#i wanted to make them more detailed but. time constraints

[vieramars]

For my recent comic coloring and lettering class I adapted a (slightly abridged) scene from tmagp 21. It's not perfect and the font certainly needs work but I figured I should stop procrastinating posting it. So.

please click for better quality, and hopefully tumblr didn't crunch it to the point of illegibility

This took about 3 weeks total of work over the course of 8 weeks on top of way too many other assignments 🫠 I love art school

[sorryitsmyfirstdayonearth]

You got me good (I knew you would)

(Sam Winchester x female reader)

Summary Sam and you go on your first date after a long time of skating around each other. During dinner, you reveal to Sam that you’ve never had sex. But Sam is about to change that… CWs Virgin!reader. Sam being the sweetest potato. Communication. Loving, sweet and gentle (but still kinda steamy). 18+. 9.6k words. AN Virginity is a dumb as fuck concept, but this is the reader deciding it's her "first time". She's not particularly virginal or innocent, either. She's just a person who happens to not have had sex before. :)

Sam Winchester masterlist ⏐ SPN masterlist

The restaurant wasn't fancy, but as fancy as you could get in a no-name town in the middle of nowhere. They had seated you close to the kitchen and you kept hearing the clanging of dishes and occasional cussing. There was an A/C somewhere above you that was making the air just a little bit too cold for you in the dress you were wearing. When you got your food it was somehow overcooked and undercooked at the same time.

None of it mattered.

The world could have been burning down around you and you would have looked at the flames and thought pretty!, because Sam was sitting across from you on your first official date.

Sam and you had talked a long time about whether first official date was the correct title for it. It was your first date, but you had spent so much time together in the last months, living basically cheek-to-cheek that it felt a little strange to call it that. You had also done things together, all above deck, and you had kissed, so yeah, having your first date now was definitely a little weird.

When you had told Sam this he has chuckled, but then he had turned to you, all intense, serious, long-legged, geeky, earnest 6’4’’ of him looking at you fully, and he had said that this was different though. Things between you were different now.

So first official date it was.

“You don’t think we have enough horrific stuff in our daily life?” you were asking, stealing a cherry tomato off Sam’s plate. “I guess I just don’t get the appeal of reading about even more of that stuff in your free time.” Sam grinned and watched you pop the tomato into your mouth.

“It’s just interesting,” he said. “How people work, what they think. How they get to be that way.” He reached for the bottle of wine you had ordered, topping up your glass first and then his. “Plus it tells you a lot about police work, how sometimes the most obvious details are missed because people don’t want to see what’s right in front of them.”

He stopped himself, looking a little shy the way he sometimes did when he thought he’d been ranting. He checked your face for boredom or annoyance. He wouldn’t find either. Your hands were placed under your chin and you were listening to him attentively, watching his face. A small smile came over him as he picked up his glass to take a sip.

“’s just interesting, is all,” he mumbled into it. You smiled at his constraint.

“Well, maybe I need to give it a go,” you said, and Sam’s eyes lit up. “I’m sure there’s some serial killers that are fun to read about.”  Sam grinned.

“I think you’d like it. It’s all about psychology, at the end of the day.”

“There you go with that big brain again,” you sighed, making Sam chuckle. “I like my reading a little dumbed down.”

Sam was taking another sip and almost choked with how hasty he put the glass down. “That’s not true! There’s nothing dumb about what you read,” he said, actually sounding offended on your behalf. You grinned.

“I say that proudly, Sam. We get enough complexities in our day job. So it’s visceral delights during off-time for me.” You gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fantasy lands, quests, good guys, bad guys, torrid romance,” you counted down, then shrugged. “Couple o’ nasty sex scenes.” Sam’s smile stuttered.

“Oh yeah?” he asked.

“Mmh hmm,” you said, taking a drink. “Gotta tread carefully, though. I read the first Ice and Fire book waaaay too young, and it gave me a lot of weird ideas about what sex was.” You chuckled into your glass.

“Like what?” Sam asked, a distant smile on his face. He was watching you intently.

“Like… how much of it is had in taverns?” you said, a slight nervousness creeping into you. Sam grinned, though.

“Real life not holding up on the tavern sex, huh?”

You tried to return the grin, but noticed it didn't come to you. Okay, you thought. You were gonna have to talk about this sooner or later.

Taking a breath, you gave yourself a push. “Tough to say,” you replied, holding onto your wineglass for emotional support. “Since I’ve never had sex.”

You looked at Sam’s face while you said it, your expectations running wild. His eyebrows went up a little, and that was it. He didn’t run out the door. He didn’t laugh at you.  Which were all things you’d imagined might happen, but they didn’t.

“Really?” he asked, but he didn’t sound shocked or weirded out. He was just confirming.

“Really,” you said, and you weren’t sure if you sounded nervous.

“How come?” Sam asked, then added: “Because I know it’s not for lack of offers.” You smiled, a little flattered.

“It just never… felt right, you know?” you explained. “I got close a few times but then I always kind of put the kibosh on it.” You shrugged. Sam nodded.

“I think that’s good,” he said. “I mean to wait if it doesn’t feel right.” God, you could have kissed him. You pressed your lips together.

“Not sure what that does for my market value, though,” you said, trying to play past the moment. “Do guys want whores or virgins these days? I can never keep up.”

“No idea,” Sam replied, his face a little serious, and then he said: “I just know what I want.” He was looking at you, pointedly and you felt your face heat up.

“And what’s that?” you asked. Sam kept looking at you.

“You.”

Holy mackerel, this man, because he quickly added: “That’s if you want to be wanted. If it’s not for you…” he shook his head. “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.”

“You’re not making me uncomfortable,” you said, “you’re making me the opposite of uncomfortable.” It sounded a little weird so you chuckled. Sam grinned.

“Good. I’m glad.”

You put your glass down, poked at the rest of your food even though you’d lost all interest in it.

“So would you…” you started, then pivoted, not sure how to approach what you wanted to say. “Do you want to want me… anytime soon?” You looked up and Sam was already looking at you. You were just dropping your fork, so he moved his hand over the table to you and held yours.

“What do you want?” he asked. Chewing the inside of your lip, you looked at him.

“I wanna have sex with you, Sam,” you said, because, well, you did. You really did. Yes, there were nerves and as much as you knew that it was nonsense there were preconceived notions in you through years and years of horrible socialization. That you wouldn’t be good, that Sam wouldn’t like you as much afterwards. But you recognized these things and compared them to the man sitting in front of you, the man you were pretty sure you were in love with, and they seemed to pale. You trusted Sam, trusted him with all your heart. And you wanted him.

He was stroking the back of your hand with his thumb, looking at you. “I wanna have sex with you, too,” he replied. You squeezed his hand, a chaste gesture compared to what was happening where your eyes were meeting. You had to take a deep breath.

“Tonight?” you asked, carefully.

“If that’s what you want,” Sam said, squeezing your hand again. “I can wait,” he added, “for as long as you want. But yeah, I mean, I’m not gonna lie.” At that, that shy grin returned to his lips. “I would really love to be with you. I’ve been thinking about it… a lot.”

You licked your lips at that, the thought that Sam had been thinking about you making more heat run through your body.

“You have?” you asked, and Sam nodded. “What’s it like?” you asked, hungry to know what was going on in Sam’s head, what he was imagining, what he liked and wanted. He shrugged.

“Kind of changes. What’s always the same is that I want to make you feel good.”

A small, shuddery breath left you. Sam cleared his throat, seeming to give himself a little push just as you had earlier. “I mean I want to make you come. I want to eat you out.”

You bit your lip, feeling a delicious pull in your core. Was this how you found out you were into dirty talk? Or was it just Sam?

Seeing your reaction, Sam continued: “I want to know how you sound and feel when you come. What you like, what works for you.”

Of course Sam would want to learn, would want to explore. That was just the kind of guy he was. You nodded.

“I would like that,” you replied, your voice coming out a little breathier than you’d expected. Sam nodded, holding your gaze.

“What do you want?” he asked. You took a second to think. You’d never considered that you would have a conversation about the sex before you had it. It had always seemed like something that just happened, in the throes of passion. This was much nicer, much less daunting.

“Well, that whole you-making-me-come business sounds really good,” you said, making Sam grin. “Uhm, I’m not sure, I mean…” You leaned forward, hoping no staff would heard you. “I think doggy-style always looks really hot? Or when the girl's on top?” you said. Sam took an audible breath through his nose. “But I also I would just want to look at you and see you, so it’s a toss-up.”

Sam nodded slowly, looking at you. There was a look on his face that you’d never seen before until recently. It showed up on his face sometimes when you kissed him or when he was just looking at you for a while. A hunger, or something like it. A want. It thrilled you, seeing it now.

At that moment, your waitress came over to your table. “Anything else I can get you guys? Maybe some desert?” she asked.

You held Sam’s gaze as he raised his eyebrows, a question in his face.

“No, thanks,” you answered. “We’ll just get the check.”

The evening outside was cooling off after the day had been warm and sunny. Sam took your hand the moment you were out of the restaurant. You smiled up at him and he tugged your arm in close to his body.

The motel you were staying in was down the road, which was good, since you didn’t have a car. Dean had left earlier that day to visit an old flame a few hours away, and you weren’t expecting him back until the next day, or even the one after. So you had the room, and Sam, all to yourself.

The thought made you stop on the sidewalk. Sam took another step, then noticed you were behind him. He turned around, a questioning look on his face while his hand still held yours. You pulled on his arm only a little but he followed it as if you’d tied him to a ten ton truck.

Once he stood close to you, your neck all the way bent back you told him: “Kiss me.” The question disappeared from Sam’s face, replaced by a smile. His free hand went up to your face, barely touched it, his thumb running over your jaw. His face came closer and his nose touched yours, and only then did he kiss you. Softly and gently but passionately at the same time.

You dropped back on your feet after having pushed yourself up the better to reach him and looked into his eyes. Then you tugged his hand again and you continued to walk towards the motel.

You were both giggling and already touching each other all over by the time you reached the room. Sam had planted a hand on your ass and you pretended you were trying to get away from it, but the touch made you so giddy you thought you might burst.

You got to the door, Sam pulling the key from his jacket pocket, and you leaned your back against it, Sam standing as close to you as possible as he put the key in the lock. You were looking up at him and managed to distract him before he could turn it. His hand left the key, instead going to your hair, as he leaned down to kiss you. Your arms went around him, pulling him closer, and the combination of the door behind you and Sam-the-wall in front of you made your head spin.

The kiss turned a little, giddy pecking becoming something different. Your hands went up to Sam’s head then, pulling him against you, as you could suddenly feel his tongue. You opened your lips, letting him in, and he did that thing where he breathed out of his nose, as if he needed to control himself. It made you shudder. When you separated for a second to catch your breath, you were almost panting.

“Open the door, Sam,” you said. His hand shot over to where the key still was and turned, making you both almost fall into the room together. It would have made you laugh, usually, but not right then. You were too busy pulling Sam’s face in again, push your tongue against his. You were both breathing hard and you were distantly impressed when Sam remembered to kick the door closed behind him.

Then both his hands were on you again, pulling you close, closer, closer, closer. There was no room left between you two and still Sam wasn’t close enough. Your hands dropped to his shoulders, finding his collar, and you started to push his jacket off him. Sam moved his hands from you only for a second to let the jacket drop, then he was on you again, his hands running up your back. Your denim jacket was riding up since you had to stretch your arms so high to reach Sam, and he ran his hands under them, the thin fabric of the dress that had made you feel cold in the restaurant earlier suddenly a godsend.

Sam wasn’t moving fast enough for you so you removed your hands from him a second, the effort of it nearly making you groan, and tore the jacket off your own shoulders, dropping it somewhere behind you, your arms shooting back around him immediately. A second later they were dropping to his chest, as you started to unbutton his shirt. You made it to three buttons before you started struggling on one.

Breaking the kiss, you looked to where your fingers were, cussing silently, while Sam looked down at the same time. Your hands were shaking from anticipation and when you spoke your voice sounded shaky as well.

“Damn Winchesters and their layers,” you muttered, trying to make a joke. Sam huffed a little, then his lips were meeting your forehead, your hair. Finally you defeated the button and opened the rest of Sam’s shirt, tearing it off his shoulders but as you looked up at him again to kiss him, his hands landed on your arms.

“We need to slow down,” he said, breathing hard. You felt an uncomfortable twitch in you. Slow down? Why? Was it not good?

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” you muttered instead as Sam moved half a step away from you, the distance feeling huge. He breathed out slowly. Now that they weren’t on Sam anymore you suddenly felt intensely aware of your hands, unsure what to do with them. You wrung them in front of you for a second, then quickly stopped when you realized what you were doing.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked, his voice gentle. You looked up at him. He was watching you carefully.

“Yeah,” you said, nodding, “yeah, just, uhm, little nervous. But I liked the kissing part. Maybe we can do more of that?” Sam smiled at that, but as usual he wasn’t falling for your joking if it was covering up something else.

“We can just take it slow, okay?” he said, his hands going from your arms to your shoulders, squeezing them gently. You pressed your lips together.

“I was kind of hoping to get past the nerves, just get through it, by not slowing down,” you admitted, a little embarrassed. Sam nodded.

“I get that,” he said, “but if it’s something we just want to get through, maybe we should wait?” Your nerves were raging a battle in you, but the thought of waiting, of not getting to be with Sam that night was even more upsetting.

“No,” you said, almost whining a little. “I want to be with you, Sam. But yeah, I’m nervous.” Sam nodded again.

“What are you nervous about?” he asked.

You bit your lip. Part of you still didn’t want to talk about it. The talk you’d had at the restaurant had been great, sexy, something new you wanted to explore, but now that you were in the middle of it, the idea of revealing your fears made you feel vulnerable. You took a deep breath, letting it out through pursed lips.

“I’m…” you started, then cleared your throat to continue. “I’m scared it’ll hurt,” you said, to Sam’s continued, encouraging nodding. “I’m scared I…” You stuttered a little, feeling much more embarrassed about this fear than the previous one, feeling like it stood in for some kind of failure of character, that you should be above this.

“I’m scared I won’t be good,” you finally continued, suddenly feeling a lump in your throat. “And I’m scared,” you said, pushing yourself through, trying to ignore the tears you suddenly felt in your eyes, the tingling in your nose. “I’m scared you won’t think I’m good and that it’ll change something about us.”

You sniffled. The way Sam looked at you, the empathic expression, the sweet puppy dog eyes, the absolute goddamn fucking earnestness of him was like a finger poking at your heart. And then, when he saw that you weren’t going to say anything else, he wrapped one arm around your shoulders, pulling you close, holding you against him, his free hand stroking your hair. Your head landed on his chest, his broad, wide chest, and you snuggled yourself against him.

Sam kissed the top of your head, and you could have combusted from how much you loved him in that moment, from how close you felt to him.

“Okay,” he said, his words vibrating through you from where the top of your head was now tucked against his throat. “First of all,” he continued, his voice serious, “we’re not going to do anything that hurts or doesn’t feel right or good.” You nodded against him.

“We’ll use lube,” he continued, “and I’ll make sure you’re relaxed before anything else happens.” His words sent a twitch of arousal through you, despite your emotions. He would relax you.

“And second,” Sam continued, holding you a little closer against him, “and I want you to really hear this, you do not have to worry about being good or being good for me or about anything changing about the way I feel about you.”

Sam’s fingers were making little circles on you, and combined with his body heat radiating off him it was calming you down. “It’ll be good if you enjoy yourself. That’s the only deciding factor.” He moved his head, and then he was pulling you away from him, making you look at him. His face was serious. “It’ll be good because it’s you and it’s me and whatever that means and whatever works, that’ll be the good part, okay?”

And because you were maybe still looking a little unsure, he added: “Fuck the rest.” It made you laugh. Sam cussing always made you laugh, because it was so uncharacteristic for him. “Okay,” you said, nodding.

“So,” Sam said, looking into your eyes. “Do you want to keep going? Or we can do something else. We can watch TV or just sit, or—” Your hands had wandered up to his face again, gently cupping it.

“Thank you, Sam,” you said. He smiled a little. “You have nothing to thank me for.” He looked into your eyes a moment longer, then leaned down to kiss you again. Softly, lips only, almost carefully as if you hadn’t just been devouring each other’s faces a minute earlier. You felt an intense stirring inside you, and you dared to pull him a little closer. Sam didn’t stop you, instead his hand also found your face.

“Are you sure?” he muttered against your lips. “I’m sure,” you muttered back, and then: “I want to feel you, Sam.” Sam sighed at that. His hands went to your hips, and the tugged at the fabric of your dress a little.

“Do you want to take this off now or wait?” he asked quietly. You grinned.

“I want you to take it off me,” you said, your voice almost a whisper. Sam smiled at that. He started pulling up the dress, the fabric bunching where he was collecting it, and then slowly pulled it over your head, his hands reaching high to take it off you, letting it fall behind you. He looked down at you, at your body and his forehead met yours.

“My God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. You laid your hand on his chest, biting your lip at the tone of his voice, one of absolute admiration. You giggled a little, and he smiled when he looked at your face. “I can’t believe I get to see you and touch you,” he said, pressing his nose in next to yours.

“Well,” you started, “tit for tat, Winchester. Let me see those demon slaying muscles I keep dreaming about. Get out of that slutty, little v-neck.” Sam laughed, a little sheepishly. You tugged at the hem of his shirt, laughing as well. Sam assisted you, helping you pull the shirt up over him. You nearly swooned as you allowed your hands to run over his neck, down his chest to the pronounced muscles of his hip bones. You couldn’t help but bite your lips, and after allowing your eyes to roam over him as well before you looked up at him again.

“You’re beautiful, too,” you said. Sam looked at you, a moment of surprise on his face, then he pulled you in again to kiss you. You hung your arms around his neck, using your hold on him to kick off your shoes, making you hop a little which made Sam grin against you, and only hold you closer. He did the same with his shoes while you blindly opened his jeans, and he pulled them low enough to fall.

You felt one of his hands move up your back to your bra and suddenly another rush of nerves went through you. Being in your underwear was one thing, but Sam seeing you naked...

You broke the kiss, taking a deep breath. Sam looked at you, studying your face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, immediately. “Just a little nervous about the naked part,” you said. Sam shook his head.

“That’s fine,” he said. “Do you want to keep your underwear on for now?”

“Maybe for a little?” you said, and Sam nodded, then kissed you again.

“Do you want to lie down?” he asked when he broke away for a second. “Get more comfortable?” You nodded against him. Without separating, the two of you side-stepped to the bed, you stepping on Sam’s toe once. “Sorry! Sorry!” you cringed. Sam chuckled. “All good.”

You reached the bed, your calves bumping into it. “Oh, wait,” Sam said, suddenly letting go of you. He turned around and located his bag. As he walked to it, you crawled on the bed, sitting cross-legged on top of the comforter. Sam pulled something from his bag, then turned around and walked the few steps back before stopping dead in his tracks. He was looking down at you, a slight smile on his lips, lips slightly parted.

“What?” you giggled. Sam shook his head a little. “Nothing,” he said. Just then, you were taking him in as well, just in his boxers now. You saw that he was hard and looked back up at his face again.

“Come here,” you said. He crawled on the bed as well, setting a small bottle on the night stand first, what you assumed was lube. Sam came close to you, laying his hands on you knees.

“Do you wanna lay down?” he asked softly. You nodded, then leaned back, lying down and stretching out your legs. Sam did the same, but he laid on his side, head propped up by one arm bent at the elbow. Once you’d both settled, you looked at each other.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

“Hey,” you said back, smiling.

“What do you want?” Sam asked. You thought for a second, then took the arm he wasn’t holding himself up with and laid it over yourself, petting it. Sam’s fingers stroked your side, his underarm was across your stomach. It just felt right, he felt right.

“I just want to keep kissing,” you said, lifting one hand to play a little with his bangs. “And keep touching.” Sam nodded, and then leaned down to you, your lips meeting. The hand that had been on your side moved to your hip, making beautiful little circles. He kissed you, and kept kissing you, and you would have been content to spend your days like this but there was a pull in you, a need building.

Feeling bold, your hand went down to Sam’s resting on your hip and, slowly, you moved it to your lower stomach, to just above the waistband of your underwear, then pushed his land even lower, his fingers finally touching the fabric. Sam broke the kiss and looked down at you.

“Are you sure?” he said, but even having his hand there was making you clench. You nodded.

“Yes, Sam,” you said, and it came out breathless. “I want you to touch me.” Sam kissed you again and then his hand slowly, slowly wandered lower, slipping into your underwear. Sam was perpetually warm, always running hot, so you didn’t have to worry about his fingers being cold.

The tips of his fingers were on your mound and then there was a gentle touch on your lips that made you shudder a little. You took a deep breath, but not from nerves this time. Sam was touching you. He broke the kiss again, and looked at you.

“All good,” you said, bringing your hand to the back of his neck to pull him closer, “feels nice.” He nodded, and then, instead of kissing you, his mouth landed on your cheek, then traveled to your jaw. At the same time he was running two fingers left and right of your clit and pussy. He wasn’t rubbing you, but on every other round he made his fingers come close to your clit. He was slowly bringing the two fingers together and then there was a low thrill of pleasure when he arrived closer to your center, the nerves there being stimulated.

You hummed and closed your eyes as Sam’s mouth wandered to your neck. This, you knew. This was what you did to yourself, often to the thought of Sam. Without thinking about it, you wanted to let him know.

“Do you know,” you said, your voice quiet, “how often I touch myself thinking of you?” Sam’s movement stopped for a second, both in your panties as well as on your neck as a small groan left him at your words. Then he picked up his rhythm again. He liked that, you thought. You ran your hand over the arm that was moving against you, over the hard muscle, the soft skin.

“I always think of you, Sam,” you continued. The low thrill of pleasure you’d felt kept returning, Sam’s fingers just barely brushing past a part of you that was hot, almost itchy, slowly zeroing in on it. “Hmm,” escaped you, “oh, that feels nice.” Your breathing was picking up a little and you suddenly noticed that you could feel how wet you were. Sam’s movement on you was moving your inner lips and you realized you could hear it as well. An intense blush moved into your face but a second later the thought exited you, wondering if Sam had heard it as well. If he would like it as much as knowing that you masturbated to the thought of him.

His mouth was wandering up to your jaw again after having been stunned against your neck, listening to you. Then he was back at your mouth, and you could see him, see his face. That hungry look on him.

“Does that feel good?” he asked, giving you a short kiss.

“Yes, it feels really good,” you replied, giving him another kiss with your eyes open, not willing to not see his face. A little gasp left you when Sam’s circles found just the right spot.

“There?” he asked and you nodded.

“Keep going,” you whispered, your breathing picking up. He kept going, adding a little bit more pressure. A high little moan escaped you and you pulled up one of your legs on instinct, letting it drop open so Sam could move with more freedom. He smiled at that.

“Can you, mmh, can you go a little faster?” you asked, feeling a little timid about making requests. Sam started going faster, just a little and you had to bite your lip at the feeling.

“Right there, right there,” you mumbled and Sam concentrated on that spot as your pleasure kept building and building. Sam was about to make you come, and that thought alone was pushing you towards the edge fast. You had to close your eyes at the feeling, your hand going away from Sam’s arm to his side for something to hold onto, as his work on you was starting to make you come undone.

“Oh, Sam,” you sighed, “that feels amazing, don’t stop.” Sam leaned his head down, mouth close to your ear.

“You look so beautiful right now,” he whispered. “So fucking hot.” Okay, so the cursing worked for him in this specific situation, you just managed to think, before your hand curled in pleasure where you were holding Sam, your head going up to be closer to him.

“Sam, I’m gonna—” you panted, your eyes falling shut and your lower body seeking more friction. Sam was breathing hard against you, and then you were coming, your head hitting the pillow under you, while you were biting your lip hard, suppressing your whimpers as you pulled your leg up, and Sam continued rubbing you through your release.

“Oh my god,” you breathed out, the tension leaving your body, only your chest rising and falling. Sam kissed your cheek gently, and you turned your head to catch his lips with yours. Then he laid his forehead against yours. When you finally blinked open your eyes, he was looking at you. His pupils were blown.

“Good?” he asked. You nodded, feeling a grin spread on your face.

“Very good,” you replied.

You lay like this, for a little while, while you stroked Sam's side and he your arm. Eventually he gave you another kiss, then your chin, your shoulder.

“Do you want me to keep going?” he asked. Keep going? What else was he going to do with you?

“Do you want to…?” you asked, looking down his body. Sam shook his head. “Not yet, okay?”

You nodded and then Sam was slowly kissing his way down your body. Oh. That was what he was going to do.

You waited for the rush of nerves to spike but it didn’t come. Maybe you were simply too fried from the orgasm. Sam was kissing your stomach, tearing you away from your thoughts when he made you giggle. He looked up at you, grinning.

“I love your laugh,” he said. And I love you, you almost said. You pressed your lips together.

“Can I take these off?” Sam asked, laying his finger on the waistband of your panties. You nodded. “Yes.” Sam’s hand went to your hips, and you pushed your lower body up, letting him tug them off your legs. You saw a smudge of white in its crotch as he did.

“Oh geez,” you said, but Sam smiled.

“You know that’s good, right?” he said.

“I know,” you mumbled, “just…” Sam kissed you high on your thigh.

“If I do my job right there’s gonna be a lot more where that came from,” he said, and playfully nipped at the place he just kissed.

“Sam!” you gasped, but couldn’t help but laugh. He grinned up at you again, then moved both his hands to your hips. “Ready?” You nodded. “And if there’s something you don’t like just say it or tap my head, okay?” You nodded again, your hand going to your mouth, a grin building behind it. “Are you gonna, uhm, use your fingers?”

“If you want me to,” Sam responded. You nodded again, your damn head getting a little too used to that. “Yes,” you said. “Just tell me before you do, okay?” Sam smiled.

“I will,” he said.

“Well, then,” you said, unsure what to say. “This pussy’s not gonna eat itself, Sam.”

Sam did a pfff sound. “How romantic,” he joked. You shrugged. “That’s me.”

Then Sam, still chuckling a little, lowered himself, continued kissing your thighs and hips but soon moved closer to your sex. You looked away shortly and pulled a pillow from the head of the bed to push under your head below the one that was already there. When Sam noticed and looked up, you said bashfully: “Wanna see you.” There was that look again, that deep look like something was hooked in Sam’s heart or his brain. Something good.

Without breaking eye contact he lowered his head and kissed your clit. The sensitivity sent a delicious shudder through you that made you gasp. But that was nothing compared to the picture of Sam between your legs. You tried to take a mental photo, just in case you ever fell on hard times.

His mouth met you again and this time his tongue came darting out, slowly moving over the bundle of nerves. You sucked in a breath, arching your back up a little, wanting him closer. You watched as he continued, the feeling sweet and tickling. Then he lowered his mouth further, and sucked the little nub into his mouth. Your plans to watch him throughout went out the window then, as your head fell back, your chest heaving.

“Sam,” you moaned. In response he hummed, his sucking creating a pulsing sensation that you swore you could feel behind your eyelids. Suddenly the sensation was gone, and you looked down at him, the loss actually heartbreaking. Sam was looking up at you, his face still close to you.

“I’m gonna use a finger now, okay?” he said. “And you tell me if you want another one?” You nodded, you lips clenched together. “Yes, just, keep going please? That was amazing.”

Sam grinned, giving you a quick kiss. Then his mouth was on you again and the wonderful feeling was back. You actually found yourself snuggling your back into the bed, and then you felt his finger at your entrance. You felt a touch of nerves then. You’d used your own fingers of course, and toys, but while you had an intense appreciation for Sam’s hands, they were big, the fingers long. Just relax, you told yourself. You can stop at anytime.

Sam’s finger was still exploring you and then he was slowly pushing into you. The feeling was strange at first, something entering you that you weren’t controlling, but Sam’s work on your clit was a good distraction. His finger went in and then you felt him curl inside you, the sensation strange at first but not uncomfortable or painful as he was moving the tip of his finger up, stroking.

You focused on the feeling on your clit again, the suction and the pulsing pleasure but then you felt something suddenly, a warmth, no, a heat and your attention was drawn back to Sam’s finger. It felt like he was igniting a fire in you, stoking it.

The more he continued the more you liked it, the more it was making you roll your hips, grind down against him. You moaned and then your hand was finding the back of Sam’s head, needing something to hold onto, while the other went to grab the pillow under your head.

“Yes, yes,” you moaned, your breathing so heavy it was almost painful, as the two feelings Sam was creating in you suddenly shook hands, melted and then it was just one wave, one wave of Sam, taking you higher and higher.

“Sam, more,” you panted and you felt something change, another finger entering you but you were too far gone when suddenly your back arched up, your breathing became shallow and you came hard.

You whined, then sobbed as you tried to suck as much air as possible back into your lungs. Your body was nothing but waves of warm goodness for a few seconds, like like was shooting out of your every pore.

After what felt like your consciousness reentering your body your back met the mattress again, a heavy sigh leaving you. You looked down to find Sam. He was nuzzling your thigh, looking up at you.

“Get up here, you magic man,” you said, breathing still heavy. Sam grinned and you saw his chin and mouth were wet. When he came up to kiss you you must have cringed for a second, because Sam stopped, then wiped his hand on the bed covers, and then his hand over his lower face.

“Sorry,” he said, “got a little carried away.” You chuckled as he kissed you, the happy grin not leaving his face. You tasted yourself on him, distantly. It was strange.

“You like this?” you said, looking at him, a little unsure. He nodded.

“You taste sweet,” he said, kissing your cheek.

“Sam,” you said, closing your eyes at the kiss. “You can’t be sweet and smart and this sexy and love makings girls come with your mouth. What is your deep, dark, dirty secret?” Sam chuckled.

“You,” he said, as he kissed your cheek again. “I love making you come with my mouth.”  You looked into his eyes then.

“I’ve never felt anything like that,” you whispered, because somehow whispering it was less terrifying than saying it out loud. Sam looked at you, his eyes boring into you. It felt like he was speaking to you even though he didn’t say a word. Feeling emboldened, you licked your tongue over him below his mouth, where he had missed wiping off part of you. Sam huffed, surprised.

“Yeah,” you said, grinning, “not too bad.” Sam leaned down, kissed you hard. When he stopped, he said: “Fuck, you’re sexy.” You bit your lip.

Sam kissed you again, and you pulled him close, trying to maneuver his big body over you. Sam budged, following your hands until you had him over you, his hips between your legs. You wrapped yourself around him and then you felt his erection in his underwear. Tugging him closer, you ground yourself against him, and Sam groaned into your mouth.

You didn’t have the physical strength to roll Sam over, but when you pushed up on one of his shoulders and he looked at you to see what you wanted, he followed your lead. He rolled on his back, taking you with him, and you laughed against his mouth. Then you were pushing yourself up and moved down to his underwear.

“Can I?” you asked, mirroring his question earlier. Sam nodded and then you were pulling his boxers down, all the way down his long legs and then dropped them.

You had seen a few penises in real life but most in movies, or porn, so you had some idea what to expect. But you hadn’t expected to think that Sam’s cock was beautiful like the rest of him. He had a thick head from what you could tell, and looked smooth and soft. Well, soft except for all the hardness.

You marveled at it for a second, then looked up to meet Sam’s eyes again.

“Can I touch you?” you asked. Sam nodded. “Yes.” You lifted your hand, your fingertips slightly grazing the skin. Sam’s cock twitched at the touch and Sam took a deep breath. You looked up at him.

“It’s okay,” he grinned. “Just sensitive.”

You bit your lip, then ran your fingers along him again. The skin was soft and silky. You licked your lips, then lowered your head, and kissed the side of him, very gently. Your eyes went back up at Sam, who was watching you intently, his lips slightly parted, his face concentrated. You kissed him again, then stuck your tongue out, licking the skin. He didn’t taste like much, skin and maybe a little salty, and just a little bit Sam.

Feeling a little more confident, you raised your hand again and took him in your hand. “Is that too hard?” you asked. Sam shook his head.

“It’s perfect,” and after a second added: “You’re perfect.” You grinned.

“You only think that,” you said, emboldened by his compliment, “because you don’t know I’m about to do a is this thing on? joke.” Sam laughed loudly, his head falling back and he tugged one arm behind his head.

“So long as you don’t knock on it,” he said.

“That wouldn’t be good, huh?” you asked. He shrugged. “Who knows, never tried it.”

You chuckled, then licked your lips again, but this time you concentrated on his head. There was a bead of moisture on top that you lapped at and as you did you heard Sam inhale again. His sounds were beautiful. You wondered what he would sound like when he was inside you.

You felt a pull of arousal in you. You leaned down again, and licked over his head again, then suckled at the top of it. He felt nice. You closed your eyes, a mmh leaving you as you continued sucking on him, then flicked your tongue against him. Letting him slip out of your mouth, you looked up at Sam again.

“What’s the part that feels the best?” you asked. Sam looked down at you, waiting a second before he answered.

“You don’t have to—” he started.

“I just want to know, okay?” you said, and then gave his head a gentle kiss. “Don’t make me do any crowd work,” you added, raising your eyebrows. Sam chuckled, then cleared his throat. “The, uh, below the head, underside.”

You flicked your tongue against him, testing. On the second flick you seemed to hit it, because Sam gave a hard exhale. You did it again and his eyes closed.

“I wanna learn how to make you come as hard as you made me come, Sam,” you said, giving him another lick. Sam opened his eyes, searching out your gaze. Then he sat up and pulled you up to him.

“Okay,” he said, his face close to yours, so close that you could feel his breath on your face. “But we can do that some other time.” He kissed you deeply, and you sighed against him. When the kiss broke, Sam didn’t go far. “Let me make love to you,” he said in a quiet voice. You leaned forward, catching his lips again. “I want you to,” you said against him.

Sam easily and gently rolled you back on your back and then reached for the lube on the night stand. While he did, you reached behind yourself and unclasped your bra. Sam looked back just as you were taking it off yourself and you waved it over your head once or twice, lasso-style, then threw it into the room. Sam grinned, but then looked down at your breasts.

He leaned forward, hands holding him up on your right and left, and let his lips grazed over one of your nipples. Next he sucked it into his mouth, flicking his tongue against it. You let your hand run into the hair at the back of his neck, sighing. It felt wonderful. But you wanted more of him.

“Sam,” you said, and he pushed himself up. “Want you,” you said in response to his questioning look.

In response, Sam sat up, briefly letting go of you and opened the lube, squeezing a helping onto his hand and placed the bottle back on the night stand. He spread the lube along his cock and you watched him, fascinated to see how he touched himself. He pumped himself a few more times and then turned his body to you.

“Do you want me to keep going?” he asked, looking at your face. You nodded.

“I want you to,” you added. Sam looked at you for another few seconds, surveying your face. He didn’t seem to see anything to give him pause, so he grabbed another one of the abundance of motel pillows, laying his hand on your hip, telling you to lift up. You did, and he shoved the pillow under you, elevating your lower body.

Then he leaned over you and kissed you deeply. You hugged his shoulders and then felt him bob against your pussy. Sam broke the kiss, looking down your bodies, and his head met your entrance as he lined himself up.

“Okay,” he said, looking back up at you again, “angle up your legs?” You did, so they were higher on Sam’s body. He hooked one leg around him, then scooted is hand under you, holding you up a little so you could hold on to him better.

“You decide,” he said, once everything was where he wanted it. “You can just pull me in and you decide exactly how fast or slow I go. And if anything doesn’t feel good—”

You interrupted him with a kiss, then looked at him again.

“Thank you,” you said, your voice quiet. Sam looked confused. “I told you," he replied. "You don’t have anything to thank me for." You shook your head.

“I just wanted to say it,” you replied, a little bashful. Then you took a deep breath, relaxing yourself. You weren’t nervous exactly, but the anticipation was a different matter. You licked your lips then, and nodded.

“Okay,” you said, “I’m ready.” Sam kissed you again, then leaned back just far enough that he could see your face.

He started pushing forward, and you could feel his head slip between your folds. There was some resistance as he adjusted his angle and then you felt him press into you, the angle of your lower body making it easier.

It didn’t hurt, the feeling simply a little strange, unusual. He stopped after a second, checking your face.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Okay,” you nodded, and then couldn’t help but grin.

“Remember,” Sam said. “You decide.” You nodded, then started pulling him closer with your legs hooked around him. He slipped deeper into you, making you feel a stretch now that wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. Sam swallowed, then pulled back a little again, only to let you pull him in again. You continued this way, you pulling Sam in further, him pulling out again, and that way you slowly brought him closer.

At some point, one of Sam’s hands came out from behind your back, dropping to your pussy and he very gently started massaging your clit.

“How does that feel?” he asked, his voice sounding broken. You searched your body for the answer. Good. It felt good. It felt good to have Sam inside of you.

“Good,” you said, looking into his eyes. You pulled on Sam, trying to get him to move further into you, but he stopped you.

“Let’s just work with this, okay?” he said, smiling at you. “I want all of you, Sam,” you said, realizing your own voice was breaking a little.

“You’ll get it,” he said, making a wonderful rush run through you. “But let’s start with this. I’m gonna pull out and then push into you again, and I’m gonna go slow, and you tell me if you want me to be faster, alright?” You nodded.

His words were having quite the effect on you, hearing him talk about what he was doing to you somehow adding to the stimulation. He slowly pulled out of you until only his head remained inside of you, and when he pushed in again, his cock touched something inside you that made you shiver.

Sam was going slow, so slow, his touch on your clit just as slow and gentle. His thickness inside you didn’t hurt, but it felt like he was opening up something inside you, a different kind of need and desire that you had never felt before. Like a part of you was missing and Sam was giving it back to you. You held him close, pushing your face against his.

“Sam,” you said and it was a whimper.

“Slower?” he asked, immediately.

“No,” you said, almost not recognizing your own voice with how much want there was in it. “Just want more of you.”

Sam looked at you for a second, then kissed you while he slowly pushed himself into you again. He didn’t go deeper, but his next stroke came just a little faster, while the petting of your clit became a little more intense. You whined again, at the wonderful feeling of him.

Of course, you thought. It all made sense now. You could have been with a thousand men before Sam and still this would have felt like the first time. Because you’d never felt about anyone the way you did about Sam, never trusted anyone as much.

“You feel so amazing,” you panted against him. Sam sighed, pressing his forehead against yours. You felt the slow rising pleasure of an orgasm building again.

“Sam, can, mmh, can you go faster?” you asked, feeling like you had an itch inside you that only he could scratch. Sam nodded, picking up his pace a little.

“Like that?” he asked, voice low. You nodded, as his cock kept sparking that strange feeling of fullness, of being closed and warm and taken care of, in you.

“Yes,” you breathed out. Your eyes had fallen shut at some point, so concentrated were you on feeling Sam, that you gasped when you opened them now and saw him. Sam was tensed, all his concentration on how he was moving in you and how he was touching you. His brow was in deep furrows and he looked almost like he was in pain.

“Sam?” you asked and he looked up at you, features immediately softening. “Are you okay?” He nodded, needing to take a breath before he could answer.

“I’m good, you just,” he said, a groan interrupting him, “you just feel so, fuck, you feel so good.” His breathing was stuttering and he looked beautiful. The thought that it was because of you, that you and your body were making him feel this way, made you clench around him. Sam almost hissed, his strokes stuttering before he held himself still.

“I need…” he said, but didn’t continue. You ran a hand into his hair. “I’m about to come, I need to stop,” he finally forced out. You pulled him close.

“Don’t stop, Sam, please.” Sam’s chest contracted as he looked down at you.

“Can you, uhm,” he started, “can you maybe touch yourself? I would do it but I think if I can concentrate…”

Your hand was already moving down your body, meeting his, gently running over his wonderful fingers and then replacing them. Sam moved his hand up instead, holding himself up with both arms now. Then he started slowly moving again, and you hadn’t realized how much you’d missed that feeling, in those few seconds you hadn’t felt it.

“Yes, oh yes,” you breathed as you started circling your clit, and Sam closed his eyes.

“You sound so hot,” he ground out. Unable to help yourself, you moved your mouth to his ear. “You feel so good, Sam, I never thought it could be like this.” Sam groaned, kissed you. You were flying higher and higher, picking up the pace on your clit while Sam kept gently fucking into you.

“Sam, I’m gonna—“ you moaned, “I think I’m gonna come again.” Sam nodded against you.

“I want to feel you,” he panted. You kept rubbing, the rhythm steady and your wetness and your muscle contractions made Sam slip that little bit deeper into you. Just then, another whine left you, and then you felt it, Sam filling you where previously there had been nothing, feeling so right, so perfect. He pulled out again, his head bumping into that special place inside of you as he pushed himself back into you and then you came.

It was different, Sam’s cock there to push back against your clenching, and you were intensely aware of your body, how you were shaking, little moans dropping from you.

Sam clenched his jaw at the way you were squeezing him and while you were still in the throes of your orgasm, he leaned down, pressing his face against the side of yours, his shoulders tensing as he moaned against you, then suddenly held still. You could feel his stomach muscles contract where they were pressing against your arm that was still between your legs, and then you felt a warmth spread in you.

A second later you pulled your arm out from underneath Sam, instead wrapping it around his back. Sam rolled himself sideways a little so he wouldn’t have to hold himself up anymore, making sure he gently pulled out of you first.

You felt the loss of him and when he laid down next to you, your arms immediately went around him again, kissing him almost desperately. He rubbed his hands over your back. Your body was exhausted, buzzing, but you didn’t have your fill of Sam yet. You weren’t sure if you ever would.

You kept kissing him, a little whimper escaping you. Sam pulled you away from him even though you were trying to hold onto him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and worried.

“Yes,” you breathed, nodding vigorously. “I just can’t get enough of you.” Sam looked at you, emotion in his face as he leaned in and kissed you, his hands gently running over you. You felt your breathing slow, your body relaxing. You moved your head, laying it on Sam’s arm, so you could still look at him.

“That was incredible,” you muttered, running your fingers over his lips. Sam smiled, petting your cheek.

“I…” he said, but stopped himself.

“What?” you said, moving closer to him. You saw the battle behind Sam’s eyes. Finally he sighed.

“I want you,” he said. He seemed immediately unhappy with what he’d said, breathing out through his nose, looking into the distance to find the words he was searching. “I mean,” he said, correcting himself, “I don’t know how to say it. I just want to spend all of my time with you. I want to keep making love to you.” Then he laughed a little at himself. “Like, it pisses me off that there might be days where we’re not together, you know? Where we don’t see each other for a few hours.” He turned back to you. “Does that make any sense?” he asked. You nodded.

“It does,” you answered. “I feel the same way, but Sam," and at that you stroked his cheek and couldn’t help but grin. “You’re not getting rid of me.”

At your words, Sam pulled you in, kissed you again. He kissed you for a long time, softly, nipping at you, his hands running over your body, yours over his, without a goal, just to feel each other, get to know the other.

Eventually you got up to use the bathroom, Sam barely letting you go. When you came back, he pulled you close, pressing your back against his broad chest.

“I missed you,” he whispered into your ear, and you grinned. You had missed him too.

Eventually you both fell asleep, tangled up and close and your breathing synced.

You woke a few hours later, disoriented by the big warm thing next to you. A second later you remembered it was Sam, and a rush of such intense love went through you that you could have cried.

Instead you pushed yourself against him, kissing his jaw. Sam woke up slowly and you watched him, wanting to see everything, to know everything about how he looked, how he came back from sleep.

When he understood what was happening he pulled you in, kissing you immediately. Soon you felt him grow hard against you, felt yourself react as well. You felt a little sore, and a little empty, like your body had made room for Sam the way your heart had.

You almost rolled your eyes at your own thoughts. To distract yourself, you let your hand wander down Sam’s body.

“Now,” you said quietly and Sam looked into your eyes, a glimmer there. “Here’s some stuff I always wanted to try.” 

[galactic-magick]

Cosmic Love: Viktor/Machine Herald x Reader

Summary: You try to resist your corrupted lover, but you ache too much for his touch that you can’t refuse any longer.

Words: 1.0k

Warnings: SMUT, overstimulation, no pronouns but reader has afab anatomy

Author's Notes: As promised, here is the galaxy quaking, star bursting, 5th dimensional, cosmic anomaly Viktor smut. Takes place between when Jayce tries to kill him and when he goes through the full Machine Herald transformation. Hope you enjoy.

-

He’s been calling to you.

You’ve been ignoring the echoes, ignoring the voices of those he controls. You told him you want no part of it, that you won’t stand by his side if he continues down this cultist path. But even still, he finds ways to continue begging you, sending his followers your way and speaking through them. He pleads for you to join him, to experience the higher awareness and power he has gained. But you must stay strong.

After several months, the cult followers completely lose their humanity, becoming lifeless white and gold husks akin to an army of mannequins. They all look the same, retaining no glimmer of individuality, only the great Machine Herald’s voice to be heard.

As expected, one of them attempts to gain your loyalty back once again, breaking into your house and talking as a mechanized version of the man you once loved.

“I give you one last chance to join me,” it says. “I want you by my side, my love.”

“Viktor...what you’re doing is wrong. You know I can’t do that.”

The form he possesses steps closer to you, metal fingers brushing your cheek. You shiver, but you don’t turn away. You’ve yearned for his touch again for so long, that even this form of him makes you question your answer. His fingers are placed so meticulously, gliding down your neck, your breasts, your hips. It’s so easy to imagine it’s Viktor’s face you’re gazing upon, covering up the blank slate that’s actually in front of you.

“If you won’t join me…” his voice rings clear in your ears. “Allow me to have you one last time.”

You squirm, begging every damn desire in your body to say “no” while the machine’s fingers drop ever closer to the space between your legs.

But you won’t say “no.” You want this as badly as he does, even if it means casting your better judgment aside.

“Please.” you moan.

He takes action at your consent instantly, picking you up like you weigh nothing and dropping you on the bed.

“Soon, love, I will show you all I’ve discovered,” his voice gives you chills while the white figure pulls off your pants and underwear. “But I must start with what you already know, mm?”

You nod and close your eyes, sighing heavily as two fingers tease your clit and slowly enter you. He curls them, pulsing them in and out, his thumb circling your nerves. He does it exactly like he used to, having memorized your body in such detail that he can unravel you through this other vessel. The touches are so like him, you almost forget he’s not really here with you.

You lose yourself to him like clockwork, humming as the machine’s hands crawl up to your face.

“Shall I show you what I see now, dear?”

His fingertips glow against your forehead, and you feel a shock through your system. You suddenly feel weightless, like your cognizance is no longer tied to a physical form. You see beautiful stars and nebula surrounding you, the city you came from now looking so small.

Then you see Viktor, ethereal with his hair aglow. His face is just as it used to be, his body free of worldly constraints. He takes your face in his hands again, something electric pulsing through them.

“You must understand, love,” he says. “This is my destiny. But I would hate to have to accomplish it alone.”

He caresses your form, every stroke and squeeze feeling like another orgasm. Whatever higher being or dimension your consciousness is in now, it’s too much for your physical body to process back home. It isn’t painful, per se, but it is incredibly overstimulating—eliciting more intimate sounds from your mouth.

Your fingers grasp onto his iridescent locks, screaming in ecstasy as Viktor continues to give you sensations you never thought possible. He makes love to you among the stars, your mind filling with the visions of an astral plane and glorious evolution beyond your comprehension. He wordlessly shares his dreams and desires with you and for you—a life of healing, immortality, and ascension. Stars burst around you, and your physical body has likely gone numb, with your current form not far behind.

“Viktor...it’s too much,” you cry out.

The sensations slow down, fading out of your body as you regain your ability to think again.

“This place does have quite the effect on the mind,” Viktor explains, pulling you close to him. “The longer you stay, the less overwhelming it becomes.”

“What is it doing to me?” you ask breathlessly, falling nearly limp in his arms.

“The feeble human psyche cannot grasp the transformation that must take place, and the body suffers from such extremes,” he kisses you softly, “If you are to join me, you must find me, and together we will complete the process.”

You stare into his heavenly eyes, your thumbs tracing his cheekbones, “How do I find you?”

“The Noxian has been keeping my physical body alive. You must go to her.”

“Viktor…” you exhale, his face leaning into your palm and kissing it. “I want to stay with you. I do. I just...all of this is so far beyond what I can understand…”

“I know, darling. I know,” he reassures you, running a hand over your hair, now golden just like his.

“Something just feels so wrong,” you admit. “I don’t want us to do things we’ll regret.”

He shakes his head, “Trust me, love. This is our destiny.”

Ignoring the shrieks of your conscience, you wrap your form around him, inhaling his lips desperately as you both plunge through layers of galaxies. Every nerve in your body is blaring with pleasure, chasing the high you had moments ago. It’s addictive—the sensations experienced as a cosmic power—and you realize now how Viktor could get so consumed by it. Your bodies aren’t limited to any constraints, intertwined and becoming one in every way. You feel him everywhere, his mind and matter melded with yours.

Indescribable pleasure washes over both of you in constant, unstopping waves. You feel his every thought, the need to speak quickly diminishing.

But you still yearn to hear his voice.

“Viktor?”

“Yes, darling?” his hands never leave you, again pulling you into his magnetic essence.

“I’m going to come find you.”

A smirk pulls at his lips, his voice going low.

“I look forward to it.”

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to The Light's Chapter 431

Brief summary: CJG talks more with Cale. Cale begins the search for CJS and Sui.

==========

We learned more about what a transcendent was.

A transcendent is a being who is literally beyond everything. Not a god, but a godlike being, unbound by the constraints of any name.

The kind of god you are is quite important. For example, a god of death is very powerful in death, but is somewhat limited in other areas, because there are gods in other areas, so there are many limitations.

But the transcendent is not bound by constraints, so it can be thought of as more free than god, perhaps even untouchable. Of course, since the transcendent is more free than god, it is very difficult to reach that point, and few people know it.

It was the Third Emperor of the Five-Colored Bloods who fought CJG, and CJG described that hunter as very strong and on the level of a god. Their fight got interrupted when the GoC saint and people from the Transparent Bloods came. GoC saint fought CJG then before he got rescued by Aurora.

CJG's various reactions were funny. 😂 Like when he was trying to reveal info and Cale would say he already knew, so CJG said"huh?" multiple times. 😂😂😂 Or how Cale continuously hurried him to talk even though CJG was grumbling that he had just woken up. 😂😂😂

Choi Jung Gun looked at Cale. Then he said, “You're smart.” He gave him a thumbs up. Cale's face crumpled into a murderous grimace. A moment when Choi Jung Soo looked silly in a serious situation. Cale couldn't help but react to Choi Jung Gun's behavior that reminded him of that moment. “Don't be silly, say it quickly.” “Uh, yeah!” And Choi Jung Gun was a good listener. Unlike Choi Jung Soo, he was not mischievous and followed Cale's instructions as obediently as Choi Han.

So CJG was like a mix of CJS and CH? 😂😂😂

Cale: *gets annoyed at the info he learned about the hunters* Cale: (Can't they just leave me alone? I want to flip everything over!) SEW: Let's flip it over? DA: Haha! Let's rule over the gods! Cale: *forgets his annoyance* Cale: ... Cale: (These ancient powers. They're crazy. Let's not be swayed by them.)

Cale's annoyance disappearing because of the crazy APs. 🤣🤣🤣

Regarding the child, Cale replied that he did not know if the child was evil because he had not met them. The child had seven worlds inside them, represented by the seven emotions. A person could become a god's vessel with just one world inside them, but that child had seven, something that a human couldn't do.

So that child lost their own emotions to survive and acted on instinct. In particular, their appetite became strong. CJG said that the child could not become a god if they acted on instinct and not emotion, but at the same time, it would make the child the perfect god too. Or more like the perfect puppet for the hunters.

Regardless, Cale's conversation with CJG felt like 🚩flags for Cale. That he would adopt that child, and that he would become the first transcendent instead of the first wanderer. 😂

CH's talk with CJG was not expressed in detail. Perhaps a flashback would handle that. Cale divided the group into two: CH and HD would find CJS, and Cale, the kids, and Clopeh would find Sui. Clopeh's constant happy laughing made Cale hesitate if he should just go alone though. 🤣🤣🤣

Ending Remarks I'm glad that the talk with CJG was not interrupted. Sure, it was rushed because they had to find the Soos, but at least it was not delayed for the nth time like the talk with the Molans. 😂 Next chapter would be the search for Sui. I'm looking forward to what Clopeh would do soon. 🤣

[novlr]

Anyone have any advice on how to build and maintain tension? I just read through an old story, and my tension is… nonexistent at best

We’ve all experienced that all-encompassing focus that comes from being sucked into a really great book. One that keeps you at the edge of your seat, turning the pages, desperate to know what comes next. That’s the power of tension.

Tension keeps your story tightly paced and plotted. It keeps your readers engaged and makes them desperate to read just one more chapter.

Think of tension as your story’s pulse. Sometimes it races, sometimes it stays steady, but it’s always there in the background, keeping the story alive. Without tension, even the most beautiful writing falls flat. It’s the difference between a story that people admire on its technical merits and one they can’t put down.

Essential elements to build tension

Have stakes that matter

The foundation of tension is having something meaningful at risk. Your characters must face consequences that deeply affect them or others they care about. These stakes can be physical (life or death), emotional (love or heartbreak), or psychological (sanity or madness). The key is making readers understand and feel why these consequences matter to your characters.

Without meaningful stakes, any conflict feels hollow and artificial. Even small stakes can create powerful tension if they’re personally significant to the character.

Have time pressure

Nothing builds tension like a ticking clock. Deadlines, whether literal or metaphorical, force characters to act and make decisions under pressure.

A time limit transforms every choice into a crucial moment, every delay into a potential disaster. Whether it’s defusing a bomb, reaching a loved one before they leave forever, or meeting a critical deadline, time constraints amplify existing stakes and create a sense of urgency that pulls readers through the story.

Escalating conflict

Tension grows when problems compound. Start with a manageable challenge, then gradually increase the difficulty and consequences.

Each new obstacle should build upon previous ones, creating a snowball effect that makes the situation increasingly complex. When characters solve one problem, introduce a bigger one. This layering of complications prevents the tension from plateauing and keeps readers invested in how your characters will overcome mounting adversity.

Practical techniques for building tension

In prose

Use shorter sentences and paragraphs during tense moments. Snappier sentences make for snappier reads.

Create white space on the page. You can achieve this with more dialogue, shorter paragraphs, and less expository description. White space means faster reading, giving the experience of reading certain sections more weight.

Immerse readers with sensory detail, but don’t go overboard. Be intentional and precise.

Balance action with reaction. Too much action is fatiguing, so you need to balance pacing with tension.

Use dialogue to reveal mounting pressure from the character’s own points of view.

In character development

Give characters conflicting goals. Conflict is the backbone of all good fiction, so you can’t build tension without it.

Create internal conflicts that war with external needs. What a character wants and what they need are not always aligned, which can be a great source of tension.

Develop relationships with built-in tension. These don’t have to be romantic. They could be professional disagreements, families that don’t get along, or friends who don’t always see eye to eye.

Write flawed characters that can complicate potential resolutions. Characters create their own tension, because like people, they’re not perfect.

In plot

Foreshadow and cast seeds of conflict early in the narrative.

Create multiple plot threads that intersect. A great source of tension for a reader can be waiting to see how multiple subplots will come together with the main plotline.

Build anticipation with subtext that works toward your story’s themes in subtle ways.

Drip feed information or build it into your story world seamlessly, rather than relying overly on exposition or info-dumping.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Don’t resolve conflict too quickly or easily.

Don’t provide too much exposition at once.

Don’t let characters get too comfortable. Be sure to throw some trials their way.

Don’t make the stakes too low or unclear.

Don’t be too obvious in signposting potential story outcomes. Let readers come there naturally.

Don’t rely on artificial tension by withholding important information.

Don’t resolve major tensions with deus ex machina solutions (unless plot relevant, of course).

Practical exercises for writing tension

Rewrite a scene three times, each with increasing stakes. See which version you think is the most engaging to find the perfect bland of tension and pacing that works for your style.

Practice writing dialogue where characters want opposing things. Write two versions. One, in which they come to an agreement, and another in which they remain in opposition.

Map your story’s tension on a graph to identify flat spots. Is there too much tension leading to flat pacing? Or do you need more? Where do you think you can cut down or build up the tension?

Building and maintaining tension, like any writing skill, is one that improves with practice. Remember that tension doesn’t mean constant high drama. It’s about creating and sustaining reader investment in your story and its outcome.

The key is to make tension serve your story rather than overshadow it. When done well, tension becomes the invisible force that pulls readers through your narrative, making them care deeply about your characters and their journey.

[hatsukeii]

boxers / timeskip!miya atsumu x reader

genre(s) - slice of life??? friends with endless romantic/sexual tension between them, mutually oblivious pining up until the end, atsumu being a little BITCH :/, reader is so hot btw im saying it now you guys are so hot, hotter than the little BITCH atsumu (ngl i do fw his ass tho...)

warning(s) - suggestive but not nsfw!! atsumu being FUCKING ANNOYING, tiger balm if you get it you get it, and like crude humour which is just my branding atp sooo

wc: 1039

tldr; if you're going to make atsumu fulfil your fashion dreams, you should at least look good, which shouldn't be a problem if the only person judging is atsumu himself.

author's note 1: a man who yearns is a man who earns ;) and sometimes a girl just wants to write yearning men to escape from finals so

"'Tsumu, how does it look?"

You reveal your completely renewed, upgraded, rejuvenated outfit, with Atsumu's boxers peeking through the top of your jeans loosely. Perfect, down to the minute details. Once again, you had graced Atsumu's apartment in the middle of the night, for some redundant reason. Last time, it was to take his carton of eggs. This time, it was to borrow a pair of his boxers, of all things.

"It looks cool. Are we done now?" It looks better than cool, much more than cool encompasses. His favourite pair of boxers (definitely a coincidence) sits lopsided across your waist, your jeans holding them in place. The tie sits around your neck, trailing down your torso atop the half-buttoned, collared shirt. You look much better than cool. You look hot, and that is a problem. So much of a problem that Atsumu is resisting the urge to run up and press both hands against your waist, even tug at the waistband of his boxers. You know, just to adjust them. Like best friends do.

You shake your head boldly, contemplating whether you should drop the idea. But alas, you've come this far, even managing to secure a pair of his boxers. It's all or nothing for your fashion discovery now. You stare back at Atsumu, eyeing him up and down as your heart pounds and you consider your next words very carefully. A confused look greets his face, the same one he's made ever since he was in high school. The look that he makes at you when you offer to visit him and rub tiger balm into his shoulders in the middle of the night, or agree to go to all his volleyball games every single time, no matter the day.

"Can you kiss the collar?"

And that just about does it for Atsumu's fragile constraint. His face flushes instantaneously, a hand shooting up to rub across his mouth, before travelling behind his neck to massage it. You wait for a response, your clasped hands becoming clammier with every stagnant second that passes. A stick of red lip stain sits in your back pocket, all you need now is his green light. The air of his living room becomes a pool of slick oil, impossibly heavy, suffocating.

"Yeah, sure."

Your mind blanks. He was not supposed to say yes. You wanted him to, yes, that did not mean that he should have. However, it is too late to regret your proposition now, as you pull the lip stain from your back pocket and approach him on the couch. He winces at the colour, and your hand reaches to cradle his face, angling it just enough to apply the red all over his lips.

"So glamorous, Atsumu, you should be thanking me."

"Shut up, annoying," you manage to scarcely make out from his attempt to speak without moving his lips. He means that out of love, considering he used to call you annoying for actually showing up to his house to massage his shoulders after each match, nagging at you to get rest and leave his soreness be. All out of love between best friends, you're sure of it.

You let go, giving him free reign of your shirt. He looks up at you, pointing at the pointed collar, and you nod in approval. Risque, exactly what you intend to emulate. Shaking, he grabs ahold of your shirt, pressing a firm kiss into the fabric. You smell of the perfume he bought you in celebration of MSBY's first win. Oakwood, orange peel, vanilla. Of course, it was just returning your favour of offering to visit him in the middle of the night, and massage tiger balm into his shoulder blades for two hours.

He pulls away, taking a look at the shirt. Judging by your peculiar choices of a tie, boxers, and a half-buttoned shirt, this is far from risque enough for your liking. He tugs at your top again, peppering kisses across the hem, and you swear you are ready to drop dead right then and there. Not that he's never kissed you before, eight years of friendship does lead to his occasional kisses on your cheek at parties when the two of you would end up drunk off shitty mixers, or your affectionate kisses at the top of his head after match losses as he sits against changing room lockers. All a part of being best friends with Atsumu Miya. Yet as he continues his assault on your shirt, hands grabbing at the fabric tightly and hair tickling the skin of your neck, for the briefest of moments, you wish that he would bring the kisses up instead of across. Fleeting thoughts, pay no mind.

He stops, looking up at you. The lipstick is smudged across one side of his cheek now, and it takes everything in you not to grab his face, and kiss it off of him. His eyes flicker from your face, to your collar.

"Is this enough?" More than enough. You grab his face anyways, rubbing your thumb across the right side of his cheek with a click of your tongue. What a pity that your lipstick isn't ending up on you instead.

"You know, you look really good right now." You babble out before you can catch yourself, and Atsumu's eyes return to your face, boring holes into your eyes. You release his face, a knot forming in your throat as you register your sudden confession. Atsumu breathes out a chuckle, glancing and tugging at your collar.

"I did a pretty good job too, it's a shame I want it off."

He returns to your face, colour matching his red boxers, and your maroon tie, and finally fulfils your wishes as he brings his kisses upwards to your mouth. The remaining lipstick smudges around your lips as you hold his face, body positioned between his legs and your knee pressing onto the sofa. His arms fall back to prop his body up on the couch, surrending all control to your will. You pull away from him, and he almost sulks at the separation. God, he looks so fucking pathetic, staring up at you as if you're the subject of his waking dreams. He should definitely keep this going.

"Stay over tonight? Please?" He mumbles, nestling his face into your palm the way a cat does to its owner.

"Yeah...yeah, I'd like that."

author's note 2:

head empty, no thoughts, just mike faist in challengers, kissed collar shirts, and yearning men. Sometimes a girl just needs to listen to some 5sos and write about looking pretty in someone's boxers and lipstick stains :) Last happy fic I'll write for now, we're going back to giant bittersweet fics next time, might need to try some other characters from diff animes though...

also! this is a total change of style in how i usually write, i wasn't feeling particularly inspired, just wanted to rot and write to kill time, hopefully it's not too bad because it's definitely not my best work imo mmmmm :/

anyways tags!!

@starlysama @chuuya-brainrot @bailey-reeds @fiannee

ok im gonna go now love u bye bye kids

[lazyleafeon]

i put a lot more time into my piece for the serenity zine than I usually do, so ive been wanting to make a write up with more details about what i was intending + stuff thats easy to miss (full piece without the character names can be seen here)

[ID: a drawing centered on a young kim dokja writing in a notebook, surrounded by paper cut outs of ways of survival characters. there are names next to the cut outs to clarify which characters are which. End ID]

1: text on the characters

the text on all of the characters are all quotes from orv. for characters from specific rounds, the text is specifically linked to those rounds (ex: 1863 uriel has text from when kdj is thinking about how gabriel isn't aware of her own betrayal of eden). Where i could, i tried to find text that paralled kdj somehow (sp with changing the 999th worldline, and 41 sys with her resentment towards yjh paralleling kdj's towards lsk for leaving him behind.).

for characters that aren't from specific worldlines (or where i couldn't find text i wanted to use that related to their worldlines) , the text either centers something i feel is central to orv (ex jhy talking about the final wall is used in both of her cut outs), kdjs perception of the character or thoughts of them from wos (ex lsh and his line about not really knowing her), or something about the character that parallels kdj (bihyungs cut outs are both about his ending of sacrificing himself, yma is about yjh leaving in the epilogue and her belief he won't come back (which works doubly as yjh leaving as kdj often did, and yma being left behind by her guardian)).

there is also sunfish yjh. who only says "the sunfish" because of the constraints of being a tiny piece of paper. The full quote is "Maybe I had been lucky until now. I might be the 'sunfish' rather than yoo joonghyuk" from chapter 38.

i don't think everything like, perfectly follows these categories, but that was the intent for the most part. One intentional exception is that the yjh near the bottom of the drawing has the text: "I want to read this story for a little bit longer"

if you want to read all the text, I have it up on a doc here. (you can also ask me about thoughts behind specific quotes if you want to know why i chose them)

2: amount of characters + visual details

there are 2 versions of each character for the most part, with 4 exceptions: kdj (3), yjh (6, counting the sunfish but not the kkoma), and na bori and knw only having 1.

the reason there's only one na bori is because her fate is, for the most part, set before her story can be changed by yjh. there is only 1 of her in all of the characters memories, outside of the 1865 worldline (though given we see knw after kdj kills him, its not out of the question there isn't a worldline where she reappears.)

for kim namwoon, its part because of kdj's hatred for him as someone he sees himself in, and part because kdj in orv like. replaces knw pretty directly by killing him and trying to become yjh's companion. so in kdjs notes and doodles based on wos, knw is here only as an outergod king, where kdj is unaware of him.

the outer god kings all have at least one element that sets them apart from the other cut outs: sp has his crumpled paper cloak, knw's cut out is in the shape of dragons near the edges, uriel is on fire, lhs is partially tin foil, and ljh has a water stain and some of her paper is peeling off into water. this represents them being unbound from the worldlines, but since they're still bound to the story they're still made of paper.

anna croft (near uriel) is intentionally a little more 3D than the other characters, since she has memories from past worldlines. she's supposed to seem like shes going against the tide.

1863 uriel is also a bit of an exception, though not intentionally, since her halo looks better as a separate piece of paper, and i wanted her to have flames too... it fits because shes a constellation and seeing the story from a somewhat outside perspective but is still a part of it, but it wasn't intentional.

near the edges of the piece towards the right, some characters outlines start to become faded, and the paper cut out outlines become more irregular. the outer god kings are exempt because they've managed to keep their sense of self to an extent outside of the worldline.

some of kdjs books are from his library in orv.

the text for all characters is slightly cut off (i tried to make it so most of the quotes are missing some texts so you can't actually read them in full). this is both because they're cut out of a larger page, and because kdj can't actually learn everything about the characters once he meets them by reading them because you can't read people like that. so some of the text is out of view because the characters are viewed as characters to kdj and not "real" yet, so kdj doesn't see their full stories.

some concept art + one of the earliest digital sketches i have. all of my works in progress have a billion notes left on them so i know not to forget something when i get back to them:

[drawing of yjh made of paper, and an earlier sketch of the overall piece]

i sort of wish i kept the paper style of this yjh, but it wasn't meant to be....

3. final thoughts........

this really is the most... orv piece i've ever done (?), in a lot of ways. there is nothing that makes you feel more like kdj like searching up orv quotes from memory and then scrolling through the epub on your phone to find what you want. i even ended up explaining it to my mom and having to show her what a sunfish was.

there are things i would change about it if i did it now (i would probably erase the outline from adult kdjs cut out and emphasize his shadow falling on it instead), and things i didn't get to do that would've made it more like what i envisioned (ideally i would've reread all of orv to find quotes. and i didn't do that).

It's personal to me in ways that are kind of silly. I used to doodle a lot of paper cut out creatures in high school, which helped a lot with getting the sort of paper movement down here. and of course the handwriting is just my own, so i had to actually rewrite the quotes i found. it's probably the most ambitious piece i've drawn yet composition wise, and i don't think ive spent so long on a single illustration besides art studies for school. It feels like a love letter to everything orv means to me.

if you've read this far, thank you :)! i don't normally go into this much depth about my thought process, but there's a lot here i don't expect people to pick up that i wanted to get into

[beesmygod]

If part of the purpose of art is to introduce people to new ideas (a premise i agree with), then I think there'd be frequent conflict between the the drive to introduce a new idea or explore a new thing, and the constraints of a long term serial narrative that requires overall consistency. An artist cannot experience the novelty that their audience does, as they are by definition more familiar with the creation than their audience. And in that divide of familiarity, details can get lost or warped- something a creator assumes is not novel actually is, and vice versa.

How intentional do you prefer your novelty to be? Is it enough that a human with a unique perspective made their take on the (familiar) subject, or must the subject itself be unique? To be fair, the subject matter part of the question steers into "do you prefer genre fiction" territory, and my assumption is that most people want both. Enough familiarity to be understandable and enough novelty in setting and elsewhere to be new.

And also how can we find the executives that keep greenlighting generic and safe media properties and have no spine or courage in their hearts and shoot them into space?

breaking this up to respond to it (on mobile so its a little complicated):

1. the artistic conflict described in the first paragraph is very real and something that bothers me constantly while in the process of trying to make comics. by the time a page releases, a joke lands, or the plot progresses, im mostly just thinking about how bored and sick of it people must be because I'M bored and sick of it after thinking about it for multiple days/months/years

2. the intentionality is not that important to me. i dont know enough about how other people make their sausage to determine how intentional their creative process is. sometimes i run on pure id and sometimes i stare at a blank canvas for hours trying to manifest a sequence in my brain in full before continuing.

3. asking for unique subjects every time is unrealistic imo. but i am looking for that "only you could have made this" factor in a person's work.

4. i dont think we can stop executives from doing that. i would argue one of the biggest problems in mainstream art creation today is that the people funding these projects have no taste or vision to cultivate, or any interest in art beyond its ability to generate revenue.

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

[risunsky]

Linoprints Preorder Soon

Yesterday was a big print day. I tested the two little and try to print more of the big one.

The large formats are really difficult and tiring to make by hand (without a press) so, to save my efforts and avoid wasting resources, I'm going to put them up for pre-order, I already have 3 good.

What this means for me: I'll know exactly how many print I need to make, and it'll be easier for me to decide to make more if I'm not happy with the result. It's also more motivating to work on a project once you know how much people are interested.

What's different for you, buyers: Nothing except a bit more waiting. Until now, when you bought a print, it was shipped within 3 or 7 days. With the pre-order, you'll have to wait a bit longer before the print is dispatched as I'll have to make the prints and there's a bit of drying time, we don't want the prints to smudge on each other once they've been rolled together. That's the only constraint. Whatever happens, as the linosheet has already been engraved, you know that the image I'm showing is the final result you'll get.

The other thing that's changed is that all the products are separated, so if you want the pack with the gift (fanart linoprint + A6 print of digital fanart), all you have to do is make up the pack by buying a large print and a small print. The gift will automatically be added to the packaging. I thought this was the best way for you, so you can choose the visuals you prefer, as long as I'm guaranteed to sell a pack of 2.

I hope that my explanation is clear enough. If in doubt, don't hesitate to ask me a question and I'll try to rephrase it.

Stay tuned, as I prepare the details and launch the pre-order early next week.

[whoops-all-whump]

NITRO CHiRAL Secret Santa Event!

Hello everybody! Sign-ups for the NC secret santa event are now open! Here is the link to the form:

More information about the event is below:

How does this event work?

Participants will fill out the form above and based on the information you provide, I will match you with someone who shares similar likes and you'll create a present for them, whether it be fanart, fanfic, or any other creative work!

How does match ups work?

On the form, you'll fill out which NC games you are familiar with and what characters/ships/tropes you enjoy. You'll also include prompts for your gift to contain. I will match you with someone who is familiar with at least one game you listed and has similar likes. You can also list anything you don't want your gift to contain and any characters/ships/tropes your santa should avoid in their present.

Where is the event held?

The event will take place on Discord, so participants should be willing to make an account if they don't have one already. Everyone can also post their finished gifts here on tumblr, and I'll reblog them if you tag me!

Schedule

Nov 18: Sign-ups open Nov 24: Sign-ups close Nov 26: Matches sent out Dec 25-Jan 4: Gift reveals

Extensions and drop-outs

If your gift won't be finished by January 4th, you can ask me for an extension and I will tell your giftee that their present will late. If you're unable to continue participating due to time constraints, you can message me that you need to drop-out. Please be aware that if you drop out you're not entitled to receiving a present. When someone drops-out, I will message the people who said they're willing to be pinch hitters and see who's willing to take over.

Gift requirements

Fanart: one full finished piece with color or detailed monochrome Fanfic: at least around 1000 words Other: message me if you're making something else These are the minimum requirements, but you're free to go above and beyond!

If you have any questions, feel free to send an ask or DM me!

[snowbriar]

Project Rise Revised

Ok so we are doing a thing guys we are 👏 DOING 👏 A 👏 THING.

I have been gathering headcanons and studying the cut content for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a month or so since I finally finished the series. I've got a long list of observations, ideas, and canon details confirmed by the producers but not explicitly shown in the series and I'm finally feeling like I'm ready to start this thing.

(psst, also if you're here for the Rise QnA screenshots the thread starts here)

So! What is this project?

It's essentially an attempt to rewrite the entire second half of Season 2 and Season 3 to fit with what the writers originally planned for the series before corners were cut and they had to abandon it (above image). But it's not just a rewrite: It's a rewrite in SCRIPT FORM. This means many things:

Each episode should be about the length of eleven to twelve pages, which is the same constraints the ROTTMNT writing crew worked under to ensure the action scenes had time to shine.

It will not be written like a typical fanfiction but rather like a play. Character names followed by dialogue, with brief descriptions of any action intended to take place.

While still hopefully emulating the spirit of Rise's fantastic fight scene animations, most areas of intense animation will be only briefly described and left up to the imagination of the readers.

The movie will be retconned out of existence and its plot would instead take place throughout the runtime of the Season 3 episodes.

Episodes that we already have the name or plot for will be smoothed out and polished and carefully put back together.

Great effort will be made to include amy and all things that the writers originally intended to have in the show. (For example, Ron Corcillo said in a tweet that there would have been more April and Sunita girl's night episodes, and that Casey Sr. might have developed a dynamic with them and been included in those outings.)

Huge emphasis on emulating the spirit of the show, including keeping a focus on platonic relationships, highlighting the positive parts of brotherhood, and cartoon chaos.

The finished product should look something like this actual script of a cut episode:

Anywho, it's going to be a long process, especially getting through the process of reconstructing episodes. BUT. I AM MOTIVATED. AND I AM MOTIVATED TO ACCEPT HELP. THIS IS MY MOTIVATED FACE.

*screams in cassandra*

So! What's first? First thing is I'm going to be going down the list and painstakingly piecing together a summary for the episodes we have a name for but no information about. After that we will focus on creating and naming the ten episodes that would have taken place between Karai's return and her death. After that we will start blocking out an idea of what Season three would have looked like, and once we have a list of episodes, summaries and all, the writing process begins.

For the record I am PERFECTLY okay with just getting to that point where we have episode names and a summary of what happens in those episodes and if no one is interested in assisting and that's all I'm able to complete, y'know, it's alright. But my ultimate goal is to get an actual script written of this hypothetical alternate universe series. Cause it IS an alternate universe; after all, in our universe the show was cut :(

So... Yeah. I'm not an artist and I see all the amazing artwork everyone makes and I feel like I can never live up to that standard. This won't be nearly as cool as if I had the ability to draw the episodes in ACTUAL PANELS like the Cass apocalyptic series did. Man that was some peak rise content right there. But, maybe it will be enjoyable for some folks :)

If you're interested in helping out here is where we will be workshopping everything!

okayay that is all bye now.

[amerricanartwork]

Quetzalli's Needle Felting Commissions: OPEN! (5/5 Slots)

That's right, after YEARS of wanting to do some needle felting commissions, I believe I'm finally ready to put this plan in motion!!

If you're interested, make sure to read the important info below, or you can message me for other details! I also may update this post as time goes, on, including adding more categories of figures.

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GENERAL INFO

I update my prices from time to time. For now, checking this original post is the best way to get the most accurate pricing estimate.

My prices are ultimately based on an hourly rate of $15. Anything on the subject that would require more time to make than the base prices, whether that be because it requires me to add more wool or because its features are more complex, will therefore increase the price.

My felted figures are made primarily using Maori wool batting and natural core wool, wrapped atop aluminum wire armatures that make them semi-poseable as well.

Right now, I'm most comfortable making animals (particularly mammals), but I'd be willing to try other creatures and humanoid figures to some degree.

I can make real animals of various species and breeds, including pets, and OCs, both completely original and fan-characters

My figures are typically stylized with a somewhat cartoon-y appearance, especially in the face. If you don't want your figure(s) to look this way, please let me know so we can discuss it. I'm open to making figures in other styles, such as a more realistic look or a chibi-esque style.

Unfortunately, I will only be shipping to the United States as of now.

Though the figures I've made so far range in size, in general, the minimum size is 3 inches tall (bottom of the feet to the top of the head, not including any ears/horns/hair/etc.) or long (the front of the face to the end of the thighs, not including any tail), and the maximum size is 8 inches tall or long. These constraints may change depending on the complexity of the figure(s).

Unless the figure(s) is based on a general species/breed and not a specific animal or character (ex: if you want a German shepherd, but not a personal pet or other specific German shepherd), make sure you can provide reference images from as many angles as possible for the subject(s) you'd like me to make, whether that be photos of a real-life pet, or drawn reference sheets and images of a character.

All transactions will be done via Etsy. I require 50% up front and 50% after the artwork is completed, which can be paid by purchasing corresponding listings on my Etsy shop.

I may not have all of the right wool colors for your subject. If the figure requires me to buy additional wool, the cost of the wool will be added to the total cost and it may take longer for me to make. In this instance, I'll let you know when the wool arrives.

I often make traditional blueprint sketches of my figures before starting. During the process, I may ask for confirmation on the blueprint to ensure I interpret the subject to your liking.

While my figures are somewhat durable and meant to be slightly posed, they are not toys, so avoid being rough with them after you receive them.

I may reject a commission offer for any reason.

Rain World-inspired commissions, unless explicitly agreed to before any payment, will be posted under the "project: rain wool" tag on this blog.

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PRICES

The prices below are base rates for types of figures I already have experience with and examples of. For all figures, the prices may change based on the size and complexity of the figure.

Real-Life-Inspired Animals: $115 to $150

These figures will be animals inspired by real life species and breeds, including pets. While I can vary their size, the minimum size is 4 inches on the longest side (for quadruped animals, this is usually from the tip of the snout to the end of the thighs, not including the tail), and the maximum size is 8 inches on the longest side.

$120 is the base rate for a 4 inch figure, and $210 is the base rate for 8-inch figure, like those shown in the photos. The price may changed based on the complexity of the figure, such as one that requires more colors or has special features (antlers, horns, clothing, accessories, etc).

Rain World-Inspired Slugcats & Lizards: $45 Base per Slugcat, $60 Base per Lizard

These are figures inspired by Rain World's player characters: the slugcats, and a common type of creature in the game: lizards of various colors. The minimum size for a slugcat is 3 inches tall, from the bottom of their feet to the top of their head (not counting the ears), and the maximum size is 8 inches tall. The minimum size for a lizard is 3 inches long from the tip of the snout to the end of the back legs, and the maximum size is 8 inches long.

The base rates are for the respective minimum sizes, and will increase for larger figures. The base price also assumes only 2 colors for the figures (a body color and a "face" color for slugcats, and a body color and head color for lizards), with little to no special features besides perhaps simple scars. More intricate features, such as clothing, detailed markings, special appendages (like Rivulet's gills) or additional colors will cost more depending on the complexity of the additions. I can also make small props for these figures, such as spears and food items, at an extra cost.

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PROCESS

If you're interested in a felted figure, fill out this form so I can put you on a waiting list, which will start out at 5 slots for now.

Once I'm available, I'll contact the email you provide to discuss more information about what figure(s) you want, how long it will take to make the artwork, how much it will cost, and any other important details. I will also send you my Terms of Service document, and if you aren't comfortable with any of the terms, I'm willing to negotiate some details before payment. We must both agree, in writing, to the terms before I proceed.

Once the terms have been explicitly agreed to and the price established, I'll send you a listing on Etsy at the price of the first payment. Purchasing this will give you access to a digital file acting as a receipt for your commission. It will also contain the date I plan to start working on your commission, and up until this date you may request a refund.

From there, I will continue to email you update images of the figure(s), and may ask for some feedback before continuing.

Once the final artwork is done, I'll send you another Etsy listing at the remaining payment price with images of the finished figure(s), marked as "Commission for [Buyer Name]: [Figure Name(s)]". After purchasing this, you will be shipped the felted figure(s).

[milkb0nny]

Our Secret Spot

Ivar The Boneless x gn!reader

Comfortember Day 5: Treehouse

Summary: You shared a secret friendship with Ivar during your childhood. Your parents had forbidden any contact with the Ragnarssons since they didn't want you to get involved with violence. After you finished to build your own treehouse to be independent and live alone, Ivar surprised you out of nowhere.

Note: At first I was a little stuck with this prompt but I figured it out. I'm very satisfied with it, but I didn't proofread it yet.

Warnings: overprotective parents, lonely childhood

word count: 1.044

You were a child who wasn’t taught to fight or have success in wars. Your parents had strived to ensure you lived a peaceful and joyous life, far from the clutches of bloodshed. Their utmost care and concern for your well-being came at the cost of your friendship with the Ragnarssons. Any interaction with them was strictly forbidden, and you'd receive a scolding if they ever caught you conversing with the brothers. In spite of your compliance, you could count your true friends on one hand.

Despite your loving family, the children of Kattegat often ridiculed you for your pacifist upbringing. You couldn't wield a weapon or engage in combat, making you an outsider among your peers. Your inability to partake in their games and activities only fueled their exclusion of you.

Over the years, your closest companion was a fellow girl who, regrettably, often made fun of your innocence. Her company was welcomed, though you felt empty fulfilling the dream your parents wanted you to achieve. Your only strength was your talent in building steady constructions. Floki was your secret aspiration and you desired to become as important and skilled as he was. Since you were a child, you had observed him closely, meticulously noting every detail of his work.

In the past year, you'd undertaken a secret project that no one else knew about. Knowing that your parents would soon arrange a marriage for you, you decided to seize your independence and create your own sanctuary away from Kattegat. In this endeavor, you began constructing a treehouse, a personal haven where you would learn to sustain yourself, free from the expectations of others.

It was your declaration of independence, a rebellion against the sheltered life your parents had envisioned for you. You had failed many times to build it this high up in the trees and of course, you had fell down more than once. The pain and effort was worth it though as you watch your craft coming together.

The only things lacking were some furniture, pillows, and your personal belongings. You had already transported some of your belongings to the treehouse, making it a livable space.

As you rolled out a rug on the floor of your new sanctuary, you heard rustling leaves on the ground below. Curiosity piqued, you gazed down, only to discover two legs sitting beneath your treehouse. You cautiously descended the ladder and found Ivar, a mixture of surprise and apprehension flashing across your eyes. Your interaction with the Ragnarssons was strictly forbidden, and you knew engaging in conversation with one of them could lead to disaster.

“Hello there, y/n,” Ivar greeted you with a soft smile, his presence both unnerving and intriguing.

You swallowed nervously, stepping down form the ladder and watching him in silence. You yearned to break free from the constraints imposed by your parents, yet you felt choked with anxiety at the prospect of talking to Ivar.

Ivar noticed your reluctant behavior and said, “You can talk to me. Your parents are nowhere around.”

You raised an eyebrow and scanned your surroundings warily. Fortunately, no one was nearby to witness your interaction, but the risk was undeniable.

“How did you find me here?” Your soft voice asked him fiercely, demanding an answer from him. Ivar looked at you with his blue eyes.

In truth, you had often chatted with Ivar while venturing through the woods alone. As children, you both had sneaked away to play and enjoy each other's company. With the passing years, your feelings toward Ivar had evolved, but your parents' suspicions had intensified. They had correctly surmised that something had transpired between you and one of the Ragnarssons. Although they hadn't discovered the full truth, your last interaction with Ivar had been months ago.

“I've been watching you for a while," Ivar confessed calmly. "I thought we could talk here.” A calmness normally not usual for the man.

You nodded, sighing in distress. "I'd love to talk to you, Ivar, but my parents are constantly monitoring my every move.” You replied, coming a little closer to Ivar.

He looked at you with a little disappointment. His eyes examined you and he wished it would’ve been easier to get closer to you.

“Do you think we can get me up there?” Ivar asked, looking at you earnestly. Your gaze widened in surprise, and you chewed on your bottom lip, deliberating.

“I don't want to hurt your legs while helping you up,” you protested silently, as you knew how fragile his legs were. He shook his head, disagreeing.

His voice, which you greatly missed, reassured you, “You won't. Let me feel like a normal human. I've never been in a treehouse.”

Your heart ached at his desire to experience normalcy, and you agreed to assist him. You helped him climb the ladder, pushing him up carefully. Ivar grabbed onto the ladder with a strong and firm grip, whereas you pushed his legs up carefully. With some help, he managed to crawl up to your new home. Though the space was limited, it housed a bed, a small kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. Yet, your project was remarkable as you practically made it on your own. He looked around, admiring your talent.

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” he whispered, smiling at you as you entered through the bottom door.

“Thank you, Ivar,” you responded, pulling up the ladder and closing the door to maintain your privacy. “Do you like it?”

“Oh, I do. I like it even more with you inside it,” he flirted with you, which obviously worked.

A hush of blush rushed over your face. A slight smile on your lips. Your heart ponded fast, you hoped Ivar wouldn’t notice your awkwardness as much. Whenever you were alone with him, your deepened feelings came to the surface, drawing you closer to him.

“You can come whenever you like,” you mumbled shyly.

A flush of warmth crept over your cheeks, and you smiled shyly, feeling the intensity of your emotions as you stared into his piercing blue eyes. It pained you that your parents denied you the love of a Ragnarsson. Yet, it was a secret you were determined to keep from them.

Your shared treehouse, a sanctuary for your hidden desires.

[danieyells]

i am politely begging for lucas lines 🤲

LUCA MY BELOVED LITTLE BRIT KNIGHT. Luca is a darling but the thing about him is that he's so focused on his goal that he really seems to have no mind for anything else. . .well it's not a problem, but it does make him feel a little distant I guess.

May 27th, added the year 2 birthday lines

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"You're here 10 minutes early—I'm impressed. Let's check the details for today's mission."

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"A letter's arrived for you. It could be important—you'd better open it right away."

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"So this is all we have to go on for the next mission... Don't worry. No matter what anomaly awaits us, I'll keep you safe."

"I haven't trained nearly enough. I need to go on more missions... I have to do more, to find a way to subjugate them..."

bby you're already doing everything you can. . . .

"If you're ever in trouble, you can always come to me. I want to be there for my friends."

"Do I find it tough training every day? Those with strength have a duty to use it for others. I'm perfectly all right."

"I'm sorry. I haven't troubled you again with my thoughtlessness, have I?"

BABY YOU ARE THE MOST THOUGHTFUL MOST OF THE TIME DO NOT EVEN WORRY YOURSELF.

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"{PC}, good morning! An early training session will warm you up for the day. Would you care to join me?"

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'm sorry, I'm about to head out. A dangerous anomaly is wreaking havoc on campus again, and it's a threat to the general students."

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I invited Kaito to train with me, but he turned me down. Apparently, he's got a lot on his plate, but I'm worried about his lack of strength..."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"There's something I want to investigate a little further… You'll join me? Thank you. You really are very kind."

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Phew... I'm finished with today's revision. Still, it's not quite bedtime. Perhaps I could fit in a casual training session."

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I've heard in Japan it's believed you're more likely to encounter evil spirits at twilight. Let's go find out if it's true."

hey let's go wander out alone at night and see if we can find demons to fight! don't worry tho i'll protect you nbd.

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Kaito invited me to have ramen with him again today. He says it's Tokyo's signature dish."

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Jin has been calling you to his room a lot lately. Is everything okay? If you feel uncomfortable, I'll have a word with him."

let's say she was uncomfortable, what would that resolve? you think jin's gonna listen to you? but lmao it's kinda funny to me that like Ritsu and Luca see Jin putting you to work and go like "hm. that seems concerning." IT'S FINE THO WE'RE INTO IT EVERYTHING'S GOOD.

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"You think everywhere in Frostheim is cold? That's not true—the bedrooms are properly heated, like the cozy spot in front of the fireplace in winter."

everywhere outside of that though, freezing. including the bathrooms. especially the bathrooms.

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"If you're struggling to sleep, the Sandman will come and pay you a visit. That's what one old folktale in the UK says, at least. He must have been some sort of anomaly, too."

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"I'm fond of the morning air. My brother, on the other hand, always said he found the nighttime more relaxing. Which do you prefer?"

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Today in Anomalous Combat I was scolded by Professor Dante for defeating a mock anomaly. I believe I made the right call, so I'm quite confused..."

PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS JESUS CHRIST THEY EXPLAIN THIS IN EVERY SINGLE CLASS THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO CAPTURE THE ANOMALIES NOT DESTROY THEM. Jesus christ is that what they teach in Emrys?

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"In many ways, Frostheim etiquette is quite different from etiquette in the UK. I wish I could escort you, but I still have a lot to learn myself."

okay consider frostheim etiquette is shitty anyway most of the time so don't even worry about it they're assholes.

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"We still have some time until class starts. Why don't we go and fetch the documents for our next mission from Tohma?"

buddy isn't the main building across campus from Frostheim. . .do we have that kind of time. . . .

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"You need to make sure you eat a proper breakfast. You lose muscle mass if you do things on an empty stomach. That's why I always have biscuits on me."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"In classes I sometimes notice discrepancies between what is taught at Emrys and what is taught at Darkwick. I wonder which is correct?"

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You worked hard today. No matter what ordeals await us tomorrow, I trust that you'll both be able to overcome them."

Luca believes in you! So believe in yourself too! You'll make it another day.

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I've heard about the bushido ritual of seppuku. It's a rather extreme way of punishing oneself… It must require a great deal of mental fortitude."

IT'S NOT REALLY. . .A REGULAR WAY OF PUNISHING YOURSELF. . .I MEAN YEAH KILLING YOURSELF WITH RITUAL DISEMBOWLMENT REQUIRES A LOT OF MENTAL FORTITUDE BUT IT'S NOT EXACTLY. . .please keep your insides inside. . . .

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You should go home and rest, {PC}. I won't allow the Devil's hour to pass tonight without finding some sort of hint..."

i feel like he doesn't find many hints and should worry about sleeping instead. . .what's with ghouls and not sleeping and eating enough. . . .

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Did you manage to get a good night's sleep? Rest is the best medicine. Don't push yourself to stay up too late, all right?"

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Did you see they've announced what our next test is going to cover, {PC}? I hope your studies are going well. I'm happy to help you with review if you need me to."

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm going to have a chat with Professor Hyde about demons before I leave today. You and Kaito should go on ahead."

he's so studious! but i bet hyde wishes he'd y'know live a little.

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Is a "pajama party" some sort of important event? Kaito was insisting that we invite you to one."

please teach this boy to relax a little. . .teach him a little fun social stuff. . . .

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Sometimes I feel out of sorts, like I'm not myself. I still have a lot of training to do."

i think that's called exhaustion and having emotions, buddy. . .you can't train yourself out of that. . . .

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"We have experienced many joys and sorrows together since becoming friends. I'm very glad we met. I look forward to walking the road ahead with you."

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"I saw a lot of flowers in bloom while I was jogging through the campus this morning. It really brightened up my run."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Spring in Japan is quite similar to spring in the UK. The weather gets reassuringly warmer, and the air is filled with the scent of flowers."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Kaito has been nodding off in class a lot recently. I wake him up right away, but I'm still worried he'll fall behind..."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I've never seen cherry blossoms lit up at night before. They looked very different than they do in the daylight. I feel it taught me something about differing viewpoints."

i feel like i learned something! not sure what tho.

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Summer days are long and productive, but in Frostheim the days are short all year round. It's easy to get caught in the dark if you're not careful."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Kaito's going to teach me about Japanese summer again today. This is the first time I've spent the summer with friends— it's been a lot of fun."

;;;; please be a good first friend to him

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"There's a summer festival being held in Hotarubi this evening. I've got a yukata for it… Could you help me put it on?"

(between 8pm and 5am)

"The sun stays up until late at night during summer in the UK, so Japan's dark, sweltering summer nights feel quite odd to me."

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Tohma has been going out on a lot of private errands lately. I wonder where he's been going? You don't think he's doing secret training, do you?"

no sweetie i don't think he's secretly training without you. he's doing important administrative business. don't worry about it.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I like that autumn is considered the season for reading here. I'm reading two books at the moment—this one's in German, and this one's French. Can you read them?"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Tohma just gave us some chestnuts, so Kaito and I are going to try roasting them in the kitchen. Would you like to join us?"

once again the Frostheim Family interactions are strong lolol HERE KIDS HAVE SOME SNACKS. KEEP IT DOWN YOUR FATHER IS TRYING TO SLEEP.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Anomalies are more active in summer in Japan, whereas in the UK, they're more common in the autumn. I suppose Obon and Halloween are to blame there."

obon is in august that is barely summer tbh. i mean some places celebrate it in july i guess. but that's an interesting worldbuilding observation. local spirit and 'monster' related festivities influence the amount of anomalies that spawn in a region. so halloween in america and the uk result in a lot of anomalies. maybe there are lots of love related anomalies and like doves around valentine's day? then again Luca said they don't have them in the UK that he's aware of.

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"{PC}, your hands are red from the cold. Come on, let's run to the classroom. It'll warm you up."

while that is a realistic way of warming up who tf wants to go for a run in the cold. i mean it probably feels good the contrast in heat and cold but also HOW ABOUT WE GO TO THE STORE AND GET SOME MITTENS OR SOMETHING. but it is a very in character response for him lol. . . .

(between 11am and 4pm)

"When Kaito put a satsuma on his head and said, "I'm a New Year's decoration," Tohma fell silent and walked away. I'm confused— was it some sort of spell?"

satsuma are those little mandarins they put on top of kagami-mochi at New Years! if you've seen japanese winter/new years art you may have seen characters with them sat atop their heads while they relax in kotatsu. in the japanese version Kaito says "kagami-mochi" and Luca likely doesn't know what kagami-mochi is, so he thought it was magic.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"The sun sets early this time of year. It's easy to feel down when the nights are long, but that's why it's especially important to stick to a routine like an exercise schedule."

Luca wards off his seasonal depression with exercise. good to know.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"On a clear, frosty night, you can see an aurora in the sky above Frostheim. It's very inspiring—like a beacon of hope in the darkness."

His birthday (Year 1): (March 22nd)

"I suppose today is my birthday. Thank you. If you don't mind, will you join me in praying for my twin brother's safety?"

i gently rag on him for caring about nothing else but. it's clear how much his brother means to him and how worried he is about him, that even his birthday is dedicated to worrying over his wellbeing. idk who or what he prays to, or if it's just a general hoping thing or a 'since i'm in japan i'll make my pleas to japan's gods, in case those entities might have any power to help' type thing, like going to a shrine just because it's what everybody does, but. idk. i hope he can have a nice birthday outside of worrying about his brother. then again, it's hard to enjoy your birthday when you know it's your twin's birthday too and not knowing where they are, i guess.

His birthday (Year 1): (March 22nd)

"…You want to celebrate my birthday? Thank you, {PC}. I'm sure somewhere out there someone is celebrating for my brother too."

It sounds like he's willing to let this birthday just be about him. . .he's getting used to being without his twin which is kind of sad. . .but I'm happy he can move forward more y'know? I'm sure someone's celebrating for his brother too.

Your birthday (Year 1):

"Happy birthday, {PC}. There is a reason you were born into this world, and it's something that should be celebrated."

Your birthday (Year 2):

"Happy birthday, {PC}! I truly appreciate how lucky I am to be able to spend this day with you."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. I've heard it's customary to visit a shrine, so I'm planning to invite Kaito to go with me. Would you like to come along?"

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Thank you! This is all very new to me. In the UK, it's men who express their gratitude to women on Valentine's Day."

i was gonna say something questioning because i'm american but when i think about it women in relationships with men don't really/aren't expected to give something to their boyfriends/husbands are they. it's much more of a day to give to/do something for your girlfriend. usually the idea of a gift for a man on valentine's day is ~dress sexy for him and have sex with him~ or whatever because other material stuff like stuffed animals and candy and flowers are seen as non-masculine gifts and things men wouldn't like. . .but that's kind of sad to think about. idk i guess i never really thought about it because valentine's day is a day that has no meaning to me. and 'valentine's day is a day men express their gratitude to women' is a very kind perspective on how it seems like people treat valentine's day haha. . . .

White Day: (March 14th)

"Thank you for the chocolate you gave me last month. This is a token of my appreciation. They're Thorntons chocolates— I just received them from back home."

do you think his family sent them and he decided to give you something lovingly sent to him by his family, or that he ordered them for the occasion specifically. . .i think it's sweet either way.

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"How odd... Kaito has been acting peculiar all morning. I wonder if he's coming down with something. Did you notice it, too?"

homie's really been living under a rock huh.

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Is that you under that mask, {PC}? I could just tell. I don't really understand what's so fun about this holiday."

on one hand, maybe if you got him to dress up and go trick-or-treating he'd enjoy it more? on the other hand i feel like he'd be on edge about it. More anomalies around in the UK around halloween, and he'd be so busy thinking about if there are demons around under his nose he wouldn't be able to have fun. . .poor guy probably grew out of halloween early huh.

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Happy Christmas! It's a shame I'm not able to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family this year, but I'm glad that I have all of you now."

you're his family now ;;;;;

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Penny for them? I'm happy to lend an ear if there's something troubling you."

'them' being 'your thoughts' in case you aren't familiar with the expression

(13 affinity and above)

"When deciding on your next move, I do think it's important to think carefully. That said, hesitation can cost lives. Balance is crucial."

boy it ain't that deep i am idle because i am checking emails or something would you relax--

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"I knew you'd be back. If you're prepared to work to overcome this ordeal once again, I will gladly lend you my strength."

THOSE ARE MOST ALL OF HIS VOICELINES he's very. . .focused. it makes him a little repetitive but considering what's happening to bring him here i don't blame him. . . .

Of course finding his brother is important but the poor guy doesn't even see the world around him really, which is kind of sad. . . . On one hand, it's good that he's able to focus on his goals and desires, on the other hand it feels like those things are all he cares about because he feels like he has to and other aspects of life fly by him even if he'd otherwise enjoy them. . . . But even as his affinity goes up it feels like he focuses on so many of the same things. He sees you very much as his family and the first real friends he's ever made, which does lend to a positive relationship, but even then it feels like he keeps you at arm's length and sees you as someone to protect more than a loved one. . .maybe if he can find his brother or find out what happened to him he'll lighten up a little someday. then again given he isn't familiar with things like pajama parties and april fool's day he was probably serious even with his brother around! I assume they're going to be opposite type brothers, where his brother is a very jovial and relaxed person, but Luca is serious and strict. but only time will tell!

[atsadi-shenanigans]

FSBE 21 - Spooky Scary Skeletons

You have a chat.

(There's gonna be typos in this thing, because I am on a time constraint posting this today, and I'm typing on a laptop keyboard and ain't used to the damned thing at all.)

On AO3.

So you tell them the basics, the outline of everything. A couple details, but nothing deep. Nobody interrupts you. Just as well, cause you don’t look up from your clasped hands. Can’t make no eye contact as you talk; you’ll trip over your own words and hide away inside yourself.

Mother taking you. The farmstead. Daily bible lessons instead of school. The Aunts watching as y’all did youns’ chores. The discipline. Church. The dorms and the chow hall and all the work and work and work and how you ain’t never clean enough, pure enough. How you began to doubt. How you didn’t even know what that was. Mother bringing you the good news of finding a husband for you and what that meant, and you fleeing through the fields into the night a few days later.

You say nothing of the basement. Can almost feel Astarion’s gaze on you.

Everybody’s mostly quiet once you’re done. When you do manage to lift your head, Karlach gives you her “fuck yeah” nod.

It seems to settle affairs. Nobody brings up altering plans no more. Shadowheart quietly gathers her things, and y’all head out.

Astarion falls in beside you. As y’all tromp outta the half-collapsed building, he leans in and says, “Good for you, darling.”

You give him a small smile. It’s the best you can do right now.

The town looks like some rotten, spookfest village in a zombie video game. All decrepit buildings. Rubble cluttering the streets—some of it piled into obvious barricades, and some of those lined in spikes with skeletons draped over them. Fun. What a fun fucking place.

Even with Sailor Moon’s jesus hands, the shadows follow y’all. Like a nasty dog just aching to sink stinking needle teeth into your ankles. It curls around your face. Spectral talons claw at what must be some kinda magic forcefield hovering a couple inches from your skin. It’s close enough you can see how the hateful fuck wants to pluck out your eyes.

Fucking curses. Fucking gods.

Speaking of, there’s some kinda monolith in the center of town. It’s half-buried under thorny vines that smell like a two-week dead possum corpse. Them vines twitch as y’all get close, too. And in that movement, you spot white bone sticking out.

Carnivorous stink vines.

Neat.

“I hate this fucking place,” you say.

“It leaves a lot to be desired,” Astarion says. “Not so much as a rabbit since we entered. And no sunlight.”

Nothing living. No blood for him. Y’all are fine on crackers and barley grits, but him?

“I think I’m better enough from the concussion you can, uh, drink from me,” you say. “Once we get back and all.”

“Oh, you’d rather I not sweep you off your feet and take you right here?”

Your face burns. He means blood. You know it, he knows it, but he’s Astarion, so he’s fucking obliged to frame it like that.

And he’s smirking about it, the shithead.

“I think Shadowheart’d object,” you say.

Astarion waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about our cleric, darling. That one hasn’t the fangs for it. Not really.”

You twist to look at him. “She’s pretty damn good at breaking bones with that mace of hers.”

“Yes, but those were goblins. It’s entirely different. She likes you.”

As much as anyone with her mindset can, once her leash gets tugged. Which it has so she doesn’t.

Shadowheart herself is busy peering at a tablet embedded on the side of the monolith. Gale stands beside her. Frowns when she sneers, and for a second, you think her magic hearing caught you out. But she says, “It seems like this Ketheric Thorm is double the traitor, even after the Dark Lady blessed him with this curse.”

You edge away from a crumbling skeleton nearby. Blessing is an odd word for this. She don’t seem all that affected, though, while that shit longs to chew everybody apart from the inside out.

“And yet he still abandoned her,” she says. Catches you watching and drops her delicate sneer faster than a water moccasin she mistook for a stick in the river.

“So then who granted him the invulnerability our friend Jaheira described?” Gale says.

Jesus lord, y’all are caught up in a divine dick-waving contest.

***

The waypoint stone is, in fact, intact. And Gale can and does, in fact, turn it back on.

“If one of you lot gets killed, don’t come crying to me,” Karlach says.

Turns out that lightning wasn’t the only spell Gale’s been working on. And the trader at the inn had a set of what he calls “sending stones.” Which is a form of, what, magic voice mail? But super limited, down to twenty-five words.

If either of your groups get into a pickle, y’all let the other know. The waypoint stone is the Alamo.

Then you wish you didn’t make that comparison; didn’t all them Texans get slaughtered at the Alamo?

You watch Wyll, Lae’zel, and Karlach head off to poke around and see what they can turn up. Karlach gives you a worried look over your shoulder. You give her a thumbs up.

You are fucking lying.

Not-Sasha chooses that moment to start yapping in your head. Something about “yes, yes, feel the power of your anger something seat of the Absolute something dark side this and that.” You focus on the tower rising outta the gloom. Bitch is a hundred feet tall, at least, and thick as shit. Ain’t none of them bitches inside cleaned up and of the moldering bodies littered over the bridge connecting the tower to the town, neither. You remember Astarion saying something about monsters not doing that.

You catch Gale’s eye. He gives you a reassuring nod.

Infiltrate a psychic brainworm cult. You’re already doing your best to batten down the mental hatches. Still your thoughts. Dig into the deep recesses of you, hunting for that old way of thinking like digging through a closet for an ugly, itching shirt you thought you threw away. But now you gotta put it on, and worse, you can’t fidget or indicate in any way that you hate the damn thing.

It has to be you. Your best. That teenage girl, that twenty-year-old fanatic sobbing face down on the concrete of the barn-turned-church, muttering devotionals over the wet spot of cleansing tears.

Your hands is shaking again.

And the soft scent of flowers washes over you. Shadowheart comes up on your right.

“I wasn’t directing my earlier remark at you,” she says, careful not to direct her gaze at you, neither.

“You’re good,m” you say. Try not to side-eye her, even if only to try to catch a read on what this is.

“I never…” Her lips press tight. Brown furrows. She finally glances to you, the tiniest flicker. “You know of my devotion to Lady Shar, yet you don’t seem to judge, even after your own…past.”

Huh.

This…huh.

Is this what Sasha felt all them years ago when you finally got beyond her saying “hi” and you responding with panicked avoidance in town? Talking to outsiders let the devil in. And you told her that to her face about the third time she saw you. But she stayed calm and friendly, and said she hoped the good weather held during your walk home.

It must have antagonized her, though. Being accused of marrying Satan tends to piss people off. But she ain’t never showed it.

So you only shrug. “I ain’t your boss.”

Shadowheart looks at you fully, then, ignoring the skeptical tilt of Astarion’s eyebrows to your side (you flap a low hand at him in the hopes he’ll get the message to back the fuck off, please). It’s a cool assessing thing. Reminds you of the way she studied you on that butthole ship, and again on the beach when she tucked away that weird puzzle box and you didn’t ask about it. (Which you now know apparently contains Not-Sasha and is the reason y’all didn’t erupt into calamari-face.)

“Not everyone is accepting as that,” she says. Takes a few steps. Then, “Thank you. For respecting it. Me.”

Gale leads the way, and you ain’t sure he can hear this. Astarion sure as shit can, but he ain’t sending you brainworm murder offers this time, so…progress?

“Like I said, I got no idea how this place works,” you say. “It’d be real stupid to go stepping into shit I don’t know. All that stuff can be real good for some people.”

Which is true. And still raises your hackles. Ten years out and you still a kicked dog looking to bite somebody religious. But one who also knows not every hand lifted at you is a fist. Much as part of you want to to on a screaming, mauling rampage.

This, your therapists have assured you, is progress.

Then Shadowheart relaxes just a hair, and that’s probably worth you biting your tongue. “It is. We…my lady commands secrecy above all. It’s one of our holiest tenets.”

But. There’s a “but” in there, caught on the tip of her tongue. She visibly wrestles with herself (it’s in the eyes) and then continues,” We’re one, in the darkness. All of us naked and equal in her blessed void.”

Y’all wore white on church days, kneeling and choking on sin before the Pastor on his lesser throne.

“That sounds comforting,” you say. If everybody is a sinner, everybody is in equal need of grace.

Until the lord passed judgment through his right hand, and a congregant was singled out for cleansing wrath. “Some more equal than others,” as that animal book said or something.

Shadowheart stops. Gale don’t notice, keeps on heading towards the fog-shine of lanterns ahead. She looks up at you. “I. I’m sorry. For making my own judgment about you. It was in error.”

“I get that a lot.”

She frowns, a hint of worry tightening her brown.

“That was a joke,” you say.

And that earns you the world’s tiniest smile. A grasshopper’s sigh of a smile, that feels like a glitter bomb exploding into the word “victory” in your head.

“You aren’t what I expected,” she says.

“I get that a lot, too.”

God, that smile of hers is trying real hard to find itself some roots. But she manages to swat it down with a nod. “That’s settled, then.”

With the small uptick at the end to make is a question. She ain’t staring or giving off that unearthly chill of disapproval. She reminds you of the woman who found you blubbering out in the woods after Astarion left you there. Who then threatened to smite the man on your behalf.

Y’all reach the edge of the bridge. Gale has turned, clearly waiting for y’all, a bit puzzled and a bit consternated (you ain’t sure that’s actually a word, but that sure is what his face is doing).

Guards stand around up there, in actual, metal armor. Stone steps lead up and up, to a set of double doors you’re willing to bet bar from the inside. Teenage you shudders in the back of your mind.

“Impressive,” Gale says as y’all catch up. “I can see why both the harpers and the druids failed to capture this place.”

Shadowheart looks to you again, solemn and serious. “Do try not tog et us all killed.”

It hits and ricochets about in you—she’s still pissed—you got her to smile—not friends?

Then the corners of her eyes crinkle. Barely. “That was a joke.”

Jesus fuck. You ain’t never wanted to muss somebody’s hair in proud affection and slap them upside the head for the what the fuck was that. But you’ll take an olive branch when you get handed one, so you give her an actual smile.

“I’m about to vomit,” Astarion says. “Can we get on with this, or do you two need a bit of privacy to indulge each other?”

Shadowheart beats you to the glare. Meets him with ice cold calm and a raised eyebrow. “Is that jealousy I hear?”

“Of you?” He scoffs. “I’m merely concerned about the looming fortress of tadpoled cultists. That and your githyanki paramour discovering she has competition.”

It’s…hard to tell what his tone is. He’s a grade-A bitch on normal days. And you told him about you, well, lack of experience.

Then again, he came onto you last night and you wanted to read a book about a plague. That tends to put people off.

But Shadowheart stays on him. Tilts her head and her shoulders in offended Mean Girl and lays into him about “the gith and I, I’d rather drink bleach.” Or something to that effect. Cause you ain’t really paying attention to what she’s saying. You’re focused on the flash of his gaze to you. The subtle tilt of his chin, the hint of something behind his eyes.

He’s doing it on purpose. Drawing her away from you. Cause he knows about you. More’n what you told the others. He felt parts of it. Enough, unless you’re wildly off base, to give you a second of breathing room at the base of the steps. Before the guards stomp over to ask who the hell y’all are. An inch of space to suck in a lungful, lock down, and look up that tower full of an immortality secret and at least one kidnapped tiefling kid.

You turn to face the guards. Fold your hands in front of you. Smile at Gale.