#or EYE-ris complex

[lovelynim]

Thrilling Bet

Honkai Star Rail - Dr. Ratio x Aventurine

A/N: I know it's WAY too early to write anything about these two, but that leaked LC is living in my head rent free and I needed to get this out of my head so... yeah.

Also, keep in mind this is written before official releases and they may be OOC.

Summary: Aventurine comes up with an interesting bet.

Word count: 1482 words

“Ve~ri~tas,” Aventurine nearly sang, bursting into the room without the slightest care or respect for the other man’s privacy. Ratio closed both the book in his hands and his eyes, taking a deep breath. ‘Patience, Veritas, patience,’ he repeated inside his mind, remembering why he agreed to deal with someone like Aventurine in the first place and how they even ended up together.

Turning his head to look at Aventurine, Ratio gave the blonde a cold, piercing glare. “What?”

“Are you busy?”

“Well, I was rea-”

“Good, because I just happened to find out something really interesting and I’d like to share it with you, my dear Veritas,” Aventurine chuckled after promptly interrupting the other, placing his hands on Ratio’s shoulders as he stood behind his chair. “And I’m sure you’ll love to hear this one.”

“Could you not touch me so casually?” Ratio hissed, slightly flinching when he felt the touch against the bare skin of his left arm. “And, please, go straight to the point this time. I don’t wish to waste another afternoon hearing about your gambling adventures.”

“Geez, so cold, are you mad at me? You are so tense today, you need to relax ~” Aventurine insisted, returning his hands to the top of Ratio’s shoulders when the scholar tried to dislodge them. Aventurine pressed his thumbs, as if to give the man a massage while starting another of his monologues.

Ratio let out a small groan when Aventurine refused to stop touching him, but couldn’t help but feel a shiver running down his spine as that massage-like motion started. It was almost good enough to make him ignore whatever Aventurine was ranting about this time. Ratio hated to admit it, but Aventurine knew how to get him to do things, to get him in the mood. 

But there was a fatal flaw in this whole scene, one that not even Ratio’s most complex calculations could have foreseen. 

Aventurine’s touch felt ticklish. Not like a light tingle or a bothersome fluttering over his skin. It felt annoyingly ticklish. Enough to have Ratio gritting his teeth to avoid letting an embarrassing smile make its way to his face.

“Veritas, are you listening? You're way too quiet - even for you,” Aventurine called, bringing Ratio back down to his senses. Aeons, he was so focused on finding a way to ignore that feeling that he couldn’t even bother to hear that gambling addicted blonde.

“No, sorry. I dozed off for a second. You were saying?” Ratio muttered, letting out a sigh of relief when those hands finally stopped pressing into his skin. 

“Oh? Were my hands this good?” Aventurine teased and Ratio could hear the smirk in his voice. “My, I can always give you more if you want, handsome, you just need to ask nicely.”

“That was not- sigh. Suit yourself,” Ratio stopped himself, letting out what sounded like a confident chuckle, but it was only an attempt to hide what was really going on from Aventurine’s attentive gaze.

As someone who gambled that often, Aventurine had an amazing eye for details, noticing every little thing, catching all the signs and figuring out the meaning behind every sign one’s body could give. Still, Ratio also knew that man liked the palm of his hand and that there was a chance he could make it go unnoticed. “Anyway, back to the topic. What was it that you needed to tell me so bad that you couldn’t even knock on my door?”

“Oh, that?” Aventurine giggled, lightly tapping Ratio’s shoulders with the tip of his fingers, “I already forgot, it wasn’t that important.”

Uh oh.

Despite a calm exterior, Ratio felt like things were starting to drift from the path he planned them to go. It didn’t take a gifted intellect like his to figure out that something else caught Aventurine’s attention, that something aroused enough of his interest to put his ranting aside for a moment.

“You know, Veritas,” Aventurine started, stopping the massage and gently sliding his hand from Ratio’s shoulder down to his arm. Walking around the chair the scholar was sitting in, Aventurine took off his glasses with his other hand, eying the other man with a gleam in his eyes. “I actually wanted to ask if you wouldn’t have time to play a game with me. It’s been a while, no?”

Ratio crossed his legs, leaning back into the chair as he looked up to Aventurine’s face with a defiant, but uninterested look. “I could swear I told you I was in the middle of a readin-”

“Fantastic, so, it’s a simple bet, nothing ‘unreasonable’ this time, I promise,” Aventurine insisted, mimicking Ratio’s way of talking when using one of his comments about the blonde’s endless games.

“And if I agree, will you get yourself out of my room?”

“Maybe,” Aventurine grinned, squatting in front of Ratio and uncrossing his legs, resting each of his hands over Ratio’s knees. “Are you ticklish?”

“Hm? Is that your game?” Ratio asked mockingly, putting up a confident act.

“Not really, but it takes an important part on it. Because I could swear I saw you smiling when I was fiddling with your shoulders.”

“I’m afraid we are not on the same page.” Ratio sighed, resting his head on one of his hands while he considered the pros and cons of kicking that blonde away from him at that exact moment.

“Please, a man like you could have done better at feigning ignorance,” Aventurine smirked, slightly digging his fingers into Ratio’s legs. “Answer me, Veritas, are you ticklish? Because I bet you are.”

“Statistically speaking, every person is ticklish to some degree. It’s only natural for us to-”

“Nah-ah, I don’t care about statistics,” Aventurine interrupted before pulling himself a little closer, making Ratio freeze on spot. “I’m going all in on this one, Veritas.”

“...There could be a huge backlash if you lose this ‘bet’, Aventurine…” Ratio warned, hoping he could develop a way to sink into that chair in the next seconds. 

“And that’s the fun part, Veritas. There is no thrill if there is no risk.” 

Ratio could feel the heating spreading across his face when Aventurine looked at him like that. His heart beat fast and his thoughts crashing one into the other, giving him no logical solution for this situation. “That’s enoug- AGH!” Ratio squeaked like a dog’s toy when Aventurine quickly moved his hand and squeezed his side, his fingers digging into that exposed portion of skin and sending electric shooks up to his smart - but now useless - brain.

“Hah,” Aventurine laughed, “jackpot.”

“Aventurine, no. I’m seheheri- ah! N-nohoh!”

And so, Ratio found himself trapped against that chair, stuck between the soft cushions and Aventurine’s hands. The gambler didn’t waste a single second, using one hand to dig and stroke Ratio’s exposed sides while the other pinched the top of his thigh. “You know the drill, Veritas, I won the bet, so it’s only fair I get to enjoy my prize.”

“D-dohohon’t- ahAHah, t-take me fohohor one of yohohour stuhUHupid games!” Ratio managed to protest between giggles, holding into Aventurine’s arms as he tried to pry his hands off his body. “Now stohohop this, yohohou idiot!”

“Ah, as expected of you, Veritas, even laughing like this, you’re able to keep that sharp tongue of yours,” Aventurine mocked, dragging his nails against Ratio’s side and making the man’s laugh rise an octave. “But I have to say, your smile is as handsome as I expected. You don’t disappoint, do you? Heh ~”

“S-shuhush! AhahAHa, e-enohOHOhough!” Ratio threw his head back, taking as much air as possible to his lungs in a deep gasp before breaking into a renewed fit of laughter. He managed to get a look at Aventurine’s face through squinted eyes and - if the small tears clinging onto his lashes weren’t distorting his sight - he looked more amazed than ever. 

Ratio couldn’t remember Aventurine smiling like that even when accompanying him to his wild gambling nights. Was tickling him really this amusing for him?

In those short seconds he was lost in his thoughts, Aventurine managed to get a hold onto Ratio’s legs and sit himself on top of his lap. Now at a much closer distance, they could admire each other’s features: the rare sight of Dr. Ratio with a flustered expression and Aventurine looking dazzled by his new discovery.

“So,” Aventurine whispered, giving Ratio a break from the tickling but pushing him against the chair by his shoulders, keeping him pinned in place, “where else are you ticklish, Veritas?”

“H-hah…” Ratio wheezed lightly, closing his mouth shut before his lips curled into a grin, “take a guess, Aventurine. No, rather… make a bet. But you know better than anyone else that the higher the stakes-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever… I just want to see that handsome smile again, Veritas. It’s worth the risk.”

[yostresswritinggirl]

Tied Down

Alhaitham, Cyno with an Unhinged Reader; can be seen as platonic or romantic (Tighnari & Dottore ver.)

-> Alhaitham with your out of this world ideas

Your exaggerated gasp immediately took Alhaitham's attention from his book, exquisite eyes only moving a few to look over you.

"I got a hypothesis now."

The Scribe quickly lowered his eyes, silently praying for the gods despite being a skeptic that you leave him be for his own sanity.

But of course, if the gods were unresponsive before, how would today be any different? His defeated sigh was obvious as he sees you making your way over in his peripheral.

"I have a hypothesis!"

"Do you have evidence?"

"Hear me out first!" He sighs again as you take his book, peering on the page he was on before making a disgusted face, chucking it over your shoulder.

He stares at you with no emotion. Not replying, hoping you'd take that as a no and leave him back to his peace. You don't, of course.

"So, you know how I've been studying about the elements and visions, right?" He does, of course. "I think I know the pattern on Anemo vision wielders now!"

"And that is?" His curiosity breaks his silence over the bold statement, and your smirk widened at his facade breaking.

"They all have dead friends!" Immediately after, you're on a tug-of-war as Alhaitham tries to kick you out of his office.

Alhaitham always thought that he was commonly misunderstood. After all, once he got to know you, he was sure the Akademiya lunatic title fits you more than he did.

However, it's that eccentric quality that made you standout to him, even if the way your mind works is more complex than the textbooks he reads in his spare time. And he reads a lot of advanced materials.

Sometimes your ideas are plain old jibberish, outlandish or too ahead of his time. And on better days, it makes him ponder and dissect your thoughts with vigor. So long as you have such a creative outlook, he lets the previous failures go, although you are on thin ice.

Whenever he's on his wit ends with a discovery or theorem he needs more insight on, technically you are his last option, but an option nonetheless. Something new ALWAYS sprouts when talking to you and he wants to make sure he's mentally ready for that roadtrip.

You drive him insane, pretty much, but it's the insane he preaches that makes a scholar a scholar. Instead you took that as a challenge.

Because of your operational symbiotic relationship, Alhaitham gets dragged into your antics or he genuinely supports you in your discoveries if it would help make sense of your plans.

He'll find himself negotiating with the Eremites, observing in obscure places, even putting himself in danger just so that he could take the consequences instead of you. "At what distance does the primal constructs detect approaching enemies?" The next day you'll get your answer, with a pinch on the cheek from an exhausted Alhaitham.

Besides the fact that he likes you for your 'genius', he can't deny that he enjoys your presence. Which is why he makes genuine effort to understand and appease your interests, reading through many materials about your recent hyperfixation just to keep up with the conversation - make your outings entertaining.

Best outcome is the look of pure disbelief and held shock whenever you prove him wrong. Him blinking at you with slightly agape lips while you had your hands on your hips with a wide grin.

"You were right." "Mhmm?" "I've spoken with the traveler about the individuals they met who are Anemo vision wielders, a deceased friend is a common factor. Except for a female alchemist in Mondstadt that only has an enstranged friendship." "An outlier." "Correct." "That friend must be dead by now, surely." "I worry for you sometimes."

-> Cyno with your manic antics

"Prepare for trouble."

"And make it double!"

The large congregation of merchants looks up from the boxes of canned knowledge towards the cliff overlooking their gathering where two silhouettes stood, shadowed by the high rising sun behind them.

"To protect the world from forbidden knowledge." "To unite all people in the land of knowledge!"

The confused people watched as the two suddenly faltered in their gimmicky pose and hiss at each other, the conversation too far to make out before they went back to their previous positions.

"To denounce the world of injustices and evils." "To uphold the rules and purge the illegals!"

Only when the chant of familiar, bone-chilling names did the canned knowledge merchants finally understood the confusing scene in front of them, but was all too late to flee when the judicators of the Akademiya pulled out their weapons and jumped down to the clearing.

"Team Matra will chase you down, day and night."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" But the merchants never had the chance to even surrender as you struck first.

Cyno couldn't really blame you. As the Matra focused on cross-referencing and paperworks, your work isn't as... exciting as his, as you put it.

So at times when there's a rare occurrence where he does need an extra pair of hands, and you look like you're about to pass out from boredom, Cyno lets you tag along. He lives for that smile you give him every time he visits your office.

But that smile is also his doom. And the culprits you'd have to subdue. The General Mahamatra could be seen pulling his headdress down, trying to ignore the looks and pleas for mercy while you went ham on beating them up.

No, it is because of their wrongdoings that got them here in the first place, he has nothing to do with this other than following protocols.

If he's the hunting dog, you're the rabid dog always ready to bite. Actually, you're always the first one to rush straight into battle, and after the hundredth time his warnings to NOT do that had been ignored, he stopped doing so and let it be.

While his name is popular among students of the Akademiya, you're more well-known (feared) by Eremites and suspicious merchants. Scholars would rather be visited by you than the General, and the parallels never fails to amuse him.

It's not that he doesn't care, far from it actually! You have his full trust to finish your battles no matter how reckless your approach is, how your adrenaline-fueled mind and body cannot be deterred by small cuts and wounds.

And if there were rare moments when it's too much to handle, rest assured that the General would have your back to the point that you don't even realize the danger as it was already neutralized by his hands.

Cyno never shies away from complimenting your fighting style, even *complimenting *it with his own so that you two can better synergize in the battlefield. The excitement to have someone to spar with after the unfortunate retirement of his previous partner came back tenfold.

It's those rare times that he can boast his pride in front of you, showing his unmatched strength that you have yet to properly win against.

His job as a Matra and the General Mahamatra had always been a dangerous path to walk, and he greatly appreciates that you can keep up and join him without problems.

Besides, he has a front row seat of just how feral and strong you can be. A side that those used to your office persona will never lay eyes on, his very own privilege.

There was a Tighnari and Dottore version for this but I got too busy with my birthday and my tipsy self cannot be bothered to write more so have this

[melinoelliones]

You had frequently seen Chishiya around the city, however he was always alone and acting suspicious, not to mention you had formed somewhat of a crush on the guy. You were also quite curious about him but could never seem to get close enough, until fate brought you two to the same game. Maybe you could finally get some answers.

2.1K Words

MINORS DNI/AGELESS BLOGS DNI/ANTI DC DNI/18+

Warnings: Slight choking, mouth covering, guns and shooting, unprotected sex, cursing, teasing, sex with small plot, hickies, one night stand?, filling up, dubcon???

Hi again, third piece of writing <3. Hopefully i’m gettin better at this LMAO. I kinda tried to put this in the storyline so it isn’t too off brand i guess, this is episode 2 season 1 spoilers for those who haven’t watched. Also it kinda flops in the end.... sorry from now ya’ll

“Where the hell did he go? I swear just had him” you mumbled, kissing your teeth, you had been following Chishiya around the complex for a while now but it was almost as if he had poofed into thin air. Every corner you turned led to another empty walkway, where was everyone anyway?

Shuntaro Chishiya was his name but who was he? You had seen him around the city before but he was always alone and looked like he was up to something, not to mention he looked scarily similar to someone you had known back in highschool, but that's besides the point, he was unusual and you needed to know more, what secrets was he hiding?

You had brought it upon yourself to find out as much as you could about him from a distance, but since this was the first game with him you couldn’t let the opportunity to spy on him up close slip through your fingertips.

Strolling up yet another empty flight of stairs you froze, your eyes locked on the man with the horse mask who was now facing you head on, you felt as if time itself had stopped. Your blood ran cold as your eyes flickered to the large gun in his hand, “p~please don’t shoot, please”, you pleaded, maybe this could work?

You watched on as he started to march towards you, “should’ve assumed this shit wouldn’t work on you”, you sighed frustratedly rolling your eyes, it was worth a shot though. You slid the disk you had hidden in your sleeve to your palm, eyes glued to the masked man who was starting to pick up speed.

As he carelessly attempted to aim his weapon you struck your palms together, the disk emitting a strongly condensed cloud of smoke which started to fill the stairwell. In the midst of his confusion you slid past him, throwing the disks remains behind you as a distraction, hoping he would think you had tried to run back the way you came.

Had you really forgotten what you were doing here? Your life was literally on the line yet you allowed yourself to let your objective slip your mind due to a random man you were attracted to spying on? Maybe this wasn’t your brightest idea.

Darting down endless walkways, all that filled your ears were gunshots and blood curdling screams from below, your plan to get him off your back had worked but at the cost of whose life, countless thoughts flooded your head whilst you fled, paying no attention to where you were headed.

Breathlessly you came to a halt, you had hit the top floor, end of the hall, the only way out was to cross the open stairs but even then you’d be out in the open. As if a wake up call, the gunshots continued, the shells ricocheting off the walls echoing through the stairwell, with no other option you veered towards the last door on your side.

“This is gonna get me in so much trouble for fuck sake”, mumbling to yourself you tried to grab the thin piece of metal from your sock placing it into the keyhole, you had no clue if this would work but at this point there were no alternative options. Your hands trembling as the sound of the man's footsteps grew louder pacing up the stairs, “cmon dammit work”.

You vigorously shook the metal rod, all critical thinking had gone out the window as the realisation that you may actually die right here started to hit you. As that thought popped up you felt the handle click, you were in, without another thought you swung the door open stumbling inside, letting the door close by itself to avoid any further noise.

You cautiously glanced around the room, it was almost as if it were a movie set, blank walls, chipped wood floors and no furniture. “I guess they weren’t expecting people to just walk on in he~”, you were cut off by a hand covering your mouth, your heart now pounding through your chest, was it the shooter?

Why didn’t you watch the door close? How did they get to the room so fast? Why couldn’t you hear their footsteps? A million questions swamped your mind.

You winced as your head started to rise slightly exposing your neck, the calloused hand against your mouth was pulling you back. Your body tightening in fear as your bodies met . A hand weaved its way over your stomach as a pair of lips ghosted just below your ear, their breath sending tingles down your spine, “uh uh uh, now what are we doing here my love?”.

You knew that voice from anywhere, it was Chishiyas. You allowed your body to melt into his as your heart rate began to soften. You could relax a bit now knowing who it was, what could he even want with you anyway, either way you knew you had a means of escape if needs be, Chishiya was not the strongest person by the looks of it.

A faint moan slipped through your lips against his hand whilst he trailed his fingers down your lower stomach with the other, you unknowingly pressing your lower half against his. “What are you doing my love?..... Oh? You like this huh?”, he murmured against your neck, laying a kiss or two upon it. “So… is this why you were always watching me from a distance? Or are you hiding something there?”, your breath hitching as he questioned you, how did he know, you always did your best to keep to yourself and stay hidden.

“Didn’t think I noticed you hmm?”, you could feel the cockiness in his voice against your neck as his kisses became a bit rougher, those were definitely going to leave marks but you didn’t care. “I wasn’t watching you?”, you had to lie, if he was to do anything with that information who knows what the higher ups would do?

His fingers paused at your core, you could almost feel their presence hovering above, “lie” he murmured against your collar bone, pulling your head up with his hand. The grip on your neck tightening as you flinched slightly, the new bruises were tender. As he slowly began to rub you through your already soaked underwear he chuckled, “I won’t bite, you can tell me the truth”.

“Now who’s the liar, the sore spots on my neck didn’t come from nowher~” you hissed as he increased the pressure on his fingers, the friction from them and the fabric of your underwear against your clit edging you closer and closer whilst you lightly rocked back and forth.

Chishiya definitely knew how to use his hands, you were ready to give in just from him playing with you through your underwear. “Cmon pretty girl, no need to be so secretive. If it makes you feel any better I was also watching you too. How could a random girl pop up out of nowhere and manage to survive all those challenges alone, who are you?” he joked, chuckling whilst coming to a halt.

You groaned as the early built up tension in your stomach started to slowly fizzle out, “did you do all this just to tease me?”. “Oh? If you want me so bad, how about I give you the real deal?”, his voice echoed in your ear as he placed a single kiss on your nape before pressing you up against the door.

You gently slid your front down the door, sticking your ass in the air showing your dripping underwear. As you shook your ass slightly you heard him chuckle to himself, he pressed himself up against your hot core, you could feel him almost poking through his tracksuit bottoms. “Well? Do you, or should we go finish that game outside”.

Chishiya ran his hand up your leg as you longed out your response, “please, I want this” you purred. “Hmm, very well then”, without another word you felt him lift up your skirts hem, pulling your underwear to the side with his fingers.

“We may have to make this quick” he muttered, aligning himself at your core, “What did you say~ oh my god” you choked out breathlessly, Chishiya had gave you no warning before crashing himself fully into you, your walls adjusting around him, you did not expect him to be so big.

“Try to stay quiet for me okay”, he teased as you pressed back into him for support, you let out a faint “y~yes” before allowing him to place his hands on your hips.

Chishiya slowly started to rock back and forth allowing every inch of himself to be taken in, his tip crashing against your sweet spot with no mercy. “Fuck, thzt feels so good”, you cried out in between his thrusts, as you looked down you could visibly see the impression of his cock sinking in and out of you.

“Quiet, they’ll hear you my love” Chishiya laughed out leaning forward, your moans getting louder which each hit to your sweet spot. You knew the sounds of your bodies colliding along with the moans would definitely ring through the apartment complex but in the moment you didn’t care.

As he leant forward you could hear his faint moans in your ear, cursing under his breath as he swung his hand around to your lower stomach. “I’m getting close, I don’t know how much longer I can hold ou~” you whimpered as Chishiya ran small circles on your clit, your own whimpers cutting you off. He wanted to watch you writhe under him, of course you weren’t adverse to this idea though.

As your moans grew louder and more incoherent, the sound of gunshots began to emerge from the other side of the door bringing the reality of the situation back into your mind. You were still in a death game, both your lives were still on the line once those doors open.

“You know, its almost like you want them to hear you. Does them potentially finding out what we're doing turn you on hmm?” Chishiya questioned cheakily through his own moans, increasing the pressure on his fingers whilst you attempted to swallow down your moans. The ever growing knot in your stomach was at its limit.

Chishiya could feel you tightening around him, “go on, cum for me pretty girl” he cooed. As if on cue you let the knot unravel, however he continued to keep a steady pace inside of you longing out your orgasm. You could feel your knees trembling as your body was getting tired but his light grunts in your ear were enough to help you muster enough energy to hold on.

“W~what are you doing down there? Cheeky one aren’t you” Chishiya hissed as you threw yourself back onto him, your wetness helping you slide with little effort, the sound turning him on slightly. You wanted to make the most of whatever time you had left with him as who knows when an occasion such as this would arise again.

“C’mon then Chishiya” you mewled softly, you could feel him twitching so you knew he was close. His thrusts became inconsistent as he cursed in your ear, pulling you into him.

“Oh fuck” you gasped, stuttering slightly as you felt him release inside you, his breathe staggered whilst slowing down his strokes. Your legs trembled as he began to pull out, both of your warm releases mixing inside you. “Well would you look at that”, you could almost hear the smirk emerge on his face as he stepped back leaving you completely, pushing your underwear back to stop you from dripping.

“How about you keep that wet underwear on for me, don’t want you to forget what we did do we” he teased, you didn't oppose as of course you wanted to remember this moment. Chishiya gave you a hand as he lent you against a free wall in the room.

Placing his hand on your chin he took in your heated face, “I still have an objective here and I also refuse to lose this game so my work here is done”, Chishiya stated plainly, showing zero emotion as he went to exit the room. Was that it?

You let out a faint sigh, steadying yourself against the wall as you also did have to finish the game at some point. “Hey!” he burted out in the doorway, “try to stay alive will you? Trust me, we have more to discuss, maybe you’ll be useful to me”, his eyes softed whilst closing the door behind him.

He wants to meet again? Perfect, attached or not you also had a mission. Chishiya showing emotion was not what you expected but it would definitely get you a pass when the higher ups ask how you got in this room in the first place. Your plan was going in the right direction. Playing the innocent card always worked on your average players but you expected more from him, maybe you could become his weak spot.

You grinned to yourself as you made your way to the door, “till next time Chishiya”.

[nzia-writes]

•{Speak life unto me}•

RATED SLUTTY 18+

Sums: Riri let’s you practice a majorette dance routine in her garage while she remodels her prototype.

I feel like Dom would channel Riri in this manner. It’s a sappy little something that’s heavy with dialogue. You have been warned. Enjoy.

Interact please and thank you

(tagging a couple folks I seen under riri fics: )

@donewit51life @mysticalmarss @shinsousliya @c0cac0laguns2 @mlmilani @melodykisses @doms-fav @verachii @luhreen @zayswriting

Riri Williams

You draw a breath, trying your hand at Coach’s complex combination once more. You fail with ten steps off count, ten seconds off beat, and ten milliseconds from freaking out.

This is the 100th time and disappointment has been the only result. Come on man. Seems as if fuck-ups is what you run into and a fuck-up is what you are. What else do you call someone allergic to consistency within performance in life and in art?

Coach is gon’ tell me that my efforts ain’t worth a damn again.

Skylar, the captain, gon’ call me all sorts of expletives again.

Maybe they are right. You are not the dancer you presumed yourself to be. You aren’t exhorting enough passion. You aren’t going to succeed with a dancing major. You aren’t going to dethrone Skylar from her rank as captain. Not with all of this lack. So much lack.

“Imma failure, man,” you grit.

The shrill of Riri’s hand-held power tool spurs the cacophony all the more. There is too much going on. There is too much not going on. Failure. Tears. Doom. It is an incessant thought.

You have had enough.

A reverberant scream rattles every solid item within the garage. “Fuck! Fuck Fuck!” Your vocal chords give a roiling wave of heat.

A startled RiRi flips up her welding helmet and lays her tool on the floor. By the time your hollering simmers down, your big brown eyes leak with the pressures of failure and your edges coil from sweat; a newly installed thirty-six-inch buss down gone with the speed of light.

“Y/N.”

A boisterous scream again.

Riri jumps in fright. Damn.

You labored pants follow thereafter.

“I keep on and keep on failing! Busting my ass day in and day out. Still coming up short!” You yell. You yank up your duffle, lodging your belongings inside as aggressive as your body allows. Surely it allowed just the right amount. It wasn’t offering much in many other departments. Useless, it was.

As she powers off her prototype, Riri hesitantly speaks. She’d be damned if she triggered more rage and hurt. Then there’s two bitches arguing and one leaving. “Sugg.”

“Uh uh I’m leaving. I can’t keep doing it, Ri.”

“And what you plan on doing after?”

“Ion know! Lord knows these folks don’t wanna see me win. Lord knows I ain’t got the talent in me to win!” You zip your duffle and turn to Ri, face stricken with defeat. “I’m just tired. I’m not cut fah this shit, ya heard meh?”

“Rest. You need some,” Riri says. She’s so calm, you have no other choice but to be.

“Rest? You think the world gon’ let a nigga like me rest?! Outta’ yo’ damn mind. I’m out.” You turn to go.

“You need cooling and I got it for you. Come talk to me real quick.”

“Ri…”

“Come here, boo. Please.” Her eyes plead beneath fanned out eyelashes.

She removes her welding helmet and places it on the table congested with her quantum technology and hammers. Once she shakes out her box braids, she waves you over. Maybe..just maybe..entertaining what she has to say will end with weights being lifted.

Your bag slumps to the floor and you make your way to Riri. She keeps herself true to her concern and wipes away your tears the moment you are in arm's reach. She reeks of oil and burnt metal but her aura is sweet enough to mute the most unpleasant fumes.

“I can’t stand seeing you like this..” She leans against her work table while you stand before her. Her hands work with caution to fix your disheveled appearance. “Worryin’. Stressin’. You too pretty for that.” She then laughs a bit inwardly. “Got yo’ minks lifting like they got something smart to say.” She simply peels them off and sets them aside.

You persist with a hardened mug, ever the one to cradle rage until everyone feels it.

“Come here,” she sighs, inviting your rigidness into all of her softness, raising on her tiptoes to wrap the parts of you in need of double love. “Let that shit out, sugg. You owe yourself that much.”

She is right. You do. Your rage has cracked a series of dams, but Riri’s love has cracked many more. You whimper and squeeze her small frame tight. “I love you, girl.” The words shake as you inhale. “I love you s-so much.” You squeeze tighter, rocking from side to side.

When the tough battles are fought, she’s the only man standing, willing to fight with you no matter who the enemy may be. She’s going to step about her Sugg.

“Imma always be here when everybody else ain’t, you understand me?”

“Yeah,” you exhale. She coaxes with back rubs and encouraging words until the sniffles are no more. You both soon separate to lean on the table side by side. Her fingers brush yours.

“Whatever rage you feelin’, you entitled to feel. Let it all out, much as you can.”

“Tell that to my mama. To coach. To that doghead bitch Skylar.”

Their hatred and high expectations have silenced your innermost parts. The Y/N you strive to be. And you keep silenced to keep safe, for life has become something that needs to be survived. Not lived.

Riri frowns. Your strength is admirable. You were forced to the bottom at such a young age, unheard and treated unfairly, yet here you stand with the dignity of a knight. She has sworn to sit for hours if it means you are being seen and heard and validated. She will be the change you need to see if no one else will.

“The only way out of this hurt is into it. You gotta face it.” As harsh a truth it is, life will not progress until it is experienced.

“Please… ion know the first thing about facing life. I’ve hid from most of it.”

“It ain’t something you know how to do, it’s something you learn to do. I’m here to help you find your way back. Always.” She slides her hand in yours. Squeezes softly.

“Thank you..so much.”

“That’s what I’m supposed to do. Now go ahead. Tell me how you feel. I wanna hear your heart.”

“I just got too many folks praying on my downfall. Especially back home where my mama swears my dance major ain’t worth it. No support from them unless it’s to flaunt their lavish lifestyle.”

That’s that shit right there, Riri thinks. Makes her want to disrespect your entire bloodline. But she holds back for your sake. You love them, after all. “Listen here.” She turns your face toward her, eyes locked.

“We are two young black women who made it out the slums with what we had. Talent and brains. Your ‘mama nem’ can’t take credit for that shit. You got out and did the work. That’s truth. Don’t let nobody tell you no different. Not even yourself.”

You nod. It is hard to believe, but is isn’t impossible to believe.

“Now as for the dancing. What’s up with that? Had you saying you not talented enough and whatnot. I don’t want you talking about my girl like that again, alright?”

You cheeks flush. “I don’t see nothing untruthful about it, Ri. I’m last…always. Coach and Skylar make sure of it. I’m trying for captain but… as you saw earlier I ain’t got it in me. I fuck up more than anything, ya’ know?”

Riri lets that process. She then gestures to her prototype. It’s a polished transformer looking thing. “From one creator to another, the best work is produced during our moments of strife. I’ve failed more times than I have succeeded, but that’s what makes a legend. You are a legend in the making. Don’t give up.”

“I ain’t say I was allat na’. I’m just dancing to somebody else’s shit, ya heard meh?”

“You are always so wrapped up in all you lack that you don’t take the time to see how blessed you truly are. Mama, you got it good. Real good. You shine bright and you have this remarkable essence. That shit changes people and I need you to see it for yourself.”

The more one disregards their gift the quicker it is lost on them.

Riri continues. “Hear me out..if you ain’t invited into somebody else’s circle, form your own. You were co-creator of some of the most viral dances in the loop. You got the smarts, the talent, the moves..” her eyes drink you in from toe to head “the body,” she smirks. “You can do it.”

You lick your lips and look away. Forming a dance team? Hell no. Impossible. There will be too many odds: people willing to sabotage, your own self-esteem, and the pressures of adulthood. It wouldn’t work.

“Nah I’m good on that. I’ve hid from the spotlight, cast as a shadow all my life. I’m fine where I’m at.”

“Did you hide in the back? Or were you forced to the back?”

“I um…”

You are sent on a voyage of memories that were to not be seen again. Now here they are demanding you see yourself for who you are. You have existed so long in this world as nobody. How would it feel to actually be somebody?

“Gotcha,” she laughs.

“You did,” you chuckle. “Look at you being a ghetto monk and shit.” You tug her to stand between your legs.

“And look at you flodgin’ like it ain’t making you feel something good inside. Let yourself feel it, boo. It’s what you deserve.” She flattens her palm on your abdomen, teasingly trailing it up your chest. She outlines the swirly ink sheathing your neck, acrylics lightly scraping brown skin as her hand curls around it.

“You think so?” You bite your lip, fighting the inner-princess.

“Mhm.” She knows it so. “You cool with the backseat?”

“But you all dirty and dusty.”

She tilts her head, braids falling to one side. “Under these clothes I ain’t.”

“I-“ Eyebrows raised. “Girl go head, hea’? Lemme get in this backseat.”

She laughs like the goddess she is and removes her fire-proof apron with the rest of her gear. “On your back for me too.”

“Yeah, mama.” The words melt off your tongue.

Yes, you feel as if you are gliding on your toes, carrying your heart with less strain. It is the Riri effect so it seems. You are truly grateful for a friend with a lethal mouth.

~¥~

The back of Riri’s car is humid and smells of sex. You lay across the seats, thighs forced back into their plushness, pussy spread open for her filthy onslaught. She is situated in a sniper's position with her small feet dangling out of the open car door. Her devious eyes bore into your own. This has surpassed casual sex long ago. This is love-making.

“Damn girl,” you gasp as she jerks your thighs open the moment they close in on her face. She hums against your bundle of nerves, wagging her head for a deeper dive into your oasis. You sweep her braids into a makeshift ponytail, gyrating lusciously. She eats it like she’s starving; so precise and sloppy.

“Riiii. Just like that.” You nearly force your face to become one with the seat cushion as she swiftly slides her favored fingers inside, stroking your gushy walls, twisting deliciously. She had made the quick decision to pop those acrylics off before the escapades began.

She comes up for a breath, licking her lips slathered in your nectar. “Come on, mama,” she whispers sweetly. “Don’t close up on me. I need you to take it for me, okay?”

“Okayyy. fuuu…uhhn.”

“There we go,” she whispers, glancing down. “Look at you.”

It takes all the strength in you to open your eyes to look down on command. “Shiiiit,” you whine. You didn’t feel yourself creaming.

“She’s creaming like this for me?” Riri bites her lip.

Your response sounds scrambled. You were sure it was a stammered, “all for you.”

“That’s my sweet girl.” She means that in a myriad of ways.

“My god,” you cry softly, “Baby.” You use two fingers to widen pretty brown folds, the back of your head sinking into the seat as she plunges her fingers deeper. Wet squelching noises and breathy moans surf the wind. Your brain is shoved into a mind-bending utopia, it feels so fucking good.

You glance down again to see a string of arousal dribbling down the valley of your ass only to be slurped up by the very lips milking you out. Fuck. The lick is long and ravenous, from the crack of dawn to the peak of your mountain, pouty lips suckling as if it were a dreamsicle in sticky heat.

The more speed she exerts the lower your moans drop. You are now whimpering and whispering incoherent babbles, trying your hardest to fuck back, but you consistently run up the length of the seat from Riri’s freak nastiness.

“That’s it, beautiful.” She hooks her fingers, submerges them to their deepest, and holds still. Her thumb flicks your nub deliciously. Your sharp inhale churns her brain in the best way there is, smooth skin prickling in awe of your slick muscular body and your contorted faces. So beautiful, she moans.

There is a pause in time. A hitched breath. A stuttering heart. Love. So much of it it spills over the both of you.

Riri transmutes it powerfully, keeping the pad of her fingers rubbing that raised sensitive spot inside. Your eyes cross and roll back. “Oh yes yes..” Your hand comes down to plunge her fingers in deeper so she can get in that. “Fuuck…..gonna cum. Cum…” You whine in melody, pushing out a river of glistening slick. It drizzles down Riri’s fingers just as promised. “Uhh my god.” You exhale deeply.

“There we go. Feels good to let go?”

You nod, moaning uncontrollably. She crawls up your body to enrich your lips with a salacious kiss. It’s a moaning mess clouded with a tenderness neither of you will choose to acknowledge until your hearts see fit. You spread your cheeks as she slides her fingers in and out of your creamy canal, white fluids oozing out as you clench and unclench.

“You so…” you hiss in pleasure as she slips her fingers out with care, gathering all of what you spilled with an idle circle of her fingers.

“Talk to me nice,” she hums. “Unless you want it again.”

“I can’t do it again,” you exhale, eyes heavy. You palm her cheeks, kissing her lips sweetly. Her long braids fall over your faces but you don’t care to move them.

She brings her fingers up and plunges them in your mouth. You leave not a drop leaking as she slides them out and leans in to suck it off your tongue. You both pull away to stare. You see it. She sees it. Feels it. Smells it. It’s there and it’s mighty.

“Thank you fah that, baby,” you grin. You pronounce it as beh-beh. That ‘nawlins’ never left.

“You know how deep my love runs for pussy. No need to thank me.”

“Mhm. Cute ass.” You press another fat kiss to her lips, running your hands down to her ass to grip her up. She bites her lip and breathes through her nose. She loves that shit.

“I need me a cold drink,” you chuckle.

“Guh you and me both,” Riri laughs.

End note: Imma eat every single time. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Fun fact: I write the smut quicker than the story itself.

[izurusstuff]

⚠️ 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!! ⚠️

message from izurusstuff: hello, lovelies <3 i woke up today and immediately ran to tumblr because of an amazing thought i had >:) it’s inspired by @goddess-of-green’s teacher nagito smut, i highly recommend you check their’s out because it’s awesome and lives in my mind rent free. also this is 18+ only, minors do NOT interact!!! and everyone’s legal age. also there’s spoilers for the danganronpa 3 anime and ending of goodbye despair, so read with caution if you don’t want spoilers

summary: You’re a student at the University of Tokyo a couple years after The Tragedy. The whole ordeal inspired you to become a psychology major with a minor in ethics. It’s your senior year at the university— you only have a semester left until graduation. Everything was perfect until this point, but your high-level ethics professor makes it hard to keep up your perfect grades. Fed up, you confront him, which leads to… something special ;)

A+ (Teacher!Izuru Kamukura x Fem!Reader Smut)

It’s another day in class towards the end of the semester. Finals are quickly approaching, and your stoic teacher is handing your papers back at the end of class. For some reason, he just wouldn’t give out A’s in his class. Your perfect 4.0 GPA was going to be brought down by this right before you graduated! You grew tired of his antics. Of course, it didn’t really tick you off until you spent days without sleep trying to finish your paper. Every other source told you that it was amazing and captivating.

But you got a B+, an 89.9

You were basically fuming at that point. It was obvious Professor Kamukura wasn’t going to admit that your paper deserved an A. Rage boiled through your body. Your nostrils flared and your knuckles tightened. You stared into your professors eyes with pure anger. He wouldn’t admit it, but your reaction wasn’t boring to him. He was used to boredom. His eyebrow ever so slightly raised at you, which only pissed you off more.

Without breaking any eye contact, you ripped up your 30 page paper in front of him and slammed it on his desk. Oh boy, he did not know what he was signing up for when he messed with the valedictorian’s perfect GPA.

“Can I help you?” He scoffed.

His apathy was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With your fists balled up, you took a deep breath and let it OUT.

“Is it your mission in life to make everyone miserable? Is it because you got used by your school to become a human weapon? Why the FUCK do you have to be so condescending?! Do you KNOW how hard I worked to be here?! DO YOU?! If you hate people sooo much and you’re always bored by them, why did you take the job here? It’s not like you’re the best of the best! I can name thousands of people who’d be a better teacher for this job than you are… so why do you think you’re hot shit? You’re not… you’re a hurt little boy with some weird complex a-and you’re RUINING everything… so what the fuck is your problem, Kamukura?!”

Holy shit. Your response had him speechless for a brief second. He had to compose himself before staring you down and giving a response. However, you weren’t even CLOSE do being done…

“Your paper was bori-”

“Boring? Yeah, I fucking KNOW! Everything’s boring to you! But I am NOT letting your stubborn ass ruin my perfect GPA, do you understand?! What would capture your attention? Writing my paper on Junko Enoshima? Chiaki Nanami? Ooh I know! How about Hajime Hinata!”

Ouch. The last name really struck a nerve with Izuru. He actually felt a sense of sadness; something he hasn’t felt since he watched Chiaki’s final moments. Kamukura simply walked away, the nerve!

“Oh, you think I’m DONE with you?!”

“Doubtful.” He rolled his eyes, opening the classroom door for you. Huh, weird.

“I’m heading to my office. You can come with or continue your temper tantrum in here until the next class comes.”

You stood in shock for a moment. He was actually inviting you to his office…? I mean, it was in his own weird way, but it counted, right?

He walked in front of you without saying a word, only motioning to the door of his office.

Izuru’s office definitely didn’t fit him. There was a few coffee mugs, packets of chamomile tea, kawaii stuffed animals, a sword, etc. Were these all the gifts his former classmates gave him?

“Sit.”

You did as he said, looking around at everything in awe. Kamukura pulled out a folder than had your last name on it with copies of your old papers. You were utterly shocked he kept up with stuff like that.

“[L/N]. Your final semester here.”

“How did you-?”

“You’re valedictorian. I hear about you wherever I go.”

He… knew stuff about you? You were utterly shocked and dumbfounded. You thought you were just another boring face to him.

“I’ll say this one time and one time only. Your response to your grade impressed me. We both know that never happens.”

“Oh. Sorry, I guess?”

“Don’t apologize. It takes away character.”

You looked at the floor and nodded as Professor Kamukura looked through your folder more. Surprisingly, it earned a few impressed eyebrow raises from him.

“Your papers have no mistakes. They’re merely boring to me. Except for your last one on the ethics of Hope’s Peak. For obvious reasons, I do not have any interest in reading a paper about the school that used me.”

Realization hit you, and you actually felt bad for him. It was the first time you did. You looked at the ground and nodded. Kamukura obviously picked up on your regret, which he rolled his eyes to and tapped on the desk to get your attention.

“Why are you remorseful? It’s just a grade. If you need an A that badly, I’ll change it.”

You shook your head. It nearly knocked him out of his seat in surprise.

“No. It’s because you’re still a person, which everyone forgets about. Including me.”

Your humanization of him really REALLY struck a nerve. But in a good way. The tone in the room shifted to a way more positive one, and you swear you saw his mouth turn into an ever so slight smile.

“Your response… was not what I was expecting, Y/N.”

He used your first name?! You jolted up to stare at him in utter disbelief.

“If you want to go, I won’t keep you.”

You shook your head. Neither of you knew what to say next. However, it seemed you two were truly seeing each other as humans. Not human experiment and student who only cared about her grades, but humans… and tension filled the air. Both of you stood up with Izuru locking his office door and backing you against the wall.

Your heart fluttered so incredibly fast. Just mere moments ago, you were about to square up with your teacher. Now you want nothing more than to hold him. Little did you know he felt the same about you.

His red eyes expressed a hint of worry behind them. You could tell he was concerned about hurting you or pressuring you into this.

With a deep breath, you closed the distance between you two and finally kissed him. You expected him to shove you away and call you boring, but his hands merely cupped your face as he deepened the kiss. You melted into it, completely forgetting that he was the reason you wouldn’t have a perfect GPA. But in that moment, you couldn’t care. You didn’t care that you were passionately kissing your teacher who has no emotion towards anything.

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave?” Kamukura asked, not taking his eyes off your mouth. You could tell he wanted nothing more than you to stay with him.

“I’m sure…”

His mouth slightly widened into the barely visible smile he had before. He smiled into another kiss with you, pushing you up against the wall. Izuru obviously knew what you were thinking, but he didn’t want to make the first move out of respect (consent king). So, you took his hands and moved them down to the dip in your hips. He definitely got the memo.

“Tell me if you want to stop.”

You nodded. The kisses got more rough, but he took his time with caressing your body. You loved the passion he was showing, but God you wanted him to hurry up.

Once he got to your chest, you took your shirt off, giving him an uncovered view of your chest. He was mesmerized by your body. Kamukura pulled you into yet another kiss, but this time it was by grabbing your ass. You were surprised by his strength, but then again, he WAS made to be impossibly strong…

While he was doing his own thing to you, you unbuttoned his shirt and watched it slide down his muscular arms. Holy shit. You weren’t expecting that. You should’ve, but you didn’t.

He softly chuckled, and that surprised both of you. Izuru removed his shirt, pulling you closer. You could feel each other’s body heat. You finally took off your bra and slid your skirt down. He took no time in reaching for your chest and caressing it. Meanwhile, you got his pants off. He led the two of you to his desk…

Kamukura laid you down and kissed down your body until he got to the line of your underwear. With a delicate touch, he took them off and put himself between your thighs, looking up at you with curiosity and lust. You whimpered, and that only made him more crazed.

He gently rubbed a finger up your slit, causing you to whimper yet again. You could see his smile through your half lidded gaze.

Finally he stuck a finger in. You gasped out in pleasure, and he slowly moved it in and out. You grabbed his hair and whimpered again. Fuck it, he couldn’t wait any more.

Kamukura removed his last article of clothing and slowly slid into you. Your hands grasped onto his toned back as your moans got louder with every inch he put in. He looked down at you, putting his hands underneath your back as he began his thrusting.

You heard his soft grunts, making you further crazed. You wrapped his legs around his torso and he sped up. The light of the hallway peeking in through his blinds gave his toned body a beautiful glow, and you were starstruck by it.

In an odd moment of wholesomeness, he placed a soft kiss on your forehead while he harshly thrusted into you. The duality, good lord.

Your whimpers and tightening drove him crazy. He sped up as fast as he could, causing his desk to shake. Even if someone heard you two, neither of you cared because of how good you both felt.

Even though it felt like seconds, moments passed before you tightened around him from finishing, therefore making him cum too. Both of you were unbelievably sweaty from the deed, and you laid on his desk staring at the ceiling.

“I’ll change your grade to an A.”

RAAAA THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVE THINGS IVE EVER WRITTEN, SHOUKD I MAKE A PART TWO…

[bl4nk-pag3]

— White.

synopsis: You, who swore would never humiliate yourself like that for a guy, proceeds to do exactly that.

pairing: ricky × gn!reader

warnings: its a little angsty at first, not exactly fluffy, the reader is not feeling loved. gunwook is their friend. open but hopeful ending!

word count: 1.5k

a/u: I don't have a song this time, but I imagine ricky as a white cat way too much and this is inspired by that. Feedback is appreciated!

It was white day.

Not that it matters, nobody got you nothing on Valentines day, you didn't had this type of connections with people.

Obviously, your friend joked about giving you chocolate if his valentine didn't accept (he was a sweetheart like that), but fate be made, the valentine accepted, and now you have to see a smiley Gunwook kicking his feet at the cute card named to him by, apparently, Junhyeon.

You didn't exactly known junhyeon, but everyone kinda knows junhyeon, so it wasn't that strange that Gunwook would fall for him, but him reciprocate? It was kinda cute, see your best friend happy always made you happy anyways, even if you are indeed a lonely soul in school.

— Sorry... I got a little carried away. — The huge and bright smile on Gunwook's face was almost blinding, causing a huge contrast between the large and imposing figure despite being adorable, and you, who looked more like a bag of sadness than a human being, and it was obvious that the tall boy would notice, blinking his round bright eyes in his direction, making you feel even worse than before. - Are you okay?

That question could be an insignificant from anyone, but for some reason when it was Gunwook, you already felt the urge to cry completely invade you in an overwhelming way, because that was the truth, he really cared, and it made you sad not knowing what to say to him. Pulling a paper from inside your book, making origami had already become an inevitable habit to control anxiety, a small hobby from when you was a child that ended up lasting until now, with each fold it was as if it slowly became easier to deal with the whole environment.

— I don't know... There's no reason for me to be sad, right? I wasn't denied or anything — That was true, you had never come out so you hadn't had any disappointments during Valentine's Day, but now you questioned whether it was a good decision as it felt even worse dealing with the weight to be truly alone.

— You should give something to Ri- —The sharp edge to Gunwook's speech came in the form of your hand firmly pressed against the Korean's full lips, widening your eyes in pure panic as you looked around to make sure no one had heard him just saying your crush's name like it was the dumbest thing in the world.

— Have you finally lost your mind?

Ricky was a difficult topic, complex to talk about so vaguely. To say that he was popular was almost to diminish the relevance that the chinese boy had in the school, you would never dare compare him to any other popular person in that school, he looked much more like a prince walking among commoners than just someone charismatic who was a class leader like Gunwook. He was handsome, smart, silent and graceful in everything he did, it was impossible not to fall in love with him and you were no exception, but you weren't a person who deserved any attention from the other either, which again left you feeling a bit downcast.

— How would I give him anything? What does he not have? Only on Valentine's Day did I see chocolates and more chocolates fall out of his cabinet... The door wouldn't even close anymore! — The words rushed out of your mouth and you wondered if Gunwook was keeping up, but it was just the only way you could talk about Quanrui without completely freaking out and slamming your head against the wooden table. Muttering low and putting your face in your hands, you really didn't know what to do, but now that Gunwook had already put such an idea in your head, it was inevitable for your brain to go through several scenarios where you declared yourself and were completely humiliated.

— You could give him this flower... I really like your origami, maybe he does too!

Gunwook was literally like a beautiful fairy full of flowers and sparkles around him as he talked so romantically about proposing to the most desired boy in school, while you at most looked like a shrunken, disheveled ugly goblin trying to believe you might have a chance with the handsome prince. You felt pathetic looking at the paper flower in your hands. Quanrui was the greatest example of money there was, why would he accept that piece of garbage?

— I think I'm going to pass getting humiliated today... I'll go ahead to the club — You didn't feel so comfortable in that noisy and busy room anymore, and the idea of ending up somehow ruining the amazing day Gunwook was having just for be unloved was giving you a headache.

Packing your things into your bag, you smiled at Gunwook, shifting your gaze for a moment to the flower on top of your desk, deciding at the last moment with a glimmer of hope that your romantic side hadn't yet been crushed by bad feelings, only to take into account your best friend's worried look in your direction, with no intention of actually delivering it to its intended recipient.

And even with all those thoughts pretty much settled in your mind as you left the room in a bit of a hurry and just slowed down the halls, your feet took you almost automatically to the cabinets where you'd first noticed Ricky a few months earlier.

He was beautiful that day, but it was hard to find a day when he wasn't. However, what was different was that he looked out of place, with a large, dark sweatshirt covering his entire body, with the hood pulled so far forward that it was difficult to even see the blond strands that were so distinctive on him. Obviously you had already heard about the Chinese boy who was a prodigy and above all he was extremely handsome, but seeing him like that trying to hide from the almost empty corridor made you forget for a second who he was, genuinely caring for him as a person, and it was exactly at that moment that you decided to talk to him, in an audacity that you had never shown to anyone, just trying to know if the boy was okay and receiving a nod in response.

Such a stupidly simple encounter made you so in love with him, who would have thought.

Now you could notice the strange coincidence that your lockers were really so close to each other, subtly touching your nameplate and sliding just two to the side to find his, "Shen Quanrui", very imposing, really suited him and every appearance it carried. With a smile on your lips, it was almost strange not to see any gifts overflowing through the bars outside the cabinet, but maybe the girls were really waiting for him to answer someone, not desperate to get a chance. Deciding to let the side that listened to Gunwook speak louder inside you, you took the paper flower to the locker openings, placing it inside until the end of the stem, but keeping the flower itself outside with a proud smile in the face.

And would you really have left it at that, resigning yourself to your platonic crush going anonymous forever and maybe one day eventually getting over what never would happen... If it weren't for the chill that went down your spine a few seconds after your silent statement, causing you to spin on your heels and find yourself face to face with a confused Ricky, looking at you only to then stare at the flower hanging in his locker.

— Hm? Y/n...? — It was almost a sin to hear your name come out of such a calm and melodious voice in such an awkward situation, even more so with Ricky's eyes shining in complete expectation trying to understand probably why you were there when he hadn't declared himself at any moment in Valentine's day, or how you had the courage to be humiliating yourself in such a way when no one else had done it... The possibilities were many, and all of them painful making you want to disappear into your own clothes.

— Hi, Ricky... — The awkward silence stretched after that, with your eyes wandering to your feet that restlessly rocked in place, but curiosity soon made you look at Quanrui noticing that he was also moving the box of sweets in his hand, as if he couldn't think of a way to say anything. Feeling your stomach sink at the thought that you were somehow preventing him from proposing, you didn't know if you wanted to cry or throw up with despair, but both options seemed reasonable. — I'm sorry, I must be disturbing you...

— No! — The tall boy’s hand were warmer than you would have guessed, curling completely around your wrist as if he was afraid you would run away again, which made you look at Ricky confused, trying to understand what that meant until he cautiously stretched out the box in his hand towards you. — Sorry it took so long...

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

I Should be Asleep

1:47 am 

I Should be Asleep (AO3)

A Huge thank you to @quickspinner for helping me with the music metaphors in this chapter!! 💖💖💖

________________________________________________

He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been thinking about Marinette on and off—nonstop—for the past three days. 

Which was why he hadn’t said anything about it. 

And especially not to Juleka… 

But just because he hadn’t said anything didn’t make it any less true. Her song was in his head, playing on endless repeat. Sometimes it was at the forefront of his mind, sometimes it allowed itself to become an the soundtrack to which his other thoughts played through his head. 

But it was always there. 

And with every repeat, new complexities bloomed into full blossom, like the flowers scattered across the shirt she had been wearing. There was so much in her song, her music almost overflowed into the world around her. And how could it not? He had seen a symphony in her eyes. In her smile. And every time he passed one of the pictures of her on the wall he couldn’t help but wonder how he had never noticed it there before. 

Soft and gentle chords of compassion and kindness plucked at heartstrings, while the delicate tones of imagination, wonder, and creativity played on silver flutes added the lightness of daydreams. Bright and vivacious brassy notes brought warmth and the sparkling light of her open and generous nature into the song while the steady beat of courage and a sense of justice kept time as the heartbeat. 

All of it blended into the melody of her. 

Arpegios played in quick succession raced and rambled like a mind moving too quickly for the rest of her to keep up with, sounding of stuttered words and flailing hands and nervous laughter before receding. Discordant with the strength woven throughout her melody, that somehow sounded as if it believed it was played with borrowed chords. The music was headstrong and gentle all at once, played with the strength born from a heart of gold. It sang of boundless creativity. Of stubbornness and an eagerness to please. Of bold confidence hidden behind frazzled nerves. 

 It was an organized mess of contradictions and perfect sense. 

And through it it all was the constant sound of an honest heart worn on a sleeve. 

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. 

He could spend the rest of his life listening to it. 

He was almost drowning in it, just like he had almost drowned in the summer skies of her eyes.   It was so easy to slip beneath the surface, to discover the world of bright a vivid colours, like a coral reef. 

He was drowning… 

He had dove in head first… 

He was falling… 

He was- 

“-Stupid.” 

He jerked out of his daydream, nearly toppling off of his bed both from the surprise of Juleka’s sharply quiet—and annoyed—voice. And the way she had knocked the leg he had had his other leg and his guitar propped up against as he ried to figure out Marinette’s heartsong out from under him. 

“What was that for?” 

“I’ve been calling you for the past five minutes.” Guiltily, he glanced at his phone; there were seven missed call notifications from his sister. “And you made me come down here to get you. Everyone’s here,” she added flatly, “we’re all ready to start rehearsal.” 

Sighing, he ran a a hand through his hair, further disheveling it. It had been another sleepless night spent tossing and turning, and his bedhead was worse than usual. He had meant to tame it earlier, especially given- but he had gotten caught up in-

“And what’s with that song, anyways?” Juleka asked as she glanced over her shoulder, already halfway out the door of their room. “You’ve been playing it nonstop for days now.”

                                                           ***

Her pencil flew across the page, racing to keep up with the music. Juleka had been right when she had suggested she drop by the Kitty Section rehearsal to see if she could glean any inspiration from the music. 

She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this inspired. 

Already, she had filled what felt like dozens of pages of her sketchbook. Page after page, the ideas had poured out of her and onto the pages until they blurred together. Her hands could barely keep up with the ideas flowing from her pencil onto the pages. The lines of her pencil were joined by hastily added splashes of colour; suggestions for what would fit the vision of each outfit. A soft sky blue for a sundress with a swirly skirt, and a delicate shade of periwinkle for a blouse. Delicate rose and carnation pinks paired harmoniously with the blues of hyacinths, periwinkles, and the sky. Even lilac joined the mix. 

The pages were quickly filling with everything from sweet and pretty dresses outfits and dreamy gowns to avant-garde ensembles only fit for a runway or a stage… 

And as the pages progressed, punchier colours joined the mix. Brighter and bolder pinks, purples, reds, and blues unfurled across the pages to match the ever-growing boldness of the designs, filling in the blank spaces of the designs like stained glass. 

The confident and gentle sound of a guitar carried her pencil across a fresh page in bold lines. The silhouette would be strong; sharp and bold lines to mimic the power of his playing and the angles and planes of his face. But the textiles… they would be soft to match the gentleness in his eye and the warmth of his smile. Supple leather and denim would provide structure and integrity while still offering comfort like his smile. And the colours…true black would be too stark. Too abrupt. Faded blacks and midnight blues… but with splashes of bright blue- the serene blue of calm seas to match his eyes-

“Hey.” 

She jumped at the voice, barely managing to keep a hold of her sketchbook as she flailed to regain her balance before she could topple off of the crate she had perched herself on. Once she had—at least to some degree—composed herself, she looked up into Juleka’s luminous eyes. Well, the eye that wasn’t hidden behind her hair. She hadn’t even realized they had stopped playing. 

Except Luka, apparently; she could still hear his guitar. 

Juleka for her part, raised a brow and levelled her with a look but didn’t comment. Instead she said, “We’re taking ten. Rose and I are going down to grab drinks, you want anything?” 

“Oh! O-oh yeah. Sure. That- that would be great.” She tightened her grip on her sketchbook ash she tried to ground herself with the familiar feel of its cover. Why was she suddenly so flustered? It was Juleka! They were friends! She didn’t have anything to be flustered about! 

Juleka’s brow rose a little higher, but she nodded and turned without saying a word. Until she glanced back over her shoulder to mumble, “You were pretty in the zone; you must have some pretty sweet stuff in there.” 

“Y-yeah, maybe,” she laughed, brushing her bangs out of her face as she dropped her gaze to the notebook. “I guess we’ll have to see.”

“Cool.” With that, Juleka disappeared down below deck. 

Surreptitiously, she cast a glance around deck. The Captain was nowhere in sight, but that wasn’t surprising since Luka had mentioned she was at work until the evening. Rose and Juleka were both below deck. Ivan was by the railing, talking on the phone with Mylène from the sounds of what she could hear. Finally, her eyes found Luka. 

He was sitting on the edge of the stage, his guitar still slung around him with the instrument resting in his lap. He was scribbling in a battered but otherwise nondescript notebook with the same kind of fervour she felt when she was in the zone. She watched as he dropped his pencil into the fold of his notebook and took his guitar in hand. He played a few notes, frowned, and then picked up his pencil again and scratched out whatever he had just written. And then, as if he felt her eyes on him, he looked up to meet her gaze. He shot her that lopsided smile she was quickly growing familiar with, the one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle and softened the sharp lines of his face. And then he offered her a small wave. 

She returned his smile and wave with ones of her own, and then, unsure of why her face was suddenly feeling so warm, she dropped her gaze back down to her sketchbook and opened it to a random page. 

Slowly, she began flipping through the pages.. She marked several of the pages to look at in more detail later; some of the designs would make great costumes for Kitty Section if they ever had the need. Sure, some of them were ambitious, but she could already imagine them now. The way pink sequins would catch the light as Rose screamed into the mic and the way studs on distressed denim would glint as Ivan drummed. Juleka would look incredible in black lace and Luka… 

She squinted at her sketchbook. 

She hadn’t realized quite how many costume ideas she had sketched for Luka. There were at least five pages dedicated to different costume ideas for him, each more ambitious than the last. Ambitious… but approachable. Her brows furrowed as she flipped to the last page. 

And she froze.  

It was the design she had been working on when Juleka interrupted her. 

It wasn’t just that it wasn’t a costume—jeans and a hoodie with leather accents didn’t seem like much of a costume in her opinion—that gave her pause. 

In all of her other sketches, she had used the general silhouette, maybe some rough lines to indicate hair to distinguish who would wear each outfit. 

She hadn’t drawn any of the others with faces. 

Especially not with such… with such detail. She could almost see the gleam in his eyes as the sketch of Luka, sitting on the stage but wearing her clothes, looked down at his guitar. Her fingers hovered over the page. Why had she-

“Here you go.” 

She squeaked, and for the second time, almost lost her sketchbook in a fit of flailing. Once she had recovered, she looked up to find Juleka standing over her once again, this time holding out a glass of lemonade. 

“You good?” she asked, raising a brow. 

“Y-yeah! I’m good. Sorry. Just- y’know, in the zone!” she rambled as she took the glass and downed a gulp of the cool drink to try and quell the heat in her cheeks. 

“Sure���” Juleka mumbled before turning to the stage. “Hey, come get your drink!” she- she didn’t yell, but it was a loud enough mumble that it carried. 

Luka looked up from his notebook and nodded when he saw his sister holding the drink. “Be there in a sec.” 

“I’m just leaving this here for him,” Juleka said as she turned back to place the other drink on the empty crate beside her. “It’s going to be a longer break than we thought, Rose found some of the frozen cookie dough from the last girls night we did here, and she’s decided she wants cookies.” 

“Oh, do you want any help?” she asked, already moving to get up. 

Juleka shook her head. “There’s barely enough room for two people as it is.” She snorted at that, remembering the struggle it had been to cram everyone into the kitchen when they had made the cookies during girls night. “Besides, you said you were in the zone,” her friend added, nodding to her notebook. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Oh, ok, if you’re sure. Thanks.” 

Juleka smiled and then started back toward the stairs that led below deck. After she had only taken a couple of steps, she turned back. “Just make sure that whatever costumes you’re designing for us, mine are cooler than Luka’s.” 

She couldn’t help but laugh at Juleka’s words and wicked smirk. She was so caught up in her laughter, she didn’t notice Luka sitting down next to her until he leaned toward her, just close enough that his breath tickled her. 

“What’s so funny? Sorry,” he added when she jumped. 

She ducked her head, biting her lip until she had her giggles and smile under control. “Nothing, Juleka just wanted me to make my designs for her costumes cooler than yours.”

“Typical,” he chuckled. “She thinks I’m nothing but a huge dork.”

“You’re not!” she cried indignantly, only to be met with soft chuckles. 

“I’ll let you try telling her that.” He leaned over to tap a finger against her notebook. “Is that what you were working on? Costumes for us?” 

Fresh warmth flooded her cheeks. “I’m sorry, it’s a bit presumptuous isn’t it? To even assume you want costumes-” 

“No, I think it’s great.” His smile was so honest, and there was an bright gleam in his eyes. “I bet whatever you came up with is amazing.” 

“Maybe…” she said doubtfully, looking back down at her sketchbook. 

“Juleka’s told me all about your designs. I know that whatever you thought of, it’s incredible. And if you don’t like it,” he gently bumped her with his shoulder, “well, the worst that can happen is your creativity didn’t work out this time. That’s what it’s all about on the Liberty, and in Kitty Section; trying new things and being creative.”

She smiled wryly. “But I’m not in the band, remember?” 

He shrugged, and easy smile on his face. “Sure you are.” 

“What? But I don’t even play an instrument!” 

“But every band needs a costume designer, right?” 

“Yeah…” 

“The position is yours, if you want it,” he said, turning so his smile was fixed on her. 

Her heart did something fluttery. She shook her head and smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“And…” he said slowly, “I can teach you how to play some chords, if you’d like.” 

“I- yeah. I’d like that.” 

                                                          *** 

“Just put your fingers here, here, and here.” 

“Like this?” 

“Here, let me just- there, that’s perfect.”

“What do we do next?” 

“We’re going to make sure that all the notes sound good before we play it as a chord. So we’re going to pick out each note… see how they all sound nice and clear?” 

“Yeah. And we do this to make sure my fingers in the right place, right?”

“Exactly. And they all sounded good, so now we strum like this…” 

                                                          ***

He was staring at the ceiling again. The cracks of light filtering through the porthole were just enough to illuminate the cracks in the ceiling he had committed to memory three nights ago. Even with his bed rearranged so his feet were now at the headboard, he could still see the array of cracks and stickers as clear as day. 

Had she caught him staring at her? 

Was that why she had been so shy when she had smiled and waved to him during the break before retreating to her sketchbook? 

He had been trying to play it cool. 

He thought he had been. 

Or at least, he thought he had done a good job at pretending to be cool. As Jules so often loved to point out, he was anything but cool. 

But he hadn’t been able to help himself; he hadn’t been able to stop his eyes from gravitating towards her as they had played. He had been completely transfixed by the way her brows crinkled with concentration, and the way her lips had pursed and her tongue had stuck out just a little as she had worked. 

Playing had helped him focus. A little. Throughout their entire rehearsal, his fingers had itched to play the song that he was still trying to fully untangle. The one that had been on repeat in his head since she had stumbled into his room. 

But then during their break… she had been so in the zone, he hadn’t been able to bear the thought of disturbing her. He knew what it was like to be in the zone. To have the creative juices flowing and to have the stars align so that everything just worked. Breaking her out of that would have been a crime. The adorable look of concentration on her face hadn’t played a—huge—role in that decision. 

So he had let himself look at her. He had tried to be subtle, what with everyone—especially his sister—around. But maybe he hadn’t been as subtle as he had thought… 

Usually, he wasn’t about trying to play anything but music. But it was all so new! He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable! He didn’t want to scare her away. He didn’t know how she felt… 

He pulled a pillow over his face and let something between a sigh and a groan escaped him, muffled by the pillow.  

It was all so… so new. 

He had had passing crushes before. But this? 

This was different. 

He hadn’t heard music before. 

Not like this.  

                                                          ***

She hadn’t realized just how much… how much blue had ended up in her sketchbook until she had gotten home and started flipping through it again to see what fabrics in her stash might suit the designs she wanted to make. And… how? Why? 

Why had her sketchbook suddenly been dominated by blue? 

It wasn’t like she never wore blue! She just didn’t normally wear that much of it… 

She sighed as she kicked her covers off and carefully, so as not to wake Tikki who was snoring softly on her pillow, climbed out of her bed. In the light that filtered through the cracks in her curtains and through the glass of the trapdoor that led to her balcony, she padded across her room to her sketchbook. She glared at it as she picked it up from where she had dumped it on her desk earlier, when Tikki had chided her for still being awake. 

She glanced at her alarm clock and sighed. It wasn’t like Tikki’s reminders that she should have been asleep by that point had done any good, seeing as she was still up. 

She bit her lip as she began flipping through the pages as she idly made her way toward her chaise. 

The blue? It was throwing her for a loop. Not unlike her Lucky Charms so often did. 

But just like she always did with her Lucky Charms, she would figure it out. 

She plopped herself down on the chaise and began examining the pages with the clothes she had obviously designed for herself in mind. The sky blue she had chosen for a dress… the sky had been a gorgeous shade of blue during the afternoon. And sitting in out in the open on the deck of the Liberty… she must have subconsciously drawn the colour from that. And the hyacinth and periwinkle blues… well, everything was in bloom right now. And they had passed some shops that had hanging baskets of flowers outside as they had headed toward the Liberty. So that explained the shades of blue. And the lilac, it easily could have been something she saw in the planters they passed or a natural conclusion to reach given she had been using mostly pinks and blues. 

She smiled to herself. 

The shades of blue had nothing to do with Luka. 

She froze just as she was flipping to the next page. 

Luka? 

Why-

He had nothing to do with her designs! Why would she even think that? 

She shook her head and looked down at the page in front of her. Luka’s likeness stared back up other. 

Just because she had drawn him for… whatever reason she had, it didn’t mean anything. She doodled stuff all the time! Sure, her doodles usually weren’t quite so… detailed… But that still didn’t mean anything! Just like it didn’t mean anything that her sketchbook was suddenly filled with shades of blue! 

She snapped the sketchbook closed and tossed it to the side before crossing her arms and letting out a breath that she channeled all of her frustrations into. 

This was stupid! She should be sleeping, not fixating on whatever silly nonsense was going on with her sketchbook. Because that’s what is was. 

It was silly. 

It was nonsense. 

It was crazy- 

She jolted from her chaise, as if electrified, by the sudden—and unwanted—thought that had just forced its way into her head. 

He had almost seen her sketchbook. 

When he had sat down beside her- if she hadn’t- if the she had lost her grip- if it had opened to one of the many pages with designs for him- the one with his face-

The waves of anxious thoughts carried her to and fro as she paced around her room. She did her best to keep her footsteps light. She didn’t want to wake Tikki and have to listen to another lecture on the importance of sleep. But how could she keep her footsteps light- how could she keep calm- how could she sleep when she was suddenly filled with worries that maybe he somehow had seen her sketchbook. 

Because how would she explain it? How would she explain that the only sketch that had a face—a detailed face—was of him? How would she explain that without sounding crazy? If all of the design sketches had included faces on the models- but no! It was just him! He would think she was crazy! 

She didn’t want him to think she was crazy! 

She wanted-

‘I think Marinette the compass has found herself a new statue.’ 

                                                          ***

He had tried counting sheep to take his mind off the music that was permeating his thoughts. But they had quickly turned to measures of music. Of one song in particular… 

So he had tried grounding himself. He had tried imagining the weight of a guitar in his hands. The feel of the polished wood of his acoustic and the comforting resistance of perfectly tuned strings. He would have just gotten up and gabbed his guitar, but he didn’t trust himself to hold an instrument and not start playing her song. 

And the last thing he had wanted to do was wake up Jules… 

Imagining the feel of the guitar had worked. 

Sort of. 

He had stopped playing her song over and over in his mind. But only, he suspected, because his mind was now fixated on the feel of her hands in his as he had guided her fingers to press down on the strings in the right places and strum with the pick he had handed her. And how she had fit so perfectly in his arms. And the way her perfume, a soft and sweet blend of vanilla and something floral, had scented the air around them. And the way she had so paid such rapt attention to his every word… 

It wasn’t uncommon for people to ask him how to play; and he usually didn’t mind obliging. But Marinette had paid attention the way only an artist invited into anther artists’s realm would. 

She was just… she was so incredible. So honest. So sincere… 

He rolled over, the blankets winding themselves even more tightly around him as he continued his tossing and turning, and groaned into his pillow for the umpteenth time. 

He was so far gone… 

                                                          ***

‘I think Marinette the compass has found herself a new statue.’ 

She had retreated back to her bed and burrowed under her mountain of blankets and pillows and plushies. It had been a completely useless attempt to block out her thoughts; as if pillows and plushies could protect her against them, as if blankets could hide her from them. 

Alya’s words were still echoing inside her head. As unwelcome and untrue as they had been for the past three nights. 

She had said Alya was being silly. Alya had been being silly! She loved Adrien. And she had only just met Luka! And yeah, Luka was really nice- sweet even. And gentle. Kind. Funny. And he had been really brave, the way he had tricked Captain Hardrock. And he was an incredible musician, the way he had managed to stand out on stage, even with the rest of Kitty Section up there with him. And the way he had played her that song that had been so… sincere. So honest. And he was kinda cute. Well, he was really cute. 

He was more than cute… 

But none of that meant anything! 

She was in love with Adrien! 

And thinking her friend was talented didn’t mean anything. All of her friends were talented! And there was nothing weird about thinking a friend was cute. Rose was adorable, and Juleka was drop dead gorgeous. It was just a fact! 

So none of it meant anything… 

But if Alya had been being ridiculous… why was she still lying wide awake? And why was she lying wide awake thinking about Luka? 

And the feeling of his arms… 

She shook her head. 

Nope.

No. 

Absolutely not. 

It was just- she was just- she was being ridiculous! 

Yeah, she had been… flustered. But that was only natural! She was still getting to know Luka! And yeah, they had quickly become friends—they had just clicked—but she was still getting to know him and getting used to him so it was only natural to be a little flustered by how he had appeared in her sketchbook! 

And the way her face had warmed as he had told her she was already a part of the band… 

And how close they had ended up while he taught her to play… 

With his arms around her… 

And his soft, velvet voice in her ear… 

And his hands that had fit so perfectly around hers as he guided her- 

But he had just been showing her how to play!

It didn’t…  

[bookqueenrules]

DD Season 2 Places and Things Known to be Filmed

I wanted to catalog the locations and objects filmed that have been spoiled for season 2.  I must have had a premonition because the Twitter(X) account most of these originated from has been taken down. They all seem very legit.  I apologize for the huge pictures. I can't get them to resize on Tumblr.

The Louvre:  We know it will be used in a flashback to the beginning of the outbreak due to filming pictures with tons of extras in modern dress.  

We also know that the “Walking Dead” Louvre will be blown up.  Norman said in November 2022 on the Jimmy Fallon Show. 

2. Fort  De Cormeilles- They filmed here over the summer, and supposedly, they are filming here again later this month.  Here is a little history of the fort from Wikipedia:

After 1940 the fort was used by the German occupiers as an ammunition depot for the German navy. Following World War II the fort was used to lodge members of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI), then as a prison until 1956. From 1956 the fort was used as lodging for prison workers at nearby facilities, such as the Prison de Fresnes. Housing was built on the surface of the fort, and the complex featured a nursery school. The last families, principally North Africans and the family of the fort's keeper, left the fort at the beginning of the 1970s. From 1965 to 1997 the fort was used as a commando training center.[1]

The Fort de Cormeilles is now the property of the Green Space Agency of the Île-de-France regional government. Preservation work is in the hands of the Association des Amis du Fort de Cormeilles, a volunteer group, which encourages the use of the facility by artists and by television and movie studios. Public visits are available every month and on special occasions.

So, it was used as a prison at one point. The picture of Norman was listed as a  set picture from the summer filming in that area.  Notice the black eye just as in Consumed. 

3. Mont-Saint Michele: Zabel said that there are many other parts of the island which will be explored in Season 2.

4. The Alps: Crews were seen filming in the Alps in Southern France. No reports as to who, if anyone, from the cast was there. Mountains do show up in the Season 2 promo with the tag “Finding Home is to Find Each Other”

5. Ris Orangis- A set that looks like an abandoned horse track. They filmed for at least a week there. 

6. Luzarches- a rural setting with horses seen on set. I notice there is a golf course just below the area which I found very interesting.  According to what I can find, “Luzarches” is an area of only about eight miles. I almost wonder if it could, at least partially, be a cover for filming at the Golf Bluegreen Golf Course. located just below on the map.

So, we have the Louvre(Wolves), Fort  De Cormeilles(a former prison), and Luzarches( a rural area right next to a golf course), and Mont-Saint Michele(the white church). Hmm….

Things:

Yellow Jeep- Seen on set multiple times

Red, Blue, White, and Yellow Plane- seen on set several times. 

What I found out about this plane is: 

It's called Beechcraft Bonanza V Tail. The plane was made from 1947-1982. It can carry four people. It will go 500-700 miles depending on passengers. It could fly further with fuel bladders on the inside, but fewer passengers could ride. 

I saved the best for last. According to reports, crew members posted pictures and video of this cutie on set for multiple days.

So, we have a dog, horses, yellow jeep, yellow truck, and a plane with blue, yellow, red and white markings. 

We know things are not filmed in order, but Zabel said in October that most of the first three episodes had been filmed. Again, according to spoiler, filming will continue until mid-December. Based on the locations, it almost seems as if they will be moving from north to south this time. This would make senses because season 3 is rumored to be set in Spain or Italy.

Thoughts?

[riddle-me-ri]

So we've had the pengys go through nnn (and honestly props to MOST of them lasting so long cause i know id be pouncing on them just 2 weeks in 🥴) what about the Eddies? How did they do?

A/N: asdfghj uhhh the absolute rush to get this done before november is over lol. Also I’m not gonna lie I was reluctant when I saw @finniestoncrane upload the follow up to her nnn with the riddler’s earlier lol. It just seems weird lol and I don’t wanna repeat what she wrote or seem like I’m copying lmao (even though we mutually agreed we’re symbiotic and often travel the same mental wavelengths, but I’ll do my best), I will say some of these answers are inspired by her though. Please give hers a read when you get a chance! Here’s a link to the follow-up and the original challenge (it even includes daddy oz my beloved)

Trigger Warnings: highly suggestive? Lots of teasing for both parties, mentions of masturbation (blatant hints lmao), and suggestive language that’s about it. 

Also the Riddlers have a ranking system too. Same as with the Pengys: 

1: being absolutely weak, thirsty simp energy, lost on the first day

10: being resilient, confident asshat that managed his impulse control just once for 30 days, but once its over you’ll both be out of commission. 

How The Riddlers Handle NNN

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking, Ri these numbers are pretty high, well…that’s because if there’s one thing most of these Riddlers can’t stand…is to lose it’s almost as bad as proving him he’s wrong. Just based on that principle alone, his resilience is peaked, but then you get whores like Zero Year or baby girls like Young Justice that just don’t make it. Bless them.

Arkhamverse Riddler (9.5 out of 10):

He was close…so close…figuratively and literally. When you first mentioned the challenge to you, he scoffed. Such a childish game, only a baboon would lose at something so primal and pointless. Of course, having to prove how easy it was he took on the challenge. 

Little did he realize just how much feeling your soft warm skin actually effected him. While he was tinkering away at his projects or slamming on his keyboard…he’d see you doing something mundane out of the corner of his eye. You sit on the couch, you watch TV, read a book. Your shorts riding up, the rise and fall of your chest.

Damnit, damnit, damnit. 

He does make it through though, how he did you had no idea. Every time he looked at you it seemed likely he’d pounce but he did pounce finally by December 1st. 

Reevesverse/Dano Riddler (3 out of 10):

This Edward just got used to you touching him. To the idea of jerking one out to you when you were at work or if he got particularly fired up and you were preoccupied with something. You were the perfect thing to relieve his stress…and for a whole month he’d have to find something else? After being spoiled with you?

His online chess games, incessant scribbling in his ledgers, crosswords scattered complete everywhere. Nothing helped, nothing like you. Ed is an absolute mess. Feet, hands, fingers constantly shaking and fidgeting. 

It’s November 5th, you come by and barely greet him with your sweet voice and he’s gone. You probably should’ve brought an overnight bag, you’re not going anywhere for a few days…maybe not for the rest of the month. 

Gotham Riddler (10 out of 10):

It doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s the world’s most complex Rubic’s cube or seeing if he can go a whole month without cumming. A game is a game. 

Edward doesn’t lose to games. When he plays he plays for keeps. Especially if that prize means he gets to keep you under an undisclosed period of time, doing only what he asks. 

He won’t lie though. Ed’s a victim of often counting his eggs before they hatch. Already assuming his win, sometimes he’ll catch himself getting hard at the faintest idea of what he wants to do to you when he wins. Which costs him to swiftly remind himself that the game is still on, he can’t lose himself to his unhinged carnal desires. 

Not yet. There is a game to be won. 

BTAS Riddler (9 out of 10):

Oh, well…this is a different objective to most challenges. Edward can’t say he’s not interested though. He is adamant that it’s an even playing field for the two of you. 

Every time your kisses to his cheek last longer than usual. So will his hand that’s wrapped around your waist. For every tempting kiss there’s an even more persuasive touch to combat it. It’s an alluring power struggle of who can snap first. 

Edward has to admit, you were far more resilient than he gave himself credit for. He finds himself lost in thought of your latest tactics…

He groans in frustration, rubbing the temples of his head. Ed tries to think of anything or anyone else to get his emotions elsewhere and for his second head to calm down. 

It’s November 29th, he absolutely despises the concupiscent mess he’s become over this past month. But he can taste the finish line and it tastes like you. The moment it hits midnight on December 1st. He’s gone and he’s taking you down with him. 

Zero Year Riddler (3.5 out of 10):

This dick head. This candy ass…

Listen, listen, he’s too much of a greedy attention whore to stop getting what he wants. He doesn’t care for some stupid challenge. What good is it if it’s just going to keep him from doing what he wants? That just seems highly stupid and counter intuitive. 

He wants you, he’ll have you, don’t think he won’t make you break your streak as well.

No if, ands, or buts about it. Good luck coming up with a decent argument. 

Twojar Riddler (7 out of 10):

This Edward I imagine has partaken in this challenge, like…just cause? I don’t know I feel like he sometimes gets his kicks by refraining himself from doing tasks that normally compel him. So when he’s with you and you challenge him. He thinks he’s got this in the bag, but that competing with a partner makes things way more tantalizing. 

He didn’t stop to think what would happen if his teasing tricks were ever thrown back in his face. It becomes less about keeping himself in check and more about getting you to lose first.

It’s barely the 10th of November, neither of you have made a provocative move yet. Albeit at this point just about everything you do turns him on. Ed misses touching and holding you, and as much as he hates to admit it, it’s frustrating as hell for him. 

You bent down to pick something off the floor and before you know it, you’re launched onto the couch with Ed instantly hovering over you. 

You both may have lost, but you never felt more like a winner seeing how you made Gotham’s enigma snap. 

Gotham City Sirens Riddler (10 out of 10):

Oohh, this seems fun. 

It’ll definitely break up the monotony of you two’s day to day. Especially seeing as how after particular difficult cases, he either rushes home to you or puts in a call from his office for you to…um…visit. 

The lengths he goes to to distract himself from wandering about you however, proves to be the primary challenge. More often than not he’s rubbed one out at his desk when you weren’t available or he was just too wound up to move anymore. 

You may find a dart board with ten darts in it and littered with various miniscule holes. You’ll see stacks of files. One day organized by alphabet, the next shelved by chronological order. 

Edward is a mess that’s one more bad day away, one more outlandish case from absolutely railing you on the nearest surface. However, he finds relief when he glances at his calendar and sees it’s December 1st. Grinning, he decides to close his office early and come straight home to you. 

Young Justice Riddler (-5 out of 10):

Okay, first of all. How dare you, t-this is just absolutely cruel. The poor baby girl can’t even handle holding hands or cheek kisses?? 

You have to go over the rules with him a few times. One is to make sure he understands, the second is for it to sink in how royally screwed he is…ironically. He tries, the sweetheart absolutely does try but he doesn’t even last a day. 

Ed couldn’t help it, you just looked so pretty and you just had to kiss his cheek cause he “looks so cute.” Whatever blood was there that flushed his face went straight down to his groin and he was bricked up before he even got to the bathroom. 

Telltale Riddler (11 out of 10):

This old bag rolls his eyes at the challenge. Much like Arkhamverse, he finds it extremely primitive and stupid waste of time and energy. He indulges you though, on the sole purpose of seeing you get riled up and flustered. 

You don’t even get to try and tease him or make him break. He’s already somehow three steps ahead of you. He infiltrates your thoughts and gets under your skin like a crusty rugged viper. All of a sudden it became a test more so for you than him. 

He wins by a dumb landslide. Ed chuckled pleased, of course he’d win, you shouldn’t expect any less. Now…his prize?

Hush (DCAU) Riddler (4.5 out of 10):

Much like a few other Riddlers on here, this Ed tries fumbling convince you that he would win. He won’t fall for your flirtatious wiles…however that’s not what he had to be concerned with. 

It would be the middle of the month, like November 20th or 25th almost more than halfway through. He’s bound up tight, his stress on the brink of tipping over, but he tries to remind himself the reward will be worth it. Not to mention the absolute bragging rights…

Until he has a run-in with Batman or he’s the butt of another joke among the Rogues Gallery. His confidence is crushed. You don’t even have to ask him what’s wrong, you can just tell. You’re the only one that can make him feel like he’s worth something, that he is a somebody. 

You make all the mocking sneers, jeers, and cackles go away.

Let the poor man lose, and let him lose sweetly. There’s always next year.

[parrot-with-a-mohawk]

B the Beginning opinions and season 2 rewrite

The opinions

Recently, I rewatched B the Beginning, since I found out it had a season 2 and was like "heck yeah, I'd like to see more of those characters and that world".

Season 1 was great. 9.5/10. The plot was woven well and it was compact, the characters were adorned with small details and quirks that made them complex people rather than just characters and the animation and direction were full of character. Legendary outro song. The whole show had it's own unique feel. I don't really have any criticisms.

Season 2 was garbage. The plot was all over the place. The characters were reduced to caricatures of their former selves. The snappy dialogue and the neverending and meaningful action (even in the short quiet scenes) were replaced with neverending dialogue and short and meaningless action scenes. The animation and direction were bland and generic. The outro song was also generic. To me, it was a bore even as background noise. I quit during episode 4.

Which is why I made a rewrite of season 2 in my head. I don't claim this rewrite to be a fix, or even good. I'm sure whoever worked on season 1 would be able to write something much better than what I am about to vomit here.

The rewrite

The season starts with Keith and Lily together at a crime scene, eating freshly baked bean buns and sharing clues. They say "yeah, this is definitely a copy-cat" then the shot pans out to reveal the Killer B signature on the wall.

Cue intro, then the scene shifts to Kirisame showing up just like the original, but, instead of his "new world order" thing, his plan would have been to make Koku the king of Cremona. He was shown in season 1 to be the one most loyal to Koku. Koku would refuse, because he just wants to live peacefully with Yuna and his violin repair job, even offering Kirisame his arm back. Kirisame says no and that he'll be back.

Meanwhile, the RIS is super busy, because a big series of murders is happening: the king's heirs are being killed one by one and all of them have the "Killer B" signature on them (the crime scene at the start was also one of those heirs). Also, Keith is nowhere to be found (again). Lily is the one to have to find him (again).

Lily and Keith both know it's not Koku this time, even though the signatures look like his now. All of the crime scenes had golden ampule residue, including inside the bodies and all of the vicious wounds happened after death.

Keith is doing independent investigations and has already figured out Kirisame is involved. Then, late at night, at the heir crime scene from the beginning, Keith finds some golden ampule residue and also meets with Kirisame. The latter is like "Canopus, you have to convince Koku to claim his rightful place" and Keith, in his mind, is like "yeah, this guy is NOT the mastermind" (with a subtle close-up shot of his eyes and no inner thoughts monologue, to let the audience interpret the scene).

Anyways, there is only one heir remaining (it's the bald dude with the ginger beard) and RIS has to protect him, together with all the cops and the royal security. Meanwhile, Lily is revisiting all of the other heir crime scenes and uses her own methods to deduce the mystery. She discovers that all of them were cut with the same sharp weapon that was used to carve the Killer B signs and asks Yuna about it. Koku is also nowhere to be found. Yuna says that it was definitely done with blue steel (because maybe it leaves some kind of residue or something), so Kirisame couldn't have killed them, because he doesn't have any of that, since Koku has it as his arm. So, together they go to the library to do some research on the royal family history, to find some more leads. Lily finds out from Yuna that the royal family branched out some 1000 years ago and that the current king is from that branch, while the original bloodline fell into obscurity. Lily then wonders if Koku might be of the original bloodline, and that is why Kirisame wants him to be king that badly, but Yuna says no, the royal family are heirs of the guy who killed the first Black King (she did lots of research together with Keith).

Suddenly, Lily gets a call from Boris, who called everyone. The last heir disappeared, everyone is dead, including a bunch of armed strangers and Mario is gravely injured and unconscious. On the way to the station, Koku shows up, all beaten and bruised, but he heals while he tells them basically the same thing and that the apparent leader of that attack had a mask on his face, so he couldn't tell who it was. Then, a video transmission is put on tv. Someone is tied to a chair, with a bag on his head, in a castle room, and Kirisame's voice booms out "Let the rightful King take his place! If he doesn't claim his throne in the next 24 hours, then the person on the chair will die and we know you don't want this to happen to this particular person.".

Everyone at RIS is now in full activity. Kaela is tracking down the source of the transmission, Bran is gathering data on all medieval places, Eric is managing everyone and Boris is contacting all of the important and helpful people who are left. Lily realises that she can faintly hear waves while Kirisame is talking, so Kaela and Bran narrow it down and find out that there is a lone tower at sea, that had been around since the first king of Cremona.

Koku gets out his wings and everyone is like "What is this, what is happened, Lily explain". So Lily tells them the truth about Killer B. Everyone is conflicted and Chin-four-eyes says that he should have all three of them arrested, but they'll deal with this after the first heir is saved.

Then, Boris gets a call from the hospital. It's Mario and he tells them that they were attacked by a small army of people (who the audience knows they're all Reggies), and that Koku fought most of them off and that it's thanks to him that he's alive to tell the tale. Lily insists that Koku is a good guy, while Yuna is ready to throw hands with anyone who would touch even just the tip of one of his feathers. Everyone is conflicted, but Eric takes the lead and starts directing everyone to their priorities. Kaela gives them communication devices and sets up a tracking software (for their security, but also just in case they try to flee). Lily, Koku and Yuna get a boat and head to the King's Tower.

It's strangely empty, except for a few other boats. Koku goes bird and flies to the top. Lily and Yuna climb the stairs there (actually, does Yuna also have wings? I remember both skeletons had wings, so Yuna should be able to go bird also). They find the hostage and Lily pulls the bag from his face, but it's not the heir. It's Keith, all bruised up and unconscius. Lily tries to wake him up, but she doesn't get to do much, because Kirisame shows up and holds a monologue about Koku "finally coming to take his place as rightful ruler of this land". Keith wakes up briefly and tells Lily ina muted voice that Kirisame is not the mastermind. Koku jumps to fight Kirisame but, just then, someone comes from behind and stabs Kirisame in the back. Kirisame dies, but not before giving his last words ("Koku,... you are... our true king"). The backstabber comes in to the light and it's... the last heir guy. He manipulated Kirisame to do his bidding, so he could be the last heir and inherit the throne. Now that Kirisame is dead, everything is resolved and they can just take him back to Creona so he can be crowned. It's not like they can do anything to him, since he's crucial to the succesion and it would cause some more war, when Creona had just recovered from the previous one. Koku can't help but notice that the knife in his hand is made of blue steel ("so you were the one impersonating Killer B"). Koku tells Lily to get Keith and get away from here, to somewhere safe, then he proceeds to fight with the last heir guy. Lily gets Keith and moves to the boat, while Yuna protects them from the mini-army of Reggies that was now raiding the place.

During the fight, last heir guy tells Koku about the line of kings and the branching out and that it connects to the Jaula Blanca institute. That one of the big hands there was actually his uncle/grandfather/something, who was also a scion of the first king, therefore making Koku also a rightful heir to the throne (which would make his killing all the more satisfactory).

Finally, on the boat, after Yuna dispatched the last Reggie, Keith fully wakes up and tells them that he know who the real mastermind is. It's not the last heir guy either. Is the king himself. While Keith was imprisoned there, Kirisame told him about the new age of prosperity for the Reggies Koku would bring and that, soon, the Reggies would no longer need golden ampules to live, but that Koku needed to take the throne for that to happen. Kirisame was also dropping hints that he didn't have much left to live/keep his sanity anyway, because he was chugging golden ampules like water. Keith figured the rest out by himself.

Basically, the mastermind was someone who had an interest to have the heirs kill eachother and that the golden ampules had something to do with it. The Reggies would die without those ampules, so they clearly contain something to prolong life. Therefore, the mastermind was someone who was seeking immortality as a human and who was also rich enough to be able to invest in research to make the ampules work on normal humans, not just Reggies. And that someone could only be the king.  Lily was like "you crazy, immature, reckless, good for nothing, dumbass", while holding his face in her hands and crying. Right then, Koku, landed on the boat, carrying the unconscius and beaten up last heir guy (Kirisame's body turned to ash). They went back to the mainland.

Back at mainland, Koku, Yuna and Lily instantly get their hands cuffed, as well as last heir guy (still fainted), and they have to explain the Lohengrim prophecy thing, together with the king's conspiracy, with Keith backing them up. Kaela and Mario understand. Bran doesn't really agree with all this. Boris sees Lily as a daughter, so he looks at this with an open mind and tells Eric to do the same. Eric says that they'll see if they can confirm this when they interogate last heir guy later.

They interrogate him and confirm everything. Last heir guy was like "Father never cared about us anyway! He was always absorbed in his research and politics, that he didn't even notice his sons and nephews were dying". They also found out from him that he was the one who poisoned the other heirs with golden ampules. So now the RIS was making a plan the stage an interview with the king and somehow get him to reveal the location of the research facility. Thankfully, a big meating with the press was happening in a few days, related to the last heir's arrest.

Lily and Bran disguise themselves as reporters and go to the press meeting and ask the king about the "miracle cure he's investing in that they heard rumors about". Every other reporter becomes super interested in this and everyone starts pestering the king. That was the plan, because, while all this was happening, Kaela was hacking into the royal computers, while Mario and Boris were doing spy work, in case it was all on paper. They find some stuff about chemical recepies and also a secret schedule with a "special" meeting at one of the historical sights.

That was all the proof they needed. All of the RIS agens come out and arrest the king for crimes against humanity. The king flees to the royal chambers. The agents run after him. In the royal chamber, the king opens a drawer and drinks the golden ampule inside. The shot then pans to Koku, sitting in the window frame all menacingly. The king says, without turning "I was planning to save this for after I framed my own death. Oh, well." The king's body then starts to shift all weirdly and he becomes young again. His hair is dark red and he sprouts wings, just like Koku's. Epic aerial battle ensues. The king is very strong and nearly kills Koku, who was already tired from fighting constantly. Still, Koku wins epicly and kills the king (strikes him doooowwwnnn).

Epilogue happens. After Lily and Yuna bring genetic evidence, it is proved that Koku is a legitimate heir. Koku is crowned as king. He takes Yuna as his queen and invests in golden ampule research to make ampules that have permanent effects to make Reggies healthy and autonomous even after 20 years of age. The kings death is ruled out as a stroke from overdose. Lily and Keith are on a nice date at the newly opened cafe. Keith is blushing aggresively the entire time. The other RIS guys are shown minding their personal lives in still shots (like, Boris with his grandkids, Bran playing a detective video game, Mario with 2 cats, Kaela with a big dog, Eric with his wife and kids, stuff like that), all with a chill anime song on the background. Or the season 1 outro. Or both.

[dragoon-mid-jump]

I am very much enjoying all the Reaper Job bonus flavor dialogue in these patches.

Though, I would also use this post to explain how exactly Y'dehlya came to join the Reapers’ ranks and what powers she now wields. I’ll start with her Dragoon powers, because those lead into and fuse with her Reaper ones.

(Upon pressing “Keep reading”, many paragraphs will appear in sequence. It is recommended that you set aside sufficient time to view this post in its entirety.)

My take on Y’dehlya actually being able to use the Dragoon Soul Stone despite having not a single drop of Ishgardian blood in her veins stems from expanding on the “inner dragon” all Dragoons apparently have. It is my understanding that the Soul Stone only resonates with those who have a dragon’s spirit within them. For Ishgardians, this is easily explained with the reveal of Thordan I and his Twelve Knights murdering Ratatoskr and consuming her flesh a thousand years before ARR, enough time for draconic power to take root and lay dormant inside every Ishgardian living in the game’s present.

But Y’dehlya’s is from a different circumstance. The simpler reason I thought of was that Persephone’s combat transformation was very draconic in appearance, and Y’dehlya’s soul enduring seven whole Rejoinings and bringing that back to her. The more complex one is that Hydaelyn bound Persephone’s Shard on the Source to the soul of a stillborn child of Midgardsormr at his behest. Or I could just do both. Either way, with these plus the meddlings of (in order) Nidhogg via the Eye, resonating with a Dragoon Soul Stone, Midgardsormr removing Hydaelyn’s blessing and binding himself to Y’dehlya, and Hraesvelgr bestowing his own Eye unto her awakens/creates a manifestation of Y’dehlya’s latent draconic powers: Mehen.

Mehen in ancient Egyptian mythology is the equivalent of Jormungandr and Ouroboros. A deity that protected Osiris-Ra as he traveled through the night/underworld by coiling around him.

With all the other dragon influences around her soul, it was almost impossible for her at first to truly sense Mehen’s presence throughout ARR and HW. It was easily mistaken for one of the others’. As for StB, she had not only hung up the mantle of Azure Dragoon alongside Estinien at the end of the Dragonsong War, but went the extra mile and left the Soul Stone in Aymeric’s care, the war burned her out that much. And yet, there were still some events that made her fall back on those abilities, which also helped her to reconcile herself with them. The DRG Job Quests from 60 to 69, as well as taking the spear up again for the Nhaadam help Y’dehlya find the courage to reclaim the Stone when Aymeric offers it back to her in Ala Mhigo before the showdown against Zenos-Shinryu.

The Omega Raids was the first time Mehen truly showed themself to Y’dehlya, manifesting physically at Midgardsormr’s behest and introduced themself appropriately. In order to qualify as a candidate for Omega’s challenge, Mehen quickly adopted a more humanoid form, manifesting as a Raen Au Ri that resembles Y’dehlya (or moreso Persephone).

Due to having no set preference themself between being more “masculine” or “feminine”, Mehen manifests in whichever form they are feeling at the moment.

When Omega traps Y’dehlya and U’reksh and starts testing their pain tolerances up to the extent that they could very well die, Midgarsormr uses the last of his available power to free Y’dehlya and entrusts Mehen with her. It is then that Y’dehlya unlocks Life of the Dragon and together, they free U’reksh and cause Omega to retreat and recalibrate. After the whole Omega Raid storyline is completed, Y’dehlya introduces Mehen to the rest of the Scions, and later Estinien, Orn Kai, Vedrfolnir, and Faunehm during the lvl 70 DRG quest. Mehen resolves to want to learn more and more about the world while traveling within Y’dehlya.

Flash forward to ShB. Y’dehlya and Mehen were...more aware than they let on about the state of their soul with subsequent Lightwarden absorptions, especially after overhearing Y’shtola and Urianger’s argument over it. In the time between absorbing Amh Araeng’s Lightwarden and the siege on Eulmore, Y’dehlya grew desperate in trying to find her own way to save the both of them.

During a check-in with the Source, she happened upon the events of the first Reaper quests. The words “Lemures” and “Reaper” coming from the attendant and his employer tip her off to who they want her to deal with. She’s heard whispers of this group before through the grapevine, as well as solid confirmation from Y’kouha. And so, with Mehen’s consent and hearing the summoned voidsent itself beg for death via devouring upon hearing their plight (it’s a win-win exchange, the voidsent finally gets sweet release and their devourers get their powers), she readily accepts, because what is the antithesis of sin eater, but voidsent? And thus, this lovely explanation from Zero is what takes place between Mehen and the voidsent, becoming the Void Dragon/Voidwyrm and taking on the appearance of a Xaela:

If the voidsent powers stemmed from a being who was already friendly towards their host, theoretically, there shouldn't be any fear of being taken over. This doesn’t stop Y’shtola from immediately grilling Dehlya on her choices once she takes notice out of further concern and anger at Urianger and the Exarch for driving her to this. Y’dehlya stands her ground. The other Scions have very mixed reactions when the cat’s out of the bag, but eventually grow to accept it. Both Urianger and the Exarch in particular feel incredibly guilty and more or less continue to do so into EW, both admitting it to Y’dehlya and Mehen at different points despite their forgiveness and a look at the brighter side of the circumstance.

As for learning how to use a scythe, Y’dehlya’s practically a natural, but part of that will be explained further down.

Anyway, back to ShB. Unfortunately, the absorption of the voidsent wound up doing little in the long run after absorbing Innocence and Y’dehlya is locked out of using Mehen’s voidsent powers until the fusion with Ardbert.

The fusion with Ardbert also triggered a new power in her that seems to only activate against Ascians and Ancients in subsequent MSQ battles: Her weapon suddenly becomes a scythe made out of aether, her skill with it is like never before, and her outfit becomes that of a tattered black cloak. It’s like Enshroud, but it isn’t; her soul is channeling Persephone’s power and skill, manifesting thus, and disappears a short time after it is no longer needed.

After returning to Sharlayan at the end of Main Endwalkere, however, the tattered black outfit and white scythe become permanent. The scythe itself even looks like an actual forged weapon now (See the lvl 89 Reaper gear for reference). Y’dehlya takes this as a sign to becomes a Reaper in full and dyes the cape her signature fuchsia.

Y’dehlya’s Enshroud form bears an uncanny resemblance to Estinien’s final form when he was possessed by Nidhogg, but with a predominantly black, purple/fuchsia, and red color scheme.

[isobelleposts]

'Mr. Sunshine' and its Answer to the Question "What is Love?"

Lee Byun-hun and Kim Tae-ri as Choi Eugen and Go Ae-sin in 'Mr. Sunshine'

Recently, I’ve found myself loving media wherein romance is only considered a subplot but is also what keeps the watchers hooked for the next episode and the one that comes after that. ‘Mr. Sunshine’ would be one of those shows.

‘Mr. Sunshine’ is what I would consider the most well-produced Korean Drama I have watched so far. Based on both facts and fiction, the show tells a moving story of a romance that blooms between a noblewoman and an American Military officer as they plot to prevent a dark scheme on the country's colonization at night. 

Choi Eugene and Go Ae-sin, episode 6 of ‘Mr. Sunshine’

L-O-V-E

There is complete intimacy between Kim Tae-ri and Lee Byung-hun’s characters despite the lack of skinship found throughout the show. Being a noblewoman and an American, Lady Ae-sin and Eugene keep their progressive friendship a secret from the public eye, not only as lovers but as members of a militia called The Righteous Army.

Can I ask you a question since you’re American? What is "love"?

Go Ae-sin, episode 3 of 'Mr. Sunshine'

The transition between Ae-sin’s innocence to her full knowledge of what the English word “love” means and feels was like watching the process of an artist starting out with a clear image in their head, making a mistake, and then having a completely different story sold twice more than the original worth. Ae-sin asked a single question and received several answers.

Let’s do it. Love. With me. Let’s do it together.

Choi Eugene, episode 6 of 'Mr. Sunshine'

One boat ride between the noblewoman and “her wherryman” and the contrast between the world’s then-current tragedies and killings made you understand the experience of how quiet the world could be. The moment that peace was taken away, you suddenly find the desire to have stayed there forever, rowing on and on and never continued watching.

Yoo Yeon-seok as Gu Dong-mae in 'Mr. Sunshine'

HISTORY AND TV

Apart from being what I consider the most well-produced K-Drama, ‘Mr. Sunshine’ is also the most diverse I have encountered so far. Despite so many characters and stories to follow, screenwriter Kim Eun-sook was able to build it all together at a compact pace without letting you feel it was too heavy or difficult to keep up with.

If it’s my fate to survive everything only to die in your hands, then I should.

Gu Dong-mae, episode 7 of ‘Mr. Sunshine’

‘Mr. Sunshine’ was able to have you appreciate its second leads rather than feel completely angry or sorry, as most dramas intend to do. The application of history added to each character’s depth and complexity makes you ponder on life’s ways.

Do you know what the first thing I did after coming to Joseon was? I let everyone know that I was a runaway son of a butcher. Unlike my father, I was able to cut anyone down.

Gu Dong-mae

It was difficult to convince myself that I hated Gu Dong-mae because I didn’t. And it was not only because of his love and help towards the Lady Ae-sin, but for the way his character was structured and written.

The obvious display of different social classes and power led me to think of all the real lives and years lived by people and ancestors, and how so little society has come to change. Similar to ‘Pachinko’, both historical dramas depicted the realities of Korea’s turning point in history and lets you compare it to the present world.

Choi Eugene, episode 24 of 'Mr. Sunshine'

GLORY AND SAD ENDING

This show made me think of several could-have-beens yet somehow never made me choose an alternate ending over what was already provided, despite Eugen and Ae-sin’s absolute deservedness of a peaceful life full of loving each other.

Will our final destination be somewhere between glory and a sad ending?

Go Ae-sin, episode 9 of ‘Mr. Sunshine’

If I had to choose between those two words to describe this ending, I’d rather see it as a glorious one. An ending where two people's love for each other was able to help thousands of the Nation. An ending where Go Ae-sin was able to live and succeed as what she had always wanted to be — a flame that burnt brightly and wilted.

And one day, we can be walking on a street we’re familiar with and go all the way to New York, where you used to live.

Go Ae-sin, episode 16 of ‘Mr. Sunshine’

I like to think that among the several worlds in the universe, Eugene and Ae-sin walk hand in hand in one of them, far from the cries of their dying nation.

(Click HERE for Writing Commissions)

by Isobelle Cruz, 31/05/2022

[eclaire-went-bam]

hi can i post my kagepro lgbtq hcs at almost 3 am

Sorry guys i'm in a silly mood

am ok ty my fellow comrades in arms i hope u guys like

urrm i hope u guys like a tad bit of mogai

uhmm part 1 cus i ran outta tumblr room. maybe will make a part 2 idk

anyways happy thanksgiving if you celebrate

okok ayano hihii ayano consumed every gender it is pan² that is just what i have foreseen and she goes by she/her & it/its also i am so sorry if some of this is unreadable my eyes are Closing i have nearly dropped my phone on my face so many times now

now azamiii she is genderfaun & will go by she/he. does have a complicated relationship with gender because it is a human social construct. actually would not know about modern more complex gender identities but maybe if he did he'd vibe w this ??? urhm. also demisexual there's that too

rubs hands together ENE

advertfluid, ace and biromantic becauseee i felt like itt???? goes by it/its, cy/cyber, and en/ene. takane in life in the silly canon in my head was super into mogai, though never really was open about it and did not adopt the neos until en became ene. in life it would prefer not to be called by any honourific at all, though as ene cy doesn't care you can use anything

speaking of takane uhm

it told haruka of some of the Mogai Lore™ and he just kinda soaked it up. bro is. long word incoming. abalienobaonic because the definition and lore yay!! oriented aroace. he/him

congrats on hibiya for the most eyebleeding one i am so sorry

he's just a little boything. he/they. amanteromantic vibes but they probably wouldn't even know what that means honestly that's also a long one

by contrast hiyori's is pretty !!

demigirl she/him & trixic but for hiyori specifically she would not give two cents until highschool

konohaaa hihi

they are voidaroace (i couldn't find a flag for that so i just squished the voidaro and voidace ones tteehee). also gendervoid. it is actually perfectly fine with any pronoun but has greatest affinity towards they/it. bro is just vibing. so me fr ! ! (?)

heehee seto looks so silly in this photo

Anyways ri is froggigender (actually so upset he's covering the adorable frog on the flag) and goes by he/him and ri/rib. poly!! jazz hands

marryyyy isss a girlthing and ace multiromantic. mostly uses she/they but also finds it fun to experiment!! like azami, marry is also pretty unfamiliar with a lot of Gender Stuff™ but now she treats gender like pokémon and wants to collect them all they find it so entertaining

momo my belovrvfvfbxäisj

momo is aporagender bc she just is;; and angled aroace enbian. uses she/her, per/per, and fae/faer. maybe not the leader of the mekameka dan, but os the leader of the alphabet mafia (ilovehersomuch)

[nightmarefuele]

❝ I sure hope there’re no new patients. No, no, surely not today, see this. . . . ❞

❝ Bad impression, this makes. Worse yet, could encourage them. . . . ❞

❝ And so young. Oh, we the people, we sweet, innocent civilians of Gotham, how we want to see our youth rehabilitated. ❞

(Right. Suuurrrre. Well, maybe they’d say a thing or two the like, if any a’them ever looked up (or is it down?) at the place.)

Red and black and red and black. And white alight everywhere, looping tedium, all brash but it’s got no flare, and they say he’s the one with the complex? Boring hallways boring rooms boring courtyards boring everywhere so let’s see who’s laughing now

Red and black and red again. What’s black and white and read and red all over? Mouths on the walls, dripping. And this time it isn’t even pigs blood.

Just scissor papercuts, really, not a one-single plastic knife involved. (Because they got rid of those, first time having him around. Haven’t been back since. Suit themselves; just means he’s had to get more creative.) Anyway, some sorry shmo down in “Docile” ward’s gonna have their hands full’a red lines when they wake up.

Oh, and-uuhhh . . . Scaredy-Crow isn’t gonna be too happy about his missing mask.

❝ How many times are we going to run circles around the blocks before we sound the alarm! ❞ That’s Mr. Fitts, a slightly raggedy (and very old school) TA—teacher’s assistant, which he insists Is far more respectable than it sounds!—with these mayonnaise-colored slacks pressed to a firm crisp that he always manages to rumple. He’s shouting, across one of the sterile antehalls that loops toward the entrance of the so-called 𝒜𝒸𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓂𝓎, at one of four search parties. One of four inside.

❝ I will remind you to keep your voice down, Fitts, ❞ and that’s one of the female nurses, except she’s also called a ward, because here they’ve started doubling up on se-cu-ri-ty, ❝ or do you want to contract the principal’s wrath on a day like this one? ❞

He’s not so very far off. In fact, he’s underneath (but certainly not below) this particular stampede of reunifying jailors; he moseys along between the balustrades, these heavy pillars like pedestals for a far greater place than that which they actually uphold, except little peps bump his steps and so he’s bobbing with the rhythm of their fraying frenzy. Ducking—spontaneous, but fluidly, like the fizzing of his form is only another silly part of the whole silly play—straight out into the open entrance hall (where he’s blocked from sight by the floor under their feet, over his head). And it’s very open, with a grey sun slinging bolts into a murky puddle at one side by his shoes. The double doors to Arkhamore are open.

He’s borrowed one of the rEguLar-old pajama suits from faculty, the ones specially enforced on all “Isolation” inmates, although he’s what he likes to call a Solitaire. Anyway, black-and-white stripes, imperfectly fitted, sorta-rumpled ‘cause it ain’t easy getting out that box’a padded pillows then squeezing through the vents made for shoulders a lot smaller then slinging blood all over the portraits of the Arkhamore Founding Families and pledgers without getting a little messy about it.

Joker stands there looking lazy as a laid-back lynx. Murky, not-quite-black eyes peering up through the slits and stitches of a scarecrow sack.

Up; sideways, down; face slanting on a shoulder line, peering out those double doors. Open. Wouldn’tcha know it, suddenly that funny little ward’s warning—the principal’s wrath on a day like this one—makes a whole lot more senssse.

He turns. Arkhamore Academy repeated up in big, 𝒻𝒶𝓃𝒸𝓎 letters at the hall’s total opposite end. Check-in lobby. Sees a bit of motion and starts to slink back into hiding—then does a double take.

NewnewnewnewNEW

The stampede splits up overhead, one half clobbering down the stairs. He’s gone before they even hit the second level. He’s a shadow person, hanging around, pressed right back up against a leftern ventricle of this hollowed-heart cavity that calls itself an ❝entrance❞ when it’s really more like a gate to Hell.

Ahh, but O where be the demon who guards it?  No nurse there at the desk, and yet this creature writ in sepia overtones has got this little piece of paper. . . . Curious.

Make it quick? Well, if that isn’t an invitation to just hang there, slouching sort of elegantly so, shadowed between folding walls, staring. Watching. Seeing What’ll she doDoes she bite? out his ugly mask’s stolen eyes.

@miercolaes :// here.

[rescuefield-arch1]

duffle bag is thrown in the trunk of a car she's found by chance as phone gets balanced between ear and shoulder, eyes carefully studying her surroundings to make sure nobody has followed her from the apartment complex she's just left.

ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS HOW GOOD YOU'RE GOING TO TASTE. ae-ri tells her from the other side, and for a moment claire almost loses tracks of what she's supposed to do. "i bet, baby." she counters easily - some things better left unsaid considering the path she's been taking lately. "i think i'll be back home in five hours tops," a pause, sniper rifle in a second case left on the passenger seat just in case. "hold on that thought for me, yeah?"

@premxnitionn

[acertainmoshke]

Find the word tag

Thanks for the tag, @nopoodles!!

My words are star, small, bright, and loud

Star

The static made it hard to focus on complex calculations, made some pieces of them soft and squishy, falling out of the equations and getting lost. 

“Too many puzzles today?” Wolfy was bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“No puzzles,” Ri muttered. “I’m calculating.” 

“Calculating ships and stars?” 

“Yes, so we can fly.” 

“I always wanted to fly,” Wolfy sighed, “But our sunsets here are so dark.” 

Ri glanced through his data display out the window, where sunset was still hours away. Wolfy almost never meant anything literally, preferring grand sweeping metaphors to describe life. But she was right. The sunsets here were dark gray like the smog that clung to everything outside. 

Small

Zippy had never been much of a crier, so she was surprised when her eyes stung and tears, hotter even than her skin already was, streaked down her cheeks. She laid her head down on the counter and let herself cry. Her sobs were painful but silent. It lasted a long time. She cried because she was sick, and she was hungry, and her family was hungry. She cried because Chaya was too small and had never known what it was like to have enough. 

She cried because it was all her fault. 

Bright

They clung tighter for a long moment, then pulled away. They hardly even had to think about how to say what they needed with him—he always knew what they meant. They gestured to the sky, the bright circle of the sun. 

Wire’s smile melted. “You can’t be serious.” 

Nod. Nod-nod-nod.

Loud

“Fixing.” Pixel’s voice was always soft but it was hard to be heard at all with his dark, intent eye staring at them. 

“Fixing what?” He laughed suddenly, a loud and barking sound that made them jump. “I’m flying, to fix Du and me.” 

Pixel didn’t understand the strange modded man. They were pretty sure it wasn’t just them, that he was even harder than most people. 

His eye-box caught the light and glittered. 

I'l tag @kittensartswriting @sam-glade @toribookworm22 @kjscottwrites and anyone else who wants to! Your words are scar, deep, shoes, jump, and hill.