#that a Japanese game company mind you

[avatarofwar]

i saw you talk about wolf a few times from sekiro and was wondering if you'd want to share more of your thoughts on him or sekiro as a whole, the game really interests me compared to other dark souls games so i wanted to ask

sorry for the late reply but oh boy do I have thoughts abt wolf. trying not to spoil the game, so I'm gonna refrain from talking about the story. might go into just restating known things about the game, but I'd much rather play it safe and not spoil the story

before going to that. the game is very much different from dark souls (setting wise, while taking place in a fictional country it is in a historical setting. I cannot comment on the setting properly bc I don't know much about the time period, however), most notably in the combat (primarily shifting from a dodge-centric playstyle to a parry-centric playstyle (significantly easier than dark souls/elden ring parrying, however), with dodges having significantly shorter i-frames and being very unreliable for dodging attacks). it's very different but something I really enjoy, even if I'm not as good as I am at typical soulsborne combat. it's really fun when you get the hang of it, and while I might not be The Best at it (which is mostly bc of how different it is from soulsborne games, so ofc I'm not as good at is as I am at the other fromsoft games I've played), it's something I can still enjoy

a huge thing about sekiro is the difference in how the story is told. in soulsborne games the story is something you have to figure out; progressing through the main path doesn't give you enough to piece everything together if you don't read any lore. with sekiro, however, the story is significantly more obvious, on account of the playable character having unique ties to the world and its characters, rather than going the soulsborne route of being one of many people (wording hard, but the chosen undead for example is no one special, just one of many undead trying to link the flame). it's a very different method of storytelling, but is still something really good. for as much as I adore having to actively hunt down lore and story in soulsborne games, it's also great experiencing story through natural game progression

wolf is also canonically disabled (loses his left arm at the start of the game) and has a really fucking cool prosthetic that is a whole part of the combat system (even though I personally keep forgetting to use it). so good for him. he deserves a prosthetic that can have deadly weaponry attached to it. like a mini-flamethrower. he deserves a mini-flamethrower, as a treat.

putting the wolf thoughts beneath a read more because this is getting long and I might spoil some stuff (mostly relationship with another character, I'll try to refrain from story spoilers. also spoilers in general, but there might be some), and he has definitely become a blorbo (additionally, content warning for abuse)

first of all. wolf makes me want to throw myself off a cliff and I mean this in the most positive way ever. he is great and I love him but man he needs so much fucking therapy and he doesn't even realise it (therapy probably doesn't exist in that time period, but besides the point). he is very much traumatised and has been heavily shaped by it and doesn't even know it.

prior to the events of the game (I forgot how long ago it was) he was orphaned by war and got taken in by owl, a shinobi and also a piece of fucking garbage. owl raises wolf to be a shinobi under the iron code, with the number one rule being loyalty to his father (owl), with his master (kuro, the divine heir) a close second (and also to give his life for his master if necessary. which is also a whole other thing to get into).

owl is very explicitly abusive. he raises wolf as a tool rather than a person, and that upbringing severely affects wolf as a character - he is an incredibly capable shinobi, but lacks any skills other than that; he does not know how to be a proper person, he is a loyal wolf, but he does not know how to be anything other than that. hell, without spoiling too much about the context, there is a cutscene in which owl actively attempts to guilt trip wolf, going as far as using fake tears (saying anything specific is very spoilery. this isn't even the only horrid thing he's done, but I'm trying to refrain from too many spoilers).

wolf canonically does not value himself without anyone to serve (we see this at the beginning of the game, as events prior to the start of the game not yet known about leads him to believe he has no one to serve, and thus no purpose, so he isolates himself from the world in a well for 3 years). while he does have compassion for others (most notable example being concern over victims of dragonrot), he starts off the game driven primarily by duty. he is loyal to a fault, willing to do anything for kuro, but also valuing his service to kuro more than himself (cannot remember the exact wording, but when kuro expresses concern for how many times wolf has died for him, wolf states that it does not matter as it was in service to him).

there's also the fact that wolf canonically eats uncooked rice and genuinely doesn't know - as a fully grown adult - you are supposed to cook it, which is... genuinely something awful if you truly think about it and what more it implies about his upbringing especially considering it's one of the most basic things you could learn how to make (just... says a lot about owl if you seriously think about it).

he is a loyal wolf, but he doesn't know how to be more than that. he doesn't know how to just... exist for himself, to be his own person separate of his duty and he doesn't even recognise just how fucked up it is, because how could he, when he was shaped into this as a child, when his own father wanted him to be nothing more than a tool to use.

I could say a lot more about his relationships with other characters (that are actually good people) and how it just. makes me lose my mind, but this post is almost 1k words. so, simply put, kuro genuinely caring about him makes me so fucking emotional, especially bc of owl; his father might be horrible and an abuser, he might not know how to be more than he was raised, but at the very least he can serve someone who actively cares about him and his wellbeing.

[shigure]

it's not en vogue to hate women, even jokingly, anymore, but it's not like men have stopped hating women. they've gotten quieter about it in some places. speaking as an anime fan, a sentiment i've picked up on is "we left to keep our opinions to ourselves while watching vtubers and playing gacha games, so if you get into those things and get upset when the subculture is misogynist, that's your own fault - this is our only refuge." in a way i can sort of appreciate that effort of self containment, even if it's horrifying.

to that end, if a vtuber/company or gacha game does something "feminist," the hatred is swift and vitriolic. there's an impulse to extinguish it to the roots before it can "poison their sanctuary." i've seen guys spewing the same sentiment YOU thought was over - women belong in the kitchen, they have no minds of their own, and if they start acting like they can think we need to punish them severely before they hurt others or themselves. it becoming the norm for japanese companies and artists to treat women as people is literally nightmarish to them (in part due to racist wishes projected onto japan obviously), and they will become physically violent in an effort to terrify people back into their place. it hasn't stopped.

what a shame that antifeminism is so prevalent that companies in other countries have to worry about violent threats and escalation if they work with a feminist artist. what a shame that nobody that's not an anime fan is talking about this, because the entire subculture has been mostly written off as unsalvageable anyway. what a shame that feminism has become a shambling corpse of reactionary ideology paraded about by corporations for a quick buck, while abject hatred continues to fester in plain sight. what a shame that it's not just an american issue, and the situation sparking this post (artist being fired for being pro-choice since the company that hired them is getting violent threats) is happening due to men's hatred of feminism in south korea.

and the saddest part of it is i see how much energy and unity these men display in eradicating feminist thought in their subcultures - the organization and commitment is impressive. i see that, and i have to reckon with the fact that i will never see that level of devotion from the rest of us in stomping out misogyny. i think about how republicans are better at organizing than democrats, i think about how feminism as a movement is more or less "over and solved" in most people's minds, and i find myself asking why are we so fucking lazy.

[jelliedink]

DILF!Boss Headcannons

Warnings: manipulative behaviour, huge age gap. If you squint, you'll see this is slightly suggestive, but nothing explicit happens here. Author's note: hi my loves! If you guys don't know @sweet-as-an-angel do yourself a favor and check them out. Their Yandere!DILF series has built a 3-store mansion in my head and is living there rent free, so I just HAD to create another manipulative hot older man to call mine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Take care!

Dividers by @cafekitsune.

Brain melting thinking about an older boss that realizes you find him attractive the moment you start working for him. He's sure he's got at least 20 years on you, but he can't help but feel flattered.

A boss that finds it delightful to toy with you a little bit: getting his face way too close to yours when he's reviewing your work, a hand gently rubbing your shoulders when giving you feedback. He tells himself that it's just "harmless fun", you're so cute trying to hide how flustered you are!

A boss that watches with curiosity how you grow on him more each day seeing how hard you work and how eager you are to learn everything he teaches you.

A boss who acts as a mentor professionally and insists you can confide in him with your life problems too. He's already lived everything you're going through now, and he just wants to see you thrive.

A boss that starts to invite you to a lot of work related events once summer break starts. His ex-wife is travelling with the kids and the house just feels so lonely without them.

A boss that, upon the discovery that you're single, is sure that the gods gifted you for him to turn into his perfect little doll.

A boss that likes to give you little gifts "for your hard work" every now and then, and they get increasingly more expensive.

A boss who's so subtle when blurring the lines between professional and personal relationships that the word "date" doesn't even cross your mind when he starts to invite you to non work related events.

"Have you seen this artist is coming to town with their new exposition?" "The weather is nice today, how about we visit the japanese garden to freshen up after spending the whole week inside the office?"

A boss who never corrects anyone who refers to you as a couple during your outings, and instead laughs it off, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and giving you a playful wink every time this happens. He even turns it into a internal joke, and soon you get used to hear him calling you his darling, his dear, his precious.

A boss that makes sure to have you yearning for him before making his move. Sometimes he kisses your hands when you're out together, always saying how lucky he is to have such a beautiful company, his lips gently running along your fingers. Other times he caresses your face when you go to him for advice. His hugs are tight, so his scent will linger on your clothes. He might even kiss the top of your head every now and then.

A boss who loves to see you getting used to having him always present in your life, getting flustered when he touches you in ways that are intimate just enough to keep you guessing.

A boss that thinks you're so beautiful and so hard working that he'll take how much time he needs to mould you into a perfect wife and a perfect mother for his children. He'll guarantee that your life will be so enmeshed with his that you'll never be able to leave him, even if you want to. This time he'll create a family so perfect that nothing will tear it apart.

A boss who knows he doesn't need to rush things because he's sure you'll be his in the end. You're so young, so malleable, and he's been playing this game for so much longer than you. He knows just what he needs to do to wrap you around his fingers.

[sonadowwiki]

Correcting Misinformation and Disinformation

If anyone is trying to say that these lines are official in Sonic Frontiers, know that it is misinformation and that they are lying because these lines were cut and are not in the game officially.

In bullet points:

These lines are cut-lines and they never made it to the final version for any platform

Ian, the writer for Sonic Frontiers, didn't even write these lines to be in the game

Since the lines are in the database of the game (but does not occur in the final version of the game), the lines can be modded into the game to make it seem official or that it's in the final version of the game

"Proofs" showing these lines to be in the game have faults within them, such as not occurring on the correct island or weather condition

There are several factors to consider when acknowledging these lines existence. One of the main factors is that these are cut-lines that never made it to the official and final version of Sonic Frontiers. This goes for both the English and Japanese version of the game. These lines can only be found through datamining the game, which means to look through files deep within the game that don't make it to the surface. So, these lines will never be activated because there is nothing to activate it, therefore it is not official lines.

Another thing to know about is that Ian, the one who wrote the story and dialogue lines for Sonic Frontiers, was not even aware of these lines existing in the game because he never wrote them or had anything similar be made for these lines to exist. Therefore, it wasn't even planned to have these lines in the game whatsoever. Someone else, other than Ian, snuck the lines in and had it go against what the original story was in the first place; they tried to have their own story or vision be put in the game aside from what Ian wrote or how it was originally conceived. This makes the lines even more unofficial and not real. Many already acknowledge that these lines are not official and are cut lines.

One more thing to consider is that even if people show "proof" of it existing in the games, these lines and even text can be easily modded into the game for it to seem like it exists in the final game. But just because it is modified in, doesn't mean that it was there originally.

As it can be seen through this individual who is able to make unused conversations be put into the game in some manner through modification, it is also possible to put unused conversations lines in the game in some manner. These lines towards Amy aren't the only lines that are unused in the game. There are many lines that aren't used and that are still in the database of the game, but that doesn't mean that any of them made it to the final game for people to see through normal means.

Another thing to take note about is that these lines towards Amy (the "Umbrella" and "Making up his mind" lines), are lines that occur on Rhea or Ouranos Island, but the first pictures shown in this thread show that the lines were randomly said on Kronos Island, the first island you go to in the game. That shows that this person modified the lines to be said in the game and that they are not triggered under normal means. Another way to figure out that these lines are modified is that the "Umbrella" line is supposed to only be triggered while it's raining, but the line is said randomly while it is only cloudy in the person's "proof" of it existing in the game.

On a side note, datamining and modifying games tend to be illegal depending on what company the game comes from. For example, Nintendo has policies that say that if you are to play their games, you cannot modify their systems or games that are played on that console. So this practice of modifying and datamining is not encouraged by the majority of game companies and isn't welcomed, therefore it should become a common practice to not to try to do these illegal activity towards any game.

[yuzurins]

# circles

in which: sae’s tired of running around in circles with an undefined relationship, so he decides to take his chance when he can to make you his.

warnings: kind of unorganized, mentions of alcohol, intoxicated reader, insecure reader, mutual pining, just a bunch of comfort and fluff, honestly strayed from the original prompt t-t

reblogs and interactions are appreciated!

itoshi sae is a busy man.

being the most sought for japanese football player and as well as a regular on the real matrid team meant he was always doing something football related. practices, games, events, you name it.

his schedule is packed with plans set months before they happen. companies and teams always request to see him sooner, but he makes no exceptions for anyone, not even his own family.

well, that goes for anyone but you.

itoshi sae has found himself breaking his own ideals without any hesitation. he‘s standing in front of your apartment, 5 hours, 27 minutes and 54 seconds before his flight back to spain, after an obviously drunk text you sent him 10 minutes ago.

1:22AM

y/n: saweewea

y/n: did u knwo a broken heart hurts REAL bad😍

sae: what

y/n: i think i’m goign to crush my cat with my body weight

y/n: u fg hhh hj jgjjgjhhhrkdoforjfof

sae: where are you rn

y/n: ogm r ru gonna come visit me 😎😜🥺

y/n: i’m soooerirjf lonely

sae: .

sae: be there in 5

sae doesn’t know whether to ring the doorbell or call you to let you know he’s here. heck, he’s not even sure whether you’re at home or not, but he does know that it’s not often you go out to drink. as he’s hesitating, you hastily open the door, almost like you could sense him there.

“sae!” you slur, just barely avoiding stumbling over yourself as you straighten up. “i didn’t expect you to actually come visit me.”

“neither did i.” he scoffs as he takes in your current state: graphic anime tee (which he gave you last christmas), sweatpants, messy tangled bun and your face is entirely red. you reek of soju and he knows better than anyone you’re a lightweight, so sae mentally prepares once more for what he’s about to get himself into.

the response from the magenta haired in front of you causes a pout to form on your face. he’s not quite sure if it’s just his imagination or not, but it looks like you’re more down, more tired than usual.

“are you okay?” he asks, and this prompts you to stretch your arms out, almost habitually, and wrap them around the taller male’s torso.

sae flinches ever so slightly at your touch. he gently pushes you back into the apartment as he closes the door, all while having one arm wrapped around your waist.

it’s obvious you’re not in the right mind space, but as everyone says, drunk words are sober thoughts, though sae doesn’t know whether that’s good or bad. you getting blackout drunk as a result of academic stress has become a monthly occurrence now, and it always ends up with sae coming over to babysit you. he’s more than aware of the fact that you’re taking his presence for granted, yet despite that, he’s still always there for you.

you’re obviously more than just friends, so why does sae feel like the line separating friendship and relationship just keeps getting thicker?

you latch onto him like a koala as he shuffles over to your couch. he doesn’t force anything out of you, doesn’t show any impatience, and just waits for you to talk.

the two of you quietly bask in the comfort of each other’s arms for a long time. just as sae begins to loosen his hold on you believing you’ve drifted off, you cling onto him even tighter, refusing to let go of his warmth.

“don’t go.” you mumble into his hoodie, voice quivering, and sae wonders if it really is school stress that’s made you this way.

humming in response, he pats your back lightly as if he’s caring for a baby, trailing his hand up to your head to play with your hair.

sae doesn’t want to pry, but there’s something he really needs to confirm before it eats his thoughts up even more.

“i won’t leave,” he reassures. “did anything happen?”

a sound comes out of your mouth in response, barely louder than a whisper. sae turns his head to look at you and you take it as a request for you to repeat your words. you try again, and this time, you’re still mumbling, but it’s enough for him to make out what you want to convey.

“i’m sorry.” and a tear falls from your eyes, “i’m sorry, sae.”

now sae’s been in this position for countless times, always coming to be your personal therapist at unearthly hours in the night, but this is the first time he’s ever seen you act so vulnerable. he can feel your body trembling against him and his heart aches just seeing you so dejected.

but he’s not dense enough to not realize what you’re apologizing for, because it’s the same reason as to why he decided to ask in the first place. he gently removes his arms off your waist, turns you to face him and moves his hand up to wipe the tears streaming down your cheek.

this tender, silent exchange between the two of you is more than any amount of words that express. sae’s usually indifferent eyes are laced with affection, and you just can’t help but feel so guilty because of that.

“i know you’re really busy,” you avert your eyes, biting on your bottom lip to stop yourself from breaking again. “you’re always doing so much for me, and i feel so terrible because i don’t deserve any of it.”

sae doesn’t say anything, letting you finish your thoughts before stating his.

“i was watching one of your games earlier, and i was reminded of the fact that your world and mine are so far apart.” you’re still looking away, but a soft nudge from sae’s hand pushes you back to look at him. “i just—i feel like i’m not enough for you, sae.”

through watered eyes, you can catch the expression of the male in front of you waver, and with years of knowing him, you’ve mastered the ability to be able to tell what emotions are going off in his mind.

“i know it sounds silly—“

“it’s not silly.” he interrupts, despite being patient all this time, but struggles to find the right words to continue. “is this what you’ve been feeling since back then?”

you shake your head, and lean forward to rest it on his shoulder. “the internet is scary.”

sae lets out a soft chuckle at your unintentional joke, and moves his head to rest it on the side of yours. “but what only matters is that i’m here in front of you right now, yeah?”

“it’s true that i’m busy, but i’ll always be your anchor of support whenever you need it, seriously.” his fingers find their way to intertwine with yours, and your heart flutters at how romantic he’s being. “so don’t cry sweetheart, because you’re breaking my heart as well.”

the use of the pet name makes you giggle, it being so out of character for sae, yet that’s how you know he really means it, from the bottom of his heart. hearing the sound of your laughter allows sae to relax his shoulder from all the tension he unknowingly had been feeling, and he cups your cheek with his palm, bringing you face-to-face with the taller male.

his eyes study your features, taking in your beauty, before going back to make eye contact with you. though you notice how they flicker down to your lips and hover there for a split second longer than anything else, your heart thumping loudly at the realization of what he’s asking of you.

you flash him a small smile in response as approval, and sae wastes no time closing the distance between you two. his touch is soft, almost like he’s afraid of breaking you, and easily washes away all the worries clouding your mind.

sae droops his arms over your shoulders and rests his forehead against yours. “you were always and will be more than enough for me, y/n.”

his sweet words bring a red flush to your face (not from alcohol this time) and you purse your lips in embarrassment as sae’s grin only gets bigger.

“so just hurry up and be mine already.”

BONUS: the morning after

you wake up with a pounding headache, and immediately try to get up to get a drink of water, but your body doesn’t budge at all.

as your eyes begin to adjust, you look down to find sae and his arms locked around you, causing a scoff to come out of your mouth.

of course you couldn’t move when a whole professional football player (incredibly fit btw😍) has a death grip on you.

“sae, wake up.” you nudge him and he only whines in response. “didn’t you have a flight to catch this morning?”

“mm, shush.” he takes one of his arms and lightly pushes you back down into his embrace. “who cares about that, been waiting for this for far too long.”

you laugh and decide to give in, slowly drifting back to sleep.

meanwhile, sae’s nonstop vibrating phone on your nightstand is totally unnoticed, the cause being hundreds of messages and calls from his manager wondering where he is.

[punkishtoxtricity]

a comprehensive list of problems with lily orchards pokemon video

there is a point to where my criticisms just repeats so they’ll get different down the post

generation 1

-she claims that blue is a friendly rival when the whole point of him is that he’s a dumb kid. he’s a cocky 11 year old who thinks he’s better than you and grows to realize it’s not all about strong pokemon

-complains about length of dungeons such as lavender tower and silph co but for some reason likes rock tunnel??

-complains about other youtubers strategies for gyms that are usually meant for nuzlockes and challenge runs when she’s playing casual

-acts like she is so much better than everyone else for her strategy when it’s been done to a more extreme degree before

-acts like having butterfree on her team is some feat of strength

generation 2

-thinks silver is the worse character ever and all around a jerk

-complains about the ai of the game beating her when in reality her team just kinda. sucks

-complains about having bad pokemon and then doesn’t catch the good ones that the game literally hands to you

-straight up does not do kanto. has me thinking she just didn’t wanna fight red

generation 3

-this is the start of her being very weird about gardevoir. she calls ralts her child and then throughout the video has art of her being romantic with it which is. eugh. apparently she has incest accusations so i’m not that suprised

-calling magma and aqua the best teams of the series because “they don’t impede on the story”

-complains about the legendaries

-complains about the water routes and proceeds to throw out ideas that don’t make sense for an ocean

generation 4

-this is the start of her hacking in ralts as her starter. it’s very funny because it’s legitimately obtainable in every game she plays besides gen 5

-complains about parts of the game being too hard when she’s using ralts. which dies if it gets touched by a slight breeze

-whines about there being too much dialogue and then genuinely does not understand the story. common theme around all the story driven pokemon games

-she’s VERY annoying about the rivals. like they’re there for a reason

-the start of her acting like her calm mind strategy is the best thing ever. calls other youtubers stupid once again for their cynthia strategies. she can’t choose between gardevoir being the most broken pokemon and blaming ralts sucking on the game(the whole video is a big contrarian fest)

gen 5

oh boy. there’s a lot

-complains about there being too much story in the game and calls the game a peta reply. which is funny because peta is an american company and pokemon is japanese. (also the peta criticism of pokemon didn’t come around until AFTER black and white)

-compares a character who is a victim of abuse and has been indoctrinated by what is basically a cult to a podcast alpha male incel. looking at the allegations against her this also makes sense as to why she doesn’t like him

-whines more about there being too much reading. at this point i started believing she was straight up illiterate

-whines about the amount of rival fights and how it’s “impeding exploration” i don’t think she wants to play an actual video game she just want a pet sim

-misunderstands the whole moral of the game, being that not everything is black and white

generation 6

-complains about not being able to get gardevoirs megastone before the post game, so obviously she hacks it in.

-goes on a tangent about shiny pokemon and how their community is stupid, misunderstanding that people just do it FOR FUN

-also complains about something she calls “damage inflation” with the opponents being able to 1 shot ralts. this is all actually because ralts has god awful defenses, which she ignores.

-loses to what is one of the easiest gyms in the entire series. not really anything wrong with this i just honestly think she sucks at the game(skill issue)

-says x and y are the best games because there’s not much dialogue

gen 7

-once again spends the whole hour complaining about the amount of talking and then doesn’t analyze what the characters are actually saying. still believe she can’t read

-compares gladion to a hitler youth which is??? he’s hawaiian and light skinned but he’s still just an abused kid trying to find his way in lofe(doubt she actually read his dialogue)

-complains about team skill being “an unfunny joke” when the whole point of the team is that guzma was an abused kid who took in those in need and just formed a group of thugs

-still complains about “damage inflation” instead of actually changing her strategy or stepping out of her comfort zone pokemon wise because ralts sucks against the water trial

-goes on a tangent about how lillie should have been the main character while still choosing to mash through her dialogue

generation 8

-whines about dexit and calls dynamax the worst mechanic when it is in fact loved by vgc players

-calls milo a twunk (she doesn’t know what that means)

-a lot of the same problems of the previous gens, can’t read and doesn’t understand the story

-she’s also weird about gardevoir in this one. i think she just REALLY wants to fuck it

generation 9

-whines about dialogue some more

-literally all of the complaints at this point are the same. she can’t form an actual opinion of it bc she can’t FUCKING PAY ATTENTION TO WHAG THEYRE SAYING

overall

-she’s a racist creep to japanese folk outside of the video so hmmm

-has apparently assaulted someone so i see why she has no sympathy for the characters that are victims of abuse

-the weirdest about the pokemon and the characters. compares them to nazis a bunch

-is unfunny

anyway thanks for reading all the way through. the vid made me loose 200 brain cells and i will never stop hating

[loonbase]

I found an obscure book that tells some phenomenal backstories behind Toontown Online

These are excerpts of Chapter 4 of the book "Long Fuse, Big Bang" by Eric Haseltine. The chapter gives a unique perspective of how (and why) Toontown came to exist.

"The parable of the panda and the rat" is a very intriguing part of the chapter. I wonder if it has any significance behind the game engine being called "Panda3D" (other than being an acronym)

The part that talks about the Japanese company offering to buy Toontown is also quite intriguing. I wonder what company that could've been, and if the circumstances had any correlation as to why Toontown Japan's art style stands out phenomenally

You can find my PDF scan of this chapter here

I wasn't able to find any full copy of this text online -- please don't mind the unprofessional scanning grade :P

[toskarin]

maybe this is nothing, but its been eating at me for a while, and you seem to have great knowledge.

do you know what the deal is with fromsoftware's orientalism? since it is a japanese company, i assumed all of the references to a "far-off eastern land" on katanas was a joke, and ser alonne's whole deal as well, with his superior nobility and such, and how sekiro kind of reverses it with the portuguese knight. but i have been unable to find anyone else talking about this.

is it a joke, pandering to western audiences, buying in to fantasy tropes unconsciously, or something else? or am i completely making stuff up, and its nothing?

thank you

this seems like a sincere question so I'll try to answer it seriously, but when fromsoft does that, it's not to pander to western audiences and it's not orientalism

the reason things like that show up in fromsoft games is because they're elements of japanese culture being inserted by japanese developers in a manner which still allows an audience to maintain that immersion in western fantasy

that being said, the concept of a "far-eastern land" is a trope that shows up in orientalist media a lot, which means you'll find it in japanese media featuring western settings incredibly often. it's a shorthand for clarifying that you, as a player, are immersed in western-style fantasy even when a samurai happens to be present

it's worth keeping in mind that, to a japanese audience, western settings are exotic

[nova-amor]

𓈒∘☁︎ ◜ 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ◞

𝐜𝐰 — 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫!𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 [𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬], 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲, 𝐝𝐫𝐲-𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤, 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 — 𝟑.𝟖𝐤

the white noise of the television buzzed in the background, your knees tucked up to your chest as you rested your head on the armrest of the couch, a thick sherpa blanket draped over you while you aimlessly scrolled through your instagram timeline. time seemed to creep by slowly, the minutes achingly passing by. another friday night wasted, gone, yet you couldn’t quite bring yourself to complain.

you hadn’t made plans to go out earlier in the week like you had wanted and, in the end, hadn’t spent the evening alone. after receiving a last-minute text message from your next-door neighbor to watch his kids, you couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to at least do something productive for the evening.

the evening had consisted of playing board games and baking white chocolate pumpkin cookies with the two kids, before tucking them into bed at their designated bedtime. you loved the two kids, showering them with the motherly warmth and attention they lacked while in the care of their adoptive father. they were well taken care of, of course, made obvious by the numerous clothes, toys, and sugary snacks stocked in the fridge and pantry.

but, even with all the love and care in the world from their father, you couldn’t miss the look of disappointment in their eyes whenever you left after babysitting them. it always made your heart ache, guilt sinking in as they begged, and pleaded for you to stay with them because they loved your company. and, you knew it bothered their father, the way his kids constantly asked for you to come over to play with them or how they would praise your food whenever you stopped by with dinner containers filled with baked tonkatsu and curry rice because cup ramen and mcdonalds were no substitute for a homemade meal.

you were sure he didn’t like you, he had made it obvious in the way that his jaw always seemed to tense and his eyes would harden whenever you stepped foot into his apartment. rarely ever engaging in conversation with you unless it was to ask you to watch his children or get advice on what to get little tsumiki because she was a growing girl and he didn’t know what girls her age needed.

you truly didn’t mind the strained relationship between yourself and your neighbor, as long as you knew that the two children living across from your apartment were being properly taken care of — that’s all you really needed.

“hey,” the front door creaked open, the metallic jingle of keys filling the air as gojo’s arrival was made present. you sat up properly, adjusting your position appropriately as the blanket remained draped over your lap. you hadn’t been doing anything inappropriate yet you didn’t want to seem like you were sleeping on duty.

“hey,” you greeted, your gaze fixated on his moving form. gojo retreated into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets, the clinking of glass loud and irritating in comparison to the once silent apartment.

there was a routine you and gojo followed whenever you babysat his children and he got home late. you two would greet each other, and he would then pour himself a glass of aged japanese whiskey on the rocks, followed by a quick recollection of that night’s activities before you went home.

“sorry, i know i was supposed to be home an hour ago, i meant to text you but i kept getting held up at work,” gojo sat down next to you, slender legs spread far and wide as he relaxed into the comfy cushions of the couch. he rested his head back, tilting his head to the side to properly look at you, his hand still clutching the half-filled whiskey glass.

“it’s fine, i put megumi and tsumiki down an hour and a half ago anyway,” you replied, resting your head back as well. gojo and you were so close, your knees barely brushing against his thigh. his ocean blue eyes shimmered under the faint warm glow of the kitchen’s overhead light pouring into the living room, the need to sleep etched into his face and tensed muscles.

you weren’t sure what he did for a living, most likely something important and high-paying given the late hours he worked throughout the week and how he was able to afford comfortably raising two kids at only twenty-two.

“how were they tonight?” he asked, taking another thin sip of his drink. his pink lips glistened with droplets of the liquor, the tip of his tongue running across his top lip to lick at the remnants. “guessing by the deep dish container filled with cookies on the counter, you guys had a good night?”

you nodded your head. “yeah, actually, we did,” you answered, watching with attentive eyes as gojo relaxed further into the couch. his eyes flickered closed, snow white lashes casting a soft shadow over his cheeks. “played a ton of board games— megumi is a tyrant in monopoly, no nine-year-old should have so much control over real estate.”

gojo chuckled, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. he looked angelic— a heavenly aura radiating around him. your fingers itched by your side, fighting the urge to brush away the strands that fell across his forehead. instead, you curled your fingers around the edges of the blanket and tugged it higher up your lap.

“sorry, i don’t know why i’m so tired,” gojo murmured, his eyes barely peeking open to look up at you. you could almost feel yourself growing hot under his gaze.

“it’s okay,” you breathed out. “i can just go ahead and leave, the spare key still under the plant? i can use that to lock up so you don’t have to move.”

before you could even motion to get up, gojo reached out to grasp your hand, thin fingers curling around your own. his fingers were colder than you had expected, a shiver running down your spine at the foreign contact. you remained still by his side, completely caught off guard. gojo and you rarely ever made physical contact, only doing so while exchanging items or when crossing close paths.

“stay,” he ordered, his voice barely above a whisper. “i want you to stay… at least for a little while longer.”

you nodded, sinking back comfortably next to gojo. his thumb rubbed at the top of your hand, drawing loose circles around your fist. your eyes raked over him— skimming over his form-fitting button-up blouse, the top three buttons were already undone and collar slightly disheveled, his black dress pants slim and clinging to his muscular thighs. his white hair was tousled, as messy as he usually kept it but the style suited him regardless.

gojo was in fact a good-looking man; something you didn’t want to outwordly express to him yet something you couldn’t quite deny to yourself either.

“hey,” his husky voice pulled you away from your thoughts, your eyes meeting his now open ones. there was something different in gojo’s eyes, his pupils a bit wider as he peered up at you. “do you like me?”

you hadn’t expected such a question. you never thought twice about your relationship with the man— it was cordial, respectful, approach. you two obviously trusted each other enough to be active participants in one another’s lives, he allowed you complete access to his apartment while he was away and he trusted you enough to watch his children.

“of course i like you, gojo,” you finally answered after a pregnant pause, brows furrowed in confusion. “you’re the father to my two favorite kids, i have no choice but to like you. what kind of question is that?”

gojo’s jaw clenched and then loosened, “a question i needed to ask. just because you watch ‘gumi and tsu doesn’t mean you like me.”

“gojo,” you rolled your eyes, leaning in closer to the man. you were so close, the warmth of his breath fanning across your cheeks with how short of distance there was between the two of you. “i like you, you don’t have to worry about that.”

gojo’s gaze flickered between your eyes and your lips, your breath catching in your throat as he moved his hand away from yours and up to your cheek. he cupped the side of your face, the palm of his hand icy cold. you fought the urge to pull away from his cool touch, instead finding yourself leaning further into it.

“cross your heart,” he whispered, stroking the peak of your cheekbone with his thumb. his breath smelled of whiskey— spiced notes of oak, caramel, vanilla, and the familiar sting of alcohol overwhelming your senses. “because i like you a lot and want you to promise that you aren’t lying. i know i’ve been awful to you in the past and ”

you breathed out his name, the two-syllable surname rolling off your tongue like butter. the close proximity was intoxicating, his blue sapphire eyes reeling you in closer. you couldn’t move, frozen in place, your heart beating radically in your chest.

following his request, you drew a slow x-shape over your left breast, mumbling a “cross my heart” in a breathy tone. gojo’s adam’s apple bobbed as he watched you do so, swallowing a thick load of saliva. you had been honest and promised him, swearing over your heart that your feelings were true.

in that moment, gojo couldn’t help but be reminded of the last time he had been this close to someone. it had been years since he had last opened his heart up to someone, the fear of being left alone with a broken heart constantly plaguing his thoughts.

the pain had hurt him too much and had made him more anxious and emotionally closed off than expected. but, you had made a promise. and, that was good enough for him to start thinking with his heart once again.

“can i kiss you?” he questioned, his plump lips nearly brushing against yours. he sounded almost desperate, his voice husky and deep, dripping with need. and, you weren’t really one to say no to someone.

the kiss nearly stole your soul straight from your being, your eyes fluttering shut as your lips meddle with his. gojo’s lips were as soft as a pillow, his hand finding its place on the back of your head to press your face further against his.

he tasted of vanilla and oak, his tongue laced around yours, coaxing a guttural moan out from you. your senses dulled, truly encompassed by gojo’s touch and taste. you shifted your position, creeping your body closer to his.

your fingers laced themselves in his hair, nails dragging across his scalp as the kiss grew hotter. it was messy, sloppy— saliva seeping out from the corners of your mouth as gojo’s tongue explored every inch of space within your mouth. as your lungs strained for your air, you couldn’t bring yourself to move away from him. if this was how you died, so be it.

“hey,” gojo pulled away from you, lips swollen and red. you whimpered at the lack of contact, your hands trailing down from the crown of his head to rest on his shoulders. the fabric of his shirt wrinkled within your tight grip. “need you t’ breathe f’r me, sweetheart, don’t want you gettin’ light-headed from just kissing.”

“sorry,” you apologized with no real reason to. your breaths were heavy and labored, your grip on gojo’s blouse loosening. “sorry, just haven’t been kissed like that in a while.”

gojo smirked, “‘s okay, sweetheart, i haven’t either.”

“i find that hard to believe,” you retorted, finally catching your breath. you hadn’t had a proper kiss in months, let alone an actual date. “i’m sure girls throw themselves at you all the time.”

“they do,” gojo replied, his hand trailing down to cup the nape of your neck. his fingers danced across the skin, motioning for you to lean back in for another kiss. “but, i’ve had my eyes on someone for a while.”

the kiss was just as intoxicating as the last— gojo pulling you onto his lap, his drink knocking over and left to be abandoned on the tan carpet below. his hands rummaged beneath the loose fabric of your shirt, inching further up your back until he was fiddling with the clips of your bra.

“is this okay? is it okay if i take this off?” gojo rambled between kisses— his cool persona slipping away. you rolled your hips atop of his, the fabric of his dress pants grinding against your own, his erection stiff and hard against the restraint of his pants. “i just want to make sure you’re comfortable, and—”

“fuck, gojo,” you pulled away for the kiss, cutting his sentence off. you snaked your arms out from the holes of your shirt, peeling it off and over your head so fast it might as well have been burning your skin. your bra flew off next, your breasts spilling out and sides aching a bit from how long you had been wearing it. “just shut up and touch me. wanna feel you touch me.”

gojo sucked in a sharp breath, eyes fixated on the view in front of him. his hands trailed your sides upwards, long fingers cupping the underside of your breast. he rolled his thumbs over your perky nipples, chewing on his bottom lip as he kneaded your breasts.

“fuck,” he muttered more to himself than to you. your hips began to roll again on top of his, grinding your core against his rock-hard erection. you were concentrated on making you both feel good, the crotch of your panties deliciously rubbing your clit as it clung to your folds through the aid of your sticky arousal. “god, you’re so beautiful… best lookin’ tits i’ve ever seen, so pretty and soft.”

gojo leaned forward to litter kisses across your chest, his head tilting down to lap at one of your nipples while he tweaked with your other sensitive breast. he swirled his tongue around your areola— sucking, tugging, and nipping until it was puffy and sore, his saliva staining your skin. he moved on to the next, following the same routine as he had done with the previous one.

your back arched into a crescent, hips stuttering as you struggled to maintain a steady rhythm from all his attention to your breasts. your head felt light and empty, your movements uncoordinated and lazy from how good he made you feel.

“such a pretty girl, don’t know why i didn’t do this sooner,” gojo muttered between kisses as he delivered attention to your craned neck. he peppered kisses along your neck, canines lightly nipping at the arch of your throat. “keep movin’ em hips f’ me, sweetheart. feels too fuckin’ good to stop now, right?”

you nodded your head, trying to find the strength to keep going instead of succumbing to the pleasure. gojo took note of this, wrapping his arms back around your waist and twisting your body so that you lay sprawled out on the couch.

“g’na take care of you, sweetheart,” he whispered after pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth. he began his descent down your body, pulling your pants down until you were left in just your panties and socks. “open up a little more for me and relax, okay? you’re a bit tense— just loosen up and lemme make you feel good.”

gojo pressed hot, sloppy kisses along your inner thighs as you relaxed your muscles beneath him. the rustle of the cushions beneath your combined weight was loud in the quiet living room, the white noise of the tv finally having turned off after an hour of neglect.

his tongue licked at the lacy edges of your panties, tracing the curve of the skin beneath with the tip of his tongue. your hips bucked against his face, cunt soaked and aching for any semblance of release. gojo peered up with half-lidded eyes, his smirk hidden by the angle yet you could see it reflected in his eyes.

“gojo, please,” you begged, your hips bucking up once again but gojo was too quick to move his head away. he tsked, shaking his head, floppy hair bouncing around.

“patience, sweetheart, i’m gonna take care of you, promise,” gojo chastised, pressing another kiss to your thigh. one of his hands crawled up the length of your body, poking at your lips, prodding you with the proposition for you suck on them. “just let me have my fun, okay? suck on my fingers t’ keep that mouth busy— don’t want the kids t’ wake up to your mewling.”

your lips wrapped around gojo’s fingers, tongue swirling around the digits while he busied himself with teasing your entrance through your panties. his tongue rubbed at the clothed slit of your cunt, saliva staining your panties along with your musky arousal.

the flat of his tongue lapped at your cunt; the pressure and weight just enough to make your head dizzy once again. even through the cloth, you could feel everything— your body chasing after the bare amount of stimulation gojo was giving you.

your moans were silenced with gojo’s fingers in your mouth, his index and middle fingers curling into the floor of your mouth, hooking onto the back of your teeth. he then sucked on your clit through your panties, sucking off all the arousal and saliva from the fabric until it was crinkled and damp.

“gojooo,” you whined as he pulled away. he sat up on his knees, leaning back to rest on the balls of his feet. the metal clinking of his belt being undone caught your attention, his pants moving down to the middle of his thighs.

“touch yourself for me,” gojo ordered, his eyes locked onto yours. his gaze was fiery and heavy, one of his hands palming at his erection hidden beneath his briefs. “wanna see how you touch yourself, wanna know how t’ please you— want ya t’ teach me.”

your head bobbed up and down quickly as you nodded, your cunt forming a mind of its own and eager to finally be actually touched. you peeled your panties to the side, strings of your arousal connected to the cloth as you bunched it up to the side.

gojo’s eyes narrowed as one of your fingers dipped between your thighs, arousal collecting around the tip of your finger as you dragged it up and down your slit. one of your legs moved to drape over the top cushions of the couch while your other foot was placed on the floor, your thighs spread as wide as possible. his jaw locked and tightened when you rubbed slow circles around your clit, your pussy lips spread open and wide for him to get an all-access view.

he tugged the elastic of his underwear down, a trimmed white trail of hair leading down to his throbbing cock. it was porcelain white and slender, curving slightly upwards with an oozing trail of semi-translucent pre-cum dripping down the underside. he gritted his teeth, his thumb rolling across the pale rose-pink head, smearing pre-cum along his length as he stroked his shaft, eagar to match your pace.

you two stayed like that for what felt like an eternity— the tension heavy between you as you watched one another with hungry eyes. your eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment as your fingers dipped into your entrance, barely able to reach the spot so high up along your squishy walls.

“no, sweetheart, keep ‘em eyes open,” gojo spoke through his teeth, his pace growing faster in a match with yours. you opened your eyes to see gojo with his blouse caught between his teeth, fiery eyes trained on your face. droplets of pre-cum fell and stained the couch cushions, a problem neither of you cared to deal with at this moment. “want t’ see you cum. be a good girl and cum f’me, okay? please.”

something about the way he asked you, the desperation heavy in his voice, made your pussy tingle and cunt clench harder around your fingers. you rubbed the heel of your palm against your clit, plunging your fingers in and out of your cunt faster and shallower. your moans were hushed, falling quieter and quieter as you grew closer to your release.

you could tell gojo was close as well, his abs tightening and pale cheeks and nose flushed a cherry pink. beads of sweat had formed along his forehead, his fringe sticking to his skin.

“gojo, i’m close— s’ close, wanna cum with ya,” you mewled, finally giving up on fingering yourself. you stimulated your clit, pressing hard against the throbbing bundle of nerves and rubbing your fingers around in tight circles.

“i think i’m gonna cum too,” he panted, scooting closer to further occupy the space between your legs. he matched your speed, his hips bucking into his fist as he stroked himself faster. the sloppy squelching of fucking his hand while you rubbed one out filling the air. “where d’ ya want me t’ cum, sweetheart? need t’ know now— g’na cum, g’na cum— holy fuck—”

your tongue lolled out, eyes crossing as the pressure at the pit of your stomach grew stronger. you were barely able to direct him until it was too late, hot white ropes of his load spilling atop your pelvis. a deep growl was elicited from gojo’s throat as he continued to fuck his fist through his orgasm, his hips stuttering as his movements grew sloppier.

with a series of “please, please, please”s, you were quick to cum after him, a buzz settling across your eyes as your release gushed out from you. the walls of your cunt clenched around empty space, your wrist cramping up as you continued to rub in one particular direction that made your toes curl and breath hitch.

you rubbed your clit until it was too painful to do so anymore— your body going slack as you pulled your hand away. gojo grabbed at your wrist, bringing your pruned fingers up to his lips to clean your arousal off your fingers. your eyes were trained on his mouth, intensely watching as his tongue rolled around and between your fingers, the wet slurp of his greedy mouth stirring the pot of lust still boiling in your stomach.

“maybe we should move over to your bedroom,” you suggested in a hushed tone, the vibration of gojo’s hum against your fingers making your clit throb with need once again. gojo allowed you to retract your fingers from his mouth.

“or, maybe i just fuck you right here,” one of gojo’s hands found the back of your thigh, bringing your foot off the ground and pressing your leg close to your chest. he leaned over you, the tip of his still-hardened cock poking at your puffy folds. “don’t wanna risk ruining the fun and wake up the kids, right?”

[isadollie]

Hi my dear! If it's okay, could I get headcanons for husband Shōyō x female reader? I love him so much, he's just the cutest and I imagine he'd make an adorable husband. I just wanna hug him and tell him he's amazing. I love your blog by the way <3

husband! Hinata Shoyo (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

fem!reader; post-timsekip; japanese national volleyball team, just hinata being a hubby :P

★ he WOULD make a really good husband!

★ because of his career, he has to travel a lot and gets upset when you can't go there with him

"what do you mean you have to work? BUT-"

★ when he does leave on his own though, be prepared for oh so many photos and silly videos of him and the team

★ would definitely make his teammates say hi to you everytime he calls you (they're tired)

★ his lockscreen is the pic of you and him from your wedding day, his absolute favourite one!

★ gave you his jersey, telling you that you HAVE TO wear it whenever he has a match, no matter if you're watching from the stands, or on TV

★ every single match he plays, he asks if you'll come there, even if he knows you can't sometimes. will still ask though

★ however, when you do go to his games, he gets soo nervous! even though he's been begging for you to come in the first place lol

★ he's so nervous he's basically panicking in the locker room, his teammates just roll their eyes at him, cause they've seen it so many times already

★ he's telling everyone that he changed his mind and that he won't play, but then Kageyama smacks his head and Shoyo is like "okay, you're right, let's go". settings restored successfully

★ whenever he does a new kind of attack, or just whenever he scores a point, looks towards you with a big smile

★ one time though, he forgot where your seat is, and he was searching for you a bit too long so he received the next ball with his face instead of his hands

★ he doesn't care about celebrations; the only thing he wants after a match, no matter if he won or not, is just to be with you again. cause in the end, nothing's better than the company of his lovely wife<3

hello anon! thank you for your request, i hope you like it!<3

small reminder: my scenarios/headcanons requests are open<33

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A: Sun will R1ze!> 001-A02 Proof of determination

A translation of 18TRIP's CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

TL note:

金転がし (kanekorogashi) is an alternate name for まわり将棋 (mawarishogi), a traditional Japanese children’s game using the four Gold General shogi pieces and the pawns move into an anti-clockwise direction. The rules and gameplay elude me, but this website described it as Snakes and Ladders, which I am more familiar with, thus I went with that.

Kafka: HAMA will fully cease accepting special financial support from the prefecture of Tokyo!

Hakkei: …Wha- what is the meaning of this, Kafka! No- 0th Ward Mayor!

Kafka: Ah, you recognized me as the 0th Ward Mayor. Thank you very much ♪ It’s a given, though. 

Hakkei: Leave the trifling matters aside. Refusing funding from the capital? What are you planning to do with HAMA’s dwindling budget!

HAMA ward resident A: S-seriously, what is the plan here…

HAMA ward resident D: A stop to financial support… A declaration of a full stop to HAMA… 

Kaede: (...Kafka, just what in the world are you thinking?)

Kafka: Please be at ease. Now that I’ve been inaugurated as the 0th Ward Mayor, I’m intending to fully restore all of HAMA. Hence, the current method of doing things is no longer applicable.

Kafka: Rather than being restricted by insufficient funding and having our hands tied, I must go as far to propose a temporary termination in order to be able to enforce more drastic measures. 

Hakkei: And instead of that trifling amount of funding, from where do you intend to procure your capital?

Hakkei: This isn't child’s play- do you even comprehend that these politics are intertwined with the foundation of a whole city? 

Kafka: Towards these ends, I’ve invested every single penny to my own name into establishing a travel agency that will have direct control over the 18 wards of HAMA.

Kafka: Its name is HAMA Tours!

Kafka: It will be in charge of directing all general tourism affairs of HAMA,  and arranging package tours which haven’t been done before now. Proceeds will in turn serve as financial support for tourism.

Hakkei: Hmph! A mere pipe dream fabricated by some anklebiter. Tourism is not to be underestimated! Is your purpose to smash all of HAMA with that company of yours to pieces, Kafka!?

Hakkei: If you’re using your legal obligation as the 0th Ward Mayor to play house, then I will not allow this in a million years!

Kafka: …Who’s the one playing house here?

Hakkei: …

Kafka: Let me make it clear how I’m putting my life on the line.

HAMA ward resident A: The president of the biggest bank in all of HAMA!? And… they’re shaking hands!?

Kaede: (Kafka… Just when did you meet up with the president of the bank!?)

Hakkei: This is…

Kafka: A few days ago, fundraising for HAMA Tours found itself in a rough spot, so we were able to come to an agreement about receiving a loan♪  

Kafka: Incidentally, as a safety net, we have all that is in my possession, and everything under the name of the Oguro Family. Not only our estate and plot of lands we own, but the colossal amount of intellectual property left by mother is included too. In other words—

Kafka: When HAMA sinks to the depths of the ocean, I too sink. I am mentally prepared to lose anything and everything. Still feeling inclined to describe this as playing house?

Hakkei: ……

Kafka: Of course, sinking to rock bottom is not in my agenda. Therefore, the days of receiving financing will not come back. To all ward residents of HAMA…

Kafka: Together with me, we’re facing a big gamble to bring our HAMA back to life. So you’ll place your bets, right?

HAMA ward resident B: I changed my mind! If he’s willing to go that far, then I'm onboard!

HAMA ward resident C: “HAMA Tours”, eh?- Good luck! Come partner up with our joint!

HAMA ward resident D:  The new Ward Mayor’s top of the grade determination… Gleefully accepting resolution…  One chance of HAMA’s regeneration…

Kaede: (The whole venue’s mood flipped completely…! Kafka… you went as far as putting everything you own into this. You really are out of this world…!)

Kaede: (I also have to contribute with all I can! We’ll absolutely make HAMA Tours a success!)

Hakkei: …Hmph, you've gotten the extent of your determination across. If you’re willing to declare that much, then you'd better show it with your actions. On the other hand!

Hakkei: I won’t cut any corners. Reviews will not get higher ratings out of compassion. I have not a single clue about how many times you’ve succeeded with your investments, but I’ll have you know tourism differs from a game of snakes and ladders. At most, you’ll flail hopelessly. 

Kafka: …Please continue to enjoy the view as a spectator. We will show you achievements beyond your expectations. …Uncle Hakkei.

Hakkei: Hmph!

Kafka: Good work out there, Kaede-chan. How was the inauguration? I gave it all I got, right?

Kaede: Kafka… I was anxious, to be honest. And I was relieved everything turned out well. When I heard that you’re cutting off funding, everyone around me was shaken to their core, you know. 

Kafka: Eeeeh~ That’s noooooot much praise. Especially when I did my oh-so best out there too~

Kaede: I thought you were amazing! I really did! It was just such a risky bet…

Kafka: Well, can’t deny that. But there were a lot of people passionate about the tourism industry from the ward residents that gathered, and I wanted them to properly accept HAMA’s situation and make it a personal problem. 

Kafka: Hospitality isn’t viable if only those at the top put in the effort. I wanted each and every single ward resident to consider contributing to HAMA. But, ultimately, I wanted to show there’s hope. You get me?

Voice of newscaster: “Furthermore, as declared by the new 0th Ward Mayor Oguro Kafka, the establishment of the travel agency HAMA Tours was made public.”

Kafka: Ah, look at that display over there! Our company logo is being shown on it!

Kaede: That’s… our new company’s…

Kaede: …. It is cute, but why a dog?

Kafka: Because I’m a dog person ♪ Which you already knew, yeah? Ah, I also have plans for a company song to be made.

Kaede: You are not going to put dogs in the song too, right?

Kafka: It’s a surprise for when you listen ♪

Kaede: (....Kafka, you look like you’re having fun. The inauguration today gave me chills all over, but if he can smile like that, then I have a feeling it'll be okay.)

Kaede: (Maybe the reality of all this is starting to sink in for me too. I’m going to be working for the sake of HAMA going forward…!)

(Kafka smiling)

Kafka: …

Kafka: Okay, I’ll send you the location of our company office building and schedule on PeChat. Work begins immediately starting next week! And, as for Kaede-chan himself~

Kafka: Given you're the first commemorable employee, the role of chief goes to you! 

Kaede: Chief!? Are you suddenly shoving me into an executive position!? 

Kafka: I'm the company president, after all. I’m looking forward to working with you, right, Chief-chan ♪

Kaede: Eeeh~.... Geez, still pushy as always..… 

Kaede: (But, I’m not complaining. There’s an incredible feeling in my chest. I want to try it. I feel like this is what I’ve been truly wanting to do…) 

Kaede: (If I take this one step forward, the radiant sun will be ahead of me.)

Kafka: As if it’s a morning where the sun rises from the depths of the dark sea. There is hope for the future. 

Kafka: Don’t you believe we can convey that through our work? At least… that’s what I want to believe.  

Kaede: …Yes!

Kaede: (I’m sure that a lot of new encounters await me from now on. And… I want to believe that they’ll bloom into something beautiful!)

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

chapter 001 side A directory: TBA upon completion

[rallamajoop]

Mia Winters and the Connections

There are a lot of bad takes on Mia Winters out there, a lot of really irritating shallow misconceptions. But for now, I’m just going to tackle one of the big ones that annoys me the most.

Mia Winters is not a scientist, and it's debatable whether she had any long-term association with the project that created Eveline. She may not have even met Eveline before being assigned to transport her to South America.

Mia’s not any kind of researcher. Her job when she worked at the Connections is laid out clearly in the first document you find within moments of starting the flashback ("Orders"): she’s a member of the Special Operations Division in the English version, or a 'special agent' in the Japanese (特殊工作員, tokushu kousaku-in). The English version also gives Mia the role of 'caretaker', implicitly of Eveline, but there's not much to suggest this is a role extending beyond the bounds of this particular mission (for comparison, the Japanese doesn't mention caretaking at all).

Mia's job is exactly what we see her doing in the game: transporting important assets under cover identities, and running around doing damage control with a machine gun if things go south. She echoes the same in her letter to the Bakers, stating she 'was assigned to transport some important cargo.' Even the 'imprinting protocol' she refers to seems to be mostly part of a transport protocol (going by the very little we ever learn about it), and may not even have been implemented until shortly before they left.

Even in the one photo of her standing with the research team, you might note that Mia and her partner Alan are the only people present not wearing lab coats (and believe me, with how much other photoshopping there is in this photo, Mia would have been wearing a lab coat if they'd wanted her in one). The photo itself is far more of an easter egg than a real plot point anyway, and probably isn't worth reading too much into ‒ I mean, Alan is apparently the director of the Special Operations division, so it makes no sense to assume he's part of this one science team. But if you really want a 'canonical' explanation for this photo, considering Mia and Alan are wearing the same clothes as in the ship flashback, you could reasonably assume it was taken right before Eveline was shipped off to America ‒ a kind of "Let's get one last snapshot of the team together with the transport crew before Eveline goes to South America" deal. It's completely plausible Mia may not even have met Eveline until the same day this was taken.

So where does this 'scientist' nonsense come from? The only source which does call Mia a 'researcher' is a timeline entry in this one RE7 strategy guide which has never been published in English – and it's a good example of why sources like this are usually better treated as pseudo-canon at best. You can find various translations of it online – but you can also buy the whole ebook (which I did), so here's the page where it originally comes up.

And yes, inasmuch as I’m qualified to translate, the line does state that Mia joined the company as a ‘researcher’ (研究員, kenkyuu-in) in 2010. But the same guidebook also refers to her as an operative (工作員) just a couple of pages later, so even the guidebook is hardly consistent.

Charitably, perhaps we could read that Mia was initially hired as some kind of generic, low-level research assistant before being transferred to the special operations division after showing aptitude in that area. But it's more likely that Mia was simply going to be a researcher at some point in the game’s development history, before Capcom changed their minds, and the timeline that made it into the guidebook is just very out of date ‒ it happens. Either way, one line in an inconsistent guide book hardly trumps what actually made it into the games.

I do realise that asking people to pay attention to what's actually in the games over what's repeated in some wiki somewhere (or a gazillion different fanfic) is a big ask for any fandom, but Mia was clearly never a scientist in the game we all played. She still knowingly worked for some really evil people – she doesn’t get to claim innocence here – but the idea she's personally responsible for every bad thing ever done to Eveline is absurd.

FWIW, other details from the guidebook also back up the idea that transporting assets was a major part of Mia’s job. Her bio (above) mentions that she was away from home a lot, something that strained the Winters’ marriage, and that she told people she worked for a ‘trading company’ – a solid cover for a job focused on travel and logistics.

A very little is said about Mia’s relationship with Eveline. The guidebook does mention that the reason Eveline’s so attached to Mia is because Eveline had known her since she was ‘confined to the “mysterious organisation” that created her’, which could be taken to imply she knew Mia well before their trip began, but it's not much to go on. Mia's own feelings on Eveline are described briefly in a caption: “Although Mia found Eveline creepy, she also felt compassion for her lonely situation,” which tracks with how Mia interacts with her in-game. It doesn't track so well with the idea Mia had any real authority over how Eveline was raised or treated, however, and would be perfectly consistent with the idea Mia might not have known her long at all.

The guidebook timeline also tells us that the E-series project begain in 2000, and that Eveline herself was created in "the early 2000s." This doesn't make a whole lot of sense for reasons I've talked about already, but does put Eveline's creation well before 2010, the year the same timeline gives us for when Mia started working at the Connections. Since the guidebook also tells us Mia was 32 in 2017, back in 2000, she would have been all of 15 years old. Whatever Mia's involvement, the project long predates her joining the company.

But the real issue with trying to given Mia any major responsibility for the E-series project is that the lab that created Eveline was located in Europe. Mia, meanwhile, has a driver's license telling us she's from Texas.

The European location for the lab is another detail that gets barely mentioned in the games, though it's mentioned repeatedly in the guidebook, and the Baker Incident Report even puts it specifically in Munich, Germany. Given all we learn in RE8, that location does make a lot of sense, when the mould was found in Eastern Europe, and that Miranda herself was part of the research team (she gets multiple photos and a lab coat, you may note). And even if the lab wasn’t right on Miranda’s doorstep, Munich is a heckuva commute from Texas, or anywhere else in the US. Even if Mia was often away from Ethan for long periods, as her bio implies, how involved could she realistically have been?

I don't want to overstress the idea that it "doesn't make sense" for a special agent from Texas to have been intimately involved in a European research project ‒ making sense has never held back RE lore before. But the idea that Mia was brought in only as a handler for Eveline when she was being moved to America still makes a lot more sense than to suggest the Connections were fine with their star asset’s primary handler going home to the US every other weekend.

There are possibilities between the two extremes, of course: Mia may have had sporadic contact with Eveline before the trip, either regularly or just once or twice. It's easy to assume the 'imprinting protocol' must mean that Mia's been Eveline's primary handler for some time, but heck, maybe it's better read as the opposite ‒ something that can be quickly applied to a new handler or caretaker in a hurry, to explain how Eveline got so attached to someone she'd only just met.

Given everything we actually see of her, you could even speculate that Mia was chosen as Eveline's 'caretaker' specifically because she was someone nice and motherly enough for Eveline to bond with. Eveline was pretty clearly fucked up long before Mia ever got involved, and not actually wanting to adopt a walking bioweapon whose idea of a happy family involves mould-powered mind control really does not reflect badly on Mia's character.

Whether Mia was already working for the Connections before she met Ethan also isn't clear. The guidebook tells us she began working for them in 2010, and married Ethan in May of 2011 (later confirmed by the date on Mia's ring in RE8) – though it doesn't specify when she and Ethan met. Even by Texas standards, marrying someone you’d known less than a year would be pretty unusual, so it’s likely Ethan knew her before she took the job. But even that 2010 statement comes along with the bit about Mia being hired as ‘a researcher’, so you can always take it with a grain of salt if you'd prefer.

And that's pretty much it for what the complete RE canon ever tells us about Mia and her former employers.

So here’s where I’m left with Mia’s role at the Connections. Even if she wasn’t aware of exactly what she was signing up for when she joined the company, and even if she considered all that lying to her husband about it to be a simple matter of confidentiality around sensitive research, she’s fully aware by the disaster in 2014, and plainly has a guilty conscience when she admits to lying to Ethan in her video message. However responsible she may or may not have been, she's still complicit. Her hands are hardly clean.

But they’re still a whole lot cleaner than, say, Luis’, considering that he was a key member of the science teams at both Umbrella Europe and in Saddler’s cult, and I don’t see him getting a fraction of the same hate as Mia. They both regret what they’ve done, and they’re both willing to give their own lives to make up for it. No, Luis never lied to a spouse about it (that we know of), but he's every bit as shifty and secretive. And frankly, most of the other shit that gets dumped on Mia’s doorstep is just as much bullshit (like, people do realise the “Mia” we see having “marital problems” with Ethan at the start of RE8 isn’t Mia, right?) But that’s material for other posts.

We don’t know how Mia got involved with the Connections, or how she felt about working for them, because the games never give us this information, and that’s a real shame. But in the capitalist hellscape we’re all living in, she’d hardly be the first to find herself stuck working for truly terrible people, one way or another.

Meanwhile, everything we see her doing during the outbreak on the tanker speaks to a basically good person, desperately trying to run damage control in a fucked-up situation. She tells Alan she’s not going to let him die, even though what’s going down is his fault. She tries so hard to talk Eveline down. After she’s rescued by the Bakers in the Daughter's DLC, she insists on staying in the trailer, meaning to leave at her first opportunity – pretty significant, considering she knows she’s infected already. She also leaves them a message warning them to stay away from Eveline, even sharing information on how to make a serum if they are infected. If you pick her over Zoe on the dock, the first thing she does is try to convince Zoe to come with them anyway. Even under Eveline's mind control, you'll catch her ranting about needing to contain the outbreak, blaming herself, and telling Ethan she loves him with her last breath.

And after being infected herself, the first thing on her mind is to try and protect Ethan, recording that message admitting she’s lied to him, and warning him to stay away (Ethan never gets that message, but you can’t say Mia didn’t try). Mia loves Ethan enough to die to save him – and she will, if you choose the Zoe path, and she’ll do it without a second thought.

Mia is fascinating to me as a character because she’s so full of contradictions: a woman who leaves syrupy video messages sending ‘tons of kisses’ to her husband, but who is completely comfortable running around with a machine gun killing mould-monsters, and who shrugs off an Eveline jump-scare with 'fucking hallucinations!' Someone who’s done bad things and knows it, and is trying so hard to make up for it, but whose background and motivations are left frustratingly undeveloped. But if you haven’t caught that Ethan and Rose mean more to her than anything, you really haven’t been paying attention.

Whatever you assume about Mia’s full story, she’s complicated in a way that makes her so much more interesting to me than most of the franchise’s more popular playable characters. I am very serious in saying I want RE9 to be just the full Mia-Winters-story, because to me that’s the only remotely satisfying justification for keeping her such a mystery for so long. I know that's not at all likely, but fuck it, I can dream.

Mia’s made her share of mistakes, but holding her responsible for everything the Connections has ever done is no kind of fair.

[twentydaysofmay]

So at first, this was a reblog of a different post, but I am now making it an original one for greater reach. Be warned that it's going to be quite long.

So, we all know and love the promotional comics of our Wii boxers, like this one about Glass Joe:

You might have never questioned its origin, and neither did I when I first encountered it a year ago. I just assumed that Nintendo officially published it in a guide, because that's what every source about them that I've read was implying.

But then I learnt that these translations aren't official at all. They were apparently done by the Tumblr user @boink-the-joiner in 2013, whose blog seems to be unfortunately deleted.

And then I was informed of the existence of this image by my friend @fan-mans (Charlie):

He said he originally found it on Tumblr, though he didn't give me the link to where he got it from. (It happens to be included at the very start of this post.)

But this supposed "original version" seemed fishy to me for several reasons:

If this is the "original" Japanese version, and no "official" English one exists that was published alongside it, why are the sound effects written in the Latin alphabet?

Why is the authorship at the bottom in English? And isn't that the exact same font as in the well-known English version?

Why is it read left-to-right? Shouldn't it be flipped from the English version? Wouldn't it make more sense for Mac to punch him with his right arm and for Joe's hair to be more often on his right side than the left, and to first put on the left boxing glove, and hold the coffee cup in his right hand?

Why is there a red rectangle in the middle right?

Charlie said that all of this was because Nintendo was catering to an American audience, but never actually published the guide outside of Japan. (Apart from the red rectangle, which was apparently a part of the website that image originally came from, but he didn't have a link to that either.) I didn't believe it at first, because it just seemed like an incredibly stupid pair of decisions to me.

But today, I found this webpage. It's a blog post talking about strategy books for Nintendo games, and includes this image:

This is it! This is proof that Nintendo printed the comic to be read left to right in the original Japanese version!

There was that little bit of doubt in my mind though. What if the copy that shows the actual pages of the comic is in English? The quality is so low...

...but the kana here are clear enough.

That isn't the end of the story. Shortly afterwards, I came across this webpage:

THIS IS THE ORIGIN OF THAT JAPANESE VERSION OF THE JOE COMIC ABOVE! The red rectangle was, indeed, holding up a textbox.

Anyway, the full website can be found here, and includes a few other materials, such as this part of a guide on Title Defense Von Kaiser:

Sadly, the website only includes Joe's comic, and I haven't found the original Japanese versions of anyone else online, so currently, you'd have to own the guide to know what they look like.

Also, out of curiosity, I decided to use the Wayback Machine to see if the site has ever been modified, but it just wasn't archived there at all. Not even a single snapshot. So I went ahead and preserved what it currently looks like.

The website itself seems to belong to the company that published the guide, Enterbrain, a division of Kadokawa Future Publishing, which is a part of the Kadokawa Corporation. The names "Ebten" and "Famitsu" seem to be related to it as well, but I have yet to figure out exactly how. The full Japanese title of the book is パンチアウト！！完全クリアーガイドブック, and its ISBN is 978-4-7577-5067-8. At least according to these listings.

Not all questions about the comics have been answered. For instance, we still aren't quite sure why Nintendo (or Enterbrain, anyway) decided to flip them. And our translator Boink had to have the copies of all of the Japanese comics, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to translate them! What if they are reachable somewhere else, and we can ask them if they still have the original scans?

More information might come as I (and hopefully others) research more.

[booigi-boi]

Hi yes would you like to share the Pete and Richie headcanons if you don't mind

Amazing, here's some (by someone who isn't really a shipper, so it's mostly just "guys being dudes" vibes)

Mostly spend time at Richie's place cause his parents (or mom, I like to think his dad isn't in the picture) aren't home that often

They have NES game nights

Pete isn't into anime that much, but watches it with Richie cause he loves them, and watching Richie get excited makes Pete happy

Richie loves looking at Pete every five seconds when they watch anime, and gets extra clingy whenever Pete makes even a slightest indication that he's enjoying it

Richie was the first Pete told about Ted's disappearance

Since Pete lives with Ted (it's canon ofc. Ofc), Richie has offered to stay at their place to keep Pete company until Ted shows up again

Pete actually enjoys Richie's anime references despite not understanding any of them (Tengen Uzui poses mostly)

Autism on autism boyfriends

Richie has a subscription box of Japanese sweets, and despite cherishing them a lot and rarely giving them away to his friends to try, he offers them to Pete from time to time when Pete seems to be having low blood sugar episodes

Pete ofc has everything he needs to help him with his condition, but he can't say no to Richie and his love language

On Pete's birthday Richie bought him a very lowkey anime sweater (you can decide what anime, idc, lol)

[midnightfantasiez]

Twisted Love | 넷 (chp.4)

SUMMARY: you were certain that you would never find love nor ever lose your virginity throughout university, that is until a man named Lee Sangyeon came into the picture and offered to become your tutor; in exchange for keeping your grades up, and most importantly, teaching you everything you needed to know about sex. it was all just for fun & games, that is until one of you started to develop feelings for the other.

PAIRING: tutor!Sangyeon x afab!reader

GENRE: smut (18+ MDNI!!)

WARNINGS: we taking a look back on Sangyeon's past 👀, as well as a peak into reader's feelings, petnames (princess), talks about Sangyeon having fwb behaviour, unprotected sex (pls don't do that irl), dirty talk, creampie, rough sex, p in v sex, doggy style, pussy rubbing, lots of teasing from your best friend Haknyeon, sex jokes (nothing too vulgar dw), alcohol consumption, Sangyeon is now just cold 🥺

WORD COUNT: 4,121

A/N: apologies for the late update on this one it's been a while!! 😭 but we're back and hohoho. yall are not ready for this one 😮‍💨✨

send me an ask/comment to join the series taglist! those in my permanent taglist will automatically be added!

Sangyeon’s POV

“Sangyeon? Sangyeon-ah!” 

That loud voice startled the young teacher assistant as he was scrolling through his computer, grading all of the pop quizzes that were handed in by the students over the school holidays, making him turn his back almost immediately towards the direction of the owner of the voice. 

Professor Kim clearly noticed the vast and heavy under eye bags that he had gotten recently, and it was very concerning to him, especially when he used to be his favourite and top student several years back. 

“Sangyeon-ah, you clearly have something going on in your mind, don’t you?” 

He knew that his professor read him like a book, and there was nothing he could do to hide his emotions and struggles from him ever—at least, he had never succeeded once. Sangyeon was basically like the professor’s own son, taking him in and tutoring him for hours after lectures each day back then so that he could obtain the title of one of the best alumni the university has ever seen for the past decade. 

After graduation, Sangyeon traveled to Tokyo for a couple of years and gained some experience there before returning to Seoul, where he met the love of his life. 

Meeting his ex was truly one of the best things he had ever experienced, especially abroad, since he had accepted the fact that he would be completely stuck working remotely in his apartment, with little to no contact from the outside world. 

But it was thanks to his roommate, who convinced him to attend their monthly company events, that he met the love of his life. She was half Korean and half Japanese, and she was truly one of the sweetest human beings he had ever seen. 

Within less than a year, they got so close that he decided to move in with her, spending almost 24 hours with her at all times and treating her the best that he possibly could. It went pretty smoothly for two years—travelling all across Japan during the weekends and their paid holidays while making precious memories together. 

Sangyeon was convinced that he had found the love of his life, and he was ready to propose to her. He even reserved a specially made ring from Tiffany & Co. in Ginza, Tokyo—turquoise was her favourite colour, after all. 

But his dreams came shattering down when his ex confronted him in the comforts of their apartment one night, telling him that she had found someone better and that it was time to end their relationship. Tears were shed, and his heart was shattered into pieces when he found out the exact reason why she saw no future between them.

You don’t pleasure me enough. 

Through that heartbreak, he decided that he needed to go through a healing journey, and to really figure out what he was lacking that made his ex end things abruptly with him during the peak of their relationship. Hence, he started meeting different types of girls—goody-two shoe ones or girls who were often wild and found at the clubs, all to figure out and work on his sex skills. 

He has definitely learnt a lot more through those experiences, even if some of them turned out pretty messy and unpleasant—he just needed to refine himself to make sure that he would be loved once again. 

However, when he finally got back to Seoul a couple of years prior, he decided that it was time to put his fuckboy life behind in order to live a proper life with a stable job and to mix around with people who weren’t just craving for his dick. 

After a few different jobs, he finally landed on his current one, and he was surprised yet grateful that Mr Kim actually thought and remembered about him after all those years, and he immediately accepted the offer without much dilemma, thinking that working in the education field would divert his attention back to reality for a bit. 

That was until he met you. 

He only had one job at the sorority party: to make sure that the students avoided making outrageous decisions and that everyone went back home safe and sound. But somehow, he laid his eyes upon you, and you reminded him so much of his ex. Be it the looks you had or your demeanour, or how it was the way you reacted that was the exact same with his ex back when he first crossed paths with her during a company event where she had a little too much to drink. 

Instantly, the lust within him grew, and he knew that it was hard for him to refuse the kiss that you gave. One thing led to another, and then you actually trusted him to take your virginity away. Sangyeon was definitely beyond grateful about that, knowing that he was actually validated and loved in some way, even if you were absolutely lost in this whole messed up contract you both had made with one another. 

But there was something different about you: you never refused his touch and that you actually enjoyed his company, even if his tutoring sessions were definitely something completely different to what you had in mind. 

Sangyeon never thought much about it, until Haknyeon came into the picture. 

He never really knew why that was exactly the case. Haknyeon had been your best friend since you were kids, and he had little to no room for messing up with your personal life. It was not his place to have a say in this, after all. Who was he to judge nor control the timing of when your best friend would actually return from abroad and reunite with you this quickly? 

It shouldn’t have affected him in the slightest—Haknyeon was just being himself and hanging out with his best friend after being separated for quite a while.

But why did he have this uncomfortable feeling deep down in his gut that was slowly eating him away? 

To the point he even had a spicy dream about you making out with your best friend. 

It has been a week since he last saw you, and this time, Sangyeon himself was the one to turn down all of the tutoring sessions that were supposed to be going on, coming up with any possible excuses to tell you that he wasn’t able to see you for a while.

Or rather, he wasn’t ready to reunite with you. 

However, he knew that he could no longer avoid this, as he clearly had to meet with you to discuss the possible topics or chapters that your professors would highlight in the upcoming quiz that was going to take place next week. 

With that, he kindly excused himself from the lecture hall where he was with Professor Kim. He slowly made his way out to the nearest rooftop garden, located right outside the campus. He reluctantly took out his phone and dialled the familiar number. 

“Hey, I’m coming over at eight tonight. Don’t be late.”

Y/N’s POV

Your walls are slowly ripping apart with every single thrust that Sangyeon makes within you, not caring about your pleas and cries as he continues to push his cock further and as deep as he can. 

You were panting while lying flat down on the bed with your ass sticking up to his abdomen, both your arms bound by one of his veiny hands, while the other was gripping a clump of your hair as his groans filled the entire room. 

Sure, you both have had rough sex like this before, but deep down, you knew that something wasn’t right, especially with the way he treated you firsthand when he stepped right into your apartment. The both of you would usually start with your actual work, having an hour or two to work on your grades before going in with the sex, but that wasn’t the case today.

Immediately, he quickly pinned you straight to your front door the moment you let him in, and he began kissing you feverishly, not giving you any room for rejecting his advances. Frankly, you couldn’t even do much because, well, you did kind of miss his presence. 

You missed his scent so badly and how his fingers would comb through your hair whenever you made out. You missed the way his lips felt against yours, that sweet mango-flavoured lip balm that he would often apply on a daily basis, one that you have grown accustomed to. 

Most importantly, you craved the way he would treat you in bed. He knew exactly what you needed and was feeling for the day. It was as if he had some sort of telepathy when it came to reading your mind, and he would meet every single one of your needs for the day. 

Sangyeon always made you feel good about yourself; it made you feel as if you were loved by someone, given that you had concluded that romance would never be a thing for you in university. But ever since Sangyeon came into the picture, that all changed. 

You knew this was all part of the gimmick and the so-called “contract.” None of this is accurate, and you two will not be guaranteed to end up as a couple.

However, you have always kept your hopes up that perhaps one day, Sangyeon would change his mind and that you actually meant a lot more to him, given that he would agree with this whole ordeal in the first place. 

Right? 

It has been about 3 minutes of Sangyeon constantly picking up his pace as he thrusts into you, but this time, you could tell that he was getting impatient. He tugged you up aggressively to pull you upright, with you now kneeling on the bed while his other hand was still holding both of yours in place. 

“Y/N— Tell me—How much you missed this?” He panted while he leaned close to whisper into your ear, desperate for your answer.

“A lot— I missed this so much—” 

“Come on, Y/N. You can do better than that— Show me how much you missed this—” Sangyeon growled before letting go of your hair and moving down to rub your dripping wet clit.

“I— I missed you, Sangyeon! I want you so badly!” You were now shaking from the mess that Sangyeon had placed you in, and it made it even worse when he began sucking on your earlobe. “I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” 

“Cum all over my cock, princess. Do it for me,” Sangyeon commanded before giving one final thrust as you two finally came, then taking a few seconds to come down from your high before letting you go as you fell straight down onto the bed. 

You expected Sangyeon to do the same because that was what you had grown accustomed to—cuddling in bed until you regained strength and sometimes sharing a few sensual and slow kisses before he would carry you right into your bathtub and give you a warm bath. 

However, your tutor immediately got up and put on his pants, pushing his sweaty hair back with his hands before draping his shirt over his bare shoulders and walking straight into the living room. 

“Call me when you’re ready. I’ll get you ready for a bath, and then we’ll work on the lectures.”

Those were the very last words he said without even turning his head back to look at you before closing your bedroom door shut. 

Something was definitely not right.

“What’s with that gloomy face that would actually cause a thunderstorm to happen sooner than later, miss Y/N?” 

You were brought back to reality when your best friend flicked you on your forehead, earning a yelp from you while giving him an immense glare as if you were going to murder him right here and then. 

“Nothing. Just been having some issues with some assignments,” you commented before returning to meddle with your boba straw instead of drinking from it. 

“Nah, I’m not convinced. Y/N, I’ve known you for decades now, and that look is giving me an I'm-depressed-please-get-me-to-talk-about-it look,” Haknyeon insisted as he pulled your boba drink away from you.

“Hey! Give it back!” You raised your voice before your best friend began taking a sip of your beverage. “Oh, Ju Haknyeon, you’re so dead—”

“Then spill. I’m going to finish up your favourite Oolong Milk Tea if you don’t,” he stuck out his tongue right at you before taking a few more sips of your beverage. You could clearly see that he was already halfway through and would inhale the entire thing if you were not going to speak anytime soon.

“Okay okay, stop! Don’t finish it! That’s my very last boba that I’ll be able to afford for the month.”

“Not my problem that you’re not earning as much with your current part-time job.”

“Look, I’m doing it all for charity, okay?”

“Don’t care; spill the tea now.”

“You’re so–”

“Tick tock, tick tock! I’m going to finish it!” Haknyeon teased before taking another big sip, and he was close to finishing up your boba pearls. 

“Fine! I’ll talk! Now take your mouth out of that straw,” you snarled. 

Haknyeon’s eyes now glowed as if he was going to listen to his favourite bedtime story from when he was a kid, and he quickly pushed the drink aside and rested his face on both of his palms as he leaned forward to look straight at you. 

“I hate how something tells me that you’re planning to use whatever I’m going to say up against me.” 

“It depends, knowing you it’s probably about your “side assignment” instead of your actual ones.” 

Dang it. 

“I absolutely despise how you just know too well about me,” you sulked. 

“Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me forever as best friends, so suck it up,” he smiled, giving you his signature puppy eyes which just made you roll your eyes back. “Now that’s just rude. You’re ignoring my cuteness.” 

“It makes me wanna puke every time I see you do that straight to my face,” you fought back. 

“Okay so, what exactly happened between you and Sangyeon?” Haknyeon immediately jumped into the topic, not giving you a little breath of air to mentally prepare yourself on how you would address it to your best friend. 

On the bright side, it definitely saves you from taking your usual 10 minutes to muster up the courage before you would touch on topics like this. 

“I wished I knew, Haknyeon,” you lowered your head, and your voice was now getting softer than before. Truthfully, you never really knew how you felt about all of this. 

You were definitely concerned about Sangyeon’s change of demeanour; it was not like him to give you fairly little attention or care. After all, the Sangyeon you knew always made sure the people around him were being taken care of, and he would always put up this genuine and soft smile that seemed to make even the worst possible scenario seem bearable. 

However, another part of you was also feeling certain emotions that you weren’t sure if you could pinpoint them correctly. Sadness? Loneliness? Upset? You really didn’t know at all. 

But it seemed your friend immediately picked up on the situation and flat-out shoved his observations right at your face. 

“So you’re sad that he did not give you any aftercare after your last sex,” Haknyeon flatly blurted out right there and then.

“What the fuck? Of course not! It was definitely nice if he did…but that’s not the main point,” you were now blushing as you commented on that. 

“Hmm…you’re sad he walked out on you after sex,” he continued.

“Haknyeon. He was just different. Even during our tutoring sessions, he wouldn’t even look right at me in the eyes, and his vision was constantly on the lecture notes for the 2 hours we were doing it.”

“And then he left right away after that.”

“And yes, he left immediately after that, with only a single goodbye.” 

You slowly waited for your friend to process all that information before his concerned look turned into a sinister smile, knowing he was up to no good. 

“You wanted more sex after that.” 

Immediately, you slapped his arms, earning a yelp from him and sending you daggers through his eyes. “Can you not hurt me like that!”

“Then be serious with me, will you?” You snapped, crossing both of your arms while giving him a little huff. 

“Okay fine, he’s different than usual. And what about it? You do know that Sangyeon has his own life and matters to deal with; he’s also an adult and not just a tutor and a sex buddy, okay?”

“I’m aware of that…but it’s affecting me too…” 

“How so?” 

Haknyeon now scoots closer to you, and he is now resting his hand on his arms that are draped on the table so that he can peer up and look straight at your face from below. 

“Oh, hell no. You caught feelings for the guy, Y/N.” 

Cat’s out of the bag. 

Suddenly, all the alarms went off in your mind, and all the puzzle pieces came together immediately. You knew that from the back of your mind, part of the reason you didn’t want to agree with this whole contract to begin with was that you were afraid that you wouldn’t be able to distinguish between “business” and “romance”. 

However, you were desperate to find love, and you were certainly not going to graduate university being labelled as a virgin. Hence, you decided that it wouldn’t harm to actually try it out. 

Only if you knew that your worst nightmare was slowly beginning to form down the road. 

You didn’t really know when you started falling for your tutor, but who could’ve blamed you? Especially when he was one of the university’s top alumni and had such good looks that made every female swoon over him whenever he bypassed down the halls. 

Sangyeon was truly a blessing and a curse for you. You were now stuck in a situation where you actually developed feelings for the man himself, even when you promised yourself that you would never fall deep into this whole situationship that was going on between you two. 

It seemed as if you had failed. Horribly. 

If it wasn’t for Haknyeon, who was now cupping both of your cheeks with his hands, you could’ve gone on and on overthinking this whole situationship between you and Sangyeon. Thankfully, you were now brought back to reality and managed to break that unpleasant train of thought for a little while. 

“Look, Y/N. I don’t know why you’re overthinking about all of this. If you fall for him, then why not? Confess to him. If you’re worried about him, then ask him face-to-face. It can’t be that hard, especially when you both are a lot closer than just normal friends.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know why I’m making such a big deal out of all this,” you chuckled before choking on the tears bound to drip down your face. 

But Haknyeon wouldn’t let that happen and immediately embraced you, soothing you by rubbing your back while his other hand patted your head. “Here’s an idea: you’re good at baking. Why not make him some sweet treats to thank him for all the hard work he has put in for you and also to make him happier?” 

“You’re right. Maybe I could whip up that mango sago recipe my mother used to make for me all the time, and I’ll give it to him after the quiz tomorrow morning.” 

With that, Haknyeon smiled and ruffled your hair before rubbing his nose against yours. “Now that’s more like the Y/N I know.”

You tried so hard to juggle between studying for your quiz and making the dessert the night prior. To be fair, making the dessert would’ve taken about half an hour, and it was a fairly simple recipe—that is if Haknyeon hadn’t decided to take you out to a newly opened bar and treat you to some drinks before you finally came to realise that you have a quiz the following day. 

You scurried your way back home at 1 in the morning, and you quickly tried your best to sober up by chugging down glasses of water and splashing your face with some cold water in an attempt to pull an all-nighter. 

Without wasting time, you immediately set your phone on silent mode and try your best to focus on studying for the quiz while taking necessary breaks to work on the dessert. It took about a couple of hours before you realised the sun was about to rise as the sunlight shone through your blinds. You knew there was no point in trying to take a little shut-eye now, for you wouldn’t want to risk being late for the quiz.

Instead, you caked on as much makeup as you could to try to cover the under-eye bags and to make it seem that you weren’t drunk in the slightest as you packed away everything, including the dessert, as you made your way to campus.

Besides feeling groggy and not your best self due to the lack of sleep and alcohol in your system, everything else went smoothly as you arrived on time and did some last-minute studying before your professor was about to walk in with the papers in hand. 

Sure enough, Sangyeon trailed behind Professor Kim at 8 a.m. sharp and helped your professor to pass out the papers for each student, even coming close to placing one right on your desk personally. Obviously, you looked up to see him right in the eye, but the male didn’t return the favour, and he quickly made his way towards the other students.

You were slightly upset, that’s for sure. However, you figured he was just doing his job and not making any unnecessary interaction since it was during campus hours. Once all of the students had gotten their papers, the professor started the timer before everyone began answering the questions frantically. 

On the other hand, you were doing fairly well and with ease, all thanks to Sangyeon highlighting the specific chapters to focus more on during your last tutoring session with him. You could answer all of them easily before you realised you had finished a little earlier than the other students. 

With that, you gently placed your pen on one side before turning your eyes to look straight at the male himself. Unfortunately, he was staring right at the students on the lower ground, not even once tilting his head up to glance at the floor you were on. Once again, you had to remind yourself that he was just doing his job as a teacher’s assistant, nothing else. 

After what seemed like 10 minutes had passed, the timer that your professor set had gone off, and all of the students were to hand in their papers before they were permitted to leave the hall, and then it was the start of midterm break. 

You followed the other students, gently placing your paper on your professor’s desk before bowing to him and wishing each other a blessed midterm break until you reached the front door where Sangyeon leaned against the wall, grabbing onto your wrist and not letting it go in the slightest. Instead, his grip tightened slightly before he gently pulled you back into the hall, addressing a few things with your professor before he took the papers with him and left. 

“H-Hey, Sangyeon! Thanks for helping me during the last tutoring session. The quiz was fairly easy, and I was able to answer the whole thing fairly quickly!” You tried your best to show Sangyeon your excitement, but the male only furrowed his brows and stared at you blankly. 

Now, that was awkward. 

Trying your best to break the tension between you two, you quickly fished through your backpack to pull out the dessert that you have been dying to give to him. “Oh! I made you a little something last night to show you my token of appreciation! I think you’ll love it—”

“Y/N. Stop it.” 

That alone was enough to freeze you in place, and your hand immediately fell off from your backpack. “S-Sangyeon? Is something the matter?” 

Instead of answering your question, Sangyeon takes in a deep breath and tucks his hands away into his pockets before closing in his distance between you. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N. But this whole tutoring session between us is over.”

A/N: one more chapter to go folks 🥹

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[ellisgirl]

Jude Jazza & Ellis Twilight — Villains Want to Embarrass Little Robin Story Event

Epilogue

I do not own any contents of Ikemen Villains. This story being uploaded in this blog belongs solely to CYBIRD. Please support them by downloading their games and buying their stories. Both English and Japanese are not my mother tongue languages, please keep in mind that there will be mistakes and added words for my own preferences. I translate for my personal entertainment and for my own practice only.

Kate: "Ellis's "request"... Is this okay with you? Are you sure?

Ellis: "Yeah. Date with Jude and Miss Kate on my day off."

Jude: “There's no such thing as a date with the three of us.”

Each with a gelato of a different colour in hand, we sit on the stairs and look out over the city of London.

Ellis: “I saw that Miss Kate seemed to be having a good time on her last mission, so I thought the three of us would be good together."

(Looks like fun..... Was it?)

I try to remember what happened a few days ago.

I was surprised by Mr. Jude's Queen’s English,

I was blown away by Ellis's outrageous act,

Sleeping in a bed with the three of us.….

(......Well, the last one shocked me the most anyway)

I can't say that it was fun, but it was certain that laughter came to mind more than fear.

(Once again, it's thanks to the two of them that we were able to finish the mission safely.)

Ellis: “Here, Miss Kate. I'll give you a bite of mine."

Kate: "Wow..... Actually, I was a little curious of your gelato’s flavour, thank you very much."

I lick the chocolate-coloured gelato with my words.

Kate: "!....so sweet and delicious"

Ellis: "Fufu... I'm glad."

Ellis: “Give me Jude's, too."

Without waiting for Mr. Jude's response, Ellis ate the light yellow food in a single bite.

Jude: "Tsk.... I'm telling you to stop eating without permission."

Ellis: "That's right, I'm sorry. But it was delicious, thank you for the meal."

Ellis is the same as always, even to Mr. Jude who seems to be in a bad mood.

After working together with several missions, I get the sense that....... The two of them do not get along well with each other, but it is natural that they have each other's backs.

(......Somehow, it's nice)

I was a little jealous, and when I was staring blankly at Jude's hand,

Ellis: "Miss Kate, do you want to eat Jude’s too?”

Kate: "What?"

When Ellis suddenly said that, my voice turned inside out.

Kate: "No, I was staring at him for a different reason.”

The tip of Mr. Jude's tongue scoops up the pear gelato.

(Ah... but it sure looks delicious.)

Jude: “…..Do you want it?”

Kate: "Eh, is it okay.......?"

I was puzzled when he offered it to me, but I put my lips to it and extended my tongue.

But just before the tip of the tongue touched, the gelato went away.

Kate: “…….?”

Jude: “.....Ha, your face."

Mr. Jude laughed at me who was stuck with my tongue out, and licked another mouthful of gelato.

Kate: "Hey, that's terrible.... Fiddle with my appetite….!”

Ellis: “All right, all right. ......Next time you can eat his like I do, Miss Kate."

Jude: “I told you not to do that. I'm going to beat you to a pulp.”

Ellis said as if he suddenly remembered while I quietly enjoying my own portion of lemon gelato.

Ellis: "Oh, that's right. What is Miss Kate's request?"

Kate: "Eh? Oh...”

Kate: “I'm fine with it because it was the two of you that kept me from being exposed."

Ellis: "But you did a lot of hard work, right?"

Ellis: "I want to fulfil your “request”."

Jude: “………”

Mr. Jude is looking towards the day after tomorrow, as if to say that this question and answer is meaningless.

Kate: "Well then......"

Kate: "Can you tell me how Ellis came to work at Jude's company?"

Ellis: "Is that a request for me? Or a request for Jude?"

Kate: "Both of you. This one is enough."

Jude: “It's a bunch of nonsense. You don't need that useless information.”

Kate: "Yes, it's fine."

Ellis: "Well... I wonder where to start."

Ellis: “When I first met Jude in London, he put me to sleep with his curse ability right after a few words.”

Kate: “Eh…..!?”

Ellis: "That was the first time Jude realised his ability, right?"

Jude: "I thought he was dead because he suddenly rolled to the ground."

Kate: "So, what happened...?"

Jude: "He woke up when I was smoking."

Kate: "Were you smoking next to someone you thought might be dead.....?"

Ellis: "At that time, I thought maybe he was the same as me, so I also showed my ability."

Kate: "...You mean that you restrained Mr. Jude's wrists...?"

(I don't know what to be scared of...)

Jude: "You don't need that part.”

Ellis: “So, since I didn't have a place to stay, he took me to his house.”

Kate: "Yeah... They say don't follow people you meet for the first time......"

Kate: "Or rather, Mr. Jude shouldn't bring someone you've met for the first time to your house...?"

Jude: “I don't need you to tell me how to manage my life.”

Ellis: "And, I signed the contract."

Kate: "I'm starting to feel like I'm listening to a bad scam experience...... With the way things are going, why did you sign.....?"

Ellis: “I don't have to worry about food, work, or a place to live. .....because he promised me."

Ellis: "I'm waiting for the time when Jude will be the happiest in his life."

Kate: "A promise that will be fulfilled at that time, you mean?"

Ellis: "Yes. He promises to fulfil my request when that time comes."

Kate: “Your request?”

Ellis smiled and avoided the answer.

Ellis: "But... It's hard to come. I wonder if Jude has always been unhappy."

Jude: "You're so noisy."

Kate: "What about Mr. Jude? Why did you decide to hire Ellis?"

Jude: “His physical ability and his curse are useful. He's definitely a bit of a nutcase."

Jude: "There's no way we're going to miss this precious labour force."

Kate: ".....Aiming for the body......?”

Jude: "Stop using creepy phrases."

(Mr. Jude wants to use Ellis conveniently, and Ellis wants Mr. Jude to grant his wish.)

They are by each other's side for each other's purposes...... I guess it's a contractual relationship.

(But...... I feel like that contract was finalised because it was these two people, not anyone else.)

Anyone else would surely have had a different outcome.

I think it's stronger than the bonds of friendship and love.

Ellis: "Well, next's Jude's turn."

Jude: “……..”

After thinking a little, Mr. Jude pointed at me,

Jude: "...From here”

His fingertip pointed across the main street.

Jude: "Run as fast as you can to the bookstore five blocks away and buy these."

On the paper that was given to me, there was a lot of the name of the book.

Kate: "Why do I need to run as fast as I can....?"

Jude: "It's boring when it's just an errand, isn't it?"

Jude: "....Will you keep your promise?"

(That's right......)

Kate: "I'm going......!”

I ate the rest of the gelato and ran through the city of London.

Ellis: ".....You don't have to run.”

Jude: "If you let her walk too long, she'll look back."

Ellis: "Four, five... seven? Who is it this time? Those who have a grudge against Jude again?"

Jude: "I don't know."

Jude: "Three minutes. Finish it before the princess comes back."

Ellis: “Give me two and a half minutes. You'll be thirsty, I'll have to buy you some water."

Jude: "Tsk..... If you do it, you should do four people."

Ellis: "Understood."

Without making any arrangements or exchanging eye contact, the two casually stepped into London’s thinly lit streets.

With the image of Kate coming home breathless.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 >> Chapter 2 >> Premium End >> Epilogue