, but I never expected everyone to be on the same side because the devs previously said it would never happen.

The thing is even though Dimtiri cared about Edelgard, I think even that only goes so far (in that he can't agree with what she does). There's definitely more possibility between them that we could've gotten though, but I guess maybe for AG they wanted to focus less on Edelgard since AM did a lot of that and give us more insight into Duscur.

I guess the reason they didn't go so much into Dimitri and Edelgard's relationship is because there isn't too much new content to explore. There are things they could've done with them in the present, but like I said, since they focused a lot of AM on them I can see why there's a change in AG. Also, AG is more fulfilling imo as a character arc in a way?

Even though the war ends in AM, such a huge part of Dimitri's backstory gets left unfinished. Only his relationship with Edelgard gets closure, but there's a such big hole in the overall Lions' story. AG kind of tells the other side of things that we didn't get in AM, so it's kinda like each story had more of one thing than the other and both of them complete the whole story. It's unfortunate that we have to play two different games to get a "complete" story where everything is answered and settled, but I guess combining the two is really the most fulfilling thing we'll get lol. It just sucks that the real story for Dimitri and the other Lions is basically incomplete because the real story didn't address so many things the characters wanted to address. I guess it's possible we could just say "oh, they figured all that post game" or something, but that feels like what CF went through with TWS. OTL

Meanwhile poor Claude got thrown under the bus again. I was really hoping for a lot more stuff about his background. Apparently they wanted to use Shahid in Houses but they couldn't make for him, so he ended up in Hopes instead? Which like, that's fine, I just wish they went more into detail about their relationship and exactly why Shahid hated Claude so much. Hell, we should've seen more of his siblings seeing as he apparently had a good bunch of them...

Focusing on just Fodlan just feels weird to me, when it comes to Claude's story. You'd think they'd do something more like half about Fodlan and half about Almyra to address his story both where he grew up and where he is now, but we just get minimal content about Almyra. In a way it's also a little awkward, because when you think about it... Shahid was planned for Houses but didn't make the cut, and yet he died in Hopes... so... wouldn't he still technically be alive in Houses? How does Claude becoming king work with Shahid still alive in Houses? How does Claude becoming Leicester's king in Hopes even work or make sense when he's supposed to be Almyra's king?

I feel like Claude just got the big ol' writing yikes in both games. Dimitri's story was very thorough in both games, because even if they did kinda only half complete certain aspects of a whole, full story in each respective game, they at least went in depth and delved very deeply into the parts of the story we did get. In CF we more or less got everything for Edelgard except the TWS battle which they made up for in Hopes, and since the devs consider her overall happier in SB, she still kinda walks out of both games having had a full story. With Claude they kind of just... give us some little crumbs about him and his homeland and then go right back to the Fodlan war.

Makes me sad because it feels like they just don't really care about Claude as much as the other two?

When will Claude's justice come back from the Fodlan war? :'(

[marketingprofitmedia]

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Nexa App Review: Money Back Guarantee

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Nexa App Review: Conclusion

The Nexa app’s attraction of easy Twitter traffic is clear, but its opaque methodology and exaggerated claims create severe concerns. Until Nexa offers transparency and proven results, proceed with extreme caution. Invest your time and resources in established strategies like targeted ads or organic content creation for a sustainable and reliable path to Twitter success. Remember, there’s no magic bullet online; success comes from consistent effort quality content and instant payments.

(FAQ)

Q. Do I need any experience to get started?

None, all you need is just an internet connection. And you’re good to go.

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Thank for reading my Nexa App Review till the end. Hope it will help you to make purchase decision perfectly.

[gwapips]

WHY DID I CHOOSE STEM?

•The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) track is a highly technical track that equips students with the skills necessary for pursuing further studies and professions in medicine, engineering, economics, and more. With STEM careers growing by 24%, one of the advantages of STEM strand in senior high school is that graduates can look forward to illustrious careers that directly contribute to building the economy and helping society. If you’re looking to further your studies in college to pursue intense courses and equip yourself with an edge by pursuing licenses to operate, read on and discover why the STEM track may be the one for you!

•STEM education is an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning that provides hands-on and relevant learning experiences for students. STEM teaching and learning goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge. It engages students and equips them with critical thinking, problem solving, creative and collaborative skills, and ultimately establishes connections between the school, work place, community and the global economy. STEM also helps students understand and apply math and science content, the foundations for success in college and careers.

•I chose STEM because it aligns to may career path. I wanted to be a successful marine engineer or in a engineering profession someday. I know STEM is the only strand which is more compatible to my chosen course when I go to College. It would be much easier studying my chosen strand because I have a lot of background knowledge about my desired course.

•Also,STEM subjects can enhance my cognitive abilities, such as thinking, reading, and learning, by challenging students to engage in analytical thinking, coding, and engineering principles from an early age, promoting problem-solving proficiency.

ADVANTAGES OF THE STEM STRAND:

•Builds resilience in a safe environment by allowing students to experiment and to naturally experience failures as part of the learning process.

•Encourages teamwork so students can find solutions to problems, record data, write reports, give presentations, and more.

•Teaches kids about the power and importance of technology, especially in today’s digital age.

•Fosters a habit of adaption when things don’t go as planned.

THE OBJECTIVES OF STEM:

•Have developed a keener sense of creativity and ingenuity which is essential in coming up with new ideas and innovations.

•Be more inclined to experiment and be more open to risks.

• Be able to apply the knowledge they’ve learned in class in everyday scenarios, most especially in their future courses.

CITATIONS:

[ailtrahq]

UTXOracle is a simple Python script [Attention: direct download link] that takes advantage of a surprising fact about the Bitcoin blockchain – by parsing on-chain data it’s possible to derive an approximate U.S. dollar price. A graph of UTXO creation over time. Source: utxo.live All of this is based on the chart above. The lines on the graph represent Bitcoin UTXOs of certain values.If you look at the left-hand side at the BTC denominations, you'll see that straight lines match up perfectly. Those represent the creation of UTXOs in exact round BTC denominations. The wavy lines are UTXOs being created with round fiat denominations. All this is to say that a large percentage of Bitcoin transactions (~15%) create outputs with round denominations in fiat currencies, an obscure data quirk that allows software to make derivative assumptions about the economic activity they represent. By finding the points where these wavy and straight lines intersect, one can ascertain a point in time when the fiat price of BTC was a round amount, and extrapolate to other points in time. But while this may sound highly technical, and it is, the immediate result is something useful for every Bitcoiner, especially those who want to harness its decentralization – with UTXOracle, users who run a full node no longer need to rely on third-party exchange price data.UTXOracle allows you to track the fiat price average solely with on-chain data, not only giving new abilities to Bitcoiners, but to its product builders as well. In short, it’s a big breakthrough we expect to manifest itself further in the years ahead.Released today after some months of work, I had a chance to ask creator and developer Steve Jeffress a few questions about the project. The following discussion sheds further light on the software he released, and what might lie ahead: SHINOBI: What gave you the insight into UTXO set amount distributions having this relationship with fiat price? JEFFRESS: I've been rendering heat maps of the UTXO set for like 8 years now. I've always known the USD price was a clear emergent property of output patterns. I've known I could write the program for several years and finally got around to doing it.SHINOBI: What are the limitations of the accuracy of UTXOracle? JEFFRESS: Right now, the limits are $1,000 to $100,000 for the price, and I've only tested it back to July 26th, 2020. It's also dependent on people continuing to transact in round amounts of US dollars.SHINOBI: What kind of use cases do you see UTXOracle enabling? JEFFRESS: I'm excited to see what people come up with. I'm happy if it encourages people to do more stuff with their own node. Anything that further decentralizes nodes is a super positive thing IMO. I just want to improve bitcoin.SHINOBI: Can UTXOracle be gamed or manipulated? JEFFRESS: Yes, certainly, however it would be costly to manipulate. You might even be able to estimate the price of manipulation. Clearly if this was used to settle contracts, the contracts would need to be far less than some estimated cost of manipulation[One thing that Steve pointed out is the potential for delayed withdrawals to distort the accuracy of the model to a degree. For example, imagine you buy $50 of bitcoin on Coinbase and withdraw it. This type of behavior is a large driver of the data this model depends on. Imagine now if you buy $50 of bitcoin on Coinbase, but wait a week until you withdraw it. The price will be different than when you purchased it, meaning the on-chain output created will not accurately reflect the round amount in fiat it was when you purchased it.This type of behavior could throw off the accuracy of the model, which is something to consider during a high fee environment when more people will adopt such behavior. The model could be adapted to account for this as long as larger value transfers that were economical still occurred in round fiat amounts on-chain. An algorithm could properly distinguish between those and

lower value transactions that are throwing off the price model and weight the larger value transactions much higher than lower value transactions to account for the distortion.]SHINOBI: Could this model be extended or made more accurate with other on-chain data?JEFFRESS: Probably. though i think people should keep in mind trade offs between simplicity, accuracy, complexity, etc. For example, I've written the code to maximize understandability over efficiency. I could import libraries to make it more efficient, but I've chosen not to.For a deeper dive on UTXOracle, read our feature guide. Source

[11-eyed-rook]

Project Gamma Sigma will be moving... again. A "small" announcement.

I know not that many people know of my project, Project Gamma Sigma, to begin with, but for those that do have some interest in it, it'll be moving from Blogspot/Blogger (whatever the damn thing is called). How soon, I'm not sure. Where? That's almost a secret for now. Shh.

To elaborate...

THE "WHERE DO WE BEGIN" OF IT ALL...

This project had originally started, technically, on Facebook as part of some short stories I'd write in the notes (a feature that doesn't even exist anymore). For a very short time, bits of Gamma Sigma existed on a separate Tumblr blog. That didn't seem to offer me enough flexibility with text formatting (which is an important aspect of how I write the story, due to how I can emphasize certain things, and it's just my style so shh), so I moved everything (pretty much re-making it entirely) on Blogger/Blogspot (I'll just call it Blogspot). So Gamma Sigma has had many locations, but none that are, at this particular moment, a proper "home".

THE "I THOUGHT IT'S GOOD ENOUGH" PART...

For a while, I'd believed Blogspot to be a decent-enough home for the project, and a few years had passed without much to worry about. Blogspot seemed easy enough to deal with, even with its flaws that I desperately tried to find workarounds for... whenever I could. And for a while, those workarounds sorta worked. I was even surprised that they worked for as long as they did, thinking about it now...

However...

OOPS! ALL BROKEN!

(AKA, THE BORING "I'M ANGRY" PART).

Yesterday, I found out that some of my modifications to the theme's code refused to function in any capacity (as in, the less-convenient default options force-replaced whatever was in the code previously, for what reason I don't know). Even the button that would allow me to undo any "recent changes" to the code, only showed the preview having the intended features, but the saved version wouldn't reflect any of the changes (I even checked on different browsers and that includes my phone's web browsers - the intended feature wasn't there, it just got disintegrated along with my patience for this shit).

At that point I'd come to a conclusion... I've had enough. I feel like I lack control over the very shell of what holds YEARS worth of my creative work, and I'm not putting up with it anymore. My project deserves a better home.

I'd already considered moving the project elsewhere, many times, but this brought my frustration to a boil. Numbered page navigation was no longer an option, as massively convenient as it had been during the time when it worked. Now it's just a "MORE POSTS" button. Click it, it takes you to the next page, at the top of the page, scroll down, click it, and the cycle repeats a few more times; if I find it frustrating, I can't imagine that many people would want to go looking for my oldest posts that way either (and the best part, obviously, is the part where Blogspot doesn't offer an option to change that in any way by default, which is why I had to modify the code itself to begin with; if I can't modify the code to my liking, why even give me the option to do so?!).

To make it even more annoying: The pre-existing "Archive" function barely helps the convenience of this, and, frankly, I'm tired of trying to negotiate my way around the lack of options for something like this.

A VAGABOND PROJECT; VISION, STRUGGLES, GOALS AND OTHER STUFF...

I know very little about building things right in the code (especially with very little or even nothing to start with), but if I can figure out the basics and make a skeleton of something work to my advantage, I'll make it work sooner than I'll realize. I've surprised myself in the past, and I'm sure I can create something that'll serve as a home to my project, permanently.

Moving Gamma Sigma would allow me to add features that, I'm sure, wouldn't work (or would quickly break) on Blogspot. One feature would allow me to make some of my entries more "immersive" - being able to play a specific audio track when opening specific entries, for example. Other things would, of course, include improved page navigation, secret pages, and potentially other fun little (maybe interactive) things, that would be relevant to the Gamma Sigma story in some way.

I know it sounds ambitious, especially for somebody who's never done something of this scope before, but I won't know if I don't try, and I'm passionate enough about my project to put in the effort to give it a home it'll thrive in.

A LITTLE OFF-TOPIC, BUT IT KIND OF HAS A REASON TO BE HERE...

On top of the frustrations regarding Blogger, I'd wanted to move away from using Google products/services/etc. for a while, and Blogspot, as it is, being owned by Google, would have to be one of the things I'd have to deal with at some point, inevitably. So that, too, helped me make my decision to move the project - the option to keep the project alive long-term.

I've also been planning to move away from using Google stuff in general, due to how unreliable their product lifespans can be... But that, alone, isn't my only goal; I don't exactly trust Google... And on that matter...

I plan on moving away from using Microsoft's products as well, and that eventually will include the operating system, Windows, itself. I've already been experimenting with using Linux, and the only reason I hadn't moved entirely, is because I still need to work out some issues regarding some windows-only programs and whether they'll work properly in Linux, through whatever means are available to me. If I can make them work, then it's bye-bye Microsoft.

I just value privacy and having a choice in how the system behaves. I value having control over what I do on my own computer. When using an OS is a matter of "letting 3rd parties have some of my personal data", on a PAID operating system no less, I'd think it's too fucking far.

But back to what's at hand...

CONCLUSION OR WHATEVER. OH YEAH ALSO A GAMMA SIGMA HIATUS, THAT TOO...

This was a long "announcement" (with some extra yelling), but I'll update it if something comes up (like, if I finish the migration process or if I decide on something else to add, Idk). I have no clue as to how long it'll take, but this basically forces me to put off posting any newer entries until further notice. Or unless I feel like it, I guess? Still, a hiatus is a hiatus, and I know it already took like a year for me to write the newest entry, but don't worry about that, shhHh,,,

OH AND ONE MORE THING...

It's possible I'll be changing the name of the project itself. As to what it'll be, I'm still not sure, but again, I'll make an update about it once I figure it out I guess.

Thanks for reading.

Sorry for stealing your time for this.