#so the show taking a more... i guess grounded approach with its lessons is really nice :}

[ashtonisvibing]

i've found my first analog series that i'm very normal about i promise

angel hare has infected my brain it makes me go squish

i wanna draw fanart so bad [shakes my ipad]

[razorblade180]

Whispers in droplets

More of this <- I guess?

It was another calm night in the nation of Hydro. Warm street lights cut through the darkness on every corner while the bustling sound of rushing water had become a source to soothe wary souls to a good nights rest. Furina wished she was one of those people.

All by her lonesome, she stepped rhythmically on every painted brick on the way to the Opera House, her gaze fixated on the ground. Though she lived for the performances, a piece of her also found it calming to be in the grand, empty hall with its lustrous curtains closed; no performances to a n audience had its own since of beauty in her eyes that were currently a little puffy and pink. By now, even the energetic Charlotte had to going to bed, which was good. Furina couldn’t bear the thought of an unwanted picture of citizen capturing her in such a pathetic state of-

“Focalor?”

A voice called out, causing her to jolt upright out of her trance. What was a the muffled sound of water became crystal clear as the young adventurer who sat up against the fountain. Furina’s heart nearly stopped. Of all fountains, it had to The Fountain of Lucine that Aether sat against. She quickly recovered from her internal fear but failed to be as in character as she would’ve liked.

Furina:W-Well well… aren’t we a night owl? To think I’d see you here even later than usual. Plotting a scheme no doubt.

Aether:I thought you learned your lesson about baseless accusations.

Furina:Excuse me!? If you’re referring to Mr. Lyney’s prosecution, we both know it was far from baseless. Even if I hadn’t uttered a word he’d still be questioned, given the fact a crime happened that was during the show! My bold declaration merely expedited the process towards the inevitable truth. Though I’ll admit….the twists and turns along the way were indeed…unexpected.

Aether:I’d say you’re putting that mildly, but I don’t anyone, not even a god, would’ve predicted that nonsense accurately. The crime spanned decades after all.

Furina:Well…I agree, I suppose. *deflates* Though a couple decades in comparison to centuries of life makes my assumption laughable at best. Anyways, why are you here of all places? You of all people must know it wouldn’t do you any good to be around the water system so casually given recent events. Neither Neuvillette nor I would expect you of foul play or tampering, but you’re still a foreigner with trust to earn.

Aether:Can’t argue with that. Unfortunately for me, I’ve been accused of crimes while having even less suspicious behavior. *stretches arms* I couldn’t really sleep, so now I’m here.

Furina:Most decide to take a proper walk or eat something to soothe the body and mind.

Aether:Well I’m not exactly most people. Turns out I’m pretty sensitive to the hydro element. When l can’t sleep , I come here to listen to the water and the secrets they share~

No amount of practiced theatrics could remove the shock in Furina’s eyes. Aether could see her fists tense slowly and despite her attempts to stand tall, she looked a little less composed.

Furina:Secrets you say? What kind of secrets exactly?

Aether:..*smiles* Can’t say. If they wanted to be known, they would. It’s like you said, I have trust to build, so the secrets stay with me.

Furina:…*grins* Ha! Very well then. I suppose I can’t drag them out of you.

Aether:You sure perked up quickly. Though I guess it’s a good thing. It looks genuine.

Furina:Genuine, you say? Heh…

She approached Aether and sat down beside him, going as far as to remove her hat as she gently leaned against his arm. She didn’t care if he could see the redness under her eyes, wrinkles on her clothes, or the frizzled strands of hair that weren’t befitting of a god.

Furina:Pardon my proximity, but I’m rather tired tonight. Or…I suppose I should say I’m tired most nights.

Aether:That’s fine. I’m tired too. I thought you had some place to be, or at least that’s what it looked like?

Furina:I did, however…*closes eyes* I enjoy company; even if it’s yours.

Aether:You were so close to being sweet.

Furina:Gotta keep you on your toes. Seriously, I do enjoy this little moment. Though I hope you do understand you can’t go blabbering about this to anyone.

Aether:Heh, what’s one more secret between us?

[cloudyscreams]

aikatsu stars 2nd season rant

ok im couple of episodes in now and its a good thing im working while watching because i would rage quit otherwise

have to preface this with wow this is even gayer now with elza being so open with actions and words...

there is a fatal flaw to that though, i cant claim it 100% since im obviously not very deep in the story but she seem manipulative as fuck to me and i would take it if it wasnt so...yucky i guess

like despite me hating edgworth at first manipulation was the fun part with his character and dont even get me started on nahyuta because im playing aa6 rn, i love the guy

elza is just...weird. she is the out of touch rich kid who made fun of you in school. she is regina george of aikatsu (how fitting for her to be in a trio too lmao) ive seen a comment saying its because of her mothers approval but i feel like there were so many ways to set up and develop her character even up to this point that doesnt do....whatever this is. im not the greatest writer (barely one at all) but i personally would make these changes:

dont make hime and some other older and/or experienced characters acknowledge elza to the extent they do. with aikatsu so heavily revolving around feelings and intent i cannot fanthom how anyone would say that perfect but soulless perfomance (and focusing on perfection in the first place) is truly perfect. elza cant be the worlds "greatest idol" because she doesnt really break through, she just maintains the status quo (as a rich person i guess it is in line with her character) to perfection. her brand does look amazing and i think admitting that and her perfomance skills is good and neccesary; but i think its weird for hime to refuse her yet somehow not see that she lacks the fundamentals aikatsu likes to preach about (friends/rivals, individuality, emotions and all that which dont get me wrong i love)

following point 1, i would love to see elza perform more and actually break overtime (maybe it will happen and i will be glad if so). similar to yume's power the perfectionism WILL destroy you and eat you inside (if we are talking about some realism here but even in terms of simple childrens lesson), it would make so much sense for her to one day collapse and have to build up all the fundamentals from the ground up (which is not even that hard to do, she is obviously surrounded by people who genuinely like her and she *is* passionate, just in the wrong direction)

no way people actually like her. skills aside, she is nasty to people she perseves as worse than her...personality is a staple thing for an idol, she doesnt even hide being a mean girl??? if even two cases of her being rude got known i feel like she would lose a lot of fans (happened irl at least in k pop several times!!). maybe its too realistic of an approach for aikatsu but it would make sense for her to be two faced, at least

thew thing i hate the most about aikatsu - they dont commit to the antagonists being antagonists at all. the stakes in dreaka arc were so high (according to the show itself!! they literally set it up as a job competition situation) and then it was just a big nothing because wow dreaca idols are actually good and we all get jobs. i get that being a bigger person for mc is the route they take (and with ichigo it genuinely made sense, she is just like that with everything) but no one being even a little hesitant about their supposed rivals?? not even mentioning how mary sue most of dreaca episodes were (again, especially seira) where they got the jobs just because they were the new characters. the conflict was set up and then not developed at all!!!!! either make them so evil im allowed to hate them and not cheer for them or dont make them so mean spirited in the first place, esp now with eliza. i hate that they make it seem so serious but then you are supposed to be like wow i love these new girls. LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER

ambiguous and morally grey characters are great dont get me wrong, but what aikatsu does is just inconsistent with what they themselves set up the show to be. i loved the first season of stars because the rivalry and conflict was there with yume and laura but it wasnt showed as laura just being a rival and nothing else. even if they werent friends with yume (or more from what i see lmao) i would take it because her growth arc is amazing. there were no antagonists but the stakes were still high and it was interesting to watch. i think the most beautiful aikatsu arcs come from similar place: admiration, chasing someone out of reach, battling yourself and *friendly* rivalry. i love akari's story even though its a weaker season compared to the first one because it was mirroring ichigo's arc so much

all of that yapping basically to say that antagonists in aikatsu are always inbinsible somehow: no matter how good the mcs get, no matter how many "thinking" mistakes that were already overcome by mcs they make they never fail and it pisses me off because its just not following the universe?? world logic?? rules. i get that power of love cant make you sing better irl but fuck its such a central theme in aikatsu that i refuse to believe they suddenly decided not to apply it to elza for any reason other than "she is better because we said so"

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Heart’s Choice - Chapter 39 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Carlos Martinez

"Fuck," John exhales and his hold on me gentles.

"Are you okay?"

I give him a light squeeze and release him, pushing him away to arm's length so I can look at him.

"I am now."

"You're not hurt?"

"Nope. All healed."

I tilt my head so he can see the side of my neck.

His gaze locked on the spot, he swallows hard and a flash of red mingles with the autumnal hues of his mercurial eyes.

"John?"

Inhaling sharply, he breaks free of whatever had taken hold of him and lets go of me.

"Thank God for that," he says.

"I've been losing my mind. David wouldn't let me near you."

David, having recovered from near strangulation with surprising grace, smooths the remains of his torn and rumpled clothes into a sad semblance of his usual pristine appearance as he approaches us.

"Have you heard of the marshmallow test, John?" he asks.

John takes a deep breath and turns to face him.

"David, I am really not in the mood for one of your cryptic lessons right now."

David arches a brow at him.

"Humor me."

"Fine. No, I haven't heard of it."

Clasping his hands behind his back disarmingly, David adopts the stance of a professor lecturing a class.

"It's a famous experiment conducted at Stanford. A group of children were given a marshmallow and told that they could eat it immediately or they could wait and receive an additional reward. The children were then left alone for a period of time. When the researchers returned, the children who had not eaten the marshmallow were given an additional treat. The researchers then followed the children for forty years, tracking their progress through life. Those who were able to delay gratification were markedly more successful throughout and in all measured aspects of their lives."

"What is your point?"

David nods at me.

"Carlos is your marshmallow, John. To put it quite bluntly, you can eat him now or you can wait and eat him later, with the additional reward of not killing him in the process."

"I'm not going to eat him," John growls.

"Ever."

"Really? That is not a winning bet, I fear, no matter how you interpret it. The two of you share a blood bond. No blood will satisfy you the way Carlos' does and you will never stop craving it, until you kill him or he is fully turned, that is. In time, you will learn to temper your desires but for the first few weeks or months, it is better to be safe than to be very, very sorry."

John shakes his head.

"I'm not like you, David."

Having overcome my shock, alarm and relief, I finally speak up.

"Don't I get a say in any of this? I'm too spicy to be a marshmallow, anyway."

David smiles at me.

"Of course you get a say. The difficulty is this... I fear I will only be able to protect you for so long. Having witnessed our little display, you can see that John has already surpassed me in strength and he has not been turned a week. Soon, I will have as little chance of stopping him, should he lose control, as you would have of stopping a freight train by standing it its path. I believe it is an effect of having fed from you while you were possessed by a powerful demon but John is undoubtedly the strongest and the most unique, vampire I have ever seen. I am simply not yet certain what that means."

"It means you can trust him," I say, surprising myself with how confident I sound.

"I trust him, anyway."

David fixes me with a cold, calculated stare, making it impossible to guess his thoughts and sending a shiver up my spine.

"Prove it, then," he says.

"Just bear in mind that I may not be able to save you, should your faith prove misplaced."

I look at John but I can't quite read his expression.

I guess this will be a lover's leap, after all.

Keeping my eyes locked with John's, I nod.

"Fine. Show him."

Taking a deep breath, John closes the small distance between us so that we stand chest to chest.

Fighting the instinctual urge to retreat from him, I hold my ground as his gaze flicks to the base of my throat and his eyes gleam red.

Lifting his eyes to mine again, he pins me in place and leans in, gently brushing the hair away from my face and whispers against my ear.

"Your heart's beating like crazy. Are you afraid of me?"

"A little," I breathe.

"Good."

"I trust you, though... with my life."

"I know."

He kisses me lightly, a brush of lips and a flick of his tongue and breathes me in.

A low sound, somewhere between a growl and a purr, rumbles in his chest but he backs off.

I catch at his shirt and keep him close.

"Is that all I get?"

"Carlos..."

"Kiss me like you mean it, John."

"Fuck."

He slams me against the wall, his hand at my throat and his body pressed against mine.

With the air half knocked from my lungs, I gasp.

He covers my mouth with his own, stifling breath and sound.

His kiss is hungry, devouring, possessive, invasive, sensual and passionate.

My whole body screams 'take me now' and if he did, I wouldn't care if David watched... he might as well be an inanimate object as far as my hormones are concerned.

All too soon, John draws back, pupils wide and black and chest heaving.

Two short, sharp fangs show at the corners of his mouth and one has cut his bottom lip, leaving a smear of blood.

He licks it and moves towards me again, eyes angled at my throat.

"John..." David's tone carries a warning but John ignores him.

I shut my eyes and tip my head back and to the side.

I can't resist and part of me wants to feel the sharp sting of his bite, an unbearable blend of pain and pleasure and perfect submission.

His lips brush my skin, he kisses the side my neck and the hot lick of his tongue sends a shock through my core that draws forth a soft, embarrassing moan.

He doesn't bite.

Instead, he withdraws enough to meet my eyes, cupping the side of my face and rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip.

"Later, you''ll be all mine," he says, his rough whisper sending a shiver up my spine.

David sighs dramatically.

"Honestly, John, was all that really necessary? I hope you know you're playing with fire and this won't get easier. However, I believe you, something about you is different. I don't know if it's because of the demon or because you were infected for so long before you turned but you have an unusual level of control. Now, pull yourself together, the both of you and get your minds out of your trousers. We have guests."

********

Half an hour later and dressed in a set of stylish clothes in the latest fashion 'either David has a great eye or he took my measurements in my sleep' I follow John down an airy flight of glass stairs to the floor below.

Everything in David's multilevel apartment has a clean, ultra-modern feel, from the neutral tones to the minimalist accents.

It's not exactly cold but neither is it warm and welcoming.

What's missing, I realize, is the sense that the space is 'lived in.'

Everything looks brand new and there's not so much as a dirty dish to be found.

Near the bottom of the stairs, John stops so abruptly I nearly bump into his back.

Looking past him, I see why.

The 'guests' that await us are none other than John's ex-wife, Becky and She-wolf Freya Hunter.

"How...?"

David, who sits across from them on a cream leather sofa set, rises gracefully.

With not a blonde hair out of place, no trace of his earlier scuffle with John remains and he looks like he stepped from the pages of a men's fashion magazine.

"You have made some interesting new friends, John," David says.

"Ms. Hunter has just been telling me of her own connections. Her partner, Monsieur L'Amour and I are but distantly acquainted but he has my deepest admiration and respect. He is one of the 'old guard' as we say. As for our dear Rebecca..."

He casts Becky a reassuring smile, to which she responds with a barely suppressed shudder.

"Well, I am only surprised you kept your secret for so long. Becky would have made a fine huntress in another life. Though I suppose you might say she hunts monsters of a different sort, in her own way. Regardless, I believe we have nothing to fear for her having learned of our existence."