#anyway the demo had me thinking and here it is

[blacktabbygames]

Slay the Princess Concept Art

We shared a bunch of concept art on Twitter today. Sharing it here, too, where you can find it all in one post. Post contains spoilers, so proceed with caution (or just play the game already if you haven't 😉)

Going to start with the first piece of concept art Abby drew for the game.

In the earliest stages of development, we toyed around with the concept of there being multiple "end game" forms of the Princess.

The initial outline, rather than being tied together by an overarching metanarrative, structured a full playthrough as a 5-6 chapter long, self-contained journey down a single route, determined by your decisions in chapter 1. Here's an alternative late-game form:

The idea of deviating end-game forms didn't lost for very long, though. As we explored the game's themes more deeply, it made the most sense for there to be a singular "true" form.

If your reality is shaped by subjectivity and perception, then the "truth" has to be what's left when that subjectivity is swept away. the Shifting Mound's final design feels like that initial truth for the Princess, though there's also another truth if you push back against her and press on into the final cabin.

We really liked this "void" design, and I played around with the idea of it being an intermediary to the final form. The "void" Princess would be what you saw upon encountering the final Princess without understanding your own truth, but once you had that understanding, you would see her as the Shifting Mound, as depicted in the game.

That gave way to the intermediary design of the SM being a sea of disembodied limbs, and we also took parts of both designs and incorporated them into the protagonist (particularly the wings.) You can see the eyes and feathers for this void form in the ending card of the original trailer below:

You can see extremely early concept art for the spectre (top), nightmare (top-right), stranger (left), beast (bottom) and ??? (right) as well!

The eyes became a motif in the Nightmare route (Paranoid's manifestation of the fear of being watched), but I also like to think of them as a part of The Long Quiet's truth. You are space and emptiness, but you're also that which observes those things, and it's your perceptions that give the Shifting Mound shape.

Anyways, on the note of the original original concepts for the game, the Princess was initially going to remain human for several loops before taking on more monstrous forms. Some concepts of that are below. Had to get Abby to tone down some of the more horrifically cartoonish designs because they creeped me out and I didn't want to romance them in a video game.

We had to hold our cards close to our chest in the non-metanarrative early drafts, which is part of why, even in the first demo, the cabin doesn't really change much in chapter 2. More room to subtly play with the concept of transformation over time.

There were a lot of reasons we moved in a different direction for the full release. The branching was unmanageably large to write, and the game felt like a slog to write.

Using an overarching narrative as a framing mechanism in the final version gave us a lot more freedom to explore wildly divergent ideas within routes while still driving the player towards the originally planned finale.

Anyways, now we've got some concept art for individual princesses. There's a lot more than this lying around somewhere, but it's all in sketchbooks, and we'll probably wait until we make an art book to show it off.

First is the tower, who really didn't change much at all. (She got a little thicker, I guess. All of the Princesses did)

Not a lot to say about her, other than the fact that we knew we wanted a set piece where she gets so big that the trees and cabin orbit around her.

The stranger went through many many redesigns over the course of development. Here, she was a "princess skin" filled with a hive of sentient bugs. The script wasn't working for me, though, so instead she became a peak behind the curtains without the necessary context to know her.

A lot of people ask how these earlier drafts of the Stranger route would have played out, and the answer is I can't tell you, because I couldn't figure out something worth writing.

The writing process for individual routes didn't really start with outlines or plot beats. Rather, the routes started from a theme and a relationship dynamic, and I organically found their outcomes by exploring actions within those themes, and then seeing if those passed Abby's editor brain.

Neither of us found actions we wanted to explore with those versions of the Stranger, at least actions that weren't a beat-by-beat retelling of chapter 1, which contained way too much variation to put on a single chapter 2 route.

If each princess examines a relationship formed by perception and first impressions, the Stranger examines one that's fundamentally unknowable. One where you've seen too much, too quickly.

An insect hive-mind pretending to be a person seemed like a good starting point, but it was too difficult to write any interactions that didn't immediately feel knowable, if still strange. So the final version of the Stranger was designed in such a way where her unknowability makes interacting with her on a human level fundamentally impossible, and you don't get to have a real conversation with her unless you satisfy extremely specific criteria.

Anyways next up is the razor's final form. We decided she needed more swords.

Hearts became an accidental motif very quickly in the development process, too. (The fact that it is only strikes to the heart that fell her in the demo was accidental, but it felt poetic so we extended it to the rest of the game.)

So on top of adding more swords, we made her heart visible. This is something we did with the fury as well, as a way of showing their emotional (and physical) vulnerability.

Here's an early version of the Adversary and what would eventually become the Eye of the Needle, back when she was still called the Fury. Originally her hair was going to be fire (as seen on the right), but it didn't feel right in its execution.

She's hit the gym since this concept art. Good for her :)

And we're going to end with the Beast, who at this point was called the Adversary. I think this was before the Witch was added? The Beast was originally designed to be a Questing Beast who lurked in the shadows, where you'd only see glimpses of her, and where each glimpse would make her appear to be a different animal. This was too difficult to execute, though we gave her a more chimera-like appearance in the final game.

This design was from when we still has the Voice of the Obsessed, and the route was going to be a more feral mirror of what eventually became the Adversary, but it felt too thematically similar while being less interesting, so we moved in the direction of making the Beast about consumption as a form of love.

Anyways, that's all we've got for you right now. Hope this was fun!

[silentheiss]

AU, where Luo Binghe meets Shen Yuan under different circumstances. Precisely, when one of his wives comes to him to ask for divorce.

Because she’s kind of in love with Shen Yuan, as it happens.

It goes like this:

Shen Yuan is having a great time being a transmigrator. He had quite a safe landing with being an NPC who’s never been mentioned in the book, so he’s not about to be killed by Luo Binghe anytime soon, and he’s doing great avoiding him.

Until he meets Ban Li. She’s so pretty and feisty she bound to become Luo Binghe’s wife one day, and Shen Yuan doesn’t want to be seen next to her when it happens. He’s not a suicidal idiot, despite what Ban Li says the first time they meet.

“-an utter degenerate! To face a Venomous Flying Spider in your own! What the hell were you thinking?” She yells, after cutting two back legs of the spider in one sharp swing of her sword, rendering beast to a withering, scaly pile. “At least you had a presence of mind to cut the wings first! Idiot!”

Who gives compliments like that? Shen Yuan sighs and positions himself more comfortably on the ground.

“As this one already said, everything was under control.”

“Ha!” Ban Li barks out, her eyes glowing green. Ah, must be a demoness, then. “Under what control? Be thankful for this one’s grace or your legs will be cut off!”

Shen Yuan laughs and offers Ban Li some sweets he always carries in his pouch. Things go smoothly after that — Ban Li accompanies him for next week, claiming she has a task of exterminating beasts in the area.

“Husband will want a report soon, but this one has time to spare.” Ban Li mentions one day.

“Ban Li is married?” Shen Yuan freezes. “Isn’t it inappropriate to- I mean for us, to. Uh.”

“This one was unaware Shen Yuan was courting.” Ban Li giggles, twirling a lock of her hair around her thin finger.

“I’m not!”

Ban Li laughs and leans closer to Shen Yuan, eyes glimmering.

“If you were,” She says, low and intimate. “I would agree. I would leave my absent husband and runaway with you.”

Ah. Now Shen Yuan sees how it is. Ban Li is not infatuated with him. She’s just-

“Ban Li, are you unhappy in your marriage?” He asks, heart breaking for this feisty, sweet demoness.

“Will Shen Yuan make it better?” Ban Li asks pitifully. Shen Yuan nods.

He will talk to that good-for-nothing husband of her and make him let Ban Li go. She’s promised to Luo Binghe, anyway, for plot purposes. He’ll just help smooth the process.

Several days later Ban Li takes Shen Yuan to a camp. It’s big, obviously expensive, and Ban Li looks almost shaky as they near the biggest, most impressive tent.

“Ban Li’s husband is… powerful.” Shen Yuan notes.

“He is.” Ban Li nods. “But this one doesn’t need his power.”

“Of course you don’t.” Shen Yuan nods. “We’ll make him see sense.”

Ban Li smiles at him, teeth sharp and eyes sharper.

“Shen Yuan is confident even in the face of the Emperor.”

Shen Yuan freezes.

“Ban Li.” He says, very quietly and very slowly. “Are you married to Luo Binghe?”

“Not for long!” Ban Li answers brightly.

Oh shit. Oh fuck.

“Ban Li.” Shen Yuan groans. “What the hell? Why on earth would you want to divorce Luo Binghe?”

“To stay at Shen Yuan’s side.” Ban Li says.

“Have you gone mad?” Shen Yuan demands. “Are you completely, utterly crazy? Who in their right mind would want to leave Luo Binghe to stay with me?!”

“Shen Yuan!” Ban Li whines. “You promised!”

“I didn’t know you were going to divorce the best person in the whole universe!”

Ban Li gasps at him.

“Do you want to marry Lord Luo?”

“No!” Shen Yuan says. “I’m a man, Ban Li.”

“So what?”

Shen Yuan feels like he’s going grey from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

“Ban Li, we’re losing a thread of the conversations here.” He says. “You cannot divorce Luo Binghe.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s stupid! Have you seen him? He’s the smartest, strongest, bravest man ever. He’s extremely good looking. He’s lived through hell and persisted. He’s amazing, Ban Li! You can’t leave him to stay with me, are you kidding? I thought you were smart!”

Ban Li pouts at him, folding her arms like a petulant child.

“If Shen Yuan is in love with Lord Husband-”

“I’m not!”

“No? Then why are you praising him so?”

“Because I have common sense?”

“I don’t want to get back to harem while Shen Yuan is risking his life fighting dangerous beasts!”

“Ban Li, I’m begging you.” Shen Yuan says. “You will regret your decision.”

“I will regret not seeing Shen Yuan anymore.”

“Nonsense!”

“I will run away.”

“Ban Li.”

“Try me. I will.”

Shen Yuan sighs, hiding his face in his hands. He’s so going to die today.

“Do you suppose your Lord Husband might need a librarian?”

Ban Li squeals and drags Shen Yuan into the tent.

Luo Binghe, who’s been silently listening to the whole conversation, hires him immediately. He doesn’t claim to know Ban Li well, but they definitely agree on one thing: Shen Yuan mustn’t ever leave.

[blight-if]

Demo | Kofi (TBA) | Playlist | Character intros |

WARNINGS: Violence, gore, mature language, general struggling, realism, sex and sexual themes.

Genre: Apocalyptic grimdark horror.

“AND THEN THE WORLD ENDED. Everything came crashing down for my already screwed up life when those... creatures came, infected. Trapping me into another cage that we now call life. Running, fighting, scavenging, hiding… is on repeat constantly. Just a never-ending cycle of fighting for your life. Living is so.... exhausting. Not even living, just surviving.” I cleared my throat.

“I discovered secrets that I still cannot wrap my head around. Secrets that would have ruined everything. I'm sinking into it all.”

“Despite the chaos, there was a shining light in my corner. A group.” I smiled.

“We worked together and fought people, the world, as best as we could with our little but growing knowledge. Being a team was a little rocky in the beginning, but we knew making it through this mess would be easier if we had each other. Or at least by a little.

“But...” I took a long pause. Heaviness filled the air, like there was a pressure drop. It was almost as if we both knew what it meant without words. My eyes fixated on the floor as I felt my eyes watering, just a bit.

“Good things don’t always last. If I learned anything, it was that. And now, I’m here, alone.” A heavy sigh escaped my mouth, and my shoulders weren’t tense for the first time in what feels like forever.

“I should’ve been there....”

My hand reached for his, tight but gentle. “It’s okay. There was so much going on, anyway. What matters is that we’re together now.”

He smiled for a moment before his eyes descended into thought. “But what... really happened? I mean, that was so vague.”

My mind flashed through the events since the outbreak. Faces, sounds, smells, places. All kinds of feelings, even ones I can’t describe, weighed on my chest; so much in only a few seconds. “Well, what do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

The apocalypse engulfed you, and along with the rest of the surviving population, no one knows what’s happening. Or so you think. Infected overran the world, leaving most of the population dead. Streets are quiet, and houses are empty. Sometimes you just want to go home, but then you remember, there is no home to go to. Anyone would go insane, losing everything all at once.

Supplies linger, but they have run thin in the chaos as you survive in conditions you never would’ve expected; leaving behind the expected comforts of what you knew. Everything you wanted you could get with ease, but now you scavenge for food in a world where everyone and everything is out to get you.

People changed after the apocalypse, and that is ever so clear as you fight, not only infected but raiders who will do anything to get what they want. But not everyone you come across will have such nefarious intentions. There are also the compassionate, helpful people, but there are also people who sit in the middle, balancing their morality.

The road of survival will test you mentally and emotionally. Leaving you wondering if trying is really all that worth it. Many more questions linger in your mind, even dark ones that hide in the far corners of your head, gathering and waiting for you to break. But you won’t break, because you’re a fighter; you’ve always been. When an infected comes charging at you, you’ll stand your ground. Why?

‘Cause that’s just what you do.

Scavenging rabbit hole to gain supplies.

Customize your character's name, gender, pronouns, sexuality, eyes, hair, and more.

Personality and skill stats.

Romance one or two of the four characters in the next section, or just be friends.

Survive against raiders and infected.

FYI your parent's names are Elena and Pedro, if you don't want the same names as them.

| Caleb ??? | 23 | He/Him

Gender: Cis man

Sexuality: Bisexual

Race: African American

Appearance: Dark brown buzz cut, dark green eyes, and dark brown skin tone. Has a heart tattoo with the letter C on the inside of his wrist.

Body Type: Muscular, little to no definition, mass.

Height: 6'0

A brooding leader who leads with rationale and determination. He keeps his heart closed to anyone, fearing his past would come back and haunt him once again. His loner and cold nature holds him back from truly connecting with those around him. At the end of the day, his leadership is strong, keeping his group together like he knows he has to.

| Sudiro | 22 | He/Him

Gender: Cis man

Sexuality: Bisexual

Race: Javanese (Indonesian)

Appearance: Black, slightly wavy neck-length hair, dark brown eyes, and tan skin/honey skin tone. Back tattoo, nose and ear piercings.

Body Type: Lean and defined.

Height: 5'7

Loves to live life on the edge and have fun. Jokes are his protection. His dream was to see the world, but it was abruptly crushed. Despite his adventurous nature, he is extremely pessimistic, always thinking of the worst. He can be snarky and rude, but deep down, he is caring and compassionate. Will those walls come down? Either way, he won't be listening to you anytime soon.

(Javanese people don't have last names.)

| Rue Benson | 21 | She/Her

Gender: Cis woman

Sexuality: Lesbian

Race: African American

Appearance: Dark brown shoulder-length dreads, eyes, and skin tone. Double sleeves.

Body Type: Muscular/Ripped, in between definition and bulk, straight waist.

Height: 5'8

A kind-hearted soul who goes out of her way to help others. She knows how to handle herself but prefers to avoid confrontation. Gentle but strong. Her life before the apocalypse was a mess, and that mess only became worse. The world around her collapsed into moral ambiguity, but she stayed true to herself. But sometimes people can be too good.

Dana Léon | 21 | She/Her

Gender: Transgender woman

Sexuality: Bisexual

Race: White

Appearance: Light blonde armpit-length hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Freckles. Earlobe piercings.

Body Type: Toned and slender.

Height: 5'3

Can be mischievous from time to time and is very self-assured. A little flirtatious, too. Doesn't think she needs anyone else and can survive on her own. But doesn't actively push others away, just stays alone as a first choice. Idealism keeps her going as she always tries to see the positive. She tells herself that the world will go back to the way it was all the time, even if she knows it's not true.

NOTES:

This game is 18+

If you have any suggestions, corrections, or criticism, feel free to tell me, unless it's something I already cleared up or went over, but I will not accept hatred. I want to grow, not to be put down.

I'll update this post if there are changes regarding anything that is considered a warning.

I used AI somewhat for my code. Until recently, I didn't realize how bad that was. My future projects will be free from any AI, and this project will be as well as it progresses. If you want to stay, I appreciate it, but if you don't, I understand. It's something I'm not proud of, to be clear.

@interact-if

[slyfire]

Leander & Pomegranate Wine

I think this small change in the Touchstarved demo update has a lot of symbolism behind it. Spoilers ahead!

In both the original demo and the updated demo, after MC had been taken back to the Wet Wick, Leander offers MC an alcoholic beverage. If MC accepts, they receive a drink that is supposedly the 'local' specialty.

In the original demo, this drink was 'plum gin'.

In the updated demo, this drink is 'pomegranate wine'.

The pomegranate has a lot of assosiated symbolism: life & death, fertility, and the feminine. If you've been in the TS fandom for a while, then these may sound familiar: Leander has very similar symbolism all over him.

But if you're unaware, here's the rundown:

Leander's belt is in the shape of the 'Triple Moon' pagan symbol, which represents fertility, death, and birth & rebirth. It's also assosiated with Hecate; a Greek Goddess of magic and witchcraft.

His earring contains an ouroboros: a serpant eating it's own tail. This represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

His assosiated flower is the lily, which represents femininity, fertility, and rebirth.

On the lapel on his coat, he has the chain with the alchemical symbol for earth. This represents mother earth and the colour green.

Shout out to @/luckhound & @/astranautic for compiling Leander's symbolism! And of course Wikipedia.

So in general, the pomegranate wine can be see as a continuation of Leander's themes of life, death, and rebirth & the feminine. However, the pomegranate has a very famous Greek myth that really fits this updated demo version of Leander: The Abduction of Persephone.

The gist of this myth is:

Zeus (King of the Cosmos) kidnapped Persephone to be the wife of Hades (God of the dead & King of the Underworld). Persephone's mother, Demeter (Goddess of agriculture), grows angry and forces a constant winter in grief. Beacause of this, Zeus forces Persephone to be sent back to her mother. However, before she departed, Hades gave Persephone a pomegranate seed to eat. Because she has eaten food from the underworld, she is forced to stay there for some time of the year.

(Main sources were Apollodorus & the Homeric Hymn 'To Demeter')

This myth is meant to serve as an aetiology of the seasons in Greek myth, but for us Touchstarved fans, the focus is on how the pomagrante is used as a means of entrapment.

Throughout the demo, not-so-subtly Leander places control and 'entrapment' over the MC.

MC is only able to talk to Leander when they bring up Kuras. Otherwise they wouldn't get past the Adderstone.

When it comes to touching him for the first time, if MC holds back, leander will grab their hand anyways. If MC does touch him, MC's shock makes them pulls back a bit, but Leander 'catches' their wrist before they can pull back.

Insists info on MC's curse remains between the two of them. Also calls it 'our little secret' in Leander's path later on.

Gives MC a room: a room Leander knows more about than MC. I'll note that Leander didn't choose the specific room, but he's likely familar with all of the Wick.

Insists he be the one to buy you a drink (instead of Ais).

Leander to MC: "Then how would you feel about being on a leash?"

MC about Leander: "I feel trapped in the softness of his expression, and the lightness of his touch".

Leander to MC: "I'm a little jealous. Part of me wants to keep you all to myself".

Leander tends to choose where conversations happen (such as suggesting going outside or going upstairs).

Leander locks the door with MC and him inside the bedroom during his path.

Leander to MC: "I won't leave you, and you won't leave me."

Leander to MC (in response to 'what do you want'): "Too many things. But I'll start with you."

I believe this allusion to be intentional; Leander is offering MC something of a pomegranate, MC trusts Leander to consume it, and he will later 'entrap' the MC. This dynamic seems to be the core of his full route.

There's also the matter of Hades being the one to have Persephone eat the pomegranate seed without her understand what it will do to her. I can father two possibe meanings with this.

The first, is that it places Leander in the position of Hades, God of the dead.

The second, is that MC might not know what they're getting into with Leander.

And...that's all I have! Happy demo update y'all.

Shout out to @lord-shitbox for proofreading 🙏

[starsinthesky5]

What are some cute lowkey little things Joe does for her to show his love?

a/n: and here is more of joe burrow being the biggest simp on the planet

───────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───────

taillight “i love you”

every single time he leaves and she’s watching from the window, he brakes three times at the end of the driveway. it’s become their thing—three soft flashes of the brake lights: i love you

even if he’s in a rush. even if they had a silly disagreement that morning. even if it’s pouring rain or freezing cold. he never forgets

sometimes she doesn’t even tell him she’s watching—but he does it anyway. just in case

sticky note surprises

he leaves them everywhere. on her laptop, bathroom mirror, inside the kitchen cabinets, tucked into her makeup bag, slipped between pages of her notebooks

the messages range from sweet (“you’re my favorite part of every day”) to silly (“u looked so hot last night i couldn’t see straight”) to downright flirty (“stop being so sexy. it’s distracting”)

her favorite? the one he left on her song notebook that just said “kill it today, you have the voice of an angel my love,” before she went to the studio

always calls to say goodnight if he’s away

no matter the time zone, no matter how tired he is—she always gets that call

it’s often soft and sleepy, with his voice low and raspy, “wish i was there holdin’ you. bed’s cold without you,”

sometimes he falls asleep mid-call with the phone still clutched in his hand, and she just listens to him breathe until she drifts off too

picks wildflowers for her (my nerdy little flower lover i KNOW you would do this)

not from a shop. from the side of the road. near the practice field. on a trail.

he’ll come in with a handful of crooked, colorful tangled wildflowers and just say, “they looked like you,”

and she’ll put them in a jar by the window like they’re the most expensive bouquet in the world

doodles her name

in the margins of playbooks. in notebooks. on napkins

sometimes it’s just her initials, sometimes it’s mrs. burrow in messy scribbles, sometimes it’s a little heart with her name inside

she finds them tucked into his pockets, his desk, his gym bag. tiny love notes he doesn’t even mean for her to find

he keeps one of her hair ties on his wrist

not just because she’s always losing them, but because it reminds him of her

she notices it every time, and every time he shrugs and says, “looks better on me anyway,”

he plays her demos in the car when she forgets about them

even if it’s just a rough cut or a voice memo, he’ll queue them up on a drive and nod along like it’s the best thing he’s ever heard

he doesn’t say much—just grips the wheel tighter and glances at her with that quiet admiration that says you don’t even know how talented you are

he keeps a playlist just for her

full of songs that remind him of her—some she’s never even heard

if she’s in the studio or driving home late, he’ll send her a link: track 7 made me think of that night in destin. and she listens. she always listens.

he brags about her casually

when someone compliments the food? “she made that from scratch. told you she’s magic,”

if someone mentions her work? “she’s been working her ass off lately. i’m proud as hell to see her at the top of her game,”

he’s not loud about it either to the point where it looks forced or cocky, he just glows with pride and adoration for his woman

game time shout-out

since she sits up in her own private suite (see here for the blurb on that), he makes sure to send her a sign of appreciation in his own subtle way

after he runs out, he does his cute little archer pose. but here's the thing, he only does it when she's at the game. if she can't be there? no archer pose

but when she is there, he does the pose...straight up to her suite

and what's even cuter, she playfully stumbles backward with her hands on her heart, as if she's just been shot by cupids arrow

which...she has been :)

[k3n999]

Aight aight~ here are my thoughts on TS 2.0 demo. SPOILERS.

About Exile origin

There's smth I'm confused abt with MC and their curse

My thoughts on LIs in this new update <3

Yes ofc I'm gonna yap more abt Leander

Useless 1am thoughts but genuinely terrified me

(Also please excuse my ENG (^^;;; )

I alrd gave my opinions on the replacement with the Hound to the Exile before but @/slyfire gave a perfect rundown on this topic! (Read here if you're interested~) Perfectly summed up everything I thought abt it. One of the things I want to highlight from their breakdown is this:

It seems the exile can unlock this red option:

It makes sense because they have an 'uncanny intuition for detecting danger'. That made mereally anticipate what's going to happen when we finally face the Soulless soon...To my surprise, they changed the options for this scene as well and I was excited 'Fight back' is an option, and ofc I chose it, eager to see what would happen but the result wasn't so pretty💀

Nope, I didn't expect for MC to pull off some sick move to fight the soulless, but what I was hoping for to see them AT LEAST DO SOMETHING or ANYTHING to survive, after all they're 'seasoned survivalist' and 'well-versed in deciphering Soulless'. They also have been taught how to survive in the wild.

So maybe dodging some attacks and do something to distract the soulless before Mhin arrives. But instead they tried to use their curse to purify the soulless temporarily. I mean, yeah cool, would love to see that happen, but at the time, it felt like a bad idea??? and yeah it was hdakdasks

This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for when I picked the Exile origin.. MC doing something that ties back to their background. I KNOOOWW, I know, it is still a demo, but, give us something-- a little bit that shows exile is good enough to be a replacement to the Hound. *sobs*

Also, did i miss anything abt how MC KNEW they could purify soulless? I'm aware I have a memory of a goldfish so maybe there's something that I forgor😔 Please let me know I'm actually curious (><!! I was surprised we got to see them unwrap the bandages, even attempt to try purify the soulless this soon.

And that's that.

ANYWAY *throws some glitters and sparkles*

My thoughts on LIs <3 just a basic rundown, nothing serious...kind of.

Kuras

Is it just me or does our pristine doctor seems to glow a lot more brighter in this update? Did I accidently turn the brightness up to max?? Because his beauty blinded me for sure, ESPECIALLY HIS EYES!!! I think I'm obsessed...so many pics it's so hard to choose! but something about the 2nd pic gives off softness, purity, innocence and sincerity to me uuuueeegghh and maybe I'm overthinking it bcuz it looks glowy to me🥺🥺🥺 Anw, love the lil ahem ahem...date..we had by the river (ughh the scenery was beautiful😔) I don't remember from previous demo but in this version,Kuras seems much more likely to show that he has a strong interest in the MC. I found myself more and more..dazzled by Kuras this time...I think he's gonna be my 2nd favourite I fear🥺................................ (Leander is behind me isn't he?🧍)

Vere

Well well weeellll~ looks like the fox has lost its tongue. Happy to see Vere is not just about wanting to snap our neck and eat us alive (yet). I didn’t know that we had chosen to ignore him and resist him(??) is what makes us interesting in his eyes? Not sure, but whatever made him react that way made me think of someone *side-eye Ais

[Is it kind of his type or something?...]

Mhin

Mhin is more approachable and um less snappy? than before, which I'm happy about (and can't wait for the moment when they can fully trust and feel comfortable with MC😭 I really want to see that happen so bad....) I love we got to see their nerdy side when they analyzing the soulless asjdasj That honestly caught me off guard. And how they show a little smile and get a bit bashful whenever we catch onto something they like🥺

Ais

[LOOK Y'ALL HIS OTHER HAND IS DOWN *head in hands**copium*]

*sigh* ...I love him..........*slaps face* I um, can't really hide my disappointment when we got less sprites of him. I know... because I remember every single expression and the movement he makes. Yes, I sound like a creep. Only for him tho~- *gets shot* I was hoping to at least him show his fang when he grins,-- pout OR BLUSH. But hey *sobs* we got bloody knuckles. I'm not complaining. Oh and no Princess sprite either *cries* I also hoping they also make the exterior of Ais' place. I am very curious how it look.... And this right here:

means thousands for me <3

(Do you think I'm done? Of course not. Yes I'm holding myself back from saying more because I'm gonna do a separate post just to talk about him😔)

Leander

[I want to kick him in the ass]

And at last, here we are. Of course I have to leave him for the end. The highlight of this updated demo; our lovely sus man, Leander. What kind of sorcery and flavor did they put into this man. WHY IS HE SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE OLD DEMO?!!!??? He used to be much more tolerable and I- I thought I could fix him, BUT NOW this man is nothing but glaring red in my eyes😭NINONINONINOOOO🚨🚨🚨 the alarm in my head went off when he said this:

What the actual fck do you mean by that mister💀☝️

At the time, I thought it was just Leander being the haha silly guy he is!! --and then he starts making UwU face and saying things like; 'You don't owe me anything' 'I'll help you all the time' 'You're not believe me?' 🥺👉👈 Yeah it's cute and all but all this makes me...strangely uncomfortable...UNTIL HE LOCKED THE DAMN DOOR. I couldn't help but foolishly screamed for Ais, hoping he would pick me up and comfort me😭

The whole scene in the room; gave me nothing but smth close to claustrophobia. My legs wouldn't stop shaking, I kept biting my nails (afraid to see what would happen next) The whole time I felt trapped. All his sweet words felt some kind of spells in my ears- like MC couldn't do anything but 'Yes' to every word he said... AND THAT MC IS RASVAN DAMMIT AAAAA😭

Me through my monitor screen:

"RASVAAAAANNNN GET OOOOUUTT ITS A TRRAAPPPPPP DONT LISTENN TO HIMMMM PUSH HIM AAWWAAYYYYYYY RASSSVAAANNNNN"

I was already off my seat when it get to this part, LIKE AINT NO WAY Y'ALL GONNA DO IT??? and they don't🧍somehow I feel relief.

Dear Leander fans/simps out there, please don't hate me for having this kind of reaction (I was once one of you but now.........) ajsdghasd OVERALL do I hate this big massive changes on Leander? No. Absolutely not, in fact I like it even more. It shows that Leander might potentially be the scariest one among the LIs, despite being human. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what kind of sht he'll pull in the full release.

Before I forget- can I just say how much I love his introduction? It's so much better compared to the old demo (I have more to say to this but brain is giving up on me rn)

And now here come my silly 1am thoughts; it's abt both Ais and Leander...

Since, ofc, we don't know what exactly Leander wants from us-- what if the feelings are genuine? The way he acts, all stuff he says to us, sure, some things might raise a brow.. but- but what if he actually sincere and this is just him wants to have us in his (somewhat) twisted way. WHILE AIS THO, all the stuff that I've been saying how soft he can be is just an act???? What if he’s fooling us, only to throw us away later???? What if the devs want to trick us (<Ais fans)??? Maybe there's some kind of twisted plot twist waiting at the end???----

I told you these are just silly and stupid thoughts, but idk why I decided to deep dive into it💀 Sometimes I like to think worse things that could possibly happen. It's fun to get lost in these thoughts even part of me know it won't likely to happen. But heh WHAT IF am I right? I'm still on abt with the theory and analysis with; Leander is green but is the reddest red flag ever while Ais is red but is greenest, most foresty flag ever. I'm so into it and want more ppl to talk about it *looks at you with my sparkly eyes*

ANYWAY, I'm gonna be sound more stupider if I keep this going. I'm going sleep and dream abt aisvan 🚶.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. Hope all of you have a wonderful day and keep playing demo until the full release comes out🥰(me).

[markkiatocafe]

hi idk if you’re taking requests but could i get she fell first but he fell harder type of ordeal with haechan? reader really likes him & doesn’t mind showing it, but haechan brushes her off, she finally takes a hint, but he actually liked it, he was just flustered but now that she’s stopped he’s realized he’s in deep with her and doesn’t want her to stop??

intro : dreamscape

𖠚 warnings: they’re baking cookies, haechan calls reader “pretty,” multiple times, other than that quite fluffy i think!!!!

𖠚 synop: haechan doesn’t realize his feelings for you until you do something about it. you don’t intend to make him want you, but, hey, you’re not complaining.

𖠚 pairing: fem!reader x downbad!haechan

𖠚 w.c: 725

𖠚 a/n: hiii anon!!!! i am taking requests ><!!! i hope you like this :33 i love this trope (plus any cheesy trope in general tbh) sm….. this was also sm fun to write, so i hope it’s as fun to read!!!!

you’ve been friends with haechan since highschool. although, only a few months ago did you start to realize that you honestly have some pretty deep feelings for him.

you were never one to really hide your feelings, you made jokes and sarcastic remarks about how you felt towards haechan multiple times before, but usually he just brushed it off or made a flirty but clearly friend-zoning joke back. you had even flat out told him you liked him one time, and he just replied back, “who wouldn’t like someone like me?” so, you felt he established your place pretty clearly.

until recently.

recently, haechan had started to be more… clingy. it was in small ways, asking you to come over more often, letting his hand brush against yours if you both reached for something, pulling away at the last millisecond, and he even started making teasing remarks towards you. so, today you decided to confront him.

not really confront him, he wasn’t a criminal or something, but you were curious where all this clingy nature came from so suddenly. today you were going over to his house, to make cookies and watch a movie, so it was all laid out for you, anyways.

you were currently working on the cookies together, music playing from haechan’s speaker in the background, a demo he had been working on. he was giving you the, “premium best friend preview privileges,” as he called it. you were busy cutting up the dough with the metal cookie-cutters you brought, which were in the shapes of leaves.

“here, let me do it,” haechan suddenly spoke up after fiddling with his phone to play the right song and connect to the bluetooth speaker. he walked over to you, gently moving you out of the way and taking the cookie-cutter from your hand. “don’t want you to get a cut on those pretty hands, do we?” he said, his voice having that signature flirty tone, although, it was too real. too genuine to just be a joke this time, the same way it had been sounding way too much recently.

“why have you been acting like that so much lately?” you asked, narrowing your eyes at him suspiciously, crossing your arms across your chest.

he tilted his head at you a little bit, still cutting the cookies, a tiny smirk playing on his lips as he shrugged. “what do you mean, pretty?” he replied, feigning innocence.

you put out your hands, holding them out just like how you held his heart so tightly without either of you even realizing it. “that!!!” you pointed a finger at him. “that tone!!!”

he shrugged, letting out a soft laugh. “i don’t know what you mean, i’m just being me.”

you rolled your eyes, huffing. “you do know what i mean, because you’re smiling. you do that when you lie,” you retorted.

he couldn’t help but feel a little, tiny bit of warmth in his chest that you even noticed that. he brushed that to the side for now, though. “i can’t be affectionate to my best friend?” he asked, drawing out the words at the end. as flirty as he was, he was so stubborn to admit it when actual feelings were behind the flirty comments and nicknames.

“you know that’s not what i mean.” you replied, your voice a little more serious now, “your voice has this, like… underlying tone. like i’m the most special thing in the world.” you said, as your voice got more serious, it also got quieter. it didn’t dawn on you how it would be a little odd to talk about this so directly. implying that someone has feelings for you is… nerve wracking, especially when there’s a huge chance they could just brush it off as nothing. “knock it off.” you added at the end, your voice back to a relatively normal volume, trying to add that lightheartedness back to the conversation at hand.

haechan let out a soft sigh. the sad thing was, he couldn’t say you were wrong. he placed down the cookie cutter, opening the oven and placing them in. “maybe you are the most special thing in the world,” he said, his voice quiet, thoughtful in it’s own way as he turned the dials on the stove to turn it on. “at least, in my world.”

[captain-pheonix]

Hello. I will call you Phoenix because that sounds very cool and you are cool and I platonically like you and enjoy your works.

Anyways I have come to request an all mercs + Pauling if you’re comfortable and want to write that. (If not maybe just Medic +whoever else you want to write for.) with a reader who has Schizophrenia? I’ve been going through some moments with it and the TF2 mercs are my comfort characters and your blog just feels nice.

If you aren’t comfortable with this feel free to block me or just ignore this ask entirely! Thank you very much!

A/n: GAHHH ILY PLATONICALLY TOO 🫶 ty for sending in a request, I’m so glad you enjoy my works! I try my best! I made sure I did some more extensive reasearch about schizophrenia/the real experience with it before I wrote this, please let me know if I should make some edits! (And other ppl reading this, also don’t be afraid to send an ask about making edits!)

Mercs + Pauling w/ reader w/ Schizophrenia (headcannons)

(Platonic or romantic!)

Pauling:

- will have some guilt about how she works all the time and can’t be there for you

- might send some gifts and call you in between jobs/travel, asking how you’ve been, asking if now was a good time or if you needed a distraction

- as soon as she gets the chance to come see you, she takes it

- asks over and over if you’re okay, because it’s been keeping her anxious on her jobs

- she’ll comfort you with sweet words over the phone if you call her for help

- reminds you to take your meds

Scout:

- absolutely clueless

- buys into stereotypes

- “the voices” type shit

- this guy is gonna need a thorough explanation as to how you feel all the time

- probably asks you how you’re feeling all the time too

- might be a little too quick to do his sneak-attack hugs

- likes hugging you a lot, so that could offer some grounding if you’re having delusions/hallucinations

- words of affirmation 10/10

- expect a lot of words…

- speaking of a lot of words, need an auditory distraction? The scout-o-matic is here! (Only $69.99)

Soldier:

- clueless prick

- thinks you’re some spy or something

- it might take the entirety of the team to convince him otherwise and try to explain it to him with your help

- might also buy into the stereotypes

- if you say you hear or see something that man is going to run around screaming with his shovel trying to chase them off for you (believes they’re real, but only you have magic powers to see them or something)

Medic:

- #1 meds administer

- does not buy into stereotypes, since he may know something about it

- (fw researching you heavy)

- dude is taking notes as you’re straight up not having it

- jk he goes to comfort you if he can after a bit

- you WILL be staying in the infirmary with him (sorry I don’t make the rules)

- will look into techniques to help you

Demo:

- you already know he’s offering alcohol to take the edge off/distract

- you have tried many times to tell him that that will not work

- if you had alcohol with your meds things would not end well

- offers himself as a napping space for being really exhausted (I’d take him up on that)

- he might already be passed out when you go to ask if you two can nap

- might wanna just scootch in there

Heavy:

- will protect you from the bad things (or at least try)

- if someone hurt pookie that’s no good it will not do

- offers protective bear hugs if you need something/somewhere/someone to cuddle up to and be distracted/grounded

Pyro:

- if you’re describing what you see to them, or have in the past, they might try to draw them with good old fashioned crayons and printer paper

- also schizophrenic 😭

- huge empathy from them

- but uhm they might also just straight up not know they’re schizophrenic, so bro could just be like “same”

- alright enough Gen z talk from me (there can never be enough)

- even if just hanging out with them makes you feel more comfortable

Sniper:

- probably feels bad for you

- opts to hang out indoors if hallucinations/delusions are not fun outside

- comforts you when you think you see or hear something

Spy:

- if he’s attempting to be subtle you might expect some noise cancelling headphones and other helpful tools show up at your door

- if you need a break from certain rooms he’s definitely gonna offer his smoking room

- gets you pill organizers for your meds if that’s something you struggle with

- offers lots of gentle comfort

- let’s be honest, this guy was clueless before you started talking to him about it and what it was

- now he just wants to offer help

Engie:

- probably pities you a bit

- gives you that Texan hospitality but may take a bit to understand you better

- will 10/10 make you something if there’s something he can make to help and if it’s possible

- gonna try everything in his power to make your life easier

————————

Hopefully I did okay 😭 ty for sending in your request!!

[lovecla]

IF YOU LOVE ME, LET ME KNOW | jack hughes.

chapter two:

<last chapter> <next chapter>

➴ warnings: none <3

➴ word count: 2.5k

➴ author’s note: this is pure fluffiness, the calm before the storm, the hughes being the best family in the world and jack making my heart MELT (i literally wrote him). i hope u guys enjoy this too. let me know what u think of this one:))

“AND that, my loves, it’s a wrap on ‘rip to my feelings’!” Grace yelled, and everyone yelled too.

You were in your studio with all of your producers and song-writers, plus Grace, and you had just finished recording the last song on your album.

You were beyond happy. Finishing this meant getting over everything Harris did to you. It was like closure. It was like restarting again.

“Guys, I’m so fucking happy, I love you all so much I could kiss you on the mouth right now,” you said, hugging John— the main producer.

“Don’t think Jack would appreciate that,” Grace mumbled when you hugged her, and you smacked her butt.

Jack.

You had sent him the demo of the album as soon as it was sent to your phone, not really sure why. You just wanted his opinion, that’s all.

Not much fuck buddy of you but whatever!

“Fuck off, Grace Morgan,” you fake whispered, laughing.

You all celebrated and laughed for hours, the time passing quickly whenever you spent it with the people you loved. You were grateful for having so many amazing people in your life, helping you to make your dreams come true.

Your phone rang, and you picked it up, unlocking it and smiling when you saw who had texted: Jack.

It was funny seeing how he complimented you in his own little, weird way. It made your heart beat in the wrong— right— way all over again.

“Did he just ask you on a date?” Grace whispered, probably reading your texts over your shoulder. Everyone else had already left— it was late, after all— and only Grace was left. You were sure she was probably going to sleep at your place anyway.

“I guess? We never just ‘hanged out’ before.” You sighed, replying to Jack’s texts.

“Woah,” she whistled, sitting back on the couch, looking at you funny. “Are you in love?”

“What?” You laughed, locking your phone. “What do you mean, we’ve been fucking for six months only. Chill.”

“Girl, like time matters to you!” She raised her arms. “You fell in love with that piece of shit in like three weeks, imagine with Jack, who fucks you every other week and treats you like you’re the most precious thing ever.”

“Excuse me? Are we talking about the same Jack?” You scoffed, crossing your arms. “Jack doesn’t treat anyone differently. Besides his family, that is.”

“Like the shit he does for you isn’t anything special, right? Like knowing your Five Guys order, or your favorite movies, or how you eat apple pie before your concerts,” she started listing those things on her fingers.

“He doesn’t know those things!” You raised your voice, trying to convince both you and her.

“Girl, I love you but stop playing dumb. He knows and you know he does! Why are you pretending that he doesn’t care about you? He just asked you on a date, for fuck’s sake.” She rolled her eyes.

“First of all,” you started, mentally listing your reasons. “We don’t know if it’s a date. He just said: dinner. He didn’t say ‘I wanna take you out on a date’. Second of all, I’m not denying anything, but I think I would know if I was in love with him, wouldn’t I?”

Actually. The answer was probably no. Harris fucked up your perception of love, and even though it’s been more than a year that you broke up with him, you still feel like you can’t really trust anyone anymore.

So you wouldn’t exactly be able to tell if you are in love or not. At least, you don’t think so.

But talking about love with your fuck buddy? Hell. No.

“You piss me off.” Grace bickered, turning the TV on. “Go change to your little date. I’ll be here, all alone and sad.”

“Pff, shut up. You’re just alone because you and Nico are dumbasses.” You said like it was a matter of fact and left the leaving room, leaving a very pink Grace behind.

Changing didn’t take long, and applying a light makeup didn’t either. You weren’t going to do anything special because, let’s be real, if you and Jack decided to be reckless and fuck somewhere, that makeup wouldn’t last long. So, why bother?

You left your house, saying goodbye to Grace and kissing her cheek. Jack’s fancy ass car was in front of your garage and you smiled, entering it.

“Hi, Jackie boy,” you greeted him, noticing how fucking good he looked, wearing his burgundy suit. Thank god to whoever created the suit rule in hockey. You’ll forever be grateful.

“Hey.” He greeted back, and did something surprising. He kissed you. Softly, and not like any other kiss you’ve shared in the past.

And that didn’t do anything to help the little cardiac arrest you had every time you were around him.

“Are we ready to rock our lasagna?” You asked, half embarrassed and half confused with what you were feeling. Food always made it better though.

“We sure are.” He smiled before starting the car again.

The silence was comfortable but your thoughts were too loud so you took the liberty of turning the radio on, scaring yourself with how loud the music playing was. And, shockingly, your music. Already Over was blasting through the speakers.

You looked at him, and he just shrugged, cheeks red.

“Were you listening to my music on the way to my place?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s good,” he blushes so cutely you find yourself wanting to chomp a piece of his cheek.

“You’re so cute, Jackie. Thanks, means a lot,” you had a feeling you were blushing too, and you thanked God he wasn’t looking at you. “I’m excited to release it.”

“When are you doing it?” He asked, making a U turn.

“Beginning of the next month. Now I have to take pictures and set up the concept for it. It’s my favourite part.”

“Are you doing any music videos with a guy dying?” He asked and you stared at him, once again surprised. Had he been watching your music videos? All of them? “What?”

“Are you a fan?” You giggled, genuinely happy. Harris hated to talk about your work, and he never listened to your songs for more than ten minutes.

“Nico forces us to listen to your songs and watch your music videos,” he answered, nonchalantly. You smiled, nodding your head. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” You played dumb.

“Like that. You have this little minx stare that you do whenever you’re plotting something.” He smiled this time, and God if the sight didn’t make you feel full.

“You’re no fun,” you sighed, looking at the view. “Also, where is this restaurant? We’ve been driving for at least twenty minutes and nothing in Jersey takes more than that.”

“The restaurant is actually my parents’ house.” He says, like it’s nothing.

“What?!” You yelled, turning your head in his direction. “What do you mean you’re taking me to your fucking parents’?”

“Yeah. Ma’s making lasagna for you.”

Your cheeks were burning hot and you had this bubbly feeling inside of you. You were feeling something really weird and you started to wonder if Grace was right and—

“Soph?” You heard his voice, gentle and soft. You looked at him, noticing that he wasn’t driving anymore, and that the car was now parked in front of a big, beautiful, colonial house. His parents’ house. “We can go back if you want to, baby. Ma won’t be angry or anything like that.”

Stop making me want to trust you, Jack.

He caressed your cheek, and you snapped out of it. “No, it’s fine. I just… you could’ve said something, y’know? I’m wearing sweatpants.” You tried to make a joke, smiling. He smiled too.

“I’ll put on some sweatpants too, so we’re matching,”

“Right.”

You left the car, taking a deep breath. It was just his parents. You weren’t even dating so it would be fine.

Wait.

“What did you tell them? That you’re bringing one of the girls you’re fucking home?” You asked just before you walked in their property.

He raised an eyebrow at you, scowling. “First of all, I’m not fucking anyone else. It’s just you. Second of all, I told them I’m bringing a friend.”

You nodded, not trusting yourself to do anything else.

He’s not fucking anyone else? Jack Hughes? The man whore of the NJ Devils?

Yikes, sure.

You both walked into the house, Jack not bothering knocking before entering it. A delicious smell of fresh tomato sauce and herbs reached your nose and you could swear your mouth was watering.

“Ma, we’re here!” Jack yelled, making you jump a little bit. You eyed him before facing the woman in front of you, who was absolutely gorgeous. She looked so fucking young and pretty, and you were biting your tongue, trying not to say something stupid. “Hi, Ma, this is Soph. Soph, that’s Ellen, Ma Hughes,”

“Hi, Mrs. Hughes. Nice to meet you.” You said, certain that your cheeks were on flame.

Ellen took a step closer, smiling. “Hi, darlin’. No need for formalities, dear, it’s just Ellen. I would hug you but,” she pointed at her apron and shrugged. “A bit dirty.”

“Thank you for having me.”

“No, thank you for making this guy over here visit me,” she slapped Jack’s shoulder, both of them smiling together. “He only called because he said you wanted to eat lasagna and he loves mine so that’s why he’s here.”

If your face wasn’t going to melt before, it definitely was now. You were going to kill Jack. For real this time.

“Come on, Ma, I can’t be worse than Luke and Quinn. They don’t even remember your address anymore,” was Jack actually pouting? Jesus. Your heart was not ready to see that.

“Stop throwing us under the bus, dickhead.” Luke’s voice was heard and you and Jack both watched as both Quinn and Luke entered the room. “‘Sup, Soph.”

“Hi, Luke. Hi, Quinn,” you greeted them with cheek kisses, not even wanting to acknowledge that you had actually missed them. “Long time no see.”

“Hey, Soph,” Quinn quietly answered, not a single thought behind those eyes. “Great to see you.”

“I hope you’re all hungry because your mom outdid herself tonight,” Jim, the dad, said, smiling when he noticed you. “Hello there. I’m Jim.”

“Hi,” you whispered, mortified with all the attention you were getting. Some would think that performing for big crowds would make you less anxious to meet people. Nope. “I’m Sophia. Thank you for having me.”

“It’s fine, as my baby was saying, we do need our son to visit more.”

As they discussed why Jack didn’t visit them more frequently, you felt Jack’s arms around your waist and his mouth on the tip of your ear. You froze. “Yeah, they call each other baby and honey. Sorry about that.”

You managed to smile, trying not to get his family’s attention. They certainly wouldn’t understand why he was this close to a friend.

“I think it’s cute.”

The dinner went awesomely well. The lasagna was amazing and Ellen and Jim were the cutest couple ever, you could see how they’ve raised three amazing men.

They asked questions about what being a postar meant nowadays, and what was it like during your tours, and how could someone sing and dance at the same time, and have you ever met Adele?

They’re great people. Even Quinn and Luke, who had talked to you before on different occasions, made sure you were included in every topic, and Luke even asked for a signed cap so he could wear it at UMich.

“Do you guys know what we should definitely do?” Ellen started, after forcing all of the boys to organize the kitchen and do the dishes, while you sat with her drinking wine. Yeah, you loved her. “Karaoke. Let Soph here show us how good she is.”

“Maa,” you could hear Luke whining, while running his hands through his beautiful curls. “You do this every time.”

“You’ll make her work on her day off? That’s wild, Ma.” Jack joked, putting his arms around your shoulder. You froze again, looking at the expressions of his family, trying to picture anything out of place.

No one was looking at you weirdly, besides Ellen who plastered the most gorgeous smile you’ve ever seen, which made you smile too.

“I don’t mind singing…” you said, softly.

“Perfect!” Ellen stood up from her seat, pouring more wine on her glass. “Jim, set the karaoke thing on.”

“It’s called YouTube, Ma.” Jack rolled his eyes.

“Leave your mom alone, ugly face,” Jim called him out, on his way to do exactly what Ellen asked. “Sophia, can you sing some Elvis?”

“Yes, ‘course.” You also got up, discussing with Jim which song he wanted you to sing.

“Tell her to sing our song, honey!” Ellen yelled from the dinner table.

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Turns out that their song is Can’t Help Falling in Love, which was so freaking sweet. You sang the romantic lyrics while Jim and Ellen danced with each other, swinging slowly and delicately.

Quinn and Luke were recording themselves with you singing in the background, while you waved happily to the camera.

Jack was sitting on the couch, watching you sing. You could feel his eyes on you, observing your every move, smiling whenever you’d hit a high note or change the song’s rhythm.

It was nice. So, so nice. The Hughes were such nice people and you felt so safe and adored around them. They asked you to sing more songs and when you noticed, you were singing an upbeat song with Jim and dancing between Quinn and Luke while Ellen filmed everything. Until Jack grabbed you again and made you sing in front of him, for him. And boy, how you wanted to kiss him. His blue eyes were shining brightly and he looked just as happy as you felt.

You ended the singing when it was around midnight, everyone exhausted and sweaty— even if it was winter.

You started saying your goodbyes and thanking Ellen and Jim for the best lasagna you’ve ever eaten and for the hospitality too.

“I hope you come back soon.” Ellen whispered in your ear when you were hugging her, and you held her slightly tighter.

When you left the house with Jack, you couldn’t contain your happiness inside you. Grabbing his arm, you pulled him until you were near his car, and standing on your tiptoes, you kissed him.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer, both of you moaning inside each other’s mouth. His tongue made its way inside your mouth, pillowy and so soft. You were finally melting into Jack’s arms and nothing could be better.

Until you realized what was going on.

You had just had dinner with Jack’s family, sang and danced with them, and now you were in the middle of the street of a fancy neighborhood, with Jack Hughes holding you close to his chest, while devouring your mouth.

And instead of not feeling anything, instead of keeping things casual, you were feeling everything. Each tiny part of every emotion there is in this world were making their way into your heart and, unfortunately, you didn’t want to take them out.

Because for the first time in more than one year, you wanted to feel.

[melodic-haze]

What if breeding and overstimulating Ei? Fucking her through her orgasm and continuing to fuck your dick into her abused hole, fucking your cum deeper into her pussy to make sure she takes all of it....

☆ — DEMO TRACK: sub!Ei x dom!amab!Reader

☆ — TYPE: NSFW

☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: Reader with a dick, dumbification

☆ — NOTES: Blame Miko 🤷‍♀️ but also I've been wanting to write Ei and/or Miko for so long THANK YOU ANON

Put me and her in a room and I'm not gonna be the one coming out pregnant just saying 🫶

Realistically this is probably (definitely) Miko's fault for getting into her head, but she had lent her a book that she didn't realise was.....less than innocent

It was a novel that described some rather salacious scenes that had Ei go from confused to surprised to flustered.. and then to that feeling of neediness welling inside her. It's got her thinking of you and what you can do to her, which then eventually led to her personally seeking you out for a bit of a 'reading session' 🥰

Mini thought dump so if you don't wanna read then skip this point. Ok as someone who loves getting into logistics and how things would work hypothetically, I find this situation funny bc like. If Ei can model her body to whatever she wants it to be bc it's synthetic, which means taking out whatever she deems unnecessary, then would she have a reproductive system? Would she deem it important?? Would you even have anything to insert yourself into or is she just. Cursedly smooth

Anyway thought dump over, sorry for the crisis even though you were expecting 🌽. MOVING ON

It's hard to believe that the woman you're dicking down is Inazuma's very own revered Archon when the one you've got underneath you at this moment looks so unbelievably fucked out and far off: eyes clouded and rolling to the back of her head, fingers digging into the sheets, mouth glistening with a mix of your saliva and the drool on the corner of her mouth, hair out of its normal braid and surrounding her like some kind of purple aura

And that's not even accounting the occasional spark of electro here and there to which she had initially apologised for. Though that was before she became all dumb and lost all sense of thought and responsibility, her mind practically turned to mush as you keep on pistoning her relentlessly. Now she's just REALLY unaware of anything and everything else but you and how good you make her feel. Everything else is just SO overwhelming for her little brain 😞😞😞😞

"I-- I'm c-cumming again, I-- feel the--"

"'s okay, baby," you groaned out, putting her legs above your shoulders as you moved within her, "you can cum."

It will never cease to amaze you, how your words had such an effect on the strongest figure in all of Inazuma, especially when your words get her to react so very intensely—her insides squeeze you like a vice as her hips lift off the bed in an attempt to get you as close to the base as possible.. or at least, she tries to.

Despite all that strength she has, all it takes you is a press down onto her abdomen as a way to both keep her hips down and to add more pressure on her and suddenly she's all pliant. The poor girl can't even scream—she was never really the type to—so when she opens her mouth, she doesn't make a sound as you push your hips into her in a particular way before stilling your movements as you came inside for.. who knows how many times it's been?

The amount of cum that spills out from her pussy despite your cock practically plugging it shut is enough of a giveaway that you've been at it for a while though.

..But you find that you don't really care when you start up all over again, not giving her enough time to come down from her high and overwhelming her completely.

You act out whatever she saw on that book of hers: the poses, the positions, the angles, whatever she thought was interesting to her. She used her lack of present knowledge to her advantage too—she had asked you for a proper demonstration, seeing as how she had been trapped in the PoE for the longest time so she fears she's not all that familiar with these.. new words or phrases!!

Half of it was true but other half of it was her just trying to lure you. And it worked so 🤷‍♀️ fair game

You make sure to stuff her silly with all of you, scooping up what drips out and stuffing it back in to make sure that nothing goes wasted. That proves to be a hard task as you proceed though because throughout your many rounds and the actual breaks in between, there IS a limit to how much she can have inside her so it's inevitable that it'd spill

Not like the sight isn't great, it's actually the opposite—just seeing YOUR own cum practically overflow in her pussy like that? FUCK just the thought of her insides being painted white because of you??? It's the way that if you pressed down on her abdomen without your cock clogging her entrance, it'd gush out in streams.......ohhhhgoodness

Your lover stares down absentmindedly at her pussy, hole agape and very much abused and so so so filled up and stained and whatever it is she could think of to describe it. Such warmth was inside her, the feeling of being full never quite leaving her—not as if it ever could for a good while, when you've filled her with so much cum that it's spilling without anything to prevent its escape from within her.

She had designed this body with the thought of only keeping necessary systems on the design for optimal use in upkeeping eternity and avoiding erosion. Why she had designed it with erogenous areas in mind? The reason eludes her, but now not only does Ei thank herself from going through with it, she is lamenting the lack of a complete reproductive system.

While becoming pregnant would.. pose for mixed results during her planned time to make amends to the nation for running away and keeping a narrow mind on what eternity could mean, she had wondered how the session would have felt with such capabilities. Would it have felt better? The same? Worse?

..Perhaps she will take a note to reassess the Shogun's model later.

Zooweemama by GOD I need her, end of story good night all

[joyswonderland1108]

OT7 But I Will Start Swinging. Try Me.

Before I start, when I say 'y’all,' don’t take it personally — I’m just putting the message out there for whoever the shoe fits.

Just a gentle reminder before I throw this table: Hi, hello, I’m Joy, full-time OT7, but Jimin and Jungkook are the ones who make my neurons misfire aka my biases. HOWEVER — and I need y’all to pay attention here — if I need to speak up for every single member, I WILL, because I’m not half an OT7 like some are pretending to be.

Let’s get this straight. I will never forget nor forgive how this fandom treats my biases. Jungkook is not your delulu Y/N fanfic doll, and Jimin is NOT the group’s emotional support background dancer. But when it came to SUPPORTING them? When it was time to actually show the fuck up? Crickets. Literal dust. Tumbleweeds. “Are You Sure?” — a project that JIKOOK THEMSELVES spelled out was important — got ignored like it was a demo from 2015. FINE. Okay. Let’s pretend that’s normal behavior. Suddenly everyone's phone screen cracked and their Wi-Fi stopped working. Some just sat there like “🤷‍♀️✨stream who?” anyways. Jikook literally spoon-fed you how important that show was for them, but nooo, let’s act blind instead.

But then explain this to me — and no hate to the girlies involved — why the actual hell is the voting gap between Jimin x Jennie and Jungkook x IU CLOSE TO ZERO? Huh? At what point did we decide that giving other fandoms the upper hand was part of the plan? I remember the fandom having a full-on civil war when two members were put in the same poll, but now it’s suddenly too much to outvote other idols? Are we tired? Are our thumbs broken? WHERE IS THE ENERGY?

Moving on.

Before I go deeper into this mess, congrats to Namjoon for his win at the AMAs — love that for him, seriously. But I have to ask: have some of y’all completely lost your goddamn minds? Jimin is one of my biases and yes, I was sad he didn’t win. But that didn’t stop me from being genuinely happy for Namjoon — HE DESERVES IT TOO.

But noooo, some people had to start acting like absolute clowns on the TL acting like this was the Hunger Games. I am sick to death of seeing y’all try to “support” Jimin by invalidating Namjoon. I sat there thinking, “Wow, Namjoon really lurks online. He’s gonna see this shit.” And guess what? HE PROBABLY DID. Imagine being proud of a win, opening Twitter, and seeing “Congrats… but it was only out of pity” or “fanbases paid people to vote for you.” Imagine being happy about a huge solo achievement just to go online and find your “fans” saying it was all pity votes and bribery. Like EXCUSE ME?? We KNOW how voting works. We know the fandom plays dirty sometimes. BUT WHY THE FUCK are you putting that drama on the timeline where the BOYS can see it? Why do you want them to feel BAD for succeeding? What kind of mental gymnastics is this?

And THEN — lord give me strength — I saw that TikTok.

A comment was made that Jimin received a lot of hate during the AMAs voting period, and this girl decided her grand response was, “Jimin is happy for Namjoon.” …HUH??? That wasn’t the damn question, sweetie! That’s not an answer! You’re glazing over actual hate with a bootlicker Hallmark card like that does ANYTHING.

Let me make it clear: We all KNOW the members love each other. That’s not the debate. You don’t get a gold star for reminding us that the sky is blue. If the roles were reversed and someone said Namjoon got hate, I wouldn’t reply with “Joon is happy for Jimin <3” because IT’S NOT THE POINT. The point is the hate. Not your weak attempt at a kumbaya moment.

But wait! The saga continues! SAME girl made another video saying she used to think JK solos were bad, but now she believes Jimin solos are worse. 🤡 Okay. Sure. Solos are toxic. All solos can be toxic. But tell me this: who do you think is funding birthday cafés, streaming goals, mass voting, banners, ad trucks, and literal TIMES SQUARE BILLBOARDS?

Let me hit you with some bitter truth: no matter how much I personally hate the drama solos create, their work? UNDENIABLE. You wanna erase them entirely? Cool, then get ready to do 20x the effort on your own. The numbers? Solos. The insane voting sprints? Solos. That birthday project you liked on Insta? Probably a solo.

And THEN — this one got me THROWING FURNITURE — someone commented that Jimin needs to address his solos.

Oh? He does? Since when do idols sign a clause in their contract that says “must babysit toxic fans”? Is he your therapist? Your kindergarten teacher? NO MEMBER owes it to us to fix fandom discourse. What do you want him to say? “Dear solo stans, stop being toxic 😔”? Y’all are so detached from reality it hurts.

In conclusion: y’all are fake OT7s, selective supporters, and part-time clowns trying to tear down the people who are literally keeping your faves afloat. If you think shitting on solos — while doing ZERO yourself — makes you morally superior, you’re just loud and useless. Report toxicity, sure. But stop acting like every solo fan is the devil incarnate while they’re out there WORKING.

Until you’re the one personally raising 10K USD for an ad campaign, organizing café events, and hitting mass vote caps daily, do us all a favor and shut the fuck up.

Signed,

An OT7 with two fists and zero tolerance left, who will greedily accept any help to keep the boys always #1.

[allswellinthiswell]

TOUCHSTARVED Updated Demo Shtuff

[SPOILERS] Anyone feeling a bit unsure about some of the changes to the demo?

Tag I'm using for this topic: #touchstarved updated demo spoilers

Honestly, idk how to feel about the changes to Leander's dialogue and personality... but I want to play the whole thing a few times before really formulating an opinion. We're naturally going to be somewhat resistant to change when it comes to things that work, and I don't want to be too biased.

For now, I guess I'll say that I really liked the new area that the main character gets to explore with Kuras... ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡) ... That was a nice change of scenery, for sure. Very beautiful drawing.

Also, the Hound backstory is gone! That's so incredibly sad! I've been designing an MC and that backstory was the best for them :(( I'm probably going to use it anyway, tbh... There was so much potential to it...

Current minor gripes:

The game continues to imply that the MC is shorter than the cast sometimes, which can be a bit eh...

I think the editor may have forgotten that the MC sleeps the entire day away after meeting Leander. There's some points where the game acts as though everything is still happening on the same day. That is, unless I'm actually blind.

If Mhin is from somewhere else, as Kuras implies in his route, but Mhin outright states that they grew up in Eridia when you first meet them in the new version, why doesn't the MC notice that when talking to Kuras? Either Mhin is lying about their origins to both the MC and Kuras, or they've told Kuras one thing and the MC another, or it's an error. Anyone else notice this?

The NECK description for that lowlife guy, man. It wasn't great before (my thighs are massive lmaooo - dude would be built like a one piece character), but I don't think it's great now, either. I honestly think they should just show that the guy is an imposing figure through other means. They continue to imply that Ais is taller, but this guy can't be?

Mhin deserved more :( I liked their intro, but... idk... I would have liked more? (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Nvm I decided to add most of what I feel here:

I guess there is one thing I find odd about the characterization of Leander, and it's all the little moments that we've lost. Like the moment where the Bloodhounds (now Adderstones (?)) get angry at the MC for bringing up the Senobium. Leander didn't act until they looked to him for help, but in this one, he simply gets up and takes the MC outside. Hrm...

Overall, they seem to have made him more earnest and a bit more straightforward, likely to lull the player and the MC into thinking he's harmless, but after all the advertising... all that marketing basically confirming that he's a real piece of work... I dunno. I think it could've been more subtle?? Like in the previous demo?? His cheerful and flirty attitude, which is muted in the updated demo until later, is what almost got me in the previous version of the game. I wasn't completely suspicious. It kept me guessing.

Now, I just see through every gesture. That scene we get with him at the end of his route thus, and please forgive my language, freaked me the absolute fuck out. Had the game not shoved it in your face that he's a Bad Guy so much, I feel as though I wouldn't have immediately panicked when he locked the door. I'm likely to get a bad end with him because I'm so cautious now, tbh. Whoops lmao. Like, okay, anyone can get away with a few comments (the leash one was wild), and MC does question him a bit after all that manipulation, but surely a situation like THAT is bound to be more alarming to a person? Especially after so many near death experiences and meeting so many shady people? Is my preference for a slower pace, like in the other routes, making me a bit of a dingus?

There's a real good moment, though, and it's after the MC shows Leander their curse. He asks their name. Suddenly, after revealing what could be a weapon against the Senobium, you become a person of interest to him. Although, person might be a stretch. As such, I kind of understand these changes. He's the reassuring, trustworthy guy in a sea of assholes. Guy wants to isolate you as soon as possible so that you'll become reliant on him and only him, and what better way to do that than giving the MC what they so desperately crave while they incur debt after debt? I just... I wish they hadn't jumped the gun so fast?

Anyway, these are all my thoughts. Leander's route was still enjoyable for the most part haha. It really shows the kind of person he is. I haven't felt that unnerved by a character in a while!

I dunno! It's my first playthrough, so my opinion is liable to change. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts, too.

[winged-self-indulgence]

In light of the new Leander image (which is honestly going right on my Yandere Leander cork-board) I have to tackle the one part of the demo that's been tripping me up, which is when Leander "forgets" to tell the MC that there are monsters running around at night.

First of all, no he didn't. I know the demo really hypes up his whole charming himbo party boy persona but Leander is much deeper than that. Sure, he loves to drink and have a good time, but this man can scheme like a mf. He is a liar and a manipulator and I need him to do terrible things to my MC

Anyway, I suspect he didn't tell us on purpose. Having just basically offered to be our sugar daddy give us free food and accommodation, it's super clear Leander wants the MC to stay with him for some reason. So how can he ensure that we run right back to him? That we see the Wet Wick (and by extension, him) as a safe harbour? Well by showing us how dangerous Eridia can be when we're alone.

"Okay but that sounds stupid and dangerous! We could have died!"

Could we? When it's heavily implied Leander had already taken out a hit on the Soulless in the city and probably knew Mhin would be out hunting? Although we don't know much about the Bloodhounds, we know they're a large and well-known gang, and that means intelligence. Spies. Having an in with the community and the gossip that comes with that. Granted I'm making assumptions here, but it's plausible.

"Sure but in that case, why let Mhin save us? Why not swoop in and rescue us himself?"

Why bother when he can let Mhin's abrasive attitude sour our gratitude? I don't believe Leander is the the ditzy playboy he portrays himself as. He knows Mhin, knows they aren't all that friendly. And if by some fluke we are still interested in Mhin (i.e., choosing the nice option when Leander asks what you think about them), he will happily tell you that Mhin is a lonely bitch who hates other people and you shouldn't hang out with them. You know. For your own sake.

TLDR: Leander is a sneaky ass mf and I hope he locks my MC in a cage. I hope he tries to do some unforgivable black magic as some sort of fucked up love language. "we will be bound together forever, whether you like it or not" type shit

[consistencynevermether]

Hello!!! I saw that did so much works on vere and I love all of them,they are the best vere fics!!! I love how you characterize vere and make him feel so in character.

And if you're still taking requests, can you do a headcanon or fic being in a relationship with vere or maybe doing a fic about a confession between vere and the MC. Like who would confess and how it would happen.

Anyway, have a good day and no pressure about doing this request if you're not up for it. You been doing such a good job of all your fics, and you're my fav vere x reader writer!!!! <3

Asidhasjaisdhflkasdh thank you, the fact that some people really like my silly lil vere fics means so much to me! I try to write Vere as in canon as possible, I'm so glad that comes across! I decided to do something a little different than normal and do headcanons instead of a full fic. Thank you for the ask! :D

Vere relationships headcanons:

The core of a romantic relationship with Vere would be based on loyalty and understanding. Vere would have to 100% trust you would never sell him out, or leave him (I feel like he lowkey has some trust issues left over from whatever situationship he and Ais had going on)

Despite how secretive he is, once you get into a relationship with Vere, communication is key. He needs to know the big things, like what the two of you will do once you're both free. Do you want to stay in Eridia? Get revenge on those who fucked you over? (he's a big fan of that one.) Start a new life somewhere with just the two of you? All options.

I think Vere would find himself willing to stay in Eridia, at least as a home base. At first, he'd just want to burn the synovium to the ground, not caring what happens to the surrounding city. But if you want, I think you can steer him away from that. He won't admit it, but there's few things he wouldn't do for you. Not limited to, actually giving a shit about this soggy marsh people dained to call a city. You had friends here, it was one of the safest places for humans, and he had memories with you in this city. All reasons he could find ways to think fondly of Eridia. 

He also wants to know about the little things, like where you're going or who you'll be meeting with if it's someone he doesn't know. There are a few hints in the demo that Vere is a “fell first” kind of man, and he holds onto the people he cares about tightly, only letting a select few get close. He's not trying to control you, he knows you can handle yourself. Despite this, you're still human. If something does happen to go wrong, he wants to know where you are and who you're with, so he can come find you if need be, and kill whoever is stupid enough to try and hurt you.

Speaking of other people, how many people know about your relationship will definitely change over time. If you start off together before he's free from the Sinobium, nobody can know about your relationship. Ais at most. But after he's free? You're going to have to physically stop him from making out with you in front of the Abbess. If you really don't want everyone to know, he’ll respect that. But if it's up to Vere? It'll be the most obvious thing in the city, and he has three major reasons for that

One: his pride. Once the Sinobium loses its control over him, he's free to be as chaotic and wild as he wants. What better way to say fuck you to the Sinobium by making it clear you and him are an item now. They wanted both of you for their little experiments, and now they get neither. 

Two: his nature. Vere naturally seems to gravitate to being a touchy person, even in public. Its not intentional, its instinct. He cant help that his tail wants to wrap around you, or that resting his head on your chest feels so nice. So even if you ask him to keep it on the down low, itll be a bit of an open secret.

Three: safety. Once again, you're a human. No matter how strong you are, how clever, how impressive your magic, how good your foresight is, there will always be a certain fragility to being a human that will always haunt him. Even if you're the strongest person around, one dagger into one of your vital organs, and you're gone, just like that. But if people know you're with him, then there will be an understanding; messing with you is bad for someone's long-term health. Specifically, their ability to keep breathing. 

Speaking of human fragility: absolutely not. Vere is not the type to just accept he only has less than 70 more years with you and thats it. He will not “carry on” or “find the joy in the world they left behind” or any of that bullshit,. He will find a way to make you just as immortal as he is; he will not be left behind again. Don't go dying on him, because he will drag you back from hell if he has too. 

While your home base can be Erida, Vere does want to explore the world again. Go back to the places he used to haunt, see new sights, anywhere that lets him know he's truly free of his chains. If you don't want to come along, he's 100% fine with that; he appreciates his alone time just as much as you do, but he definitely wants you to join him for a few trips. Now that the two of you are together, he wants you to know every aspect of him, all the good and bad parts. And trust, he absolutely wants you to do the same. It's fine if there are certain things you don't want to talk about, you can't keep secrets like your curse from him, not while in a relationship. 

A/N: i hope yall enjoyed! I had a few headcannons about vere confessing but i wasnt really sure wether to go tragic or humorus with them, so i decided to leave them out. Maybe ill go back to it one day lmao. Make sure to stay hydrated yall, peace out ✌️!!!!

[luckyarchivist]

Hi there!! Hope you don't mind the ask, but I saw you reblog my post about what I think of the updated demo. Thank you for adding ur thoughts to it <3 and sorry it spoiled a few things. I didn't go too in depth because I didn't want to reveal EVERYTHING that happens, but there were some things I needed to spoil for clarity's sake. To me, the whole thing just felt like we were frogs being tossed into boiling water straight away, unlike the prev version of the demo, where we entered cool water first. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it all. I'm a big fan of all your touchstarved analyses, and I immediately thought of your "honesty and Ais" post when they took out that ONE line and replaced it with a flirty comment (trying to avoid spoilers here too haha, but you made a post on it!). Take care!! And I hope you enjoy the rest of the demo!!

Hello, allswell! I'm back, and I've played Leander's route. Don't worry about your post's spoilers; I went in knowing I'd be spoiling myself, you gave plenty of warning.

I wanted to tell you about my general thoughts on his route (since...that's the ask) and also answer your question in tags of "whether Leander's manipulation is more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0".

I also want you to know that my original, full answer to this ask was so long that I'm just going to post it separately 😭 I realized I had waaaay too much to say about Leander's post-tavern route. So, for now, I'll try and generally sum up my thoughts and answer your questions.

First: What were my thoughts on Leander's route?

I loved it. I loved it. Not necessarily all the minutiae—

Are you fucking kidding me with this line? What the hell?

—but overall I really enjoyed it.

Anyone visiting from afar can read my initial notes about Leander's route in my longpost, but going into this, I definitely had some things I was looking for. Mainly, I wanted blushy Leander back.

Of course, I also read your post, allswell (and please read their thoughts if you're interested, other readers!) where you expressed feeling like Leander was now too easy to see through and too suspicious because of the loss of his cute, friendly personality.

I would say, for both of us, that we're at a disadvantage in the sense that we already know Leander is Not Good. We know all about the marketing; we've been reading people's analyses and headcanons. And we connected all of those to The Baby, 1.0 Leander. 2.0 Leander is not the inoffensive pookie bear of the previous demo version, so it's much easier to be on guard around him because he's not as pathetic as before, even when he's not really being suspicious.

So, when going through his solo route, I told myself that I would be happy as long as Leander's new scenes felt like a satisfying accompaniment to his new archetype as the not-so-holy savior of the city. And I really, really felt like they did.

What absolutely enchanted me was the ways in which Leander and MC's interactions already embody "the cult of one": a level of emotional manipulation and abuse like you'd see between a cult leader and their followers, on the smallest possible scale. I'll go into these cult elements more in my to-be-written analysis(? Series of observations?), but I happen to have been watching a lot of cult content on YouTube recently and could not tell you how excited I was to recognize the signs so lovingly recreated in Leander's solo route.

This moves me quite neatly into your other question.

And that is: Do I think Leander's manipulation was more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0?

Before I answer this, I want to talk about my differing views of Leander 1.0 vs. 2.0, assuming (as the devs have said) that Leander hasn't changed, just that more of his later character has been revealed earlier.

In 1.0, Leander is playing a part. He is acting as someone who is very silly and very promiscuous and endlessly kind, despite his abilities as a mage and a leader, because that is what draws people in. That facade is his main weapon; it makes people lower their guards and trust him, even when anyone with some sense would be wary of a super-powerful magic user with an entire militia they can order around. It's an appeal to emotion. And I fell for it!

But that's not him, or rather, that's not the truest version of him. As a player, you get the shock of seeing his "true face" later in his route, and perhaps that is where his "monstrousness" comes from.

In 2.0, Leander is himself. And we see in his route that the cute, blushing Leander, who speaks highly of friends and foes alike, is not absent — he's still there, because that is him, too. It's just not played up to such a comical degree. That is because 2.0 Leander uses his authority to get people to trust him, rather than appealing to their emotions with cuteness.

Not only that, but this Leander is free to rely on his clout as a mage and a local political figure publicly because he has other weapons of manipulation that fit his image: he's an skilled wordsmith, and in that, an emotional puppeteer; he's the head of a tightly knit group that is clearly protective of him. If one thing doesn't work, he moves to the next. And it's much less jarring for a person (the MC) to learn that their righteous and gifted hero has a soft, obedient side than to learn that their subby little boyfriend is running his gang like a military cult. So, if needed, 2.0 Leander could bring that 1.0 facade out later in the story without causing MC mental dissonance; it's just another tool.

In this scenario, the player already knows Leander's nature, even if MC does not; their horror creeps in as they watch their MC struggle to leave the web Leander is weaving for them. It's possible that, if you choose certain choices while playing his route, you may not even realize the depth of his manipulation until it's too late.

So, was Leander's manipulation more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0? I think that depends on what the player is more susceptible to. I'm the type of person who's a sucker for a boyfailure, so 1.0 Leander would sneak up on me. But for those who need a knight in shining armor, one who they know will protect them no matter what, 2.0 Leander is the perfect predator.

[rhodes-1]

hii it's me again

this is like a demo for a thing I'm doing where I cover different theoretical aspects of silent salt and today it's between them and shadow milk!! yay

by the way this is all like complete speculation so please don't get upset. I could be wrong about like. all of this

So first off I wanna touch into that sun and moon imagery (thank you to this post for the inspiration!)

we can assume shadow milk here is the sun. at the top of the spire in episode eight we see a model of him. on his right is a sun. from the upturned nose, to the single eye open and in shadow, we can see he's meant to resemble the sun in some way, as well as the golden rays surrounding his soul jam in his background.

now, as for silent salt, they're meant to represent the moon.

they split apart the moon as well as having a crescent moon on the scroll introducing them (which could be a stretch but it's on none of the other beasts' scrolls so take it with a grain of salt. haha get it.)

But I think the thing that ties this all together is the townkeeper's riddle from episode eight.

Now we know that this was meant to reflect pure vanilla and white lily. they say it to each other here, and even explain it for gingerbrave and friends (and us the audience ofc)

pv and wl told us the two 'friends' are the sun and the moon, and who did we just say represented the sun and the moon? that's right, shadow milk and silent salt!

and pay close attention to the riddles language here.

Once upon a time, lived a king in a golden crown who knew not the day he was born. The king was kind and benevolent, but lonely, for such was his role.

so the sun here is male, just like shadow milk. and since shadow milk and pure vanilla have that whole soul-bound thing going on we can assume pure vanilla is the sun to white lily's moon too.

anyways notice how this gendered language is absent for the moon.

The other one had eyes of a calm sea but a barren heart. Those silvery eyes always yearned for a distant light.

nothing. almost as if the role of the moon could be played by two different genders.

(again this is just speculation)

Point is, this riddle is not just about white lily and pure vanilla. It's about shadow milk and silent salt, too.

And if white lily and pure vanilla learned this from the academy, a place we already assumed shadow milk had ties to, then yeah, it's gotta be connected to at least shadow milk.

But yea that's it thanks for reading