#i wish we got full body sprite

[culxiaa-fn]

Captain of the 9th Armada, Alkaid's wife that's in Intergalactic War

[bishops-of-the-old-faith]

I've been wondering how you do your animations?

i animated them on clip studio paint! they are 17-18 or so frames, give or take, so to make a little gif like them you don't need ex

i don't think i'm completely qualified to explain how to animate in clip studio paint (and honestly. you do not need clip studio paint for this), but i wish to point out that every separate moving part, if you want them to move differently from the body, needs its own folder to be independent. in the case of the talk sprites, it's their eyes, mouth, crowns, as well as extra appendages (i'm using shamura's as an example, so their pedipalps)

i animated the blink on 7s. it's a bit of an odd frame rate, but it works

for the blink, simply drawing an open eye and closed eye works, but we can add some extra frames in between to make it more interesting. i will go over what i did to do so

it consists of 5 unique frames

first is the wide open eyes. just draw them how you normally do

next is this about to close eye. i have put onion skin on so you can compare the previous (blue) and next (green) frames

frame 3 is the actual close. you don't need to animate every step of closing, because that will make the movement feel slow. i'm not an animation student but from what i have picked up as a hobbyist, less frames in between makes the action look faster because your brain can fill in the rest!

frame 4 is still closed-eyed, but extended down a bit. this will make the part where their eyes open squish a bit before they bounce. it adds tension to the movement and makes it more interesting

and the last unique frame is this half-lidded look. just opening their eyes again. this movement is a bit slower, so we add another frame

from here, i insert frame 2 and frame 1 to the end to make the full blink! if you want another reference, look at this drawing made by crowne prince. this image comes from a video that goes into a lot more detail, as well as including eyelashes

the mouth i animated on 5s. i needed motions that always looked like talking so i am sure there are better lip sync guides out there. the mouth does not need to move quickly, so the frames change little by little as they move, opposed to the blink

you can also see it in action in this gif i made of my sona. though in this gif, there is an extra frame between the starting eye and the lidded eye, an extra bounce after opening. i did not do this for the bishops but if you want a little more oomf in your blink, you can add the extra frame

the blink is not on loop. for the entire animation, they blink once. because constant blinking is a bit unnatural, unless they got something in their eyes! but each of the bishops blinks at a different time :)

frame 1, i referenced the original game sprite because that's an easy starting out point

for frame 2, the mouth is wider, again bringing the tension and bounce properties into this movement

frame 3 is smaller than frame 1, it is getting ready to close

frame 4 gets closer

and frame 5 closes!

and this animation is on a consistent loop. 1>2>3>4>5>4>3>2>1 and repeat

and each of their extra appendages (if applicable) are different. but in general they had 3 unique frames. a resting position, an inbetween of going up, and a high point. then it would come back down. depending on the swiftness of the movement, i might skip a frame (kallamer's ears, for example). but since shamura is generally more relaxed, they move slower and more consistently

again i am not an animation student but i hope this was insightful

[beevean]

Comparing CV and NFCV designs

I was having thoughts about how game designs were translated to the show. While I'm not a character design expert, I ended up having a fair bit to say, because most of the changes are fascinating, for better or for worse :P

1) Sypha

She's the only character I would say that was improved over the game version.

While Sypha never starred in any game post-CV3, and wasn't redesigned by Ayami Kojima like Trevor and Alucard were (excluding a cameo in PtR), we know what she looks like by her ending sprite of CV3 and the Fake Sypha of SoTN:

Yet another long-blonde-haired woman. Like pretty much every other woman in CV with few exceptions. She's carried by her mage outfit and her big hood that give her a mystique air, but I don't blame the showrunners for redesigning her.

Giving her short, reddish hair was a great choice IMO. It's a very cute haircut that doesn't fall into the "Stronk Female Character" stereotype (think Zafir essentially lol). Too bad they didn't even attempt the whole "secretly a man" plot point because it would have worked pretty well. Her clothes are simple, and I wish she hid herself in the hood more, but they work for her character. Full thumbs up!

2) Dracula

I'll use the Dracula from SoTN and CoD as reference, since those are the designs that inspired the one from the show.

His SoTN design is iconic, a true classy villain that inspires awe, and surprisingly faithful to the description in Bram Stoker's book. His CoD design isn't bad, very similar in features to the previous one, but with clothes more inspired to his "Classic" style, which makes sense. (the spiked wings are particularly cool)

... but I must confess that I prefer Dracula with black hair rather than white:

I know that LoI didn't happen in NFCV, but it would make more sense for the original Dracula. He could have looked like an older Mathias by the time of CV3... then the grief of losing Lisa would turn his hair white, as we see in CoD and after. Also it's just aesthetically more pleasing lol.

I like the outfit as well. The top is inspired from the CoD outfit, where he looked like a sorcerer, and the bottom is inspired from the SoTN outfit, where he looked like a noble (he wears boots, hidden here). Not particularly elegant, but then again this Dracula is neither of those things, so it works well enough.

It's ranked below Sypha simply because, well, it's just Dracula with a dye job, not much effort went into here. Hell, Kojima herself considered the idea first:

But it's a small change that works wonders and I like him a lot!

3) St. Germain

In CoD, St. Germain was meant to look very out of place:

He wears anachronistic clothes, and even his body build is unusual for the style. You can tell before he opens his mouth that something's up with him.

In the show, having a different background, he had to be redesigned:

He looks more time appropriate and stockier, but still recognizeable as the original character in physical traits. They even kept the hourglass!

I have little to add. The two characters serve different purposes, so they have to look different, and both work. I don't prefer one over the other, which is good enough. It was also a cute easter egg that N!St. Germain at one point wore the original outfit.

4) Trevor

Now we're getting into "obvious downgrades compared to the original" territory, but Trevor still looks fine for what he is:

Handsome in a scruffy way, combat ready (especially after ditching the cape), and with noble heritage. Nothing near as iconic as his CoD design, which looks both elegant and as combat ready as a veteran vampire hunter should be...

... but again, it's fine for the kind of character this Trevor is, and he's still aesthetically pleasing.

I do question, however, why Trevor starts out with his scar. In CoD, he got the scars on his eye and chest after the fight with Dracula, to mark him as a survivor of the Dark Lord at the peak of his strength. Giving it to Trevor simply because he got in trouble with humans is cheapening it.

5) Hector

Hector has the dubious honor of being one of the few characters who looks nearly identical to his game counterpart. As you can tell by the placing of the designs, I don't like this choice (Dracula notwithstanding because the black hair really is an improvement IMO), because they end up looking like discount versions of the beautiful Kojima designs.

Still, what more or less saves Hector is that his design had to be simplified, because man there is a lot going on here:

Hector's design conveys two important factors: he's a knight, and he's proficient in combat. The outfit's not elegant, but it's protective - look at the armor on his chest, his boots, and the guard on his left arm. His clothes overall look sturdy and comfortable enough to run and fight. He also has a ton of details that would be a nightmare to animate, such as the holes in his sleeves and pants, the chains, the skewed belt...

The simplification here was done with the right amount of care. The holes have become a motif, and the sleeves are no longer asymmetrical in color; same for the holes in the pants. The armor and boots still share the same motif, even without the detail that made them look protective (in fact, the armor is more visibly made of metal here, while in Kojima's style it's hard to tell if it's metal or leather). The belt has become a singular object, and most importantly they removed the black ribbon wrapped around the sash - it was most likely an accidental choice, but since that is Rosaly's ribbon, and ofc Hector wouldn't have it in this version, it was the right call.

There are, however, some problems with this. All these compromises make for a weird design in the context of the show: no other character has this extravagant design, even with all the simplifications. I'll explain later that he's especially jarring contrasted with Isaac. Also, it simply doesn't fit the character: this version of Hector is infamously completely ineffectual in battle, spends most of his screentime being used and tortured, and never once swings a weapon at an opponent (perhaps this is why he looks like he lost all muscle mass lol). Just look at the glove on his right hand: the reason the real Hector wears it is as protection when he uses his sword. Hector from the show doesn't even have a sword! That glove is completely useless for a blacksmith like he's supposed to be!

As a plus, this is what Hector is supposed to wear when employed under Dracula:

They gave Isaac the correct uniform (and I will have words about it). Hector started to wear his CoD clothes after he decided to run all over Wallachia to chase Isaac. Again, the outfit is not for work, it's for combat.

But it's not just the clothing that changed. On a positive note, I like his darker skin: Hector here is canonically Greek, and I appreciate it. I would like to see this bronze skin tone with game Hector's silver hair. On a negative note, however, this Hector's hair is very bad: not only it's a dull grey and not shiny silver, but the haircut is simply unflattering - why did they cut off the tips like that? It falls very badly around his face, it looks like a cheap, static wig.

(i'm not even going to deign words for how they drew child hector. that thing has suffered enough)

Overall, I don't know why they bothered to recreate the same design when it simply doesn't fit the character, and the character in general just looks like a downgrade, but I can accept the compromises in a vacuum. It helps that Hector's original design is just that good.

6) Lisa

Lisa also looks identical to her game counterpart, perhaps because there was no need to waste time for a minor character.

She's female Alucard with a typical mom ponytail. Nothing much to say.

And I will only say one thing about Lisa in the show.

Man is the style so damn unflattering for her.

She can look better depending on the artist...

But I'm not giving points for literally copying Kojima's design and doing it poorly.

7) Alucard

Alucard's design by Kojima is one of the most iconic in videogame history.

Look at him. Pure, effortless elegance. An absolute prince, graceful and deadly. The sheer amount of detail in his clothing are a fashion designer's dream. You cannot top this. Which is why I imagine the show didn't even attempt to.

... but what the actual fuck am I looking at here.

Again. Simplification was in order, I get it, I understand. But... really? Really. You did this to Alucard. You gave him the shittiest V-neck shirt and pants I could buy at the thrift store? Where is the elegance? Where is the nobility? Just having a long coat isn't enough to recreate the same style!

I also resent the scar on his chest, given to him by Dracula (unlike Trevor). That is the true reason he wears the shitty V-neck shirt. His S4 design all but proves it:

Now this is just nonsensical. What's the point of wearing a cape and a coat, but still going around with your whole chest out? I mean. We all know why. But it's ridiculous.

This is why Alucard ranks far lower than Hector and Lisa: his design has cheap fanservice as its priority, and I find that disrespectful towards the character and the audience. Plus, much like Lisa, the style is very unflattering to him.

I don't know what to tell you, guys. I just find him ugly, even in the best shots.

8) Carmilla

Comparing the two Carmillas isn't even worth it, but then again I could say the same about Isaac, and I don't want to be unfair :P

This is the most famous design for Carmilla in the games:

A giant, masked, naked woman riding a skull crying bloody tears. Nothing like any other foe in the series, and absolutely raw.

We also have "Camilla" from CotM:

Aww, she's cute. She's so pink and frilly! She has fins in her hair! Hard to imagine her as a villain. But don't worry, she also turns into a giant naked demon lady riding a skull:

So the showrunners had some good ideas to transport into the show.

... And they went for the most generic "sexy female villain" design they could.

She's not ugly, but... she's just boring. This design fits her to a T because her whole character is boring. They didn't even give her a mask, or a skull motif. Nothing. It's just a forgettable sexy #girlboss. Disappointing. Even the dress is boring - does this thing even have shading?

I guess they recycled the idea of a cute vampire villain for Lenore, but she's outside the scope of this list, so.

9) Isaac

And finally we get to the worst downgrade in the whole show :)

Where do I even begin with this guy. He's unlike any other character designed by Kojima, but not to the point of looking like he doesn't belong. What matters is that you can tell everything you need to know about him at first glance, and first and foremost: he's the peak of flamboyancy and insanity. You are not going to forget Isaac very soon lol.

But it's all the details that make the picture. He's red and black, marking him as a foil to Hector who is blue and silver. His outfit is obviously similar to Hector's, but fallen off of him and rotten (the "armor" on his chest resembles Hector's own, just stripped down). He has long forgotten anything resembling "sturdy and comfortable", but the bloodied spear tells us he's still a formidable fighter. The hair is anachronistic to say the least, but the way the bangs cover a side of his face contrasts Hector's billowing hair and draws attention to the tattoo on his face. He is covered head to toe with intricate tattoos, that must have been painful to get: a show of strength, loyalty, or masochism, you decide. Among these, he proudly displays a tattoo in the shape of the Devil Forgemaster crest on his back: this, along with the collar, tell us that he's slavishly devoted to his master.

This is Isaac's character, and the design does a fantastic job at telling us everything we need to know without even needing him to move or speak. I would say that his main characteristics are the color red (the hair, mostly) and the tattoos.

Yeah, good job not keeping a damn thing that made him recognizeable.

This is a dude. This is a completely average dude who rolled into the set and stole a costume for the role. No, giving him red eyes and a few dots on his face is not enough to give him an unique, memorable design. He's bland... neutered. And they absolutely did it on purpose, because this design is the complete opposite of the controversial original above - this Isaac is serious and "deep", not a gay clown, duhhh.

They don't even deserve credit for the uniform:

And may I say that Kojima, being an artist on a whole different level, was able to make the cossacks look elegant and dynamic, while N!Isaac above looks flat and boring.

Also, in PtR, Hector and Isaac match:

Because they're wearing a uniform. They have the same job and the same role, so they are wearing the same clothes. It's common sense. (it also makes more satisfying when at the end they diverge, displaying more of their personalities)

In the show, they do not:

Why is Hector, the ineffectual non-fighter, wearing combat clothes, while Isaac, the sharp and strong fighter, is wearing a full vest? Why is Hector wearing blue and Isaac is wearing black? Why do they have different crests on their armor???? IT'S A UNIFORM!

This is what happens when you browse the wiki without actually doing research on what the elements you're referencing mean.

Also, blue and black? Nowhere near as striking as blue and red. Isaac has something of a red motif in the show, only in his magic, but his personality doesn't match it. Even worse, Isaac wears blue in S4. Because he's not a foil to Hector, he is Hector but worse.

As for the tattoos, obviously I would never expect all those intricate tattoos in an animated show, but it would have been cool if he had at least the Devil Forgemaster one (even the extremely simplified version on this Hector's back), since even this Isaac starts out as being blindly loyal to Dracula. Instead, they thought that Isaac has a fetish for pain, and they gave show Isaac the habit of flagellating himself... which then got attributed to religion, and then was dropped lol. His actual tattoos are... weird? And overall they hardly matter, since they're concealed most of the time. Unlike game Isaac's tattoos, they don't convey anything about his character.

As you can guess, the reason Isaac is my least favorite design is that he's not just a downgrade: he's a downgrade that pretends, and is accepted, to be an upgrade. You can feel the contempt against the real Isaac, by showrunners who didn't bother to understand the character and hastly rewrote him to "fix" him. Isaac was deliberately neutered because the show thought itself too superior... although in retrospect it's funny, since they allowed a pink haired BDSM vampire in Nocturne...

[ohwynne]

TIMING: Late July PARTIES: Ariadne @ariadnewhitlock & Wynne @ohwynne LOCATION: Wicked's Rest General Hospital SUMMARY: Snuggled together in Wynne's hospital bed, the couple reunites and declare each other their love. CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

She didn’t think she liked hospitals all too much. They were full of people at their worst states – and despite being a living, breathing nightmare, Ariadne loathed the idea of suffering. Though she supposed that lives were also saved in hospitals, and focusing on that made the fact that Wynne, the person she cared about probably most in the world, was here. Had gotten hurt, badly – though she didn’t know exactly how badly, and she didn’t want to think about that.

Even though she did, as she drove to where they were, as she rushed through the door, somehow getting past the staff at the front, who believed they were family. Ariadne knew that she loved Wynne enough for that to be true, and so she didn’t feel bad about lying. About tricking hardworking people, because that didn’t matter right now. Wynne was alive, and Ariadne was going to get to see that for herself.

Sprite and flowers in hand, Ariadne pushed open the door to Wynne’s room, though the flowers and Sprite were soon forgotten, placed haphazardly near the door, before she moved closer to her partner, her near-everything (which might’ve been dramatic but she didn’t care). “I’m here. I - do you want me to get into the bed with you? What do you need? I’m here for any and all of it.”

—

They didn’t know what to do, once Ariadne arrived. Though there was little energy to fret and overthink, Wynne still managed to get lost in a maze of thoughts as they laid in that bed, wondering what story to give Ariadne. The truth? Wouldn’t it be selfish to tell the other of vampires, to drag her into a world where such things were real and real threats? Or perhaps it was selfish not to … And then, what if she didn’t believe them? 

It was why they had been vague over text. Why they laid in their hospital bed now, their stomach aching in a way that the painkillers couldn’t help. Ariadne was comfortable, was safe — and a part of them wanted it to remain the way it was, blissful oblivion. Their own demon-filled past kept quiet, eyes set on the future and their endless list of things to do. That was maybe selfish.

When she arrived, they rose in bed, wincing slightly as their tired body got in motion. “You’re here,” they said, and their eyes filled on tears as if on command. They wished they had pulled the sheets higher, to hide the bandage on their throat. That their raw wrists weren’t on display. Wynne was trying to push themself to the side to make space for Ariadne on the mattress. “Yes.” They said, voice a small thing. “Please. I’m — I’m so glad to see you. I thought I wouldn’t again.”

—

“I’m here,” and them crying made her want to cry, too. Ariadne did her best to not look them over too much, to just focus on the fact that they were both here and alive (or not dead dead, in her own case), and that all she wanted to do was wrap them up in her arms.

“Okay.” Voice gentle. “I’m so glad to see you too. I also thought I wouldn’t see you again.” Which had, of course, caused her to blame herself, even though she had no idea where they’d gone. Ariadne had felt like it was all her fault, though – somehow, because she was a monster, and she’d brought Wynne down with her, or something. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but all she knew was that talking to them, and now seeing them again meant the world to her. She climbed up onto the mattress, offering Wynne a small kiss. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m just here, for you.”

She bent over the side of the bed to hand them the flowers. “We can ask a nurse or doctor or someone to put these in a vase, if you’d like? I just thought having some flowers around might be nice, you know?” She nodded toward Wynne, offering her shoulder if they wanted to lie on it. I love you caught just before her lips. Ariadne lay the flowers on a nearby table, for now. “If you want to talk about it, we can. It’s – up to you. We can also just stay here, just like this.”

—

This was all so ugly. It did not fit with Ariadne, who was one of the brightest and most beautiful things Wynne had ever come across. They wanted it to just be that. Selfishly, they just wanted to do all the things on their shared bucketlist together, but here Ariadne was anyway, and here they laid. Broken nose, rope-burn wrists, ruined throat. 

She climbed onto the bed next to them and Wynne didn’t even comment on her shoes, just let her kiss them and closed their eyes. Tears leaked out, quietly, and they nodded. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Why not grow repetitive? There was so little they were certain of, so much they were scared of — but this they knew. They were glad Ariadne was here. They were glad she had brought flowers.

“I’d like that,” they said, nodding at the sight of them. One of them was plucked out of the bouquet and they smelled it, laying their head down and against Ariadne’s shoulders. “I — I want to. It’s just … I hope you can believe me.” Wynne looked up at them, pushing their lips together, not wanting to lift the veil of Ariadne’s beautiful world and show her what was out there. “Um.” Where to start? Maybe the beginning. “I was gonna go out for drinks with Zack and Arden the other night … and then out of nowhere these people arrived.” They averted their gaze. “And they took us. They were.” Their voice halted. “Do you know anything about … well, supernatural things living in town?”

—

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she echoed, looking at them softly, with every ounce of love she had in her body. There was a certain comfort to knowing that, despite being a monster, she did have the capability to feel love. That was what Ariadne told herself, at least, because this couldn’t be ruined, too. Not even if Wynne deserved better.

“I can call one in here whenever you want.” She pushed off her shoes and let them fall to the ground, the quiet plops weirdly comforting on the near-plastic floor of the hospital. It was better, this way, and she pressed her sock-covered feet carefully against their legs, the expression on her face saying that she’d move or change anything if this didn’t fit for them.

“I promise to believe you.” Ariadne didn’t know entirely if she could hold that up, because there was still a lot about the town that she simply didn’t understand, but for Wynne, trying anything was worth it. It also meant that one day, maybe, she could tell them about what she was. Tell them and hope that they didn’t hate her for it.

“I don’t know a lot, but I know some. But I want to know more, and you can tell me anything.” She gave them another small nod. Ariadne pressed a kiss against their lips again. “I’m listening.”

—

This wasn’t a great place to be, so bright and weirdly smelling, but it was better. An improvement. A promise, even, one that said: you lived and you will live and people will make sure of it. It was even better now, with Ariadne there. Someone who was so glad to see them again, who brought comfort and warmth with her. Wynne smiled up at her, a little weakly, but they smiled all the same.

“Maybe later. For now I just want it to be the two of us,”  they said, enjoying the pressure of Ariadne’s body against their own. It was grounding. Comforting. It was what they had longed for all this time, during which they had felt so alone and small in the bed. It was better shared. They looked forward to sharing the car with Ariadne again, though, more than they were glad to have her here. 

She was so sweet, so open to listening to what they were going to say, pressing her lips onto theirs and Wynne wanted to cry. As their breath constricted their throat ached and they nodded, as if that would give them the courage they so desperately needed. “Okay. Um. Okay.” 

Eyes flicked to the ceiling – that ugly hospital ceiling which they now knew by heart – and they swallowed. “There were vampires. A few — well, a few of them they cornered me and Zack and Arden and they took us. And then –” They blinked. “We stayed there. In a basement. They were going to — to make us like them. All of us, so many of us … and – and more of them joined us, more people to be turned and it was —” There was a waver of breath, shaky and small. “So dark and cold and scary, and then when they were going to — they took me first, and one of them, I knew one of them.” They had to keep talking now, or they’d choke and never speak again. “And he bit into me. He drank — he drank my blood and I thought …” No, they couldn’t, they couldn’t say it. Wynne bit into their cracked lip. “And then Emilio came, and Metzli, and now I’m here.”

—

“Good, ‘cause I also just want it to be just the two of us.” She really did, and she wanted even more to be able to take Wynne out of the hospital and just watch over them, but she certainly was a doctor and she respected the work that the doctors had to do, even if she didn’t like it. Still, she would do her best to make Wynne as comfortable as possible while they had to stay here. 

She continued to knit her body against theirs, carefully as she could so as to not cause them anymore pain. Ariadne kissed their cheek again, and then their lips. She made a silent promise to herself that once they were out of this, she’d take them on a nice car-ride. Maybe even rent a hotel – she had some money saved up, and there was nobody better to spend it on than someone you loved.

Which she was practically positive she felt about Wynne. She’d almost told them more than once that she loved them, though she’d thus far held back. Ariadne wasn’t sure why, especially since she had been brave enough to kiss them and the two of them had agreed that they were officially dating.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she refocused on them. 

“I’m here for you.”

She hoped they knew how much she was there for them. For whatever they needed.

Ariadne bit down on her tongue at the mention of vampires. “I – I’m so sorry.” That didn’t even begin to cover the pain she felt for them. They’d been targeted by cruel undead. A few tears rolled down her face and she kissed them again, on their wrists, looking over to them with kind eyes. “You knew one of them? They –” lips quivering, Ariadne shook her head. “Wynne, I’m so sorry. I’m so – god, that’s awful. Unimaginable – but I – I mean, I believe you.” Because of course she did. She’d found out about vampires, but even if she hadn’t, Wynne was good. Wynne didn’t lie.

Wynne was good and Wynne had almost died and Ariadne hated that more than she could even possibly fathom.

“I’m glad Emilio and Metzli came. I’m glad you’re here. Well, not glad that you’re in the hospital, but glad you’re alive. So glad. I –” her breath caught in her throat. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. If it’d even be possible to –” she shook her head again. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. You don’t deserve cruelty, you – I wish I could’ve stopped them. I mean, I doubt that I could’ve but I. Still - I still wish.” Her eyes fell to the bandage on their throat. “I’m so sorry.”

She pressed her lips against their nose, focusing on them and only them, and how wonderful it was that they were alive but how much pain she felt for them, for what had happened. How they didn’t deserve it. Ariadne wasn’t sure she could even entirely focus on everything she was thinking – that, as well as everything she was saying.

“I love you.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “I - I really do. You’re my favorite person ever, I think, and I just – you don’t have to say that back, I’ve seen enough movies and stuff, but I – I do. I love you. So much.”

—

They hadn’t felt safe in days. Not even when Emilio and Metzli had come, not when they had been held by Zack or Arden, not when they had woken up to a nurse and a doctor with the promise that they were safe now. Maybe, for a moment, as Emilio had sat at their bedside, telling them of his past — but even that had been laced with a feeling of doom. Like everything was destined to be intertwined with violence and death. No, Wynne hadn’t felt safe since those vampires had first appeared on the street.

But they felt safe now. Ariadne littered their body with soft kisses, pressed herself against them and somehow it felt like this place could be tolerable. With its itchy sheets and the smell of rubbing alcohol and bright lights — it could be tolerable, if Ariadne was there. Perhaps anything could be with her there.

And she was there, she was there to listen to them speak of all the ugly things. She took their wrists and didn’t back away, didn’t flinch or look at them with a horror that told them that maybe she wasn’t ready for this. Wynne found themselves growing woozy with it, as if it was too much for their mind to comprehend. Ariadne was there, and she felt safe, and she didn’t back away from this horrible ugliness.

But she did cry, and that in turn made Wynne cry as well. It always seemed to bring up tears, when someone apologized — they hadn’t heard those words much in their life before, at least not in a way it mattered, or even in a way that they deserved. “I didn’t know him well, but I still — well, I still did. He didn’t want to do it, but this other vampire made him and …” They trailed off, glad that their wound was hidden, that the ugliness of it all – the actual, horrid mess of their throat – was out of sight right now. They let out a sob. “I’m gonna have this scar forever and I’ll never forget it now.” 

They buried their head against Ariadne’s neck, breathing in her scent in the hopes it would calm them. It did. Of course it did — if there was anyone they could cry in front of and feel comfortable with, shouldn’t it be her? 

Wynne’s shoulders shook with a sob, their salt tears slipping down their own fiery cheeks and the cold of Ariadne’s skin. It grounded them, the way she seemed cooler than them. “I’m glad I’m not dead, either. I was so afraid I was going to die, that I would just … turn into a spawn – that’s like, I don’t know, it’s like a very feral vampire, with no … with no real thoughts, I think – or that I would actually die.” They shakily breathed in , and out, even more shakily. “Without even saying goodbye to you. You — I thought so much about you, and how I never said goodbye, or —”  

They just cried, but then there were the words to pull them back. Wynne looked up, pulling their tear-stained head from where they had hid it in a corner of Ariadne’s being. They nodded at her, and found their voice again: “I love you too. So much.” 

—

This was home. Despite hospitals absolutely not being her favorite place (even remotely), she was here with Wynne, and so that was home.

Ariadne only hoped that she made it a sort of home for them, too. She liked to think she did. After all, they both complimented each other often enough for it to have to be true. Both couldn’t keep themselves away from the other. That had to be some sort of home, didn’t it?

More than sort of, she corrected herself. Wynne gave her light, they gave her love and joy and happiness – more than she’d felt in over a year – and they seemed happy when she was around, too. More than they should’ve been, given what she was. What they deserved. 

Except she could keep them safe, and they didn’t mind how cold she was, so for now, it was okay. Even if it was selfish, desperately so. Ariadne only wished that she could entirely take away the pain that they were feeling. To bottle it up and never let it escape. She’d take it onto herself if she had to, easily, no question. Anything in the world to make Wynne feel safer, to make them stop hurting.

For now, though, close contact and kisses and listening would have to do the trick.

“I’m so sorry.” She said, again. Fought the urge to completely break down and sob with them, though her body shook too with her own crying. “It might not mean much, but I can promise you that the scar or anything else won’t make me love you less. Won’t make me think you’re less beautiful. If anything, it’s… maybe a mark of how brave you are.” Ariadne made a face. “But it also just sucks and I’ll stop trying to make something positive out of it, if you don’t want me to.”

She shook her head again, “I don’t know much at all about spawns or feral vampires but that sounds awful and cruel and I am also so, so glad you didn’t die.” She kissed their arm, their hand, their shoulder. “You’re back now, though. So we don’t have to worry about not saying goodbye. I’m here, I’m here and I’m not gonna go anywhere at all. I am here for you. Always.”

They echoed the sentiment back to her and that was almost enough to send Ariadne bawling again. “I love you, I love you, I love you. Forever.” She brushed her hand against their cheek, trying to wipe some of their tears away. “I am yours. I am yours and I love you and you’re the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

—

It meant everything. All of this meant everything to Wynne.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t been loved at home. There had been love there, at the kitchen table, on the rooftops, in the fields and on the lake’s shore. But there hadn’t been this type of care. This kind of consideration for their well-being and their feelings about this. They had loved them, but they had been okay with their impending sacrifice. They had loved them, because of that impending sacrifice. They had been loved with condition, without apology, without real care.

But here, they were loved in a different manner. In the way where Zack begged to take their place, or Arden carried them up the stairs. In the way where Emilio caught them as they fell from the hands of a vampire. In the way that Ariadne was here, apologizing for the horrors that had occurred, saying that she’d love them despite the scars that marred them. Would that go for all the scars, Wynne wondered. For all the ugly in their past? 

“It means a lot. It does. It means everything.” They pulled the other closer, the way she shook making Wynne feel strange. They didn’t want Ariadne to cry, but this was an occasion to cry. This was a reality where crying was warranted — one where they had been taken into a cage, away from the ones they loved and their livelihood had been endangered. They didn’t want her to cry, but the fact that she did, unlike their parents or cousins ever had, was still something they cherished. 

Not only were they something worth saving, but someone was glad they were alive. Relieved.

They wondered how the people at home felt about their still-beating heart. Their dad must be disappointed. Their mother … well, Wynne never knew.

They closed their eyes, letting Ariadne’s words cover them like a heavy blanket, growing comfortable with them. For the first time since arriving here, they felt at peace. “I’m glad I didn’t die either. That you’re here. If they try to get rid of you, I’ll hold onto you so tightly.” They let out a laugh, which fuzed with a sob. “Because I love you.” 

As the other wiped at their tears, they just looked at her, unable to keep their eyes from burning. Wynne pressed their forehead against hers, noses brushing against each other. “You’re the best thing to happen to me. And I never want to let you go now.”

[hrokkall]

Leshy for the ask game?

HELL YEAH I got requests for all four Scrybes let’s go.

Favorite thing about them: I absolutely love his character as a whole. He’s a villain (and remains that way for most—if not all—of the game) but he’s still so likable just because everyone can see his genuine passion for the game he’s created. Everything he did, everything he created, every puzzle box and squeaking floorboard and hidden secret was all for the player. Inscryption the game loves the player so much—it loves them enough to trawl through the blight it’s built upon just to have even the slightest chance of looking them in the eyes and Leshy is such a good representation of that theme.

Least favorite thing about them: Again not going to say anything related to torturing the other Scrybes (even if he thought that they would eventually come around and see that it was an honor). Instead I’ll say I wish he had a full 3D model. I know it’s because he’s too damn tall but all of the other Scrybes have one (including Grimora, who is nearly the same height and has to clip through the floor to fit in that scene) but I would love to actually know what his legs look like instead of speculating based on the unclear 2D sprite. Granted I’d probably draw him with hooves anyway because it’s fun but still I’d love if he had a full body that I could import into blender to just rotate around for fun.

Favorite line: I’m not going to pick any bits from the finale because every single one of those lines hit hard, instead I’ll pick this segment

brOTP: I already talked about Leshy and Kaycee on the Kaycee post and I’m going to try and not repeat myself too much here. So instead I’ll say I like the relationship Leshy has with his subordinates just because it’s so different from the other Scrybes’ interactions with their own underlings. Magnificus and P03’s underlings both revere their Scrybe above all else, Grimora’s all live under the same roof and are therefore likely pretty close with her, but Leshy? All of his woodsmen seem like they were just… people who lived in his forest who he decided to converse with. They’re loyal to him, sure—everyone but the Woodcarver (who isn’t one of his underlings) is 100% okay with him using their visage and controlling them for the boss fights—but in a very different way. Loyal in a way of “I live in the forest with you and the forest decided to extend a hand to me in return” rather than loyal in a “put me in the torture chamber, boss!” way. I don’t know it’s just like they’re casual friends with any reverence (or lack thereof, in the Woodcarver’s case) formed organically rather than vehemently feeling like they owe anything, intentionally or not.

OTP: Trying not to repeat myself too much so I WON’T put all four Scrybes as the world’s worst polycule here. I’m pretty sure everyone here already knows that’s my #1 favorite Inscryption ship (and probably the only one tbh because I’m not really into shipping). Instead I’ll talk about Leshy and the other three Scrybes individually (keeping it short because otherwise, like usual, we’d be here a while)

Leshy x Grimora: Classic life and death motif combo. You can’t really go wrong here. Plus, if you go by sheer quantity (and quality imo) in act 1, Insect cards are by far the most abundant, implying they may be Leshy’s favorites (plus the insect that crawls across the table that Leshy occasionally stops to observe). So making Grimora into an insect card seems to show a certain level of fondness—or respect, at very least. We already know from canon that a combined blood/bones system works very well, as do beast and death cards in act 2. Plus the mental image of Grimora bringing back animals that Leshy had gotten particularly attached to by lovingly carving their epitaphs and watching as the now-skeletal rat excitedly greets his friend again is cute.

Leshy x Magnificus: This one is a little bit funny to me just because they have no hybrid cards together and Leshy goes out of his way to gouge Magnificus’s eye out. So needless to say the divorce was messy. But in a pre-old_data sense, their dynamic would probably center around their mutual love of creation. Though their own preferences clash, they’re both huge fans of having a single unified aesthetic. They don’t want each other’s card systems near the other, but the storycrafting would be fantastic. Similarly, I don’t think a magic/blood campaign would work very well without a ton of shoehorning (it would have to be something similar to the red hart wherein the # of sacrifices made that turn power up a ruby mox card) but the visuals would be nice.

Leshy x P03: This one is equally funny to me because they’re opposites in every way possible and yet they really have a lot more in common than either of them would appreciate in canon proper. I’m personally a fan of the “overgrown technology” type aesthetic (see: co-op) so from that level I can appreciate it, but also the level of hilarity that these two would bring is incredible. Learning about the semi-canonical divorce between the robot and the forest deity was a punch in the face, but the semi-canonical marriage that it implies? The two of them going in dates in either the middle of the woods (wherein P03 complains the whole time until it spots a bird mimicking the whirring of its fans) or at the factory (wherein Leshy spends the whole time asking if they can go down to the shore because he’d love to capture that thing he swore he saw poke its head out above the waves). It would be a disaster and yet the fact that they made it work speaks volumes. I’ve already talked about a blood-energy system with co-op so I’ll skip over that part but yeah I like these two.

So anyway the four of them together are a lethal combo needless to say. It doesn’t work and yet it does and then the moment it starts to work they realize they can play god and then start fistfighting each other about it. So that’s fun.

nOTP: Again, not a fan of Leshy and Kaycee in a romantic context.

Random headcanon: I didn’t get to show it in my last drawing of him (partially because it got covered up with fur) but he has tarsal spurs on the back of his leg like an insect would. What these are used for? Good question… Seeing as in insects they’re usually on the forelegs for digging or cleaning, they’re probably just vestigial on Leshy.

Unpopular opinion: Act 1 isn’t my favorite. It’s good, for sure, but I hate when people reduce Inscryption to just act 1 and then ignore the rest of the game. Maybe that’s just because I’ve been drawing art for this game and picking apart the lore for around a year now but the other acts deserve more of a spotlight too.

Song I associate with them: Can I put Lord Huron’s entire Strange Trails album here? I won’t, I’ll narrow it down to Meet Me in the Woods (though you should listen to the whole album if you want a whole album of Leshy songs. Just saying). Other than that, Dear Dictator by Saint Motel and Solar Waltz by Cosmo Sheldrake are both pretty good options.

As a bonus, I’ll put Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce—the song he references in the Finale as he plays his last game.

Favorite picture of them: It only appears for a couple of seconds but I really like his “Deathcard”

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck Upd8 - 12/17/2023

I'm pretty sick, but not sick enough I'm not gonna read the upd8. Let's do this! Calliope! Missed my Muses. Oh! Teasing us with free Jade! Boo!

Uh . . . what's going on with this Jade . . .

What . . .

I'm not liking this . . .

Aradia? What's going on?

Okay . . . now there's two of them. I thought the whole point was that they only won that battle the one iteration. But Paradox Space is infinite and . . . you know . . . full of Paradoxes.

Hah! Love the callback to characters regarding each other. So apparently this isn't the first time this has happened. Apparently Dead Calliope has done this before. And also apparently, they always need a host body to exert the kind of control we've seen.

This is giving me some God Tier splinter vibes. The whole idea that becoming a God Tier eventually exposes you to all the version of yourself, as we've seen with consequences.

The fact that Aradia and Davebot aren't worried unfortunately doesn't fill me with comfort.

Okay! I'm loving this dynamic. Now I'm really wishing Dave had been able to try and give Aradia the business after Terezi got John killed. This is fantastic!

Whew! For a second there I though Aradia was peacing out again. But she peaced back in. Crisis averted!

We're getting into some discussions about the timeline. It's interesting because the Live Blog that inspired me, Discard and Draw, spent quite a bit of time analyzing the dead John timeline from above. The timeline Terezi created by messing with John, and more accurately by Dave turning Cal into a sprite, was doomed. That timeline wouldn't result in the Lord of Time's stable time loop, and couldn't exist. But if that timeline hadn't happened, Dave couldn't come back and stop the prototyping and John's death in the first place. The same is true for all the dead Dave's and doomed Aradia-bots. So if that's the case, what really counts as an "important" timeline.

Also, it looks like becoming a robot hasn't help Dave deal with his sexuality much. He could just be falling back on gay jokes, but I think that's something he's still dealing with in this timeline.

Hah!

And we will never know . . .

And now Calliope is once again possessing "Jade".

I'm not gonna lie. I unabashedly loved every moment of that!

So it definitely looks like we've gotten a little bit of insight into just how Calliope's powers work and a bit more introspection on Homestuck's timeline. Maybe this is a hint that the HICU is going to be looking at threads the community was interested in and potentially explore them in this new iteration. Maybe we'll see Boot's beloved Inversion Theory make a come back.

Also, a side note as an AraSol fan: I love the short little glimpse into their relationship. At least that was how I interpreted it. I'm sure other people might read a different relationship, but that feels pretty in tune with what we've seen for Sollux and Aradia, regardless of what you think the nature of that relationship is.

[triangle-strategy-notes]

Pt. 2 of my character ref sheets, Avlora this time! This one’s a lot more speculative, because we don’t have as much full-body art for Avlora as we do Serenoa.

Some notes:

- I debated over what Avlora’s wearing under her armor for a long time. We don’t get an awesome view of it in any of the official art, and her sprite and portrait art kind of contradict. I ended up going a little wild and doing a more realistic/historically-based design. That coat thing she’s wearing is based off of a medieval arming doublet, also called gambeson. I kinda wish I’d stuck with a more canon-leaning design (like I show in the doodles of the last image), but hopefully this is still useful as-is.

- Along that same vein, I pretty much completely made up her leg armor and boots--it’s based off of typical European medieval armor + medieval Norse boots respectively, but there’s no canon basis for it, since afaik we never see full-body art of her.

- The symbols you see up at the top are for her breastplate, pauldrons, and brooch respectively. The brooch’s symbol is reaaaally small, so I guessed a lot on it. It might be supposed to be a copy of the breastplate symbol, but I’m not sure either way. Also, it was a little hard to tell what was angled and what was straight, so some of the lines (I’m specifically thinking of the breastplate central “pillars” that go up and down on the main diamond) might actually be going perfectly straight up-and-down instead of the sort of angled look I gave them.

- I personally tend to lean towards the sprite art when I’m drawing, so that probably shows in the choices I made (mainly the cape and the gold detailing on her coat). In the doodles, I also included two different versions of how I imagine her face--one is more accurate to the portrait art, while the other is more what I picture when I look at the less-detailed sprite art.

- Her armor has so many little doohickeys on it haha, and I’m sure I missed one or two belts or pins or something. Let me know if you see anything I got wrong, and I’ll be more than happy to fix it up.

[cljordan-imperium]

FIND THE WORD TAG

I was tagged by: @traveler-of-realms

I am tagging: @on-noon, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, @writingpotato07 and @careful-pyromancer

Your words are: second, appoint, storage, full, miracle

My words were: opulent, wasteland, dire, gilded, and flimsy

So...away we go...

OPULENT

One moment they were in the hallway, the next they were in the opulent drawing room of the suite of rooms that was his within the new wing of the Palace.  Things were speeding and heating up between the two of them, and Adriel wanted some privacy.  Brushing her hair away from her ear, Adriel leaned forward and spoke low with his lips brushing softly against the shell of her ear.  “My Bella, if touching is what you wish, you are free to.” The backs of his fingers slowly stroked down her neck, and the soft gaspish intake of air he got in response hardened him instantly. 

WASTELAND

I do not have this on so will give you a bit of lore about Imperium.

-The center of the realm is Imperium City where the Royal Palace is located, but there is much beyond that. There are villages that are from various cultures and time periods in the Earthly Realm. Because there are some refugees from other realms there as well, there are scattered villages of those types. With those are about every kind of terrain you can imagine. The wildlife and folliage are far more dark and deadly than what can be found on Earth though, which is why any living human that comes into the Realm is to be protected by order of the Queen. If you kill or cause the death of a human, you are sentenced to the torture pits of Caligo. So take your human back to Earth first. Dead humans fall under the general laws of Imperium. Dead human bodies are just considered food by a lot of residents.

DIRE

“And if they touch you…” he cut himself off, he didn’t want to scare her.  He would cause great pain to anyone that touched her and positively kill anyone that hurt her.  A few visits and he was already to bring about ultimate suffering for her, but she was going to be the preeminent jewel in his proverbial crown.

“I would not wish to be them.” Since he did not finish, she did for him.  Even if she was not sure what he would do, there was something about the look that had flashed in his eyes that scared her a little on the inside.  He had never been anything but gentle with her, yet in that fraction of a second there was put into her a certainty that he could be capable of great and horrific violence.  It was something she never wanted to see, and hoped to never be the cause of.

“No, you would not.  But you, my beauty, never have to fear.”  He kissed her forehead softly, then the tip of her perfect nose, and then her petal soft lips.  “For you will be the most cherished and protected sprite in the history of all sprites.”  His arms around her tightened as he wondered inwardly exactly what did make him so affectionate and soft towards her, it was something he’d have to think on later to ensure that he was not allowing a weakness that others could exploit, possibly with dire consequences.

GILDED

Leandre had to have the bluest eyes she’d ever seen next to her sister’s.  They were far calmer than Phaedra’s, but he was far calmer so that made sense.  Yael was still surprised he’d stopped her and brought her to wherever they were with seemingly plain walls but a gilded crest over the mantle.  He also didn’t seem upset at all about her outburst at Adriel showing up.  He’d been patient and kind.  It was all so new to her and she didn’t know how to react.  Yael was even afraid of saying anything because she wasn’t sure what or how it would come out.  

“Why?  Why are you protecting me?  Just because of Brie?” She started to drop her eyes and head but Leandre’s hand moved so his fingers were under his chin and he wouldn’t let her.  His grip around her tightened to, holding her tighter against her.  For some reason it made her feel safer.  This man confused her, but for the first time in centuries that confusion did not come along with sheer and unadulterated terror.

FLIMSY

While Casperius had been gone from her forest, Martenique had began to look about the small hut that she called home.  It wasn’t fancy, but it sufficed for her needs.  At one end was a series of hooks that her dresses hung on.  They were spun by the spiders and silk worms that also called her forest home in exchange for treats that she provided them.  Each had their own special color of silk and so she always had beautiful things to wear, even if they seemed so light and flimsy compared to what Casperius always had on.  The few pairs of shoes and boots that she owned came from the village where she traded goods with others.  That was also where she saw her friends.  For the most part, she lived a solitary life, that was until that day Casperius had wandered into her life.   All of her footwear were forms of leather and some were lined with fur for the colder months to keep her feet warm. She took special care of all of her belongings to make them last.

[nanaminokanojo]

Play the Game | Nanami Kento X You | Part 5/8

CHARACTERS: Nanami Kento X You (fem!reader | PLEASE READ THE NOTES BELOW*) | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Utahime Iori | other JJK Characters CHAPTER COUNT: 5/8 WORD COUNT: 3,900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | smut | ooc depictions | female reader with described appearance* | modern au | rich people au | aged up characters CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity| cigarette smoking | age gap | strong/mature/suggestive language | drug use SPOILERS: n/a STATUS: COMPLETED

collection masterlist

one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight

"Play the Game" Masterlist

The autumn winds heralded more clement weather, carrying the tart scent of peaches and pine in the air. With the balmier weather, everyone in the estate had taken their opportunity to be outdoors. Nanami himself had been dragged out and was walking with everyone who cared to go to the private orchards when at breakfast, the groundskeeper announced that everyone can go peach picking.

He watched from across the table as the object of his attraction visibly lit up, your glorious blue eyes brightening exponentially. You loved peach picking and he loved seeing you all excited over small things. But it turned out to be something of a disappointment when your attention turned to Geto instead of him, inviting him to go with you.

“You’re coming, aren’t you?” you asked expectantly, giggling like a little girl when Geto nodded, placing an arm over your shoulder and hugging you to his side while he said, “Anything for my favorite girl.”

My favorite girl. He had to stop himself from being petty and scoffing at the very thought of it. His annoyance was further validated when you generalized your invitation, saying anyone who wished to could come, voiced out by Yuuji who pouted at you and said you should have been inviting him since he loved picking peaches as much as you did.

That was just how it was with you when it comes to Geto. You forget everyone around you the moment he makes an appearance, and it seemed Nanami wasn’t an exception. He could accept that in the past. Ever since, you had been vocal about your preference for the dark-haired man who spoiled you to no end, letting you have your way and without fail made you smile and laugh like you never do with anyone else. When their group would go out, travel or do something else recreational, you’d always be where Geto was, dangling by his arm. You mellowed out with him when you met Yuuji, but the truth is that Geto Suguru is your favorite among your older brother’s friends.

This time, however, he couldn’t rest easy with you interacting that way with said male. If he was being honest, he only agreed to go peach picking after Gojo made him tag along because he wanted to keep a close eye on you. He was also being obvious about it with the way he was trailing you with his eyes every other five seconds, the realization dawning into him when Shoko walked beside him, grinning as she took a long drag from her cigarette.

“If you want to be with her, just do it,” the woman told him, easily reading him as usual. “You look like you’re about to blow your top.”

Nanami just glanced at you, his eyes involuntarily flicking to your familiar figure now circling around Geto as you walked, your hands and arms animatedly making big gestures as you seemingly explained something to him. He felt his temper rise when the male grabbed your arm, pulling you towards him so he could wrap an arm around you, his dark eyes finding Nanami over his shoulder in a sly taunt.

Shoko clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “We all know, Kento.” She glanced behind her where Gojo and Utahime were walking. “Only that white-haired idiot seems to know nothing. Or he pretends not to know.” She sighed. “I can’t blame him though. She used to be this really cute bundle of joy, but look at her now. She’s a grown woman.”

He couldn’t disagree with that. He knew exactly just how much of a woman you have become physically and mentally. What he doesn’t understand was why you weren’t walking with him instead while you’d be sneaking around with him, stealing kisses and hugs from him since the previous day when the pair of you returned from the lake.

At the rehearsal the previous night, you had stuck to him like glue, not that he minded. You purposefully touched him even when everyone was watching, running your fingers over his arm, leaning against him while everyone waited for their turn to practice their part for the ceremony and holding his hand while he sat with you in the garden during breaks, all the while feigning innocence to your actions. You even went to the extent of wrapping an arm around his waist while Gojo was speaking to you. The man, obviously aggravated, narrowed his eyes at you before turning on his heels and leaving.

“God, he’s so frustratingly dumb,” you muttered under breath, watching him leave. Only you had the guts (and right if Nanami was being honest) to call your brother dumb. It somehow made Nanami think that you were really just doing things to get a rise out of Gojo for whatever reason or whatever complex you had with him, but what confused him was that you didn’t stop even if your male clone wasn’t looking.

It was no different at the dinner that followed at the restaurant the family had rented for the night. You purposefully said you forgot something, declaring that you will be riding with Nanami instead, tossing your car keys to Megumi who saluted him while snickering with Nobara. Yuuji, being the most annoying of your three friends, deliberately bumped against him and said, “Make the most of it, Nanamin.”

He would have smacked the boy at the back of his head if the conniving little sprite dragging him around didn’t pull him towards his car. “Wait for them to leave,” you told him as you boarded his car.

“I thought you forgot something.” His lips quirked upwards, already realizing what you were playing at, but before he could say anything more, you grabbed him by the collar, silencing him with your lips. That ended up with you two being half an hour late to dinner after that one kiss turned into a full-on make-out session in his car with you sitting astride his lap while he kissed you stupid.

When both of you finally got to the restaurant, he expected you to let go of him, but you boldly walked with him to your designated seats, holding onto his hand as you led the way. He did not miss the way your parents were looking at the two of you, but he pretended not to notice. Your father was rather approving which was a relief but your mom was just confused. He could just surmise that your friends were in on it when you ended up sitting on the same table, reserving two seats for him and you, further proven when you exchanged high-fives with Nobara who, in turn, winked at Nanami. Of course, he thought, they knew.

You engaged in conversations with your friends for most of the duration of the dinner, but you never failed to smile his way or wink at him when you think no one’s watching. You didn’t ride home with him since he had to drive stupid Gojo after he got too drunk to function and instead drove your car with your pals. You and your friends didn’t come back for another hour, but when you got home, you rifled through the house, loudly asking everyone where he was.

Nanami had to suppress laughter as he crossed the foyer on his way to the stairs and saw how you pushed past Suguru to make your way towards him, latching onto his arm and announcing to everyone that you will walk him to his room cause he might get lost. You had giddily stuck to what you said you’ll do when he noticed how your eyes were bloodshot and you had that odd smile on your face.

“Sweetheart, are you high?” he asked, gently holding you at arm’s length. He already knew the answer to his question when he caught a whiff of weed on your hair. Typically, he’d scold you, but the way you were tittering for no reason was just too adorable for him to handle.

“Don’t be mad,” you said to him, attempting to pout, but you couldn’t in your state. You then started poking his cheek that he eventually had to hold your hands away from him. When you finally stopped laughing, you blinked up at him and said, “I want you to kiss me.”

He didn’t have to be told twice as he pulled you to a side hallway, pushing you against the wall, giving you a peck. You whined loudly. “You call that a kiss?” you complained.

“Be specific, love. How do you want me to kiss you?” he teased, leaning his forehead against yours, trying hard not to laugh as he held you back, preventing you from touching him. He was already aware of how you could easily take the reins and dominate him.

You smirked at him. “Kiss me dumb. Pretty please with a cherry on top, Kento?” You seemed to have discovered that calling him by his given name has become his weakness, and you succeeded because in the next second, he was all over you, prying your mouth open with his tongue as he pressed you against the wall with his body. You submitted to his touches, pulling him closer, your sensuous lips and the sweet flavor of your tongue driving him insane. Before he lost control, he walked you back to your room, defeating the purpose of you walking him to his.

But now, he had to watch you being monopolized by Geto.

He sighed. He could trust Shoko to shed off pretenses for once.

“You okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “I know she’s really fond of Suguru, but I can’t help but –” What was it that he felt exactly?

“You’re jealous. It’s natural especially when she was all clingy with you yesterday.” She chuckled. Shoko couldn’t have been more right, but the scene playing out before him was the least of his problems. It ran deeper than just the moment at hand.

Nanami promised to keep it a secret as Geto’s friend although it killed him a thousand times when three years ago, just a week before the time he had to haul you out of a bathtub after your cocaine episode, the male came to him, confiding that he wanted to pursue you romantically.

“Good luck on that,” he remembered telling Geto, feeling that same pang of envy pervading his system, but then the latter said, “It’s just that she said she likes someone else.” He looked at Nanami sharply as if he was angry at him for some reason, but retracted to his easy-going mood. “Forget I said anything. I can’t have her.”

“Why is that?” Nanami asked then.

At that, Geto smiled, sadness crossing his features. “I don’t deserve her.”

At odd to his words three years ago, Geto was as close to you as ever. You’re obviously still very fond of him. Still, Nanami wasn’t sure what the intention was behind Geto’s calculated actions. The man was just as aggravating as you are with your mutual penchant for games and keeping people on their toes.

Shoko stole him back from his reverie. “Just put a label on it already. She likes you, too, you know.”

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“Seriously?” She burst out laughing then. “Men are such dense creatures.”

“That’s offensive.”

“So is your obliviousness.”

“What does that even mean?”

She shook her head, her laughter dissipating. “Talk to her and find out.”

**

“I saw what you were doing with Kento last night.”

You looked at Geto who was walking beside you, not really knowing how to respond to his observations and settling for twirling the wicker basket you were holding. He flashed you a knowing smile, already used to your behavior when you were puzzling something in your head, caught up in your own bubble.

“I’m not as frustrated about Nanamin as much as I am with Satoru.” You sighed, remembering how your brother just walked away when he saw you holding onto Nanami, annoyed as if he thinks you were just trying to rile him up. “He’s so dense with things like this.”

“You’re one to talk,” Geto stated frankly, snickering at your appalled reaction. “On a more serious note, why?”

Letting up on your scowl, you said, “Well, he’s being a bitch about how I never tell him anything anymore. He asked whether I liked Nanamin and what was going on when I was being very obvious. I kissed the man in front of him, for heaven’s sake.”

“Sweetie, that’s not straightforward at all. You know yourself better than anyone, and seriously, even I get all confused as to whether you’re just messing with everyone, not to mention that you’re so erratic that we just don’t know what to expect from you.” Geto eyed you placatingly, letting you know that he was being earnest.

You easily laugh and smile because of him, but he just as easily offends your by being so brutally straightforward. You’re realizing that now that he was acting more like your older brother, and you knew you couldn’t get offended when you wanted assurance. “I just want to include him all the time but his reactions are so fucking infuriating. He treats me like a kid crushing on his friend if anything.”

“So, why not talk to him about it?”

“I don’t want to sit down and talk to him about it as if I’m asking for permission or approval. I love Satoru to smithereens – don’t tell him that – but he doesn’t get a say about what I want in life especially not where the people I date are concerned especially since he seems to have an aversion to me being attracted to any of you guys ever since I turned twelve.”

Geto chortled. “So you’ve been crushing on Kento since you were a kid?”

You made a face at him, punching him on the arm. “No, idiot. I liked you first.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

You momentarily stopped walking. “Yes, but then I found out what a womanizer you are but I won’t even venture into that. I’m not really fond of martyrdom,” you deadpanned.

Not even hiding his affront, he walked back to your spot and flicked you on the forehead. “I’m very offended you’d say that to me!”

“It’s true though.” You laughed, reaching over to squish his face before walking around him in circles. “If you think I’ll cry over your pretty face, you couldn’t have been more mistaken. Besides, I don’t want to share.”

“Now you’re just being a jerk.” He placed a hand over his chest, feigning insult. “I’m hurt, baby.”

“You deserve it for kissing that cheap model wannabe in front of me on your first runway show.”

“My, my. Your tongue’s loose today. Tell me more.”

“I settled for thinking I’ll just steal you from Satoru to be my best friend. Well, that’s before I met Yuuji. I guess I was just really jealous of what you and Satoru had. I wanted everything he had anyway until I realized that’s now how it works and there were things about me he couldn’t have either. Makes it fair.” You chuckled, finally making it in front of him. “Like that personalized plush bear you gave me on my eighteenth birthday. Man, that was huge.”

Laughing with you, he held onto your arm, pulling you close to him, glancing behind him.

“What are you looking at?” you asked, still giggling.

“Your boy toy would have killed me with those looks he’d been throwing at my direction since breakfast,” Geto whispered to you, making you look over your shoulder, too. There, you found Nanami, looking so breathtakingly gorgeous with the rakish way his hair had been styled and his chiseled physique outlined by the long-sleeved running top he had on. He’s been dressing more casually recently much to your satisfaction.

“Don’t call him that, He’s not my boy toy.” You couldn’t help but smile like an idiot. “Sometimes, I have to stop myself from jumping his bones.”

It was Geto’s turn to make a face at you. “Sweetheart, I love you, but don’t say those things to me. Anyway, are you two together now?”

You tensed slightly and shook your head. “That’s up to him.”

“What?” He scoffed. “In case you’re not aware, you’re a prize. Don’t go doing all the work.”

“I know.”

“He should fight for it, too, if he wants you.”

“So Yuuji says.”

“He’s right.” Geto stopped walking, placing his hands on your shoulders. “You know I love you right?”

You nodded, poking fun at him. “More than your hoes, I hope.”

He clucked his tongue, rolling his eyes at you. “I’m being serious here. You may think I’m a hedonistic bastard who only thinks about getting laid all the time, but you’re a different story, sweetheart. I treasure you like Satoru does, and if I see something wrong, it’s my duty to tell you.”

Seeing the somber look on his face, your smile dropped. “What are you getting at?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he began. “Kento is a good man, better than Satoru and I combined to tell you the truth. But when it comes to things like this, he has the tendency to be indecisive.”

Your heart dropped, feeling nervous all of a sudden as your eyes widened in fear at the prospect. “Are you saying he doesn’t like me?”

“Honey, he loves you. I know so.” He snorted. “Bastard can’t even resist you anymore by the looks of it, but trust me when I say he’s going to over-analyze things because there are so many things to consider instead just going for it.”

“You mean Satoru?” you griped.

“One of them anyway.”

“O…kay.” You pouted in perplexity. “How would you advise me to proceed?”

Geto finally let up on the seriousness, bursting out laughing. “The gods are fair, aren’t they?”

Understanding why he was laughing, you punched him on the arm again. “I know I’m dumb at this, but at least try acting like the older, more mature one here. You should be flattered I’m coming to you for shit like this at all.”

Still laughing, he pulled you close and hugged you, planting a chaste kiss on the top of your head. When he was calm enough, he breathed out and squeezed you tighter. “Talk to him and be direct about it.”

**

You decided to approach Nanami when you spotted him alone under one of the trees, reading a book. The forgotten basket of peaches beside him, only half-filled, was indicative that he forgot about the activity at hand and is in his own world again. You adored his quiet side, the way he kept to himself, unafraid to be alone and always comfortable in his solitude, so much so that you hesitated to disturb him.

Quietly, you stalked towards him, making sure not to make any sudden sounds, but being him, he was immediately able to perceive your presence.

"You have a very dark taste in literature as a child," Nanami spoke when you’re within earshot, sensing your presence.

You frowned, sitting beside him, confused at first but upon seeing your battered copy of "Coraline" sitting on his lap, you understood what he meant. "Where did you find that?"

"In the library." He finally met your gaze, his expressions unfathomable. "I remembered you gushing about it when you first read it."

You nodded in understanding, but couldn't quite keep your mind in the conversation, plagued with thoughts of what Geto told you earlier. He was saying something about your fascination for the horror genre, but you cut him short, saying, "Can I ask you something?"

Nanami tilted his head slightly at the question, his quizzical gaze prompting you to proceed.

"What are we?" you blurted out, your blue eyes quite unable to meet his dark ones. You don't exactly know what was making you behave with such uncertainty. After all the times you had been confident where he was concerned, you were suddenly scared. You didn't fear being rejected by anyone. It has always been the case for you since you’re younger, but you were afraid of not knowing, of not being sure.

Nanami looked at you, deep in thought for a few moments until he finally told you, "That's up to you, isn't it?" His tone had a bite to it.

Unable to place where he was coming from at the moment, you hesitated. You rummaged through your head about what his response to you could imply, frowning when you came up with nothing. "What?" you said, thinking it better to ask.

"You heard me." He shrugged, opening the book to the page he was reading. By the looks of it, he was trying his best to ignore you.

You fought the urge to pose barb at him, too, wanting nothing but to get a straight response from him. "Why is it up to me?" You totally didn't understand, thinking it ought to be a decision the pair of you should make. Wasn’t that how it worked?

Silently cursing at the whole situation, you contemplated on your past relationships. All of them seemed less complicated. They liked you, you liked them. You decide to date, and when things don’t work out, the arrangement is broken off. High school and college boys were irritating to say the least, but you were expecting it to be a lot more straightforward with Nanami because he’s a mature adult. Now it seemed like you were in one of those previous relationships again.

“Elaborate on that,” you prompted him, seriously at a loss.

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is this another game of yours?"

To say you’re appalled by his odd line of questioning was an understatement. Unable to control your emotions anymore, you stood up. "What are you talking about?" You burst out laughing without mirth. For once, you’re being direct with what you wanted. For once, you weren't playing and yet all you get are questions being thrown at you.

"Go play with Suguru. He seems to enjoy your antics more than anyone," he told you coldly.

"What are you on about?" you demanded from him. “I’m asking you a simple question.”

Nanami flashed you a tired smile. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

He also stood up, obviously exasperated. "Look, I honestly don't know what we are. I'm not sure." He sighed when you eyed him in disappointment but that expression turned into icy indifference very quickly.

"You don't know," you repeated, nodding. "Okay. I see how it is."

For the first time in years, you felt stupid, so much so that you felt like tearing all the hair off your scalp. You didn't understand what was wrong with Nanami but so many thoughts ran through your head at the same time. You thought you might have asked too early. You thought maybe you read things between the two of you wrong. On top of all that, you felt so overwhelmed with anger over his response that you couldn't think straight, but you were also afraid of saying anything else in case your inner demon decides to jump out.

Turning away, you started walking away. You heard him call your name but you didn't look back, suppressing the urge to go back to him and instead storming out of the orchard. You didn't understand what the dull ache in your chest meant but you knew you couldn't handle it.

-end of part 5-

*I used “you” here, but since my character is Gojo’s little sister who is established to be his female clone for reasons essential to the plot, she possesses the same blue eyes and white hair. I did not exactly want to create an OC (although technically, I did by describing Y/N), but I opted for the best of both worlds in this fic, leaning more towards the literary aspect of it as opposed to it just being reader/you-oriented. I hope this isn’t iffy to anyone, and yeah, i’m not being exclusive or whatever.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S “JUJUTSU KAISEN.” [20210731]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[officialwittek]

pt. 3

*gif is not mine* 

word count: 2,454

8:00 am.

The ringing of my alarm clock wakes me from my sleep. I grab my phone and scroll through the notifications. I look at the time and decide to get my nails done today, I call all my girl friends and ask if they want me to set an appointment for them to. Carly, Corinna and Erin agree, Natalie and Mariah were busy at the moment. I text them to meet at the apartment and call the nail salon. Thankfully they were open for 2 manicures, 2 full sets, and 4 pedicures.

I hop in the shower and rinse off before starting to do some simple makeup. Instead of my usual falsies I just curl my lashes and put some mascara on. I get dressed in a light blue tank top, a white cropped cardigan, and black yoga flared yoga pants with my white Air Forces. I went to the front door and unlocked it so Corinna and Erin could walk right in. I made some coffee and some tea for myself. After about 15 minutes Corinna and Erin showed up. Carly finished getting ready and we hopped into my car. Carly and Erin started vlogging while I quietly sang along to the music.

We finally got there and checked in. I showed the nail technician the photo, I got a medium length coffin shape with a glitter ombre. After about 2 hours our nails were finally done and we headed to get lunch with Nat, Zane, Todd, and Jeff. We grabbed a table at Olive Garden. Jeff “coincidentally” chooses the seat next to me. Jeff and I had always been touchy with each other, so it was no surprise when he instinctively puts his arm around my shoulder. I still felt bad about the other night, but I was fed up and drunk.

“I’m sorry for being an asshole. I understand that it was sort of a dick move to kiss you while I was drunk” I whisper, he looks at me in surprise and smiles

“I got my girl back” He exclaims, hugging me tightly as I laugh

We eat our lunch in relative peace, a few loud moments here and there. After lunch with everyone we decide to head to David’s house. Jeff, Carly, Corinna and Erin came in my car. We drove to David’s house blasting music with the windows rolled down. Our 20 minute journey ended and I parked my car. Corinna, Carly, and Erin exited to give Jeff and I some time to talk.

“Listen I’m sorry about snapping at you last night. I was drunk and upset. I didn’t mean to be such an asshole. But please talk to me as soon as I put you in a situation that makes you uncomfortable. I just hate being ignored, especially by you. Do you forgive me?” I ask, holding my hands out and he quickly hugged me

“You’re right. I should’ve talked to you. It was unfair of me to leave you hanging” Jeff replies, pressing a kiss to the top of my head

“Now, I got my dick grabbers done. Let’s test it” I joke, his loud laughs ring through my car as I unbuckle my seatbelt

The two of us enter the house and Jeff quickly runs to David to tell him what I said. I knew from the wide smile slowly making it’s way across David’s face. He grabs his camera and quickly runs to me.

“Sage why are you so horny all the time? And please tell me you don’t actually call your nails dick grabbers.” He says, I shove my hand in the camera and laugh loudly

“I’m only horny for Jeff get it right bitch” I reply sassily, David laughs loudly and walks away to film some other bets

“Maybe I should make my own channel” I joke, Corinna quickly whips around and screams

“YES PLEASE!! YOU CAN UPLOAD COVERS AND EVERYTHING. I WANNA BE YOUR FIRST SUBSCRIBER” she yells, catching everyone’s attention

“I’ll literally buy you a camera right now” David says, my eyes go wide and I quickly nod

We all pile into our cars and run to Best Buy. David and all our friends walk me through everything. I grab a Canon EOS M50 camera and a tripod for now. I had music equipment at the apartment. David pays for my things as my friends endlessly talk about what kind of videos I should make. Ranging from get ready with me, vlogs when I go to the studio, covers, styling videos, and the occasional challenge. I choose to start with one cover, one get ready with me, and one vlog a week. All our friends offered to teach me everything having to do with running a successful YouTube challenge. We clear the podcast room and have a makeshift recording session. I quickly scroll through my phone and find a song. ‘Gut Feeling’ by Ella Mai ft. H.E.R

‘Something in the walls

Something in your walk looks different

Something deep inside

Got me wondering why I don't understand

Why I can't put my finger on what the fuck is up

What's missing?

You're distant, and I'm spinning...’

“I’m literally speechless because I forget you can sing” Todd comments, my friends clapping

“Private gig! Private gig!” Zane chants, I roll my eyes playfully and put my playlist of my favorite songs on shuffle

After singing for my friends for about 15 minutes we decide it’s time to get ready to go out. David thought it would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone today, throw a party for me to celebrate me signing with a label and getting content out of our dumbasses. The girls and I squeeze into my car and head to my apartment to get ready.

“Oh my god Corinna I’m so fucking you tonight” I say, watching her try on one of my dresses

“Good, I’ve been alone for too long” she replies, I wink at her and pick out an outfit for Natalie while Carly and Erin raid Carly’s closet

“Nat this is so perfect for you” Corinna compliments, I agree with a nod and go to pick an outfit

I settle on something a little more comfortable since I’m pretty known to blackout easily. I decide on a red spaghetti strap crop top, a white pleated skirt, and my red and white old school Vans with a slightly oversized leather jacket. Natalie, Corinna, and I work on our hair and makeup. I decide on my usual look with my hair in a ponytail. After about an hour we head back to David’s to pregame.

We take shots and I’m pretty tipsy by the time we all get in David’s Tesla. I find my seat on Jeff’s lap. We loudly sing along to David’s music on the way to the club. We all get in and head to the section that David got us. Zane, Toddy, and I instantly gravitate towards the bottles already there. The loud music making me ready to act a fool for David’s vlog. After another three rounds of shots I become one with the music.

“Where the fuck am I?” I joke loudly, somehow I ended up on the floor while Zane danced on me and I smacked his ass

“Ow you bitch” He slurs, I laugh and Todd helps me off the ground

“OHH SAGE” Corinna yells, and there it is.. the familiar beat to ‘Back That Azz Up’

Corinna instantly gets behind me while I twerk on her. Everyone in our section forming a circle. I spot Natalie on the couch and I walk over to her before giving her a lap dance. David films her reaction while Jason hands her a bunch of singles. She throws it on me while I dance. The mixture of alcohol and music making me lose myself. The song ends and I’m a little sad. Although the universe instantly answers my prayers and I hear the beginning to ‘Panoramic’. This time I decide to dance with Jeff.

“You ready bub?” I ask, he looks at me nervously

“Huh? Oh my-” Jeff replies, I bend over and start dancing again

After a few seconds he quickly finds himself dancing with me as best as he can. Our friends scream as he gains confidence. He pulls me up by my neck, leaving a hand there as he pours the vodka in my mouth. I swallow and turn so Corinna can grind on me. I feel someone behind me and turn to see Natalie. The three of us forming a chain. Which we keep up depending on the song. After two hours David taps me on the shoulder

“Alright guys, let’s go back to my place. It’s getting a little stuffy in here” I nod and hand Jeff my things

I find myself in the passenger seat. Never a good thing in David’s vlogs. Somehow Zane had walked out with a full bottle of vodka and we were all passing it around. Before driving David turns his camera on and I’m too drunk to listen to reason

“David.. I’m so drunk” I yell above the music, he laughs and turns the camera so I’m more in view

“Is there anything we should ask Sage since I think she’s the most drunk here” David says, turning the music down as our friends fall quiet to think

“Sage what are your thoughts on Jeff getting a boner after you danced on him” Mariah asks, I laugh loudly and hiccup

“My thoughts? Head empty, no thoughts” I reply, they laugh and continue asking me questions

“Sage if you were a man for a day what would you do?” Jason asks, also recording me

“Dude I’d honestly try to have a threesome with Natalie and Corinna” I reply, he laughs before replying

“You try to do that now” He says, our friends laughing loudly

The car ride seems like it went on forever. Finally we ended up at David’s house, I quickly run to the fridge and grab water. Wanting to sober up a little bit because I felt too out of control of my body. I chug the water and throw the empty bottle into the recycling bin. Jeff walks over to me and hugs me from behind. I smile lazily and sway to the music David is playing.

“Can we get DoorDash please” I whine, the group instantly nods while Jeff and I walk over to the group

“Get a room you two” Carly jokes, watching me cling onto Jeff while he sat me down

“I fucking wish” I say, quietly sipping my water as Natalie takes everyone’s McDonald’s orders

I decided on a 20 piece chicken mcnuggets with sweet and sour sauce and a Sprite. I blush as Jeff’s hands find themselves on my thigh. It’s no secret that I’m high key attracted to Jeff, but it recently started becoming real that I actually have a crush on my best friend. I realize that all the girls were looking at me and my face turned bright red. They shared looks before pulling me off the couch and taking me outside.

“You have a real fucking crush on Jeff don’t you” Mariah says, the girls crowd around me as I laugh

“I need a fucking joint, yes I do ok” I confess, they scream and jump around and I can already see the guys heading out to see what all the commotion is about

“What’s going on out here ladies?” Todd asks, wrapping his arms around Natalie and Jeff came next to me and thankfully it was pitch black and he couldn��t see the blush spreading across my face

“God I need to smoke so bad what the fuck is wrong with me” I mumble, Jeff hears me and pulls a preroll out of his pocket

“Let’s go, princess” He says, asking our other friends if they want to join, Zane and Todd agree and we sit on the couch outside and smoke a little bit

After we finished the pre-roll I head back over to the girls. We continue talking and they encourage me to talk to him about it. Apparently he has an actual crush on me too. I brush them off the but the substances in my system were giving me too much courage.

“No no... I’ll think about it when I’m sober” I say, they all agree and we go back into the house

“Ok guys I think I’m gonna head out” I say, I had a few more drinks with Zane and Heath so I was back to being drunk and a little high

“You are not driving home like this” Dave says, I nod and look around. Carly left a while ago since her and Erin had a meeting in the morning and I didn’t want to disturb her because I knew I would be loud when I got home

“I’ll take her, I should head out anyways” Jeff replies, I grin and collect my things and grab a water from the fridge for the road

“Can I stay over? I miss Nerf and I can’t go to my apartment since Carly has something important in the morning and I don’t want to disturb her” I say, he nods with a big smile

“Sure thing princess. We’ll stop by the store and grab some makeup remover and face wash” He said, driving to the nearest CVS

After our quick run to the store we finally arrived at his apartment. We got in and I walk over to the fridge and get a water. I hear Nerf’s claws on the floor and crouch down. After petting him for about five minutes Jeff comes out with a shirt and some boxers. I smile gratefully and head to the bathroom.

I take my makeup off and wash my face. I change into the shirt and boxers and head out. I make myself comfortable on the couch while Jeff changes. He walks out and shakes his head

“No, your back and neck are going to be sore. Just share the bed with me” He said, I look at him skeptically but nod

“Finally, thank god I shaved recently” I joke, he laughs loudly as he shuts the door

“I’m not that tired, you wanna watch a movie?” He asks, turning the TV on I nod and let him pick while I make myself comfortable with Nerf

Halfway through the movie I start drifting off, resting my head on Jeff’s chest.

“Goodnight princess” He said, pressing a kiss to my head before turning the movie off

“Goodnight.. I love you” I mumble, not noticing the look on Jeff’s face

[digitalworldbound]

day five: alternate universe

a studio ghibli au where hikari is an only child and her mother has passed. luckily, the neighborhood boys offer to help find her.

The floorboards creaked under her socked feet, soot covering the once pristine cotton. Hikari didn’t care if her clothes got dirty, but she didn’t want to give her father another reason to fret over her.

Cardboard boxes littered the hallway. Despite moving in a week prior, neither her or her father had the motivation or strength to pry open memories. Instead, Hikari stacked the boxes in a makeshift castle. One day, she hoped that their Queen would find her way home.

But she had been there to see her mother’s coffin lower in the ground; she had held her father as he wept.

A bookbag hung mockingly in the kitchen. The first day of school, once the happiest day of Hikari’s life, now served as a reminder of yet another first her mother would miss. Her father slouched over the stove. Hikari couldn’t help but to feel responsible for the bags under his eyes. In between finalizing the funeral arrangements and moving across the country, he had little energy to spare for Hikari, much less himself.

A whiff of burnt eggs did little to calm her anxieties, but she stomached her breakfast like a dutiful daughter.

“See you later, dad.”

He gave a half-hearted wave as Hikari slipped out of the front door. For a moment, she considered staying home for another day. She could unpack her room and make sure that her father ate a decent lunch, but her silent wishes disappeared as a herd of boys clamoured down the dirt road. Their feet pounded the ground, a race in progress. Six bookbags struggled to maintain their grasps on little shoulders as the group ran down the road.

A raven-haired boy took the lead, navigating the rocks and potholes with a practiced ease.

From the end of her driveway, Hikari watched him draw nearer. Too focused on his impending victory, the boy failed to notice her as he stopped beside her.

“See, ‘Keru? I told you I could win!”

A head of sweaty, blond hair followed close behind. Once he caught his breath, he pushed his friend’s side. The victor erupted into giggles as he continued to antagonize his friend.

With a huff, the blond crossed his arms. His cheeks were still rosy from the wind, blue eyes bright with mirth. “That’s not fair, Ken! You got a head start!”

Before Ken was able to muster up a response, a second redhead stepped forward.

“Who are you?” An accusing finger hung in front of Hikari’s face. Six pairs of eyes, colored in surprised, focused on her. A flush crawled up her neck, her breath caught in her throat.

Her mother had taught her about the importance of a first impression, but any confidence Hikari had dissipated into the morning air. Her fingers had gone numb, palms clammy. A toe dug into the dirt, her eyes focusing on the path to school. They looked at her expectantly, eyes narrowed. Silence crackled like static, interrupted by impatience.

“She’s weird. Let’s go, Daisuke.” Ken pulled his mirror image along with him, scurrying away like frightened animals.

The others didn’t bother to stick around, chasing each other the rest of the way to school.

Hikari waited for their dust trail to settle before walking down the path. Anxiety welled into her stomach; her mother would be disappointed in her. A gentle gust of wind ruffled her bangs in reassurance.

Her feet carried her onward, further away from the comforts of her new house. The school building emerged from the meadow, a field of flowers surrounding it on either side. It reminded Hikari of the story books her father used to read to her before bedtime, back when his smile reached his eyes and her mother was there .

Throngs of children gathered like dandelion seeds on a breeze, rosy cheeks and kind smiles adorning most faces. The strange group of boys stood off to one side. Huddled in a circle, their eyes trailed her suspiciously as Hikari made her way into the building.

Her little hands clutched the straps of her bookbag, as if pulling it closer to her body would quench her worries.

Living amongst rice farmers and livestock had been her father’s choice. Hikari’s mother had been raised in the countryside, escaping into the city for her first taste of freedom. It was strange to think that her mother, headstrong and accomplished, had sat in this same room; studied at these same desks.

The room was large, accommodating for all of the children in the village. With the older kids staking their claim in the back, Hikari rushed to the last empty space.

A pair of large blue eyes gazed at her, fear puckering at their eyebrow. It was the blond boy from earlier, his cheeks still flushed from his loss. Hikari squirmed under his gaze.

His fear must have dissipated quickly. It was the only explanation Hikari had for the fingers that poked into her side between lessons.

“Psst. Psst, girl.”

Her pencil continued to scratch at her paper, dodging dirty looks from the other students. His fingers continued to dig into her sensitive side. Thin lips pursed as Hikari swallowed down the giggle that bubbled in her throat. It would be disrespectful to laugh while her teacher was talking, and she figured that disappointing her mother once already was enough.

Still, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but to tilt upwards. Chocolate eyes danced around his cerulean ones, and his fingers stilled.

“My name’s Takeru. What’s yours?” Whispering came naturally to some while a sense of quiet evaded others. Hikari assumed that Takeru was a part of the latter, his voice bouncing off the walls.

Some luck must have been on her side. Their teacher had been distracted with the younger students, too encaptured in their homesick tears to hear the blond’s outburst.

“You need to be quiet or we’ll get in trouble,” she chastised. A crestfallen shadow danced across his features before the light returned to his eyes.

“But you never answered my question.” Takeru’s voice was more hushed than before - he was trying. A toothy grin was plastered on his cheeks, his eyes aglow with childish anticipation.

She slipped her given name through her teeth, turning her full attention towards the chalkboard.

Later, the late summer sun kissed her cheeks as school children began their trek home. Takeru rushed out behind her, looking more like a mother duck with five boys in tow than an elementary student.

“So, Hikari, since when did you live here?” Glasses glinting in the sunlight, it was difficult to see what the dark-haired boy was thinking. Several paces ahead, Hikari wracked her brain for his name. As soon as school ended, Takeru had wasted no time in introducing her to everyone. Their names swam around in her head, none of them sticking.

“My father and I moved here a few weeks ago.” She didn’t turn to them, nor did she offer any other explanation.

One of the boys scoffed. “Why’d you have to move here?” It must have been Ken, the one with angry eyebrows. Hikari stopped, turning to face him. “Well, it’s not like I had a choice. My dad just wanted a change of scenery ever since my mom went away.”

Iori’s sugary smile wilted, looking up towards the tallest of their group. “That’s sad. Right, Koushiro?”

He nodded while the others let silence wash over them. Pebbles crunched underneath them as they continued on. Wind whistled through the treetops, a babbling brook accompanying the group on their journey. Crickets chimed in harmony, the background music to a most auspicious moment.

“I know!” Takeru propelled himself beside her, arms flailing in excitement. “We can help you find your Mama!” Grabbing her wrist, he broke into a sprint. The air was warm as it ran through her short hair.

He guided them to the edge of woods. Trees stretched to the sky, their arms caressing the clouds. Hikari pulled herself out of Takeru’s grasp as the group followed him further into the forest. “Wait! Where are you going?”

Hikari could see her house just over the hill, her stomach twisting at the thought of going back to her boxed up home. The boys disappeared into the underbrush, their twinkling laughter chasing after them. Impulsively, she started after them, branches scratching at her cheeks. A stray root caught Hikari’s ankle. A pair of spindly arms caught her, Daisuke’s disgruntled expression greeting her.

“You should be more careful. I don’t want cooties.” He stuck his tongue out, weaving through the trees. It seemed as if the dust bunnies from her house had followed her here, dancing around the feet of her young companions. Cheerfully, the soot sprites lead them deeper.

The trees gave way to a clearing. Lush, green grass was bordered by wildflowers, the occasional bumble bee flitting around.

“This is exactly where a Momma would wait for her baby!” Takeru declared, a triumphant grin spread across his cheeks as if he had already won. The others seemed to agree, their chatter flowing freely amidst the tree trunks.

Boisterous plants sprouted at the meadow’s edge.With leaves as big as Iori himself, he found it no trouble to crawl underneath them. Using the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his glasses, Jou peered over the tops of the bushes. “Is she under there, Iori?”

Poking his head out from between the leaves, Iori shook his head. “It’s too dark under here for a grown lady,” he paused for a moment, brown eyes glistening, “And it’s too dark for six-year-old boys.” His voice wavered, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. In an attempt to avoid the inevitable, Jou tugged Iori out of the brush.

Little soot sprites tangled themselves in his hair, chittering at the commotion. “C’mon, you know it’s rude to ask for a free ride.” Not even enchanted dust bunnies could argue with Jou’s logic. They cascaded down to the ground, tittering as their host swatted at his hair.

Daisuke couldn’t help but to laugh from the treeline, legs dangling off Koushiro’s shoulers. Being the tallest in the group came with a price, one that he happily paid anytime his friends needed him.

From this new vantage point, Daisuke scanned the branches for something. “Hey, Hikari!”

Koushiro’s grip tightened on his knees as the pair turned towards her.

Alone, in the middle of the lush grass, she looked like a fairy. If fairies wore ill-fitting Pokemon theme shirts, that is. She turned towards them, a question dancing in her eyes.

“Does your mom like climbing trees? Maybe she got stuck!” Daisuke almost gave himself a pat on the back; he was so smart!

With the leaves ruffling his cheeks, Daisuke’s attention was easily diverted. He signaled for Koushiro to take him deeper into the woods, much to Hikari’s relief. She didn’t have the heart to say it out loud.

Not too far from her, Ken sat amongst the wild blackberry bushes. His cheeks were swollen with fruit, lips stained purple. Hikari plopped herself down beside him. With his mouth full, he was less likely to ask questions she didn’t want to answer.

Ken’s attempt at speaking was obscured by the berries, a few stray escaping past his lips. Hikari couldn’t stop her laughter, a relief from the turmoil that bubbled in her stomach. Picking a few fresh from the vine, Ken offered his sticky palm, blackberries glistening on top.

“Thank you,” she said, tossing a few in her mouth. Takeru plopped himself between the two, taking two of Ken’s berries for his own. “Wow, these are good!”

True to his boisterous nature, Takeru’s voice reverberated through the meadow. Four curious heads turned before they, too, joined the impromptu picnic.

“Hikari, do you ever think you’ll find your momma?”

She wasn’t sure who asked the question. Cicadas carried on their twilight lullaby as the sun kissed the horizon in passing.

Fireflies began to twinkle at the treeline. Hikari looked up into six pairs of softened eyes. Though their curiosity rolled off of them like waves, none of them said anything else.

The grass was soft underneath her, the breeze caressing her cheek. “I’m sure I will, someday. But, for now, at least you guys keep me company.”

[catboymingi]

movie night

navi/masterlist

pairing: yunho x reader

genre: fluff; requested by @yunhoiseyecandy​​ !

word count: 2.3k

warnings: none!

a/n: the amount of time this took me to write just because i kept napping… i’m ashamed

imagine this: me, yunho, cuddles + kithes + movies :3

“yunho, what are you doing?”, you laughed out after the third time your boyfriend had found it completely necessary to start kissing all over your face during a lovey scene in the movie you were currently watching, completely without warning or explanation.

“kissing you”, he just replied, lips still forcibly attached to your face as if it was impossible to remove them even just to answer you.

“i can see that”, or rather, feel, “but i don’t really get why you’re suddenly so lovey.”

“do you want me to stop?”, and now it did seem possible to bring just a few centimetres of distance between his lips and your skin.

“no, love, it’s cute, it’s just hard to focus on the movie when you’re being so cute”, you told him, and then, as realisation hit you: “you just don’t want to watch a romcom! you could’ve just told me, i would’ve put something else on!”

“no no!”, he was quick to reassure, “the movie is cute! you’re just cuter. it’s impossible to not kiss you when you smile so cutely whenever something lovey happens.”

now it was you pressing a kiss to his lips as you turned your head to look at him, and another one, and, just because you could, a third one as well, before you focused back on the movie.

yunho didn’t like this, though, wanted your attention on him only now that he’d gotten some of it, but he knew that you really wanted to watch the movie, so he tried to let you focus.

keyword: tried.

he really was trying to not be too in-your-face with his affection, small kisses pressed to your shoulder, neck, jaw, picking up your hands to kiss your knuckles, but what he hoped to be lowkey left you wanting more, more kisses, a tighter hug, just more love. it was impossible to resist him when he was all over you smothering you with affection. so you decided to pause the movie, and once that was done you turned in yunho’s lap some more, now in the perfect position to get all his love and kisses.

“but the movie-?”, your boyfriend asked, but you just shook your head.

“it’s impossible to not kiss you when you’re being so adorable”, you repeated what he’d offered you as an explanation a little earlier, though slightly tweaked to fit the new situation, and he smiled.

“i guess.”

then, even though you’d told him that it was impossible for you not to kiss him, he leaned in again to kiss you, happy that this time you wouldn’t be complaining about missing out on the plot.

“you taste like chips”, because that’s what you’d been eating, the only option for a portion-sized, grabbable snack in the house, and also the reason why there were subtitles on the movie, because your crunching made it difficult to understand the characters at times.

“and you taste like you’ve inhaled a whole bottle of sprite since we started”, you replied to him, both of you smiling against the other.

“together we’re the perfect meal for a movie date”, he joked, playfully licking your lips to mix the tastes.

“yup. perfect meal”, he assessed his little experiment, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“my turn”, doing the same as he’d done, making it his turn to laugh as you tried to taste some of the sprite off his lips.

“can you even taste it?”, because he didn’t assume his lips tasted a lot like the drink. if anything, his tongue probably tasted more like it.

and his suspicion was confirmed when you grinned at him.

“nope”, you let him know, “but it’s fun to tease you back.”

you shouldn’t have said this, though, because what had started off as innocent teasing resulted in you near falling off the couch as he tickled your sides with one hand, holding your hands together so you were entirely helpless with the other.

“mercy! please! spare me!”, you laughed out as his hands mercilessly attacked you, making you near pee your pants because he just would not stop.

“what do i get if i stop?”, yunho asked, stopping now so you’d be able to form a coherent sentence, something he knew would be impossible if he kept torturing you.

“whatever you want! whatever you want!”, without thinking much about it - you were desperate for a break and you were desperate for the bathroom, your laughter having caused something that would become a problem if he wouldn’t let you go pee right now.

“hmm…”, he thought out loud, considering what he’d bribe out of you, leaving you still unable to move as he was holding your hands together.

“please just let me pee, yunho”, you whined out, and finally you were released, sprinting to the bathroom to grant your bladder the desired relief as he mused on.

“you said i get whatever i want”, you were greeted by your boyfriend as you returned from the bathroom, much less hurried than you’d been when you left, and the reminder of that already had you fear whatever he was going to ask of you.

“i want to go to mcdonald’s and get a happy meal”, he continued, “and a mcflurry. and a big milkshake. and you pay.”

at least it could have been worse. even though it was currently nearing 11pm and you really weren’t excited about going out in the merciless cold he at least hadn’t asked you for a trip to universal studios or something equally impossible. really, you were lucky you got out of this with just a mcdonald’s meal.

“get your jacket and let’s go”, you just told him, and he seemed a little surprised that you just accepted it. he wasn’t going to complain, though.

that was how you found yourself in mcdonald’s as one of the only customers roughly twenty minutes later, you in yunho’s lap as he fed you some of his fries. you’d just gotten an - already devoured - mcflurry for yourself while his wish had been fulfilled, but the fact that he had two drinks meant he left you to choose the happy meal’s drink, which was assigned your drink as he happily sipped his milkshake.

“thank you, angel”, he told you, but you just rolled your eyes at him, making it a point to turn your head so he could most definitely see it, too.

“as if you’d let me go if i hadn’t offered you literally anything you wanted. and i needed to pee.”

“fair point”, feeding you another fry - by now you’d probably eaten more fries than him, but he didn’t mind -, “but i still want to say thank you. i have manners, you know.”

he was most definitely teasing, but you had a good counter argument, as he found out when you without a single second for thought told him: “didn’t seem like it when you tickled me half to death.”

“you started it!”, he tried defending himself, but not with you.

“you were the one to lick my lip just to get some taste of the chips! i just repaid you, that doesn’t make me the one who started!”

yunho couldn’t argue with that, so he just grumbled, deciding to speed up his fry feeding tempo so you wouldn’t be able to say any more, keeping your mouth constantly occupied with chewing.

this plan, however, stopped working as soon as he was out of fries, and your teasing immediately continued.

“don’t think i didn’t know what you were doing”, you told him, “you just can’t stand hearing the truth.”

“can’t i want my love to be well fed? does that make me a bad boyfriend? if so, give me the worst boyfriend in the world award, because i’ll always make sure you have enough food.”

“dork”, but you were smiling, enjoying the moment and how normal it felt. it felt like this was how it should be, your boyfriend and you at mcdonald’s, you in his lap as he tried to navigate his spoon to his mouth without accidentally hitting you in the chest with it, the time close to midnight so you were two of the only people there, just being goofy and relaxed. it felt like the hectic world full of assignments and work and random due dates couldn’t reach you in this moment.

“but i’m your dork”, yunho informed you as he pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, something that still made your heart flutter. you literally lived with him, you’d spent the last three years of your life with him, yet whenever he confirmed that he was yours and you were his you felt like you had on your very first date.

“and it looks like my dork finished his happy meal. do you want to go back home? i’m a little tired.”

‘a little’ was an understatement, but you weren’t about to tell him that it was near impossible to not fall asleep in this lousy mcdonald’s just because he was enveloping you in his warmth with his arms around you and chest against your back. that would be a reason for more teasing than you were willing to accept.

“let’s go”, and you left hand in hand after you’d thrown away the remnants of your late night adventure, the only thing keeping you from freezing on the walk back home the fact that he’d wrapped an arm around you as soon as he realised you were cold, trying to give as much of his warmth to you as he could.

though that had helped you were glad when you were back home, taking off your shoes and the sorry excuse of a jacket that hadn’t done its job and immediately moving towards the bedroom, hiding underneath not only your but also his blanket, and you were absolutely willing to fight him if he dared to demand even just one of the blankets for himself.

he didn’t, though, laying down on his back next to you as he watched your incredibly tiny-looking face peek out from the blanket cocoon you’d built for yourself.

“come sleep here and you can keep them both”, he offered, patting his stomach to let you know where ‘here’ was - on top of him.

he didn’t need to tell you twice, the cocoon that was more blanket than girlfriend shuffling its way on top of him and only changing its cocoon conditions to also cover him in the blankets rather than having them folded in underneath your stomach. his body heat was a good substitute for the warmth you now lacked from the blankets, though, and his arms holding you tightly had you decide that this was better than just a blanket cocoon.

“you’re hot”, you told him, nuzzling into him for more comfort, but of course yunho couldn’t help but comment on your word choice.

“i am? i thought you wanted to sleep, but if you have different plans…”

“shut up or you’re sleeping on the couch”, a threat both of you knew you wouldn’t actually make a reality, but it did its job.

“okay”, he chuckled, “we’ll just sleep.”

“mhm”, you hummed, rubbing your cheek against the soft fabric of his shirt that still smelled a little bit of fast food, but it was okay.

“goodnight, love. and thanks for the happy meal, again.”

“night. and this was a one-time thing.”

it really wouldn’t be, but it couldn’t hurt to try. though you didn’t actually know if he replied anything to that, sleep dragging you into the land of dreams at a speed of 200 kilometres per second. all you were able to still, half subconsciously, perceive were his warmth and his soft, strong arms around you.

the next morning you were still in the same position, his breath steady and even underneath you, although his arms were wrapped a little less tightly around you, only his hands still on your back as the rest of his arms had almost entirely slid off while both of you were asleep. you really didn’t want to wake him up, but he looked so peaceful asleep like that that you couldn’t keep yourself from kissing him, and as if he was an action doll and kissing him was the little power button his eyes fluttered open, looking at you with sleep still evident in them, but the sleepy pout on his lips turned into a smile anyway.

“morning.”

“morning, sleepyhead”, acting as if you hadn’t woken up maybe two minutes before him. he didn’t need to know that, though.

“slept well?”, you asked him then.

“mhm. you? warm enough?”

“yes”, you told him, kissing him again right after, “thank you.”

“no problem.”

his arms moved back fully around you as he held you close for a little more, until his body had fully realised that it was time to be awake, at which point he asked you if you wanted to go get breakfast.

you hummed in approval of his idea and both of you attempted to free you from the blanket cocoon, and once that was done you made your way to the kitchen, though the tv in the living room caught your attention first.

“we forgot to turn it off last night”, yunho said, surprised, as he remembered that you had in fact never cared to turn the tv off, thinking you’d continue the movie after going to mcdonald’s - something that obviously hadn’t happened.

“we did”, you replied just as surprised, but then surprise turned into content as you smiled at the memories of the previous night, all the cute kisses and hugs and teasing that always made you so happy, even when you were exasperated in the moment.

“do you think we’ll ever be able to finish an entire romcom?”, you asked him then, still smiling.

“probably not.”

[roseyful]

Mars Red: Edge of the Nightmare - Review

Now, my Tumblr has been a bit quiet lately (been queuing a lot of things so then it wasn’t too quiet during my absence), but it has been for a good reason; last month I was approached [on my private twitter account] and asked if I would be able to playtest a game and write a review, and of course, being someone that enjoys games, especially those that follow an otome style, I had to say YES.

So its proud to say that after a while of playing the game, I finally get to write this review.

Now before I get into the game itself, I would like to take the moment to give appreciation to the team for being so helpful during my time of playtesting the game and before that, as not only would they let us know when there was an issue and the date had to be pushed back, they were so polite and helpful whenever I would run into a problem. That’s something you’d want to see in a gaming company and I’m so glad that my first experience with this company is one with positive results. I personally found no issues with the team themselves, and I do hope they keep this up after the release. Thank you favary for being so lovely and patient with me, and other beta testers.

Mars Red: Edge of The Nightmare was the game that they asked for me to play, however when I originally looked at their website, I couldn’t help but notice that the concept was originally one of a ‘Sound Theatre’, and while I couldn’t figure out what that was, I eventually was lead down a rabbit hole and ended up looking at the other things that Bun-O Fujisawa has worked in. Very interesting stuff, just like the game. However, it’s best to look at his other stuff in your own time.

Please note: I will be keeping this spoiler-free for the sake of letting people go in with no idea of what’s going on besides what I mention and on the website.

Story

The game is set in the early twentieth century in Japan, or better known as the Taisho, in which the website also says ‘[is] influenced by Romanticism’, in which vampires rule the night, as they could only feed off blood and those that stepped into the sun would surely die. Keen senses, incredible physical abilities, and yet they were still vulnerable. You see that very early on with the main character that we play as; Yutsufusa Yuki, a vampire whom became one against his will.

I will be honest, I did not like Yutsufusa when I first started playing, as I felt like he was a bit too willing to die, but that is something that you can overlook when you get further into the story. Yutsufusa is obviously one of the youngest in the group, due to the fact he wears the more ‘modern’ [at the time] clothing out of everyone, well, there is someone else who wears similar clothing but he’s human.

You control Yutsufusa throughout the game, influencing his voices and living his life through his eyes, him acting as the reader insert as you learn about the other characters and begin to grow a bond with them. While the story is a bit slow at first, it does start picking up around the middle-end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2 after you play the prologue, as you begin to assist “Code Zero” in their work to rid the world of vampires that wish to feast on humans..

Be mindful that there is an anime, however, Yutsufusa does not appear in it, as it focuses on the other main characters, so if you have watched the anime already be sure to remember that they’re either two separate timelines or different points in time. I do not want to confuse anyone with this.

The main cast is quite an interesting bunch, as it covers a wide range of personalities, and sometimes even time periods as you play through the game and unlock things; you might say you might learn a bit of history from it if you end up looking up some of the references I’ve found in the game. This is a great reflection on the idea of ‘immortality, and even has moments where said immortality leans into a few jokes (such as knowledge of birds).

If you’ve played games such as ‘Ikemen Revolution’, you may be familiar with the ticket system. Every day you’re allowed a certain amount of tickets to progress through the story, however, if you run out of tickets and you must read more, then you’re able to progress the story via using ‘amber’, the game’s currency that you can use for different functions. However, this is not needed, as every day your tickets will be replenished. I personally found myself not even needing to use my amber, as I would always wait for the next day. There are mini-stories that you can get if you finish a chapter within a certain amount of time, but I personally don’t find them to progress the story a lot after I read the first one I got. Then again I had other things to occupy my time while I wanted as well. If you wish to reread chapters, you get a bonus third option of currency; coins. Coins can be used to reread chapters in the place of amber or tickets, which means that you can grind out coins via the exploration option in order to see more options (looked at a bit later).

I personally found the story to be engaging, between the use of minigames (or investigations, covered a bit later), it broke up the reading with fun activities that progressed the story.

Is the game an Otome?

No! I was shocked as well when I saw the all-male cast since I was wondering if I was playing a boys love game, but in the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is actually a detective game. While it may carry the usual look of an otome, with the story and choices of how you speak influencing the endings of chapters, the game more feels like one of finding new friends and solving kick-ass investigations than finding romance. It’s refreshing.

This is especially true between the minigames in which helps influence the story that is all very unique in their own way and do not seem repetitive once you get into the flow of how they work.

Minigames

The minigames come forward in two forms; investigation, interrogation, and infer. Investigation sounds exactly how you’d expect, as you have to poke around and look at things, which you can review in a little notebook that sits in the top right of your screen in the case you need to review what you’ve looked at. When I was first launched into this section for the first time, I had a little trouble remembering exactly what I needed to look at (as I was given a set of things to tap), however, I do have to thank the team for thinking ahead and adding the option to be able to watch ads in order to see what you need to do. This was one of the two times I’d have to watch ads, as they don’t shove them in your face every few seconds like most mobile games do which is rather nice. Sometimes you gain information or items that you have to use later, so it’s a good idea to keep track of what you look at.

Interrogation acts as a question-based information gathering, in which you talk to NPCs in order to gather information to use in the investigation. Like Investigation, these points are put into your notebook for later.

Infer takes the first two investigation segments and combines the information, as you now get interrogated by one of the main characters, and you must respond back with the proper information in order to make sure that this segment is successful. You are able to read back on the notes from the other segments at this point by pressing the button with the book icon in the upper right corner, as this aids you in selecting the right answers. When I first came to this section, I did feel under pressure due to it, but it was interesting to see the negative answers from the character if I got it wrong.

Exploration is another part of the game, that while outside the story, there are parts that require a certain amount of story points in order to clear ‘point blocks’. This is where you get the coins from and frankly is good to use once you have finished using all your tickets for the day and want to use the rest of the time to grind coins. During the exploration, you set up 2 characters, a place, and a set [in real life] time of how long you want them to be out and about. Depending on the number of points earned, you may earn something called a ‘mummer’, which reveals more about the characters you chose to send out, and even get dialogue of the characters interactions (which can be pretty funny in itself) that shows the dynamic of the two characters- are they friends? Are things tense? You get to learn more by sending them out together.

Artstyle

As an artist, I was incredibly pleased with the art of the game, as the characters do not look the game, there are different body types and ages (from teen to elder), you never had to look at the same face twice for two characters. I will be honest, I do wish the characters were a bit more ‘animated’ with their expressions (such as body movement when they’re feeling certain emotions), however other than that, the sprites are magnificent.

The backgrounds are also really interesting to look at and even tell so much story before you even start investigating within the investigation sections. The design team also needs props, because while a few characters are wearing similar outfits, they’re all wearing them in different ways which shows their character and even the way they probably fight. Though I will say I am a bit biased towards Takeuchi, then again, I really enjoy fun and loud characters in general, and his hair is interesting in a sea of mostly black, purple, silver or blonde hair. Maybe will make a fanart of him in the future if I learn to draw his eyepiece. (on that note, please release the full sprites for us artists to reference, we’d love you eternally for it haha).

Oh no, it’s a-

Yes, its a bit of a gacha game, however, you do not need to actually play the gachas in order to progress through the game; it mostly just unlocks bits of story for those that want to have extra stories, or just want that extra dose of dopamine (haha, me). As someone who plays gacha games ever since they turned 13, I was glad that this game isn’t actually gacha centric, and thus is very free-to-play friendly due to this.

Who would I recommend this for and would I recommend it myself?

Personally, I think this is a game that suits the niche of those that enjoy a good mystery and even play those ‘find an item’ games, mixed in with those that enjoy reading otomes and history. Maybe even someone that enjoys theatre since there’s a character that does theatre. Would I personally recommend it? Yes, I would. The game is very interesting and engaging, the staff behind the game are so lovely.

Once more, here’s the game’s website link ❤️: https://marsred-game.net/en/