#and it is more sided to overwhelming but in a positive sense (probably)

[feinforyakk]

Yuji & Megumi Being Protective of You

It all started innocently enough: you were out on a mission with Yuji and Megumi, patrolling an abandoned district in search of cursed spirits. The three of you had grown close over the past few months, and it was rare to get moments of peace like this, with nothing but the sound of your footsteps echoing in the empty streets.

But something felt off tonight.

You weren’t sure what it was at first. A creeping sensation of being watched, a subtle shift in the atmosphere. Yuji must have sensed it too because he suddenly moved to your side, glancing around with a seriousness that didn’t match his usual easygoing nature.

“Stay close, okay?” he said, a soft smile on his face, but you could see the concern in his eyes.

“Yuji, it’s probably nothing. I—”

Before you could finish, Megumi stepped in on your other side, his expression as stoic as ever. “It doesn’t matter if it’s nothing or not. We’re not taking any chances.”

You sighed, but deep down, you knew they were right. The air felt wrong, and Megumi’s instincts were almost always spot-on. Still, their sudden shift from casual to protective was a little overwhelming. It wasn’t like you were incapable of handling yourself in a fight, after all. You’d been through your fair share of dangerous situations.

But that didn’t stop Yuji from positioning himself slightly in front of you, his body tense and ready for anything. You could tell he was on high alert now, scanning the area with those sharp eyes of his, the goofy boyishness replaced with a rare intensity.

Megumi, on the other hand, had that quiet confidence about him, his hands resting at his sides, but you knew he was ready to summon his Shikigami at the slightest provocation.

“I can take care of myself, you know,” you said, crossing your arms with a raised brow.

Megumi’s eyes flicked to you, his tone matter-of-fact. “We know you can. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to let anything happen to you.”

Yuji nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! We’re a team, right? And that means watching each other’s backs.”

You smiled softly at his words. They meant well, of course, but they were acting like you were made of glass. Before you could say anything more, the faint sound of movement caught all of your attention. Megumi stiffened immediately, and Yuji’s stance shifted as he prepared for a fight.

“Get behind us,” Megumi said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument.

You opened your mouth to protest, but the look he gave you was enough to shut you up. “Fine,” you muttered, stepping behind the two of them as they moved to form a protective barrier in front of you.

Suddenly, a cursed spirit materialized from the shadows, its grotesque form slithering toward the three of you. Yuji didn’t hesitate—he charged forward with a ferocious shout, his fist colliding with the spirit’s face in a blur of motion. The impact sent the curse crashing into the wall, but it quickly recovered, shrieking in rage.

Before it could retaliate, Megumi’s shadow loomed large, his hands raised in a swift motion. “Nue,” he called, and the winged Shikigami soared out, diving at the spirit with a flash of lightning.

The curse howled in pain as it was electrocuted, but even as it writhed in agony, it lashed out, sending a wave of dark energy toward you.

You barely had time to react before Megumi was in front of you, arms raised, summoning his Shikigami to block the attack. “Stay behind me,” he repeated, his voice low but commanding.

“Megumi!” you called out, worry lacing your voice. The curse was growing stronger, its movements more erratic, and you could see the strain on both Yuji and Megumi as they tried to contain it.

Yuji shot you a quick smile over his shoulder, even as he dodged another wild swipe from the curse. “Don’t worry, we got this!

Despite his confidence, you could tell that they were both pushing themselves. The cursed spirit wasn’t like the ones you’d faced before—it was stronger, faster, and far more aggressive.

You clenched your fists, frustrated by the fact that they were shielding you when you knew you could help. “I can fight too!” you called out, but Megumi shot you a sharp look.

“Not this time,” he said, his voice firm. “It’s too dangerous.”

Yuji chimed in, his tone unusually serious. “Yeah, we’re not letting you get hurt.”

Before you could argue further, the curse let out a piercing screech, its body twisting unnaturally as it lunged toward Yuji. Time seemed to slow for a moment, and your heart leapt into your throat. But Yuji, always quick on his feet, sidestepped the attack with a powerful leap, bringing his fist down on the creature’s skull with a bone-crunching blow.

The curse dissolved into nothing, its energy dissipating into the air. Yuji landed lightly on his feet, turning to face you with a wide grin, completely unfazed by the battle that had just taken place. “See? Told you we had it under control.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could say anything, Megumi stepped in, his intense gaze locking with yours. “Next time, just listen. We can’t afford to lose you.”

There was something in his voice that made your heart skip a beat. It wasn’t just about the curse—it was about you. They weren’t just protecting you because you were part of the team. They were protecting you because you *mattered* to them, more than they were willing to admit out loud.

You sighed, your shoulders relaxing as the adrenaline faded. “Fine,” you muttered, feeling a little guilty for pushing back when they were only looking out for you. “But don’t think this means I’ll always let you do all the fighting.”

Yuji’s smile softened, and he stepped closer, throwing an arm around your shoulders in his usual carefree manner. “We know. But that’s why we’re here—to make sure you don’t have to.”

Megumi didn’t say anything, but the small nod he gave you spoke volumes. He wasn’t the type to express his emotions openly, but you could feel his protectiveness in the way he stayed close, in the way his eyes constantly scanned the area, making sure you were safe.

“You guys are impossible,” you said, shaking your head with a smile.

“Maybe,” Yuji grinned, squeezing your shoulder, “but we’re not letting anything happen to you. Not on our watch.”

Megumi glanced at you, his usual stoic expression softening just slightly. “Yeah. You’re stuck with us.

They might have been a little overprotective, but you couldn’t deny that you felt safe with Yuji and Megumi by your side. Whether you liked it or not, they’d always be there to have your back, no matter how strong the enemy—or how capable you were.

[lunart-06]

Kamukura with emotions doesn't make him weaker than before, just because he's in relationship with Makoto doesn't mean he's gone completely *soft*. He's only gone soft in just one angle, the rest is still pretty much still the same except now he perfers to rest his head on Makoto's lap than anything else that was already available for him to simply just lean his head against.

The first thing he feels when being around makoto isn't *love*, it's simply the same feeling he always felt which is *boredom*. And the second that came along wasn't the first thing mentioned, it's *interest* (from the form of the prespective of boring normalcy that differs his own) that slowly by time turned into *obsession* (realizing this whole thing is much better than when being stuck in the tight room in his lab) and by then began to be sticking around the guy instead of the other way around and it'll be a surprise to Makoto one day and to Makoto that will only be taken as an invitation to be closer. A progress.

All in all *love* will be the LAST THING appeared even AFTER they were in a relationship because it is something that Kamukura HAS to come in terms or accept himself, or realising too late to stop it cause he only accept to be "in a relationship" (with the entitlement of 'lovers' or 'partners' and everything) with Makoto simply in a way so Makoto can stay close to him (knowing the guy's unyielding loyalty and used that to his gain), because Makoto continues to make himself intriguing to Kamukura in his own boring, simple ways because Kamukura has grow to hate and berated normalcy of the untalented by his teachers and developed it through there. Plus he never gets to experience or learn a lot more of it other than the lab staffs' explanation of how "boring" it is and it's seem to also be the reason *he* became Kamukura in the first place as well.

(So the beggining of their relationship itself, the "love" part was one-sided. Kinda. In a way)

Sure it *is* boring. The whole "normal lifestyle" thing is sure sucked away his life source (if he even had one) and it's already just as he expected even when he lets Makoto around for at least a few days, he only let the guy around cause his luck is unexpected at most times but then of COURSE Makoto would use those times to shimmy his way into Kamukura's life. Shortly yet slowly. A very strange pace it is but it worked well with both of them.

His sickening optimistic, motivating nature to upbring Kamukura's gloomy, unmotivated one to pull him in the most boring of activities eventhough he had stated either directly or indirectly that those are, obviously, *boring*.

But Makoto's other traits that has first caught him just *slightly* off guard (which is. Rare and almost to never) was his undeterred determination to prove someone wrong (either in a morality sense in what was naively generally right). Perhaps he has been too assuming of Makoto's commonly pushover antics, or maybe Makoto's usual everyday and everytime genuine optimism has put his guard down just a bit that it made him passed by the fact that Makoto- no matter how positive and hopeful- *can* get mad or bothered if being triggered in certain ways. Certain ways as in if it involves someone else or views of things morally in a negative sense (the reaction made Makoto look more.. real. Something along that line).

Im also thinking how at some point, that *stubborn* determination that *always* butts in whenever Kamukura try to state or refuse. To try and always attempting to change his mind and at some point it led to another breaking point leading to the next change and that would be Kamukura- in his still usual bored tone yet out of character dialogue, said, in *annoyance*; "can you shut up." And doesn't THAT caught them BOTH off guard.

Silence followed when both were lost in their own thoughts in trying to process it before Makoto snapped out of it first to apologise for crossing the line and in promise to not do it again. Which, Kamukura is fine with but at the same time- "no" he would say, "keep talking". Cause sure, Kamukura has a fair share of being annoyed sometimes, but THIS is different, because just *how* can he be so easily annoyed over something so... *simple* as Makoto to be able to *blurted out* the moment of thought? It's something worth to explore more. To *experience*. Because it's new and when it's new, it's usually *interesting and unexpected* to someone like Kamukura.

And sometimes it's not just usually some new emotion just popped up at certain times, it's also the fact how constant it is of how the emotions he had experienced off kept *shifting*. He'd be bored then suddenly feeling intrigued in something then suddenly be slightly fluttery-ish? ('Amused' he noted) or suddenly feeling heavy in his chest ('sadness' he thought), heck, even the feeling of something clawing his insides when Makoto almost get a brick crushed his own head ('fear' he whispered to himself) then suddenly sometimes shifts back to being bored, then intrigued, then over and over in an out of order cycle. It either shift back to the same things or it develops something new.

It was never just one thing everyday just like how things are before meeting Makoto- like continuously be bored of everything and that's what makes things both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.

I also think that another thing that pulls Kamukura to Makoto is that just from Makoto, wanting to hang out and stick to him, to befriended him, with the payment only be *spending some time with Kamukura* and not to use him for his talents and abilities alone. Is one thing Kamukura unmanaged to just *understand* or fully grasp. In the end though he resolved by thinking that perhaps this is just a Makoto thing. That Makoto is being too good or cared too much of others in a way. But it does put Kamukura in a good "hm..." moment though.

I have a funny imagery that Kamukura just seem to be more often being put *slightly* off guard more by Makoto (wether intentionally or unintentionally which is usually the latter) than anyone else does. To which he be more on guard than he is before and to not jump to the most obvious conclusions or assumptions on some people because, of course, the Makoto situation and all. To which also means it made him statistically *more* dangerous than before (congrats Makoto! You made him more cautious or more thoughts in than usual of what was around him!).

His obsession in wanting to keep Makoto close to him by time will become apart of his own conciousness that *I* believe to be the case. Because after everything?? Everything that happened for the last few months?? Wether before or after being together (though I believe the moment they are together is the moment where the feeling became more hecticly stronger)?? It would only be obvious that he would, for once, *accidentally* (cause really, since when does being with Makoto Naegi means anything gone as planned?) Putting the obsession from wanting Naegi close because he is the first and often only source of interest for Kamukura's own bargained to wanting Makoto close because suddenly he was in too deep in the pit he had been *still* continuously dig himself in and finding that he doesn't *like* it when Makoto was out of reach.

(Going from trying to keep the guy around for selfish reasons by means to keep himself out of his usual bored state [cause let's face it, Kamukura isn't a good person, nor a bad one either, heck doesn't even attempted in search to at least *try* to quench his boredom just because he lacks any sort of motivation. But if the interesting thing were to suddenly presented dangling just in sight he WILL grab onto it tightly.], to obsessively trying to not get the guy lost out of his reach figuratively or metaphorically sense cause he *knows* that he will never *feels* something like this again, to feeling just *right* to have Makoto close to him and not letting go just because he doesn't *like* it)

I doubt Kamukura even realised the moment he had been *attached* to Makoto, simply because he had never experience emotions in the first place other than just knowing the basic theories to diagnose others in. And when he did, it's too late by then (it won't be him unable to escape Makoto. No, no, on the contrary, Makoto will be unable to escape *him*).

So anyways. Love isn't the priority to Kamukura since the very beggining in the start of their relationship, because the other foreign subjects that is emotions (twinging sadness, light amusement, flickering annoyance, poisonous jealousy, and dare he not admit the clawing fear) *are* the foundations that build his own *version* of what was the concept of 'Love' is.

Love is different to everyone afterall, so far what Kamukura has learned and see, if there was anything the same about all of it is that; love is a form of passion, and the connection of the bonds, it can be different from others, but Kamukura *doesn't* feel anything a lot WITH anyone else in general more than he is with Makoto. So essentially to him, it was different. It's not love that was viewed *generally* but it was his own version nonetheless.

This is just *my* insight of how I see Kamuegi *in* Kamukura's prespective. Cause he is my favorite character to write. You can do so many things to him in certain situations no matter how impossible it seem to try and not break his character. But that's the thing. You NEED to break certain characters, but as long as you didn't break the fundamental core of their characters then trust me, it's more of a scratch or a rather small crack on a ceramic vase than it looking all smashed up.

Sometimes you GOTTA make a scratch or heck, added something on it, without it losing it's shape or material as a ceramic vase, in order to make it slightly more jazzam get it? Or to make it work for the theme of the room you placed it in. (Not me using the vase metaphor for all of this)

[nottsbitch]

The Alchemy - T.N.

Based on the Taylor Swift song

✩✩✩✩

To say that you were stressed was an understatement. You were currently in your seat at the Quidditch World Cup, where your boyfriend, Theo, was about to begin playing the biggest game of his career.

“Calm down, would you?” came from Draco on your left. Next to him was Daphne, and on the other side of you were Blaise and Pansy.

You glanced around at your friends, their presence offering a mix of comfort and distraction. Draco, with his usual air of nonchalance, was trying to ease your nerves, while Daphne’s calm smile was a soothing contrast to the chaotic energy of the stadium. Blaise and Pansy were on the other side of you, their faces set with a mix of anticipation and support.

“I’m trying,” you said, gripping the edge of your seat. “But it’s easier said than done.”

Pansy leaned in, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “You know, I’ve seen Theo practice, and he’s exceptional. If anyone can handle this pressure, it’s him.”

Blaise nodded in agreement. “Pansy’s right. Theo’s worked incredibly hard to get here. Just focus on the game. He’ll give it his all.”

Draco gave you a reassuring pat on the back. “Remember, it’s just a game. It’s important, yes, but it’s not the end of the world. He’s already made a huge achievement by getting this far.”

Daphne’s voice was steady and calming. “And no matter what happens, you’re all here to support him. That’s what matters most.”

As the announcer’s voice boomed, signaling the start of the match, the stadium’s roar grew louder, drowning out all other sounds. The players took their positions, and you watched, heart racing, as the game began.

Draco, Daphne, Blaise, and Pansy cheered enthusiastically as the teams flew across the pitch. The intensity of the game was reflected in their faces—Draco’s eyes were sharp and focused, Daphne’s were filled with quiet confidence, Blaise was almost vibrating with energy, and Pansy was practically bouncing in her seat.

The match was competitive, with both teams demonstrating incredible skill. Theo’s team was holding their own, but it was clear the game was going to be a nail-biter. Every goal, every maneuver, every close call had you on edge.

At one particularly tense moment, Draco turned to you with a grin. “Remember how you said you didn’t want to be here for this? You’re doing great.”

You managed a shaky laugh. “I think I’m the only one who’s more nervous than he is.”

Blaise chimed in, “That’s probably because you care so much. It’s a good thing. Theo's lucky.”

The game continued with relentless energy. The Seeker from Theo’s team was weaving through players, searching for the elusive Golden Snitch. The tension was palpable as the Seeker and the Snitch seemed to be locked in an almost eternal dance.

Then, in a flash of gold and green, the Seeker’s hand closed around the Snitch. The whistle blew, and the crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer. The match was over, and Theo’s team had won.

You jumped up, your emotions spilling over as you celebrated with Draco, Daphne, Blaise, and Pansy. The sense of shared joy and relief was overwhelming. Theo’s victory was not just his; it was a testament to the support and belief of everyone who had been with him on this journey.

In that instant of triumph, the world seemed to narrow down to one person—Theo. The moment he saw the Snitch in the Seeker’s hand, his eyes locked on yours, cutting through the chaos and noise of the celebration.

With his heart pounding and adrenaline coursing through him, Theo pushed through the crowd of players and supporters. Every step was a surge of pure focus as he sought you out. His face was a picture of exhilaration and relief, his eyes scanning the stands until they found you.

Ignoring everything else, Theo sprinted towards you, his gaze never wavering. As he reached you, he threw his arms around you, pulling you into him. Before you could say anything his hands were on your face pulling you in for a long-awaited kiss. When you pulled away his breath was heavy and quick, his voice trembling with emotion.

“I did it! We did it!” he shouted, his voice choked with tears of happiness.

You hugged him tightly, tears streaming down your face. “You were incredible! I knew you could do it!”

Theo held you close, his eyes shining with the intensity of the moment. “I couldn’t have done this without you. This trophy is ours.”

Draco, Daphne, Blaise, and Pansy joined you, their cheers blending with everyone else's in the stadium. “We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Daphne said warmly.

Pansy nodded, her eyes sparkling. “You were amazing out there. This is a dream come true!”

Blaise clapped Theo on the back, grinning broadly. “You’ve earned this moment. Enjoy every second!”

As the celebration continued around you, the sense of joy and accomplishment was overwhelming. But you couldn't focus on anything beside the man next to you and the smile on his face.

✩✩✩✩

[nicxl333]

could you do a part 2 of bllk boys accidentally hurting their partner bu with a good ending please.

My stomach wouldn't be able to handle mor angst(⁠T⁠T⁠)

BABY YOU SOLD ME A DREAM PT.2

thanks for the req anon, i think you’re doing everyone a favour here by asking for this because whew! i was ready to dropkick a mf from writing pt.1 lmao

also if you’re here by chance it’s probably best if you read pt.1 for context before you read pt.2 | :3

characters: isagi yoichi, reo mikage, nagi seishiro, barou shoei, itoshi rin

content: overwhelming fluff, slight angst, major angst (in rin and barou’s part), reader is female coded (the term ‘girlfriend ‘ is used)

tags: @kaiserkisser @silly-ez @scaramouchemyloveee @mariyumemi @wishiknewwhatiwasdoingwithmylife @hsxhype @aquamarine001 @nxgiswife @hanagoromo-roses

☆彡 ISAGI YOICHI

two weeks. two long, monotonous weeks spent without isagi. yes bachira did his very best to make sure you were comfortable with him, but you missed isagi so damn much.

it wasn’t only difficult for you though, bachira was trapped in a bad position. due to him being a friend of both you and isagi, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. while it was evident that isagi had fucked you over badly, being in a team with isagi and having him as a bestfriend didn’t make things better. he couldn’t just pick a side and be done with it.

unbeknownst to you though, isagi asked bachira multiple times each day about how you were doing. after some self reflection, he realised just how wrong he was for treating you that way. especially since people like you nowadays are hard to come by. someone so nurturing, caring and full of love and devotion for their s/o was quite the rarity to find. and to think he nearly lost all of that with just a few words. really opened up his perspective of things. he wanted to do better. for you and himself.

and so, he cut down his training times, making more time for himself to wind down from daily intensive workouts. he thought of words to say to you, to make it known to you that he was aware where he went wrong and was taking responsibility for his actions.

he also went shopping, to buy you a multitude of gifts. clothes, jewellery, trainers and heels, perfumes, trinkets. you name it, he bought it. it all cost him a hand and a foot, but he didn’t mind, he would do it 100 times over for you. (we should remember this man is a professional footballer, he’s got dough.) once home, he placed all the gifts on the coffee table in the living room, having to put some on the floor due to the sheer amount he bought, ready to take them to bachira’s tomorrow.

little did he know he wouldn’t have to make the commute.

you had said your goodbyes to bachira that same day, thanking him for taking you in for so long with a big bear hug, to which he returned with just as much (platonic) love as you had shown him. you placed your bag in the backseat of your car, turning on the ignition and beginning the drive back home.

as the roads whizzed by you on the highway, so did the thoughts in your head. you were very nervous to have to talk to isagi again, to have to recall exactly what happened that night. glancing at the time on the dashboard, you drew the conclusion that isagi should be training right now, which would at least give you time to prepare before he got back.

as you pulled up to the apartment complex, the first thing you noticed was that isagi’s car was there, in his usual spot next to yours.

‘he’s home?’

surely not, maybe he just hitched a ride or something. although that didn’t make any sense whatsoever. there would be no reason why isagi would skip his evening trainings, not that you could think of anyways. even after joint practice with his team he would then further push himself to do his own training, polishing up on his skills. so to think he’s potentially broken that pattern confused you.

after parking your car and collecting your things you made your way to your front door, unlocking it and venturing in. once you placed your keys on the side table and took off your shoes, you walked into the empty living room, ultimately puzzled when you noticed the coffee table filled to the brim with bags from your favourite places.

“yoichi? you there?”

nothing.

you therefore assumed he was out, deciding to take a closer look at the bags. inside, everything you had ever bought for yourself or displayed interest in while out with isagi lay in each bag. even things that you didn’t have, but wanted, were present.

he remembered.

your eyes immediately welled with tears of appreciation, head snapping to your bedroom door when you heard it open, isagi’s figure stepping out. you immediately jolted, not expecting him to actually be here, even though you didn’t actually take the time to look and see properly.

“shit! y/n, you’re back? wait, why’re you crying?”

in an instant he crossed the distance to you, wiping the tears away once he assessed and evaluated that you were not hurt.

“uh— sorry. i should’ve asked you first. is this okay?” he quizzed, holding the sides of your face tenderly. you nodded, leaning into his touch.

“are these for me yoichi?” you looked into his cobalt blue eyes. one hand left your cheek, rubbing at the skin behind his neck, suddenly feeling shy.

“erm…yes. yes they are. i wasn’t expecting you back though, i was gonna surprise you tomorrow. ” he pulled you towards the sofa, sitting you down and looking deep into your (e/c) eyes.

“look y/n, i know materialism doesn’t take away what i did to you, but i want you to know just how sorry i am. you didn’t deserve how i treated you. not two weeks ago or months before. i made you feel lonely, i put football before you. when you needed me, i shut you out. and i take full accountability for that. words couldn’t describe just how badly i’m in love with you and how crazy you make me feel. i couldn’t bear to lose that forever. hell, these two weeks without you have tormented me enough. a lifetime without you would finish me off for good.”

you listened to him speak every word, touched that he would say such soothing words to you. yes, you did expect him to apologise, but not to go above and beyond to show his willingness to change.

your nose started flaring, the sting of your eyes warning that you were about to cry again.

feeling uncomfortable with your silence, isagi pressed you slightly.

“y/n? are you— are you oka-”

you cut him off by pouncing on him, engulfing him in a hug, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him like it was your last.

“i’m yours yoichi. always and forever.”

☆彡 MIKAGE REO

you woke up in the same hotel room you cried yourself to sleep in. throat dry, head pulsating and heart wounded. you needed some form of rejuvenation, but, considering you didn’t have any clothes on you, seemed hard to achieve.

you reached for your phone, shocked when you saw 20 missed calls and 46 messages from the very same person who caused you anguish in the first place. opening the message app you see the most recent messages being sent at around 5am.

“y/n, where are you?”

“y/n please answer the phone!”

“are you safe at least, i’m worried about you.”

“i just wanna know if you’re okay, we need to talk.”

“y/n?”

“y/n please, im starting to worry, just send me a text, or something. let me know you’re okay.”

although you were beyond pissed at the guy, he was concerned for your safety, and to make him worry for you like that shouldn’t have to be something anyone should experience.

you sent him a quick, straightforward response.

“i’m fine, you don’t need to worry.”

the read receipt came as quickly as you sent it, a bubble popping up, signaling that reo was typing. however, after a few moments, it disappeared altogether, leaving your message standing alone.

you sighed, deciding that the least you could do was shower, feeling clammy and, simply put, dirty.

luckily, your job was well paying so you were able to book a lavish en-suite hotel room, although you didn’t pay attention to that much last night, willing to go just about anywhere as long as it weren’t near reo. inside the bathroom lay exquisite amenities, top branded shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, along with oils and different expensive face care products. an unopened toothbrush pack also was present on the bathroom counter, with toothpaste alongside it. and by the full glass shower itself stood a towel and robe on the hanging rack.

it weren’t exactly clothes, but it was a start. better than staying in your dress the whole day. while you waited for the shower water to warm you looked at yourself in the mirror, cringing at how dishevelled your figure was. your cheeks were tear stained, causing your mascara to run, your lips had smeared lipstick still present, and your hair? let’s not even go there. you looked a hot mess, physical evidence of your current mood.

once heated to a substantial temperature you stepped into the shower, revelling at how that warm water melted into your skin. you made good work of scrubbing down your skin, leaving no traces of any events that may have transpired the day before.

soon enough you finished up your shower, stepping out and wrapping the towel round your figure, feeling refreshed, but still incomplete. you brushed your teeth next, trying to avoid letting your thoughts go off topic from the current task at hand.

just as you were walking into the room itself to look for moisturiser, you heard a knock at the door. it confused you to the core. no one actually knew your whereabouts so you couldn’t rack your brain to guess who it could be. you ventured close to the door, looking through the peephole and visibly relaxing once you saw a hotel worker standing, waiting.

“hello?”

“ah, good morning miss y/n, i have a bag here requested to be brought to you.”

if you weren’t confused before, you were bewildered now. this meant that someone hand to have known where’d you were, but how? only one way to find out.

“requested by who, might i ask?”

“mr…mikage reo?”

what the actual hell. you were well and truly silenced by the revelation. more importantly, it’s quite amazing how he managed to find your location with such haste. although it shouldn’t really surprise you so much, considering he probably had connections due to his status. it made you wonder just what exactly he brought to you.

“erm ma’am?”

you cracked the door open, seeing one of reo’s duffel bags stuffed to the brim. the hotel worker held it out for you to take, bowing then turning to leave immediately after. you carried the heavy bag through the room, placing it on the ottoman at the end of the bed.

you stood for a second, debating whether you should open it or not. curiosity got the better of you though, and you unzipped the bag, stalling when you realised it was a bag of clothes for you, as well as the moisturiser you use, some makeup products and your favourite trainers. it’s like he somehow knew you would need clothes, probably since you didn’t return home last night.

taking the clothes from the bag you realised he packed you one of your favourite hoodies, his own hoodie.

after moisturising yourself you started to put the clothes on, feeling slightly better about yourself. you looked into your makeup bag, seeing some of your basic everyday skin and hair products, as well as your everyday perfume, feeling grateful that reo at least paid attention enough to know what you liked and used.

just as you had finished your skincare routine you heard another lock at the door, wondering who it could be at this time. you got up and crossed your way to the door, looking through the peephole and freezing.

your boyfriend, reo stood at the door, looking around nervously.

you gauged your options for a moment, reaching an ultimatum with yourself that you couldn’t avoid him forever. you opened the door fully, stepping to the side for him to walk in, which he did, stepping meticulously and with precaution, while you closed the door behind him.

all was silent for a moment, neither party knowing what to say to the other, a million thoughts rushing through the room. the tension was taut, the air thick, and awkwardness seeping in.

you collected yourself, deciding to start it off.

“thanks for the clothes, i appreciate it.”

“it’s…the least i could do, considering how i treated you.” he said, simultaneously biting down on his lip.

“yeah.”

he moved closer towards you, looking at your expression to see if he was crossing boundaries at any point.

“y/n.” you looked at him with apprehension, worried about what may fly out of his mouth next. “i want you to know that what happened last night, was entirely my fault. i need you to understand that.”

you frowned with sadness displayed on your face. yes he may be owning up to his actions, but that didn’t explain why he said what he said. especially if he could say something of that degree to you with such ease. it sounded like he meant every word.

becoming slightly anxious from your silence, he continued on.

“i made you it sound like you were inadequate or you were lower than me because i have money. i know it sounds bad, but y/n, it’s really the opposite. you don’t look at me for my background, you look at me for who i am as a person. you make me feel normal. make me feel like i can be myself around you. i don’t have to keep myself guarded around you and i appreciate you so much for it. i guess that’s why i spoke out of turn to you like that last night. because you’re probably the only person who can actually knock me down a peg. and having nagi hear that made me scared. scared because i was vulnerable in front of him. of course, i’m not excusing my actions, and i’m not asking for forgiveness, i just want you to know i’m sorry.”

you nodded slowly in understanding, looking at the way he subconsciously tugged on a piece of his violet tresses. he left his hair down today. you loved it when his hair was down. he knew that.

“i hear you reo, but that’s not the only issue. this whole problem stemmed from the fact that you spend too much time with nagi. i don’t wanna be the girlfriend that prohibits you from spending time with your friends, that’s not who i am, but when you’re with nagi so much that it makes you forget important dates, that’s when it becomes a problem. especially when you then make it out to be like i’m the problem. no one is saying you can’t be around him, but have a backbone please. he’s always there reo. sometimes i just want you to myself, is that too much to ask for?”

he realised where he went wrong, casting you aside for the sake of nagi, which wasn’t cool. and he didn’t want to lose you. you were too good to him and he felt so strongly about you. anything you asked for could never be too much, not to him.

and so, he stepped closer to you still, scooping you up in his arms and spinning you around, relishing in the way you wrapped your arms around his neck, both for stabilisation and comfort.

“no baby, it’s never too much. not when it comes to you.”

you squeezed him tighter, nuzzling your head into the crook of his neck and smiling.

“i don’t like it when we fight reo, i love you too much for that.”

“i love you too y/n,” he placed you down gently on the bed, laying you back and caging you in with both arms, his hair hanging directly over your face. “so…we’re gonna go back home and i want you to pack your bags. we’re going to mykonos for the week to celebrate our anniversary together.”

you straightened up, wondering where this was all coming from.

“huh? reo, you’re forgetting something? you may be off season right now but i still have work.”

“not for the next two weeks, i pulled some strings so now you have paid time off, which, gives you more time with your favourite man.”

you chuckled at his revelation, knowing he definitely used his power to threaten your manager. reo could be so demanding at times.

“speaking of which, do you know where he is?” his face immediately darkened at that.

“wanna repeat that?”

“nope!”

☆彡 NAGI SEISHIRO

nagi was in a state. it had only been 4 days since you broke up with him, but that was 4 days too long for him. it wasn’t actually until you broke it off with him and it sunk in that you were gone, that it really registered for him.

he missed you.

it made him realise, as much as he hated being bothered…he didn’t mind if it were you. he really did enjoy spending time with you. especially when cuddling. your figure was so soft, a perfect cushion for him to lay on as he slept. you would play with his hair so gently, lulling him to sleep. and you were really pretty.

the apartment just seemed all the more empty without you. yes, he did live alone pre blue lock a few years back, but having you live with him made him get used to having someone around. he grew comfortable and accustomed to it. so much so that it felt lonely when you left.

you had temporarily went back to your parents house while you looked for a new place to live. you had a few items of miscellaneous clothing left behind in your room, but you had ran out, thus needing the majority of your stuff, which you had left back at nagi’s.

you left off, with the promise to your parents that you’d be back soon.

the engine hummed as you drove back, playing your playlist on a high volume, hoping to drown out the thoughts spiralling in your head, although it did little to silence them.

you didn’t plan a time to leave out, but realised that you had coincidentally headed out at the same time nagi would be home, a meeting inevitable. oh well. had to happen at some point. you planned on a quick and brisk pit stop, hoping to minimise interaction with him as much as possible.

you pulled up to the apartment complex, walking through the lobby, swiping your keycard and pressing the lift to go to the penthouse.

in no time you reached the top, the lift doors opening. you stepped out and pushed your key into the lock, opening the door as silently as you could, walking in and shutting it with a click.

yes, you may have been moving around like a teenager after a forbidden night out, but you would much rather that than have to be further insulted by nagi, should he catch you.

alas, things cannot always go smoothly in life, for nagi had heard you, stepping out of the bedroom, shirtless with loosely hanging shorts, evidently having just woken up from a nap.

he instantly stopped, rubbing his eyes to see if he was tweaking or not. yet, you stood there, trying to disappear in that moment.

“y/n…you’re here.”

“only to get my things nagi, i’ll be out of your hair in around half an hour.”

nagi. his own name turned his mood sour. he’d much rather you call him by his actual name, or sei, not his last. and you knew that fact very well, making sure he knew damn well you were serious.

you begun to hurriedly walk towards the bedroom, where he was standing by the door, attempting to walk past him as quickly as possible. he intervened however, stepping about halfway into the door so that you were now directly in front of him and couldn’t get past, unless you spoke to him.

“are you really leaving y/n?”

“it’s l/n to you nagi, and yes. you don’t get to say something like that to me and think we’ll be cool after. it’s fucked up.”

you turned so he couldn’t see you, tears beginning to form at the painful recollection of what occurred a few days ago. you didn’t trust yourself to say anything else, for the fear of bursting into tears held you back.

“please don’t leave me y/n, i can do better, i promise. i regret what i said. really badly. i’m— i’m sorry.”

you knew that nagi didn’t like talking as it is (he referred to it as a hassle), so to have him trying to at least communicate with you did mean something. not enough to satiate you though.

“y/n?”

when you didn’t say anything back he lightly tugged your hand and turned you around, eyes widening once he saw tears streaming down your face.

he attempted to console you, wanting to pull you into a hug, but drawing back when you lightly pushed him off you.

“y/n- what’s wrong?”

“i can’t sei, i’m scared. scared you’ll grow bored of me. i don’t know if i’m bothering you or not and it kills me to think that you’d spend more time on games than with me. you basically told me i’m a hassle. how the hell else am i supposed to take that?”

your tears wouldn’t stop pouring down no matter how much you tried to calm yourself down, sniffles loud and clear as day.

something unusual happened to nagi as he watched you cry your eyes out. he felt his heart breaking into tiny shards at your state. more so because he knew it was because of him. he didn’t want to be the cause of your pain. he didn’t want to see you like this, experiencing such distress.

he wrapped his arms around you, one hand shielding your head and pulling your face into his bare chest, where you sobbed some more, letting up all the feelings built up from days prior.

“you’re not a hassle y/n. i said that out of turn. you could never be a hassle to me. while you were gone, i couldn’t even play my games properly. i just slept and trained because i missed you so much and didn’t know what to do without you. i know i’m lazy, and i know i don’t make you feel loved enough, but i do. i love you. i’ll do better for you and i don’t wanna be the reason why you’re upset. so please stop crying, wanna see your pretty face smile for me.”

you smiled into his chest, your sniffles beginning to subside and still.

“thank you sei, i really needed to hear that.”

“i would say it over 100 times for you. it might take a while but i won’t get bored of it. not when it comes to you.”

you wrapped your arms around his broad figure, squeezing tightly.

“will you be my girlfriend again y/n? no one else can reach your level. not now, not ever.”

you let go of his body, instead placing your palms on the back of his neck, pulling him into a kiss.

“of course i will seishiro.”

“good, because i wanna cuddle with my girlfriend.”

☆彡 BAROU SHOUEI

it had been 2 months since you broke up with barou and he was miserable. who would’ve thought you leaving would cause such a rift in his life? his performance in matches were shit, he became pissed off at people more easily, and he was benched more often.

due to him not having someone to talk to, he essentially had no form of a wind down from football, something you were able to give him while you were together. something he had come to miss, and wished he appreciated more.

the lack of your items in the house made your departure all the more apparent. your decorations and items around the apartment were what made the house a home.

and you as a person? what wasn’t to like about you? you were a very levelheaded but gentle person, a great contrast to his fiery, angry personality. you catered to his every need, be it mentally, physically or sexually. your voice was what carried him through his day, soothing him to the bone, calming him down when he needed it. the more he thought about it, the more he realised he made a grave mistake pushing you out. the more he realised just how much he was attached to you, he was just unwilling to acknowledge it.

barou was no pussy, and he had enough of living like this, living without you, so he decided to get you back (and not fuck up this time).

he knew you were most likely staying at your childhood friend, chigiri’s house. he knew him very well, having done the blue lock training program with him years back, and played against him in several matches. he knew where he lived, having gone to parties held at his house through mutual connections.

and so, after practice, he grabbed his car keys and set off. he weren’t good with words, so his mind stayed scrambled as he thought of all the things he could say to you. while he couldn’t think of specific sentences to say to you, his goal remained the same.

after some time passed, he pulled up to chigiri’s house, your car the only one on the drive, which meant that only you were home. he switched off the ignition, stepped out of the car and walked up to the door.

with slight hesitancy, he lifted his fist to the door and knocked three times. he listened for any shuffling inside, but heard none. after a moment he turned away to leave, thinking you might’ve not been there after all. it’s possible you might’ve been out with chigiri in his car. yeah, that was probably it.

however.

“what do you want barou? i thought i was ‘making your life too hard’?”

shit, you were home. your voice was muffled, due to you speaking through the door, having seen his figure through the peephole.

“i- i didn’t mean that. not that way.”

you opened the door, allowing him to see a crack of your figure, donned in shorts and a tank top.

“then how did you mean it barou? don’t take me for an idiot, because i’m not one. no one says anything of that depth if you didn’t feel that exact way before. so before you let anymore bullshit spout from your mouth tell me exactly how you meant it, in what context. because i’m tired barou, tired of being in a relationship where i feel like i’m treading on glass around you because you don’t wanna do certain things. it’s not a nice feeling. you may not feel that way, but i do. i’ve felt that way during our whole relationship, but i feel like i can’t tell you shit so i’ve kept. it. in.”

wow. he really didn’t see things from your perspective. once he heard it from you, he realised just how much of a dickhead he sounded like. he couldn’t say anything, how could he explain himself after that?

he didn’t.

and after hearing no refutation or explanation from barou, you simply let go of any hopes of talking this out with him.

“shouei,” his ears perked at you using his first name. “i think…you should go. i don’t wanna have any hard feelings between us but i don’t think we’re right for each other. please understand and respect tha-”

you stopped short of ending your sentence upon seeing barou turn and leave before he could hear you out, getting back into his car and preparing to drive off.

you sighed, shaking your head and closing the door, effectually ending your relationship for good.

he got what he wanted, right?

☆彡 ITOSHI RIN

you woke up in the morning, immediately panning your vision to your left to see if rin had returned to bed. the bed imprints remained the exact same as you had left it when you fell asleep, which lead you to wonder if rin had even returned home.

you slid out of bed, your feet touching the cold wood floor, you trudged your way through the apartment, looking for signs of life, your shoulders falling in disappointment when you realised rin was nowhere to be seen. it was debatable if he even came home or not, the answer you would probably never find out.

you warred with yourself in your head about what to do. considering rin didn’t even try to talk to you to rectify the situation showed he didn’t really give a shit. if he didn’t come home, then he probably didn’t even know if you came home or not, which meant he isn’t worrying about you or where you were.

you weren’t a dickhead, and waiting for someone who evidently didn’t want you seemed like such a desperate action, which you weren’t trying to act like.

and so, calling a few willing friends, shedding some tears here and there, and half a day of hard work, you had effectively moved out of your shared apartment with rin, leaving a half completed home. he didn’t return home the whole day, not that you gave a shit anymore.

imagine rin’s surprise when he returned home from his team practice, expecting to see you moping around somewhere, but instead, nowhere to be found. as a matter of fact, where the fuck was your stuff? the apartment looked very much empty right now. he took at least 15 minutes to look around, analysing his surroundings, the same he would do during a game. any potted plants you bought for the house, specifically for the living room disappeared. your stupid candle ornaments that somehow made the house look better? not a ghost of a trace left behind. your clothes? gone. even from the laundry basket, only his clothes remained.

your products, your favourite sleeping pillow, even your toothbrush was gone. you left no stone unturned, questionable if you ever lived there in the first place.

still slightly puzzled but somewhat aware of the answer behind all of this, he pulled out his phone, clicking immediately on the message app. he sent you a message, heart dropping and suspicions confirmed when his message was not only green, but displayed a ‘not delivered’ message underneath. you had blocked him, and moved out without his knowledge.

he knew you were pissed off from what had transpired, but he didn’t know you would take action this soon. you didn’t even wait to talk to him for the love of god. this wasn’t supposed to happen this way, he was only angry at you because he felt threatened in the moment. but, recalling just exactly what he said to you, maybe it was warranted.

maybe it was for the best. you barely had enough time together as it is, due to unmatchable schedules and rin always being abroad. he was never able to give you enough love. funny, considering he didn’t even make sure to tell you. looking back on it, he realised he was kind of a dickhead to you.

so, he let go of the relationship for good.

—

four months had passed. he’d gotten bigger as a football player after his team winning a multitude of matches had lead to him becoming their star player, constantly getting man of the match achievements. this lead to his popularity increasing, getting more fans and fame as a result. he had been abroad this whole time, focusing on his career.

oh. but don’t think he had escaped you.

he couldn’t get his mind off you.

you tormented his thoughts daily and nightly, his yearning for you and hate for himself flourishing simultaneously as he repeatedly recalled how he fucked up. he wished he could go back to that night, heeding your warnings.

either way, that couldn’t be achieved now, for he didn’t know your whereabouts. he hadn’t known since that night on the pitch.

he tried to move on the best he could, returning back to japan to visit his parents whilst he had time off from football.

it just so happened one day while he popped out to a grocery store to get ingredients for his mother, the he saw the back of a familiar head, whisking away to the next aisle over. piquing his curiosity, he immediately paced to see if it way really who he thought it was.

and yes, the face he thought he’d never see again, the very same person who had been frequenting his mind,

you.

“y/n!” you froze, not expecting to find him here of all places. last time you had seen on tv, he was abroad. he wasn’t supposed to be here. deciding you had to face the music at some point, you turned around, watching as his demeanour melted, at really seeing you again after so long.

“rin…hi.”

all was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say to each other. what does one say in situations such as these? not to worry, rin answered for you.

“how…how’ve you been?”

“good thanks, how about you?”

“i’ve been— alright.”

silence settled again. rin wanted to voice so many things to you, starting with how he wanted you to know how he’s changed. how he’s calmed down in terms of training. how he’d make more time. he wanted you to know he’d do things differently, if you ever took him back. he wanted you to come home… but he didn’t know where to start.

he would have to at some point however, for you wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

“well…um, it was good seeing yo-”

“wait!” he interjected, panic settling in that you would disappear and he would never get the chance again. “i— i just wanted to tell you tha—”

“y/n baby, i’ve got the washing powder.”

baby? what the fuck?

he looked just past you to see a guy walking up to you, taking the basket from your hands with a peck to your cheek. you smiled at the action, lacing your hand in his hair as he took place behind you. he then noticed rin, standing there with visible shock on his face, confused on what he missed while he was gone.

“who’s this?”

“oh, just an old friend.” a bold faced lie. anyone with two functioning brain cells could feel the history between you two. “i’ve got my stuff so let’s go to the queue. nice seeing you rin…have a good day.” you walked off with your supposed new boyfriend. a boyfriend that wasn’t him.

have a good day? after you just shattered his heart like that?

his throat turned dry, awareness sinking in.

he wanted you to come home…but he was too late.

baby you sold me a dream pt.3

[jeannineee]

nsfw alphabet: suguru geto

warnings: uhh there's a lot lol. it's smut. minors don't interact.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

the actual opposite of how he was only moments before. very attentive and doting. will massage your sore muscles, kiss any marks he left. usually runs you a bath unless you're too tired.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

on himself, probably his hands. finds it cute when you mindlessly fidget with them. also likes how they look wrapped around your neck.

for you he loves your ass. i feel like this is something we have all agreed on collectively lmao. geto is an ass man.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

prefers to cum inside you. he's a simple man.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

honestly, geto is very open about what he's into, and what he would like to get out of your sex life. i don't see him hiding anything from you.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

he's canonically the man w the most experience. above gojo, anyway. he knows exactly what he's doing. you won't have to guide him very much, if at all.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

remember how i said he is an ass man?

any position that gives him a good view of your ass is preferred. reverse cowgirl, prone bone, doggy.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

it really just depends. lazy morning sex? he's cracking jokes.

rough sex post-argument? he's v serious. it simply depends.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

he just keeps a small patch of hair at the base. yes, it matches the hair on his head.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

he can be very intimate. like, the type of intimacy that is almost overwhelming, if that makes sense? something w his presence idk if y'all are gonna follow me on this one but yeah.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

he does it whenever the need arises. but usually, you're around.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

first off, he has a daddy kink don't fight me on this. also into orgasm control, bondage--esp. shibari. bdsm in general tbh. likes mixing praise and degradation.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

he actually prefers the bedroom, so he can take his time with you. but if the two of you really need on another, he's down for anywhere.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

you, just you. it doesn't take much for him.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

he doesn't have very many limits lol do with that what you will.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

prefers giving!! but he's very teasing abt it. he very much enjoys edging you.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

usually on the rougher side.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

he doesn't prefer them. he would rather take his time with you.

see L= location.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

very happy to experiment. he regularly comes to you with new things to try, and encourages you to do the same.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

he can last for hours on end. good luck.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

he owns a plethora of toys, majority for you. lots of rope, vibrators, plugs, etc.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

he is very, very unfair when it comes to teasing. he loves hearing you beg, so don't expect him to give in very quickly.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

somewhere in the middle. talks a lot when he's teasing you. also talks you through it. hismoaning isn't super loud until he's close to finishing.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

wants to try subbing for you at least once, but isn't sure if he'd really enjoy it or not.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

he's hung. don't play with me. about 8 inches and very girthy.

(god i am gross LMFAOOOO)

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

moderate. enough time for you to be able to recover in between. you're gonna need it.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

it usually takes him awhile. (overthinkers club!!!) you're always the first one to fall asleep.

[klxudykai]

the ugly part of reality shifting

as great as shifting is, its really fucking draining. like REALLY draining. its nice that people want to show the fun and positive side of shifting and all, but once new shifters (specifically) hit the stage where they're drained and extremely demotivated, they aren't going to know how to deal with these new overwhelming emotions. reality shifting takes a toll on our mental health even if we don't like to admit it. this may not apply to everything, but I know it applies to the majority.

ive been shifting since 2021 (if you saw my post Abt me starting shifting in 2019 that was wrong lmfao mb yall-). and I still haven't shifted. I used to think I'd shift within 4 years but surprise surprise. I haven't. I'm drained and demotivated. I don't completely believe I wont ever shift, but I don't think I can get what I want by manifesting or affirming or doing any of that. I think the universe will just randomly hand it to me. it sounds dumb but that's the weird luck I have. when I don't expect it, I get what I want. but when I try hard and I expect it, nothing happens or I get smth worse. i don't think that even when I put blood,sweat, and tears into this that I'll shift. I've discovered so much shit about myself yet I am still here with no experience of what its like in another reality let alone my dr. never saw my dr once. only in my dreams and my imagination.

im going to be completely honest when I say that shifting is not for the weak. I'm not saying this to get you to quit because shifting is one of the best things that I found. I just want you to know that its not always going to be perfect. you might feel desperate, you might feel homesick, you might feel exhausted mentally. and sometimes you'll make progress but then find another obstacle. quite frankly, fuck the obstacles because that's not the issue. its how you deal with them that really determine how your growth goes. and no I'm not saying it controls if you'll shift or not because it doesn't. but if you're a person that gives up easily, its going to be hard to overcome those blockages. I say that because I myself give up easily. which is ironic because I don't give up when it comes to certain goals I want to accomplish (one of those goals being shifting), but I refuse to get rid of those so called "blockages" and avoid them even though I know what's the problem. I avoid them because I don't know how to fix them and I just have this fear that's telling me I'll fail.

this post probably doesn't make a lot of sense but that's because I'm writing this in the heat of the moment so I'm not doing a lot of thinking, I'm just typing. what I'm saying is don't be that person that avoids the problems. be transparent with yourself because I'm telling you, the more you avoid it, the more drained youre going to become. it might turn into an endless loop where you think about your Dr daily but you have zero energy to shift. and it fucking sucks.

overall, please take breaks whether they're mental or shifting breaks, if you feel like there is an issue with yourself, fix it. this is a hard journey but it will be a lot easier once you're honest and overcome problems that need to be solved.

(disclaimer that this may not apply to everyone, just the people who are going through a rough patch in their journey. this is mainly just my perspective and what I've heard from a friend of mine since our issues seemed pretty similar. and if anyone needs someone to talk to, my DMS are open. I want my blog to be a safe space and that this is a place where not everything is perfect. I love y'all and please take care and don't stress yourselves <33)

also, fuck that toxic positivity shit that just makes mfs more drained. if you feel demotivated address it don't push it away

[secret-sweetheart]

Sampo nsfw headcanons

COME EAT SAMPO FANS I HAVE FOOD!! He needs more in the smut tag (I’m probably saying this cuz im obsessed tho…)

Note: I am a minor writing smut, please do not interact if you aren’t comfortable with that (this includes leaving anything in my ask box or messages).

Content notes: mentions of choking, overstimulation, there’s a lot of kinky shit because it’s Sampo out of all people. This is gender neutral, no mention of reader’s genitals so all homies can read this 🗣️

“Love me up and down, a little bit harder now”

This man’s a tease. A mean one too

He’ll tease you so subtly in public that nobody knows you’re teasing except him, so you have to act calm so people don’t catch what’s happening

Yet when you tease he gets so whiny (as if he doesn’t tease so much 🙄)

He’s a switch if you couldn’t tell

This man’s a SLUT. He has experience and knows how it works

Slept around either for fun or to make sure he gets exactly what he wants in business deals

He’s a bit above average but he isn’t so big it’s scary. He’s a bit on the thinner side but still a bit thick so you’ll feel it

Chill with almost any kinks, his kinks are degrading, praise, overstimulation, edging, brat taming, bondage- he has a list of them

If he’s topping he’s going to be dirty talking so much (QUIT YOUR YAPPING 💀)

He’s teasing you through the whole thing, degrading or praising you- maybe even a mix of both

Also if he has your consent he is into choking you, he likes the power and he does it just right so you can get that nice and pleasant light headed feeling

Feel free to choke him as well! He’s very into the thought of being dominated and choked

Tbh it might turn him on more if you’re smaller compared to him (maybe a bit of a size kink?) if you’re smaller and topping (or just trying to) he’s getting hard a lot quicker. He’ll either give in or switch the roles and fuck you stupid

When you’re topping him he’s shameless with those noises, constantly begging for more and whining, talking about how good it feels and telling you to keep going

It’s your choice to either give him what he wants or make him beg even more. Overstim or edge him, he won’t be fighting back with the position you’re in with him

He’s also very in to toys! He probably managed the staff to give him a discount somehow

If he’s using them on you be prepared to lose your ability to think straight and walk straight

He loves tying you up and using all kinds of toys on you until you’re crying from pleasure, one of his favorite things to do

At this point he doesn’t even need to fuck you to satisfy himself, seeing you whine and beg for his dick instead of the toys almost satisfies him enough

When he finally does agree to fuck you it would make sense for him to put the toys away, right? No. He’s keeping them, he’s gonna use them while he’s fucking you so he can see you get overwhelmed and sensitive

When he’s the bottom it’s a sight to see. Tie him up and use a vibrator on him and you’ll have him moaning so loudly in no time. Or even better- use a dildo on him and let him feel how big it is (if it vibrates you’re going to get a noise complaint from the neighbors so be aware of that)

After all of that he’s pretty good at aftercare! (If he’s awake for it that is)

He’ll carry you into a nice bath and make sure you’re all cleaned up, he’ll join you too and hug you if you’re fine with being touched after

He cleans the sheets and everything, gets some pajamas ready for you too

If he was the sub/bottom, he’s probably going to be too lazy to move and will just cling and whine to you, telling you everything can be cleaned in the morning

I LOVE SAMPO RAHHH

[kytrisz]

pregnant | Matt Smith

| pairing. matt smith x reader

requested by. anon

It's been 5 weeks. 5 weeks and you still hadn’t got your period. Gripping down the washroom counter tightly. It was quiet in the four walls of the confined room. With the droplets from the sink filled the room. Leaning against further onto the counter, your eyes follow the trace of the water goblets as they fall down into the drain. You sucked in another shaky shallow breath. With your eyes slowly looking down on the edge of the counter.

Two lines. 

Three pregnancy tests, all shown with two red lines. Positive. 

You feel warm tears streaming down your cheeks, throwing your hands on your lips. Already overwhelmed with what's happening, finding out the truth pushes you to the edge. Finding your chest heavy, with shaky hands, you turn the faucet on splashing the water rigorously to your face. 

"Fuck. What am I gonna do? What do I do?"  you asked yourself panicky. You're not ready. Both of you are not ready for this. The two of you are at the peak of your career. You haven't even talked about having any kids. There wasn't even any conversation about your future. Do you even want kids? What about Matt? God, does Matt even want to have kids—

As if on cue, you heard your phone vibrate inside your bag. Fishing it out, as if God's heard your questions, you find Matt's name pop on the screen.

Fuck. 

Trying to compose yourself, you take a long deep breath. Pressing the small green accept button.

"Took you quite long enough, darling." Matt's voice echoed through the other side of the call. 

Without seeing him physically, you felt him giving a sly smirk. Even if you feel anxious and overwhelmed from the earlier event, a small smile still forms on your face. His voice really is a comfort.

"Are you alright? Has something happened? Where are you?" 

He probably senses your uneasiness, as he continues to ask various questions. Trying to sound and act normal, you replied "I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't worry. I just went out to buy something. How about you? How's the shooting? Is it doing well?" Thankfully Matt is still away for filming. Giving you time and space to think and reflect on the future. Both of your future.

If Matt noticed your abrupt change of topic, he didn't say anything. "It's great! Everything went well, it's such a shame we finished early. I really love working with them-"

Or not.

"You finished early?" you cut Matt off. Another wave of panic washed over you, as you stared anxiously at the pregnancy test.

"Yes, darling... I was going to surprise you. But I found you not here. Is everything really alright?" Matt is now worried. He's not used to hearing you liked this. Like you're...scared?

"Yes. I'm fine. Let's just talk when I get back okay? I love you. Bye." you hurriedly said, dropping the call without waiting for his response. You put your phone inside your bag. Glancing in the mirror, you put light touches to remove any form of evidence of crying and any distress on your face.

Staring at all the three pregnancy tests scattered on the counter, you let out another heavy sigh. Grabbing all of them you consciously wrap it with a paper towel and put it in the bag.

Matt knows something is wrong. Really wrong. He knew you tried to put up an act, but he knew you more than yourself. More than himself. Stalking length around the living room with worries on the back of his mind, he waited patiently for you to come home. In his bare arms, where he can touch and hold you tight. Not letting go.

Therefore, the moment he heard the click of the doorknob, he instantly went to the door. Taking a glimpse of your frame, he pulls you toward his chest. Letting out a comforting smile. As he pulled you off he reached his hands on both side cheeks, caressing your face.

"Are you really alright?" Matt asks once again.

Looking at his eyes filled with adoration and love. You feel a heavy weight on your chest. Will he still look at you the same when he finds out? Instead of giving him an answer, you put up a small smile, before pulling yourself away from him. 

Matt watches you put down your bag on the sofa and stride your way to the kitchen. Following like a lost puppy, Matt called you with worry lace on his tone, "Darling, is something wrong?"

The more you hear and look at him, the guilt, pain, and shame just keep piling on you. You can't do this, you really can't. Feel the anxiety gripping you tightly, a muffled noise let out from your lips. Alarming Matt further, calling your name once again.

Ignoring, you grab a glass of water to drink.  Trying to compose yourself, failing horribly. 

Matt's patience begins to wear thin as he watches you, his worry turning into frustration. "Please, just tell me what's wrong," he pleads. Matt knows you're avoiding him. That's why desperately he forces you to turn around and face. Jolting both of you as the water in your hand slips on the ground. Glass shattering into fragments upon impact.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't-" you whispered as you slowly crouched down to pick it up. But a hand grab to stop you. In silence, you watch Matt as he slowly bends down to pick up the broken pieces. 

After a few moments of silence, you finally choked out. "I'm pregnant." 

You saw Matt stop picking, raising his head in your direction. But you don't have the strength to look at him, tears flood down your cheeks, throwing your head down. "I'm so sorry."

Matt stood up, pulling you, hugging you close. He has his arm wrapped securely around you as you weep onto his chest. His heart aches seeing you breaking into pieces. Kissing your temple, he soothingly rubs your back. "Shhhhh, darling. It's okay. Everything will be okay."

"I'm so sorry Matt." you sobbed. "I didn't mean to. I-I, it's all my fault. 'm really scared-"

"Shhh, Shh, it's okay, darling. It's okay. It's okay." Matt reassured, wiping your tears from your cheeks. Planting a kiss on your head, your nose, your cheeks "It's your body, darling. Your final decision is yours. If you're not ready for this, it's fine. I understand. Okay? I’ll be here."

"I- I don't even know how to be a mom." your emotions weep further.

"You'll learn, I'll learn. We'll learn." Matt whispered to you.

"But what if I’ll suck at it? What if I'll just be a horrible mother to this child?"

"Then I'll be here. I will be here to support you. We can get through this" Matt reassured, leaning his head toward yours, your eyes locked together. "I'll be here. I promise. Everything will be fine."

For a moment, neither of you speaks, the only sound filling the room is the gentle hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath your feet. With a million thoughts and emotions washing over you. You slowly nodded.  Your fingertips move slowly down his cheek, the gentle caress a silent expression of your love and appreciation.

And as you watch Matt leans into your touch, where his eyes soften as he savors the warmth of your hand against his skin. You finally know the answer.

"Well, let's do it then." You smiled brightly at him, catching him off guard. "Let's create a beautiful nine months and more, journey together." 

A radiant smile spreads across Matt's face as he gazes into your eyes, a mixture of relief and excitement shining in his expression. "Yeah. Alright." He nodded as his voice filled with determination and love. "Let's make this nine months and more, journey unforgettable." With his hands gently resting on your stomach.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

The Current event makes me smile since it kind of confirms a headcanon I had that the Great Seven have animated movies based on them. Makes me wonder about the plot of the movies

Disney should get on the Twisted Wonderland AU Animated Remakes. What is Ursula was a good witch, what if Scar was right to take the throne and did he take it from Mufasa? (Or whoever is the stand in for him)

The Evil/Beautiful Queen...actually GOOD?

Yeah, it makes sense! Since the Great Seven are historical figures and the stuff of legends, surely there would be popular media made in their image. It’s like how the Disney fairy tales borrow from stories in the public domain or how there are historical retellings and reinventions (Hamilton, anyone?).

I believe TWST has mentioned films based on their own stories and history before too, but purely in the animated sense rather than live action. In book 3, Ace and one of the Atlantica Museum guards talk about an animated movie based on the tale of the mermaid princess and her prince; this movie is said to have come out ~30 years ago, which corresponds with Disney’s animated The Little Mermaid. Ace compliments the movie’s soundtrack too way to stroke your own ego, Disney/j.

Later on in Tapis Rouge, the characters discuss other films based on the Great Seven, including one Queen of Hearts movie. A Sea Witch movie is also mentioned; in it, she “goes gigantic” and also sings as she brews potions. The Octatrio quite enjoy this particular film.

(Side note: Another anon once suggested to me that people probably also write fanfics of Neige and Vil since they’re celebrities… Think like “My mom sold me to One Direction?!” Wattpad kinds of fics, but replace One Direction with Vil or something. You can read those post here!)

It’s… interesting this event specifically has Vil promoting a live action adaption of an in-universe animated film about the Beautiful Queen—an animated film which was the first full-color animated movie AND it originally released close to 90 years ago. They also reference the funding issues that Disney suffered while producing Snow White + inviting bank employees in to preview the movie to acquire more investments, stating that the studio that made the animated Beautiful Queen experienced the same. The in-game live action is even slated to come out “NEXT YEAR”. They’re not being subtle here with TWST’s references to their own version of the irl Disney Snow White (the live action is coming out in 2025, the OG is also almost 90 years old, etc.). I wonder if the EN server will actually get Tapis Rouge around the time of the irl release of Disney’s live action Snow White as part of a promotional campaign? 😂

UPDATE: There are even more not-so-subtle references to Disney animations in part 4 of the event, including discussion of cel animation, rotoscoping, adding blush to the characters, and how Disney brought in real animals/observed the “real thing” to help with animating similar scenes or subjects. They also cheekily say that most animation nowadays is CG 💀

I know some books under Disney publishing try to show alternate tellings or show the villains in a more sympathetic light, but I don’t know that they would ever commit to fully animating a film like that. It definitely would not happen in the style of traditional animation, Disney no longer seems well-equipped to handle that task 😔 I feel like it would also be pretty niche or might not get overwhelming positive reception with recent audience calls for “true bad guys” instead of twist or sympathetic villains (though I’m not sure what percentage of people watching Disney actually have this opinion).

I do wonder how those “AU” films would work though…? It wouldn’t be as simple as suddenly turning the G7 into “good guys”. The scenario and other characters would also have to drastically change. TWST doesn’t necessarily make the original “good guys” “bad” in a world where the villains are historical figures; we still hear plenty of positive or neutral stories about the achievements of the mermaid princess and other Disney heroes.

There are also times when the same story diverges into multiple separate stories that seemingly have no connection to one another. For example, there is a story where a princess marries a street rat (clearly referencing Aladdin) and they live happily ever after in spite of the difference in their social statuses. However, there simultaneously exists a story in which the Sorcerer of the Sands saves a princess from being deceived by a fake prince (also referencing Aladdin). The same goes for the mermaid princess (Ariel)—there is both a story referring to a “mermaid princess” who married a human prince and also a different story (clearly still pulled from the same film) about a mermaid who made a deal with the Sea Witch to find true love but broke her contract in the end.

Very cool idea, just not sure where it would lead or it it’s feasible or worth it monetarily for Disney.

[milliesfishes]

୨ৎ⋆˚౨ৎ𝓡𝓲𝓫𝓫𝓸𝓷𝓼 (𝓐𝓬𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮)౨ৎ˚⋆୨ৎ

[fem reader] contains: depression, control, mention of a past suicide attempt, angst, pairing: coriolanus snow x fem reader author’s note: this work contains topics that may be upsetting pertaining mental health, controlling relationships, depression, and suicide. This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever written. But I hope it's good :) 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓑𝓸𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓢𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓲𝓯𝔂 𝓟𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽

Amor vincit omnia

The phrase in Latin was a part of your wedding vows, falling from your lips like a prayer as your utter devotion shone through at the altar. All you had seen was him, glowing with the light of love. He was yours. By all rights and now in the eyes of the law, you were forever bound.

How naive you had been. Starry eyed and innocent with new love. He could do no wrong because the only thing you saw him in the action of was loving you. All other things were behind closed doors he guarded heavily, sparing no mercy.

It was a love worse than death.

Apparently, the seaside had not healed you as permanently as had been hoped. And now, in the wake of the great, terrible secret you'd unearthed, a familiar shadow was settling back into your being, making itself at home and greeting you like a friend. And you let it.

Under lock and key, you kept your musings. Replaying your newly discovered memory over and over, you began to distrust yourself. How much else laid beneath your surface of consciousness, dictating your every move without your consent? And how many more were known by your husband?

Had Venus ever grown weary of her love? Of the constant weight of it? When she was birthed from the sea did her body shudder at the future that stretched ahead- one of endless feeling burdening her hours?

You still loved him. But love does not tie up loose ends. It frays them.

The glow of candlelight could not disguise the whispers clouding the atmosphere of the party like smoke, a low hum exhausting you on your feet. Coriolanus was speaking at length with a member of his advisory, and you weren't paying attention to the nature of his words.

It had been a trial to convince him to come to this one, and you'd held your breath for the entire car ride, nails crushing into your palms to keep yourself under control. But headlines from your brief appearance at the dinner last week had spurred your decision. No more mysterious declinations of invitations, no more avoiding the public.

You were nursing a glass of champagne, finger gliding the edge like an ice skater, eyes trained on the gilded wallpaper in the distance. The few conversations you'd attempted had been all but farces, stiffened words exchanged for the sake of your position. If it ever got back to Coriolanus that someone was purposefully rude, he would have their head.

Nearly subconsciously, his hand found yours, as if he could sense your discomfort. He parted ways with the acquaintance, turning to you attentively. Sliding his arm around your waist, he pressed a kiss to your hair as you leaned into him. "Is everything well?"

"Mhm." You nodded, tilting your head up to him. People were staring, not even trying to hide the fact that they were. But you ignored it, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "I'm okay."

"Good." He gave you a fond look, thumb rubbing up and down your waist. You held up your undrunk glass of champagne to him and he took it, bringing the liquid to his lips. Leaning down, he murmured. "We don't have to stay much longer."

You inhaled softly, resting your head on his shoulder briefly. "Don't ruin your night on my account. I'm the one who wanted to come."

"I'm glad we came." Coriolanus squeezed your side. "But we don't have to stay the whole time."

Deja vu was overwhelming you, bringing you back to the early days of your marriage. He was always checking in on you, always with a hand on you in some way. The thought made you smile just a bit.

The everything of everything was a burden unremedied by any attempted fix. You wore a mask of contentment, tried to pretend you were unbothered by what ailed you. It was useless, especially with him. You were an actress, but he was the director. The one who knew you best.

At home that evening, you removed your jewelry and unpinned your hair, the night heavy on your mind. You were unsure how many more stares and whispers and headlines you could take before your spine cracked under the weight of it all.

There was a knock on your door, and Coriolanus entered, half unbuttoned from the evening. You turned in your spot at the vanity, giving him a weary smile. He knelt at your side wordlessly, arms wrapped around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder as he watched you through the mirror.

You continued to unravel yourself from the night, his presence a comfort. It had been slow these past few days; the way you let him fall back into your life, fill the ache of the empty space that had gathered dust.

The place you held in his heart had always been achingly clear.

You were his apple of Eden, his Achilles' heel. If he was Orpheus, then you were Eurydice, only he never would have looked back. The amount of trust he held in you was astonishing, nearly dreamt up after all that you'd suffered. But you'd known from the beginning that Coriolanus did not mirror the actions of other men. Even if it was easy to lose his intentions in their translation, the emotion was always crystal.

Maybe he was a snake creeping into your heart. Maybe the threads of him couldn't be cut. You'd have thought all these things if you'd fallen in love with him after he became President.

But who he was now was the man you'd married, worn on with time. Fed too much power through a straw. Made to think he had the burden of every decision in the world. Loving you was likely the same for him. Somewhere inside resided the woman you once were.

There was a glimpse of him as he knelt by your side now. It'd been a habit of his for the past several days- checking on you before he trailed off to his separate bedroom. Something about the way he looked at you was scalding in the best way. Like his passion burned so bright under his skin that it radiated outward. There was a deep-seated yearning inside you for it. It was your ambrosia and now you were starving.

All you wanted was the man you loved. But heaven knew if he'd let you have him.

Shaking your hair free, you turned to him, hands sliding over his shoulders, leaning into his embrace. "Tonight was hard."

"It was." Coriolanus rubbed your side, and you twisted your body to fit better into his. Lips finding your temple, he closed his eyes. "You know we're not required to go to everything they invite us to?"

"With what the headlines are saying about me?" you murmured. "I think we are."

A kiss was pressed into your neck, and he shook his head against you. "We know the truth, sweetheart. That's all that matters."

"But I hate that everyone thinks..." you cut yourself off, breathing in and out, and his grip loosened, giving you some space while maintaining his presence. "Everyone thinks that I'm awful."

"No." His fingers crawled up your cheek, caressing the underside of your jaw. "You're not awful, darling."

"Everyone thinks I am," you lowered your eyes to the floor. "Everything we go to, they're talking about me, whispering about my spending and your bad taste in a wife."

"My wife," Coriolanus started, using his thumb to turn your cheek back, eyes boring into yours. "Is better than anyone realizes. Kinder, more forgiving..." he exhaled through his nose, searching your face. His other hand wove into your hair, tucking a strand behind your ear. "You...are a jewel among women."

Lips lifting ever so slightly, you moved forward, sheathing yourself fully in his arms. He held you close, touch as gentle as butterfly's wings. The solemn, soft silence of the night ensued, and you allowed yourself to become lost in it.

After a moment Coriolanus mumbled, "I'll leave you now. It's late." He began to untangle himself from you, but you grasped his arm. Looking at you with widened eyes, he froze. "Darling?"

Your lips parted slightly as you realized your action. But your body had determined what you wanted even before you did. And so you gathered your words. "Will...will you stay?"

Slightly surprised by it, he studied you for a moment as time stilled. You were lost in his touch, inspired by the outward vow of his heart. So true his devotion shone from the outside that it created a sunbeam you basked in. Slowly, your husband nodded, and then you were in his arms once more.

Safe and sound.

The sands of the next few weeks slipped through time's lofty hourglass, tickling your nose with how swiftly they moved. In the backdrop of the past, this had been rendered for the worst. A sign that you were drowning.

In the present it represented your coming back to life.

The unknown memory from before had been lifted from your shoulders, every frustration alleviated once you found the courage to work through it. You were in a unique situation where the problem had already been solved, but it felt new to you, lingering in your mind. Time was the only balm to your troubles, and you found it worked as well as anything could. The weight of the memory never grew lighter, you merely became stronger.

This was reflected in Coriolanus' eyes every time you looked at him, the way he watched your forged key unlock the vault of pain and suffering that encased your previous joy. It was nearly a trick of the light when one saw the person they loved getting better. Every time you smiled, he did the briefest of double takes, as if you were a ghost.

The littlest things began to delight you again, from the first rose budding in the garden to a tiny pale butterfly floating in the gentle breeze. Things that seemed to have escaped your notice for months.

As you rediscovered every wonder of the world, you could feel him watching you. Feel him drinking in the way you became yourself again.

It did not escape your notice that the grasp of change had found him too.

He let go, left you to explore life as you wished, did not limit your bounds as before. You were free to go out on your own again, to call on old friends and find a place in the tumultuous waters of the Capitol once again. Every night when you came home, he greeted you with a gentle kiss, asking about your day but never prying. Coriolanus set you free in a way. Whatever emotions borne of his power from before had dissipated, and now the one you loved was blooming as you were.

You would never be the people you were again. The newlyweds were lost to the dust of the past, mere reflections. Too long had you mourned what had once been pointlessly. The pair of you were like swans, drawn to each other, emerged from your hopeless metamorphic state.

In the wake of all that had come to pass, you were well aware that if you asked for a divorce or an annulment, he would give it to you. And you would be lying if you said you hadn't considered it.

Coriolanus Snow had trapped you, lied to you. He had held you down in the pits of despair even if it was unknowingly, had protected you to the point of suffocation though he thought it was the right thing.

But he had also saved you. He'd taken responsibility for the fallout of his actions and striven to make it better, to earn back your trust. Every time you broke it was him who knelt and put you back together. Through the public's scrutiny and backlash, he had spared no effort to heal you. In this way he had never shifted from the one you loved to begin with.

What were you both if not two broken people, shielded by the tapestries you wove for the sake of each other? The President and the Husband. The Bride and the Aftermath. All this time you'd been viewing them all as versions trapped. But the threads lost their luster and came undone.

It was all layered like the petals of a rose, dripping with a different kind of virginal blood pooling from the wound of the past instilled in each of you. For the first time you felt the desire to begin stitching it back up. You were tired of hurting. You wanted to love.

One morning at breakfast, over your pomegranate, you started subtly, sliding your hand over to his and rubbing his knuckles. He looked up from his morning paper in surprise but turned his palm over to squeeze your fingers. "Sweetheart?"

Leaning your chin on your palm, you blinked up at him. "What would you think if we took some time away together? Just the two of us?"

He set his paper down, searching your eyes. "Where would we go?"

A sweet smile lightened you. "The seaside, maybe?" Coriolanus opened his mouth, his brows furrowed, but you shook your head, cutting him off. "It's okay. I just want you to see it because I love it."

His face softened, and you stood, kicking off your shoes and sliding into his lap. His hands were like magnets to your waist, though their touch was tentative. You could have melted with how careful he was being with you, not trying to push you in any way.

Once you were settled, you curled into him, playing with his collar and murmuring, "I want you to know all the things I love again."

There it was. The spot where you bridged the gap between past and present, smoothing out the course for the future. All he had to do was accept.

Accompanied by the softest of breaths, like a whisper, he nodded. And your smile reappeared, growing even then. "We can do it?"

"Of course." He kissed your temple. "It sounds perfect."

Quiet followed as you rested your head on his shoulder, but you found you did not mind. There was trust that came with silence with another person, the knowledge that they enjoy your mere presence. It had been terribly long since you'd felt that so completely with him.

You fiddled with the pearls on your collarbone, the ones that had arrived on your bedside table the day after the dinner party. Your heart stuttered, and that singular, beautiful feeling built up in your chest. Everything you wanted to tell him, everything you felt he should hear. It swirled and hurricaned until the words escaped in a way you would have forced them to anyways.

"I love you."

Where Coriolanus' fingers had been stroking your side paused, and you used the opportunity to lift your head. Before he could say a word, you shifted to face him better. Taking his face in your hands, you softly said, "We've been through hell and back, haven't we? And I think I've felt every emotion possible towards you. But it all ends the same, doesn't it? It's all stemming from the same place."

He breathed in, cerulean eyes reflecting your beloved ocean, your home always. Maybe your time at the seaside had been so healing because in that way he'd never left you. "My love..."

Leaning in, you pressed your lips to his tenderly, holding his cheek in your soft hand. He seemed to hesitate, but then his mouth was moving, kissing you the way he always had, the way you were sure was the only way he knew how. With all the raw, wonderful passion that hadn't dimmed for even a moment even through all these months.

You rested your forehead against his and took in a breath. It'd been so long since you'd kissed or been kissed. He seemed dazed, holding your face in his hands. Making sure you were looking at him, he ghosted his lips over yours once more. "I don't deserve you."

"I love you anyways."

"I'm imperfect. Everything I've done...all the pain I've caused..."

"And yet." You kissed him again for a moment suspended in time, like the dust in the air brought to view by a sunbeam, like a quiet afternoon in his arms. "I love you."

"My sweetheart," Coriolanus murmured, brushing his lips over your cheek, your nose, your jaw. "If you want me to love you I will. If you don't want that, I'll pretend not to. There was never a time I didn't." He caught your mouth again. "And there will never be a time I don't." His hand found the back of your head, eyes holding you in place, your gravity to the earth. You held him there, the crux of your womanhood, the one true love of your life.

The work was far from over. The road was long and forever. But here in his arms you felt complete as you ever had, more yourself when you loved than when you hated.

You were free. Free to love. Free to be whole.

[secretsofdbz]

So I finally caught some sleep (I woke up at 4 am, 20 minutes after the announcement, and slept a bit more after my last post announcing his passing).

First of all, this is going to be my panel: "See ya later guys, when you die we'll meet again!"

The hematoma that's mentioned in the statement announced in his passing implies a head injury (so perhaps he fell, perhaps something fell on his head, and the internal wound may have not be noticed)

The last artwork he did that was published was this new Sandland one to celebrate the upcoming series. It was revealed on March 4th, so after his passing. We don't know if it's the last artwork he did (he may have drawn this earlier and it was revealed later, who knows.

I'd also like to share some other statements, in no particular order:

Toyotaro's:

Masako Nozawa (Goku's VA) statement:

「コメントできる状況にございません」 -> "I am not in a position to comment."

(aka she was too shaken)

Nozawa update:

「信じたくない。考えたくないという気持ちで頭の中が空っぽです。それでも、お会いするたびに鳥山先生がおっしゃってくださった『悟空をお願いしますね』というお言葉を思い出すと、『私の命が尽きるまで悟空のそばにいよう』と気持ちを保つことが出来ます。先生、空から私たちを見守っていてください。どうか安らかな旅立ちでありますように。」 I don't want to believe. My mind is empty because I don't want to think about it. Still, every time we met, Toriyama-sensei said to me, "I'll take care of Goku for you, won't I?" When I remember your words, 'I will stay by Goku's side until my life is over,' I can keep my mind on it. Sensei, please watch over us from the sky. May you have a peaceful departure.

(Mayumi Tanaka, the voice of Krillin who was requested by Tori super early on will probably say something at some point too).

Oda (One Piece author) statement:

It is too early. The hole is too big. Sadness washes over me when I think that I will never see him again. I have admired him so much since I was a child, so I remember the day he called me by name for the first time. On the way home from the day you used the word "friend" for me and Kishimoto, I remember being overjoyed with Kishimoto. I also remember the last conversation we had. I was one of those who took the baton from the days when reading manga made you a fool, and he also created an era when both adults and children could enjoy reading manga. He showed us the dream that manga can go worldwide. It was like watching a hero going forward. For not only mangakas but also creators in various industries, the excitement and emotion of the time of Dragon Ball serialization must have taken root in their childhood. His existence is like a big tree. For the manga artists of our generation who stood on the same stage, Toriyama's works became more and more important to me as I got closer to the same stage. I even felt being scary. But I am just happy to see the aloof man himself again. Because we love him on a blood level. With respect and gratitude for the creative world he has left behind. I pray for his soulful rest in peace. May heaven be the joyous world he envisioned.

And Kishimoto's statement (the autho of Naruto)

To be honest, I don’t know what to write or how to write it. But right now, I want to tell Mr. Toriyama the things I always wanted to ask him and my feelings. I grew up with Mr. Toriyama’s manga, Dr. Slump in elementary school and Dragon Ball in high school. It was natural for me to have Mr. Toriyama’s manga next to me as a part of my life. Even when I was feeling down, the weekly Dragon Ball always made me forget about it. It was a salvation for me, a country boy with nothing to do. That’s how much I enjoyed Dragon Ball! When I was a college student, Dragon Ball, which had been a part of my life for so long, suddenly ended. I was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of loss and didn’t know what to look forward to. But at the same time, it was an opportunity for me to realize from the bottom of my heart the greatness of Mr. Toriyama, who created Dragon Ball. I want to create a work like Mr. Toriyama’s! I want to be like Mr. Toriyama! As I chased after Mr. Toriyama, the sense of loss gradually disappeared. Because it was fun to create manga. By chasing after Mr. Toriyama, I was able to find new joy. Mr. Toriyama was always my compass. He was my inspiration. I may be bothering Mr. Toriyama, but I am grateful to him without permission. To me, he was a savior and a god of manga. When I first met him, I was so nervous that I couldn’t say a word. But as I met him more and more at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize jury meeting, I was able to talk to him. I will never forget the time when I talked to him about how much fun Dragon Ball was, like a child with Oda-san, as Dragon Ball children, and how he smiled a little shyly. I just received the news of Mr. Toriyama’s death. I am overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of loss, even greater than when Dragon Ball ended… I don’t know how to deal with this hole in my heart yet. I can’t read my favorite Dragon Ball right now. I don’t even feel like I’m writing this text properly to Mr. Toriyama. Everyone in the world was still looking forward to Mr. Toriyama’s work. If one Dragon Ball wish really comes true… I’m sorry… It may be selfish, but I’m sad, Mr. Toriyama. Thank you, Mr. Akira Toriyama, for 45 years of wonderful work. And thank you very much for your hard work. To the bereaved family, I pray that you will find peace and comfort in the midst of your grief. I pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of Mr. Akira Toriyama.

And finally one of Toriyama's close friends Masakazu Katsura (Video Girl AI author) also had this to say:

I feel drained and unmotivated. I don’t want to write a comment like this. But I’ll write something. Once I start writing, I’ll have so much to say that it will probably turn into a long text, but I’ll try to keep it as short as possible. I apologize for the rambling, as my thoughts are still not in order. Looking back, all I have are fond memories of the times we spent together – whether it was visiting your house, having you stay over at mine, or going out on trips. Every time we talked on the phone, we would laugh so hard that we would get tired. You were a funny person. You were perverted, cute, sharp-tongued, and humble. We collaborated on some manga projects, which were also a lot of fun. But 99% of the time, we never talked about manga. As a manga artist, the gap between the way we saw things and our level of skill was too great, and I never really felt your greatness. I know it now. But when I was with you, I never felt it at all. That’s just the kind of person you were. That’s why I still can’t think of you as anything other than a friend, even though you were a great manga artist. Last summer, before I had surgery, you heard about it somewhere and sent me an email. It was really rare for you to send an email, and it was so full of concern for my health. We’ve been friends for 40 years, but that might have been the first time I felt such kindness from you. I thought it was going to snow. You know, you usually only talk about jokes or nonsense. What the hell, you shouldn’t be worried about other people, right? I called you a little before that, and I was feeling sick all over, so I said, “I’ll probably go first, so have a farewell party for me, Toriyama! And make sure you give a speech, because it’ll make me look good!” But you didn’t keep your promise. I really regret not calling you after you emailed me. I just can’t believe that I can’t talk to you on the phone for hours anymore. There are so many things I want to talk to you about. There are so many things I want to say. Even if you don’t care about what I have to say, you can just zone out like you always do. I just want to talk to you again. The last thing you said to me was “OK” in response to my email asking you to contact me again. That’s just not good enough. I’m so sad.

And the Dragon Quest LEGEND, Yuji Horii, too...

I am still filled with disbelief at the sudden news of Mr. Toriyama’s passing. I have known Mr. Toriyama since I was a writer for Weekly Shonen Jump. At the recommendation of my editor, Torishima-san, I decided to ask him to draw the illustrations for the game Dragon Quest when we were launching it. For over 37 years since then, he has drawn countless charming characters, including character designs and monster designs. The history of Dragon Quest is one that has been intertwined with Mr. Toriyama’s character designs. Mr. Toriyama and the late Mr. Sugiyama were longtime collaborators on Dragon Quest. I can’t believe they’re gone… I can’t find the words to express my sorrow. This is truly, truly a tragedy.

Torishima, his "evil editor" (the one the Mashirito from Dr Slump is inspired by), also put out a statement:

"The last time we worked together was on the book we published last year, 'Dr. Mashirito's Strongest Manga Technique.' In that book, 'Torishima and Toriyama Back Then' was the last manga we made together. 45 years, thank you very much. Mr. Toriyama, you were the best manga artist I have ever known."

(this is what he's talking about)

Jackie Chan statement:

"Akira Toriyama-sensei, thank you for creating so many classics, they will always be with the world, farewell 🙏"

French president Emmanuel Macron:

the tweet reads "To Akira Toriyama and his millions of fans who grew up with him",

The authograph says "for Ma-ku-ro-n president" (to President Macron); the hand-drawn parts are the little Goku and the dragon balls surrounding him, alongside the autograph. It was drawn over a printed paper (as per custom when getting an autograph)

The date indicates it was given to him during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Yabuki Kentaro (To Love Ru's author) (link to the tweet)

Takao Koyama (screen writer for 90% of the episodes and the movies) says Toriyama was sick for over a year at this point. He himself is pretty badly sick as well.

Hiroki Takahashi (Makafushigi Adventure, first DB opening)

Hironobu Kageyama (Chala Head Chala and everything else)

"Singing 'CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA!' is the biggest medal in my life! The loss of the sun is too much to bear But the power of Toriyama-sensei's works Will continue to be a strong light And may it illuminate people all over the world. May you rest in peace."

(some more of the Editorial department of Jump can be found here, with a good browser extension you should be able to get the gist of it)

Feel free to reblog with your favorite manga panels, interviews, trivias, and let's pay a homage to his life and work, alright??

[kagooleo]

so with confidence I present my rarepair...fluffyriceshipping!

they were originally a joke ship (which was my last chance to get out) but they grew on me more and more throughout last year, and months later they've become my favorite pair to draw! their name was the funniest thing to make of them because i got to joke around with their jpn names

the tl:dr of them is that there's a lot of good drama to make of thirty-somethings with the weight of responsibility of their respective cultures on their shoulders, as well as their personal thoughts of the trainers of their respective regions, all this culminating together to be really compelling for me to develop, so I'll ramble a Whole lot more under the cut about them :D!!

~

ok now that the people that wanted to see more about what i'm crazy about when i'm not online are here you guys better prepare for the worddump lmao

before they meet its postgame and they’re both in their thirties (early to mid), lance post gsc/hgss still upholds his champion position and managing the dragon's den alongside any g-man/undercover rocket work on the side (in workaholic mode), riley post dppt is occasionally battling at the battleground but also holing himself up with patrols on iron island and doing egg research and training his aura (Also in workaholic mode)

i'd say all the work makes byron and roark try to get him a break from all that, convincing him at some point to take a vacation! see the sights my guy you've been workin yourself to the bone

it's canonically shown in hgss that riley does appear as a partner for the battle tower, so at some point he is in johto! the region resonates with his cultural sensibilities so maybe he revisits it again to instead actually relax there.

lance would probably catch his hat flying away when he's visiting elm's lab (a fellow egg researcher) in new bark and riley would have absolutely fell first for him (and i'm a sucker for meet-cutes,,,)

and from there they hit it off! being both skilled trainers in their own right they battle and go out to eat after and talk about their family (clair and the elders, for riley's case his family friends byron and roark), their culture (dragon clans and aura guardians), and then when they talk about their respective trainer kiddos (silver and dawn) something clicks between them (it’s a Really rough snippet but hopefully it’s decent)-

"Do you have any kids? I know the news loves to make up some kind of story about secret love affairs with a random person." the guardian says, awkwardly.

Lance smiles, "Oh, yeah! I have one but he's technically not mine." Riley chokes on his iced tea.

"I'm sorry?" A million thoughts roll through his mind as he processes his words said so matter-of-factly.

"Haha, sorry, sorry, I'm only partly joking."

"E-Elaborate..."

The champion explains the general gist of things as he's met him, Silver, his kid-by-odd-circumstance, was homeless for a while, but was training alongside some other up and coming trainers. Uncovering some Rocket related files, he learns he's the son of the boss of the entire organization, and after some on and off meetings he eventually got him a place to stay at the Dragon's Den, and soon after began living with him at his place when he warmed up to the idea of adoption.

There are times he gets overwhelmed with all that he's been through, and some nights its all too much. But Lance was there with him, stayed with him every step of the way, unlike the one who gave him that abandonment anxiety in the first place.

"He's my kid, not by blood, and maybe not by his family, either. But instead, by his own decision he chose to stay with me. I'd want him to keep the freedom he has now." Lance states, firmly. "And now he's grown up as strong as I believed he could. I'm proud of him, as much as he tends to deny that." Riley senses his draconic aura swell with pride, mixed with a humbling sincerity in his words.

"What about you? Any kids of your own?" the sudden flip of the question surprises the guardian briefly.

"N-Nothing adoptive but…I suppose it's similar, in a way to meeting them as you have."

The guardian's turn, now. Dawn was someone he met when he was training on Iron Island, and also served as a guide to get her through the caverns. When he felt something off in the aura surrounding the area, he eventually learned of Galactic causing the pokemon on the island to feel restless and agitated. With her, they were able to clear the island of their antics and even gifted her a Riolu egg on her journey. From there, he was impressed with how strong she was, and did hear from Cynthia that she raised his present up to evolving her into a Lucario. He couldn't have been happier.

That was the case, until he caught the aftermath of the events of Mt. Coronet.

What Cyrus did, the lengths he'd go to, and dragging the both of them into a mess that could have torn the world apart.

After that, Dawn stayed home for a while. Cynthia put him as a contact for her mom, who was really worried for her. With his aura and her friends, Lucas and Barry, they were a big help for her recovery. And eventually, after a lot of time and work, she became the region's champion. She messages every now and then to him, as processing any trauma is never an easy road, but he realized how lucky she was to have the people she'd met to keep her steady, and knew she'll be alright.

"I...still wish I could've done more for her," Riley says, quieter. "Cynthia told me about what happened in that other world, and it...it was a lot for Dawn, a lot of emotions to help her figure out." he finishes, sheepish.

"…I don't blame you for feeling that way, I wouldn't know what to do in a scenario like that, either." the champion says, unsure too.

"It's amazing, in a way. All these kids going through so much on their own. I'd be proud were it not so scary, realizing how young they are to go through what they have been through."

"There's only so much you really can do, as an adult. I've realized that fact a long time ago." Lance's aura felt oddly melancholic, as bright and pretty as it may appear. "It's either immediate or slow when things change for them, and sometimes you'll have to make a choice on the spot when the time comes for them to decide what they want to do." It sounds like he’s speaking from experience, but the melancholy makes it appear that he's had some regrets.

“I trust in them to find their own path, eventually. When they’re together, those kids are gonna be alright on their own.”

His reassurance helped, even if only by a small amount.

-

I should make some kind of master post about them at some point but WAH god I’m so happy I can actually put them together in pokemon masters, they’ve really grown on me and I’ve developed a lot for the both of them in my free time, but yeah this is the rarepair that’s been on my brain for ages now, a gaze into my goo brain 🤪

[felassan]

Thoughts on the DA:TV reveal trailer from June 9th. DA:TV spoilers under cut.

this post is rly late, ik hh ◕‿◕

General and some random stuff

It's important to bear in mind what the trailer advised at the bottom, which is that the trailer is "game engine footage" and that "not all images appear in game".

Overall I really liked the trailer and it made me feel super excited!! I thought it was cool. the general more light-hearted tone of it and the music choice weren't what I would've guessed or expected, but they were interesting choices. I was a bit [dog cocking head from side to side in confusion] in the early portion hh, but it really came together for me all chills n stuff with the 'rise of Rook'-kinda shot and the group fight scene at the end, by which point I was overwhelmed with excitement, all the new stuff it had shown and the prospect of going back to Thedas fr to the point that I was teary lmao (don't look at me). I think as well the subsequent gameplay reveal video was more representative of the tone that the game will have, and that DA has.. previous [affectionate] for slightly ?? trailers and portions of the marketing. (remember the DA:O-era Marilyn Manson 'This Is the New Shit' metal trailers with like blood splattering all over the place & screen like strawberry jam fountains and stuff and the male Cousland who inexplicably looks about 40-50 years old? hhh. yea).

I think it looked great ^^ it's very pretty and detailed, it has cool art.

I also dug the sound design, like when there were sound effects like Venatori drawing swords and stuff (as a random example), it was just very crisp and satisfying

Trailer song

I'm so curious to know who the cover/rearrangement of "Heroes" is by and to be able to listen to it in full sometime. Do you think it's simply music for the trailer, or that it's part of the game OST? Didn't DA2's have some Florence and the Machine on it for example?

Interesting to note that "Heroes" is about two lovers from different sides. "Under constant fear of death, they dream they are free, swimming with dolphins". the song "represents two opposing forces", a sense that they will be separated, and the idea that love can endure or overcome anything (umm Var lath vir suledin? 😭). it brings to mind the idea of two people on opposite sides of something as parted friends or star-crossed lovers or something like that.

I also think this is interesting: "Bowie placed the [song] title in quotation marks as an expression of irony on the otherwise romantic or triumphant words and music". When Solas raised the Veil, he saved his people and the world but also doomed his people and destroyed the world - he is an ironic and sad/tragic hero. In a previous trailer, he says [to Rook probably] in a non-positive, almost bitter tone, "They call me The Dread Wolf. What will they call you, when this is over?" It sounds like he thinks (knows..) that though Rook may save the day now, they could poetically end up like him, a mirror of him - hated for it after the fact, or a big damn hero that sadly no-one knows about (remember in Mass Effect when Kirrahe says "We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way"? remember when Mark Darrah said that at one point or other, the 'vision statement' for DA4 was "We would be heroes, but the records are sealed"?), or being a hero at great personal cost to themself, or saving the world from one issue but inadvertently setting off another or causing great collateral damage or something like that. a "hero", but an ironic one in some form or other. it's argued by some that despite its sound, "Heroes" is not a feel-good anthem per se:

Describing the song, [Bowie] stated it is about "facing reality and standing up to it", about achieving "a sense of compassion" and "deriving some joy from the very simple pleasure of being alive". Likewise, Pegg contests the song contains underlying dark themes that juxtapose its uplifting chord sequence and delirious vocal [...] while the repeated announcement of "nothing will keep us together" asserts that time is short. Regarding the themes, Lurie stated: 'alchemy: We may be average and regular in the present moment, but we have the potential, at any time, for heroic thought and action – even if only for one day. The transformation can be brought about by an external event or through an internal change in perspective'."

Purple and bronze

My favs <3 :)

People we've met before

We knew Lucanis wasn't really dead

I really liked the focus of the trailer and its accompanying text blurb on the cast of characters, a thing which is a mainstay focus of Dragon Age and something that people really love about it. The trailer gives the impression that the game is about Rook becoming a leader, the leader of this specific A-Team crew; the relationships between them and the crew members; all their unique and complimentary strengths and personal storylines as woven into the main plot; and working as a team to defy the odds.. together. the old lesson of, if we work together, we have the power to resist and triumph. real The Power of Friendship, Found Family-vibes, yknow? 🥺 I really liked this line "Create memories with your team which will deepen your experiences and give you more to fight for." (Dates and friend dates with them please). In ME, Liara can ask Shepard what she's fighting for, and if it's a chance to give Garrus peace. Shepard can reply that Garrus has been hurt and betrayed, and that she would like to offer him something better. that's the sort of thing that that line makes me think of.

I also get the impression that yeah, the DA:TV prologue/lead-in comic Dragon Age: The Missing was definitely originally intended to end not long temporally irl before DA:TV marketing content of this kind came out. like if you read The Missing then immediately watch this trailer, you can see what they may have been trying to go for in that comic and how they connect together. The Missing ends with Varric and Harding in Minrathous, and in this trailer, here they are in Minrathous. At the time of The Missing, I wondered:

this sounds like it’ll be Varric’s role in DA:D, right? The person who puts together the new Team, but not a companion per se. so… Varnick Fury? he recruits us? maybe the various characters Varric and Harding meet in this comic series are part of the wider team in DA:D, contacts, folks we meet?

and

D] highlight these four groups/factions and introduce the two new ones (Veil Jumpers and Shadow Dragons) in advance of DA:D. [...] Certainly if I was Varric at the moment when Harding asks “So who are you thinking?” at the end here, after the events I had experienced and people & groups I had met in recent weeks, with those being fresh in my mind, I would be thinking about the Grey Wardens, the Antivan Crows, the Veil Jumpers and the Shadow Dragons, both as groups and terms of the mental list of people that I had recently met who Solas doesn’t know. again it makes you think about the popular speculation that the DA:D PC will have the background of being from one of these groups.

this trailer and subsequent marketing materials since then have indeed detailed that Varric is not a companion, that he recruited Rook, that the devs were kinda thinking of an 'Avengers'-type team, that Neve (appeared in The Missing) is a companion, that Rook can be a Warden, Crow, Veil Jumper, or Shadow Dragon (among other things), that those factions are all important in the storyline of the game, that the companions include a Warden, a Crow, a Veil Jumper, and a Shadow Dragon, and that the crew will also have contact with non-companion NPCs who will be "faces" of their respective factions!! like we don't know for sure that the 'face' NPC[s] of the Veil Jumpers will be Strife and Irelin or one of them, but we do know thanks to Game Informer that e.g. Strife and Irelin do appear in the game as NPCs. When Harding asks Varric in The Missing "So who are you thinking?", it mirrors the trailer, where Varric asks Harding "What are you thinking?" after she states that this will take more than just the two of them.

A fun fact about the trailer is that the 'most replayed' segment is the Lucanis and Bellara part. the people know what they want hh.. ^^

Opening segment: Venatori, Varric, Harding

The trailer begins with a view of Docktown, Minrathous, just from a bit of a different angle to the one in that screenshot. the now-familiar floating castle is in the sky. I guess the bright green light on the docks in the trailer version of this scene is one of Minrathous' magical neon shop signs, specifically one above the door of the building on the docks that you can see here (albeit it's unlit there because it's daytime/or at least not overcast). it's foggy/misty, with a general moody vibe. Varric and Harding are in a bar. I think the bar they're in is through the doorway with the neon green light above it, and I wonder if that bar is this one.

Are the carved creatures with human heads and wings in the foreground statues on the nearest shore (where the 'pov' is standing) or carved prows of ships in the harbor? they remind me of harpies or angels. have we seen these assets before in DA? in-world were they based on a Thedosian creature?

[points] repeating rings/concentric circles

this bit reminds me of the different shapes and patterns here. (around 'Level 30', around '0 points available', and the skill tree itself both in terms of design and the pattern behind it)

Who doesn't love a good Mass Effect-style lens flare? :D somehow these always make me feel nostalgic.. this bit reminds me of an eclipse (of which much could be said in the context of DA and DA:TV..) or other astrological event, or like an event horizon or something.

These guys are Venatori Soldiers. Compare with those in the gameplay reveal video. they even attack in a big group of guys in the trailer the way they do in gameplay, Power Rangers badguys-style (a Venatori classic..). ^^

What's the deal with some of their weapons being red btw?

It's giving red lyrium, it's giving red lyrium blade like Certainty (two), it's giving the vibe of the red lyrium weapons pack, it's giving general Venatori fuckery (they have messed with red lyrium stuff for their own nefarious ends several times before).

the symbol on their foreheads is also familiar.

It shows up in Dragon Age: Absolution.

(from here) the flag scene on the right is seen during Hira's flashback when the Venatori killed her family as an example, punishing them for helping those less fortunate in Tevinter. so it seems like the Venatori have a new symbol and a new look in the post-DA:I material, right? like irl art direction/art updates-wise. just, in-world, they actually were using it in the past, as we can see it in the Hira flashback, at which point she was a child, long before the time of the Inquisition forming. unless this is a specific faction or offshoot of Venatori..?

I'm not sure that it actually is or not, but when I see this type of thing I also think about red lyrium shards. also, some of them have lil spiky shoulder blades -

which reminds me of that 'hostile architecture' vibe Tevinter architecture and designs of stuff have going on, like the spikes on the back of the chairs here. and I wonder if the guy with the red face covering is the leader of this particular squad?

When it pans out to this shot, we get a good look at the bar and also it's clear what a bunch of cowards the Venatori are. What is this, like, 7 on 2 at least.. but it was actually more than that in the beginning because Varric and Harding have already laid several Venatori soldiers out flat on the ground (I count at least 3 there and 1 flat on the bar lol). 11+ v 2 LOL. there are also a couple of injured but not KO'd people crouching who could be more injured Venatori, or else just innocent bar patrons who got in the way. in the background you can see what looks like a hookah, which we have seen in northern Thedas before. also, at this point, Rook is right there, sitting there all casual and nonchalant at a table over by the window, with their hood up and their back to the fight hh. the other thing that strikes me about this shot is the intricate patterns on the rug and how beautiful the lighting is - all those shafts of sunlight and candle/firelight and stuff.

Bar fights are such a fantasy, D&D-type classic. I wonder if this bar is the Swan, the tavern Corinne mentioned as being in Minrathous which has good tavern music? or if it's the same bar as where the game starts off, where Rook has the choice of intimidating a bartender or not? an article also mentioned a pub in the streets of Minrathous which has a dozen NPCs in it and which is reached via a wide, winding pathway. (probably at least two of these various bar/pubs are actually the same one being described/shown in a different way hh.) the Venatori try to look all menacing and the barperson, understandably, tries to scuttle out the way.

Bianca looks great and has had a glow up. the carved patterns are so pretty, and with the eyepieces and stuff she looks almost steampunky or Fable-y. which makes her subsequent demise at Solas' hands in the gameplay reveal video all the sadder. 🥺 we can also see at this point that at Varric's belt, he wears a symbol of the Inquisition, even though it's been around 8 years.. 🥺 as in The Missing, you can also clearly see that Varric has been aging. he looks old and tired, he has more of a beard, and his hair is thinning and graying. this look of his, including the outfit and scarring around his eye, iirc first appeared in Issue 2 of The Missing.

I wrote then of that,

he looks Older and more tired, and also maybe redesigned (outfit, scar etc). if this comic is set around 9:52 or shortly beforehand, he’s over 50 years old now since he was born in 9:1. according to this tweet of Fernando’s, it wasn’t Fernando who did a redesign, BioWare had sent along the reference for Varric for this comic. are we looking at Varric’s DA:D Era (Dad Era..) Redesign? is this how he’ll look in DA:D? 

and it seems we were, and it seems it is! :D

When the shot cuts to Harding, we can see that the bar has a roaring fire (tho I question the heat efficiency of this with a wide open door :D). I like the symmetry of having Varric and Harding both shoot one Venatori each with their bow/crossbow at this point. Harding is in her new gear, the new look that appeared in The Missing. She looks so good! I love all the detailing on her and Varric's clothes, like the fur parts at their collar and shoulders (which up here in Tevinter seems so quaintly southern, Fereldan-y hh). my heart skips a beat when Harding whips her head around and blows her bangs out her face. 🥰 the motion of her and Varric's hair is soo goood (and for stuff like Harding's cape whipping around), and look at the detailing of her braided updo!!

Mid bar-fight, when despite being mid-fight Varric reaches for a tankard and Harding summarily takes it off him.. it reminded me of this panel from The Missing #2. at that time, I thought,

“food poisoning” ye sure okay bud. at the end of issue 1, Varric was after a stiff drink. this panel is a smart bit of continuity from that. [but] on a serious note though I hope Varric is doing okay like, and this was just a hangover after a celebration like he says, rather than part of his recent tired/sad/kinda strugglin vibe. otherwise coupled with his older tireder more haggard look it reminds me a bit of Ser Aaron. [and it's] sad to think about [anyone going through or struggling with that] :( (RIP Aaron...)

and the tankard moment in this trailer reminded me of that worry again. Varric, buddy... are you okay 😭

It's so funny (in a good way) when Harding in the background uses her bow like a freakin baseball bat to level a guy while in the foreground Varric is like 'yea it's fine, she got this' because he knows she can handle herself hh. and like, yea, in these few seconds Harding takes out three dudes herself. Varric is still looking forlornly at his now-empty hand when she's smacking a guy clean across the face with the mug. Harding.. make it rain!! :) bad guys drop to the floor and the sparkly effects of spilled drink both fall around her. also, does it look to anyone else that on the front of a pouch Harding wears on her front, there's the eyeball Scout-or-Inquisition symbol, like how there is on her bow? then Varric is like. 'okay, I'm listening'. :D

Neve

We see Neve meeting someone in a Minrathous backstreet. the setting here reminds of the Minrathous streets in the gameplay reveal, of this concept art and of this scene from a previous trailer. it's raining at night and she's meeting them - an informant or contact etc - at a specific time and place in a secluded area to make some sort of trade. they show her the goods and she offers them a pouch of what is presumably coin

from how the Venatori talk about Neve in the gameplay reveal, and maybe even a lil based on how this 'contact' (who is actually trying to rob her or maybe even trying to complete a hit/kill contract on her) is dressed, I wonder if this person was Venatori or one of their agents?

Neve's saunter made me weak in the knees. she seems so confident and capable. she has great instincts/reflexes, which makes sense for a character who investigates alone on the night streets; she saw the attacker's feint (and their real goal all along) coming straightaway. you can't get one over on Neve

In the final triumphant shot of her, when she holds the item aloft, she's got one foot on the felled person, who is lying on the ground hh

I appreciated the attention paid to the sound effects of her footsteps! it's like there's a metal clinking sound when she steps with her metal leg.

She does her specialty, ice magic, and ice magic looks so lovely - a bright white light coming from it, snowflakes floating all around

though I know it's probably more like, this was her planned design and the comic artist was given BW's reference for her, I love how faithfully Neve's complicated, fashionable design was carried over from the comics into this trailer/vice versa/matches in each!! e.g. the toe of her boot, her leg, all the details of her overcoat, the shape of her snake-belt, everything

Also her mannerisms match too! the spell she does here, with its staff-less magic and both hands coming forward with a burst of ice magic, is exactly like she does in the comics. :D (on the right below). I just think that's such a thoughtful touch.

I'm rly curious about the item that she was after. the red shard-type thing reminds me of red lyrium, and at this point a red gem-like thing set in golden metal surrounds remind me of the Venatori. those are different shapes of course, but see above with regards to: the red and gold symbols on the foreheads of the Venatori guys who attack Varric and Harding in the bar; the red and gold brooch or clasp thing from Absolution; and the red and gold symbol of the Venatori on their banners in Hira's flashback in Absolution.

What is it, and why was she after it? the other thing it reminds me of is the round enchanted clay discs from her TN short story, The Streets of Minrathous. they were seals to the demon's prison (the one that is under Minrathous) and involved blood magic. (this is red and gold though so it doesn't super-match tho, as if I remember right the seals in TN were described as being seated in polished black shell on gold chains, with a long, thin, 4-winged dragon etched on the front that was rising out of a dark sea..)

Another thing to notice here is when Neve's name's splash text comes up, what look like orange-red leaves blowing in the wind blow across the screen. this imagery repeats in a few of the other companion segments.

Lucanis

He assassinates a target in a crowded, beautiful, colorful and busy marketplace. Do you think this is Antiva, Tevinter or somewhere else? ^^ the target is frantic, he knows he's in danger and that he's being chased/watched (makes sense, 'The Demon' has a reputation); but Lucanis is so stealthy that he has no idea where he is. Lucanis is quick and deadly.

the orange-red leaves swirl around in the air

on the back of Lucanis' outfit we can see the purpley wing motif and the patterning of many eyes (more thoughts on that here), these are placed really prominently in this trailer.

Again the detailing of hair movement, clothes etc is awesome! Even the back of the target's cloak is all bejewelled and detailed.

Lots of NPCs in the crowd. peer around at their hairstyles just in case they're among those that are available in the CC for Rook :D we also now know that we will be able to re-create NPCs like these in the CC, as it was used to make them all.

Who do we think the target is? they are a human man. is he simply a random person to showcase Lucanis' assassin-ness for the purposes of the trailer, or meant to indicate a person from a particular group or faction? can we infer anything from the design of his clothes? the red pointy spike on his shoulder pad for example kind of reminds me of that of some Venatori (see above in barfight segment). and in general he seems well-dressed, and maybe his outfit has a sort of mage-y vibe. a higher-up Venatori? a bad magister? we know Lucanis has been going around taking contracts to kill prominent Venatori from TN, and that he was intending to do more of these jobs.

It's a mixed crowd, there are humans present and you can also see elves, qunari and dwarves. :) (please ignore the top right hand corner of the image below, I guess a copy-paste failed and I didn't notice at the time hh).

After the target knocks someone over by mistake, an angry guy behind him gesticulates, understandably annoyed.

Lucanis catches and kills him in one fluid motion. I would let Lucanis assassinate me

Grabs em by the face hh (makes sense, he then covers their mouth so they can't scream and draw attention I guess - it's the middle of a crowded marketplace after all)

mullet singing magnificently in the wind

lil crowfeather-like hair tufts sticking out

And he snaps his neck rather than stabbing with one of his knives or swords (and he is wielding one in this encounter). I guess it's more efficient and quick in this instance than stabbing. it also makes less of a mess. :D The setting and dialogue line for this segment is smart too - Lucanis kills this person by leaping out of the shadows/where he was hiding into the broad daylight, and kills them when it's light outside hh.

Bellara

an ancient elven ruin in Arlathan (Forest or Crater). birds fly overhead. I love the lighting and all the greenery :)

the orange-red leaves continue to fall in Bellara's segment too. they aren't a surprise here of course, the gold/orangey 'omg it's Arlathan/the Veil[Jumper] archer place from old concept art' trees are in Arlathan, where this segment is set, but they also crop up in the trailer in e.g. Minrathous in Neve's segment, in Lucanis' segment. they're a nice continuous aesthetic linking the scenes together ^^ We also see them on the Golden City version of the DA vinyl cover art, twining through the dragon's wings and growing among the buildings, in a way connecting this foliage to the Fade.

the design of the place reminds me a bit of the bridge at the Temple of Mythal in DA:I. I wonder if this ruin was a temple or palace in the past, and if so, to/of whom?

it's so beautiful and makes me feel really excited to explore ancient elven ruins and Arlathan :)

the two startled halla look so pretty

interestingly, the black bird that flies near the halla looks like a corvid - making you think of rooks, and Rook.

green Fade-y light gathers in the archway and our Veil Jumper's official proper introduction, fittingly, has her leaping out of the Fade[?], or otherwise leaping through part of the Veil :D Bellara's segment is so fun and I love that for her and us. when she first appears, she looks so happy and thrilled to be on the adventure that she's on here.

in her hand she grasps her prize, which I guess she's just taken from wherever she was - a gold-colored triangley thing (so, a piece of ancient elven tech or another ancient elven artifact). when she gets caught and pulled back into the portal, she drops it and it falls out of her hands.

👁️ Now, about the tentacles. from previous materials like the short story Ruins of Reality and DA: The Missing, we know that in Arlathan, space and time, and reality, has been warping. the Veil is thin and wild, wacky stuff is going on in there. there are Veil Bubbles. the Fade is a mess close to Solas' ritual and demons are coming through, etc. the tentacles in this segment are very interesting indeed 👀 Veil Jumpers are also being attacked by tentacles in this DA4 concept art. here's another DA4 concept art with a tentacled monster in it. I wonder where Bellara was jumping from? a different pocket of reality in Arlathan or elsewhere? a place "in-between"? from a Veil Bubble? the tentacles also reminded me a lot of the Cekorax. it was a big tentacled monster that Dorian hired Hollix to kill in Minrathous. in that TN story, Dorian recalls that a Mortalitasi once told him of "things past the Veil of our world, neither demon nor spirit"...

Emmrich

Cut to Emmrich in the Grand Necropolis in Nevarra. See the bottom of this post for thoughts on the final shot of the Emmrich segment.

Digging up a lot of buried secrets.. it's giving the mysteries of the Grand Necropolis (the lowest reaches of it are quite ancient), and it also makes me think of secrets in the Deep Roads, Descent-style 👁️

The pov at the start of Emmrich's segment has the camera inside the chest (or coffin-type thing, since the skeleton seems to rise from it a few seconds later) these two people are opening and looking inside. the lore says that the geography of the lower parts of the Necropolis varies and changes, producing a disorienting effect on visitors which has successfully prevented robbery attempts. but we can probably assume from location and context cues that these people are looters or grave robbers right? you could imagine grave goods and other treasures/loot to be found in the elaborate Nevarran crypts. (and, some of the wealthiest Nevarrans decorate their crypts with their most prized possessions.) Emmrich is a Mourn Watcher, a member of an order which serves as guardians and keepers of the sacred Necropolis. so it makes sense to see him foiling an attempted graverobbing :) [disrespectful of the departed anyway, but especially so in a culture where their death-related practises are kinda sacred to them like Nevarra]

I wonder if the people are just random petty thieves created for the purposes of the trailer, or if they represent members of a specific group/'speak' of a particular plot-thread? like I could imagine e.g. some Lords of Fortune or something wanting to loot a storied tomb full of walking dead, for treasure and glory.

the way Emmrich casts his magic here, he reminds me of a pianist or a composer. he's so calm and composed.

he's behiiiind youuu, Pantomime-style hh :)

when the splash text appears on-screen, in the bottom right you can see a fire burning - looks to be one of the robbers' dropped torches, which is a fun touch.

Davrin

I really love Davrin's design and I'm super curious to know which Creators' vallaslin designs he and Bellara have. he's so calm in battle, you get the sense that he's a skilled warrior for sure and I immediately trust him with my life. like Harding and Varric in the bar fight, he's holding off loads of enemies just him (well, him and Assan ^^).

He's fighting darkspawn which have been afflicted by red lyrium. (here's the "red lyrium darkspawn" for real too). as if regular darkspawn and the threat of being Tainted by contact with them wasn't enough, now you need to be careful of their red lyrium claws and the spread of red lyrium and stuff too. look how gross they look from behind.

In the background is a statue of a griffon, so I think Davrin is fighting in a Warden-related area. there are stone structures around and you can see some banners (albeit, not with Grey Warden symbols on them from what I can see).

It's dark and all around are the signs of the Taint - the darkspawn themselves, the dead gnarled trees, the corrupted tendrils, things which look like they could be Blight pustules/sacs, etc. I think the Davrin scene is set in the same location as this screenshot (which as it happens, also features Davrin!):

in the bottom left of this screenshot you can see water, and in the trailer, Assan runs past a boat. plus the other stuff looks the same too. and being that it's apparently a Warden-y location (griffon statue), I think that it's maybe the surrounds (or.. remains..?) of Weisshaupt in the Anderfels, and I definitely think it's the same place as here from the DA Day 2023 trailer:

- as the rock, lighting, structures, red lyrium etc all match up. Remember the line from that trailer, "Grey Wardens don’t hide in our castle. I won’t ask good soldiers to turn tail and run"? chat, it's not looking good rn for the Grey Wardens or for Weisshaupt (ctrl-F "Weisshaupt" in this post, and see also this post, for more on this topic.)

when the big red lyrium darkspawn charges forward, it knocks over one of the small ones hh.

Cut to Assan. good boy Assan!! he's already taken out at least one darkspawn by himself over there and we see him sitting on it hh. I wonder if Assan will join us in battle if we select Davrin as one of the 2 companions? it looks like he and Davrin have a close bond - he knows what move Davrin is thinking of just by how Davrin looks over at him. :) he's a strong baby - when he leaps on the big darkspawn he knocks it right over all by himself from the force of the impact. I love Assan's model and I think he's so cute oml 🥺 the way his ears perk up when Davrin looks at him 🥺... his big blue eyes like a husky or something.. the way he's kinda rangy and a bit scraggly like a puppy in the 'teen' stage where they're kinda tall and leggy but haven't really filled out yet 🥺 the lil whinny and squeaky roar he makes. HIS LYNX-LIKE EAR TUFTIES...

The shield-launching move is so fun and cool :D I think it's my favorite shot in the whole trailer. I just love Davrin, the relationship depicted here between Davrin and Assan, the trust and fun in that moment, the bond between them. and when he launches Assan here, Davrin looks so joyful and happy, it's nice :)

On Assan - is he one of the thirteen griffon hatchlings Valya discovered in 9:42 Dragon? or is he from a subsequent clutch? it's about 9:52 now, the question is how long does it take for a griffon to reach maturity? ^^

I also really wanna know more about Davrin. :D like Bellara and Taash, he hasn't appeared in prior DA secondary media like a comic or story so we don't have insight into him from something like that. we got quite a bit of insight into Bellara as a character in the Game Informer cover story (how we meet her, her personality etc) and a few lil snippets about Taash have come out here and there from social media (though I'd also really like to know more about Taash!). I'm dying to know more about Davrin too!! how did he come to join the Wardens, what motivated him to do that? what Dalish clan is he part of (is it a known one or a new-to-us one?), and where did they tend to roam? was he specifically entrusted with the care of Assan as a Warden assignment, was it more happenstance that he came into his care, or did Assan when he was a lil baby see Davrin one day and kinda be like "yea that is my guy" (griffons chose their riders by themselves, not the other way around) ((also. valid))? what does Davrin think of the possible Grey Warden civil war, the First Warden, the Hero of Ferelden? how long has he been a Grey Warden for, and how far is he from his Calling? what are some random lil trivia factoids about him? does he travel around killing other monsters in addition to darkspawn and saving people from them, and that's how he made his name as a monster hunter ("monster hunter" is giving a lil Witcher-vibe to me, and the voiceover line here anyways implies that Davrin also fights demons)? ◕‿◕

Also at this point is a neat transition to darkness. back in the bar, Harding and Varric are fighting back to back, a trope I am a sucker for hh.

Taash

(reverb womp womp womp sfx like a giant boomerang is being thrown :D)

"We'll need someone with fire in their blood" [to face dragons]. I know what this conveys (fight fire with fire, Taash is badass, brave, bold in the face of danger, will fight dragons etc) but I also thought this was an inchresting choice of line for Taash's segment.. Iron Bull once said "So, when you face a dragon, does it get your heart pumping? Do you breathe a little faster, feel the blood racing?" When qunari Inquisitor speaks to Old God Soul Kieran, he tells them: "I noticed your blood. It doesn't belong to your people." Corypheus taunts Adaar, "What do they call you? A qunari? Your blood is engorged with decay! Your race is not a race, it is a mistake!" In some scenarios, Corypheus can say of Adaar that they are "a beast of strange blood". and some believe that the Tamassrans cultivate dragon blood within the Qunari. so 👁️..

Some thoughts on Taash's design. (so I don't repeat myself too much. I link to each post in that series btw, one for each companion, at the end of this post).

Taash's segment is set on the Rivain Coast (two). you can see the palm trees, beach, bright blue waters, the skeleton of a large dead creature, that statue in the background, etc. fittingly she's fighting a dragon and there's fire everywhere :) I wonder if the Rivain Coast locale is where we will recruit Taash. she isn't among the characters (like Neve) who Varric knew prior to the start of the game; at the timepoint he speaks his Taash line in the trailer, he doesn't know her.

omg, the physics on Taash's braid! :D it looks like the gold cuffs on her horns have an eye symbol carved on them. dear Taash, please tell me the story behind each shiny trophy that you wear. 🙏 in addition to the dragonscale-looking parts of her armor, it looks to me like on her gauntlets there are also teeth (assumedly dragonteeth). love that for her. and as she gets up to charge forward, she does a small smile or smirk to herself. she's havin a great time fighting a dragon :D the heat-warping effects from the fire are cool too.

When Taash's splash text appeared on screen, it was at this point (the last one lol..) that I realized there were different effects on the companions' name texts. Harding has horizontal lines through hers, like the flightpath of arrows. the bits in Neve's could be chunks of ice. Lucanis' looks scratched/slashed, as if by daggers. Bellara's contains the floating triangle pieces that indicate ancient elven magitech. maybe Emmrich's is the particle effects of his necromancy? Davrin's could be slash marks from a sword or claw marks from a griffon's talons. and Taash's is all burning and on fire, with dragon-looking claw marks. smart!!

check this out in the background, the rock structure which looks like a head with pointed teeth -

it's the same structure as in this shot of Rivain from the DA Day 2023 trailer.

only in Taash's scene, she's on the beach and the teeth-rock structure is in the background, whereas in this shot, the POV is like you're standing under the jagged overhang, looking out from the jaws of the 'beast'. in the 'in jaws' shot you can even see the beach Taash may be fighting on, it's the area with the big skeleton on the shore. when we saw this shot in the DA Day trailer, it reminded us of teeth, and now that we can see the rock shape from another angle, it really does look like the maw of a great dragon-y creature, with fangs on the top and bottom jaws. the placement of this in Taash's segment interests me because there is also the suggestion of a dragon-y creature with teeth in the background of her card art. ^^

I also wonder if we can identify what type of dragon it is here from the dragon's design? ^^

When Taash leaps through the air, you can hear her yelling. :D at this point it looks to me like this is the same place as in this screenshot of Rivain Coast that came out later. you can see the big skeleton ribs, the campfire, the wall, and the hanging line thing. it's just from a different angle.

Rook and back in the bar

Do you think the Rook shown in this trailer is the 'default' Rook for marketing, like mage dude Hawke in DA2? And/or the Rook from the gameplay reveal video? you can see a lil bit of their face in this trailer.

dae get the feeling that when Varric says "This crew needs a leader. Someone we can count on" he might be thinking of Hawke? not to suggest as the leader of this crew (remember how he gave the Inquisition the run around to protect Hawke when they were looking for them), but just like, he's thinking back to a different place, a different time, a different crew, a different found family. 20 years ago in Kirkwall, his home, when he was part of Hawke's gang and they sheltered all the DA2 misfits (affectionate) under their wings. a reality he hasn't inhabited for ~10 years now. 🥺 "Someone that the world can count on" takes me back to his line to Cassandra in her interrogation, "The entire world is on the brink of war. And you need the one person who can help you put it back together". And it also has me wondering if by that point he's also thinking of the Inquisitor, another leader that he followed, a leader that saved the world. 🥺

Varric also understands the importance of a good leader as the core of a group, of the power of bringing friends together around someone great. a lesson he learned at Hawke's side, then later solidified or emphasized at the Inquisitor's. then, with "But where are we gonna find...?" he's probably going through the factions he and Harding encountered in DA: The Missing in his head at this point, but I also feel like he's rotating the leader-hero blorbos he keeps in his head and scrolling through them. Hawke? [if not left in the Fade]. Absolutely not, the world has taken too much from them already and he just wants to protect his friend. The Inquisitor? Won't work [for the literal leadership role], at this point they know they need to find someone that Solas doesn't know. and it doesn't even occur to him that he himself could lead the new crew. for one thing, Solas knows him obviously, and he's tired, but for another, Varric knows he's the storyteller, just a character in other peoples' stories, a follower, not a leader (of that kind). its a lil meta but it (and the rest of the stuff I said here) is also just 🥺.. when you think about Varric's life and what's happened in it.

Where in the opening segment, Rook was there chillin sitting all casual at a table by the window in the bar, they've now gotten up and started laying into Venatori themselves. (contrasing with e.g. the bartender, who ran out of the way, and other bar patrons who stand around in the background during the fight at various points or are seen floored. you can see why Rook specifically attracts Harding's attention at this point.) it's so funny [pos] - Varric and Harding are now staring thoughtfully into the fire discussing their plan in a circle of KO'd Venatori, Varric with his hands on his hips, meanwhile Rook has taken the heat off them and fends off a gang of Venatori by themselves. and the Venatori are back to trying to like, 6v1 someone. Oh Venatori dudes, you're so retro Power Rangers badguys. Rook only came out here for a quiet drink, and they are feeling so attacked right now.

Varric and Harding conducting a demon-summoning Heroic Leader[™]-summoning ritual

The unconscious/dead Venatori on the bar is still there on the bar. Rook lays someone else out on a table. Harding hears the commotion behind her and slowly turns around. Venatori flail towards Rook. Rook, backlit all cool, smashes two of their heads together silly-style (pos) and then steals their stuff (a sword). Rook pistol-whips a guy in the face with the handle of one of their own swords. Rook then launches themselves off a bench (floored Venatori in the background), yeeting the Venatori on their back (floored-table Venatori also in the background) into the bar, then elbows them in the face. Harding, understandably, falls in love (I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream..). Varric isn't aware of what's going on yet, either because he's so lost in thought reminiscing about his glory days with Hawke and/or because maybe his hearing is going a lil in his old age. Harding makes bedroom eyes at Rook.

Five Venatori then run at Rook (haha.. these fuckin guys :D). At first I was like wait, where did this wave come from? but if you look around Varric and Harding's feet at this point, the Venatori that were laid out in a circle around them are no longer on the ground - so that's a nice touch, that it's the same ones who got back up to have another go. Rook executes the swashbuckling action-adventure trope of cutting a rope to drop a chandelier, crates or other objects on some bad guys, which is fun. this bar patron (hit the image limit on this post hh) with the magnificent feathery collar is unfazed and just enjoying their drink. Harding's cape whips as she turns around; Harding is paying ATTENTION. The Venatori tackle and swarm on top of Rook like they're playing rugby. The chandelier drops. The Venatori are taken out. Harding is like 'wake up grandpa, get with the program'. Varric turns ("HUH?") and then, understandably, also falls in love. Varric makes bedroom eyes at Rook.

And then Rook rises (backlit, among flames and from the heap of a whole football team of Venatori that they KO'd themselves), and also rises. at the same time the music is crashing to a crescendo and the song says "We can be heroes". :D And at this point I'm feeling a bit unhinged over trees, but it looks to me like some of the particles floating around at this point are the orange-red leaves again hh.. Having no "Rook" splash text at the Rook-focus segment makes sense, they aren't a companion and while they are always "Rook", that isn't their name and of course they are the player-defined character of the bunch. I really like the shot where they look over their shoulder, back at Harding, Varric, and the pov.

looping back to the question I first asked in the 'Rook' section of this post, in this trailer it looks like Rook is wearing this outfit, which is also the outfit Rook (there a Shadow Dragon Rook) wears in the gameplay reveal trailer. So I think we can surmise that the Rook in the character reveal trailer is a Shadow Dragon Rook (and a rogue too, as in the gameplay reveal). I wonder if this Rook, this Shadow Dragon Rook, is sort of the 'default' Rook for marketing? or whether in the next trailer, they have a different Rook?

About Rook's clothing in this trailer. it looks similar (e.g. hood shape, presence of a hood, diamond-quilt-like pattern in places, the diamond-shape pattern on the shoulder, etc) to this figure on a Minrathous street from the 2020 trailer, who I assume is a Shadow Dragon or Shadow Dragon Rook. like in that post, it again makes me think of the art which accompanied Minrathous Shadows, the short story about the Viper. the outfit of the person in that art isn't the same as Rook's, but there are similar aspects in the way that people from the same faction have similar aspects in their outfits. again I'm wondering if maybe the Viper is associated with the Shadow Dragons faction, maybe even the Viper leads it? and what if their contact in that story, a lady who is lightning smart, is Neve? ^^

Also, Rook already has the Veilguard symbol on their clothes in this trailer. I wonder which moment the trailer is depicting. Is it depicting the moment when Varric and Harding first met Rook, then after it they recruited them to join the team? Or is it depicting a time after that when Rook had already been travelling with them for some time (per some info we were told before we know that Rook has been with Varric for a while already before the start of the game), as just a lil part of the team, only their performance in this bar fight was the moment when Varric and Harding realized that Rook could lead? Is it neither of these, and more just a cool scene for a trailer for vibes (that is very valid btw, it's a trailer - we didn't see the Hero of Ferelden's eyes for example glowing blue as they entered that specific cavern full of darkspawn like in that one DA:O trailer etc) - the trailer did note at the start that not all images in the trailer appear in the actual game. the trailer also depicts a barfight, and we know the game can kick off with a fight in a Tevinter bar (depending on if Rook chooses to be aggressive in the bar, a fight scene can follow). or maybe the trailer is showing when Varric and Harding met Shadow Dragon Rook specifically? since we know that faction choice basically determines why Rook has been called to help in the fight against Solas, and in this trailer it's Harding being impressed by Rook in Minrathous as they fend off Venatori, specifically.

End group fight

I really love the tagline "Together - Defy The Gods". "Together" puts the emphasis on the companions, the characters and their relationships with Rook & one another as they work together as a team. it makes sense to flash up at this point too, when the whole party (not just Rook+2) is fighting a serious battle together and quite a few of them get a spotlight of them doing their thing as the camera pans around this battle. the tagline also reminds me of when the Inquisitor can say defiantly to Cory at the end of DAI, "I don't believe in gods". ◕‿◕ I also really liked the swelling of the music and the drumming as the trailer ended, it was cool.

At this point, we can see Shadow Dragon Rogue Rook, Neve, Harding, Lucanis, Davrin and Bellara, though in the next bit we also see Taash fighting in the circle. am I just missing her at this first point? can anyone see Taash in that image? ^^ (Emmrich runs up in a following scene.) they're fighting off loads and loads of red lyrium darkspawn (when I watched this scene a second time I realized those humanoid darkspawn remind me a lot of the husks from Mass Effect, only red instead of blue). the big darkspawn swinging a hammer near Lucanis looks like one of the redesigned ogres. I really liked the group fight scene, I thought it was really cool and heroic. :) I hope this is a cutscene and bossfight-type battle at some point in the game's main storyline, because it is a really cool scene. :D maybe the trailer version with all the companions in it is just that, the trailer cinematic version of the fight, and in the gameplay it's Rook+2 companions as in this screenshot?

from the way the structures around them look architecturally, the place they're in has ancient elven ruins. the red sky is ominous. from the darkness and the curling tendrils, and what looks like maybe sacs on the walls, the place they're in is afflicted by Taint corruption. there are also floating chunks of rock in the sky, a trait of the Fade or places in the mundane world where the Veil is thin and Fadey things are Fadin'. they are in the same place as in this screenshot. (when the dragon alights later in this segment, it also generally evokes the sense of this key art for me.) and like I said here, this place and dragon encounter bears a resemblance to the 2x cover arts of the DA Vinyl, which we know were called "Golden City" and "Black City". so here we are maybe, in the corrupted/Blighted Black City..? and if it has ancient elven architecture.. brb, lying awake at night thinkin of how the elven architecture on the vinyl cover art basically confirmed the long-held theory that Arlathan is the Black City. these tower-tops are quite like what we see here in Arlathan Forest and here in Arlathan Forest at Solas' ritual site in the gameplay reveal video, for example.

Bellara's bedroll in her backpack in this climactic battle is so cute and pratical. 🥺 when her 'arrow' hits its mark, darkspawn blood and guts go everywhere. Rook has a cool golden dagger. Lucanis, please move, you are about to be smashed by an ogre's hammer. I'm really curious about his purple wing ability - like how does it work and what does it do? he pretty much stays on the same spot, wings outstretched, for the duration of this scene. I love the way Neve moves when she casts magic, it's like she's dancing, like some forms of bending in Avatar or something. when she lights up with the bright light she looks even radiant-er than usual. and the flash of Neve's ice magic turning the screen white for the next text to appear is a smart transition. ^^

(darkspawn feet pic.)

I'm a sucker for a good ol' 'camera pans around the gang fighting something off together and looking cool'. you know that one shot in the Avengers somewhere where it circles round them when they stand ready in a circle? that's the vibe, and it reminds me of when the devs mentioned the Avengers in the context of talking about the game's name change.

Davrin's boots have spur-looking parts! you can feel the force of Taash's blow there. and then Emmrich comes running up to the team from somewhere else chased by more darkspawn and the freakin dragon. did.. did they use poor Emmrich as DRAGON BAIT (I kind of get the impression that they wanted to draw the dragon to this particular location, and I wonder if that has something to do with the circle)? 😭😭 Grandpa..?? they wouldn't let him help fight in the circle with his magic, or assign a more physical member of the team to be the bait, and were instead just like run old man, run. 😭 he's running for his life and Harding's like over here Emmrich, I'll keep them off you, promise. at this point you can also see lots of those Blight sacs on the walls. the dragon is huge and looks really cool and detailed - when it's getting ready to breathe fire, you can see light through the tissue of its throat, and the fire dripping from its maw is cool.

in the final scene with the dragon's wings outstretched, on the left you can see a red lamp-type thing. it's the same as the blue ones here, only red. I wonder what those are? and why do they change color?

and of course, like I said here, in the background at this point we can see the Evanuris symbols in the form of their headshapes, specifically on the tops of statues just like the ones that surrounded Solas' ritual site in Arlathan Forest in the gameplay reveal. this makes me wonder - this battle seems quite climactic, if it occurs at the end of the game, maybe the game ends where it all really began, back at the Arlathan Forest Ritual Site, which by that point has maybe become extra Fadey and has corruption spreading in it, which killed all the vegetation? that would be poetic. an alternative spin on this theory is that, since this place is kinda Fadey, maybe it's the in-Fade reflection (specifically the Black City) of the irl ritual site.

I've previously wondered if the dragon in this shot is Elgar'nan (dragons were a form reserved for the divine, i.e. the Evanuris, in the time of the Evanuris), but on a re-watch, from the way things are positioned (maybe that was intentional?), the statue-head directly behind the dragon in the center as it spreads its wings is actually the one with the Ghilan'nain headshape, so maybe it's actually Ghil? this dragon's horns curve down like Ghil's headpiece curves, not upwards like Elgar'nan's. this concept art piece for DA4 to me implies both Ghil and Elgar'nan take dragon form (2 dragons here, 2 Evil Gods rising), and as we know, they were a shape of the divine generally speaking back then anyway so it's totally feasible. the dragon in the trailer matches the one on the left in this concept art more than the one on the right.

The other big thing about the final shot is that there is an eclipse in the background. this is just like on the vinyl cover arts, and is something we've seen a lot in DA:TV marketing (ctrl-f "eclipse" here), e.g. the astral-looking spheres here, this previous iteration of the logo. it's also a thing that has cropped up in related lore in previous games, along with sun&moon imagery (example), like:

two shadowed spheres among stars / an eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred [Emergent Compendium]

and I looked up and saw the seven gates of the Black City shatter, and darkness cloaked both realms. [Chant of Light]

etc. and if you think about it, in a solar eclipse, the moon blocks out the sun. Elgar'nan in Dalish lore is the son of the sun; he threw the sun down from the sky and is known as He Who Overthrew His Father. throwing down the sun would cause darkness, and it could be a poetic reading of an eclipse-type event like we're seeing here. additionally, the Dalish believe that when he did so, he buried the sun in the abyss (which might be the Void), a place which sounds like it's in a different part of reality to the waking world and which sounds like it could potentially be Blighted. (and in this trailer we're looking at a Fade-y or Fade location, and it is corrupted).

as the trailer ends, we can see pretty designs similar to the one here around Rook's level in the top left.

At the end of this post I'm gonna link to some more of the other posts I made about the trailer & related things at the time, just for the sake of completion. ^^

Post with the reveal trailer in it

Related official new screenshots from the website

Yeyyy, griffons are back (outside of the books)

Vallaslin

We saw you from across the bar

Lucanis wings compilation pic

Floating building, welcome back

He is here

A dream come true

Thoughts on the companion 'tarot-style' art pieces: Taash | Neve | Davrin | Harding | Bellara | Emmrich | Lucanis

Yoooo

They have come to deliver this world..  (◡ ‿ ◡ ✿)

[fafnir19]

Genie's lamp - Part IV

Jafar's freedom

It was on a humid day that Trevor found himself seated on a weather-worn bench at a beach promenade, the distant sound of crashing waves creating a soothing backdrop. Beside him sat his girlfriend, her eyes tracing the path of a well-dressed man in his thirties with an air of confidence that made Trevor's jealousy simmer beneath his skin. "Who's that guy you can't take your eyes off?" Trevor's voice cut through the tension, his gaze fixed on his girlfriend's face as she turned to look at him. "Oh, him?" His girlfriend's tone was nonchalant, a small smile playing on her lips. "Just admiring his style, that's all." The words stung Trevor, his pride wounded by the casual response. "Admiring his style, huh? Seems like more than just fashion to me."

The tension simmered between them until his girlfriend excused herself to the restroom.

Left alone on the bench, Trevor's thoughts spiraled into a whirlwind of doubts and insecurities.

It was then that the enigmatic stranger approached him, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "Can't blame her, can you? I mean, look at me! By the way, I’m Jafar," the man said, his voice smooth like silk. Trevor's hackles rose at the insinuation, his jaw clenching. "You'd better watch your mouth, buddy," Trevor spat, his fists clenching at his sides. "You probably think that you are quite the stud, right?" Jafar remarked, a sly smile playing on his lips. Trevor bristled, "fuck off, buddy."

Jafar chuckled, "You seem upset. Don't tell me you're getting jealous." With a scowl, Trevor retorted, "I'm not gay or anything, so don't even try." Jafar's gaze shifted downwards, and he smirked, "Oh, but it seems you're quite responsive to my presence as well, aren't you?" Trevor felt a strange sensation in his pants and looked down to see the undeniable bulge. "What the hell?" Trevor exclaimed, his face flushing in embarrassment.

Jafar took advantage of Trevor's stunned state and leaned in to kiss him, catching him off guard. Trevor struggled, but Jafar was surprisingly strong, pushing him down on the bench. As Jafar towered over Trevor, his emerald eyes gleaming with a mix of dominance and desire, Trevor's breath caught in his throat. With a swift movement Jafar positioned himself between Trevor's trembling legs and stripped Trevor of his pants, leaving him exposed and vulnerable.

His gasp of surprise was drowned out by the commanding tone of Jafar's declaration, “I will ride you like the stallion you think you are!” As Jafar's throbbing member breached Trevor's entrance, a mixture of shock and pain overwhelmed him. Trevor, a college football jock used to being in control, tried to fight against Jafar's powerful force. But his efforts were futile against Jafar's expertise and strength. With each rhythmic thrust, Trevor found himself teetering on the edge of a pleasure he had never known. The raw force of Jafar's movements sent shivers down Trevor's spine, awakening a primal energy within him. Trevor's mind swirled with a blend of conflicting emotions—pleasure, astonishment, and a newfound sense of power. In the midst of their passionate encounter, Trevor felt a surge of strength and virility unlike anything he had experienced before. “Jafar knows how to treat a virile and strong stud like me,” Trevor thought, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting desires. The acknowledgment of his own allure and power resonated deep within him, fueling the flames of his inner fire. Sensing Trevor's transformation, Jafar intensified the rhythm of their union, driving them both towards the peak of ecstasy. Trevor's body responded eagerly, his cock and balls growing to impressive sizes, reflecting his intensified lust. With each thrust, Trevor's cries of pleasure transformed into primal neighs, a testament to the primal energy that now flowed through him. As the culmination of their passion drew near, Trevor felt a surge of release building within him. With a primal roar of pleasure, Trevor released his human seed, followed quickly by a gush of horse cum that marked the beginning of a stunning transformation.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he felt an unfamiliar weight between his legs, a throbbing sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Trembling with fear and confusion, Trevor gazed down to see a majestic horse cock where his human member once proudly stood. A guttural neigh escaped his lips, his voice stolen by the enchantment that gripped his very being. In that moment, a primal force surged through Trevor's veins, igniting a transformation beyond his wildest nightmares. His body contorted, muscles rippling and bones shifting as he felt his form elongate and morph into that of a magnificent stallion. Hooves replaced his feet, a glossy coat of fur enveloped his once human skin, and a mane flowed down his powerful neck. Trevor’s mind reeled, struggling to comprehend the surreal metamorphosis unfolding before him as he succumbed to the fate woven by Jafar's wicked magic. Breathless and stunned by the intensity of the experience, Trevor could only neigh in astonishment and horror.

Trevor's puzzled thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion until he felt the weight of Jafar's saddle upon his back. Jafar, with his commanding presence, effortlessly mounted Trevor. Trevor's equine instincts urged him to resist, to rebel against this invasion of his will, but Jafar's control was unyielding. "Whoa there, Trevor," Jafar murmured, his tone both soothing and commanding as he guided the stallion with a firm hand.

"You may have the spirit of a stallion, but you still need a master to guide you." Trevor's equine body tensed under Jafar's touch, muscles rippling with restrained power as he tried to throw off his rider. Yet Jafar's skillful expertise kept him firmly in place, each movement calculated to keep Trevor in check. "You can't fight this, Trevor," Jafar continued, his voice a velvet temptation that echoed in the stallion's mind. Struggling against Jafar's powerful influence, Trevor grunted and snorted, his hooves kicking up sand in a futile attempt to resist. But Jafar's mastery over Trevor was undeniable, his control unwavering as he deftly guided the transformed stallion along the shoreline. With each rhythmic stride, Trevor's defiance slowly crumbled, giving way to a burgeoning sense of pride at being ridden by Jafar. The once cocky and boisterous young man now reveled in the sensation of Jafar's weight upon his back, his muscles rippling beneath the sun-kissed skin. A newfound allure emanated from Trevor, magnified by the presence of Jafar astride him, showcasing his bare, sculpted chest to the world.

As the time ticked by, Trevor's resistance melted away like sand slipping through fingers. Acceptance settled in his heart, melding with a strange contentment at his fate. The stallion once known as the cocky jock Trevor now found solace in his new role as Jafar's prized mount, a symbol of power and virility beneath the watchful eyes of the ocean.

Sensing the shift in Trevor's demeanor Jafar's laughter rang out like a melody, a triumphant sound that filled the air around them. "You see, Trevor," Jafar announced, his voice tinged with satisfaction. "Now, you are truly the stallion you were always meant to be. And I must admit, it suits you well." Trevor nickered softly, a sound of submission and resignation to his newfound owner, Jafar. "You revel in the idea of becoming a mindless, horny animal, don't you?" Jafar's voice was smooth, a hint of amusement dancing in his emerald eyes. Trevor's equine ears twitched at the words, a surge of primal energy coursing through him. Without warning, his horse cock emerged from its sheath, a bead of pre glistening at the tip. A low, guttural sound escaped Trevor's throat, a mix of surprise and defiance battling within him. Jafar's laughter filled the air, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips as he beheld the transformation before him. With a swift motion, Jafar dismounted from Trevor's back, his gaze lingering on the proud stallion before him. "You are no longer the man you once were, Trevor. Embrace your new desires, revel in the raw power coursing through your veins."

Trevor's human mind struggled against the primal instincts that now consumed him, the urge to mount mares in heat growing stronger with each passing moment. A sense of longing mingled with confusion as he grappled with his newfound identity. Jafar's hand reached out, a touch of tenderness in his eyes as he caressed Trevor's powerful neck. "You are mine now, Trevor. Embrace the freedom of the wild, the untamed spirit that now resides within you."

As the sea breeze carried their intertwined scents across the beach, Trevor let out a low whinny, a mixture of acceptance and defiance echoing in the salty air. The transformation was complete, his destiny forever entwined with Jafar's as he surrendered to the call of the wild.

Meanwhile Jafar mused to himself, "I should totally give Lex the stallion. It'll definitely make him more graceful and stylish." Jafar's thoughts drifted to Lex and he felt a sinister sense of satisfaction and amusement at how effortlessly he still could manipulate Lex - just like moldable clay in his hands...

[astroyongie]

Seventeen June Reading 2024

Note: please take it lightly as its done through tarot

S.Coups

Love: He is dating at the moment and things seem to be doing well compared to the October reading where things were shaky. Scoups and his partner finally found a stable ground and are going okay 

Career: he is feeling quite hasty. I believe Soups had some type of quite heavy argument with someone (either a member of a higher up/manager) because he is extremely pissed and his impulsive side came out ruthlessly. things rent fixed yet. 

Self: He is doing well, his energy is quite resilient and he is working a lot on his career but on himself as well. He has been feeling quite courageous lately. 

Wonwoo

Love: okay so.. In the beginning of the year a small reading said that his relationship was going through some complications. I still see them happening at the moment. he is still dating his long lasting partner but there was some secrets that were revealed that have affected him a lot 

Career: he hasn’t been spending much time with his members. everything is going okay for him and his career, btu lately he has been preferring to be alone than with them 

Self: overall, Wonwoo’s energy is still positive and he is still doing okay. there’s just some overwhelming emotions that he is dealing with. but other than that, he is okay 

Mingyu

Love: this is funny. Mingyu is single and he has been rejected not by one, not by two but by three fellow idols since October until now. At the moment he is focusing on his work and closing his heart. 

Career: he isn’t really okay with the new directions that the company is giving them, especially since it seems like Mingyu doesn’t like the new type of music they have been doing. but he is trying to stay professional about it 

Self: to be honest, his energy is rather low and heavy. i think he is dealing with some emotional turmoil, his ego also took a violent blow and he is trying to deal with the mess of his life at the moment. 

Vernon

Love: Vernon is still dating the same person he was since october. Their relationship seems to be doing well and being quite balanced as well. from what i can pick up, they are happy and thriving which is a positive thing 

Career: Career wise, things seem to be doing well too. Vernon has a good relationship with everyone, but what is striking to me is the fact that he has been investing in himself and there’s some projects that he has been working on. they might come out by the end of the year (perhaps september or december) 

Self: his emotional self is getting better. although i can sense in his energy that there’s still some issues concerning his inner self and his own mind. But vernon is dealing with everything happening in his life and around him in a mature way, making sure not to let his mental health get hurt by it 

Woozi

Love: It does seem like Woozi is in some type of relationship. Although this doesn't seem like something that is official, the passion is there. this relationship also doesn't feel good in a sense, there’s a lot of unhealthy bases here, and this probably won't work out for long. But Woozi is actually just using this for his own needs and fantasies. 

Career: Everything is going well for his career, Woozi still has a lot of power when it comes to creating music and taking decisions for the group. Although some of his decisions can be seen as too authoritative by some members, he isn't changing his way of being. 

Self:He is a little bit lost, his energy seems to be wandering around without a purpose or at least without any goals in mind. I think Woozi at the moment is trying to find himself amidst the confusion that his life is. 

Jeonghan

Love: Nothing changed from October. he is still dating his partner and things are going well for Jeonghan and them. if anything, their relationship is going through a very honeymoon like phase, where there’s stability and love 

Career: things are  a little more shaky here. I don't think that Jeonghan is happy with his current situation. there’s some arguments with some members and also he feels overwhelmed by the work they have to give constantly. i feel like he hasn't been sleeping well, and all his stress come from work alone 

Self: He feels a little bit stuck in his situation. Jeonghan probably needs some time out, some type of hiatus or just a pause so he can breathe and not work. however that is not possible, so his energy has a hard time dealing with that

Joshua

Love:Joshua is equally still dating the same person he was dating in October. Just like for his members, he is doing fine and very well. the relationships also going through the honeymoon phase, where there’s a lot of love and discovery for them 

Career: Things are complicated. not due to work itself, but with the people he has to deal with. Lately Joshua has been avoiding some of his members, he is taking a step back because he feels too overstimulated when some members are around. He also might have lost some trust in a couple of members. 

Self: Yeah, so his self energy is celery showing me that there’s a lot of arguments happening with the members currently and since he is tangled in those, it makes him want to retreat and it pushes him to stay quiet and isolate from that type of atmosphere. 

DK

Love: he is dating still, but he hasn’t been with his partner for quite some time. I think their partner is traveling or some type of thing because they haven't seen each other for some time. there’s a lot of frustration in DK because he isn't able to be with them 

Career: There are so many burdens on DK’s shoulders at the moment. There's a lot of hard work that is being demanded from him, a lot of things that he is responsible for. also he has been trying to manage the arguments between some members and it kind of annoys him and weighs down on him, because he doesn't want to pick sides. 

Self: his energy is rather low. nothing concerning his emotional state, it's more because he is tired and also because he feels disconnected with life 

Seungkwan

Love: Seungkwan is still single, if anything he isn't feeling okay to be in a relationship. He knows he is dealing with a lot on his plate and he doesn't want to put that on someone. there’ s lot of emotional turmoil and instability that he needs to fix first, 

Career: For his career things are going well, but Seungkwan kinda misses the old days, misses the old songs and the old concepts. probably has a hard time accepting the new chances the group is having

Self:there’s a lot of shifting energy around him, which can be very positive, because he doesn't want to get stuck in past energy. give him a little time and i am sure he will blow us away with some positive energy around him 

Hoshi

Love: he is probably not with his sponsor anymore that has been his partner for years. I see so many arguments and conflicts here for  a lot of things that have happened in his relationship. I sense hoshi’s energy to be very angry and frustrated with a lot of things 

Career: he is actually so happy with things as they are now and he thinks that the group is doing better now than it was before so he doesn't understand when his members get “past sick or nostalgic” about the old times. also expect some solo work from him 

Self: I didn't got much for his self, so I can't really answer to it

Jun

Love: oh well i wasn't expecting this, but it seems like Jun is actually dating someone at the moment which is a big shift from his october energy. I don't have much to say, other than that this is a rather new relationship, the person is very beautiful, probably known to the public in general. 

Career: expect new things coming for him as well, i see that Jun has been working on something solo like, and he will release it this year. there’s still some adjusts to be made with the company, but yeah, probably some solo things for him

Self: that’s complicated with him at the moment, based on his energy, is that he is so focused on his career that he barely has time for his family and close people in his life. this can potentially be problematic and create conflicts 

The8

Love: Minghao is still single at the moment and still not looking for love, since his heart isn't a priority at the moment, i also feel like he doesn't feel stable enough at the moment in his whole life to be in a relationship. 

Career: there’s some issues here, mostly i see that Minghao lost some type of opportunity due to his procrastination but also because he didn't put effort into grasping it. it made his sponsor quite angry at him tho

Self: there’s some shifting energy for him as well, so it probably means that he is under some type of transformation (emotional or spiritual) or even changing something in his body or the way he acts

Dino

Love: I believe that him and his partner have broken up, since Dino seems to be disheartened but also torn and focused on his work. He is “alone” in a sense where he doesn't get the support of his partner anymore. it seems like they have broken up due to the incompatibility of their schedules 

Career: He has his career as a priority and that is quite clear in his energy, there’s also the change that Dino is going to make another solo or some type of oslo work for his fans. he is taking advantage of his image for this 

Self: his self energy is a little bit on the lower side, I see more negative emotions and he is overall benign, exhausted and tired. also there’s so many things to do and chose, he is probably just overwhelmed

[howlsofbloodhounds]

what’s your favorite killer sans comic,,, you have literally the best thoughts ever about him it kills me

Oh there’s many; so we’re probably gonna have to put the entire Something New comics off to the side for a moment, because those are at the very top.

I think my personal favorites are all tied between the comic where Color stumbles onto Killer mid breakdown and has to shake some sense into the guy, the “A Good Person?” comic between Killer and Dream, the comic where Nightmare chokes Killer or the “Something New Happened,” the comic where Killer leaves Nightmare with Color.

I like these ones primarily because we get to see Killer’s dynamics with Nightmare, Dream, and Color.

Color is the one shakes some sense into Killer, the bit of firm but honest love he needs. There’s not any talks about Killer’s morality, if he’s a “good” person or not, no talk about if Killer deserves to be saved or not. If redemption or change is possible; it’s about if he even wants it.

Color demanding to know what Killer wants for his life. He doesn’t want to hear any of the “I can’t feel anything,” the “everyone else wants this, so I do too and therefore I am fine.”

Killer, with a bit of prodding, pushes past his fears and worry—his overwhelming sense of helplessness, of no hope, of shame and guilt—and says what he wants. He wants to go home. He wants his friends back, his family back. He wants Papyrus. He wants to be Sans again.

He wants to go back to an easier time in his life. When he was happy, and safe, and loved and respected.

Is this actually possible? Likely not for a long time, if ever. He has been irreversibly changed by his own choices and external forces leading him to a choice. He has idealized the past, in his Stage 1 self—whereas parts of him fear going back.

He is not the same person he was, when the rest of the Underground knew him. He’s not the Sans they know, he likely barely even knows who he was before—he’s spent more time as Killer than he ever was as Sans.

But if it’s possible or not wasn’t what he was asked. He is being told that what he wants matters, and this is what he wants: to be happy, to turn back to a time before he did anything to no longer “deserve” happiness. So Color offers a practical solution instead; attempt to fix Killer’s SOUL.

But like always, hope is taken away when Nightmare shows up. He is turned back into Stage 2, a version of himself who has embraced what he is now, and is “corrected” again—that is is pointless to hope, and redemption or change is not possible. The brief progress Killer made, that tentative half step forward, is immediately shattered with 20 steps straight back.

The only bit of hope left from this interaction is, even after Stage 2 readies to fight Color—“ready to die?” is similar to what he said—it’s only after Color leaves without a fight that he notes with detached curiosity that he doesn’t know why, but he “kinda likes him(Color).”

The comic ends with Nightmare telling him to “shut up,” and Killer grinning as he always does.

Now the “A Good Person?” comic helps Killer in a different way. Now the question is if Killer can be a good person or not—which is something any Stage of Killer has likely either never believed or never cared for the answer to. Killer needs to establish and define his morals, he needs to understand what a “good person” means to him, but more than that—he needs to know if it’s even possible.

Here is Dream, the Guardian of Positivity, saying he was drawn in due to the positive emotions Killer feels with his cats—that he felt these emotions from Killer before, but he wasn’t sure until now. He’s saying that he knows theres a “good person,” somewhere deep down, and that he wants to help Killer: despite all the harm Killer has caused to the Multiverse, to Dream’s friends, to Dream himself.

Dream is still scared of Killer, even, yet refuses to back down or attempt to protect himself by attacking first when he worries Killer would hurt him. Like Killer has before, like he’s done to many others.

What Killer is gaining here is a form of trust, someone having faith that he won’t hurt them despite what he’s made for. Someone who has every right to hate or fear Killer, someone who has every right to not want to be around him—approaches him first. Declares that they believe Killer can do better, that they’d like to help if he’ll accept it.

It’s different from with Swap, despite how Swap and Dream both only have the best intentions. Swap approached Killer as if he were Sans, and just needed some reminders of the past—in a Stage where the past is something to avoid, something to fear.

It must’ve felt like Swap was trivializing Killer’s experiences, mocking what made him by hurting him with what he was and could never be. Trying to trick him and trap him into having hope only to take it all away. Again, “like everyone does.” Swap wouldn’t take the hint that Killer wanted to be left alone, and kept pushing “Sans” on him.

But with Dream, he does call him “Sans” yes, but he doesn’t get overly pushy with it. It helps that Killer was only very briefly in Stage 2 for a moment, to make sure that Dream was actually real, but felt comfortable and safe enough to be in Stage 1 for the rest of the conversation.

Now Killer doesn’t immediately believe Dream when he says Killer could be a good person—his Stages debate about it, one immediately jumps to “don’t fall for the trick, kill him” whereas the other cautions; says to let Dream speak. We never see what Killer’s final choice is, but Dream plants the idea that he can be more than a killer—someone’s villain, the end of someone’s story—in his head in a way that allows Killer to consider it instead of immediately reject the idea.

And more importantly, Dream doesn’t say Killer has to be Sans again. And he doesn’t say he only “has a good person inside” due to Sans, either, even if he does use the name that Killer no longer feels connection to.

Color shows Killer that what he wants could possibly matter, whereas Dream suggests the consideration that maybe he’s not all death, violence, murder and gore. That he can be Killer, and be more than a killer—more than what he was made for. More than a weapon.

Dream demonstrates trust, faith, maybe even a bit of forgiveness in a time where Killer has hit an uncertain place in life. And the possibility that maybe he could make a happy future, rebuild a better life where he’ll be free and safe, instead of wishing to turn back the clock to the ideal fantasy of Sans’ life.

Now all of this would be extremely difficult to do if Killer were in Stage 2 for long. Potentially even dangerous. But any seed of hope is always good for one who does not have any.

Now, the comic where Nightmare chokes Killer. I like this one because we get a better grasp of their dynamic. The way Killer emphasizes “thanks to me (another AU has fell to negativity),” as if he wants his hard work to be properly acknowledged by his Boss—which he does not get.

And the way he says “and I stole a soul from them, don’t worry about it, it’s not that important.” Not only because it shows how Killer is keeping secrets despite his obedience, but the fact that Nightmare didn’t even ask nor care.

The way Nightmare DOES care when Killer starts pushing back on his plans—the plan to go after Core Frisk next, which Killer does not think is possible yet. At first Nightmare seems peeved when Killer disagrees with him, but gets violent—choking Killer—when he feels his strength is being insulted.

Killer is quick to reassure him—“yes, I know you’re the strongest, Boss”—before going on to explain why he doesn’t agree with Nightmare. Even with his feet dangling off the floor (and we can see that Killer has holes in the bottom of his shoes 💀), even when he’s being brutally choked and on the verge of fainting. He’s still trying to explain himself—his awareness of the Multiverse, AUs, their functions all in an effort to help Nightmare to his goals.

(Realistically, Killer would likely be gasping for air, heaving in deep breaths and struggling to speak, yet he still pushes through it to explain what he knows.)

Killer faints, and Nightmare notes this with a casual, detached, “oh. he fainted.” before dropping him listlessly to the floor and leaving him there. This has possibly happened many times before between them, but they are both focused on Nightmare’s goals and how to achieve them. When Nightmare feels insulted, Killer is quick to remedy it, before moving on to what he knows Nightmare would want to hear even more.

It’s interesting. We get a look at their goals, their dynamic, Killer’s lack of care for his wellbeing and Nightmare’s lack of care for his wellbeing. And yet Killer, at least while in Stage 2, does not seem particularly annoyed, scared, or upset by the choking, the insults or anything.

And then the “Something New Happened” comic expands on it even more—with Killer calling Nightmare out for how he treated him, how it affected Killer, why Killer is now leaving. Nightmare kidnaps him, turns him against other AUs, belittles and harms him—takes away Killer’s hopes. And yet Killer never mentions it until now—merely just to confront Nightmare, to ask why he’s so mad about Killer leaving since he never cared in the first place.

And Killer leaving actually seems to upset Nightmare in a way, especially when he notices how happy Killer seems by Color’s side. He’s certainly never smiled at Nightmare like that.

All thoughout all these comics, I always got the vibe that Nightmare sometimes does cruel, hurtful things to Killer even when he doesn’t realize that’s what he’s doing. He just expects Killer to follow when he says the word, and he’s constantly confused and bewildered when Killer doesn’t. Angry when Killer insults him back or interrupts him or questions him.

And other than Something New Happened being Killer’s chance to finally stick it to the man and make the people who hurt him face it, to finally go with someone who actually cares and achieve his freedom and happiness—Nightmare seems to have come to some sort of realization at the end.

If the realization actually sticks, I don’t know. But I think it’d be interesting to consider how Nightmare would behave going forward. Will he avoid attempting to find more mortal employees or more Killers specifically, or would he just find another one? What would be the specific reason why he’d find another one?

Would it be because he wants to attempt to do better with this Killer, if only just to prove to himself that he can, or would he use this Killer to mock and torment the one who got away? To punish him for leaving?