#and that was after thinking i didn't understand it at all and somewhat cursing its existence and the idea that i probably had to play it

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Does Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have a thing for seeing tutorials again anywhere? I don't see any in the menu (unless they're hidden behind system?).

Because there's just so much in this game, that would be nice to have (FFXVI had that). Like, I just got a tutorial for how to look for hidden treasure with my chocobo... but the tutorial was so fast, and they of course only showed it once, that I'm already screwing it up and not sure I'm using the right button prompts. And I think I wandered too far away from where the chocobo caught the scent, in trying to find this treasure, but in going back now, the blue question marks aren't coming up again to indicate the area the treasure's in at all:( I was worried this was a one shot deal kind of thing (like, if you accidentally walk away from the treasure, the prompts won't come up again), but Google tells me that isn't the case.

Thankfully, I saved literally right before this whole thing, so I'm going to reset and try again, but still...

Edit: Problem solved. @keybladebard Let me know they're in the "manual" section of the main menu:)

[workingbynyx]

heey, saw that you were open for requests so I would like to ask for a romcom jason todd x reader where the reader is flirty and has a crush on Red Hood, but has no idea that he is Jason Todd (their regular at the cafe they own) so he gets kinda flustered everytime he sees the reader when he is going to get coffee

(hope you can understand this, english is not my first language)

Beautiful Stranger — Jason Todd x GN!Reader

↷ summary — after a faithful encounter with red hood one night ago, you quickly developed a crush on the masked vigilante. but, would you believe if the cute regular at your coffee shop was him? ˎˊ˗

↷ pairing — jason todd x gn!reader ˎˊ˗

↷ genre — romance, comedy, a bunch of fluff ˎˊ˗

↷ warning/s — none! other than a few curse words, use of y/n and possible grammar errors ˎˊ˗

↷ a/n — hi anon! dw i LOVEEEE that request sm, i hope you have fun reading this as much as i had writing it ^^ i might've switched it up a bit in the process so i'm so sorry for that 😭 i also figured i'd use the wayne family adventures version of jason for this one since it kinda fits the whole theme of this fic hihi and he turned into such a simp in this so it might be ooc at some point help, enjoy reading! ˎˊ˗

"what the hell are you doing here walkin' around late at night?" the masked man said in between short breaths after taking down a robber that's been following you since you closed down the café for tonight. you were lucky enough to have 'the' red hood on patrol and save you from a potential robbery. the thought of him guiding, if not stalking, you and jumping on the thug as soon as he's about to make a move somehow made your heart skip at the act of service...if its even counted with them now laying on the ground unconscious.

what you didn't know is this man was jason, the regular you'd have come in around 9 to 10 am to have his morning coffee and sit around the shop until lunch. you always observed the guy to be somewhat mysterious but endearing at the same time, he'd always ask for the same coffee and pastry combo over and over again, not bothering to change his order. he became quite an easy customer to remember at some point, other than the fact that he had white streaked hair which made him attractive and memorable to you. in fact, everytime he came in all you had to do was ask "the usual?" and jason'll nod along then go back to his corner, mouthing a silent 'thank you' when you deliver his treat and maybe even strike up a conversation if he's in the mood.

but right now, jason is simply the infamous masked red vigilante who just kicked some ass for your own sake.

"my apartment is this way, how was i supposed to know robbers lurked around here" you replied in return, tucking in one of your hands inside the pocket of your coat as you froze in front of him. jason began approaching you and stopped when you came face to face, the height difference between the two of you forced you to tilt your head upwards— the all-white lens of his helmet staring down at you. "watch the news, its not safe out here. take the route to your right next time, and bring at least a pepper spray with you" if only his mask didn't have a built in voice changer you would've known seconds ago it's him.

you were stunned for a moment as he listed down things that'd probably go straight out your other ear. "y'know, for someone i just met you're oddly protective over me" you finally spoke, a hint of mischief underlying your tone. that's when you begun wondering who is it under that costume. is he cute? is he what you're imagining him to be like?

jason, on the other hand, blinked a couple times out of confusion if it weren't for his get up covering his entire features. "what?" he said. "nothing, it's just...i didn't think a vigilante would care so much for a civilian like me" you answered, an innocent smile creeping up your lips like an idiot in love. "its my job. obviously i should look out for the people of Gotham, shouldn't i?" he crossed his arms across his chest, covering the red insignia of his bulletproof suit.

"obviously, i guess i didn't have the special treatment like i thought" you practically said with a slight pout forming when you look up to him, going silent for a moment. "do you really tell all the people you save to bring pepper spray or just me? i wanna know if i got the special advisory from you at least" you added as a tease, earning a slight frustrated groan from jason afterwards. "i don't have time for this—" "well I do" you bravely chimed in without missing a beat. "i got all night even"

the sigh jason had let out was almost comical, he took a step backward when it's really just him starting to get flustered by his barista seemingly flirting with his other identity, who would've thought you'd find him attractive? not jason that's for sure. "get home safe, take the route i told you if you wanna keep your wallet stocked" then he noticed the small cut on your cheekbone, it must've been from the pocket knife the thug had.

he briefly pointed at it, "you got something" you lifted your fingers to search for it only to be met with a slight sting when you did, a small amount of blood staining your index finger. you hissed at the feeling, squinting your eye when it lingered for a bit. "calm down, its not that serious" jason said. "some alcohol and bandaid should do the trick" and you took his advice, you certainly wouldn't allow yourself to show up at work with a random cut to your face.

"y'know why don't you help and patch me up at this point? i could use some assistance" and you still had the nerve to decide and toy around with him for a bit...to see how far the both of you are willing to go. to be fair, you just wanted to know who was it under that mask— this could potentially lead to it if you're lucky. "what are you, 8?" jason replied. "no but i'm surely a 10" you winked playfully, the corner of your lip turning into a smirk as you watched his body language intently.

"jesus christ.." jason muttered under his breath, starting to walk away from this situation he's stuck in. "aw c'mon! that was a smooth line admit it! oh okay— well, thank you red..man! i'll see you soon...i think" you yelled from the same position you're in, seeing his tall frame go farther in the distance. jason didn't say nothing in return, but he kept a secret smile under his mask as he disappeared from sight.

its been a couple weeks since your last encounter with red hood, you took most of his suggestions that night and started going the safer route when you had to be on the closing shift. since then, you've been at the lower risk of getting robbed again thanks to him and his unforgettable presence. but it's not only you who hasn't stopped thinking about that night, jason was still trying to relive the moment of his barista basically flirting with him. he figured you would've known it's him within seconds...guess not.

it didn't bother him, it's the thought of your reaction to him being behind the helmet is what. jason wouldn't blame you though, imagine how shocking it would be to find out your regular is a vigilante at night. it's like betrayal but in a different form. he usually doesn't care about revealing his identity to the people he knows, but when it came to you it's different. he's conscious for the first time, he was overthinking things and coming up with plans how to avoid it from happening in many ways possible so he stopped visiting the shop for a while. it's becoming weird, you two weren't even close to begin with— so why was he stressing so much about it?

while jason spent most of his nights in Gotham thinking about you, you started noticing his frequent visits slowly turned little to nothing at all. you found yourself always anticipating the sound of the bell when the doors open to each customer only to be met with disappointment when he didn't come through. and today seems to be the same, you kept glancing over the glass doors hoping you'd see a tall, slightly scary and muscular man enter...until he finally did.

you feel your heart skip a beat seeing him after a while, the same feeling you got a couple nights ago but you didn't mind. you quickly went over the cashier, mentally ready to take his order with a smile. "hey! welcome back, i didn't see you in here for a while" you greeted when he stopped right at the counter. jason wore a red hoodie and a brown leather jacket layering over it, he must've liked wearing that a lot. "oh...uh yeah," he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, trying to come up with something. "i got caught up in work. i didn't have the time to stop buy for coffee" that's a lie. "but i'm here now" is he really?

"oh, you must've been really busy then?" you added, listening to his reason. "definitely yeah," lies once again. jason sucked in a breath, looking away to get a glimpse of the menu like he really is getting anything else other than an americano and cookies. "got anything new f'me?" he asked which took you by surprise. "you're not getting the usual anymore?" you said. "eh well, it gets old after a while" he says.

"that's fair, well we got new cake flavors if you wanna try them out. what would you like?" you then tap a few things into the register to input his order to which he asks for a latte and dark chocolate cake. you tell him his total and he pays for it, giving him his change and receipt. jason mouths a thank you and quickly goes to sit on one of the chairs by the window where you can still see him right in the corner of your eye, you catch him glancing at your direction while you made his coffee which is strange since he never did that.

jason on the other hand seems to be more fidgety, he figured he'd tell you the truth today after you get off of work but it's easier said than done as he's starting to think it was a bad idea. his frequent visits gave him the advantage to eventually learn about your schedule and today happens to be an early leave. he mentally hyped himself up, hunched over the chair with his elbows resting on both his thighs while he waited.

a few minutes passed by and you eventually finished making everything, putting the small plate and fork on a plate along with his drink as you brought it over to his table. you slightly crouched down to carefully place the plate in front of him followed by the drink and fork, jason waited til you were done and looked up to you. he notices the cut still there on the side of your cheek, seemingly in the healing process now. he cleared his throat and nudged his head toward you. "you alright? you got a slit right there" he started.

"hm? oh this. it's uh, it's nothing. i almost got mugged a few nights ago and had to hold up a pretty decent fight" you explained, clutching the tray near to your chest. "oh? well, did you win at least?" jason laid back into the chair, still looking up towards you to see if you'll mention about the 'hero' that saved you. "i guess in some way yeah, someone showed up and kicked some ass within seconds" you said, a smile slowly forming at the thought of red hood creeping your mind once again. "it's a shame i didn't get his name though, he seems like a nice guy"

"...who did you think it was?" jason started, a lump in his throat started forming the more the conversation went on. he waited for an answer, desperate to know what you think and what could be the reason why you did all that during that night. "i have no clue, but he had a red helmet and a pretty sick suit! i'm not a fan of vigilante but that dude's doing it for me. i wanted to ask him out but he looks out of it, he might've been tired so i don't blame him" a slight blush creeped into jason's cheek when he felt it heat up at what you said, he found it amusing that you were practically talking about him while having no idea at the same time.

"that's..that's great" he nodded along, clearing his throat once more as he focused on the food in front of him then back to you. "i uh, i also wanted to ask" your ears perked up at this, pursing your lips into a thin smile. "what time are you...getting off?" he finally says even if he already knew the answer. you were taken back by this, your brows raising at the sudden question. "oh uhm, probably in an hour or so. i have an early leave today so it might be even less than that" you started. "why'd you ask?"

"i..." his voice trailed off, he doesn't seem to get the words out without it sounding like he's asking you out— well, technically he is. "nothing, just curious that's all" he gave a stiff smile as he reached for his fork. "oh okay well, i'll be at the counter if you need me" you said with a smile as you walked away before one of your managers yell at you again for making unneccessary small talk.

jason waited until you went back before releasing a disappointed sigh at himself, he sets down the fork and covered his face with both of his hands— feeling embarrassed at how stupid he sounds asking the question and completely fumbling it over. 'you just had to fuck it up, did you?' he thought to himself. he's never gonna get this over with.

a few minutes passed by and you see jason finishing up his snack, the small plate of cake now left with smudges of frosting and small bits of crumbs and the cup of coffee almost emptied out. you were relieved that he liked the new menu item after months of eating the same thing, it might be the start of something new for him you think. although his question from earlier never left your mind, you tried searching for answers and it all came down to him possibly asking you out.

but why would he? he's way out of your league and he probably knows it, why would he lower his standards to a café worker when he could have anyone out there to go on dates with. was he messing with you or is he trying to give signals? it could explain why he always visited your café and not the famous ones in the city but still, you didn't wanna assume. maybe he's just trying to be friends.

you didn't even realize that jason was already standing on the other side of the counter while you were lost in your thoughts doing the dishes, you heard him call out to you which snapped you out of it. you turn to look behind and see him there with a sheepish smile. you quickly closed the faucet and wiped your hands off as you went up to him, "hey! what's up?"

"nothing, i just wanted to say i'm gonna get going. i still have a few things to catch up on back home" "oh that's fine! goodluck with whatever you're up to then" you cheered him on aa he slightly chuckled, the sound of hearing his laughter for the first time did something to you and you didn't know what it was that made it so attractive. "thanks, i'll see you around" jason finally says with a thin smile.

you waved goodbye and went back to what you're doing as you're trying to shake off the lingering feeling that you just felt, "and y/n" you heard him call out to you again. "make good use of the spray, that's a special advisory" jason said proudly, making his way out of the shop before you could even process what he said

"thank you! I'll ma— wait..." then it finally registered. "WHAT?!"

[ikigaisvt]

Everything Everywhere All at Once

You have always loved Vernon and that much he knows. What he doesn't know is that you love him more than a best friend probably should. He also doesn't know you're virgin; but that has no correlation, right? Or does it?

What you don't know about him? Well, he's in love with you too. And surprise, surprise, he's a virgin too.

pairing: reader x vernon, she/her!reader x vernon, virgin!reader x virgin!vernon, inexperienced!reader x somewhat experienced!vernon, bottom!reader x top!vernon (but no real power dynamics) words: 3.9k content: smut, fluff, slight angst warnings: dirty talk (subtle), begging, praising, fingering, first time for mcs, protected sex, kinda love making, very sappy tbh, vernon is vry horny, they're desperate for each other, petnames (for reader: babe, baby, sweetheart, my girl, girlfriend / for vernon: babe, baby, boyfriend), vernon is called pretty, slight angst ig?, reader wears lingerie note: MINORS/AGELESS/BLANK BLOGS DNI. i first thought of this idea after playing a silly kpop dating game with my bff and i got vernon as my best friend and first time,,, i thought it fit him all too well so i decided to write it! you absolutely don't have to know the movie EEAAO to read this, it's absolutely not related to its story. the last paragraph of the fic is inspired by a quote from EEAAO which i'll put here "of all the places i could be, i just want to be here with you." (same quote as on the banner). also, once again, shout out to @homerunhansol for hyping me up while i was in the process of writing this and for being so excited! this one is for you, my fav dolly 🫶

You love Vernon. You really do. You don't think you could have lived your life without him and thanks god you didn't had to. You often talk about being soulmates with each other; how the feeling of being together transcends anything else. Any love you have ever felt feels so little compared to what he makes you feel.

And people must be thinking how lucky you are to have such a wonderful partner.

But here's the problem: Vernon is your best friend and you have been in love with him for as long as you can remember.

As Vernon looks at his best friend sat next to him, on his couch, in his dorm, he wonders how a situation can feel so blessed and yet so cursed. He truly thinks being your best friend is the greatest gift in his life; you are an amazing friend, you never fail to support him and let him know how precious he is to this world. You understand every single one of his obsessions, from movies to cats to tacos. Despite all of this, you will forever – at least he thinks so – a source of hurt for him. Vernon has been in love with you for as long as he can remember and that's a lot of time. You have always been part of his life, just like his love for you has always been here, rooted deep in his heart, never swaying or moving aside for anyone else.

He knows it's all because of this love that he's still a virgin. He also knows that he probably should have gotten over it by now and lose his virginity with the numerous girls who have tried to get with him. He truly knows all this and yet he cannot get over this deep-rooted emotion he feels when you look at him, just as you are doing right now.

"Vernon? Earth to Vernon?" you say, waving your hand in front of his eyes, "Are you even listening to me?" you ask him, chuckling.

"Sorry, was up in my head for a sec." he answers, turning to give you his full attention.

"Let me guess, were you thinking about Everything Everywhere All at Once, again?" you tease him in a smile.

"No, I wasn't," he says, frowning a little, "It wasn't anything important." It was important.

"Okay, if you say so!" you tell him cheerfully, "Anyway, as I was saying, I was on a date with this boy and you know what was one of his first question?" you ask him, waiting for his answer which comes in a shake of his head, "If I was a virgin!" you say, dropping your hand in a dramatic way, "When I told him I was still one, he bolted out of that café-"

"Wait, you're still a virgin?" Vernon asks, completely surprised at the news. If there was someone who could pulled anyone, it'd be you.

"Oh, you missed that part too?" you tell him, still annoyed at the memory of said boy, Vernon nodding again, too shocked to let any words out, "yeah I confessed to- no I mean, I broke the news like 5 minutes ago. What you were thinking about must have been really important. Anyway, now I’m thinking I really need to get rid of my virginity card because it's blocking every relationship for me."

"But how can you get rid of it? It's not like you're going to jump on the first boy who's slightly interested in you?" he says, in disbelief at your words, "Right?"

"No! Of course not," you say trying to calm down your nerves at what you're about to say, "That's why I was thinking about this- What if you become my first time?" you finally throw as Vernon takes a sip of his coke, making him choke on it.

"What?" he answers in a strangled voice.

"Listen to me before you say no, please!" you beg, your hands joined in front of you, "I just- I trust you and I love you and you are definitely experienced," I am definitely not, Vernon thinks to himself, his cock already straining in his pants at the thought of even touching you, "And I can't think of anyone else better than you for this." you conclude, looking desperately in his eyes for any sign that you did not scared him away.

"This is a crazy idea, Y/N." his voice still hoarse from the coke incident.

"It really isn't," you fight back, "We don't have to talk about it to anyone. It will just be between me and you."

"Do you really trust me with this?" he asks you, pondering about the idea. if I say yes, when I say yes, it will be for me only, Vernon says to himself. So selfish. "If we do this, I have one request." Vernon tells you, already knowing his answer.

"Anything you want." you tell him, already eager to please. Cute.

"You have to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once with me." he asks, making this easier on purpose – if he’s true to himself he’s doing it mostly for him rather than you.

It's a few days later, when you scrubbed every inch of your skin that you and Vernon meet up – in your apartment (as it is roommate free) so you can, quite literally, fuck around. If someone told you months ago, you'd be doing this with your best friend, you wouldn’t believe them.

When Vernon walks in your apartment, you can see the anxiety on his face and in the way he holds himself. You’re starting to think you have broken your best friend with your proposition.

"You good?" you ask him, getting a hold of his hand, making him jump out.

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine," he tells you, his cock hardening already hardening against his pants for you.

"Come on," you say as you give him your hand, leading him to the bedroom.

When you both go into your room, Vernon notices how it is cleaner than any other day, no clothes lying on the floor (even though that will not last) while your bed is done nicely. You sit down at the foot of the bed, Vernon still standing in front of you.

"How- How do we process?" Vernon asks you, his knees shaking slightly.

"We don't have to do this, you know?" you say softly, "Maybe it was a bad idea after all." you mumble.

"No, no, no," he tells you hastily, falling on his knees to get to eyes level with you, "It's fine. I want to do this." he says, holding your hands tightly. "Do you?"

"Yeah, I want to do this too." you say, looking up at him with doe eyes.

"That's good to know," he chuckles slightly, stroking your hand with his thumb, "Can I kiss you?"

"Hm, you can." The nerves starting to get to you too, before easing up when Vernon gets a hold of your hand.

He leans in slowly at first, so you can back out at any moment but when he feels your hand squeeze his in a you can kiss me, he slams his lips to yours. He feels your hands move to his shirt, grabbing it tightly. After a few seconds of a sweet kiss, you part, feeling the emotion of finally sharing a kiss settle down in the pit of your stomach. You hide your face in his neck, whining softly.

"What is it?" he whispers, rubbing your back over your shirt.

"Nothing, 'm fine." you mumble, raising your head slightly, kissing at his jaw, making him shudder. You make your way back to his mouth, leaving a trail of wet kisses along the way. Vernon hisses at each one, feeling sensitive already, his cock getting harder every time your lips touch his skin.

"Can I kiss you again?" you whisper against his lips.

"Of course," he says as he gets up, "Come on, lay down for me."

"Y-Yeah, okay."

"Good." he says as he gets onto the bed, holding himself up above you.

"Come here," you mumble softly, raising your arms to touch him, "please."

Vernon lowers himself, your nose touching, as you close the space between your lips, opening your mouth slightly. You moan quietly when he starts to kiss you harder as if he wanted to do this his whole life. If only you knew.

As the kiss gets even more heated, you start to play with the hem of his shirt, wanting him to get it off so you can feel him completely.

"Want me to get this off?" he asks you, trying to keep it together for your sake. After all, you think he has experience.

"Yeah," you breath out, "I can take mine off too." you whisper softly.

"it's okay, you don't have to," he utters, sitting up on his heels, "Anything you're comfortable with."

"I want to." you tell him, looking up with shiny eyes.

"Alright, baby." he answers before pulling up his shirt, revealing his toned torso, blushed a light pink.

"You look so pretty-" you sigh out, laying your hand on his stomach, feeling his happy trail under your palm.

"T-Thank you." he mumbles, reaching out for your shirt in a sign that he wants to see you too. Your shirt gets pulled off in a few seconds, revealing a pretty baby pink bra, made mostly of lace.

"Fuck- You look so good," he moans out, his pants getting tighter at every passing second, “Is this for me?" he asks in a low voice, reaching out for your chest, almost hissing – as you moan – at the sensation of the lace under his fingers, as if it burns him.

"Hm, yeah," you admit in a small voice, "Wanted to be pretty for you- It's a matching set, too." you moan out at the way he plays with your covered tits. He must have done this to so many girls, you think to yourself, and you feel the tears welling up in your eyes but you push it down. If you can have him at least once, you will take it. No matter how much it hurts.

"You're going to kill me," he whines, the desperation making the fire in the pit of his stomach grow bigger and bigger, "Can I see?"

"Yeah." you nod, feeling the shyness gather up in a blush all the way down your neck. As soon as the words are out of your mouth, he works at the buttons on your pants, chuckling slightly at the way his hands are shaking from nervousness. Once your pants slide down, Vernon gasps at the way your baby pink panties hug your pussy so well.

"It looks gorgeous- No, I mean- You look gorgeous." he sighs out, the stress making him mumble rapidly.

"Thank you," you exhale, clutching onto his hand tightly, "Why are you so nervous? You already did this. I’m sure you know what to do."

"Well- I know what I’m doing b-but only up until this point." he mumbles under his breath, finally confessing to being a virgin too.

"What do you mean?" you ask, not quite understanding the situation.

"I mean- I already did all this and some more. I already used my fingers on someone but-" he chokes out, the words not quite wanting to form in his throat, "I’m a virgin too."

"Oh." you say softly, shocked that your best friend – whom you are deeply in love with and who's extremely hot, is a virgin too. He softly lets go of his hold on your hand, understanding that you might want to back out of your arrangement. After all, this is not what you were expecting.

"I’d understand if you don't want to keep going." he utters.

"Hey," you interject gently, holding his hand once again, "Can I know why?"

He sighs out; "Maybe one day I will tell you." In a very very very long time.

"Okay, that's fine," you smile, "It doesn't matter anyway."

"No? It doesn't?" he asks, surprised.

"No, it doesn’t. I want you," you reply, looking up at him, a pleading look across your face, "And I’m so wet. You can't just leave me like this."

"Fuck- Okay," he murmurs, knowing you want him and not his experience making this whole situation way different, "What can I do? I don't want to do something you don't want."

"Will you touch me? Please?" you ask, your hands softly touching his back, goosebumps appearing on his skin.

"Can you open your legs for me, baby?" he asks, his hands pushing your legs open gently. You fall open at his might, Vernon seeing your pretty panty with a wet patch already showing.

"Shit baby- You're so fucking wet for me already."

"i told you so," you whine as your hips buck at him, "Will you touch me n-" you choke out, not even being able to finish your phrase that his fingers meet over your panties, rubbing your clit in a circle motion. Your moans fill the room pretty soon and its only music to Vernon’s ears.

"You sound so good for me- you're driving me crazy." he tells you, his cock pressing against the harshness of his pants' seam making him groan out. He knows he already ruined his briefs from how much pre-cum is oozing from his cock.

"Shit- Vernon," you say, choking out on your moans, "Just get rid of my panties, please."

"Y-Yeah, of course, sure," he mumbles, panicking at the thought of seeing your pussy in full light. He tugs at your panties, your hips raising to help him get it off, "You look so pretty," he says, the second it's off, already teasing your hole with one finger, "Everywhere. You look so pretty, everywhere." he rectifies, blushing deeply. "I’ll start slow, okay? Tell me if it hurts or you want me to stop."

"Don't worry," you say as you grasp at his other hand, intertwining your fingers together, "I will." you whisper, bringing your intertwined hands to your lips, kissing his knuckles.

He slowly thrust his index, feeling your warmth hugging him tight, making him wonder how the fuck are you even gonna take his cock.

“You good, babe?” he tells you, breathless, brushing your hair out of your face messily.

“Yeah- feels so good.” you say, in a high pitch, already choking on pleasure. “You can move. I- can take it.” you assure him, closing your eyes, letting your body fall into the slow rhythm he settled for.

Vernon works you open slowly, your hips bucking up slightly at the sensation after he adds a second finger.

“You’re so tight, sweetheart,” he says, your walls clamping around his fingers, “How are you even going to take me?” he mumbles under his breath as he never stops his movements, bringing you so close to the edge.

“I’m so close, please-” You beg, wanting to fall off the edge already. Your hand grips his even harder, wanting to feel him all at once.

“You can come whenever, okay? Just let me know,” he replies, adding pressure to your clit with his thumb, “I might need to prepare my heart to see my pretty girl cum.”

“Stop being so silly,” you say, short of breath, “you might kill the mood.”

“I’m not silly,” he says out loud but as you fall of the edge he adds, “I’m just in love with you.” quietly, thinking you will not hear it with the fog shortening all of your sensations but your sense of touch. You feel Vernon everywhere; in the depth of your brain, thoughts of him dazing everything for you and also in the beating of your heart, how it slows down when his breath gets caught in his throat and how it speeds up when he utters a word, especially when he confesses of being in love with you. Your pleasure keeps going up and up, thinking of how he’s in love with you as much as you’re in love with him, until it starts to goes down and you realize he doesn’t know you heard him and that you love him too.

“Me too.” you whisper, once you catch your breath, as if loving him is still a shameful secret that should never be brought into daylight.

“This is not the kind of things people say after their first orgasm.” he utters as he rubs at your hips, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m in love with you too.” you clarify, bringing your hand up to the hair falling into his eyes as shock can be read on his face.

“Y-you heard me?” he answers quietly, his world slightly crumbling around him as his brain didn’t register your words just yet.

“Yeah, I did.” you chuckle slightly as your rub at his hand, waiting for realization to hit him. Realization that you love him too.

“Shit- this is so ba-” he starts, before cutting himself off, “did you just say you’re in love with me too?”

“Yeah, I did.” You repeat, amusement showing on your face.

“Oh. Oh.” He utters, happiness making its way on his face as quickly as pink tint his cheeks, “Do you, really? You’re not just saying this, right? It’s not an in-the-moment thing? You really do, right?” he babbles fast, nervousness still present within his heart – and in his voice.

“Vernon, baby,” you say, grabbing his face in your two hands, stroking his cheeks, “I’ve been in love with you since the first time I got to learn about love. This is the cheesiest thing I can probably say but it’s the truth. You’re who taught me love, who made me realize I’d never settle for someone who loves me less than you do. Trust me when I say I love you; I do, in every way. As a best friend and as a girl who thought she was in an unrequited love all of her life.” you confess, hoping it can ease his nerves – mostly so he can fuck you. You want him even more, now.

“Do you know you just made this whole thing way hotter, now?” He mumbles, redness still covering his cheeks – and even his torso.

“By confessing my undying love for you?” you giggle, your hands resting on his shoulders, playing with his hair at back of his neck, “I’m glad then, baby.”

“Do you want to keep doing this?” he asks, leaning down to kiss at your neck, leaving a trail of kisses from one side to the other as your hands wrap around his shoulder, whining at the way he’s so eager to please you.

“Baby- yeah, please,” you plead, “I want you.”

Vernon groans slightly at your desperation, thinking that maybe all along you wanted to have him and not just to have someone take your virgin card. Vernon keeps leaving kisses along your neckline, your collarbones, your jaw, slowly working you two up again; you, pleased by the sensation of his warm mouth marking your body forever and him, thrilled to please you as he hears your sweet whimpers begging him to fuck you. He detaches himself from you, despite your whines making him want to grab you in his arms and never let you go, to take a condom from his jean’s back pocket. He climbs on the bed again, sitting on his heels as he puts the condom on, while you watch him resting on your elbows.

“Are you ready?” Vernon asks as he finds his place over you again, opening your legs slightly with his hand while you lay down again.

“Hm, I am,” you whisper, brushing his hair back, “Are you?”

“Y-yeah,” he says, offering his hand to you in a please hold me, “take a deep breath for me, okay? I read it can sting but we will go slow, okay?”

“Yeah,” you whisper, “I trust you.” you add before he pushes his tip inside. He keeps going so he fully settles in you, your pussy clenching around him as your hand squeezes his.

“You’re okay?” he asks, nuzzling his nose against your cheek before leaving a full of love kiss against it.

“Hm, j-just give me a minute.” you utter out, leaning into his touch against your cheek.

“You feel so good around me, my girl.” he whispers as he moans out loud at the way you clench around him at his words.

“Y-you can move.” you tell him, feeling your slight pain subside, only for pleasure to replace it.

As soon as he settles a gentle rhythm, you can feel his pleasure building up as he moans out louder at every passing second, your whines mixing with his, your pleasure sitting in the pit of your stomach.

“Babe- fuck, I’m not gonna last long,” he whines, loving the way you tighten around him, “You feel so good- fuck, you’re so good for me.” he mumbles incoherently, pleasure taking over his every cells.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” you whimper, “you can cum, cum for me, cum for me, baby,” you tell him, holding him as he plops against your chest, his hip giving one last push as he comes, burbling against your shoulder – a mix of moans, I love you’s and thank you’s.

You rub his back for a few minutes, waiting for him to come down his high, feeling his breath hit your neck every time he exhales. His heart, which you feel strumming against your chest, slowly calm down before he pulls out of you and gets up to get rid of the condom. He’s quickly back on the bed, holding himself over you, his face still harboring a pretty hue of red, drops of sweat still showing at his hairline.

“You look so pretty,” you whisper, looking up at him with stars in your eyes, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispers, a deeper shade of red creeping on his cheeks, “you didn’t come.” He mumbles under his breath, a slight pout making its way on his lips.

“It’s okay,” you mumble, slowly pushing him back so you can straddle him, “we have a whole life now, don’t we?” you laugh, kissing his cheek before getting up, “Come on! We need to shower.”

It’s only after a shared shower and countless kisses that you find yourself under the sheet again your head resting against his naked chest. You gently play with his fingers as it rests over the sheet, his other hand lightly rubbing at your bare back, giving you goosebumps all over.

“What now?” he says quietly, as if he expects you to let him slip through your fingers.

“Now, you can call me your girlfriend,” you chuckle slightly, knowing he doesn’t how to go about the new relationship, “and I’ll call you my boyfriend.” Vernon giggles at your corniness, loving how you can ease up his nerves so quickly.

“Okay, girlfriend. What do you want to do for our first date?” he asks after leaving a kiss on the top of your head.

You think for a few seconds, still playing with his fingers as he rests his chin on your head, before you sit up quickly, turning around to face him.

“I know, I know!” you say loudly, almost jumping up and down from excitement.

“Okay, babe,” he says, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, “care to share a thought?”

“Let’s have watch Everything Everywhere All at Once as a first date!” you tell him, proud of your idea.

“Oh, didn’t I choose my girl well?” he says before grabbing your arm, making you fall down in his embrace again.

No matter what the future holds for you and Vernon, you both know that despite all the places you could be, you both just you want to be with each other. In every world. In every timeline. And in every universe.

thank you SO much for reading! remember that likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated so don't hesitate if you liked it 🫶

[rawliverandgoronspice]

hey! do you have any thoughts on demise as a looser/more fluid/symbolic/metaphorical figure in the context of the story of the series- like thoughts on what he represents, and stuff like what his curse could mean thematically rather than the more essentialistic absolutistic "literal satan" interpretation that most of the (at least western) audience seems to take?

i know he may be somewhat contentious as a choice introduced by the writers especially considering from an outside perspective what he kind of did to the majority of fandom analysis and discourse, but i've been thinking about how it's quite possible the writers had a more paganistic approach to what it means to be a deity and how demise doesn't even really have a NAME so much as he is supposed to be some sort of manifestation/personification of the concept of demise, and maybe also of hatred, and also i don't know, like, what the point of that hatred is or why there has to be demise/what implications there could be of this worldbuilding

hope that was coherent enough to make sense of anything i just said but yeah i was just curious if you do!

Heyy sorry never replied, replying now!! Thanks for the ask!

Yeah it's exactly how I'm taking Demise, and I think what you mention connects more to what little I know and understand of shintoism.

In French, Demise has an absurdly long name and is basically called "The Avatar of the Void", which I think is... interesting? It makes me extremely curious as to how Demise is called in original japanese --because to me, "Void" is about the absence of things more than their destruction. It's about the absence, not the inevitability of things crumbling down that comes with Demise. I don't know which of these concepts are the closest to the original vision (if it's Void rather than Demise I think it recontextualizes everything we thought we know about this world and characters, but in my opinion it feels too incoherent with the rest of the world, so my guess is that it was a poorly thought-out translation --but I might be wrong!), but to me it's all in the title: Demise. The curse is that every golden era must end with a reckoning.

I think the curse is extremely compelling in that mythological sense, the way Demeter and Persephone's tale is about the joy and pain of passing seasons; it's the given cause for this world's fate as it is condemned to rise and die continuously; and that their eternal, bright future will always be opposed. To be honest, I'm not even sure it's a *bad* thing. Conflict is not only inevitable, it needs to rise to the surface instead of being suppressed to ensure things do not remain stagnant and shortcomings are being acknowledged and addressed --which is also partially why the suggestion of TotK's golden forever after really doesn't sit right with me, especially since nothing was learned and nothing truly changed in the course of its runtime.

I think the curse sucks when people think it means that Ganondorf is a generic evil demon man without motive of his own. It especially grinds my nerves since I somehow never hear this argument being made for *any* other villain in the franchise. I know they look alike the most (and TotK didn't help matters here), but I never *ever* saw people arguing that Vaati doesn't have motive, for example. Or Majora. Or Zant. Or even literal nothing characters like Bellum, who by all means looks more like a primal demonic evil acting on instinct than anyone else. Somehow, we get to assume they have internal motives that, while obviously wicked and self-serving, are their own! But somehow, Ganondorf, the actual main antagonist of his series with the most amount of games hinting at his backstory and internal moral code, gets flattened as an evil puppet with no internal life whatsoever. It's genuinely bizarre.

Anyway sorry sorry! Thanks again for the ask!

[tempenensis]

I know you don't usually weigh in on non-canon content, but I've seen a lot of people say 236 was a bad ending, or like gege joked, that things are moving too fast or he's missed a chapter (or 20, I'm personally annoyed that we jumped from Nov to Dec 24, I know gege wants the manga to end for some reason, but those three weeks of training/preparation would have been a great time to let us get re-invested in the student characters since the culling game arc felt like it was missing so much)

Do you have any feeling for what could have been a better way to end things, if indeed things are ended, for Gojou Satoru? Or do you agree that things have been moving too fast?

Sorry for this and please feel free not to answer if this is not the kind of question you want to entertain, I am just curious if you have an opinion you're willing to share since I feel you have a very good grasp of the jjk's plot and themes! I trained as a literature major, so my interest is always in whether character consistency is maintained and what a story is saying and whether that message is carried successfully or not and what that might mean for us as readers. I'm personally still on the fence about this particular twist because I'm trying to withhold judgement of the piece until we actually see it as a whole, but I am starting to feel that the narrative started to unravel a bit after Shibuya, like somehow we didn't see a lot of the characters to their full potential (like Nobara T.T my baby Nobara). Maybe this is just part of gege's notorious fast pace.

Some of this I believe is due to JJK's titular meaning of the issue of curses and what they represent being an "endless battle" but there's only so many times one can show hopelessness and loss I think before it becomes almost redundant. We actually haven't seen that many on-screen sorcerer deaths, but somehow it's been two of the most popular adult characters so far, and only direct mentors, which is a frequent trope of the hero's journey in western literature. I think that even though I really wish it hadn't happened, Nanami's ending made a lot of sense. Power-wise, Gojo's current death also makes sense, and he's not the kind of character who instantly changes his mind or learns something in his heart from a single experience, but I think it feels somewhat frustrating from my point of view because despite the bodhisattva imagery, he had more to learn as a living person, rather than continuing to believe he was like a flower and maybe no one had the right to ask him to understand. I don't know, it's just a bit frustrating for me because I think it feels character consistent (which I think gege tends to be pretty good at) but somehow incomplete too.

Again my apologies for the long ask, you're always the one I wish I could sit down and have a conversation about these things with!

-raindrop anon

Hi, raindrop anon,. Good to see you again.

First of all, I don't really think Gojou's death is particularly bad, but yeah, as you said, there might be something leaves to be desired in the plot - if jjk is a traditional shonen manga, that is. But jjk is different, which is also the reason for its popularity. I feel that jjk storytelling has always been fast-paced, and one thing that Akutami-sensei does really well is to stick to the main points that he wants to tell with his manga. The last time we have a non-serious non-battle chapter was probably chapter 64 lol - but at the same time, this also shows how jjk departs from the traditional shonen jump manga custom where the mangaka tends to drag the story to make the manga runs longer. Gege on the other hand, seems adamant to want to end the story sooner than later (if his last estimation is to be believed, only a few months left for jjk).

I don't actually have a strong feeling of how gege should end thing with Gojou, but it's been a habit of him to get to the.. shocking side of things; we see this with Gojou getting sealed back in Shibuya. Nanami's death. Then we see the Culling game, and Tengen getting killed. And lastly for Gojou to die. The longstanding status quo is going to be changed eventually. And the next one with status quo is already targeted; Sukuna himself.

As I follow this manga, "things moving too fast" has always been the opinion I saw a lot discussed here in my askbox for many, many developments in the manga. And this is more of a personal preference, but I actually like the fast-get-to-the-point-storytelling that Gege uses with jjk, exactly because how it breaks away from traditional jump manga. I feel that this fast pace is just how gege do his storytelling since the beginning lol

tldr is all I can say is jjk has always been different and fast-paced, gege is unpredictable, and I'm in the opinion that Gojou's death does make sense, unfortunately :')

[lets-try-some-writing]

Writing idea:

The bots not understanding that rain on earth is water for a while which doesn’t hurt humans or them really (as long as everydries off after) and them being rather concerned when they hear a human got caught in the rain. even when smokescreen first arrived he panics when Arcee mentions it looks like it’s going to start raining soon and makes no effort to call for a ground bridge. And just in general what all of the bots would think the first time they experienced earth’s rain and learning that in some places the water that falls is even safe enough for humans to consume.

I've actually thought about this before and I still think its a great idea. Cybertron probably didn't have any safe rainfall after all.

What the Frag is this Wet Slag!

Optimus and his team were prepared to deal with organic things when they arrived on earth, including the weather. However they really weren't expecting just about anything earth had to offer them. They had done some research on the journey over, but their reports were millennia old and mostly didn't apply anymore, and so when they arrived on earth they were shocked at just about everything.

The concept of a clear sunny day was a bit unusual to them as on Cybertron even when the light of the nearest star was at its brightest, the skies were still somewhat dark. Wind was nothing new, that with raging dust storms being a very common thing on Cybertron. Of course the amount of dirt and grime contained within the wind was new and earned more than a few curses from the team as they struggled to get dust out of their seams. Cloudy weather was somewhat off-putting but not too out of the ordinary. To the team the clouds looked like the smog that polluted Cybertron's sky before and during the war. It wasn't particularly startling.

And then it rained.

The team's first response was to start screaming and dash for shelter as the water droplets began to fall. Arcee forced herself under the nearest overhand and clung to the wall for dear life, terrified of the rain. Cliffjumper transformed and skidded into the nearest human garage, which luckily for him, had no humans present at the time. Bulkhead threw himself against the nearest rock face and blasted a reasonable sized hole into it, which he promptly crammed himself into. And Optimus being far too large to hide, instead used his frame to shield Ratchet and Bumblebee from the rain as Ratchet hurriedly began remotely calling for a groundbridge.

Once the groundbridge opened, every single member of the team threw themselves into it like it was their saving grace. It was only after they got back to base and realized that "Oh my plating isn't melting off my frame" that they realized that the rain didn't seem to have any effects. It left the team baffled for weeks, with each of them very very cautiously sticking a pede out into the rain to see if it would start to melt or begin to sizzle. When nothing happened the team were still cautious, wondering if it simply took time for the effects of rain to become prominent. But after Bulkhead lost a bet with Ratchet and was forced to stand out in the rain for a few hours and still came back unaffected, the team finally started to calm down.

Bumblebee took to loving the rain once he figured out that it couldn't harm him, leading him to go out every time rain rolled in to play until it stopped. Of course he eventually started to accumulate rust just about everywhere not easy to dry and was forced to get some protective coating put on his plating if he wanted to continue messing around in the rain. Bulkhead never ended up liking the rain due to how much of a pain it was to dry off afterward, but it was tolerable to him. Arcee and Cliffjumper found the rain to be interesting due to how much the organics relied on it, but mostly they found it irritating due to how it messed up the roads and got much in every inch of their plating.

Ratchet was less than pleased with the rain, mainly because he is near certain he is cursed due to the fact that every single time he leaves Jasper, he gets rained on and usually can't get back to base for a few hours after the matter. Optimus personally doesn't mind the rain, and in fact he finds it nice just to stand out in the middle of nowhere and feel the cool rain on his frame, a nice distraction from everything.

However every single one of the bots agrees that large bodies of water. are. the. worst. Not one spark likes going anywhere near a body of water deeper than twenty feet. One reason for this is because their everything gets soaked after the matter. However the main reason is due to the fact that literally none of them know how to swim and so if they got stuck at the bottom of the ocean, they would just be stuck there until they could walk out. And that in it of itself is terrifying. No bot wants to know what lives down in the deepest parts of earth, not after learning about all the downright horrifying things that call earth home and are considered normal.

Thankfully for the team, the human children only arrived in their lives long after the fear of rain had subsided. At worst the children saw a bot hesitate to step out into the rain, thinking that it might be the acid rains of Cybertron for a moment before realizing that water is safe. And so the bots were spared of teasing and humiliating evidence of their fears... until Smokescreen arrived. The poor rookie had absolutely no training in regards organic worlds and no information whatsoever. And while the team managed to get him mostly up to date on earth and what he needed to know... they may or may not have forgotten about the rain thing due to the base's location in the dry as bone town of Jasper.

And so when it did rain while Smokescreen was out with Arcee on patrol, it most certainly didn't end well.

Arcee: *Looking up at the clouds* It looks like its going to rain soon

Smokescreen: *Looking up in horror* It's going to wHAT!?!

Cue Smokescreen sending an emergency signal to Ratchet, getting the whole team riled up thinking that something is wrong, only to arrive to Smokescreen huddling under some trees desperately trying to stay out of the rain while Arcee watched on in amusement. They managed to haul Smokescreen back to base and explain the whole concept of rain, but the rookie only started liking the idea of rain after a few months of watching every bot be totally chill with it. However poor Smokescreen ended up ranting about the horrors of the rain for all the base to hear after coming back from his first introduction to the concept and quickly garnered the attention of the children.

He was mocked for weeks and had photos taken of him panicking plastered on the wall for all to see. Not a spark was able to take him seriously for some time after that... but then again the rest of the team did not fare much better once the children managed to bribe the stories of the rest of the team's experiences out of Agent Fowler.

Miko: *Wheezing* Y- You dug a hole into a mountain just to get out of the rain!

Bulkhead: *Stuttering and failing to defend himself* We didn't know alright! Besides, Jackie isn't any better!

Wheeljack: *His mouth filled with energon* Wut?

Ah yes. Poor Wheeljack had a rather... aggressive response to the rain upon arriving to earth. His first response to the wet liquid was to try and get to his ship by driving as fast as he was able. Only he instead ended up skidding across the ground due to mud and puddles and flew right into a pond where he swiftly transformed and started screaming thinking he was going to be melted alive. He flailed and cried out in the highest pitch available to him with his voice configuration and scrambled out in terror. And unfortunately for him, Arcee got him on camera.

His shame was shared with the human children in no time. And so hoping to make another bot suffer as he had, Wheeljack tried to throw Ultra Magnus under the bus after he arrived. Unfortunately for him, Ultra Magnus handled the rain with expert precision and followed protocol to the letter. He found suitable shelter without outwardly panicking and waited out the rain while Wheeljack sulked. And so later Wheeljack walked into base with a bucket of water and threw it at Ultra Magnus, finally garnering a reaction from him.

Ultra Magnus: *Clutching at his face in horror* What. Have. You. DONE.

Wheeljack: *Suddenly very afraid for his life* It's just water... Sir

Simply put, Wheeljack nearly got his aft beaten and likely would have been killed on the spot if Optimus hadn't stepped in.

The children keep a recording of Ultra Magnus's reaction to water and replay it for him every now and then to watch him shift uncomfortably.

[girlsgoneplague]

Cramps

Spock x reader

Warnings: period talk (not graphic) cursing, depression

Promt: pain/comfort, you have the day off however your period has kept you in bed all day so your boyfriend Spock comes to check on you

Part 1 of 2 or 3, I plan on in the second part it gets worse

Waking up that morning you knew something was wrong whenever you rolled over, the cool wetness of your ass made it obvious your pad just couldn't take it last night. After groaning into your pillow for a solid minute you decide to get up and get cleaned up. When you get in the bathroom its obvious the pad never stood a chance, so you take off all your clothes and put them in the laundry hamper

So much for having a relaxing off day...

Before taking a shower you also removed all of your bedding, as well the pillow case since it won't match your other bedsheets. The pale blue of your former bedsheets start to irritate you and instead of putting them in the hamper you decide to throw the fitted sheet away. A ringing on your PADD goes off so you make your way to your bedside table and pick it up to see Spock is calling.

"Hey babe, I was just about to hop into the shower" you keep the screen aimed at your face in case he's with someone else.

"Hello, I trust you slept well?"

You sigh, "not really, I ruined my light blue bedsheets and I didn't even fall asleep until pretty late last night"

He tilts his head slightly, "I see, well the duration of my shift will end in a few hours, I will come to check on you."

You smile as you nod, "I'd love that, bring me something to eat too will you?"

"I shall, please continue your morning, I will see you soon"

"See you soon Spock" you end the call and make your way to the shower. Your cramps are starting to act up and a nice hot shower will ~hopefully~ help it.

After 30 minutes you've given up on the prospect of easing your pain. They haven't gotten worse but since its been so long its started to irritate you.

I swear they've just been getting worse these past few months....maybe I need to see McCoy.

After thinking it over you decide its not serious enough for that, if it gets worse then you'll have a good enough excuse to waste an entire day in sick bay. The worst part about it so far was the damper it put on your mood. Its only been about an hour since you've woken up but crawling back into bed is the only appealing thing to you right now. You look at the clock and see it's only 11:03.

You haven't changed your bedsheets yet but decide to lay on it bare anyway, the only thing touching your skin is the robe you were gifted last Christmas. It's dark blue and goes all the way down to your shins so it acts like your blanket for now.

After a few minutes you decide to try and watch something before you get too caught up in your own head. After picking an old cartoon movie you've never seen called Treasure Planet, you decide during the opening scenes you'll actually eat something.

I'm sure spock won't be back for another couple hours I think he mentioned around 4pm the last time we talked-

Suddenly your PADD starts to light up again, wondering if it was the man himself you leaned over to find it was actually Uhura.

"Hey whats up?" You ask somewhat confused

"You forgot about lunch didnt you?" She said with a small smirk

"Ohhhhhh shit im so sorry! I forgot this was the only day this week we both had free, my period came yesterday and its been kicking my ass"

She raises her eyebrows, "Oh my, that sounds like you've been busy dealing with the worst time of the month I understand. Its kind of weird that you're having issues though, you don't usually have cramps that bad right?"

"Right!! I have no idea why they're so bad this time around, I haven't even gotten around to changing my bedsheets-of which I RUINED last night" you shake your head and move the screen to show you laying down on your bare bed

"Yikes, well to be honest I actually called because I'm already in the mess hall but Sulu wants to join me for lunch, would you be offended if I visited you tomorrow after my shift?"

"Not at all, im not really in the mood to socialize....or get dressed haha. I only really want to see Spock so we can cuddle"

She rolls her eyes, "yeah yeah I'm sure your hot boyfriend will help melt the pain away. But if you need anything at all before he shows up then call me"

"Sure thing, you have fun with Sulu and tell him I said hi" I waved bye as she said she would and then hung up.

I put the device back down and roll over on my back, the cramps are getting bad enough I decide to take some Tylenol and grab my medicine bag to fill up with hot water.

I'm so glad I bought this damn thing, take that you stupid uterus

After gettin settled on the bed you realize you didnt actually grab something to eat, but maybe that's a good thing because your stomach also starts to act up.

It be your own body, your own treacherous body

At least the movie still has an hour left before you paused it, so you hit resume and make a wall of pillows on your bed to protect your back from the hard headboard.

After about 30 minutes you decide to send Spock a message asking how long he will be on duty. After a few minutes he responds

Unfortunately I have to stay slightly longer than planned, so far we belive the problem will be taken care of by 5 at the latest. My apologies

You frown but don't want to make a big deal about it, especially since its not his fault so you respond quickly

Thats fine! Just don't forget to bring me some dinner, I want pizza, you know how I like it. I hope the ship isn't giving you too many issues i know we had a rough day yesterday

Rough is an understatement, however it comes with the job and you both understand most things are out of your control when it comes to repairs and maintenance.

Indeed. I shall update you at 4 about my arrival.

You smile at the screen and think about how happy you'll be when he gets here

In the meantime I can ask Uhura for some chicken noodle soup. Thank you:)

You look up and realize you didn't pause the movie but luckily there's not been anything super crazy that happened. Its actually grabbed your attention quite well. However you do pause it to message Uhura because you're not sure if you can call her.

You free? I've got a craving for some chicken noodles or maybe even some chicken and dumplings, either way something warm with chicken

As you wait for a reply you get up to change the water in your medicine bag again, after you get up however you realize you have to use the bathroom.....immediately.

When you get in there you cuss loudly

How the fuck did my pad manage to slip off, I swear today is not my day

After you finish up, you change your underwear again and rub your sore breasts.

This is possibly the worst off day I've ever had, including when we were all turned into those rocks or cubes or whatever they were*

Looking at the clock you quickly realize its only a little after 12. And since Uhura hasn't responded its starting to look a lot like you'll be alone for quite some time.

The movie ended after some time, it was really good but you frequently clenched your whole body due to the waves of cramps. And thankfully Uhura had let you know she would bring you food around 1. So you searched around for another movie to keep your mind off of things and settled on Asteroid City. After a few minutes you hear a knock so you get pause it to open the door.

After it slides open you smile at the sight of your friend with some much needed soup, "so whatd you bring me?"

She hands you the tray and follows you into the room, "just some chicken and dumplings, I remember last time you had noodles so I thought I'd take the liberty of switching things up for you"

"I love it when you make our relationship spicy" you chuckle and sit down on your bed gesturing her to join you.

She looks at your screen, "oh you'll like this one, but after this you should watch that horror movie that came out in the same year"

In between spoonfuls you ask her to send you the title in case you forget.

You and her chat for some time until she gets up to stretch, "well I think I'll leave you to it, I have the holo deck reserved for 3 and I'd hate to be late. See you later"

"Sure thing, see you!" You wave to her as she leaves and start your movie again.

2 hours later you decided this Wes Anderson was definitely worth checking out. Then you look at your PADD to see the title Uhura sent you and also notice Spock has sent you a message as well

Excellent news, I shall be done in less than an hour. Is there anything else you need me to bring?

Yes please! I need new bedsheets I can't find any clean ones. I like yours so maybe you could bring those?

Clicking on Talk To Me, you lean back again and wait for him to respond.

Roughly 20 minutes later you hear a knock on your door, so you pause the movie and practically run to see if its Spock

Once the door slides open you grin at the sight of him with a pair of sheets underneath a tray with an entire pizza.

"I missed you so much, here let me take the tray"

He lets you grab the tray while he starts to unfold the sheets, "I have missed you as well T'hy'la, I trust you were not disappointed with my tardiness"

You set the food down at the small table you usually eat dinner at, that is when you're not suffering, and turn to face him. "Its not your fault T'hy'la, besides im sure you can make it up to me"

The ghost of a smile is on his face as he walks over to you to hold your hand and lean his forhead against yours, "I will try"

You give him a kiss and tell him to start eating so you can finish your movie.

As you eat your pizza, and he eats his soup you discuss his day as well as how awful you've been feeling, "I mean I seriously have no idea why its been so bad this time around" you notice a frown on his face and raise an eyebrow

"If you are truly having issues why did you not see McCoy?" Concern all over his face makes you feel like you've said the wrong thing.

"Its just that I didn't think it mattered that much" you look away from him and at the floor, "I just didn't want to spend the day in sick bay or worse taking some disgusting medicine that makes me lose my appetite"

He considers this for a moment and reaches across the table to hold his two fingers out to you for a Vulcan kiss. "While I do not understand the human response of hating the doctors i understand you would have gone if you felt that the pain was too much, but please mention it the next time you have a check up"

You smile softly and nod your head, "deal, so long as you spend the night with me?"

His eyes light up and the corners of his mouth slightly turn upwards, "I believe those terms are acceptable"

You both finish up your meal and he excuses himself to grab a change of clothes while you head to the bathroom to change your pad yet again.

One of these days maybe he'll just keep a change of clothes here

You ponder to yourself about the future for a moment until you start to have an awful pain shoot through your abdomen.

You leave the bathroom and immediately lay down to curl yourself into a ball, its not clear how long you stay in that position but when Spock returns he knocks and let's himself in after you tell him its fine. He immediately walks over to your bed at the sight of you, "is the pain becoming too much?"

You nod slightly and roll over to face him, "is it alright if we just lay here together for awhile"

"Of course, just allow me to change into my robes"

You feebly nod and go to turn the movie back on, you might as well finish it before bed considering its not even 6 yet. After he gets changed he looks at the screen, then at you, and raises an eyebrow.

"A recommendation from Uhura" you respond to his wordless question

"I see, well you'll forgive me if I do not watch it with you"

"All I need is you, I know you don't like this sort of thing but I'm glad you indulge my human tendancies"

"There are many qualities of yours i admire, and as you are well aware I do not require silence in order to think about how to improve my work efficiency"

You shake your head slightly as he climbs into bed, "well as long as you're holding me i couldn't care less what you're thinking about i just enjoy your company"

A light green blush comes across his features, "I too enjoy being with you" he grabs your face and kisses you for a few moments until you break the kiss to groan about your lower abdomen. He places his hand on your forehead and looks in your eyes to silently ask permission to ease your pain. You nod and his presence fills your brain, the pain starts to leave your mind as you finally relax for the first time that day.

"I don't know what I would do without you" you tell him as he lowers his hand and once again wraps his arms around you.

"I am sure you would-"

"That was rhetorical, and I don't think I could love anyone like how I love you" the light green blush returns to his face and he puts his forehead to yours again.

"I love you as well" he tells the computer to turn the lights off and you fall asleep despite the horror movie still on in the background. He watches you for a few moments to be sure you've fallen asleep and then turns off the movie and allows himself to drift off alongside you.

End of part one

Authors Notes, in the original series theres an episode where only 5 of the essential crew weren't turned into these blocks so if you're curious this is what I was referencing in the paragraph that talks about being turned into rocks lol

[stud-yawgmoth]

OC Writing

This very short story is about my OC Addison. This is an AU in which they're suffering from some kind of curse.

The little carrot-top was back again, looking to sell some more things. Two blouses, clean and pressed. A pair of sturdy travel pants and a belt. A pair of hiking boots, their soles worn somewhat with use.

"I can't give you much for these," I told them. "They're all worn down."

The redhead looked up at me, their green eyes wide and unassuming. "Whatever you think is fair."

A leather backpack, empty, good craftsmanship. A waterskin, also empty. Some cutlery in a metal tin that doubled as a pot and bowl - a travel mess kit. It was the third one they'd brought me. Always such common, bulky things, but I was happy to find new homes for them. There was no point in throwing away perfectly good things. Addison was clever - they waited until the hubbub around the person's disappearance died down to bring me the belongings. There was never anything valuable. Were they hoarding all the good stuff? Or was there just never anything good?

I asked myself, as I do every time: Should I be doing this? Shouldn't I tell the town watch Addison killed someone? But I have no proof… except the person's belongings Addison is handing me. I supposed they might have just come across the body - the body of someone they knew was missing. And they didn't tell anyone about it, but quietly sold me the person's things a few months later. Were the few coins I gave them in exchange for a pair of used pants the only reason they'd murdered this woman? Was I the reason she'd died?

"Addison?" I asked, after a suspiciously long pause.

"Mhm?" They fixed their big green eyes on me again. They were the last person I'd think could kill someone.

I didn't know how to ask the question. Eventually I settled on, "Where'd you get this stuff?"

Addison looked at me coyly and wiggled back and forth, like a child who knows they've done something wrong. "Don't you know?"

What was that supposed to mean? I'd never said anything about it before. But if I could puzzle it out, Addison must also realize I knew.

I sighed. "Yes, but… why?"

Their gaze was as dumb and innocent as a lamb. They blinked twice at me with orange lashes, then looked down. Ashamed? Embarrassed?

"If you really want to understand, I will tell you. But not here… not with so many ears around," they whispered.

It was past closing time anyway. Addison always came right before I closed, which would have been a bother if their visits were any more frequent. I added up the value of everything they'd brought me and counted out a few coins, which Addison pocketed. The items themselves I sorted, puttering around the many chests and drawers where my ever-changing inventory was organized. Once that was done I had to put down the blinds, lock all the chests up, then the back door, and finally the front door, next to the window painted with my shop's name: Volker Secondhand.

Townsfolk were milling about in the fading twilight - the lamplighters were always slow to get around to this part of town. Addison was waiting outside, smoking a cigarette. Upon noticing me, they nodded for me to follow, and wordlessly headed west, toward the river. I wondered if they were leading me all the way out to the woods, where people disappeared and Addison brought back their clothing for me to sell. Their orange hair lost some of its color in the blue twilight as they led me down to the docks, then down the riverbank past the edge of town. Once their cigarette was burned out, they started singing a little song - from what I could catch, it was about a woman who they loved but who didn't love them in return.

I followed in silence. Talking was not one of my strong suits. As we got farther from town, and the twilight gave way to proper night, my companion finally started the conversation.

"I appreciate your curiosity," they began, with a friendly smile. "Most people in your position would reject me out of hand." It was getting difficult to see, but I could still make them out. "Humor me by considering this scenario: If there was not enough food to go around, so if I had enough to eat it would mean you would starve to death, would you think me a monster for eating what food I had rather than sharing it with you, and thereby ensuring my own survival at the cost of yours?" Addison spoke as if they'd rehearsed this. "I would, of course, expect you to do the same. I would expect you to kill me in my sleep, even, to ensure your own survival. That is why I must keep my condition a secret."

I didn't follow. There was something they were leaving out. "There's enough food to go around," I pointed out.

Addison sighed. "For you, yes."

They climbed onto a boulder on the riverbank and squatted there, looking out over the water like a heron. I looked around for something to sit on and found another reasonably dry rock close by.

"I am what some would call a monster," Addison continued eventually, choosing their words carefully. "I have suffered from this condition for almost twenty years. I've tried to sustain myself honorably, but animals provide no nourishment. And there are precious few volunteers."

"Are you a cannibal?" I asked, finally piecing it together.

They let out a small giggle. "I suppose in a way… although some would say I'm not human anymore."

I peered at them, looking for some outward sign of inhumanity, but it was too dark to see. I'd never made a careful study of them in my shop. They were just a short, red-haired, freckle-faced human like so many others. Their long nose was distinctive, and kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but hardly monstrous. Some said being able to wiggle your ears made you a fairy, but my uncle could do it and he was flesh and blood like anyone else.

"Oh! You can't see!" they said, noticing me squinting at them. After a moment's fussing, a yellow glow shone over the riverbank, as they lit a travel lantern.

They turned to look at me, and I started - there was something different about them after all. Their eyes reflected the light of the lantern, like a possum's.

"What?"

"Your eyes glow in the dark."

"Do they?" Addison seemed almost excited to hear that.

"Yeah. Like a possum's."

"I never knew that… but it makes sense. I can see well in the dark now. It makes it more bearable, since the sunlight hurts me now, so I can't be out in the day. That is what hurts me the most, truly. Murder I can get used to, but I miss the sun so much…"

I did not love the sun quite that much.

"So, the murder," I began, glad they'd said it first, "Is because you need to kill other people to survive. To eat them."

"To eat their souls," they corrected.

I wasn't sure I believed in souls.

"And sell me their clothes?"

Addison smiled. "Mostly, yes."

"Why sell me their clothes?"

"Well I don't want them. And they'd go to waste otherwise."

How could they even think of objects going to waste in the context of ending a person's life? What kind of person could kill so many others, even if it was truly necessary for their own survival? Where did they get off thinking their own life was worth so many others?

"Because it is mine," they snapped, making me wonder if I'd accidentally said that out loud. "It's the only one I will ever have. Of course I will value it over others, over people I don't even know. Wouldn't you do the same?"

I tried to imagine it. I tried to remember how it felt to be so hungry I'd eat anything. Even at my poorest, I'd never even had to steal to survive, let alone kill.

"Have you ever killed an animal to eat it? Gone fishing?" Addison asked.

I had been fishing a few times as a kid, with my uncle. We could see the fish from our boat, swimming around in the murky water. At the time I'd seen them as nothing other than a food source - catching one from the river was no different from picking an apple off a tree. Was that how Addison saw people? Like fish in the river - only there to catch and eat, with no regard or care for the life the fish was living?

"Well?" they demanded.

"It doesn't seem right to see people that way."

They sighed poutily. "It is not right. But it is what I must do. You said you wanted to understand. If you think I'm a monster, so be it."

Perhaps "monster" is the right word for a creature that kills and eats people. But Addison being a monster didn't mean we couldn't keep being friends. Were we even friends? My regulars were the closest thing I had to friends.

"You won't turn me in, will you?" they asked.

I sighed. "It's none of my business if travelers go missing in the woods. But if someone I care about disappears…"

Addison wrung their hands and pondered that. "What if you could give some sort of signal, so I would know not to bother that person?"

"I don't follow."

"Well, you could tell them, 'If you see a fellow with red hair and a long nose, tell them Min sent you.' And then they'd tell me you sent them, and I would leave them alone. Ah, no - you'd just tell everyone to say that."

They weren't wrong. I didn't even have to confirm it - they just kept talking.

"What about this?" They took a delicate ring off one of their fingers and tossed it to me. It was beautifully crafted, and probably worth more than anything they'd ever sold me. I dropped the ring on the boulder and it made a nice ringing sound - likely made of silver.

"Stop appraising it! I'm not trying to sell it!" Addi complained. "If someone you know is going into the woods, and you want them to be safe, give them that ring and tell them to give it back to me if they see me, and so I'll know to leave them alone. Deal?"

I looked down at the little ring. It was too small to fit on any of my fingers, so I pocketed it.

"What if I give the ring to someone, and they never give it back to you?"

Addison mulled it over. "Ah, well… I expect I'll find it eventually. I hope you wouldn't blame me if that happened. I'd do my best, I'd give them every opportunity to give it back. I wouldn't want to accidentally take someone important to you."

For whatever reason, I trusted them.

[mdhwrites]

I still like TOH, but your comments have made me notice something about reviews praising it: namely, a lot of the elements praised are specifically described- Belos’s character, Luz’s depression, the dark themes, the serialization, etc- as being amazing for a kid’s show, and I think that’s a factor in why critical reviews tend to match fandom opinion. Namely, kid shows having understandable limitations leads to attempt at darker themes/big stories being praised as standouts as long as the execution is competent enough to not be noticeable. So while some people do acknowledge TOH’s flaws, they point out it’s still admirable the show made the attempts it did, especially with Disney’s public stance on what it pushes for in its cartoons.

So... I want to be kind first before I somewhat lose it because I am so SO TIRED of it being stated that TOH is different from other kid's shows. The Owl House is perfectly competent and entertaining in just its base elements. The animation is good, the voice acting is amazing, the feeling of teenagers is well captured, it's a lot of fun when it's interested in being fun and S1 has a lot of great ideas that earn a lot of good will with an audience and the plot line with Eda in S1 is genuinely amazing. After all, usually you don't have a character who is actively dying.

A theme they never actually address in detail. Eda doesn't feel like she's being held back by the curse very often and there's even one episode where it's used to re-enact a family guy episode of King trying to murder a toddler who won't let him be ruler of the playground. That... Isn't serious. In anyway. It's only serious when it's first revealed and the big sacrifice moment. After S1, it's barely a thing outside of Keeping Affearances.

This is the fundamental problem with The Owl House... And why it's so easy to praise. Yesterday I talked about how it screams its themes at the top of its lungs. How it is very blunt about how it wants to be perceived. Whether this is perception is earned or not is secondary to what it can easily state.

Which makes making an online article about how it's so different from other kid's shows, how it's the kid's show for those who don't like kid's shows, very easy. If you don't actually know much about kid's shows and how shit like Static Shock way back when was already addressing racism, having serialized content, etc. like that.

I mean, if we look at recent kid's cartoons, we have Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future. Gravity Falls. Amphibia does a lot of the same themes as TOH, with honestly about as much meaningful serialization, but also while being good, consistent and enjoyable. It earns its themes... But you have to dig for them.

So why have to scrape the barrel when the soapbox preacher is right there? This is part of the character arc problem too. Do you know how EXHAUSTING posts about "Look where they were and are now" by the end of S2? Where Amity would be a distinct, interesting, unique character in S1 but all they care about is that now she SMILES!

If you don't actually have to talk about the substance of her arc, if the show actually tackled any of its potential, complications, etc like that, it looks impressive. Then you talk to them about Winging it Like Witches or Understanding Willow, both frankly very much so kid's show episodes that something like Danny Phantom, My Little Pony, or Kim Possible would have and could have done, and suddenly it sounds less impressive, doesn't it? Not when you're describing episodes where Amity's past doesn't match her introduction at all and are obviously wiping away what makes a character arc interesting for "SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN GOOD! It's not her fault."

Sure. That's why she was willing to kill someone who didn't even lower her grade but instead just got someone else to be praised. And that's still S1.

Luz's depression is similar. You can have her make big statements that sound like they may imply she wants to die but they're still not willing to use the actual terms. Have Luz only suffer the absolutely loudest but worst stereotypes of depressed people like being constantly suicidal, pushing others away and not caring about them. 'But it's depressi-" No. As someone literally crippled by it, I don't want it being used as the excuse for literally the worst thing Luz does in the whole series, which is to just abandon an entire world to whatever fate she claims to believe she inflicted on it. I myself and a lot of other depressed people will tell you that it is FAR easier to help others, especially if you've hurt them, than any sort for yourself. But Luz's depression is used as an excuse for her to claim to keep caring about others when she is actually only serving herself and lying constantly to everyone around her while doing it. If that's great, depression representation, something most kids are still going to miss what it is, then fuck that noise.

But depression is a big topic right now so going "DISNEY'S FIRST MAIN CHARACTER WITH DEPRESSION!" sure is a headline, isn't it?

And let's quickly talk about the fact that TOH is very morally weird. It's not willing to do many big lesson episodes, hence why Episode 2 stands out so much to me, and a lot of its main cast has dubious morality. And... Then it doesn't really touch on morality either. It has no interest in it, even to the point of bad actions maybe getting a line or two said about them but then moving on.

As an example: Amity just wants to invade Luz's privacy. Period. She has Luz's phone and wants to be given an excuse to look into it. Talking to Willow, they could have a very real, very human conversation about how Amity's parents have taught her that such measures are okay because trust doesn't matter as much as control and how that's not okay. It could be a genuinely very adult moment for the series and maybe even have Willow talk about how Luz finding out so much about her past during Understanding Willow makes her uncomfortable sometimes because even if nothing bad surfaces, that was information given. By making all that a real conversation, which yes would have taken more time but let's face it, TOH honestly doesn't spend enough time setting its characters morals and letting them have conversations where there's real conflict between the two. And none of this is explicit or so dark or so boring that there's no reason a kid's show couldn't have it.

And do you want to know what you gain by making it a conversation like that? A real lesson to kids. A lesson that will prepare them for not only their own loves but for just how to handle others in general. TOH is still a kid's show after all. It should in theory be considering its audience and while not talking down to them, remembering they do need to still bring them into the conversation.

OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE WILLOW SHRUG AT THE QUESTION! And I could do a full breakdown as to why that's a real, human reaction to that question, even for someone like Willow. But I have to bring the real world, my life experiences, my sister's life experiences (and she's 30 while I'm almost 27) in order to explain why Willow is not blatantly being a TERRIBLE person by not calling Amity out.

And yes, that's when TOH is at its worst. It commonly just brushes off immoral behavior that isn't the end point of the plot as just a thing happening, like how Edric and Emira don't actually suffer consequences for their plan against their sister or how Luz is made to feel bad for stealing Amity's wand but then isn't attacked by Amity but put into a protective circle by her. A time out, sure, but one that leads to the ice glyph and her getting to save everyone.

A kid can learn the wrong lessons by the lack of consequences in the show and they're not going to learn a lot of good lessons from what is there. There's a reason why kid's shows are blunter than other media and they have morals. They're remembering that, especially in our modern age where one income households just DON'T EXIST that they have to pick up the slack and modern cartoons are doing that better than old 90s cartoons.

But do you know how much TOH reminds me of older cartoons like the 80s or 90s? With their villains who are evil for the sake of evil? With characters that can change on a dime, or the blatantly comic relief ones who don't have much character outside of that? The plotlines that are more about spectacle or statement which led to all those terrible PSA cartoon moments? Or hell, with how Amity ended up: The character who is blatantly only there to be the pretty girl that gets with the main character?

That's the thing: You want to say TOH is better than Teen Titans Go? Fine. That is obviously true. Who actually cares about and is praising Teen Titans Go though? When you compare it to the shows that people do praise, like Amphibia, Gravity Falls, etc., shows that not only teach and make kids better but also tell an engaging, full story with real themes, characters, developments, etc... What does TOH actually have? How much more serialized is TOH than say, the first season of My Little Pony? There were two episodes of build up for the Grand Galloping Gala before the finale and in TOH S1, you technically only need to see The Intruder and Covention, besides the pilot obviously, before you will understand almost everything going on in Young Blood, Old Souls and Agony of a Witch. There's more in S2 but most people agree that it's done competently at best, which is why people keep screaming about the shortening and I made an entire blog pointing out that S2 is bad because... The show is bad about serialization effectively.

And as a final note: I lived with a Star Wars and Star Trek fan for two years at the peak of Discovery being out and as wind up for Rise of Skywalker was going on. I lived on their couch and when they put on an almost 24/7 reel of 'reviewers' for these franchises, I heard a LOT of shit takes. A lot of the same shit being repeated with no real thought behind it, it being what was popular said (which goes into what makes people popular online versus being a mouthpiece for the popular opinion) and showing no thought or care about the actual system of production for things or the people behind it. A lot of people just blaming issues on one creator, or praising a single creator for all the good in something without talking about why they were attributing the problem to them. And yes, I know how hypocritical all of this is coming from some white dude on the internet no degrees, experience, etc like that. I just hope that my blogs show a little bit more real thought to storytelling to make it not as bad.

So a show where the popular, fandom consensus is that it's amazing, it states its themes making 'deeper' analysis easier and is very loud about its statements like they're original is going to be very popular to this type of review. Does this mean it's all disingenuous? Of course not. I started this blog by saying a lot of the reasons why the show is easy to like. Does it mean it has none of the depth people give it? No because a show trying this hard is going to manage successes sometimes though a lot of the times it then shoots those successes because it doesn't realize it's doing them.

But this statement that it is somehow better than things that have come before, is somehow truly groundbreaking while shows clearly paved the way for it so that it's just at the front of a wave it didn't have to make, and ignoring its flaws for all of these reasons, especially with "It's special because it's on Disney" or "It's only bad because of the shortening" is... REALLY tiring. To put it mildly.

A thing should be good because it's good. Not because it says it is or because you have to put modifiers on it to make it special. Shrek was groundbreaking not because it was made by someone other than Disney. It was groundbreaking because it genuinely looked at how it could parody the landscape around itself while making a genuinely good adventure and love story. Did it help that the creators wanted to give a middle finger to Disney? Maybe but I don't have to bring that up with what makes Shrek amazing. I can just say it's very good. In or out of its time.

The Owl House will only become increasingly less special and interesting as time moves forward and its big statements have to be yelled louder and louder to be properly heard. =======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[ofdragonsdeep]

9: Lend an Ear

To listen.

THIS CONTAINS MAJOR DAWNTRAIL PLOT SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE MSQ. You have been warned.

Ar'telan asks Erenville a question.

The air crackled around him as Ar'telan clambered across the rocks of Heritage Found.

He had been here many times now, but the atmosphere still unsettled him. He had hoped, the first time they had broken through Vanguard, that being under the strange dome would allay the nerves that always accompanied the open sky, but it hadn't. If anything, it had made it worse - the oppressive, darkening atmosphere brought the night of Dalamud's fall to life in stark recall, rather than providing a shield against it.

Still, he persevered. The worst of their troubles were over now, with Zoraal Ja's defeat and Sphene's subsequent demise bringing some measure of peace back to Tural, but that was far from the only issue. If anything, it had only caused more.

The people in the Outskirts ignored him, for the most part. Those that didn't recognised him somewhat as an honoured guest, but were more offput by his lack of a regulator than anything else. That suited him fine enough, if he were pressed to admit it. He was tired of being famous.

He had spent some small measure of time in Heritage Found casting wary lines into the water, when he hadn't been here on business. The fish were all cursed in one way or another, and many of them made his fingers tingle with electric charge when he pulled them from the line. It was with a bucket of catch pulled from the ruins of Alexandria that Ar'telan found himself now, though after his current diversion they would likely be returned to the river. There was not much worth eating in the rivers of the lightning-blasted wasteland, he had found, and less still of medicinal or practical use.

"You're late."

Erenville didn't look over as Ar'telan approached, the twitch of his ears the only indication that he acknowledged him at all. With a huff, Ar'telan put the bucket down between the two of them, and it was only with that sound that the viera turned his head.

"Sorry. The serpents in the ruins are very fond of fish, it turns out."

"Understandable. There's little else for them to eat." His tone was level and measured, the way Ar'telan had come to expect from him. He spoke more with his body language than his words, and that was no different today. His ears canted backwards, tense and unhappy, and his fingers were stiff from fighting the urge to clench them. Given why they had come here, that made sense.

"I did manage to get one of each species that I know of, though, like you asked," Ar'telan continued. "Unless the fish are also fond of fish, I suppose." Erenville glanced down at the bucket, eyes darting about as he counted them.

They weren't here for fish. But it had been a convenient excuse, for Ar'telan to give him the space he needed after their walk here.

"No, that seems to be what you promised." His eyes weren't on Ar'telan once more, staring instead at the distant Yyasulani aetheryte, the rotted train track that led to it. There was a strange symbolism in what had once been a slice of change, carved out of the land, being a symbol instead of its decay. Even if they repaired it, running the track through the ruins of Vanguard, would anyone want to use it?

Thirty years hadn't seemed like a long time, for a Viera. But it had been long enough.

Ar'telan lowered himself down onto the rocks, feet dangling over the edge of the cliff. In the distance, there was a sound like a thunderclap - whether from the incliment levin or the cry of a mutated beast, it was hard to say. Erenville was silent, and Ar'telan waited until the tightness had eased from his fingers before he tried to speak again.

"Tell me about Yyasulani."

"I think you've seen it for yourself," Erenville replied, voice curt.

"Not Heritage Found. Yyasulani. What it was."

Erenville did not flinch at the was, but he went taught for a moment. A breath, a shake of his head. He sat down beside Ar'telan, and looked away from him, as though to concentrate. Ar'telan chose to ignore the beginning of the tears he tried to hide.

Erenville did not talk much, but he had a veritable bevy of information on Yyasulani. He spoke about the plants he had discovered, and did not tell the embarrassing childhood stories of how he had encountered more than a few of them. Spoke about what the hounds had looked like before the levin had twisted them. Talked about the scalekin, similar to the ones that roamed Shaaloani, which had either been driven to extinction by the vastly changed climate or twisted beyond recognition. It was all quite matter-of-fact: statements of what was, why it had suited the former climate well, whether it had been cultivated or grew wild. Detailed descriptions of the diets of old creatures that bespoke a deep understanding of the way the land had moved, had nurtured each component part of itself. There was a yawning, empty void where the life had once been, replaced instead with the constant hum of lightning and the purple glow of electrope.

"The fish you've brought me will serve as the start of a catalogue of the new life here," Erenville finished, folding his arms. "I shall take them back with me to Sharlayan."

"And finding somewhere to put them will be Labyrinthos's problem?"

"It's only fair that the tables turn at times."

He got to his feet at that, Ar'telan scrambling up after him. There was a look in his keen yellow eyes. A detachment caused by melancholy.

"Is there somewhere else you'd like to go?" Ar'telan asked. In response, Erenville took from his pocket a small piece of metal and electrope, shaped a little like a hand.

"Her deeds are recorded with the others on the sepulcre at Worqor Zormor's peak," he said. "I couldn't carve her life here into the stone, but I would leave it there regardless." Ar'telan nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll leave the fish with Donuhanu, then."

[kaylaluvsmattyb]

I'm done

Authors note: Hi this is my first series and I'm very exited to share it with you all, I started this story with different characters but I noticed that the Sturniolo triplets would fit right in. Thanks and enjoy

Warnings: fat shaming, bulling, cursing, Matt and Chris being somewhat assholes

"GET UP LUCY" my mom yells. "OK" I yell back. Wow high school, I never would have thought I would have made it this far. I get up and put on the outfit that I made last night. I get my shoes on and start to walk downstairs to see my mom making coffee. "ok mom see you when I get back from-" I was about to finish but my mom cuts me off "what the hell are you wearing, you look like a hooker" my mom says looking me up and down. I laugh "mom its a crop top" "oh so you think its funny when your father sees you in that after school" silence "yeah didn't think so, go change" I groan and walk back upstairs and change into a baggy sweater, so now I'm wearing a baggy sweater and baggy jeans. "ok mom is this better" I say going down stairs. "much better sweetie" she says. "ok love you bye mom" I say and walk out the house. I walk to school and through the high school doors and see all the friend groups, laughing, smiling, talk yada yada. but then I see a friend group looking at me and laughing.

great

I walk pass them since they are right by my locker and one of them speaks to me. "you new?" one of the girls says. "what do you think Leah" the other girl says. I look at the girls name tags and boys name tags, the girls are Leah and Sarah the boys names are Nick, Matt, and Chris, they look popular. "what are you wearing" Sarah says. "clothes?" I say. "she means your outfit makes you look fat" Leah says

oh no

"oh wait you are" Leah continues while the whole group laughs while Nick doesn't. I run away embarrassed while she feels Nick looking at her.

A couple days past and I get a surprise text from Nick

"hey Lucy sorry about what happened 2 days ago, they were being assholes, I was wondering if you wanna hang some time, I understand if not :)"

"yeah ofc i would love to hang sometime"

"ok is next weekend sound good?"

"yes, that's good"

"ok see you at school tomorrow"

"see you"

I tried to sound so chill but I was screaming inside, its not like I like him or anything I know he is gay its just I finally get a friend' hopefully its not a prank.

............................................................................................................................……………………………………………………………

AHHHHHHH I cant wait for yall to see the plot twist at the enddddddd.

[sirenjose]

Your thoughts on the Identity Switch

Thanks to you…. I now really like Norton. I used to hate him because I have a vendetta against people taller than my 4’11 self but now I love him.

on another note, what are your thoughts on the Identity switch system? Looking more into Norton’s background specifically makes me wonder why Norton gets a hunter form. What does this represent? I know that there’s a lot of drugs involved but I always interpreted it as them unlocking a new personality or smth, one more attune to following the manor’s games and supervising it (hunter) and like the other just trying to leave (survivor). I’ve been so interested in Norton’s lore lately that now I’m in an existential rabbit hole in how survivors get hunter forms, why that is, and if it’s like some sort of curse or punishment. Why are these survivors getting hunter forms?

soooo many questions, IK. But like reading your theories and analysis at 3Am is my serotonin. As a new player purely interested in the game for its lore I am just excited to know more but can’t wrap my head around all these weird concepts cause, again, I’m new. Also if I spend the next hour reading more of your analysis I will not sleep so therefore I need to preface my curiosity with a timed endeavor. My question probably do3snt make sense but like uhhh yeaaaaa. You should totally make something on your thoughts on identity switch (especially for the survivors gone hunters) cause I am too far in deep into the Norton-Campbell-Fool’s-Gold-Alternate-personality rabbit hole.

I’ve never done the questioning thingy before so sorry if this is not how it works. G’day!

Ah, it makes me happy to think a nobody like me can turn your thinking around on someone. Especially Norton since he was 1 of the main reasons I got started with the lore at all. I'm someone who usually plays a game based on how interesting the story or characters are, so I was interested in learning about idv's lore soon after I joined (had to take quite awhile to figure out the basics of the game and what all the various buttons were, then take some more time to get used to it before I could even get started with the lore). Was the main reason why I went looking to join places like Discord or Reddit, just so I could find people talking about the story.

Started by just understanding what I could about what people said, but then I eventually moved on to trying to understand at least the basics of everyone's backstories (once again, took me awhile to do that ^_^; Especially as I joined before we were getting all that much story at all). While I was doin this, I heard a lot of people saying bad stuff about some character named Norton. Have to admit I didn't know who he was for quite awhile. Wasn't in my radar. Can't even say I cared much for him. But I eventually got to the point where I basically decided I wanted to see if I could determine if Norton really was that bad or not (maybe as a challenge to myself, maybe because I wanted to find out myself rather than just hearing other's opinions, or maybe because I failed to find anything really in-depth about him).

That analysis took a ridiculous amount of time. In part because I ask too many questions, because I'm a perfectionist and wanted to look at every bit of info on him and detail on him, but also somewhat because I ended up writing this like a persuasion piece, and felt the only way to do that was by going through everything to back up my conclusion (whatever my research turned up). Which was also why I analyzed every single essence he had a skin in, as well as any skins not in an essence, his accessories, emotes, etc... It was during that process I actually got attached to Norton. Probably because of how long I spent going through him (no one needs to know how long it took... only the immense joy and desire to collapse I had when I finally finished).

Since then, I've rewritten his analysis... 3 times now I think? Counting after hunter norton's release? Though I've taken down that 1st version due to issues, and haven't reposted my essence analyses as they're old (they were pretty much the 1st analyses I wrote, and I'd like to think I've improved since then) as well as because they're based on the 1st version of my norton analysis... and because they're probably a bit needlessly long and thus embarrassing... Maybe I'll repost them once I get around to rewriting them. I definitely will eventually at least for Soul Catcher's and Magic Item Keeper's essence because I have to say they took longer than almost any other part of that original (complete) norton analysis (i can never forget the trouble they caused me over how long it took to understand them).

ANYWAYS! Ignoring my stupid rambling because who cares about any of that.

I was going to include my answer to your question about Identity Switches but it’s starting to become a little silly in length ^_^; (seriously, for those who know me well enough, I have a bad habit of writing more than I initially intended to once I get started) so I’ll make that a separate post for you, and you can let me know if it answers your questions (once I post it). If not, feel free to ask any more of your questions.

Honestly, the lore is confusing even to those who aren’t new players, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t wrap your head around a lot of this ^_^;

It’s hard for me to imagine my stuff is so good people are willing to read it, much less re-read it. Especially as I know people tend to prefer… shorter things, but I have tendency to be lengthy. I can’t help it though ;’) But thank you so much for the compliment.

And please, I’m still pretty new to Tumblr, so I’m still figuring all this out myself.

Anyways, don’t feel nervous talking to me or asking me any questions you have. I enjoy being helpful! So please, ask whatever you like. Or even if you don’t have a question, that’s ok too. I enjoy rambling about a subject I get started on, as long as the other person can bear with me ;’)

 It’s always nice to know people besides me, myself, and I are reading this stuff.

(Apologies for any errors or nonsense in this post, as I decided to write it without double checking it for errors cuz I felt like being lazy, and I'm still busy writing out my thoughts about Identity Switches for you)

[gear-project]

If Ramlethal was emotionless in XRD then how come she knows how to throw her hands up as a surrender? Because in the first image she somewhat resembles a surrender but it clearly shows that she doesn't want her eyes changed but what is she really thinking in that moment?(hope you can caption this as if what Ramlethal would say)

Second image: isn't she supposed to be fine with death? because she doesn't really care if she dies but when it comes to a nuclear explosion she somewhat doesn't want to die? And she's showing the same throwing her hands up as a surrender

Did she learn it from the humans, her mother or Elphelt?

First: It's not that she was emotionless... it's that she didn't have an awareness of her ability to emote (nor was she ready to accept that side of herself at first).

Second: Most reactions Ramlethal has are much more expressive in Revelator than they were in Xrd Sign if you were to compare.

The latter explosion is during her encounter with Dizzy which doesn't happen until Rev2. (Meaning she's emotionally matured some during that time).

I have to frequently remind people that both Xrd games have COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORIES:

Xrd: Sign has its own self-contained story mode (the Arcade Episodes take place before the main story). In Xrd Sign, Ramlethal was still learning about her human-like heritage.

Xrd: Revelator (and Rev2), the Arcade Episodes take place a " few weeks after" Xrd Sign and also during the main story simultaneously, After Story Episodes take place AFTER Revelator's main story.

In Revelator, Ramlethal had just learned that her sister Elphelt was taken by Ariels and was determined to rescue her, she also learned a great deal about being human from Sin and Sol as well.

As for Strive, Ramlethal is beginning to understand the true nature of her strength as a Gear, but she has also grown in fortitude in learning how to be more human, and the unique value that brings with everyone new she meets and comes across.

Compared to and in contrast to the original Valentine, Valentine still had emotions, but she did not understand them... she understood them even less that Ramlethal and Elphelt did, but it's primarily explained that Ramlethal never truly understood her Mother's motives for giving her emotions alongside her sister Elphelt.

It is later explained that Ariels wanted to create her own "version" of Humanity and that her children were a "legacy" of that ideal, though her first child was a failure to some extent.

Because of their connections with Justice, both sisters were treated differently.

Ramlethal couldn't reach the ideal form that Ariels was seeking from Justice, so she was used as a disposable decoy, though that was not her original purpose, Ariels felt it better to treat her that way than to simply treat her as "yet another imitation human" (as she considered all of current humanity to be fake).

Elphelt was even closer to the ideal of Justice, but she was even more rebellious than Ramlethal because she was given even more freedom to tap in to her emotions, which became something of a cursed burden to her.

Had their roles reversed, Ramlethal would've likely been more than willing to sacrifice her soul to Ariels' ideal in place of Elphelt... and Elphelt would be even "more ignorant" of the truth than her inquisitive sister.

But, it is thanks to the burdens carried by Sin Kiske and Bedman that the both of them were spared that fate... not to mention Sol's determination to free them from the past he was burdened with.

[ceruleanmusings]

Holes 20th Anniversary: Fanfic Edition!

If you thought I was going to let the Holes 20th anniversary pass me by without talking about fanfics, you were wrong!

I've been reading and writing Holes fanfics since, well, 2003! Back then they were all the same: a girl goes to CGL and falls in love with one of the guys. (I did this too! I'm calling myself out as well!) Usually Squid, sometimes Zigzag, and then Magnet coming after for the het ships. Otherwise SquidZag was THE ship of the fandom with a somewhat distant but close runner-up with SquidMag. (Stanley/Zero did have their supporters but they weren't as vocal then as they are now.)

So to say this far in the future when I dive back into the Holes fandom to read and that I was looking for something special or unique, it's an understatement.

I've read nearly every Holes fanfic available. I'v re-read my own (yes, even the really cringy one from the early 00s) and keep looking for something new to scratch my itch and I didn't think I'd ever find it.

And then I found Desperado by @theblerdbox on Wattpad and I. Was. Hooked.

It emulates the book's writing style in a way that, while brisk, doesn't lack substance. It's not a rewrite either, but its own story wrapped in the Holes universe to bring more background to the Zeronis and their lineage in a world of magic of mysticism.

With Tyler as the heroine and her connection not only to Stanley but to Zero, we get a new look into how Camp Green Lake runs, what the Zeronis were up to between Madam Zeroni casting her "curse" and Zero ending up at Camp Green Lake, and what exactly it means to live up to family expectations.

A great binge read that leaves me coming back for more, Desperado is a fresh take on Holes fanfiction with fantastic world-building, bright characters, and a tightly waved plot that would impress Louis Sachar himself. RJ leaves me astounded with every re-read due to all the carefully laid plot points and foreshadowing that, I'm sure, would get Louis Sachar's stamp of approval. You are missing out if you aren't reading this fanfic!

Bonus, it's followed up with an in-progress sequel called Wicked Games! Don't miss out!

I couldn't let this anniversary pass by without shouting out who I'm pretty sure is the only other person in the fandom with me, lol. This book and movie has brought a new and special friend in my life and I love knowing that there's someone else out there that understands just how much this book means, how much this book did for the world and storytelling, and how much I love Squid. (Jake will have a problem if he ever meets one of us, lol.)

@theblerdbox you're a fantastic writer and, as I say a lot, an amazing world-builder. You're very creative, innovative, and a bright spot in the fandom. I'm very lucky to be able to see your process up-close and constantly remain in awe at how you handle and pull all the puzzle pieces in your world together. You inspire me as a writer and as a creative persona and I can't wait to see what you do next! Happy 20th Holes anniversary!

Desperado and Wicked Games are available on Wattpad!

[licncourt]

Hi!!!! I have been reading your tvc metas, and they are wonderful and I want to thank you for it!

I have been struggling to read theses books, and it really help me, I love IWTV, Louis is my fav, the aspect and style of first book is astonishing, the entire loustat dynamic is fascinating. And as much I love Lestat too, I didn't like TVL, and it left me frustrated with myself and disappointed with the book. It took me weeks to read TVL, and even more months to finish QotD. For me IWTV could stand alone, the other books seem to be part of a completely different series.

Your metas have helped me deal with my frustrations with TVC, and thank you for that, because i love theses characters (some of them) and I want to know their stories, still sad due to the lack of Louis, and I will try to read all the books so that my information about it are not all second handed.

and most important, I love your blog, I love your art and your fanfics 🫶

That's so nice of you I'm so so glad!! It's so exciting when someone likes my metas and fics, I love to write them! It's especially cool if it's made the books more enjoyable!! Book Louis is my special little guy of all time and like a small weird mangey rabbit that I keep as a beloved pet even though he bites so I'm also very happy to hear that you loved IWTV!!

As pretentious as it sounds, I was disappointed that a lot of new fans coming from the show didn't really Get book Louis or make an effort to understand his character. He's....challenging (nasty and gross) but there's so much rich character building there and it makes me sad when people write him off as boring and one note. AMC Louis is a really great character and I enjoy him a lot, but I don't like sentiment that he's a "fix" for a bad character.

As for TVL, I really do love it (even though IWTV is my favorite), but I can see how the style change can be jarring. In a way, it almost IS a different series because the narrator and POV has changed so drastically. It's in the same universe, but a totally different take on it to match a contrasting personality. I think it comes across better on a second read too because you're more prepared for the switch and have more context.

I can understand being partial to one style or the other (plenty of people prefer TVL to IWTV which I understand for sure), but I hope that even if the book itself wasn't for you that you enjoyed the insight into Lestat’s character. The first two books combined make for such a fantastic relationship dynamic in top of great stand alone characters, even better than just IWTV on its own in my opinion because now we know so much about them both.

This might be somewhat controversial among VC fans (?) but I don't really care for QotD either, with the exception of the Devil's Minion chapter and the ending with Loustat. I think it really shows the flaws beginning to emerge in AR's writing, but it's SO much better than what comes after that it gets more praise than maybe it deserves. Then again, I'm extremely partial to character-driven stories, so maybe if you're a plot guy it's a matter of preference.

If you've read my metas I'm sure you know that I don't really recommend anyone read past QotD, but I also see it as kind of rite of passage if you really want to be in the real trenches of the book fandom. It's miserable and you won't be the same afterward but the curse of forbidden knowledge is kind of a unifying factor, the ties that bind. If you choose to proceed then I wish you best and hope you'll come back to commiserate later.

Either way, I'm really glad you got some value from my metas! I love some of these characters so much and I'm super happy they were validating for you as a reader and maybe enhanced the experience in other ways! I aim to provide only the best VC Sparknotes.

I always have more to talk about (in meta and in fic), so I hope you enjoy everything that's coming just as much!

[aprilblossomgirl]

This post is somewhat a continuation of my halfway review. [1] [2] [3]

=========================

What makes The Eclipse feels so real (for me) is that it shows authoritarianism in the education system and how it affects all layers of the school community. What's most striking is how the school didn't use the rules to maintain orderliness but to keep its reputation intact and the powerful authorities in place. I tried to see how some parts of the school community were affected by such a system through the names that Ayan put in his board. I think how he put the order of those names was intentional.

Akk

Ayan put Akk's name at the center of his board as the starting point of his thread of investigation while being aware that it's him behind the Suppalo curse. He saw how Akk played with the brake of the van that attacked the World Remembers trio, and then he put together that it might have also been him behind those other accidents he learned about through the Twitter trends before he came to Suppalo. But he also saw how Akk, as the head prefect, represented the most damaged by the archaic school system: the students. Uniformed, both in how they dressed and thought. Repressed by the inflicted fear of the curse and the brainwashing through repeated recitation of the pledge of allegiance. And specifically, for Akk, the pressure of carrying the whole Suppalo reputation on his shoulders.

Nun, Nong, Nian

Apart from the majority of students - tamed, controlled, obedient - represented by Akk, next on Ayan's board are Nun, Nong, and Nian. The World Remembers group, labeled as outcasts by their friends, insists on claiming their right to protest against the uniform rules. Their statement during the protest was clear: "A school is a safe place that welcomes everyone and fosters the culture of advocating basic human rights." Chadok, however, disregarded it as he still considered them to be violating Suppalo's own rules. In this case, the rules were absolute and controlling, superior to the National Education Act, which the group referred to during their protest. Doing these protests, they risked having clashes with their parents, teachers, and friends to stand up and fight for what they think is right. They realized how the century-old Suppalo's rules have been violating the human right of the students, especially regarding their bodies, freedom of self-expression, and possession, as highlighted in the series. They knew somebody would need to start bringing it to the surface and keeping it there for as long as possible for others to be aware as well, and so they took the role. Akk assumed Ayan was someone behind this group and their protests but he never was. Ayan's supportive of them, but kept his distance.

Sani

Sani's name comes right after the World Remembers trio. The new, young, naive, yet the attentive teacher is in a difficult position. She tried to be understanding of all sides. She knew things might be wrong with the school, but she hadn't fully grasped it. She knew she needed to, and did, stand up for the students, but there is more about having so little power and space than she was allowed to move. I understand Ayan's anger with her, an emotion similar to what he had once with Thua, but this time it was more, because he had high expectations as she is a teacher, in the same position as Dika to that, who he might have slightly thought should fully take the students' side more without any compromising. I also understand Sani's frustration with herself. (This is where things get a bit more personal.) Working in the education sector, I know really well how hard it is to break the long-established and corrupted system as depicted in this series, both from the inside and the outside. Being the young, the newbie in such a system, being critical to the faults of it while being highly aware of just how powerless she was in her position. No questioning, no saying no, were ever allowed. The conflicts (as mild as they might seem) she had were not only about a structural hierarchy but also an authoritative position and a culture of seniority, a set of deeply rooted system to fight. Sani's struggle, at least to me, was realistically portrayed. So, I wonder how this series will shape the final arc of her character's development.

Chadok

After Sani, it's Chadok on the board. Once, Chadok said this in a meeting with other teachers about giving Ayan a lesson, "...behind an able man there are always other able men." That statement applies to him as well. I could never move past how disturbing it was for me to hear these. To Akk, "The prefects' duty is to do whatever it takes to make Suppalo remain Suppalo. I hope you don't forget that." Such is the peak of mind game played into Akk's brain by Chadok, all to 'assist him' in keeping the order of Suppalo. And to Sani, "All right then. You deal with them the way you see fit. As for me, I'll deal with them my way." Those were words of no compromise. I have my way, and then, to Akk: and you will abide by it (a one-way order because of the student-teacher hierarchy), while to Sani: and you will not interfere with it (a warning because of the mixture of seniority and being colleagues). Ayan has just started confronting Chadok, because of what he saw with Akk, and he'll finally ask him about Dika in the next episode. So, more is yet to come.

The Principal

One of the last questions is, who is the one more powerful behind Chadok, which leads to the last name on the board. So far, we have only a few appearances of the principal: during Sani's interview, twice scolding both Chadok and Sani for losing control over the students' protests, and once when Chadok gave his official warning to all students through an announcement following the burned puppet accident. She gave Chadok a gesture very similar to one Chadok gave to Akk, putting her hand on his shoulder. A gesture of dominance and control. In the episode 11 teaser, Ayan said, "Let's go see the last boss." Will this be the principal or someone behind her? Is she the final end of this chain of school authorities, or is she, just like Chadok, just another chain link within? She warned that if the student prefects cannot do their work controlling the protest, an outside force will do it, and this was shown in the next episode's teaser. I wonder whether it would be a higher government authority, the military, or something else. Also, just what the school's alumni group sponsorship has something to do with the changes that these students demand? (Some of these last questions are rethoric, but giving a second thoughts of them wouldn't hurt.)

The unpredictability from the broader point of view of how this chain of power play on Suppalo might end is so full of tension yet feels so real. It's not only about the uniform but what it represents. It's not only about claiming individual rights but of larger entities. It's not only about choosing a side but understanding what it means to stand in the middle ground. The prison-like school is indeed just a miniature of a larger story.