#so yeah the plot! the twists!! so much better than expected!! so many more than i expected!!!

[lesbianlotties]

OKAY SO DO REVENGE! THOUGHTS???

is it as good as i felt it was or was i blinded by the sight of maya hawke kissing girls???

[tobifuyu]

New hair, who dis?

Ran Haitani x f!reader

After years of friendship, Ran is growing and maturing right in front of your eyes but you cannot bring yourself to accept what change brings about.

cw: nsfw, mdni, basically porn with plot, friends to lovers, reader is oblivious, ran is a simp, rindou is so done, masturbation, mirror sex, use of sex toys, hair kink ig, lots of pet names.

wc: 9,7k

a/n: gosh this is way too long I’m so sorry I just have too many ideas and once I start writing I cannot stop myself. many more fics to come, I have a long list of fantasies to satisfy. also, we stan simp ran in this house.

One thing you were not expecting when opening the door of your apartment that evening was for Ran to walk in looking like a completely different person.

You wouldn’t even have recognized him if it weren’t for his purple eyes staring down at you with their ever-present mischievous glint.

Lately, his lanky body has been filling out the new suits he’s wearing in a delicious way, and the time he’s been putting in at the gym, even if reluctantly, is visibly paying off.

You notice he has removed the transparent plaster from the fresh tattoo on his neck, black ink a stark contrast against his pale skin.

There’s something else missing, and the sight is so unsettling that for a moment you think about closing the door on his face.

Who is this man staring back at you? If this is Ran, why are his infamous braids gone?

“Ran, what the fuck?”

“I can explain!” He puts his hands up, gesturing at you to let him come in, and you move out of his way automatically as you take him in from different angles.

The door gets closed behind your back and Ran wraps your wrist in one of his big hands to steer you to your couch in the center of the living room. You’re both silent as you sit down, your eyes fixed on the damage.

“I cut my hair.”

“I can fucking see that!” The smug grin that was stretching his pretty lips slowly fades at the agitation in your voice. The thing is that you don’t understand why you feel so distraught.

It shouldn’t matter, right? It’s not like he went and cut your own hair behind your back. Yeah, he could’ve let you know about such an important decision in his life as he does with pretty much everything else. He could’ve maybe even asked for your opinion. But he didn’t have to.

You and Ran have been friends for years, more than a decade, and you have seen him cut and style his hair multiple times in the past. Just because you are particularly infatuated with the way his two-toned braids swung around while fighting, or how he would twirl them with his baton and long fingers, and how it looked untied, forming a messily shaped halo behind his head while resting on the pillow during one of your many cuddling sessions… doesn’t mean he had to ask for your permission.

It’s not like he knows how much you love to brush his soft locks before twisting them back into the braids that come hunting you on your dream-filled nights. Because you’ve never told him. So it’s not his fault if all these things don’t matter to him.

“You don’t like ‘em?” He coughs to hide the embarrassment he feels after asking such a vulnerable question. Ran has never really cared about what other people think of him, except for maybe Rindou, sometimes. But you’re an exception.

He knows he’s far from ugly and he thought he looked real good with the new haircut. He was excited to match with his little brother once again, and he thought you would also, considering how well you reacted a couple of weeks ago when Rin showed you the light purple color he got done at the saloon.

Maybe, just maybe, you like Rin a bit better? No, he thinks, it can’t be possible. He would’ve noticed something like that.

Then why are you acting so… mad? Or is it hurt he sees painted across your pretty face?

You let out a sigh, “No, it looks good. I overreacted, I’m sorry. I just– I wasn’t expecting you to cut your hair, that’s all.”

He scoffs, as if he doesn’t believe your words, and pulls one of your hands up to his hair. He wants to convince you that not much has changed, and you’ll still get to play with it while watching movies, he thinks it’s soft enough with the treatment he has done, “See, it’s still pretty long, just pushed back. Maybe you can braid it sometimes.”

You laugh at that and Ran smiles at you. You meet his soft gaze before daring another glimpse at his new haircut. It’s styled in such a way that accentuates his sharp facial structure, jawline visible in all its glory.

“You look…” Hot. Fuck. You shake your head, trying to reign yourself in as you stroke the soft hair, “It looks good, more mature. It’s fluffier than I thought, Rannie.”

The more you look at him the more you realize that this new look of his is toying with your already decaying sanity.

Pull yourself together, for fuck’s sake.

Ran lets it go after that, props you to get settled on the couch, and removes his suit jacket before grabbing some drinks and snacks to watch a movie.

An hour in, he lays his head on your chest. It’s routine, he’s always been clingy with you, in private. And you’ve always enjoyed the closeness, no matter how confusing it might be, so you never question him.

Your hands subconsciously bury themselves between his lilac locks. You can hear him let out a deep sigh as you scratch his scalp, relaxing into your hold.

“Looks good, Ran. I like it a lot,” You whisper as if to reassure him, whilst you’re only stopping yourself from confessing that you would like him even if he were bald. Your gentle motions make him fall asleep with his lips curled in a smile.

My sleepy boy, you think.

That night you wake up in a cold sweat. The blond tresses that you constantly dream of softly stroking have been subsided by messy lilac locks. The short length is being gripped by your hands as its owner's head peaks from between your thighs. Unfortunately, it’s not very the first time you dream of Ran in such a compromising position. But the matching lavender gaze staring at you with purpose is now fresh in your memory, and makes his haircut seem even more attractive, the perfect length to shove him back against your heat.

Your cheeks redden as you try to shake the feeling away, you get rid of the covers and turn on your side ready for sleep to take over once again, but his new and improved look keeps hunting you at every toss and turn.

You reach into your bedside table for the only thing that can bring you peace of mind: your trusty vibrator. It’s a small bullet one, but it does its job just fine when you press it against your clit to release the pent-up stress of the day. You think nothing of it when the face that appears behind your closed eyelids as you come is that of your bestfriend.

The next couple of weeks, it doesn’t escape Ran the fact that you’re looking at him a little weird. At first, he thinks you might still be trying to get used to his new look. It was definitely a drastic change, and for you who have known him for such a long time, to be faced with it without him even giving you any heads up must’ve been weird. So he hopes that the gift he has planned to give you, will be enough to make it up to his bestfriend, to show how much he cares about your friendship and your opinions, even if he didn’t ask for it this time.

Then he starts panicking because you stop picking up his phone calls. You don’t make plans to hang out with him anymore, just shoot a text from time to time to let him know that you’re okay but busy. He’d like to believe you, but you’ve always made time for him before. You’re avoiding him.

He doesn’t know that you cannot bring yourself to face him anymore. You had managed to suppress the feelings you harbor for him for years, but seeing him in another light, with his childish braids replaced by a more mature and undoubtedly attractive look, has been the hardest challenge for you.

You feel ashamed by the number of times his face has been appearing in your mind at the most inconvenient times. You feel too dirty to look him in the eyes and pretend like you don’t dream of them at night.

Ran has reached a level of desperation where he has to involve his brother before he loses his cool over something that, he thinks rationally, shouldn’t even bother him that much. The two of you are just friends, you don’t owe him your time.

Luckily, you pick up Rindou’s call on his first try, you haven’t heard from him in a while, so it only makes sense that you do, might be something important. What if something has happened to Ran?

Rin doesn’t want anything to do with this mess, but he can’t bear to stress over the safety of his brother anymore as he comes to their meetings looking tired and miserable as hell. Bonten is just starting out, and they’re dealing with some heavy shit now, his brother needs to fucking focus.

So he invites you over for some drinks. Explains how it’s just a small get-together they’re throwing to celebrate a new deal, only some of the guys will attend. And when you ask about Ran, he rolls his eyes but replies that his brother is not gonna be there. Which is a lie, a big fat lie that is gonna turn into a headache for him soon enough. He knows that already.

You show up just because you’ve been holed up in your apartment for the past week. Work has been… well, work. And your friend group is pretty much the same as Ran’s, so you couldn’t risk him getting word of you being out and about after you’ve turned down all his invitations. You’re joining tonight because Ran hasn’t tried to contact you in a few days, and Rin has promised his brother is gonna be held back at work. Getting a few drinks with your old friends is the perfect way to destress.

You don’t make it that far, though, because the moment you walk in Ran is already there. Mingling about and walking like he owns the place, which he does. You turn to Rindou, who’s conveniently opened the door for you and is now planning to make a run for it, and you look at him as if you’re ready to tear his head off. He must’ve known what’s going on, there’s no other way for him to be so sneaky about this. He sends an apologetic look your way before scrambling away to Sanzu, who’s waiting for him in the dark of the corridor leading to the rooms.

Ran stutters over to you the moment his eyes lay on your fidgeting figure. He’s wearing a pair of dress pants and a shirt that look like they’ve been tailored to fit his lanky body in such a way that makes it hard for you to breathe. His short hair is parted and gelled back, a few pieces falling off the hairstyle and resting effortlessly on his forehead.

“Hey pretty, you’ve made it.”

“Looks like it,” you shrug your shoulders, looking around awkwardly as he ushers you into the middle of the living room. You should’ve known the brothers would’ve stuck together. Fuck you, Rindou.

“D’you want something to drink?” He sits beside you, and the scene reminds you so much of when he last came over to your apartment, except this time you’re surrounded by a handful of people. Gotta make sure you’re on your best behavior, so you turn down the drink.

“C’mon, work has been stealing you from me for weeks now, y’need to let go a little.” He can sense you’re tense, and maybe alcohol isn’t the best choice in this situation, but he doesn’t know how else to let you at least look at him. He feels a pang in his chest. Why won’t you even look at him?

“I’m okay, thanks.” You’re acting so cold and distant. He’s starting to wonder if all of this really has happened over him simply cutting his hair, or if there’s something deeper beneath it. Did you feel betrayed by him not telling you?

“I think I’m just gonna go home, I’m pretty beat actually,” you start to say, and Ran doesn’t want to force you, but he doesn’t want you to go either. “Please, just some more time to catch up. Rin wanted to see you as well,” as he says this he looks around the room and curses his brother for leaving with Sanzu.

Ran’s ass gets saved by Kakucho tapping on your shoulder before he wraps an arm around both of them as you turn to greet him. You’re smiling again, just how Ran likes to see you, but the pit of his stomach is burning with something akin to jealousy.

He’s relieved that Kakucho stopped you from upping and leaving, but he doesn’t like how you get up and join him at the counter to get him another round. Seems like you’re not drinking still, means you don’t plan on sticking around.

Ran is bummed out, he stops staring at you and Kakucho after some others join in on the conversation. He doesn’t want you to mingle with these people too much (most of them have something to do with Bonten, after all), but he’s the one who strategized all of this in the first place, so he lets you enjoy yourself. He’d rather stop pushing you before he makes it worse.

In the meantime, you’re watching a pouting Ran sit on the couch from the corner of your eye. Kakucho snickers as he notices, and you swat him away when he suggests you go sit back down with “your Ran”.

“He’s been a mess these past few weeks, I think he misses you. A lot,” Kakucho has never been anything but kind and truthful to you, that’s why you enjoy his presence so much. He’s a breath of fresh air around the much violence this friend group has experienced growing up. He’s one of those who has suffered the most but he always has a nice word to spare. Such a pure heart, his.

Your eyes wander back to where your heart is, but what you see makes your face turn into a grimace. A pretty girl you’ve known for a while, someone’s girlfriend you recall, has sat down in your spot and is now talking to Ran. They seem to be sharing a laugh as she reaches over to stroke Ran’s hair out of his face, before gesturing at it as if complimenting the new hairstyle.

The interaction is short-lived and friendly, you know her for being nothing but nice, but you feel like shit now.

You don’t like the feeling of jealousy, especially when it’s not even excused. You just don’t like when people touch Ran’s hair, and you do even less now that it has become such a touchy subject for you. He let her, that’s the problem.

“Yeah, I bet he missed me alright,” you mumble bitterly as you excuse yourself from Kakucho.

It doesn’t take you long to stand in front of Ran and stare down at him with cold eyes, “‘m leaving. Have a goodnight,” You direct the last bit to the girl, hoping she doesn’t think you’re remotely even mad at her. Then, you leave the apartment in such a rush that you don’t hear Ran calling for you. You feel like you’re underwater and the first real breath of air you take is back at your flat.

All you had time to do, before hearing the furious knocks banging on your door, is take off your makeup and wear your pajamas. Maybe, just maybe, if they had started shaking the wood just ten minutes later, you would’ve been sleeping already and not giving enough fucks to get up from your bed.

You open the door, no need to check from the peephole as you already know who it could be at this ludicrous hour.

“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t, I have work early in the morning,” you try arguing as you go to close the door. He blocks it with his shoe, pushing it open with his right hand as he stares at you with a look he usually reserves for Rindou when he gets pissed off about something important. It’s completely different from the one he has while fighting, he’s not being snarky or overconfident, he looks serious and undeniably mad.

“You’ve been avoiding me. For weeks. ‘Cause I cut my fucking hair.” He slams the door as he steps inside the apartment and you jump from the sudden sound, walking towards you as you slowly back away and fidget with your raised hands. You’re not scared of him, you know he’d never do anything to hurt you. You’re just scared of the confrontation that is about to go down, the fact that you’re gonna have to tell the truth, for once and for all, cause you can’t possibly hold it from him anymore. And just like that, you’re gonna lose Ran.

Ran takes in your panicked state and slows down to approach you carefully, his face softens and he clasps your hands in his bigger ones. With the grip he has on them, he drags you closer to his body. The two of you are standing in the center of the room as silence overtakes it. You can feel his stare burning your skin but you keep your own cast down.

“You know I’d never hurt you, right?” His thumbs are stroking your skin in a calming pattern, “I don’t know what I’ve done, but I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry.”

You don’t understand what he’s talking about. The one apologizing here should be you! “You did nothing wrong, Ra–“

“Please look at me,” you cast him a glance from under your lashes, but the way he’s staring back is so intimidating that you can’t help but feel your face heat up and you have to divert your eyes elsewhere, “You can’t even look at me.”

“Ran, I swear this has nothing to do with you cutting off your piss-colored hair.”

He knows you well enough not to get offended, your self-defensive mechanism has always been that of getting mean.

Two fingers find their way to your chin to grip it and raise it enough so that your eyes meet once again. You can’t escape him this time.

“Tell me how to fix it, how to fix us.”

His voice is almost a whisper, he sounds so distraught, blaming himself for your stupidity. You can’t take it anymore. You love Ran, the last thing you want is for him to be hurting.

“I’m not mad at you Ran, I’m mad at myself,” His purple eyes widen with surprise, but he remains silent as he lets you explain yourself, “This is gonna sound, real bad but… I couldn’t bring myself to face you these past few weeks. Cause I had a wet dream about you. After you cut your hair…” You’re not telling the whole truth as of yet – there have been multiple dreams – but you need to test the waters first.

“Oh,” Well fuck, you’ve said it now. “Oh, wow.” His hands drop his hold on one of yours and fall from your chin, for a moment you think he’s gonna step back and run away far from you, but then you feel his touch on your waist, moving you even closer than before.

His lips settle on your forehead, stamping a kiss on the skin while you feel his mouth vibrate against it as he shakes with laughter.

This is Ran we’re talking about, ‘course he’s not gonna run away, he’s gonna embarrass you to the ground. In a week's time, everyone in your friend group will probably know about this. Not only is your friendship officially ruined, but you’ll never get to step outside of your flat without feeling like a walking joke ever again, “Are you laughing at me?”

“You got embarrassed?” He places another smooch over the same spot, “So what if I made you wet in a dream? It was my haircut, wasn’t it?”

Ran giggles. The motherfucker thinks he’s funny.

“Is that why you reacted that way back at my place? You got mad someone else was gripping my hair?” His mocking voice makes you flush red, but you know better than to give in to his teasing.

“She barely touched you, please. Like I give a damn,” You roll your eyes, finally getting the courage to stare at his smirking face as you fall back into your comfortable routine of making fun of each other. “I can always grip it myself and show you the difference,” You bark back, watching how the side of his curved lips slightly twitches.

“Go at it, babygirl.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Gosh, you seem to be pretty mad still,” he’s pouting, and you swear you wanna bite his lips so badly right now.

Get a fucking grip, oh my goodness. You haven’t even told him the worst part yet. He doesn’t know you’ve masturbated to him. He doesn’t know you like him way more than a simple friend should.

“Should I find some way to make it up to you?” His words snap you back to reality, but he’s been observing you, lavender hues taking in your scrunched-up face as you think hard over something that is still concealed from him. He wants to kiss your cute cheeks, wants to hear you giggle. You’re his precious girl, he feels this visceral need to let you know just how much he cares.

Ran’s mouth presses against the apple of your cheeks once, twice, trice. He’s leaving kisses all over the bare skin, switching from one side to the other, kissing the top of your nose endearingly.

One of the hands he has gripping your waist slides to the center of your back, over the sleep shirt you’re wearing, trying to stop you from running away from his kiss attack – as if you would – and to keep you comfortably pressed against his embrace.

He can feel you melt against his body. Rosy lips parted to take in deep breaths. Your eyelids are now closed and he doesn’t waste time kissing over them as well. He can feel your skin heating up against his mouth, feverish-like, but he can’t stop himself from dragging his lips lower to peck at your jawline.

The kisses he’s giving you are all kinds of kisses, from short and sweet pecks to loud and cute smooches, to more sensual and wet ones, especially when he reaches the skin of your neck. At this point, you can’t help but raise your hands to his hair and grip the short length of it just like you promised to show him. He lets out what sounds like a moan in the croak of your neck, but you think you must’ve imagined it as you can’t really hear much over the sound of your beating heart, the blood furiously pumping in your ears.

You know you’re enjoying this way too much, and for a moment you start to feel dirty again. He’s showering you with love because you’re his best friend, and your head is turning something so pure into nasty thoughts.

It’s not the first time he has smothered your face in kisses, maybe not to this extent, but you guys haven’t seen each other in weeks, so it only makes sense why he’s reacting to your closeness in such a way.

That’s until he sucks on the soft spot behind your ear and takes the lobe between his teeth to pull the skin. The way his name comes out from your mouth, breathless and whiny, makes him weak in the knees.

He’s gonna turn all your wet dreams into reality. You just need to say the word and he’s gonna give you what you deserve and more.

His nose is now bumping against yours, mouth pressing between the space above your cupid’s bow, the corner of your mouth, the bottom of it. Your lips graze each other every time he moves along. At this point, he has kissed every inch of your face except for the mouth. You know that would be taking it a step too far. The already thin lines of friendship between the two of you would blur to a point of no return.

At least on your part; you know Ran doesn’t shy away from human touch as you do, so it might not carry the same weight for him, you’re nearly sure of it.

You can’t possibly know how wrong you are, because as you’re thinking that, Ran is holding himself back from closing the space between you.

He has been dying to kiss you for years, since the first time you offered to braid his hair for him.

“What did you dream of?” he whispers, gruff voice scratching a part of your brain that you didn’t think existed as his hot breath washes over you, only inches away.

“Uhm, I… I don’t really remember.”

“You’re not a good liar, princess,” his mouth moves closer to your ear, trailing on the soft skin on his way there, as one of his hands grasps the fat of your left thigh and hooks it over his hipbone. “What was I doing that made you wet? Did you touch yourself because of me? Tell me.”

You know that if you could see yourself from the outside right now you’d laugh at how red your face probably is, but there’s nothing to laugh about how firm Ran’s voice is when giving orders. It might’ve sounded like he was teasing you before, but he’s being completely serious now. And you’d never dare disobey Ran when he gets like this.

“I- You were eating me out,” you gulp, your throat lets you heave the words out with difficulty. “It was either that or… some other nights, you’d do more.”

So it’s multiple dreams, different nights. Ran’s grip on you tightens, “Did you touch yourself?” He repeats the question, eyes dark and attentive, as if he’s dying to know. As if he can’t picture it in his head without you guiding him through it. Fuck it, you think.

“I did, used my vibrator-“You can’t even finish your sentence because Ran is grasping your other leg and lifting you up in the air. You circle his neck with your arms and hold on tight in fear of him dropping you, but his strength makes it seem like he’s barely breaking a sweat.

“Fuck, can I kiss you? I’m dying to taste you.”

It takes you some time to elaborate on his desperate plea, but once you do, you consent enthusiastically, “Yeah? Yes!“

The moment your lips meet, it’s like nothing else matters in the world. Ran is kissing you, his lips are moving over yours with expertise. He starts slow and deepens it to the point you have to push him away slightly to regain your breath.

Sometime during the kisses that come after, Ran has you up against the wall. He runs the tip of his tongue over the seam of your mouth, but you don’t open it straight away to pay him back for all his usual teasing. That’s until he presses his hips against yours, and you feel his hardness rubbing on you.

“Oh my god, fuck, Ran.” He takes your surprise as an opportunity to tangle his tongue with yours. You moan in his mouth, and he groans back, parting just enough to let you know what he needs, “I want you so bad, pretty girl.”

You buck into him as if asking for more and bite his lip before letting it go, watching as it falls back into place.

Ran laughs at that, starting a trail of kisses from your puffy lips all the way to your exposed collarbones. He knows you’re not wearing a bra, you don’t sleep in them. The first thing he noticed when he stepped foot inside your apartment tonight is how your nipples were perked up against the cotton of the shirt. He also knows the only thing covering your bottom is a pair of panties. Keeping this in mind, he sends you a look while reaching for the hem of your sleep shirt, as if asking for permission.

You nod and he frees you of it, chunking it somewhere behind his frame. He’s holding you up with his hips alone, navel pressed tightly against yours. That’s so fucking hot.

His hands make a b-line to your breasts, squeezing them to get a feel, and the motion is as pleasurable to you as it is for him, making his cock jump in his pants. You can feel his length twitching and it’s driving you crazy.

“Please-“ Your voice breaks the moment Ran puts you back down, you struggle to keep yourself on your feet and watch as he bends to bite at one of your nipples.

“Oh my god, yes,” he’s twisting the other with his fingers, and regretfully leaves them behind as he moves in a downward path over your body. He’s so close to your heat that he can smell your arousal, and when he casts his eyes toward your mound, he sees the wet patch staining your panties.

“Is this because of me?” a slap on your covered cunt follows his question. He knows already, you’ve made it clear, but he wants to hear you say it.

“Yes, yeah, Ran, baby. It’s all because of you.”

He thinks you must be already pretty out of it, because you’re not usually this straightforward when it comes to sex, in front of him at least. He heard how dirty you can get when talking about it with other friends, so he’s happy he’s found the key to open you up to him, literally.

It’s after your nth confirmation that Ran decides to grasp the side of your cotton panties and slowly drag them down your quivering legs. Both of you still can’t believe this is happening. You’re about to satisfy his every craving, and he’ll make sure to do the same for you.

Ran is on his knees, staring up at your body as if it’s a piece of art that has moved something inside of him. His admiring gaze is pushing all of your shyness and insecurities to leave you. His making you feel comfortable while being so exposed and vulnerable is exactly why you fell in love with him in the first place.

The weight of a peck being stamped on the inner skin of your thigh is what you feel before your body starts being covered in kisses. He’s raising to his full height while doing so, and the last one he gives you is on your forehead, just like the first of the night.

“I need you, Ran.”

Everything is still around the two of you, in the silence of the night you can hear the deep breath he takes. You lean forward to kiss the tattoo peeking from the collar of his dress shirt.

The hanafuda is a bright reminder of the life he has selfishly involved you in, and for a second he rethinks his next move, but you quickly realize he’s getting into his head and raise on your tippy toes to kiss his pink lips.

“Take me to bed, Ran. Don’t make me beg.”

You’ve told him multiple times that you can take care of yourself, and you know that where you can’t on your own he’s gonna be there to save you. You believe him, and he has to do the same when you tell him that he’s not gonna get rid of you that easily.

“You’re gonna beg either way,” he promises with a sneaky smile as he grabs your ass in his hands, making you straddle his hips as he carries you to your bedroom.

More kisses are being shared between the two of you during the short way, and he can barely tear himself from you as he lays you on your mattress.

You think he’s reaching into your bedside table for condoms but what he finds is even better: your pink vibrator. He looks at it as if he’s discovered gold. When he orders you to take it and use it on yourself, you realize he wants to watch. He wants to recreate what you’ve so cutely told him you’ve been doing for the past few weeks while thinking about him. Ran wants to see for himself.

He stands at the foot of the bed while you tease your entrance with the bullet vibrator, collecting your wetness to make it glide more easily over your clit. You keep your legs spread to give him a show, watching as he pays you back by removing piece by piece of clothing.

His full-body tattoo reveals itself to your greedy eyes. You’ve seen it multiple times, but have never gotten to take it in all together.

You’re panting, reaching your slit with one of your fingers as your opening clenches around nothing under his lust-filled gaze. “Hold it,” his deep voice tells you, and you follow his instruction, regretfully so.

“Keep it spread fo’ me.” You spread yourself open with two fingers, bucking up to chase the sensation of your vibrator. “Fuck, such a good girl fo’ me. Doing anything I tell her.” He grasps his hardness over the cloth of the boxers, the grey fabric sticking to his skin and forming a wet patch where his precome is leaking.

He strokes himself a couple of times before removing the last piece of clothing on his body, finally letting you see the place where his tattoo connects, but most importantly his cock.

It’s so pretty, lengthy, and a girth that would scare you if it weren’t for how long you’ve been dreaming of this moment. It bobs between his legs as he crawls over the bed to you and the pink on its head is glistening, you wish you could clean it up with your tongue right now.

You think he must also have an oral fixation because the moment he reaches you and settles between your open legs he chunks the vibrator to the side of the bed to cover your wetness with his mouth.

Curious tongue running over the mess you made, the sounds he’s making giving away how much he’s enjoying getting a taste.

“Can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this. You taste like heaven, princess.” He’s raising as he mutters the words. He takes one look at your withering figure from above, before letting a glob of spit fall on your cunt.

Ran bends and goes right back in, the muscles on his shoulders moving along as his hands come up to hold your thighs open before you can crush his head, you can already feel the bruises from the tight grip forming on the skin.

It’s like the wet dreams that have been plaguing your mind ever since he cut his hair have finally turned into reality. His shorts locks are peeking from between your thighs and you’re gripping them for dear life as he feasts on you, mouth sucking around your clit and lilac eyes peeking from below your mound with a stare so intense that you can feel your legs trembling from that alone.

When his fingers join in the fun you feel yourself getting closer, he’s moving them in a come hither motion and hitting your spot just right. He’s not building up momentum or taking his time in opening you up, that’s how desperate he is. Two of them are fucking into you quickly and with precision, while his dexterous tongue flicks your bundle of nerves.

“Ran, fuck, you look so good between my legs,” You can feel him smirking against you, the boost of ego you know he needs to get him right where you want him.

“I’m gonna cum, plea– please, don’t stop.” The problem is that Ran doesn’t exactly like being told what to do, and he’s being greedy now. He has waited too long to have you, he can’t possibly wait anymore.

He stops his movements, triggering a cry on your part. You nearly kick him with one of your feet but he’s fast enough to move to the edge of the bed, sitting in front of the full-length mirror that covers your wardrobe and conveniently faces the mattress.

You stare at him, spread legs and hard length resting on his lower abdomen as he settles reclined on the palm of his hands. “Come sit on my cock.”

You’re facing his back, laying down on the bed still, and from your position you get to admire the tattoo on his back, and how his muscles flex beneath the skin every time he moves. His body is as sinful as it can be, he drips sex and makes you want to mold yourself to him and never let go. It has always scared you, this pull he has on you, but now he’s the one inviting you over. It’s not the time to shy away.

He’s watching you from the reflection in the mirror as you get up. Your naked body is to him like a tall glass of water after weeks without drinking, he feels like he would die right here, right now, if you were to walk away without letting him have a sip.

Even his wet dreams – yes, you’re not the only one fantasizing about your best friend – don’t compare to the sight of you standing in front of his spread legs looking down at him.

“Uh nah, turn around pretty,” he prompts when he sees you’re about to straddle his lap. He enjoys the sight of you doing whatever he tells you to without even having to touch your body, and he stores that information inside a little drawer in his head for later.

You finally sit down, sliding against his hot skin until you’re resting only half of your weight on his thighs. His cock is now sandwiched between your bodies, and he groans when your asscheeks rub against it while you are wiggling onto him purposely.

“I said sit on my cock, I want you on top of it.”

You’re about to fuck your best friend, it doesn’t seem real. Should the two of you even be doing this? This will change everything forever, there would be no going back from it.

You know that once he’s gonna slide inside you you won’t be able to look at any other man ever again. You barely do now, anyway.

Your right hand goes under you to grasp his length, the angle is uncomfortable but you make it work enough to give him a few pumps. His girth feels hot in your hold, and you bring it to your opening to tease yourself with his wet tip.

“Fuck baby, don’t tease me.” The reflection in the mirror shows his tensed body in all his glory, and you get a glimpse of his hands buried in the sheets, he’s gripping the fabric so tight you think blood might’ve stopped flowing.

Ran is trying not to buck up into you, he’s giving you time to adjust to his size, and you realize how needed it is when you finally lower yourself on it.

You’re watching the scene unfold in the mirror, how his cock is slowly sinking inside of you. The stretch leaves you with a burning feeling and when you nearly reach his base you realize how full you are. All your bumps and ridges are being deliciously stroked by his skin.

Your lips fall open in a pant and Ran is groaning right by your ear as he straightens his posture and bends slightly over your body. “I’ve been dreaming of this for years,” he confesses while his hands grasp the fat of your thighs, spreading you to him as he loops your legs over his, keeping them open just like that with his knees.

He can’t believe his eyes when he gets to fully glimpse how far he’s stretching your cunt with his cock. All the patience in the world wouldn’t help him hold back anymore.

He bucks up into you, having you take his cock down to the base. You let out a shriek at how big he feels inside, and after that, he starts moving. Being on top made you, at first, feel like you could be in control, but it seems like the orders he was barking at you weren’t the only thing he was planning on doing on his part.

Ran starts pounding into you from below, strong thighs helping him in bucking up. You’re being split open on his cock and he’s enjoying the show. The sound of skin slapping against skin is so sinful, but your eyes are now closed in pleasure as you’re reduced to nothing but a moaning mess. His thrusts are so powerful that it takes you very little time to lose your mind.

He’s calling for you, you can hear his deep voice and feel his hot breath on your ear after you slumped against his bigger body, resting your leaned-back head on the crook of his neck. “Mhmh, open your eyes, pretty girl,” like the good girl you are, you do as said, even if you’re struggling to keep them open when his thrusts don’t let up, but instead seem to be getting deeper every time you do something he asks of you right.

He grabs your chin with his thumb and pointer, redirecting your line of sight towards the mirror, where you can see his heavy balls slap over your glistening skin from below. “Look at how much you’re dripping, that’s how I slid in so quickly.” You whimper at that, Ran always had a way with words that could get to you even when nothing of sorts was being said, always the teasing one, but now that he’s running his mouth with all these dirty thoughts you can’t help but be even more affected than usual.

“You take my cock like a pro, mh. You like it, don’t you, my pretty little slut? Oh, I just know you’re loving this. Bet your little vibrator couldn’t make you feel this good.”

He’s pressing down on your belly, making the pressure on your navel feel ten times more intense, and all you can focus on is how he’s spreading you open. “It’s so big Ran- Ah,” he thinks your words are gonna get to his head. He has to keep a solid grip on you not to melt at your praise, “Fuck Ran, please, please baby.”

“What is it that you want, use your words.”

“I wanna come, pleasee, I need it so bad,” He loves how polite you are, asking for it with a please. He’d give it to you no matter what, but he appreciates how much you’re trying for him. He knows you can get a little hot-headed, or maybe he just found that one field where you finally succumb and let others take care of you.

Ran reaches over to the forgotten toy and switches it back on before placing it over your neglected and pulsating clit. He never had anything against sex toys, he doesn’t see the harm in using them to bring more pleasure to his partners. He knows you could come from his cock alone, but he needs to feel you gushing around him right about now, before he loses it. He wants to see you dripping to the ground before he fills you up to the brim.

You grasp a handful of his hair and pull it without shame as he fucks you with abandon while rubbing your clit with the vibrating toy. He has to hold your thigh open with one of his big hands because you keep clenching your muscles, and he needs to watch as you come undone.

“Fuuck,” you’re cursing loudly, without a care for your poor neighbors who must be going crazy with the loud noises at such a late hour.

Ran is hitting all the right places, he’s prodding and searching all over your body like he needs to study it, to learn it, and knowing him and how attentive he is, you’re sure that the next time it will take him half of the time to get you there. Or maybe he’ll use his knowledge to drag it out like the teasing little shit he is.

But who said anything about a next time? You’re not even sure as to why the two of you have fallen into bed together, but what you know with certainty is that you’re perception of Ran has shifted the moment he cut his hair.

It might be crazy, ruining a years-long friendship over something so trivial, but it’s like your best friend Ran was the one with the braids, and the one you’re sitting on top of, who’s kissing your neck and whispering sweet praises in your ear, who’s bulkier and more charming and wears purple striped suits, is someone else entirely, but someone that you love all the same.

You’ll always cherish your braided Ran as your friend, but this older version of him will not be able to live inside your mind while battling your feelings as you’ve always done.

The man in the mirror looks at you with lust, but under all of that is the shade of his unchanging lavender hues, the ones who have been staring at you with unnamed affection for years. Maybe it’s time to let go of that uncertainty and fall into him once and for all.

“Ran, I’m gonna come.” He’s so good at reading your body already that he doesn’t stop, he just forgoes the vibrator opting to massage your clit with his thumb, spreading you open with two fingers, while his other hand reaches your boobs. He knows how sensitive they are, he remembers you telling him once, and that’s why he has avoided touching them until now.

His fingers alternate pinching and pulling at the erected nipples, and his hand grasps the entirety of your left beast to pull you down as you try to fight his thrusting and press you onto him.

He noses at your cheek, inviting you to meet him for a kiss. It’s a deep one, with tongues entangling and teeth bumping against each other, he has to rein you in as you’re panting and mumbling.

You don’t have the strength to speak anymore, but Ran knows the exact moment you dangle and trip over the edge because you squeeze him so tight he lets out a string of curses.

He feels you gushing around him, the squelch of wetness becoming even more loud making his cheeks tint red. He’s never been shy when it comes to sex, but the way he’s fucking you now it’s so nasty that he can’t believe how you’re letting him. His sweet girl.

Now that you’ve come on his cock, he slows down his hips to avoid overstimulating you, and he helps you regain your breathing as he kisses your cheek, “You’re doing so good, sweetheart. Mh- Fuck,” Your cunt is squeezing him so hard, coherent thoughts are slowly leaving his mind in favor of you. Nothing else matters now but you.

Ran has to gather all of his remaining strength to slip from you and lay you down on your white sheets. Big eyes are looking up at him as he just hung the moon and the stars, and from his position, he gets to watch your face contort in pleasure as he slides right back inside your wet heat.

“Ran-“ “I know, baby.” Your nails are raking down his chest, red marks showing up on the untattooed side of his body. Your neck is straining as you press the back of your head into the pillow, and he eyes the still unblemished skin before placing his lips on your pulse point, sucking and biting as he goes.

His thrusts are slow but deep, you can feel the heat building up in the pit of your belly all over again. You buck up against him, watching as he lets out moan after moan, getting closer to his end. He sounds so fucking good.

He wants to drag this out, scared of what might come after the both of you come down from your highs, so he pins down the side of your hips with one hand, resting on his hunches as he grasps both of your wrists in the other and raises them over your head.

He’s circling his hips now, rubbing his navel against your clit and relishing in all the pretty noises you’re letting out.

“Pretty girl- can you come fo’ me one more time? You’ve been s’good to me, gimme another. Just one- one more,” Ran’s voice is strangled, he’s trying to hide how much the pulsing of your cunt is affecting him, with very little success. His balls are strained and heavy with cum, he wants you to come around him as paints your walls in white.

You’re moving to break free from his grip but his strength doesn’t let you, so you try begging for him, “Rannn, more! Please, need more, I’m so close- Wanna cum.” You’re whining, sweat running down your body, he looks at how your skin is glistening and wants to lick you up.

Ran has never been able to tell you no, so he moves the hand that was holding you down to your neck, thumb resting over your pulse as he squeezes enough to make you feel it. His hips resume his thrusting with a purpose.

“Cream on my cock, ‘m gonna fill you up, angel,” and you do just that, on command. Ran thinks you ruined every other woman for him, right there and there. It’s like you were fucking made for him. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, babygirl.”

He’s right behind you, mouth parting as he groans and repeats your name like a fucking prayer. You’re arching your back, your chests are pressed together and Ran swears he can hear the sound of your heartbeat as he fills you up with cum.

With scrunched-up eyebrows and eyelids fighting to stay open, his purple eyes are taking you in. Your legs are locked behind his back and his hips keep pressing against yours as he slowly drags out your highs, cum dripping down his thighs as he tries to fuck it back into you.

“Fuck, I feel so full,” you manage to let out in surprise after regaining your breath. Ran lets go of you the moment his mind is clearer, and when you feel him slip out from within you, for a moment you’re scared he’s gonna get dressed and leave you laying there.

But Ran just parts your legs before you can close them in shyness, and takes one good look at the mess you’ve both made before diving in. He’s happy he’s gotten to fuck you raw, so now he gets to taste how good you are together.

You’re still so sensitive that when his tongue makes contact with your folds, you tremble. He takes his time in eating it out of you, loud smacks and wet noises can be heard as he does, along with his hums of approval, “Mhh, taste so fucking good, baby. Wanna try?”

You furiously nod at that, dragging him away from your heat before he gets in his head that he needs to make you come again; you don’t think you’d be able to do that now, the overstimulation from those simple touches already taking you to the verge of crying for him.

Ran finally kisses you again, tongue slipping past your lips to make do with his promise, and you moan in appreciation at the taste of you combined. Everything he does is just so fucking hot.

He doesn’t stop once you do, and risks stripping you of your breath completely, but you’re not any better. The last thing you want now is for him to not kiss you anymore, so you grip his infamous hair once again, scratching his scalp with your nails as you’ve always liked doing to get a reaction out of him.

Ran shakes in your hold, he has to pull away or he’s gonna fuck you all over. He can feel himself getting hard against your thigh, so he decides to leave your embrace. He’s aware of the elephant in the room, and his maturity is screaming at him to talk things out before he can fall right back into it.

“Ran… please, don’t leave,” he glances back at you because of the way your voice breaks while muttering that sentence. His heart clenches when he sees your lash line glisten with unshed tears, so his hands find their way to your pretty face to hold it as he stands close to the edge of the bed, bending over you. He kisses the tip of your nose, then takes your mouth in a chaste kiss.

“‘M not going anywhere, my love. Just need to take care of my pretty girl. Give me one minute and I’ll be right back, okay?”

A simple “‘mkay,” leaves your lips in a mumble, and Ran helps remove the sheet from under your spent body to cover you with it before leaving the room.

It takes you a few seconds to elaborate on everything. Aside from what happened in the past hour, you’re now fixating on the names he just called you. My love. My pretty girl.

His? You definitely are, you just didn’t think he knew.

Once he steps back in the room, you notice he’s cleaned himself up and wore his discarded boxers. You take him in while he walks closer, silently appreciating his physique as you’re used to doing. But this time you get to recognize the bruises and red marks littering his body as something you’ve done yourself.

As promised, he’s carrying a wet towel and a bottle of water, and he carefully cleans you up with the former.

After making sure you’re hydrated, he settles by your side under the sheets and drapes his arms around your waist as both of you lay on your respective sides, facing one another.

“I was planning on giving you a gift, after the party was over, y’know? But you just had to run away,” he lets out a big sigh, as if thinking back to your fight makes him drained all over again.

“What is it?” You ask, as curious as always. He loves this side of you. He loves you, actually.

“I gave Rin one of my braids after I cut them off. I was thinking about giving you the other one,” your eyes widen, and the movement of your fingers running over his collarbone stops as you ponder over his words. “I know how much you like them, so did I. Want my two favorite people to keep them safe for me.”

Your heart has never beaten this fast, you think it might start overheating and set your whole body on fire. You bat your eyelashes, willing the tears away as you hook your hands under his face, gently stroking his jaw.

“Thank you,” is the last thing you whisper before closing the distance, repaying him with another short but sweet kiss.

When you separate, you lean your forehead against his and he softly calls your name. In the closeness of your embrace, you meet his lavender haze, “I love you.”

The only thing that follows his sentence is silence. You think you must’ve fallen asleep, this has to be another one of your dreams, one of those sweet ones you used to have when Ran still had his braids and the two of you were younger.

Ran could easily take your stillness as an answer. He could fall victim to his hidden insecurities and make you think he meant it in a platonic way to somewhat try and save what remains of your friendship. But he knows that no matter what your response to his confession might be, he wouldn’t take it back for the world. There’s simply no getting over you.

“Don’t misunderstand,” He knows how much you overthink, that’s why he should’ve said this before. “I’m in love with you, always have been.”

You think your heart must’ve stopped completely now.

“Ran…” “Sh, I know, it’s okay.” He feels the need to comfort you straight away, to let you know that not sharing his feelings is okay. He’s always gonna be there for you, no matter what. “God, Ran, I love you so much.”

The lips that suddenly find his, again and again, are not the only thing taking his breath away. Both of you cannot believe how stupid you are, how you’ve been in love this whole time while thinking the other could never see you that way. His hands are all over your heated skin, caressing down your back as you hold him closer.

“Want you to be mine, baby.”

“‘m yours Ran,” his kisses are spreading everywhere he can reach, he’s getting drunk on you once again. Bitten lips part to let out panting breaths, and you notice soon enough how the newfound confessions are affecting not only yours truly.

Heady eyes and tinted cheeks present themselves to you. You think the marron of his natural blush and the shade of purple staining his pale skin look a lot like the color of the hair that started this all. You love it already, just like you love him.

And Ran lets you happily grip onto it as he takes you again and again, that night. No more wet dreams that leave you running away from him, he’s gonna make sure to fill your nights with something that’ll make you want him even closer, every day, from now on.

Right before falling asleep, as dawn leaves space for daylight behind your closed curtains, you take one last look at your sleepy Ran.

You comb back his messy hair to uncover his pretty face, softly kissing his forehead before falling into a dreamless sleep. There’s no need for dreaming anymore, you have everything you want and need right here in your arms.

Might have to send his hairstylist a bottle of wine as thanks, though.

[d-targaryenshoe]

Carpets and Gala's - Luke Thompson

Word Count: 907

Summary: Who said Met Gala's weren't special when you had the most special person by your side, right?

The bustling streets of New York City were filled with excitement and anticipation as the stars gathered for the highly anticipated 2024 Met Gala.

Cameras flashed and crowds of fans screamed as celebrities walked the red carpet, dressed in their finest designer gowns and suits.

Among the many A-listers making their grand entrance, there was you, known for your breakout role in the hit show Bridgerton, and your boyfriend, Luke Thompson.

As you made your way towards the entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, all eyes were on the both of you, causing a frenzy among the fans in the street when Luke held up the train of your dress.

"I can't believe they're here!" exclaimed one fan, snapping a photo of the couple with her phone, as you waved towards her and made them scream harder.

"I had no idea they were dating, they look so perfect together!" gushed another fan, trying to get a better view of you.

You and Luke smiled and waved at the fans before making your way up the grand staircase and onto the red carpet, where you were immediately surrounded by reporters and interviewers.

"Y/n! Luke! Over here!' shouted the reporters, vying for your attention.

You were dressed in a stunning silver gown, and Luke, looking dapper in a grey tuxedo, happily obliged as you made your way through the crowd.

"Congratulations on your debut appearance as a couple, you two look stunning tonight!" one reporter exclaimed, holding out her microphone for you to speak.

"Thank you so much, it's an honor to be here at the Met Gala with Luke by my side," You beamed, looking at your boyfriend with a loving smile.

"It's a night to remember," Luke added, wrapping his arm around your waist.

As you both continued to make your way down the red carpet, you stopped to talk to more reporters and take photos with fans.

It was a dream come true for you since you had always wanted to attend the Met Gala and you were grateful to have Luke with you on this special night.

"Can you give us a sneak peek into what fans can expect from Bridgerton season 3?" one interviewer asked, causing your eyes to light up.

"I can't reveal too much, but let's just say there will be lots more of romance and a special carriage ride." You teased, much to the delight of the fans.

As you both finally reached the end of the red carpet, you and Luke were met by the host of the evening, the talented and hilarious Liza Koshy.

"Y/n! Luke! Welcome to the Met Gala!" Liza exclaimed, giving you both a warm hug.

"Thank you, Liza. We're thrilled to be here," You replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"So, this is your first Met Gala together as a couple. How does it feel?" Liza asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It feels amazing. It's such an honor to be here, and to be able to share this moment with Luke just makes it even more special," You replied, smiling at him.

"Liza, can I just say that y/n looks enchanting tonight," Luke cut in, causing you to blush.

"You're not looking too bad yourself, Luke," Liza said with a wink, causing you all to laugh.

"Yeah, well, I had an amazing stylist," Luke replied, grinning at you.

"Okay, now, spill the tea. Is there anything you can tell us about Bridgerton season 3? Any new characters or plot twists?" Liza asked, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously.

"Well, let's just say fans won't be disappointed by their expectations," You replied slyly.

"Okay guys, I need to know. How was your first meeting?' she asked her usual bubbly self.

"It was better than anything I'd expect on meeting a co-star for the first time, better than I'd have imagined and more. And I have to say, the connection we had besides the chemistry made it more special," Luke replied, looking at you with adoration.

"I couldn't agree more. these last years of Bridgerton were mindblowing, and I'm so grateful to be able to share it with this man," You said, wrapping your arms around his waist as he pulled you closer.

Liza couldn't help but let out a squeal again, and we all laughed as she faked taking a picture to capture the moment.

"And on that note, I'm going to let you guys go. I can clearly see that you just want to be alone right now," Liza said with a wink, before giving you both a hug.

"Thank you for everything tonight, Liza. Seriously, we couldn't have asked for a better interview. Or interviewer," You said, hugging her back.

"Oh please, it was my pleasure. And who knows, maybe we'll see more of you two on the red carpet in the future," Liza said with a playful wink, before heading off to interview other guests.

As you both made your way inside, you couldn't stop talking about how amazing the night was going to be. You were both excited, but you knew that you would cherish this memory forever.

You knew that life was only going to get crazier from here on out with your growing fame, but you were also confident that as long as you had each other, you could handle anything.

And as you walked hand in hand towards your future, you couldn't wait to see what the Met Gala would bring.

[whumpbby]

I really like the idea of JC with NMJ during the Sun shot campaign, the big belly is really doing it for me. But also, it's during (or soon after) Sunshot, so both WWX and JYL would be alive to see it, later on JL would have siblings and NHS would be an uncle. I wonder how it would change the plot, would anyone survive thanks to baby fever or would it somehow cause more deaths. Would NHS involve JC in his plotting now that he's family or can having family distract him from his grief enough to not plot. What if NMJ didn't die (unlikely but still). Also I can't use question marks for some reason.

Anyway back to the actual babies, of course they're big. Biggest babies you'll ever see with lungs that can scream your ears off. They will be given the most appropriate and lovely names possible of course. JYL will get to pick one.

I have so many ideas now about thisTT more or less sad/happy

How about just after Sunshot, when WWX is being dumb and staying with the Wens and JC is desperate to save him. Desperate enough to go to the one man that stood in his way - and the one that he had a chance of convincing, the one he had something to offer to...

He goes to NMJ and offers him an heir.

There's not a lot of gentry omegas left after the war. There was never many of them, but the Wen liked to target them to demoralise their families and so there's just a few left and they're all staunchly protected by their packs.

Jiang Cheng knows that the Nie are traditionalists, that their heirs are meant to be born from an alpha and an omega. He knows that the Nie don't have any omegas of an age and position appropriate for Nie Mingjue. He knows that for all his sect being a shadow of what it was, he's a perfect option for the alpha - he's an omega from a good bloodline, he has proven himself in the war, he's young and has a chance of carrying well, their characters are compatible. His pack is small, but dedicated to him and through his sister he has ties to the Jin sect.

Nie Mingjue will have problems finding a better carrier for his heir.

"Most importantly, do you even have the time to wait for another match, Nie-zonghzu?"

Nie Mingjue scoffs and wants to call Jiang Wanyin shameless, but the truth is... no, he doesn't. He knows he doesn't have as much time as he'd like to have - not only to sire a child, but to raise it, to see it grow, to prepare it for the role it will take in the future. He didn't think about it during his youth, because he was focused on raising Huaisang, and during the war there was simply no time.... but now, when they're all focused on rebuilding and repopulating their ranks, the idea of a child came back. His advisors mentioned a heir a time or two already and Nie Mingjue knows it will keep happening more and more as times goes by. He is expected to sire a child, and soon.

And yeah, maybe Jiang Wanyin is desperate enough to shamelessly sell his body for a group of Wen dogs and the shixiong that abandoned him, but Nie Mingjue is just as desperate to not leave his brother in the position he never wanted to be.

Can he weight his hatered for the Wen against his responsibility to his pack?

"I can't advise you on that, da-ge." Huisang's face didn't show a sign of sour, but his fingers were tellingly twisting the tassel of his fan. "Jiang Cheng is a good man, he sticks to his word. If you think he will be a good option, I will have nothing against it."

"It's shameless," Nie Mingjue said sourly. "For an omega to use their body in a trade."

"Certainly. A pitiful thing, to resort to such means," Huaisang looked at the wall as he spoke. "Alphas certainly don't need to lower themselves in such ways."

His little brother, so scathing in being of offhand.

"I'm certain your sworn brothers will have more insights into the situation than me, da-ge. I don't really know about politics," Huaisang noted with a sweet smile "You're lucky indeed to have their support."

Ah yes, quite cutting, his didi.

They didn't exclude Jiang Wanyin from their brotherjood on purpose - they just... didn't think of him at the time. The Jiang sect was non-existent and Jiang Wanyin was chasing shadows on the battlefield, searching for his shixiong, staying on the outside, tending to his hatchlig sect and costing up to Jin Guangshan...

"After all, I'm an omega myself, brother, I cannot be expected to keep up with all that, right?"

Not like Jiang Wanyin, who was raising his sect from the ground on his own shoulders, with little help from anyone. Was it a wonder he wanted his shixiong back, then? Even at the cost of his own body, was it a wonder he was desperate for the support from the last of his family left?

Mingjue burned to consult with Lan Xichen, who was always so balanced and objective when it came to inter-personal politics. But he didn't. Lan Xichen, raised in righteous and prohibitive sect, wouldn't understand. Romantic as he was, Zewu-jun wouldn't approve of the idea - whereas the Nie sect was fine with having their pups born out of wedlock, the Lan were conservative enough to demand marriage and mating before the offspring could even be discussed.

They could not marry, they could not mate - not two sect leaders. What Jiang Wanyin was offering him was a business transaction, borrowing his body for nine months in exchange for shutting up about a handful of Wen dregs.

He could carry on his vendetta against remnants and follow Jin Guangshan's lead, a case he had nothing to win in. Or he could have a strong heir born out of a strong omega of good blood. Jin Guangyao was his sworn brother, but Jin Guangshan was nothing more than a slimy, greedy, distasteful little man that needed someone to cut him at the knees from time to time. Jiang Wanyin was young and inexperienced, but Yunmeng had a strong trading history, with all the rivers going through it, and getting his hands into it ahead of time was just good politics. Once the Jiang sect recovered, good trade deals would put the Nie ahead of others in terms of recovery from the war.

Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao were his sworn brothers, but his father taught him to never put all his eggs into one basket.

And Jiang Wanyin was in no way hard on the eyes either.

(Mingjue could only imagine the spark in his father's eyes as he smacked his shoulder in glee and approval. The same spark he saw the few times when his father looked at Jiang Furen during sect conferences she deemed to be present at, to argue for her sect when Jiang Fengmian was happy to settle for less.)

("A good omega." Mingjue remembers his father saying. And somehow it didn't sound the way everyone else used these words to diminish the gender, didn't sound pitying or off-hand. These were words of admiration, a rare thing from his father.)

In the end, he'd be a fool to decline the offer.

-------

It can go two ways ;) Either the happy ending when the pregnancy changes things: WWX sees how much JC is willing to sacrifice to help his case and comes to reason, NMJ gets himself roped into saving the Wen and that leads to Wen Qing helping with his health, so he doesn't die and so he can raise his child and slowly fall for the omega that birthed it.

Or it can go as canon goes: the seed takes, but WWX still looses his mind and kills JZX, and the siege happens, with a pregnant JC leading the charge and then birthing the pup in bitter resentment of its life making no difference... all he had sacrificed, and it still wasn't enough. The Nie get the pup, but NMJ still gets murked, and Huaisang makes a production out of not knowing how to take care for a pup, so he hands them over to JC to raise and so JC is a lonely omega of Lotus Pier, raising two heirs of sects that won't be his...

[atlailx]

HUGE BANG BRAVE BANG BRAVERN SPOILERS (Hopefully I put the read more thing on right, i still don't 100% know how to use tumblr)

So I just sat and binged watched this entire show, I have NEED to just talk about it because it's just so good.

Ok i went into this calling it the gay robot show bc i had seen so many people talk about it like that (they’re not wrong) but it was so much more than just a silly little mecha show. I totally called the save in ep1 where braven appeared. Like once the huge attack started i said “oh the main character is gonna get hurt and about to be killed and the giant robot is gonna appear and save him” and i was totally right. Then in ep2 (i think) when superbia showed up, i really just thought “oh cool this guy looks sick, sucks that he's gonna die and never appear again” BUT I WAS THANKFULLY WRONG. Up until smith's death, i was totally under the impression that smith would be the one to bond with superbia, like i was thinking “oh this deathdrive is gonna attack smith and almost kill him then superbia is gonna show up and save him parallel to braven and isami” but i was caught SO off guard by the plot twist. I was analyzing the break animation and thought “oh both smith and isami are (nakey) that means smith is gonna pilot a bot,” but NO, i'm so glad it ended up being that braven is future smith. Which huge credit to the writers for putting foreshadowing FROM THE BEGINNING. Like they pulled it off so well. A proper reveal HAS to be foreshadowed, and having bravens FIRST convo with isami mention how he already knows isami’s name is perfect. AND how when braven encountered superbia, HE KNEW HIS NAME. BECAUSE HE'S SMITH. AND BEFORE FUTURE SMITH DIED HE KNEW SUPERBIA. It genuinely surprised me. And even once it was revealed that smith WAS braven i literally lost my mind. I did not expect it, but it makes so much sense. Then once it was revealed that lulu was from the future, i actually started to care about her character. Before that reveal i really hated her, like she was just straight up annoying, but after future lulu arrived she became a WAY better character. Especially with the “flashbacks” (if you can really call them that since they’re a future from an alternate universe) of lulu and superbia having an adorable familial relationship.

AND this was foreshadowed too. THE STUPID LITTLE GAGAPI THING LULU SAYS? THAT'S THE DEATH DRIVE LANGUAGE. LULU IMMEDIATELY LIKING SMITH? BECAUSE SHE KNEW IT WAS BRAVEN. While I do love braven and isami, something about superbia just scratches my brain. I kinda just saw him and decided “yeah this dude's my favorite.” I doubt the show will have a s2 because of the ending, but I'd love a short series about the future lulu came from and how things went down there. I want to know more about a future where superbia became the remaining hero, and I NEED to just see how it would play out. I love the parallels between superbia and braven too, like visually, where superbia does the same pose as braven after he destroys the tower.

Even though the episodes were only about 25 minutes long in length, the show felt long, and the episodes didn’t feel disconnected from each other. I never felt like the transition from episode to episode was unnatural, and the pacing was mostly good. I understand that as the show went on and braven/isami became stronger, it was easier and easier to defeat the death drives, but there was some disconnect from how long the Pessimism/whatever the other guy's name was fight versus how long the Ira fight was. And yes, it did feel longer because it kept cutting to smith, but the double death drive fight felt so easy? Like they did not seem to pose as much of a problem as superbia but the fight took forever. The ending did feel a little rushed, and would have benefitted from a longer season or runtime, but what we got was good. Before this, i've never really seen a show of this type (a gundam/mech pilot show) i really only watched it because the TF accounts I follow were talking about it, so maybe it's a common thing in these type of shows for the characters to basically go super saiyan, but it felt weird. WHY DID THEY BECOME GOLD??? They could’ve just gotten brighter colors. Speaking of the ending, I love that lulu had no idea about vita purely because in her future, superbia never died, which yes i know that was intentional, but its just cool to me. This show makes me want to watch more of this genre, even though the rep might not be present in a lot of the older shows.

[shima-draws]

Saw your tags and omg HARD AGREE. Dragon Cry is SO bad nfkanmdsa

ME AND YOU SHAKING HANDS

Actually yes thanks for giving me the excuse to rant. Hold on. I'm typing furiously rn.

-Okay first of all they gave us the most ridiculously confusing plot I've ever seen. The twist with Sonya being Animus was kinda cool but they never really. Explained why she had a bond with him? She mentioned he used to be kindhearted at some point but we never see that literally ever at any point in the movie?

-The storyline is so all over the place it's a HOT mess. Especially the scene right after Natsu escapes the weird bird cage thing he runs off to find the others and suddenly they're all there? For some reason? Where did they come from. Why didn't they have a little reuniting scene. I literally rewound the movie to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a scene but nope they just made the most awkward cut/story progression in history I guess!!!

-The fanservice was so. SO bad. Like yeah the majority of the time I can at least tolerate it but this time it just made me extremely uncomfortable. Why are Erza and Lucy's boobs SO fucking large. Why did they have to make Lucy dance in like two strips of cloth. I thought I woke up in an alternate universe where Fairy Tail was a hentai. I genuinely wanted to vomit lmao

-The animation style really threw me off like I can tell it was either animated by a different studio or they wanted to try a different art style for the movie? But it just felt wrong and the proportions and faces were weird and. Yeah idk.

-What was up with the Three Stars?? Iirc we never got to learn their names or what their motivations were they were literally just. There. And they were built up to be these super powerful wizards only to get their asses kicked by FT like two scenes later. I get that being a movie obviously the fights had to be shortened but they literally did the same thing in Phoenix Priestess but WAY better. They really were like yeah uh we need some enemies for Team Natsu to fight let's just go with these guys and not give them any personality or backstory or motivations. (Except for the doll dad he was okay I guess)

-WHY WAS LEVY THERE. LITERALLY. ACTUALLY. She literally did nothing she served NO purpose in the movie she was just there?? Did they just want to shove in as many cameos as possible??? I know generally Levy isn't much of a fighter which is fine, I was kinda expecting them to do a Gajevy scene where Gajeel rescues her from some soldiers or smth which would have been fine but they didn't even do that. She literally just stood there and had like 2 voice lines. GO GIRL GIVE US NOTHING

-SPEAKING OF CAMEOS this is more personal beef than anything but man WHYYY wasn't Loke in the movie,, my boy my beloved my stupid idiot lion I'm so mad he wasn't even onscreen for like, 5 seconds

-I'm sorry but Juvia was so unhinged this movie her possessive/stalker behavior over Gray was actually super fucking creepy lmao

-What did they do to Happy. What the FUCK did they do to Happy

THEY MASSACRED MY BOY. LOOK AT HIM. HE'S GOT ANXIETY

-ALSO the scene where Happy and Lucy were crying over Natsu and we got tons of flashbacks from his POV of people who are important to him? WHY THE FUCK WASN'T HAPPY THERE?? They literally showed everyone from Fairy Tail precious to Natsu except Happy and I'm just sitting here like. HELLO?? You are SO wrong for that

-I will say I DID enjoy the little Nalu teasers we got especially the scene where Natsu showed Lucy the stars 🤧

But yeah I was here for this and this only:

The Nalu + Happy family bonding moments made it OKAY

Anyway sorry rant over. Dragon Cry bad. Natsu's brief moment of looking half dragon was a super sexy character design choice but the buildup is not worth it imo

[cina-full-moon-xanadium]

When it hits, it hits, you know?

I won't act like this was perfect all the way through, or that there's changes I wouldn't have made; and certainly I'm nowhere near as big a fan of this show as others. But at the end of the day, did I enjoy this? Was I invested in the characters and having a good time and did it get an emotional hit out of me every now and then? Am I a fan of Avataro Sentai Donbrothers? Yeah. Yeah I absolutely would say that.

It's definitely pretty disjointed in places; this is no 555. There's many points I wish the story would keep focus on some new element or that things came together better; or in fact that this series leaned MORE into Inoueisms than it did -- I was fully expecting to be super into Momoi and Sonoi than I was, for instance; and I think much of what I like in an Inoue plot just wasn't there, or at least not hard enough. Admittedly maybe it's also because I'm late to the party and this is the show EVERYONE was talking about last year and which you couldn't wade through a Toku fanbase for long before being hit by a million screenshots of the latest episode. I knew just about everything going in from major plot twists and character trajectories to every little joke and bizarre scene. So maybe, MAYBE I could have done with being a little more spoiler-free to enjoy the show; and I would have liked it a lot more were I following along at the time. I feel pretty sure of that now.

But... fuck, even with that; when it wants you to feel an emotion it is REALLY good at making you feel that emotion. Everything going on with the absolutely insane Kijino/Miho/Natsumi/Inuzuka/Sononi drama kept me hooked and had me going crazy at every choice each character made in that whole mess; Haruka was her delight and her eventual bond with Sonoza was just delightful; the whole cast and their rapidfire shenanigans was super fun to tune into each episode, Don Kaito is the funniest bit of all time, Jirou was there as well, and Momoi losing his memories of everyone at the end... THAT was a plot that drove me crazy.

This is really disjointed as a whole and it sounds like I've got a lot more negative to say than positive, but trust me when I say everything good this series does makes up for all its flaws tenfold for me. I really regret missing out on watching this show last year and I'm so glad I decided to give it a shot these past couple of months. It's certainly not for everyone, but if you're the kind of person that likes crazy... this definitely does crazy. Donbrothers is forever

[shalikneez]

fourth wing thoughts (no spoilers):

while reading:

- MIRA IS HOT she reminds me of totk zelda

- xaden scares me lowk

- why is xaden so mf big. HUH?! enormous ginamanasaurus motherfucker. in my head he’s 5 foot 10 inches and sleeper bod. next question

- i know rhiannon is sexy. need more of her!

- omg chronic illness mc YES

- violet is so cool lowk like acknowledges her weaknesses ✅ improves herself ✅ isn’t annoying ✅ isn’t a bitch unless ur a bitch to her first ✅ smart as fuck ✅

- bitchass jack barlowe reminds me of nacho cheese doritos.

- dain more like DAMN why don’t u shut the hell up 🤣

- dain is so protective savior complex core like bro has no faith in her aaaahdhdh honestly i would have snapped sooner because like why is he always talking like she’s a child and needs to be saved

- xaden on the other hand is always hyping her up. which is great but occasionally he goes over the top imo . we get it ur down bad my guy

- she’s sooooo silly calling xaden out in public all the time

- so happy dain x violet romance didn’t last. he reminds me of chaol from throne of glass

- ngl thought violet was gonna be the whiny shy useless mc but the whole book up to 60% is all about her getting stronger and cooler and hotter and she’s confident and figures her shit out without complaining

- i loooove her and her sibling’s relationship. it’s so real ngl. book of brennan is so cute. brennan and mira, and mira and violet. i love them.

- violets armor from mira is so cool ik she looks hot in it. fan art better slay

- NAOLIN MENTIONED ‼️‼️

- if she says “rippling muscle” or “he’s so beautiful” one more fucking time—expand ur vocabulary girl 😩

- dain bruh stfuuuuu bro is so annoying he probs looks like this 🤓

- so many cliches but all the cool world building and shit balances it out so well like i don’t even mind that much

- yeah she’s gonna get a special dragon obvi

- i was right 🤭

- dragon descriptions make me 😁😁😁 it’s so httyd and so much detail and care put into it i love it

- dragon world building is so 💗💗

- tairn the dragon u are so cool to me

- i want a dragon

- i miss mira

- xaden is so cool. reminds me of a wolf

- TAIRN IS SO UNSERIOUS 🤣🤣 sarcastic ass dragon

- MATES LMAOOOO so sarah j maas coded

- LIAM IS SOOOO CUTE so puppy dog :) sawyer too

- oh the telepathic connections. it’s so sjm up in here

- telepathy aspect is cool tho i like how this author writes it <3

- why r the dragons getting hot and heavy 🥵 🤨

- omg kisss!

- MIRA OMYGOD I LOVE U I MISSED U SO MUCH MY WARRIOR QUEEN

- ngl around 70% it’s not as entertaining as all the deathly challenges and trials from the beginning

- omg violets power 😮 im a slut for opposite aesthetics

- oh. not a fan of the monster dick sex. uncomfy lowk. good for them though 👍

- ok politics. i don’t care that much.

- OKAY CLICHE DIALOGUE I SEE YOU it’s so weird i’m not even that bothered by it when normally i would be

- this is becoming more romance than death-defying war college stuff :/

- lovers quarrel. lovers share trauma. then lovers make up. idgaf!

- me when the romance book is romancing 😐

- basic adult romance dialogue! welcome back. how are you today

- more monster dick sex. how lovely.

- xaden’s muscles keep rippling. bro stay still!

- man what kinda sex is rebecca yarros having 🧐👁️

- omg plot

- omg TENSION! BETRAYAL! TWISTS!

- oh the climactic end-of-book battle. ngl none of these details are processing in my head. what fight?

- i know someone had to die but why that particular person. man :(

- i’m sure this battle and strategy and action scenes are so slay. i’m dissociating tho lol

- aw xaden likes her so much. simp

- CLIFFHANGER 😮

overall: i liked the first half better than the second half. first 50% was soooo addicting. i loved the world building and dragons and war college and challenges so much but i’m just not a huge romance person. like the romantic buildup is amazing but afterwards i’m just meh. of course there was the expected tropey/ cliche/ booktok moments BUT most of it was overshadowed by how great the other aspects of the writing was. i dissociated at the end and didn’t really feel attached to violet or xaden or even the dragons (this is a me problem) but i think the ending is great set up for book 2 (will probs give it a read). like u can tell where the book is going but then the author does something unique to make it a little different than other books in this genre, so idk how many surprises book 2 will have. the fact that i read this is in less than 24 hours says a lot though. i hope mira comes back :D

[yasminewestbank]

all movie asks answers from the ask meme post bc it was fun

Your favorite movie released this year DIDNT WATCH ANY 2023 MOVIES YET.. CRIES

A movie you think is underrated - obliged to say An Elephant Sitting Still by hu bo bc i can never find it in dvd stores and i unfortunately honestly dont know if i will find a screening of it in a cinema available to me ever again but i dream of it

A movie you think is overrated - going to put two, one new and one classic. first one is parasite. im bitter abt this movie bc it was advertised like crazy and the reviews were so hyping and then i went and it was average. its not a bad movie but not only doesnt deserve the hype the hype ruined it for me bc if i went with the proper expectations i wouldnt have gotten so disappointed. a classic is alphaville of godard... obviously its a good movie and im sure it was groundbreaking at the time but by now the story doesnt feel as sophisticated bc this genre of story is at this point.. i wouldnt say overdone bc its still a great genre but its not fresh or suprising by now without making it more complex. this movie felt like a blueprint to the 1984 book soviet dystopia genre so it didnt keep up with the times. many classic movies are still exciting and fresh just like when they came out including other movies of godard but this isn't one of them. but i can also see how it was probably one of godard's top commercial movies, bc it was easier to digest and more basic than his other work

A movie you like but wouldn't recommend - stalker of tarkovsky and tarkovsky movies in general bc i think it would probs be boring to most ppl (its slow and not much plot) + tarkovsky movies r slow and the kind of movies u have to watch in the movie theater

A movie musical you like - annette of leox carax. and its not only a good movie the music is so good too

A horror movie you like - audition by takashi miike . love japanese violence

A sci-fi movie you like - high life by claire denis. AND it has robert pattinson in it!!!!!!!111 and hes amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A fantasy movie you like

A movie in your native language you like - Life According to Agfa by Assi Dayan. one of the only good israeli movies that exist bc i didnt see so far any good, worthwhile or complex israeli movie besides this one (not including documentaries).

A foreign-language movie you like - (i put a bunch already so ill do one in a language i didnt put yet) tori and lokita by the dardenne brothers. takes place in belgium in french about a young refugee woman and a refugee child from africa who pose as brother and sister. this is going to destroy you but its such a good movie i cant recommend it enough but i still cant recover

A movie you wish you could un-watch - the disney secretariat movie. it was so bad oh my god it was so fucking bad im in pain. i want disney to give me back the braincells i lost. this actor horse deserves so much better

A performance you think is underrated - Vicenç Altaió (yeah had to google this one) in story of my death by albert serra. his acting was insane. probably one of the best acting perfomances ive ever seen, specifically the toilet scene stuck with me. so it's a period movie about casanova. there a scene in the movie that all of it is just him taking a shit. and of course it sounds goofy but it was actually a really human and sensitive depiction and his acting was so natural i completely forgot i was watching a movie. he really made this scene what it is. and tbh i think even from those other photos u can see what i mean on him

A performance you think is overrated

A movie made better by the ending - only thing that comes up in my mind is barton fink of joel coen.. i can barely remember this movie bc i watched it years ago but (spoilers) i can just remember there was a twist in the middle that flipped the whole movie on its head and it was super enjoyable. besides this i cant think of anything

A movie ruined by the ending - the holy mountain of jodorowsky... at the time i watched it i was so disappointed by the ending it was so anticlimactic. i think he thought he did something but it just didnt work. (might be spoilers) same vibes when a story pulls "and then he found out it was all a dream". like.. in this case it just didnt feel fitting it was disappointing. but i watched it years ago so i wonder if i would feel the same now

A trilogy/franchise you like cant think of anything

A movie you never get tired of talking about - drive my car by ryusuke hamaguchi. its fun to talk abt this movie bc even tho there are a lot of themes and details that make it what it is, its not too complex to not be able to grasp and pinpoint them. so its complex enough to be a good movie but not too complex to not be able to talk abt it, both abt the good and bad things (bc there r also choices the director made that i dont like). and there's also so much to talk abt that stems from this movie not only in the movie itself but also what it shows abt japanese cinema, contemporary japanese cinema/this generation of japanese directors versus the previous generations. also i love this director in general i recc all his movies

A movie you never wanna hear about again - if i hear one more thing abt any marvel movie im going to kill myself

A movie you look forward to watching (could be an upcoming release or not) - aki karutismaki's fallen leaves that came out this year

A movie you think looks beautiful - red desert of antonioni. i adore the aesthetic of this movie. tbh its probably my favorite movie visuals wise. i just cant stop adding photos from google bc i love everything slkfdsflsfgds

A director you think is underrated - tbh hard to think of anyone.. i think any director i like got some kind of recognition, and if i think ok which one doesnt get mainstream recognition it would be basically most of them. so im trying to think.. who do i rlly think doesnt get recognition. maybe the crown should go to the photographer petra collins who actually directed the first season of euphoria before sam levinson kicked her out and claimed he did it and stole all her work

A director you think is overrated - HITCHCOCK!!!!!!! HES NOT THAT GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HES TRULY NOT THAT GOOD!!!!!!!!!!! I COULD PULL UP 10 DIRECTORS FROM HIS TIME AND BEFORE HIM THAT ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN HE IS THAT ARENT AS HYPED UP. godard and kurosawa made movies so much better and decades before him so the reason hes hyped cant even be that what he made was groundbreaking for the time. hitchcock is MID

An animated movie you like - the cowboy bebop movie... its so fun and satisfying to watch i watched it so many times dsfdf

A silent movie you like cant think of anything

Your favorite movie - possession by andrej zulawski. im speechless abt it. dont read a summery go into this blind. its such an insane experience (sin look my fav movie is a polish movie)

Your least favorite movie i dont rlly have one i have a whole bunch of movies i dont like but i dont have THE hated movie

[alloveydovey]

Dramas I watched this past month!

Overprotected Kahoko (jdrama) 8

I'm on a quest to find good jdramas because when they're bad, they're crazy bad, but when they're good, they become instant comfort. The vibes in this one are 100% there. Overprotected by her mother, a 22-year-old meets her complete opposite, and in the midst of falling in love, she decides she wants to become a real adult… all this around her messy (yet charming) relatives. It was a small cute, and heartwarming family drama. I don’t really have much to say other than that I love Kahoko, she’s the cutest.

Queen of the Ring (kdrama) 7?

FL puts on a ring that has the ability to make her crush see her as a beautiful girl. I watched this one because I loved Kim Seul Gi in Splash Splash Love and Ahn Hyo Seop was enough excuse to check it out. I kinda hated it but enjoyed it at the same time? It makes me mad to see how they judged everything by looks (especially both ML and FL) but let’s be honest, It was realistic. It was a bit hard to believe, though, because I didn’t think the FL was ugly at all. What didn’t convince me about this one was that most of the love story happens while she’s wearing the ring and so it kinda ruins it for me.

Jitenshaya-san no Takahashi-kun (jdrama) ?

Kinda good girl x bad boy trope? Except the bad boy isn't really a bad boy, he just looks like one.

I can’t really rate by number because it was too short and, to be honest, I got what I expected. Soft and simple. He fixes bikes and fixes her, they later begin to hang out and get closer. No serious drama, just two people starting a relationship.

Touch Your Heart (kdrama) 7.5

A rom-com drama with Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na’s amazing chemistry from Goblin sounds so good on paper. I feel like I should have watched this one right after I watched Goblin, but I never did.

Even though the chemistry between them was still there and strong, the show and both characters felt a bit stiff? They could have used them a lot better but were given a kind of meh storyline that bored me a little too much by episode 12. Still, they had their moments, and… it’s them 🥹 it’s impossible not to like (despite everything else).

D.P. Season 1 (kdrama) 10

I’ve been putting it off because, even though I knew it was going to be good, in drama world, I go to romance lol.

I 100% watched this because of Jung Hae In (and I was low-key curious about Koo Kyo Hwan after watching him in that episode of Attorney Woo.) Neither of them disappointed. In fact, they gave more than what I was expecting. Their dynamic and acting was impeccable. I really have nothing to say about this one because, yeah, it's a 10/10.

W: Two Worlds (kdrama) 8.5

Nothing beats a 2016 kdrama lol. I started obsessed with this one (even though I remember never adding it to my watchlist because I thought it wouldn't be my cup of tea, silly me). The storyline was extremely entertaining, although all in all, I'm not 100% sure it made sense.

I literally feel like I've lived so much watching it. I was on episode seven, and so many things had happened that I had no idea how they would continue it, and yet things KEPT HAPPENING, and plots kept getting twisted. Perhaps that's the reason why I binged the 12 eps of the drama, but it took me a while to finish the three last episodes. At some point, things started to lose sense, and I couldn't understand what was really going on, which resulted in me getting bored. All in all, it was a worth-it drama though. The romance was 11/10 (kept me on my knees) and the soundtrack 10/10 (old dramas have such bangers man)

Perfect Marriage Revenge (kdrama) 7.5/8

I usually don't like watching these types of drama because sinister family members who do shit just to hurt the leads make my blood boil. Like there's no way someone is THAT evil. I did enjoy this one, though. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but I really liked the love story, the ML's family, and the evil people getting what they deserve.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

[Games in 2023: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective]

I was pleasantly surprised when the Switch port of Ghost Trick was announced: under-appreciated DS games are kinda my thing, this game’s stylized look conveyed a real sense of personality, and I’ve only ever heard good things from people who have played it.  “Why have I never played this before??” I asked myself, wracking my brain for the answer.  Then I played the demo and remembered “Oh yeah, I suck at puzzle games.”  But despite that, I still really wanted to see where things went, and boy am I glad I did!

Spoiler-free tl;dr: Ghost Trick is a wonderfully engrossing story about whacky characters uncovering insane plot twists that all build towards a satisfying and heartfelt conclusion.  I would recommend going in as blind as possible, but even without shock, the game is easily clever and fun enough to be a fantastic experience.

(Also content warning for animal death; the game is all about undoing deaths so it’s not permanent, but it can still be distressing to see it happen.)

The premise of Ghost Trick is simple yet creative: you play as a newly-dead ghost who has completely lost his memory, and must use your ability to possess and manipulate objects to solve this mystery and save the lives of the many characters you meet along the way.  The full narrative is anything but simple by the end, but I felt it was a steady, easy-to-follow escalation—though I have been told I have a high tolerance for plots involving time travel, so a grain of salt might be in order.  In my opinion it’s not especially hard to keep track of the game’s time shenanigans since you only ever go back 4 minutes before a person’s death to influence the situation in a way to avert their fate…until the very end, where you do learn a lot in a short time, and I could see a player struggling with that.

The style of the game really is impeccable.  Characters have very unique designs with bright colors and expressive actions, making it hard to mix anyone up despite how many people you meet over the course of the game.  Everybody makes a strong impression, and it’s easy to care about them and want to save their lives and find out how they tie back to the overall plot.  The connections between various characters are a bit tighter than you might expect going in, and it’s so much fun to steadily piece things together, each answer leading to only more questions.  There’s a point about halfway from which plot twists start to come one after the other, but instead of piling up, they come together, all building towards the same goal in a masterful manner.  It’s a very hard game to put down.

So, those puzzles!  I have to admit I was hesitant after struggling for the better part of an hour on one in chapter 2, but in the end I was able to solve all of them without looking up any answers!  It came real close a few times, and there was definitely an occasion or two where I stumbled into the right answer without realizing it, but hey, it counts.  The hints provided do a good job of leading you to the solution without just stating it, and can easily be ignored by players who don’t want their process interfered with.  I feel like I started to do a lot better once I started expecting I wouldn’t get everything right first try—don’t be afraid to do some trial and error.  The mechanics are sound: an item will clearly tell you how you can manipulate it if you can, and what items can be possessed are all easily identifiable whenever you enter the ghost world.  The trick (heh) most often is in getting the timing right, as you have a very limited range to “jump” between objects and can miss your chance completely if you don’t act fast while objects are in motion.  You’re explicitly taught this very early on, of course—the tutorial is very nicely structured, giving you all the information you need while a puzzle is unfolding around you with all the moving parts and tension you can expect all throughout the game.  The prison escape sequence stands out as a one-off with unique mechanics; it can be frustrating, as escort missions tend to be, but if you take it one step at a time it’s not too bad.  The only major addition to the basic structure is towards the end of the game where you gain a second ghost who can reach much farther, but in lieu of manipulating objects, he instead swaps the position of objects with the same shape.  It may only affect a handful of puzzles, but I think there’s a benefit to giving the player time to fully master the core mechanics before adding this new layer to things, and the possibilities it opens are well-utilized when they do come into play.  What tripped me up most often was needing to move each ghost to different objects out of each other’s way, since they can’t inhabit the same object; a minor annoyance, and quite possibly a skill issue on my part.

That’s essentially all there is to say on a mechanical level, so let’s talk more about the narrative.  The tone is largely playful but not afraid to be serious when it needs to be—you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be aghast in horror, etc.  Again, the plot is continually escalating and building more and more tension, quickly becoming too fascinating to put down, and the fact that it manages to stick the landing is no small feat.  It seems to me the moral of the story is selflessness: every character is shown to be in the wrong when only serving their own interest, yet when they do something with others in mind, the narrative consistently rewards them.  Sissel says his only real goal is finding his own memory, but what makes him the hero of this story is his willingness to use his abilities to solve others’ problems.  Cabanela is painted in a villainous light when it seems he cares only about his career ambitions, but when we find out this was a means to the end of helping Jowd, he’s presented as unequivocally a good guy.  Jowd may say he’s so eager to take the fall for Kamila’s sake, but when Sissel calls his methods out as ultimately selfish, he changes course and takes on an active role in resolving the night’s many mysteries.  Yomiel obviously embodies the selfishness the story is speaking against, but in the end, he makes the choice to do something selfless, and the narrative rewards him with a second chance. (More than that, the game wouldn’t have happened at all had he not brought Sissel with him to the junkyard; while perhaps not entirely selfless, I think it’s important to note that Yomiel’s path to a better future began with his desire to not leave his only friend all alone.)  It’s really cool to see this theme reflected in so many different ways across the cast!  And of course, the one who embodies the virtue of selflessness above all else is the top Pomeranian himself, Missile!  The very first time we meet him, he basically ignores the fact that he’s dead and instead prioritizes saving Kamila.  After he develops his powers, he makes the decision to remain dead so that he can use those powers to help Kamila and Lynne.  And at the very end we learn that he went back in time 10 years, and while waiting faithfully that entire time, he devised a brilliant and complex strategy to ensure Sissel’s cooperation in saving his family once and for all.  “Because that’s what doggies do!”  This whole wild ride that ends up saving so many lives was all possible purely due to the awesome, selfless love of a dog.  That’s beautiful.

It’s hard to think of any major criticism.  Ghost Trick is just really, really good.  It may be a few years overdue, but I’m really glad I finally got to experience this game!

[thotja]

thoughts on Predator: Eyes of the Demon

overall not as ground breaking as I was hoping for (granted im a weird transsexual fag IRL so i guess i have a lot of expectations that are unlikely to be met by the average sci fi author), but still some decent stories! i'd say 6.5-7/10 overall. rating for each of the stories under the cut (to keep this post from being like. a mile long):

• "The Titans" by Tim Lebbon – underwhelming plot but i enjoyed their poetic rivalry. 6/10 • "The Distance in Their Eyes" by Stephen Graham Jones – good little story with a twist. Didn't think much of it at first but I keep thinking about it. 9/10 • "Aftermath" by Bryan Thomas Schmidt – ENOUGH. OF. DUTCH. let the poor guy rest! that being said, the way we get a tantalizing 3 paragraphs or so of "baby's first hunt" is SO charming. would have been more if it was focused on HIM not dutch but it was ALL about Dutch so. 3/10 • "Proving Ground" by Linda D. Addison – yautja-centric! and focusing on political maneuvering! yippee! sadly still kinda whatever. 7/10 • "Lion of the Himalayas" by Ammar Habib – human focused but a much needed change of setting and at least was unique. One of the better stories imo! 8.5/10 • "The Fix is In" by Jonathan Maberry – another capitalist-military future story (i hate this genre btw) but i'm obsessed with the single surviving yautja tricking a group of humans just to hijack their ship since his was irrevocably fucked. kudos to you, bro! 5.5/10 • "Bitter Hunt" by Kim May – this one just raised too many questions it didn't have the length to answer. why was your son going around killing women and children??? at least u killed him yourself. i would be sooooo embarrassed in her shoes. i would say if it got more space to flesh itself out, it could've been great. but this version we get is solidly a 6.5/10 • "Field Trip" by Robert Greenberger – THE INFAMOUS BIRTH AND NURSING STORY!!!!!! i think i have the most beef with the world building in this story out of all them. like. why the fuck were her novices such misogynists??? hello?????? like ZERO respect / understanding of reproduction. u were a baby once too you know?! funny setup, annoying teen boy type behavior, questionable mom choices too (if she didn't want to have da baby on earth then why sign up for this job so close to your due date?), but ultimately, the reason i chose this book in the first place. so 10/10 for getting me, keeping me, and making me mad. • "Cannon Fodder" by Gini Koch – girl power! would have been better if they were lesbians at the end. 6/10 • "Little Miss Nightmare" by Peter Briggs – I like this writer's style the most out of all the other authors featured. I thought his human characters were at least interesting. AND the yautja featured was more of an anthropologist vs being exclusively there to trophy people. so she had more curiosity. I think a lack of curiosity in people's yautja characters is the most disservice they can do to them. 9.5/10 • "The Trophy" by A.R. Redington – NOT HOW IT WOULD'VE GONE DOWN. TAKING LOTSA POINTS FOR THAT. 2/10 (objectively not a bad story. but makes me mad) • "The Monster" by Michael Kogge – hey I've been there! really funny to have bigfoot fight predator, but underwhelming-ly written. 6/10 • "Ghost Story" by Joshua Pruett – I suspect you are not a geologist. 5/10 • "Sly Dark in the Daylight" by Yvonne Navarro – really funny to have a Bad Blood be the main yautja in the story. human centric of course but at least it was a different setup than typical "yautja hunting humans" type thing. Kinda addicted to the ending but also not how it would've ended in my opinion. 6/10 • "Dead Man's Switch" by Scott Sigler – yeah yeah engineered super beast hunting facility attracts yautja. of course. 6/10

[smilingangel582]

Prince of tennis is an anime I heard from a friend. Its a pretty old one but I like the plot and characters too much.

Lol if only there were many fanfics if them

Plus, this arrogant cocky little freshman deserves some punishment! Honestly, he's a brat but a chibi one at that 😄

Warning spoilers alert... so read the manga or watch the anime

Enjoy this tk fic, dear peeps, and sorry for the late posts... I had some difficulties in writing and personal stuff... well, enjoy!

(Also... I got no title for this, sorry ~tehe)

Momoshiro eyed the twist serve that began to shoot through the wind and cut the air in half. He was dreading the final serve from Ryoma Echizen, who had the lead over their practice match.

Meanwhile, Eji Kikumaru grinned in excitement and gleefully waved at them. "One of more set Ochibi (little kid/baby boy/shorty) and Momo you gotta break his service game!"

Momo growled irritably, but then Echizen's shot suddenly sprang into action. Yet again... the game ended as soon as Momo prepared himself for the worst.

"G-Game and match! 6-4 Echizen"

Pointing his racket. Echizen's smirk lifted from his cap. "Mada mada dane (no, not yet)"

"You punk!" Momo grabbed the towel first, and then the rest of the regulars were there along with Kikumaru and Fuji, who had finished their match before.

"What a pain, you just get better, haven't you?" Momo stated with a hint of amusement as he took a sip from his water.

Next to him, Echizen finished his sip in a gulp and huffed in nonchalance. "Don't you mean you're getting worse?"

Momo frowned. "Oi, oi... be nice like a good kohai (underclassmen)" yet seeing how Echizen disregarded this Momo took the initiative to lunge at the freshman who backed away a few steps in preparation regardless of the brave face he forced. He slowly slipped from the corner and towards the other senpais; Kikumaru, Fuji, and Inui.

Echizen was cocky. "Senpai (upperclassmen)... your speed is the worst... I can beat you in anything at this rate"

"Well, you got your own downfalls too you know..." momo tried to argue his way, sheltering his own pride though Echizen mercilessly attacked.

"Like?"

Momo swallowed now, seeing how Echizen was superior in every sense. He sighed now which made the younger shake his head with a shrug "Mada mada dane senpai"

"Oh yeah...? Then our height... is that beatable?" Momo raised an eyebrow as he towered over Echizen. He stumbled back again but remained firm.

"I jump higher, so it's not a disadvantage"

"We'll see how you escape this!" Then, seeing his look of rebel, Momo grabbed Echizen by the waist to pull him over his shoulder. "Maybe in strength I can carry you around..." he added wittily."You who weigh nothing more than a tennis racket..."

Echizen gasped by the sudden lift. He was struggling over his shoulder, now kicking around. "Oi! Put me down, momo senpai!"

Seeing this, Kikumaru laughed. "Hey Momo, don't be mean to ochibi-chan, ne?"

"Not until he apologised to me and respects me," Momo laughed victoriously, this time still holding Echizen by the waist, who was slumped over his shoulder in a strong grip.

"Let me go!" Echizen twisted like a fish through the firm grip of his senpai.

"Hmm....nope -gah! Itai (ouch)! That hurts, baka (idiot)!"

"Hey, now don't fight." Kikumaru, for once being a senpai, tried to stop them. He tried to take Echizen from his shoulders, with a firm grip around his hips to get him down.

However, neither of the older boys expected the short boy to yelp in a startle gasp, his voice sinking with puzzlement, then his foot narrowly missing a kick to Kikumaru's nose.

Momo paused now, he turned to Kikumaru first "S-senpai what did you just do now?"

Kikumaru still had his hands on Echizen's hips and blinked in response (probably the lucky escape of a titan kick), but then turned back to a blushing Echizen who was vigorously struggling even more. "D-dont surprise me like that Kikumaru-senpai"

"Eh? All I did was..." To demonstrate, he squeezed his hips, and Echizen let out another cry, this time with a whine."Don't touch me!"

Inui, who was watching the scenario with Fuji, turned with interest to them. He pushed his glasses and stated in his monotonously factual tone, "I see, that strong reaction proves my data on Echizen, It was 95.46% accurate regarding the probability of Echizen being ticklish"

Fuji gave a soft chuckle. "You don't need data for that Inui... It's obvious, " Inui returned the same chuckle.

Echizen slipped away from Momo's shoulder, now backing away defensively. "I wasn't! H-he startled me... besides, the captain doesn't want to see us slacking off..."

Many were surprised by a defensive Echizen, his blush deepened when his senpais exchanged cunning glances.

"Gotcha!"

"Ah!" Kikumaru's speed became Echizen's downfall today, as he felt two hands attack his sides immediately. "Ochibi! Is that true?"

Feeling the electric touch, he yelped again but managed to escape temporarily though he was cornered by four senpais.

"M-mada mada da -ahahneeh!" His catchphrase was suddenly erupted with giggles when Momo and Fuji tackled the player to the ground with quick scribbled and pokes. He was small enough to be easily pegged down with no strength in brawls... thus, he was helplessly straddled by Kikumaru, who excitedly cracked his fingers "Aww Chibi is so cute! Being ticklish is something we never expect from you"

"K-Kikumaru senpai-!"

Inui began now as he cuts in Echizen's words. "Best way to break Echizen is to find his weak spots very slowly... It's valid even for tennis... to bruden the enemy with bith mental and physical stress"

Echizen tried to argue back, but Kikumaru's nimble fingers pinched his waist, making him struggle to conceal the giggles and jolts.

Fuji, his smile still plastered, smirked even more. "I see where you're coming from Inui"

This was too much, thought Echizen, as he kicked his feet against the ground. With his wrists pinned down, he was trapped, and he was forced to take this torment. He knew he couldn't let them embarrass him... It's bad enough that his father's a bigger humiliation to him in public.

"Oya...?" Momo also joined in and started to poke his collar bones, which made Echizen squeak in pure horror as he scrunched his neck, "Ain't that just adorable. I never thought someone so uncute could be this cute..."

He broke there and brust into proper giggles "Gahaha Momo-sehehenpaii stahahap ihihit!"

Inui grinned his glasses, reflecting sadism "Unfortunately for the cheeky rookie... we've discovered a weak point... poor Echizen's sensitive neck was in my data all along, but I should add ears too..." he was back to scribbling notes making Echizen growl irritably.

"Gehehet ohohoff! Ahahahahoooo(Aho - idiot)!"

Momo gasped, feigning shock. "How dare you be so deceitful, guess we should let him know the consequences of his rash actions, senpais" With that he used his knee to pin Echizen's forearm and then raised both his hands to attack his armpits. That was a wild reaction, making Inui scribble even more on his notes. Echizen wondered if the guy attacking or the guy making notes on his weaknesses is more dangerous...

Kikumaru, the acrobatic, was more engrossed in making Echizen burst into more giggles and reached back to squeeze his knee.

Inui smirked, jackpot Kikumaru.

Echizen shrieked loud, and soon the nearer courts had the attention of Echizen's laughter.

"Oh! Ochibi's weak in the knees!" Kikumaru grinned playfully."Tickle tickle tickle chibi-chan!"

The teasing made it worse. Echizen began to cackle like a madman, and he had never laughed like this since the last time Nanjiro, his father, tickled him to tears as a losers punishment.

"GAHAHA! EHEHENOUGH CUHUHUHUT IHIHIT OHOHOUT NOHOHOW! OIHIHIHIHI!" He was louder, and as a result, they stopped, but Fuji raised a hand thar hovered over him teasingly."I believe you need to appologise to Momo since he's your senior"

"Nehehever..." Echizen just dug his grave through his pants and heavy breathing"

Nevertheless, something cold trickled down his back when Fuji's eyes opened to reveal a severe glint of mischief. "Hmm, are you sure?"

Echizen gasped when Fuji's longer fingers snuck under his shirt and attacking his stomach. "This will be his breaking point, Inui..."

"OHOHK! PLEHEHEASE STAHAHAP! IHIHIHI AHAHAM SOHOHORRRY MOHOHOMO SEHEHENPAIIII!"

"Yush!" With that, Fuji clapped his hands with satisfaction."I think I enjoy this even more than watching people suffer from Inui's special remix drinks"

Kikumaru nodded brightly. "Right, nya? Isn't he the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"

Momo, who was satisfied with Echizen's apology, looked warily at Kikumaru. "Ah... senpai I doubt that's what Fuji implied of enjoying Echizen's laugh"

Echizen straightened up with gasps and uncurled from his balled position. "I hahate you guys"

Momo smiled as he helped a tired Echizen up from the ground. "You should laugh more. It's a nice look on you." With that, Kikumaru pounced on Echizen with a hug of affection."Right! Ochibi!"

Ryoma Echizen smiled genuinely now, "Mattaku (jeez) my senpais are so evil"

Tezuka arrived now, with Oishi, who was next to him. He turned to everyone with a knowing look. Then stated "Rub forty laps... for slacking off everyone!"

Wincing Momo nodded. "Hai(ok) kaicho(captain)"

Inui and Fuji gave uneasy smiles and accepted their fate while Kikumary pouted in offence.

"Echizen..." The captain began again. This made him anxiously look up at the captain, expecting a greater punishment "Twenty five laps"

Surprised Momo snapped back. "W-Why????"

"Forty-five laps..." he warned Momo, who yelped in fear."Sorry!" Echizen sighed in relief for his penalty.

They began the run, and Oishi chuckled next to Tezuka. "I didn't think you were this soft... was it his laugh?"

"Quiet Oishi, or else I'll make you run as well." With that, he was gone, Oishi watched them with a smile, a hope for nationals for erupting in his mind.

[sleepydrabbles]

My frustration with most criticism leveled at manga artists and authors is that people end up addressing symptoms and not causes.

When I was 11 or 12, I wanted to be a manga artist. Part of this particular fixation meant reading a lot of manga and trying to imitate the styles— something you can still see in my art. I came across a manga called Bakuman that I would really recommend, because it gave me a better understanding of why manga has a bigger tendency to have huge plot holes, fucked up character development, and flat characters when compared to, say… published novels. I’ll need to dig it up sometime so I can show y’all specific stuff but for now I’ll work from memory… I need to get these thoughts down.

Most manga are published through weekly magazines, and the artists are expected to come up with a chapter a week. I’ve seen some shifts lately due to the work-related stress and injuries that have abounded as a consequence but that is where things started, and that meant manga artists had to come up with SOMETHING on a schedule, no matter how good or bad it was. (So yeah, that terrible pandering filler chapter/arc was probably a mangaka with a hell of a block.)

Then, within the magazine, there are frequent checks and polls to measure popularity— if a manga isn’t popular enough, it gets cut, whether or not it was finished. (Yeah, that manga you loved that had a really sudden and terrible ending? Probably more niche than you realized.)

Contrast this with traditional publishing (as I saw someone here doing, comparing Harry Potter to My Hero Academia): authors take years to write, and then they have to find an editor, and even if the whole story is published in segments they have at least a year between those segments to plan, write, and edit. NaNoWriMo winners have demonstrated that the writing phase can be finished in a month or two— the rest of the effort goes to editing.

Manga artists have an editor, sure, but that editor is on the same deadline. Worst-case scenario they get a day or two to read over the chapter.

Novels also tend to remain popular enough not to have to deal with getting cut— and most novelists will just finish in self-publishing if their publisher decides to terminate their contract. Manga artists simply move to the next idea, from what I’ve seen.

This leads to a system where, I kid you not, most artists are just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. They get an idea, it gets dashed out, and then they see what happens. I can’t tell you how many artists I’ve seen express genuine surprise at the popularity of their ideas, and I think it’s just because that idea was one in maybe five or six that got submitted to the magazine that round. They have to figure it out as they go, and what does that mean? Plot holes.

And if a manga is popular enough, the expectation is that the manga artist will continue to make it… and make it… and make it. My dad joked once that you’ll always find another villain behind the latest big bad with these types of series, because the goal is not to create a cohesive story but to maintain audience attention as long as possible. My Hero may be in the middle of a final battle, but who knows whether AFO will actually turn out to be the ultimate villain— while Voldemort was clearly the problem and remained the problem for the entire Harry Potter series. (I’m working with the comparison I saw— I have some personal issues with JKR as an artist and a person that I won’t get into here.)

You see where I’m going with this, right? I sure hope so.

Learning that, as a manga artist, I would be expected to continue creating what gets popular no matter how I felt about it— that was what tanked my desire to become a manga artist. And I love manga to death, but I’ve also learned not to expect much of it because the system itself is designed in such a way that only the most batshit insane series with wild twists and turns and crazy unrealistic characters will succeed. Think about Naruto, Bleach, My Hero, ONE PIECE, etc. it’s a miracle there’s a plot line there at all.

Unfortunately, some people hold these manga to the same standard as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Steelheart, Mistborn, etc. And as long as they do so, they’re going to be disappointed, because the manga publishing world is basically a reflection of the internet influencer world— “create till you drop and everyone forgets your name” is the goal of the game. Until we see some kickback against that system, you’re not going to see well-developed manga that are also popular.

If you do find one, congratulations! Cherish it. The mangaka probably had to kick a few shins to keep it true to their vision.

[liyazaki]

what's your take on the mafia machinations? could it be better, more fleshed out? fine as is? who should lead the family, personal desire not withstanding since none of the boys particularly wants to? also how's your day?

hey, Nonnie- I'm recovering from Ms. Rona (0/10; would not recommend) so I've been better, but I'm lucky to be able to stay home until I'm 100%. I hope Monday treated you well ✨

could it be better, more fleshed out? fine as is?

plot twist: for me, it's all of the above.

another Nonnie mentioned to me yesterday that they were expecting a more in-depth dive into the mafia world based on the trailer, which I get. I would've too if I hadn't started reading the books at basically the same time the trailer dropped.

the show could've gone way deeper into the mafia machinations (great phrasing) of Kinn and Porsche's world, but I feel like I can confidently say that's not the point of this show. it's the relationships that take place within this very specific world, with its very specific challenges.

the mafia aspect serves to drive our characters closer together, further apart and everything in between. I think it's doing exactly what it was intended to.

who should lead the family, personal desire not withstanding since none of the boys particularly wants to?

while Tankhun spits the most truth & reason out of anyone, I can't in good conscience recommend that he actually lead the family. he can (and should) be the leader's right-hand man & style everyone though, because that man is fashion.

Kim is strategic, methodical, calm & always focused on the big picture (literally- hello, giant murder board) rather than getting bogged down in minutia- all excellent leadership qualities. I see shades of Korn in Kim- not necessarily a bad thing.

Kinn is all of the above to varying degrees; the big difference being that he wears his heart on his sleeve much more than Kim, who's basically a human fortress. this could be interpreted as a weakness, and it can be: Kinn's emotions are closer to the surface & the right person could use that to their advantage (read: Korn).

for me, Kinn is still the best choice because he's maybe just a little more in touch with his humanity. a good leader needs to be many things, but perhaps the most important quality to have is empathy (yeah, even in a mafia show).

thinking 10 steps ahead of the competition is all well & good, but if you can't inspire loyalty in the people who follow you- through making them feel seen & heard, even in little ways (Kinn telling Pete he trusts him the most, etc.)? you won't get very far- or you'll just get there alone.

[animehouse-moe]

No Longer Allowed In Another World Volume 2: Ningen Shikkaku

The stage is set, a world in front of the characters with infinite futures at their fingertips. All it takes is a single step, one small stroke of a pen to begin. But, since this is a parody series, it goes nowhere and a whole bunch of ridiculous (equal parts comedic and cool) happens. The real question is where to begin?

How about with the titular Osamu Dazai himself? The writer of "No Longer Human" (which this manga's title is a parody of), as well as other novels such as "The Setting Sun" or "The Flowers of Buffoonery", though some may know him as the lead character in Bungo Stray Dogs. Osamu Dazai is a twisted man, himself seeing the irony in his own existence.

Would I say I'm disappointed in his characterization? Sort of, yeah. They sort of glorify his appearance as the suicidal novelist, which I don't really mind, but they drop a lot of his more negative aspects, which I feel help contextualize much of his reason for acting. Without that layer of depravity it feels like Osamu Dazai's.... sort of a good guy? He provides life lessons to those around him, and even supports people for the sake of "good". Without any sort of negative aspect to his character, you don't get the sentiment of pity or salvation that should arise from good deeds. You don't get the feeling that Dazai is acting to absolve himself, to delude himself into believing that he can still be a normal person.

Alas, this is a parody manga and not many people read much of Osamu Dazai's work so I don't really expect much more, but for once I wished to throw my words into the void.

Moving forward, the comedy is still fun, and with a proper direction and foundation under its feet it can do really well. Runnings gags already arise, and the whole straight man act works pretty well for it.

Even though I griped about Dazai's characterization in this manga, I really must admit that it's enjoyable in its own way. I think if you just take the overall "idea" of Osamu Dazai as the suicidal novelist it's very enjoyable. It's just that it's a far cry from Osamu Dazai. His personality is still very prickly, and pivots to focus on scaring others with his actions. In truth, it's miles better than a lot of genuine isekai protagonists, so maybe they should start taking character inspiration from famous historical figures.

While on the topic Osamu's character, I want to drift over into art for a little bit. The overall world is somewhat simplistic, but the characters have a nice degree of charm to them when there's a concept in mind. However, as you can see with the young boy above, when there's not something strong to latch onto, they can end up rather vague and stereotypical. The worst part of the art though is building exteriors. It's well hidden with angles and other details, but they're more than likely just models copied over from some 3D software.

A good example is this great scene. The camera angle, the layout, how it leads the eye and the feeling it elicits is really good, but the buildings (especially the church) stick out like a sore thumb.

Now, the meat and potatoes of this volume: where it's going and what it wants. I've got to say, I think it's a really fun idea that incorporates a name drop for the series and incorporate some of Dazai's passion for writing into it. The idea of the "fallen angels" and exploring the depravity of humanity instead of what wrests inside of Dazai is fun, and having the girl he died with on the other side is a really nice plot point. At this point it's more a matter of how they execute on it if it's able to be good, but I have faith they'll find a way.

All of this said, I really don't think my stance on the series has changed between volumes. No Longer Allowed In Another World isn't a catchall manga, it probably doesn't even have a huge audience. It's a sort of trashy but rather fun isekai parody that plays off a gimmick to establish substance and a comedic routine. If you don't like parodies and non-sequitur humor, this probably isn't something you'll like. If on the other hand though, you do find those aspects interesting, you might enjoy reading this series.