#that's why it's so interesting to dissect! and also why it is IMPOSSIBLE TO TRY TO RANK IT like even aside from it just being a weird

[dsknsk]

Limbus Company and its visual portrayal of female characters, an essay

Limbus Company, and by extent, Project Moon has been a great example of how female characters are visually portrayed. In this article, I’ll try to dissect why and how, focusing on Limbus Company as it has by far the largest amount of images I can talk about. Let’s dive in.

Disclaimer: I'm by no means a professional so please, PLEASE don't clown on this i.e mention the summer controversy. I have a personal trauma on that and do not wish to revisit it. I know it's practically impossible to ask from tumblr, but still.

Visually portraying a subject

Where to start? At the very beginning, of course. Portraying a subject visually (not talking about female characters in specific yet) has a number of things attached to it. Perhaps the first question one can ask themselves is this:

Where do I want the focus to be?

Now, you can be short and say ‘the subject, of course’, but even then, that won’t often be precise enough. Let’s say you have a butterfly as your subject. Do you want the focus to be on its beautiful wings? Or its curious multi-faceted eyes, or its roll-up tongue? What do you want the viewer to notice immediately? 

Arguably, even photos of landscapes have at least one point of focus. The pretty waterfall, the vast mountains, the green pastures or the starry sky. Some have the focus split up in two, where both the lake and the mountains are to be spotted immediately.

How focus can be created

There are multiple ways focus can be drawn to a specific part or to a specific subject. 

One way is to simply make everything but your point of focus uninteresting. A common effect used is the Bokeh, which blurs out the background so that it will automatically appear as less interesting and more as a faded bunch of colors that contrasts with the point of focus which is sharply shot in HD. You can also make the background to be a flat color, like black or white. Some pieces of art additionally add colored shapes or lines behind the subject as to accentuate it further.

(an example of Bokeh. In addition, the direction in which another character looks shows what our main subject is, who is actually positioned off-center.)

You can also just…fill the space with the subject, as in a close-up of the thing in question. Following the previous butterfly example, it’s like only showing a small part of its wings, enlarged to comparatively huge proportions. This is also seen in portraits and to a lesser extent, similar art like waist-ups.

The eye is immediately drawn to what we should look at, which is the character who’s front and center in the image. Secondarily the blood. Her hair also uses the next point below: color.

If you’re working with color, then color is an excellent way to bring the focus to a subject. Bright colors and contrasts can be used, like what’s done here:

The bright red forms a direct contrast to the green that dominates the color pallette. It thus leads the eye to the red areas - aka the blood the character is spilling as well as her face, which is technically a tint of red. The red returning in her eyes which have a small trail, and on her bloodied face, as well as the yellow of her tie, further help to bring focus to her face and her expression. (Other than that, this image also has classic cartoon speed lines, which are minor but do help).

Light is also something I should mention. Using the image from above, the character is actually rushing towards the darker areas of the image. The light is coming from where she seemed to come from, judging by the speed lines and the trail of red we just saw in all its glory. The light forms a line around the subject which keeps said subject’s green uniform from blending into the darkness and the green of the image.

There is a specific technique called chiaroscuro (lit. ‘light-dark’) which is totally a real thing that even old masters like Rembrandt have used to bring focus. The gist of it is that the painting has very bright areas which is the subject, surrounded by dark areas, with not much in between. This technique is often used to make scenes more dramatic, and to immediately show us what the artist wants us to see, without any possible doubt. It’s like putting a spotlight on your head in a dark room. Chiaroscuro is also seen in Limbus:

You can’t actually see much of the room our subject is in. The only light is coming from the candles, illuminating the top part of our subject. The other, darker half is much harder to see the details of. This makes it so that the eye is led from either the character towards the source of the light (the candles) or in reverse, both of which are possible and valid because in both cases, we ignore the pitch black part of the artwork.

How to create focus with characters (in specific)

Now, humans and humanoids are fascinating subjects to focus on, because there are so many situations a person can be in, and so much stuff a person can be. Are they the commander of a spaceship? A medieval ruler? An overworked office clerk? There are specific things that more or less pertain to humanoid characters more. I’m going into two aspects, clothing and posing - I’m aware there’s more, but for the sake of making this not longer than it is I’m going into only those two.

1. Clothing

What someone wears makes up a considerable part of how they’re seen and what they are presumed to be. This is also a large part of stereotyping. If you're wearing a t-shirt with pants, sunglasses, and have a camera around your neck, chances are people think you’re a tourist. To them, it likely won’t matter if you are, they will perceive you as one anyway. This is also important here: you might want to pretend you don’t know anything about the portrayed character or show their image to an unknowing friend and see what they think that the character is.

And that brings me to this point that I have seen so many times with female characters: their description/role not directly matching with how they are supposed to look if that were true. I’m talking about the battle-hardened veteran without muscles or scars of both kinds (even if adequate healing/scar removal is available in the setting). I’m talking about the scientist with a leotard under their lab coat. However, I’m not saying they should look a certain way or be the same - that’d be boring - I’m saying that…hey, it might make the viewer not take the character as serious as you want them to be.

The way clothing is built up can also serve as a way to bring focus to a specific aspect. Which will most often be either the boobs or the butt (or both) in the case of female characters. Look at this (non-Project Moon) example.

The woman in the front (obviously the focus due to the place she is standing in being squarely in the middle, and her red hair standing out) is the leader of that squad…as well as the strongest in battle. Without any protection of vital organs. With a shape under her boobs that would stab her fatally in the liver if she does as little as bend over.

The way her clothing is built up also brings the focus to her boobs - not only with how they’re prominently on display, but also with the shape the top and the fabric covering her shoulders makes. In a similar vein, her ‘pants’ and the belt all lead the eye downwards to her crotch as well. Furthermore, her thigh highs look skin-tight, bringing secondary focus to her legs, of course.

And last but not least. The guys behind her are actually properly armored from the neck down, making them somewhat more of a homogenous whole… in theory. The different body types, hair, and colors of the armor of the right and left dude make them stand out slightly more, which in turn only accentuates this ridiculous difference. 

I don’t really have many Project Moon-originating images on hand that are similar to this. Every time we’ve had an ID with a female character being the leader of their group (of which we’ve had surprisingly many, actually - Don has two Section Director IDs to boot) they have usually been posing alone, or well, posing…their full uptie art normally shows a moment when they’re beating their enemy into a pulp instead of posing for the camera like in the above image. This is really consistent with the other half of the playable characters, who are male.

I want to give a special mention to two characters despite that. Faust and Rodion are both known as the more well-endowed characters, but from their IDs and E.G.O it is treated as something that’s there rather than something to be exploited.

The blue glint is the highlight here, illuminating her blood-stained clothing but also finding its equal in her small, blue eyes. I have found eyes like this and expressions like this to be quite rare on female characters. Just look at her and her face. She’s completely lost it, wrapped in twisted and warped euphoria of the moment of ‘purging’ another ‘heretic’ - and from the looks of it, the last one on the scene. She’s not even trying to clean her own clothing or face, or expose her boobs. That’s not what matters to her image, showing any kind of skin doesn’t add to her character. She’s caught in this violent moment, having her victim completely in her literal grip - not even her eyes are looking at the camera. This image showcases the violent and sadistic nature of the character.

I find this art to be a curious thing. The background is actually rather bright, making the inverse true: the character is dressed in dark clothing, so that’s what the focus is on instead. Her coat flared out in such a way it can almost be mistaken for the underside of her long hair, making her seem even larger (something certain animals use when threatened to scare others into leaving). Her actual figure is thus more obscured, it only being a few tones darker. The thing that keeps her from being a dark blob in the foreground is her sword, large enough to be an odachi. Because she’s unsheathing it, the glint that comes from the blade immediately draws attention - arguably away from her partially unbuttoned top. The animation of this in the game supports this: no boob jiggle, just her standing calmly in the moment she’s just about to unsheathe her sword.

Because I’m going to use this example further in this thing, keep this one on hand.

An image that’s again in the middle of the action. Rosespanner Workshop Director Rodion is right now turning an enemy into an unrecognizable stain on the pavement with her huge weapon. The highlight is her weapon again, but this time it actually serves as a secondary source of light, illuminating her face. The yellow coloration of this secondary light source also makes the whole thing more interesting than if it just had the background light that serves a similar purpose as it did in the first image of this post. Even though the image has a heavy pinkish tint, the red that splatters all over the scene is still very much present and they draw the eye back to the yellow light. While her pose is ambiguous, it keeps things vague by not putting any sort of focus on her lower body. In any other piece of media this pose would be viewed from another angle, as to profit from as much of her body’s curves. Not here. Her killing an enemy with visible ease is important. Not her pose. This sounds logical, doesn’t it?

2. Posing

Which brings me to this. The way a character is posed also plays a part in their portrayal. It is possible to accentuate certain body parts with this - like when a character brings their hand to their chin, or the way their legs are posed. No matter the actual scene that’s meant, the way the character is posed is a factor that decides how it’s viewed and where the focus lies. Most often I’ve found this to be when a character is shown wielding a weapon, but their ‘battle pose’ being rather something that accentuates their bare skin, or their little clothing that does the same thing.

Is your character actually showing that they’re dangerous through being shown fighting…or are they just sexily posing with a weapon in their hands to add a sense of ‘danger’? Some can be highly difficult to distinguish. Some CGs can show the middle of the action yet the way the character is posed still brings the focus away from the violence or brings a secondary focus to it. Unfortunately I don’t have examples of those on hand but I know they exist.

A character just posing with a weapon isn’t wrong - I draw that all the time - but when the focus is brought to a character’s boobs and/or butt with the pose the character is in, it will be kind of obvious (even if it isn’t true) that sexualizing those features of the character what the artist is really intending to do instead of showing how dangerous she is with the weapon.

I’m going to use this image from Echocalypse as an example. I regularly take poses like this as a reference point and then attempt to make them more realistic, or, funnily, point out their weirdness by putting a male character in it. Often I do this by using them for a different, more appropriately clothed character. This goes to show that clothing can already decide a lot in posing itself.

This character is posing with a weapon, a…particularly huge odachi in this case (I thought it was a staff at first until I saw the hilt). Which is exactly the same what Rodion is doing up there in the image we already handled. Yet, there are subtle differences between that image and this one, and it’s actually more minor than you think it is (disregarding the thematics of the pieces). Both characters…

are posing with an odachi of similar size (assuming that both characters are of similar height for ease of comparison) as opposed to being locked in battle; theoretically making the focus more on how pretty they look

have long hair (that, minus the bun and the bangs, have a similar cut) that makes their silhouette appear larger than it is

do have a relatively bright and sort-of detailed background going on

have large boobs

are unsheathing their weapon just slightly

However, to get to our first difference, we need to get back to point 1: clothing. Using the same two images, the largest difference is clothing. Kurokumo Rodion is wearing all-black clothing that covers her from the head down except for the unbuttoned top. If I had to describe what the other girl is wearing, I’d say she’s wearing a piece of armor on one of her arms, a flowered collar, thigh highs but no footwear otherwise, and something…obviously lingerie/bikini derived. I’m actually not sure if that’s a tail or part of the clothing.

But to return to our point: posing. The pose of Kurokumo Rodion is actually fairly neutral. She’s just standing there, menacingly! (I should note that their normal character talksprites are also just standing there neutrally) No, literally. Anyone with working legs and arms, can reproduce that. Just give them a sword prop and you’re done. Coat cape optional. The way she is standing does convey some sort of subtle confidence, however, just like the way she is actually looking down (at the viewer). It’s likely you’ll see the sword first for the reasons I mentioned when first discussing the piece above and then look at her from top to bottom as usual.

The way our other girl is posed…is a little harder to replicate in real life to say the least. Not only is this a floating pose (i.e you’d need support), the way her body is bent sharply brings the focus upon her boobs and butt. The human body is actually rather flexible, depending on how you’re built of course, but even so I do doubt whether anyone can do this pose even if they could somehow float in mid-air. Or do this lying down. I (someone with joints that are a little too flexible for my own good) haven’t tried and highkey don’t want to. The thigh and upper leg that is prominently on display, along with the way her body curves leads the eye to her butt or downwards towards her legs and feet.

Her facial expression is neutral, but I get some sort of… ‘dreamy’ vibe from it from the traditional anime-like proportions (huge eyes, tiny nose and mouth). Almost as if she’s doing puppy-eyes to beg for candy or something. It’s, well, what most people call to be a ‘babyface’. Kurokumo Rodion is also in ‘anime-style’ and her facial proportions are still a little bit unrealistic, but I do dare to say they’re more realistic than those of the other girl.

Also, small sidepath. What do you think the second girl is based off? One would judge from her tail that it must be some sort of water creature but whether she’s a shark or any other kind of sea creature isn’t really obvious. Would it surprise you if I told you she’s based on a bake-kujira, a SKELETON-whale (which sounds cool as all hell)? Without any kind of skeleton-parts worked into her design? To be fair, I wouldn’t have guessed it either if it were not for her canonical description.

Also, one last note about that latter image. I think that an odachi of that format would be extremely tricky to unsheathe in such a pose, because of the distance between your arms. Her arm that actually unsheathes the thing is also obviously reaching out, so she’d need more strength to do that than what the look of her arms suggest.

Speaking about arms…

On paper, our Limbus girls would have all the reason to have twig arms. After all, the City allows one to get stronger without visually changing their physique much. One can carry around huge weapons like chainsaws, lances and zweihanders without visible muscles. And yet. And yet.

One of the few times bare arms are seen (most art prefers to cover them up - for Limbus standards, this would be the ultimate fanservice thing), it becomes very clear that they at least have a basic tone. Like, the basicest of basic efforts is done to make them not look malnourished. Even if this girl above is not like, the strongest of the world (for as far as we know...) the muscles she does have are very lovingly shaded and detailed. 

To end this, I’ll showcase something one last time with a funny in-game example: Roseate Desire. Roseate Desire is an E.G.O which wraps the wearer in pink ribbons and is highly implied to especially speak to the sin of Lust (which is the affinity of the attack). In the game, this E.G.O is given to two characters, a girl and a guy. In any other gacha game, it would only be given to girls.

While bent over and with a happy expression, she’s still coming to get you. How can you tell? For one, the huge anchor she has with her is within her hand (i.e opposed to it being tied up next to her or something like that), and the shield that’s tied to her arm. Despite being wrapped up, she does still look as if a portion of her is still in control, and her attack suggests the same. 

Hong Lu wearing it always makes me grin. He does wear clawed gloves and his fingers are arched, that’s true, but the way he’s strung up like a puppet makes it so that he can’t even get you with those. The manner in which he is posed and his head is tilted is highly reminiscent of how one would pose a marionette. And ingame properly he doesn’t even use these claws in close combat! He wraps up the enemy in the pink ribbons with doll-like movement. Even the way he’s covered evokes a sense of powerlessness, like he’s led on by the ribbons instead of controlling them.

I think this example, along with the others, is implicative of how Project Moon’s visual portrayal of female characters is done so well. They’re equally portrayed as the male characters, if not arguably more powerful, and there’s an equal roster of 6 to 6. They’re not overtly sexualized by bare skin or impossible poses while the men are covered up in a sensible pose. These are characters designed for their personality and role first, not with fanservice or money in mind first. Even the female NPCs fit within this rule, even though they have less art to go from. When you have a game which had 97% completion on the story and a mere 64% on the systems (i.e monetization) it would kind of figure that character designs fall in line with the role the character fulfills, is it not?

[perthshirecottage]

There is no one who was right and no one was wrong in 5x14. No one acted well in this episode.

Fitz knew Daisy would refuse to have her inhibitor removed. Which took all the pressure off Daisy and put it on Fitz’s shoulders with no way to prevent what he thought was the end of the world. Daisy hid from responsibility and Fitz broke because she took away the only option he had as he was trying to save people. Which is why he didn’t regret what he did, only the way it went down.

Fitz took away all of Daisy’s agency. He put her in an impossible situation. Daisy didn’t know how her powers would destroy the world. She couldn’t prepare for an event that she didn’t know when or how it happened. She couldn’t make sure she didn’t make the same mistakes. The inhibitor gave her a way to stop the end of the world without knowing how it would come about. It gave her the peace of mind to keep moving forward. Fitz took some of the pressure off his shoulders and put it back on Daisy’s. He made her a monster and she hated him for it.

Another thing is I feel like something a lot of people get wrong is why Daisy is upset. So many fics focus on how Daisy is terrified of Fitz and can barely get past the trauma of what he did to her. Even people who like Fitz think that this is her issue. But even when Daisy is tied down and thinks she’s about to be dissected alive she isn’t that afraid. It isn’t until Fitz mentions giving her powers back that she starts panicking. That is what terrifies her.

When Daisy says she will never forgive Fitz, it’s because he’s giving her powers back. Daisy truly believes that she will cause the end of the world and in her mind Fitz has just made her responsible for the death of billions. That’s not to say that being operated on without anesthesia by one of her best friends isn’t traumatic but it’s also not the worst thing that’s ever happened to her. It’s not going to be the thing she can never move on from and the only thing she will ever see for her the rest of her life when she sees Fitz.

Of course afterwards Daisy is angry. She’s angry about being operated without her consent but mostly because she’s going to end the world. And why would she trust Fitz? As far as she’s concerned he just took away the only defense the world had. How does she know he won’t make another decision in trying to “save” the world that will only hasten its destruction? And she knows better than anyone that he is mentally unstable. Daisy is the only one who saw Fitz actually arguing with someone who wasn’t there. Which is another knock against him in the trust department. Despite the knowledge of his instability it is Fitz who is fully himself (although how clearheaded can he be after going through a psychic split?) and when he starts removing the device she feels she can’t forgive him for making her the Destroyer of Worlds.

And Fitz is angry because he did what he had to. He saved lives and now has no interest in hurting anyone else. Now he just wants the chance to save the world and they don’t have time for Daisy to be upset. He needs her to listen so that he can help her prevent whatever causes her to end the world. But he’s treated like a criminal. And even if he feels like he did something unforgivable, he knows they just don’t have time for this.

Both of them put the other into a position where they were responsible for too much, for too many lives. Both of them decisions that hurt the other in trying to deal with that pressure. They both broke under the pressure, just in different ways.

After losing Fitz and Coulson. After being reminded of how terribly everyone was acting, including herself, Daisy could step back and see why Fitz made the decisions he did, even if she was still angry and justified in being so. But she was able to see past that to remember the friend Fitz was. It makes perfect sense to me how in that year she let go of her anger. Learned to move on. Learned to put his actions into perspective. Plus cryo Fitz wasn’t the one who hurt her. He had the potential if placed in a terrible no win scenario again but they knew about his troubles and could help to prevent something like that happening again.

[beesmygod]

fact check me on this absurd bloodborne father gascoigne deepest lore posting

i'm working on the next "you hunted" update and frankly i feel split between feeling like im doing the pepe silvia routine and partly feel like it makes enough sense to get a soft pass. i know these are so many words to read. but ultimately its about gascoigne and his stupid music box, if that means anything to you:

on our short trek from the tomb of oedon to his chapel, we pass through a weird...sewer...drainage room thing with a ladder leading to a modest library. a note on the table reads:

"The Byrgenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals, and keeps our lost master from us. A terrible shame. It makes my head shudder uncontrollably."

this note is REALLY weird. even cross-checking the re-translation guide doesn't do much but reinforce the literal meaning of the note: there's a spider at byrgenwerth (another rom, we don't know this yet) hiding rituals, even the ritual involving the lost (or, in a better translation, unseeable/invisible) lord. bummer. ahhhh my head is rattling. but...who wrote this? about who? and why?

it's time to be a Fromsoft Lore guy in the worst way: we're going to dissect this note down to its atomic structure in order to wring any and all possible meaning from it in a futile attempt to try to come up with a tortured explanation for nonsense. skip all this italicized text to return to planet earth.

who wrote this note? if we knew that, a lot of things would be cleared up. the potential suspect list comprised of known individuals who have passed through that area recently is pretty tiny. can't be fauxsefka, because she doesn't use this route to reach the clinic. alfred doesn't seem to have much interest in the church, knows little about byrgenwerth, and seems unaware of most things in general. an unnamed and unknown NPC of no consequence? well, maybe. probably, even.

but what about gascoigne? you find this note immediately after defeating him by using a key he drops. it clear he did not progress past the library, as the incense would have driven him off (and the chapel dweller's reaction suggests you are the first hunter they've seen/sniffed). there's a possible clue left in the library that points to a hunter having passed through recently: the blood gem workshop tool. its one of three "misplaced" workshop tools found in the waking world. a hunter took this with them when they left the dream and left it in a chest in oedon chapel. that narrows down the pool of candidates quite a bit. gascoigne obviously knows what blood gems are, he gifted one to his wife. and this is before we've even discussed gascoigne's connections to a "lost master".

who is this note about?  the words used for titles in the english translation are all over the place and "master" could mean anything from "school principal" to "great ones". this has made trying to pin the subject of this note down near impossible. the japanese is more specific: "lords" in this note is translated as "主" and is almost never in the script otherwise. the only relevant usage even remotely close is it's use is in a different note later as a flowery way to refer to whoever has assumed the role of vicar of the healing church (essentially: "lord of blood ministration"). it is also used for micolash ("lord of the nightmare"), the japanese name of the bloodletting beast ("lord of the beast blood"), and for master willem of byrgenwerth ONLY in the graveguard set item description1. in the case of micolash and the bloodletting beast, "lord" can be read as "host" as well. but NOT like a parasite host!!! specifically like, a household host. "host of the beast blood" is intended to be literal.

now time to play "guess who?": willem could be described as "lost" metaphorically, but he's also like, right there. out in the open. he's considerably less lost than our other two options, micolash or laurence/host of the beast blood. willem doesn't use the 主 kanji usually; he's "headmaster" willem or some other title that makes it clear he's from a school. forget willem. it's not him.

i'm pretty sure japanese players were supposed to intuit a connection between the "lord of the beast blood" and the "lord of blood ministration" and this nuance was lost in translation. and while there is a vacuous spider in lower pthumeru blocking access to a secret 4th labyrinth layer where a hunter can find a lost lord of the beast blood, it's clearly not in byrgenwerth. it's not the big doggie.

micolash, head of the rogue school of mensis, is literally lost in the nightmare acting as it's host/lord. access to the corpse of micolash is blocked until rom, the byrgenwerth spider, is defeated. so. having eliminated any alternatives, the note is almost certainly about micolash. but. why? who in oedon chapel gives a shit about micolash?

there are a truly confusing number of connections between gascoigne and the school of mensis (and thus, micolash). the most specific and startling connection is that the music box that gascoigne has a good/bad (?) reaction to plays "mergo's lullaby". this exact song plays during a fight with the wet nurse of oedon's presumed (but like, come on. it is) child, the titular mergo. if gascoigne's daughter is sent to iosekfa's clinic, you will obtain the level 1 formless oedon rune from her body which, as we discussed in the last part, depicts the blood moon descending during a (mensis) ritual; levels 3 and 4 of the rune are found in oedon chapel itself.

gascoigne's garb reads:

The dingy scarf is a Holy Shawl and symbol of the Healing Church, from which Gascoigne would eventually part ways. "Father" is a title used for clerics in a foreign land, and there is no such rank in the Healing Church.

reads a bit differently now...perhaps father gascoigne did not bring a foreign form of worship to yharnam. gascoigne left the healing church in order to start his own, based on the foreign practices of pthumeru.

only today the church is abandoned, and some say that the residents of oedon have all gone mad.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I don't think there will be an apology coming from Félix for whatever bad deed he had done and that's always make me baffled in this show : the lack of apology on screen. This is more apparent in s4 onward. Even Ladybug didn't actually apologized to Chat Noir despite her rant in Strike Back and not to mention the lack of changed behavior after that. It's the same with Félix, he's good now the show said, it's as if we should assume there's an apology happened somewhere off screen. I know this show is like "Show, don't tell" but for a show for a little kid, I think they should shown an on screen apology because that would be a good example for them.

On the other topic,

How believable Félix's play is? Like, his whole character seems to be all about facade, charade, deception and lie and it make me skeptical to everything he said or do. How much he said is truth and how much is a lie, I couldn't tell. The retcon doesn't help either and at this point I feel want to dissect his brain to get to know just what's inside his mind lmao.

Canon is super weird about letting people apologize. We almost never see it happen even when we really should. For example, it will always low-key bother me that Marinette never apologized to Adrien for yelling at him over the gum incident. I do get why, it would have ruined the flow of the scene, but still...

A few other random apologies that I long to see:

Nino apologizing to Adrien for almost getting him pulled from school

Alya apologizing to Marinette for all the Lila BS

Alya acknowledging that trying to out Ladybug's secret identity was a bit of a dick move (not really salty about this one, I just think it would have been good character growth and that it kinda needed to happen before Alya was given a miraculous of her own)

Felix apologizing for everything he did to Ladybug

Nino apologizing to Alya for outing her secret identity and acknowledging that he'll never do that again since he now understands how important secret identities are

Before we get to your other question, I wanted to mention that show don't tell doesn't mean that characters should never say things! There are lots of things that can only be conveyed through words. The show don't tell rule primarily applies to exposition. Aka those scenes where a character or the narrator monologues about some event or bit of lore that the audience needs to know about.

Generally speaking, you want to avoid those moments whenever you can. However, exposition is sometimes the only way to get information across. It's not a major failing if your story has a bit of exposition somewhere along the way, you just want to use it sparingly! A lot of writers struggle with that, which is why there are so many writing guides that act like exposition is a bad thing. A stance that I will always fight against as I think it makes younger writers afraid to use a necessary and powerful tool.

How believable is Félix's play?

I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing ends up getting retconned, but I also I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing ends up being canon straight to the end. It could really go either way.

A play is a good way to give exposition as it's far more interesting that a monologue, so this may just be a case of the writers giving good exposition. On the other hand, having a known liar deliver information allows you to say something without fully committing to it, so this may be the writers giving us lore in a way that they can backtrack on without a true retcon. It's impossible to say. Only time will tell.

[rusty-gloinks]

MASSIVE MD SPOILERS UNDER CUT!!!

This show obviously contains killing, blood, gross stuff, angst, and robo gore!!! Just a heads up!!

Again, massive spoilers for episode 6 of murder drones, please go and watch if you haven’t done so yet!!

A bunch of apps in the beginning of the episode, one of them being labeled as "ydrone", except it’s cut off and impossible to read as the frame zooms out,,,

"I use as much fossil fuels as possible - I hate the environment 💯" I LITERALLY GIGGLED.

Tried to save their friend and ended up getting their oil on their face. I just thought that was a pretty neat detail, but also being a bit sad at the same time.

Area of one of the teaser images, nice one , glitch!!

Wonderful parallel to episode 5. I love how she has to make herself taller to hold him. SO SILLY….💥💥

Pretty sure everyone’s been talking about this scene, so hopefully this comes handy in future episodes.

I absolutely love depictions of digital hologram screens, they are so awesome to me!!!!! This looks so cool , i am normal i am norma

She is so fucking scary like this. I love her.

Anddddd another…

tinkering with his hair, OUGH…. shes so silly (aside from her evil silliness)

BITING HIS HAT💥💥💥😭,,i love how he even looks up !!!!!!

There is a literally human handprint (2 of them) and what looks like if someone ran into the glass? Unless there was an "incident". Also, the raptor scratch marks don’t help either,,,erm

This show is SO fucking good at making me feel uncomfortable/unsettled, dude if I saw this I would send my ass right back up. aint no way I’m staying down here for more than 3 minutes

In fact, Human made security this human can’t control. "Maybe".

I get so abnormal when Uzi blushes it’s just so SILLYYY!!!!! like shes genuinely happy!!!!!

Uzi nodding her head when N’s right about the elevator being labeled. These 2 idiots I swear /pos

Childgiggle.mp3

SHES SO.COOL ..also Blue eye, interesting:3

"System standby" and also I believe this is the first time we get a glimpse of Uzi’s screen??

Sentinel doodle on red sticky note paper, and an override code labeled = 1234, dunno if that’s anything but here you go,,

The worker that was trying to save their friend in the beginning?? Yeah, there she is, on the table being dissected

Also, I may be stupid, but if that is yet ANOTHER Peter griffin death pose reference i am literally going to explode.

The bottles are labeled with names, and also ones that say "Corrupted core". I don’t know if anyone pointed this out but I just found it interesting to me.

I LOVE HER SO MUCH /p

N you idiot i also love you so much,what was even the point of saying this😭😭

Gross robot gore, also why is he so smiley…i understand he wants to be supportive but like.cmon your fucking rib cage is showing dude

—— CONTINUED IN THREAD/PART 2!!!!!

[theproperweirdo]

( I totally forgot I had this screenshot from the whole Lord thing so here’s a fun theory time while I clean my camera roll and reformat my Bryon/Lorsan headcanons google doc to something manageable. )

I always found this specific interaction interesting because on multiple occasions Lorsan brags about being the one to find Merlin. Which even Lyca points out he didn’t really do shit lmao.

However…

When he has the ‘Lord Lorsan’ title thrown back at him he actively humbles right the fuck down. It’s weird

If you choose the alternative dialogue option and call Lorsan shameless he doesn’t have the same reaction. It’s only if you call him Lord.

Why would a character who’s shown to be a tad bit conceited reject an actually well acknowledged, difficult to achieve, and revered title like that?

~ for your consideration ~

Lorsan hates the title of Lord because he never had to actually do anything to get it. He was born smart and born talented and was given his title off pure luck and maybe a mild amount of work.

Compare that to Lyca, who worked tirelessly to become captain of the dusk patrollers (and still doesn’t think she’s as impressive as her brother)

Compare that to Eironn, who’s entire character arch across two games is him striving to become a better swordsman and someone who wants to become worthy of being the scion of the lucent tree

Hell even Bryon had to work to become (in his words) “capable” as a wind whisper

Lorsan hates his title because he doesn’t actually feel like he deserves it

So much of Lorsan’s character arch is dedicated to him not feeling like he’s strong enough. And he’s not. And he knows it.

I’m gonna preface what I’m about to say next because it’s gonna sound mean but I do love this rabbit dearly

I got the angst potential bugs and they’re out for blood

In terms of the quest to save the Dark Forest Lorsan is practically useless

What’s the point of being the best of the perception faction when the decay and death of your home it’s impossible to miss? What’s the point in trying to fight back if Lorsan and everyone around him acknowledges he’s not a strong enough fighter to do much besides get himself killed? What’s the point of being the most gifted wind whisper if all it ever does is convince him to abandon his own safety and everyone who’s loved him in favor of seeing a cruel but beautiful world beyond the tree line? What’s the point in having a title if it’s just empty words that put him above those he desperately wants to stand besides?

How do you live with that?

He doesn’t take credit for his title because he doesn’t want empty praises. He does take credit for finding Merlin because that’s the one thing he actually did with his own two hands to save the forest. And even then it’s still someone else’s strength he’s hiding behind

Genuinely I think what drew me to Lorsan’s character is because he’s so desperately a person who wants to become something greater. He’s genuinely kind, and considerate, and tries to make up for some of his shortcomings. He still tries his best even when he knows it’s likely not enough.

(As a former gifted kid who outgrew all their talents but still wants to be something good enough the projection is real)

Also sry this really rambled lol. His character is so fun I love dissecting it :3c

On that note, PLEASE LET HIM BE RECRUITABLE SOON I NEED HIM

I love this!!! 😭😭❤️❤️ you’ve written him out so well!

Do you think it’s also why he was a troublemaker in school? Maybe he knew that this was all too easy for him, and that everyone else worked so hard while he got the easy route. Maybe he didn’t want to stand with his peers and possibly bring them down, and so he skipped classes and ran around on his own. All his friends struggled and learned through their own experiences, but he didn’t have that.

Arden probably knew, and it could’ve also been an underlying issue he was trying to help him out with during their teachings together. 😢

Also here’s the end bit of Lorsan’s story because I think it’s really cool

I love his last line there, “what can you tell me that the wind hasn’t already?” It’s so cool, and really emphasizes his close relationship with the wind (｡ ́︿ ̀｡)

[museofthepyre]

CHNT Swap AU Q&A!!!!

things l've been asked so far...

Q: What is the deal with Lucille?

A: Lucille is another collateral casualty of Jedidiah's research. He left his college dorm to stay back home with Lucille, after his resurrection of Sydney went... wrong. Just like his father, she came to know too much. She passed in the same manner, inexplicably and without warning, upon which... Jedidiah found himself with a unique opportunity. It's important to note that he was not in his right mind during this time. Sydney was his first try at necromancy on a real human person, before that it was just pigs from the anatomy lab, but like... it's not like he had any chance to practice on humans prior. No dead human bodies lying around... chance to practice... dead body...

Oh.

Lucille was brought back. Much the same as Sydney, something went wrong... she became quiet and shaken and refused to talk, but she still watched... she still understood. Then, when her son one day vanished, she went looking. The information that killed her was actually coming in handy now! She doesn't remember much besides the fact that she is a mother, and she needs to find her son.

Q: Does Adam ever literady vivisect anyone/ anything?

A: Adam typically dissects things after death. He has a certain fascination with taxidermy... or, well... he enjoys seeing how things work. He likes opening them up to observe their insides, studying what lies beneath the surface to make them tick. The taxidermy is more of a byproduct of his studies. He enjoys fixing them and making them perfect again, cutting out all that would rot and fester, and then delicately re-assembling the exterior into something posed and pristine. He pins bugs too, extending their limbs and splaying them out to examine every moving part. The vivisection thing is more metaphorical, as he wants so desperately to pry open Elijah's mind and see what he's made of... but Elijah is a living person. Usually the things he's slicing open and sifting through are dead. Not this one though... not this one.

Q: How did Sydney make it out of the hospital? Did he run away, or was he discharged?

A: Sydney approached another patient, and his weird effects caused them to have a LOUD and VIOLENT existential meltdown. It caused a massive scene and distracted all the nearby hospital staff... meanwhile Sydney slipped away unnoticed. It happened in a kind of 'Frankenstein's monster' way though, Sydney didn't understand why they were afraid. He ran off not because he had plans elsewhere- but because he was scared. He scrambled off like a lost puppy to track down Elijah. He'd overheard many conversations between Elijah and Adam both while comatose, and while in his disoriented non-verbal and spacey sort of recovery period. He knew they'd be heading off to the camp any day now... that's why he got up to search in the first place.

Q: Are there romantic undertones to Elijah and Adam's dynamic, or is it purely a dependent friendship?

A: In my mind they're only platonic (I think it makes the dynamic more interesting/ makes Elijah's attachment more multidimensional). But you can interpret whatever you want ;3. Also Adam carries an air of homoeroticism wherever he goes, so, idk I don't blame you if you wanna see them kiss

Q: Why is Jedidiah appearing in Elijah's dreams specifically?

A: Jedidiah's interest is PURELY in Sydney/ the limn, but... reaching Sydney is nearly impossible. Sydney is an anomaly in time, and as such, the Horologist can't break through to him in any way more meaningful than spirit-box-garble. Even if he could reach Sydney... he doesn't want to make things even worse by giving him even MORE unknowable knowledge! He recognizes Elijah from their shared time watching over Sydney in hospital... he knows that Sydney followed him here for some reason. He recognizes that Elijah may be a very useful tool in figuring out what's going on, and attempting to fix it. Fixing Sydney is all that matters to him... Elijah is a means to an end, and Jedidiah is willing to feed him doses of that forbidden knowledge for the greater good! Just little clues... little pushes in the right direction! The information is making Elijah exponentially more unstable... that much is clear, but that's not a concern. It's nothing personal. The ends justify the means.

Q: In the fic you wrote (Proof of the Angel by Breathingrapture on AO3 ;3) what's the deal with Adam's Apple at the end there???

A: Remember Lucille's super secret plant? The one she was violently protective of, demanded nobody touch, and hid the true nature of beneath the surface? The roots... the diseased magic tendrils which hung from the ceiling underground... and held onto Jedidiah's journals? That forbidden plant is now a forbidden apple tree. Nobody knows what's so special about it. Ms. Graves is fiercely protective of it, and demands that NOBODY eat the trees fruit. But... of course Adam of all people isn't going to listen! (Haha biblical allusion hehe forbidden fruit Adam and the apple... the apple grants something different than knowledge this time, though).

[booksandria]

He suffered more than Jesus Christ - a Vampire Armand review

Spoiler alert!

Hi everyone, I finished the book by the second week of january, and I was at a complete loss of words to describe how much I loved it and how much it impacted me, which is why it took me over a month to finally come here to dissect it. Of course I knew I would love it, since Armand is my favorite character from the Vampire Chronicles, but I wasn't at all ready for the absolute banger of a book his memoir is.

Please note I originally wrote this in portuguese and then translated it to english with DeepL, mainly because I could barely form thoughts in my mother language already and just wouldn't be able to rewrite it in english at all. I revised it, but beware it might still have some weird wording and grammar. Sorry for that!

This sixth book in the Vampire Chronicles was a divine gift from Anne Rice to all of us Armand Lovers. "The Vampire Armand" tells, in much more detail, the brief story we had known in "The Vampire Lestat", now through the mouth of Armand himself, who takes us from his childhood abduction to the point where we left him in "Memnoch the Demon". And I have to say, it's no wonder he's like that.

Armand has always been very intriguing to me, ever since, back in Interview with the Vampire, he was just this mysterious, manipulative figure who fell for Louis' charms and was willing to do whatever it took to have him all to himself. But even so, he wasn't much more than that to me, just another vampire trying to use Louis for his own interests.

It was in Vampire Lestat that I fell completely in love with this character and that he earned the title of my favorite of the Chronicles. The contrast between the first time Louis sees Armand in the theater and the first time Lestat sees Armand in the church left me completely confused, after all, how can the guy Louis repeatedly describes as stunning be as wrecked as Lestat describes? What happened to get from one extreme to the other? And of course we find out the answer in the part dedicated to Armand's story in the second book, and of course that chapter solidified him on my list of favorites.

But it's very different to have read Armand's story through Lestat's eyes and now to be reading it through Armand's. In fact, I think that's the great strength of "The Vampire Armand". In all the previous books, all Armand's appearances were described through someone else's eyes (be it Louis, Daniel or Lestat), and that was largely the reason why he remained so mysterious in my eyes. But it's almost impossible to maintain that kind of distance in this sixth book, when everything is told in such a personal, vulnerable way, so close to Armand. He finally speaks for himself and we can finally understand him more deeply.

Of course, this characteristic of the book makes it a story much more linked to the characters than to a plot per se. In other words, the point of this book isn't the crazy twists and turns or headlong adventures we're used to in previous volumes of the Chronicles. The point is Armand and his life story, it's about his relationships over the years, about all the things he's been forced to go through, about his relationship with religion and about what could have led him to do what he did towards the end of Memnoch. There are certain parts that can be tiresome and also some that give the impression of being the same thing in two different places. In addition, this book is the one with the most sexual content of all its predecessors (yes, including The Tale of the Body Thief and Memnoch, trust me!) and also has a strong religious content (but which, in my opinion, has much more of a place than it did in Memnoch. To be honest, I have very strong opinions about Memnoch, but we'll talk about that another time), all of which may put some readers off. But I have to say, and perhaps I'm kinda biased, that all these elements enriched the book for me and are some of the many reasons why I loved it so much.

If I had to summarize this book in two elements, they would be: Christian guilt and the eternal search for love. Assad Zaman, the actor who plays Armand in the AMC series, said in an interview that Armand was simply desperate for love, to love and be loved, and it's the purest truth. Throughout his story, the search for love was defining, and not just any love, but a deep, obsessed, devotional love. Andrei finds this love in Jesus Christ and the Orthodox Church, Amadeo finds this love with Marius and the other apprentices in Venice, Armand is completely tormented precisely because he can't find this love anywhere for most of his life. He needs something to devote himself to completely, which is sad in itself, but is even worse when I remember that, for most of his 500-year long life, he has been lost in this aspect.

As for the question of Christian guilt, I have to say that it actually goes a little further than this concept can illustrate. Vampire Armand's religiosity is central to the plot because it's one of the main dilemmas in his life and, surprisingly, it's one of the most beautiful things in the book for me. I have very strong opinions about Memnoch and Anne Rice's decision to include religiosity like that in the series, but I simply love its place in Vampire Armand. Maybe that's it, after all: that religion has a place in this story, unlike in the previous book.

Andrei grew up as an Orthodox Christian and, as soon as his artistic gifts were discovered, he was taken to live in the monastery, where the concept of religiosity was intrinsically linked to suffering, self-denial, absolute devotion at the expense of one's own well-being. And then he is kidnapped and not only taken to a land full of sin, but forced to live in the very passage to hell. Of course, all this until he is rescued by Marius, at which point Andrei becomes Amadeo and is introduced to a new religious philosophy. It's so obvious that this is a breaking point, on some level, with previous beliefs that in the rescue scene Amadeo believes that Marius is Jesus Christ himself who has come to save him (which is indicative, in a way, of how in this part of his life the god that Amadeo worships is Marius, his master).

As Amadeo, he discovers a life full of love and pleasure, contrary to everything he experienced in the monastery. And I'm not just talking about sexual pleasure, which was a big part of this change, but all the others. The pleasure of dressing luxuriously and buying whatever you want, of being able to eat and drink to your heart's content, of consuming lots and lots of art freely, of being able to study philosophers from the past and a million other things and, of course, eventually, of blood and death.

It's very interesting to see this dichotomy of philosophies in Armand's life, and how he seems to reconcile the two after his visit to Kiev, when he's already a vampire. And my God, what a shattering chapter Kiev was! Definitely my favorite part of the book, I don't think even the iconic "if I'm an angel, paint me with black wings" (yes, go on Edgylord…) can overcome how much I love Kiev. Knowing what happened to Andrei's family, his reunion with his father, the part where he goes back to the monastery, my God, unparalleled!!! But, in fact, the best part of it all is Amadeo finally being able to make peace with this part of his past and finding some balance between everything he learned at the Monastery and everything he learned from Marius.

Unfortunately, theres only so far happiness can go, because then itcomes misfortune. And misfortune comes in the form of the Children of Darkness who literally set fire to everything, including Marius. And then, once again, Amadeo is kidnapped from his home and forced to live against his own principles. He is tortured, forced to starve, forced to watch all the other apprentices being burned alive, forced to feed on Riccardo who was very dear to him and, finally, forced to accept a life so similar to the one he rejected. This is the birth of Armand.

It's also very interesting how the doctrine of the Children of Darkness mirrors the Orthodox doctrine of the Kiev Monastery: self-denial in servitude to the Lord, an extremely rigid doctrine, literally burying oneself alive and living underground. Just another christianity-based cult, right? And, despite having sworn to himself shortly before that he would never surrender to such a life, Armand "converts". Very sad, but not surprising, considering that throughout the book he has been conflicted between these two sides and now one of them is gone forever. Marius is gone, the apprentices are gone, Venice is gone. Armand has nothing left to cling to, only what is forced upon him.

And so we come to the Bridge of Sighs. It's centuries of being brainwashed by this cult, believing that this life was what he deserved, that this was what it meant to be a vampire, until Lestat finally arrives and ends it all. Of course, the cult ending doesn't mean that Armand has finally found himself because, as we know from all the previous books, the poor guy is still in deep shit (and committing atrocities, of course). There's the theater, then Louis, then Daniel, but nothing really seems to fulfill him (even though he loved Louis and Daniel.By the way, poor Daniel oh my god). It's no wonder that, at the first sight of proof of the existence of God in Memnoch, Armand immediately wants to sacrifice himself, after all, even after all this time, religion is still the only thing he "has".

Anyway, after all this, we finally arrive where we left off in the previous book and understand how Armand survived. Benji and Sybelle are perfect, sweethearts, babydarlings and I've never been so happy to see Armand with his little family (and I've never wanted to beat Marius up as much as I did in the last chapter of this book). The scene in the chapel is wonderful and shows me how much Armand and Lestat love each other even though they hate each other, which is also clear from the many times Armand mentions Lestat in the book, always with affection and admiration. Very frenemies of them <3. Btw, just let me say this: it's really funny that people were shocked when Lestat let Armand get close to him and DRINK his blood, when he hadn't let anyone else. That's the thing, I don't even think it was because it was Armand, I honestly think that if any of them (Marius, Louis, Gabrielle) had tried, Lestat would have let them too, but nobody dared after he destroyed a vampire who tried. Maybe he just didn't want a complete stranger trying to take advantage of him while he was in a coma…? Ouch, but anyway, another Lesmand moment for our happiness.

I'm genuinely curious to know what direction Armand will take now, after an obvious rejection from Jesus Christ himself. If this had happened at any other time in his life, I'd be sure that Armand would have completely lost his mind and all meaning in life, but I doubt that this will happen now that he has his children (in whom he has finally found a healthy love). So, I'm left wondering how he's going to cope with everything and I'm waiting for my answers in the next books, even though I know he'll appear again from time to time.

This is definitely my favorite of the Vampire Chronicles and I'm so glad I finally read it!

[vitalconviction]

genesis for the ask meme :3

Sexuality Headcanon:

gay queer generally unlabelled, to the shock of no one who actually knows him personally but more shocking to people who only hear him out of context speaking in what's essentially gayer riddles than the riddler himself has put out

Gender Headcanon:

honestly, i like him being either ftm or just generally male adjacent with more masculine inclinations, he finds power in the manipulation of the imagery of what a 'man' is and so he runs with it. im personally flexible with this so im applying that back onto genesis as someone flexible with something like gender. this dude spends his time dissecting a centuries old unfinished text writing dissertations on it, he could without a doubt dissect the notions of gender along the way because of how gender is something potent in literature and poetry--linking it back to what it means to be a hero in a story about a female goddess where the modern depiction of heros is abundantly male

A ship I have with said character:

sephesis, strifesodos, valenstrifesodos, gentseng, genvin, GSC + Vincent too, if I feel like he's too lonely and start MISSING MY BOY!

I think he's almost versatile in how he could theorhetically romance anyone, but it's himself who stands in the way of that. If anyone could actually make him get out his own way, even if just a slight moment, I think these are the people who could.

A BROTP I have with said character:

gengeal, angenesis -- They're literally like. they fufill a brother dynamic to me. That's what I mean by broship. Of course people have made the (increasingly likely) argument that they actually are brothers on a semi-real-world-impossible scale, but I don't even care about the biology. Truly and fully they have such a strange dysfunctional relationship that is founded on both love and a resentment on some level. It's really strange and provoking. I think their bond is something like siblings raised to go against each other but despite everything still try to love one another. Of course an added romantic element would further complicate this and I fucking love interpersonal strife and drama so I'm not completely turning away from the idea of it, but it isn't my favourite ship inclination. I also love the idea of them horrifyingly finding out they're somewhere like 0.7% related to each other in some way but that's just my personal LOL session fuel (holdover from being in the dc fandom half my life and adoring all the batships HAHAHA)

A NOTP I have with said character:

eeh sometimes gengeal? Otherwise, mostly cis women characters because I just. I can't see him going for a non gender queer or GNC person, he is baked in queerness and so are his tastes! cant take the gay out of the gaylord LOL

A random headcanon:

His birthday has to be on a new years celebration day or start of a season change for me! For example, he could be born January 1st, literally a genesis i.e. start of the new year! That or he's born March 21 as the start of spring and the start of a new season.

I also like to use Tibetan influences in his crafting, reasoning being Banora is partially inspired by Tibet with the fruit and all, alongside Ryukyuan (Gackt W for once) + Minnan :D

Also, as for the aforementioned ships, he's very inclined towards neurodivergent people as well clearly LOL all his love interests are so off the walls non-neurotypicals it makes my heart sing and swell with pride

General Opinion over said character:

This guy are sick!!!!!! His designs gorgeous and I love his motifs, I don't get why people don't like him other than just not liking such obviously autistic people in media LOL like he's always been so endearing to me! I won't ever stop defending this dude

[fatuismooches]

okay, usually, when i come here, i TRYYY to keep my thoughts. WELL, you know, NOT as dark as i possibly could (which is almost nearly impossible for dottore). i have a LOTTT of thoughts about dottore, and they're not for. SHARING IN THIS KIND OF BLOG??? like, there's angst and shit but seriously, if i share one here its like a blood stain on a white shirt.

AND ITS NOT LIKE, ITS NSFW IN A SENSE WHERE ITS SEXUAL, its like, thoughts that are possibly concerning of human rights DSAHJDSAKDSA like exploring the darker side of dottore's character and whatnot

but i think you're getting a bit influenced the more we talk about dottore, or like, see dottore related content, because i did not expect to see you write "taking out a piece of paper of your poem from a corpse for dottore"

i swear no one stays sane for liking dottore GDSAIUHJDSADDHH

HELP KAI??? Why am i interested in your thoughts but also scared. WHAT ARE YOU COOKING? Scared but intrigued at the same time, because the way you describe it has me curious 😭 "thoughts that are possibly concerning of human rights" im-

AND YEA I THINK YOU ARE INFLUENCING ME 😭 I can't help it... you just write him mhmm so scrumptious *dissects your writing and eats it cutely* Ngl when i wrote that, i didn't even think it was that dark because i wrote it in a playful tone? 😭 idk. I think whenever i add darker stuff to my fics, i keep it vague or non-descriptive or kind of a light tone. Since i can't write flat-out dark stuff because I probably couldn't handle it, and mostly because I'm not skilled enough 💀 So maybe i don't process it but yeahhhh i think try to add darker stuff for Dottore specifically since i feel like out of all the Harbingers he deserves it? LMAO idk what im saying but yeah 😭

[fatedtime]

Can you explain what you were talking about with the whole author intent vs. reader intent surrounding LB2 criticisms? I kind of get it since a lot of LB2 opinions I've seen are proposals for alternate paths the story could have taken/character shuffles (I remember "swap Beo and Napo" was hugely popular back when the LBs first came to NA), but I haven't really seen much recently/it still feels kinda off from what you alluded to. Maybe. Just pickin your brain a bit, if ya don't mind.

Okay, so, first I'm going to stipulate that I haven't read Lostbelt 2 since it's release, so my recollections on its specific themes (or, what I gathered from it, because I find Lostbelt 2 to be kind of muddled generally) are going to be inexact.

The simplest way I can explain it though is how fandom treats Skadi. Skadi is a pretty widely-hated character, characterization wise. I think, in terms of passion of how much the people who hate her do hate her, she's matched by extremely abrasive characters like Medb. I've heard tons of people talking about rewriting Skadi, tons of people emphasizing distaste for her direction, and METRIC shittons of people dismissing anything the author wanted to say with her as 'she's waifubait', without taking any time to actually dissect the intention behind her. Conversation around Skadi immediately devolves into assuming nothing about her themes has any narrative value, and that the totality of her builds into one thing: Skadi only exist for men to sexualize her.

This is sexism, full-stop, but plenty of other essays exist that dissect fandom culture and the tendency to put no effort into analyzing mediocre female-characters while fixating heavily on mediocre male characters, fleshing them out and developing them far beyond what actually exists in the source material.

Which like, I think Skadi is a mediocre female character, but every time I've seen Skadi discussed, it is with two motivations: either to dismiss her as a waifu, or throw her personality out entirely in a 'rewrite', discounting every single thing the author is trying to say with her and putting the reader's own desired Skadi in its place. These rewrites tend to make her 'cooler' and give her 'more agency' without understanding that Skadi's lack of agency is the point.

Lostbelt 2 is Ophelia's Lostbelt, a character defined almost entirely by her own lack of agency and her romantic fixation on a man who doesn't really care about her best interests. She exists as a satellite to him, doing his bidding and entirely willing to sacrifice herself for him, without any hope of reward. She wants what he wants. Her dreams are his dreams.

Skadi parallels this.

She's a woman who, in her Lostbelt, is so paralyzed by the weight put upon her that, in lieu of making any real decisions, instead constructs a world of child-farms. Skadi and Ophelia are both infantile in their decision-making ability; they defer entirely to other people (or, the lost images of another person.) These are clearly meant to be toxic relationships, and LB2 is a story about relationships and what happens when the parties within them are emotionally immature. How if you can't grow up, you can't live, and will make it impossible for those around you to grow and live as well.

This is why the story has sympathy for Skadi, too. It's a fucking awful position to be in, and getting mad at people who are emotionally stunted is an exercise in fucking futility. The world has failed them, of course they'd fail others. The world has failed them -- what is the point in another goddamn revenge fantasy of punishing a woman who wasn't given the tools to live as an independent being? Society itself tells women that enough already, while also telling them that they have no worth outside the men they serve. There are enough stories about it in the world.

The stuff with Surtr, the stuff with Napoleon is all about relationships -- positive and negative, cold and hot, immature and mature, healing and hurting. I firmly don't like the idea of swapping Napo out for Beowulf because Napoleon exists to be like, the ideal of Napoleon's hope and freedom. It's this ultra-positive idea of self-actualization and belief in yourself. Beowulf just... doesn't... have that? I feel like it's another thing that exists without considering what would be better for the characters already existing.

Now. Do I think the various characters and their relationships are like, examined well and the ultimate thematic core of it conveyed well? E.....eeeeeeeeeeh. I mean, I've already said I think Skadi is mediocre, and ultimately, I don't like the story. But when approaching suggestions of what to change, I'd want to keep the author's intent in mind, because it's not my story. It's hers. Its what she wanted to do. Examining it through a different lens, with different ideas, and theorizing on how these ideas could be reflected and transformed into other things is valuable, but can only really effectively done with the heart of the writer is taken into consideration first.

This is something I think fandom generally has trouble with. Online fandom and the relationship to creators that has developed is like, deeply, toxicly fucked up. Those who create have been dehumanized to such an extreme extent, their so-called fans stripping them of any humanity and consuming their content in pure, decadent self-absorption, that no thought goes into the hearts of those who put their work out into the world. Idolized or demonized or forgotten, if you create and share it, you are doomed to having your watermarks filed off, your intentions disregarded or maligned, your work fed to AI to be regurgitated en-mass, and all manner of assumptions placed into the void of your privacy as people slander you, harass you, or glorify you into an inhuman caricature of yourself.

Like, THE REASON IT IS NO LONGER STATED WHAT AUTHOR WROTE WHAT STORY-CHAPTERS IN FGO IS BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SENT SAKURAI FUCKING DEATH THREATS. ANY DISCUSSION OF SKADI AND HER INTENT AS A CHARACTER, ANY NEGATIVE ASSUMPTIONS MADE ABOUT WHY SHE WAS WRITTEN THAT WAY, IS WRITTEN ABOUT A WOMAN WHO WAS TOLD EN-MASS TO GO DIE FOR HER WORK, SIMPLY FOR THE CRIME OF A GACHA GAME CHAPTER BEING KINDA BAD.

When talking about her ideas, her stories, her characters, just... think of Sakurai as a human being, please. That's what I mean with all this, a generalized plea to remember that every story was penned by a living, breathing human being. Creators and their characters aren't thought of as people anymore, and analyzing a character or story while paying no regard to them or what they were trying to say fucking sucks. There's value in examining how you'd approach something, but editing someone's work and saying 'I did it better!' is cruel. Dismissing the writing of women by calling them waifus, talking about how 'clearly, the author was stupid and didn't take any time to research' about new story-chapters, without yourself thinking through what the author could have been trying to say with it is... just... treating people like they're soulless sacks of flesh meant for you to dispense content as it pleases you.

No creator in this world gets paid enough for that horseshit.

-- Thank you so much for the question! This wasn't inspired by any kind of immediate take I saw, by the way, I was just trying to dissect the authorial intent of Mephistopheles in the last JP event and got to thinking a bit about LB2, Skadi, and how even if I don't like her, I viscerally hate it whenever LB2 comes up on Beast's Lair.

[zalrb]

the bear s2 was so good! 2x06 was AWFUL to watch, sugar’s storyline particularly got to me like that moment when she asks her mom if she’s okay and everyone at the table sighs??? seeing the way carmy’s family treats him was also great like that for real is the youngest child experience. i LOVED sydney’s storyline with trying out new food and her struggling with creating new dishes and them not turning out like she wants them to (showing us how she visualizes the dishes was very interesting also). marcus in copenhagen was such a beautiful episode. i do wish we had spent more time on tina and ebraheim though. and then ending the season on richie and carmy’s fight where richie tells carmy that he’s becoming his mom?? so good. it’s so cool when tv actually makes you feel something 😭

2x06 was an epic somewhat triggering episode for me and I'm still processing it for that reason because in different contexts, I've had the "I make things beautiful for everyone but no one makes things beautiful for me" conversations and the "no one will miss me" conversations and as an only child have been a cross between Carmy and Natalie so I just sat there like

I've said this before, but one of my writing profs told me that he couldn't watch The Sopranos because the family dinner scenes were too good and stressed him out and was like, "I left home for a reason!" and while the tension in The Sopranos is so incredibly realistic it makes me giggle whenever I watch it but this episode had me like, OK this is what he meant.

I also really love the story behind Sugar as a nickname for Natalie because it could be just a cute story that they lovingly refer to but knowing who their mother is and the context of how we learn the story behind Sugar, we can infer that she probably flew off the handle when she tasted how sweet that gravy and now that nickname is like a constant reminder of a stress point for their mother (and therefore for Natalie) and it follows her everywhere.

I also just love how in that episode, you always hear someone yelling in the background, it's such a great detail to me because it's constant, like constant, there's never any downtime, it never felt like someone was yelling for the purpose of the plot where it'd be silent for a moment and then suddenly someone's yelling, there's constant shouting in the background (except for upstairs in the bedroom and the quiet is spoken about because it's a rare thing) and the house kind of feels like a kitchen because of the constant noise and so it's another way that cooking and the kitchen can be linked to familial trauma for Carmy because the noises are similar.

One of my favourite scenes in the episode is when Richie and Michael tell Carmy about Claire because of the way they were talking over each other and not letting the other speak, like the realism of a) how that scene would go b) the script and how they acted it, oh *chef's kiss*.

It's definitely an episode I need to watch again to dissect.

I also like that 2x06 went to the past and was an insight into why Carmy is Carmy and what food and cooking can mean for him and why he struggles with answering why he does what he does -- he loves cooking but it's not fun etc. and 2x07 is back to the present and went to Richie finding his purpose and it was a very serious episode for his arc but I appreciated the levity in it and how delivering a deep dish pizza was treated like mission impossible (even if the point was serious, I think they had a lot of unserious fun with that shot) because of what we went through in 2x06 but I worked in a kitchen in a hotel (where I lived, not in the hotel but the staff block in the back) in the UK and that time of my life was actually one of the lowest points of my life (also when I joined tumblr!) so when he started polishing silver, I had like a flashback to me after dinner service polishing cutlery and not being able to eat dinner until everything was done, which means not eating until about 1:30 AM and being like holy SHIT I remember doing that. THIS SEASON IS BRINGING UP A LOT OF THINGS FOR ME. Of course, Richie begins to find his purpose and starts drinking the kool-aid by the end of the episode and adapts it to his own style for The Bear, which is nice. (I never did that lmao).

I also LOVED the way Carmy's lack of focus also epitomized itself in the handle for the fridge and the way that came back with him locking himself in the fridge, i.e. the physical manifestation of his indecision where has to sit with everything he's been avoiding or deflecting or transferring, just so, so good.

I liked seeing Sydney with her dad and getting to know that relationship more and their conversations were also extremely realistic, like when they have that little tiff at her mom's birthday and she's just like, "I don't see why you have to bring that up!" I was like HA, yes, I know that reaction. And seeing Sydney's mounting panic and anxiety about opening a restaurant in a pandemic and seeing her connections in this world more and getting to know these people in a very quick and short period of time and through what they cook so that when you see things like I think the name was Verandah shut down with a flashback to that chef, it does make you feel for that person and also for Sydney? Excellent.

It's such a small detail but I loved when one of the older cooks possibly a mentor is like "You'll be fine" *head tilt* when Sydney tells him that she's opening a restaurant with a partner because I can't explain it, but that's what a mentor or more experienced person sounds and looks like when they see one of their pupils or a somewhat green up-and-comer do something that requires a lot of risk and has a huge potential for failure or for being a waste of time. I once saw an author I'd admired do a reading and they went off on how much they hated MFA programs and how they were a waste of time and cash cows and how you shouldn't go to one straight out of undergrad and I sat there in the front row, right out of undergrad in an MFA program and when I got to speak to them after their talk, I was like so I'm a first year MFA student straight out of undergrad and they did the exact same thing they were like "Oh, you'll be fiiiiiiiiiiine" *head tilt* haha so I was like THAT IS HOW THAT LOOKS AND SOUNDS.

I will say that in season 1 my biggest issue was that it was a story with white main characters set against a backdrop of a [great] Black/poc supporting cast who were given little interiority and I liked that this season expanded on them more, particularly (going in order for expansion) Sydney (though she wasn't supporting in season 1 but still, less interiority than Carmy and Richie) and then Marcus and then Tina and then Ebrahiem but while it was really great seeing Sydney go to different restaurants to test her palate and struggle with finding a menu -- and I agree that seeing how she visualized food was very interesting and cool to watch -- and while seeing Marcus flourish in Copenhagen was great and heartwarming, I was like none of the foods that they eat or learn from are like soul food or Haitian food or Jamaican food or Ethiopian food or Nigerian food etc. etc. and it bothers me that they're left out of the conversation because while that's not the food that they're cooking, they're learning from all of these different contexts and yet none of those contexts are Black/predominately Black countries and leaving them out of the exploration when they have a fairly big Black cast rubs me the wrong way and I think also contributes to these cuisines being left out of explorations/conversations about high calibre cooking.

I knew Marcus' mother was going to die or her health was going to turn for the worst so I was waiting for that shoe to drop (lol) but I was still very sad when it did especially how it did and again, I love that him knocking the phone off the counter came back later. Just so many great details. I'm definitely going to rewatch the season.

[shiitnoonecaresabout]

my music alphabetized

PART TWOOOOO time for the second letter baby.

B is for............

BOYGENIUS FUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

all time favorite(still together)band. u guys don't get it. getting these three on a song together is best decision ever made sorry. i love these three a lot. phoebe, lucy, and julien are BRILLIANT songwriters who make explosive material when they're together. every song is breathtaking and every song makes u feel every emotion in the book. it may be a 'controversial' opinion but their ep (2018) is my favorite album. they each have their respective moments the same way they do on 'the record' (2023) . it also came out on my birthday so maybe i'm biased. overall, their ep hits every mark perfectly even with a whopping SIX SONGS. the lyricism within that album will hit every time. to put a song calling out ur fans ('bite the hand') as the OPENER for ur debut ep is absolutely insane and perfect. do not get me STARTED on 'me and my dog'. i won't stop:

'me and my dog' has been my comfort song for a while. but its true resonation came through more recently. in a mundane wrap up by 'Beyond The Stage' magazine, the song is essentially about an imaginary situation that is "a peaceful escape from anxiety - one that includes an entire solar system and Phoebe's late senior dog, Max" (Pasterchick, 2023; https://www.beyondthestagemagazine.com/me-my-dog-boygenius-lyric-breakdown/). i have always loved the lyric "i wish i was on a spaceship/just me and my dog and an impossible view" because it makes me think of my darling baby boy, stanley, my very bestest dog friend who has made my life insanely more bearable. the only difference is he's not very senior, being only 5 years old. but recently i had to deal with him passing and listening to this song made me feel so seen and it put that final nail in the coffin of why i love it so much. it's interesting to think how something so devastating can bring about a relation to something i had found so much happiness in beforehand. it comforted me when i needed it the most and boygenius i'm oh so grateful for that. in my safe spaces i can always imagine stan and i on a spaceship. he sure would love that view.

their ep could make me talk for hours but 'the record' is an absolute masterpiece next to it. for them to have a hit debut album like that is so well-deserved. the writing within that album is perfect and 'we're in love' only solidified my love for lucy more. to be able to hear such mundanity in the instruments in order to amplify her soft voice is a beautiful use of sound and very understandable when she is spitting the bars that she is. i have consistently attempted to dissect meanings that could be hidden within this song just because i know lucy is way too smart for any critic to know what she is singing about. people may try to dissect those songs but julien, lucy, and phoebe are tooooooo big brained for them. it's not up there but 'true blue' is another beautiful representation of lucy's talent and to write that about her bestest friends is very sweet :)))))). 'without you, without them' is underrated but is a gorgeous way to introduce the album, especially a debut one. to open themselves up to us is not a small thing and their appreciation for that intro should be larger. tell ur friends, father, mother, sister, brother, they are opening up girl LISTENNNN.

another thing i love about 'the record' is the amount of JULIEN we get. the triangle between 'anti-curse', 'satanist', and '$20' is grammy worthy. the way the album flows together is 'folklore' level and no i do not say that lightly. the friendship that flows between each and every song is important to truly understand the tight community they have formed among themselves. 'anti-curse' focuses around julien's encounter with the ocean and getting pulled under a wave "making peace with [her] inevitable death." and listening through the album you start to notice her underlying theme of feeling grounded by the two people next to her on this whole journey, phoebe and lucy. their friendship has had a strong and lengthy lore that has brought devastation among many fans realizing just how much they really love each other. which is also emphasized by their common theme of playing the "big three," as some fans like to call it, at their shows: 'please stay,' 'favor,' and 'graceland too.'

now, i saw boygenius live and experiencing those three songs was another experience for me. and that was the most i cried the whole show (can u believe that?) knowing their friendship was so strong that they could write those songs about such a vulnerable moment within it was a beautiful thing for them to feel comfortable sharing with us. i think people took for granted the way they were able to perform those songs for us after the history that has happened to produce them. additionally, i think the creative decision to place julien in the middle of all three was essential to solidifying the sole reason all those songs were being performed. they have found strength and solidity in their friendship and turned it in to some of the greatest music of 2023.

whoever said trios don't work should really meet boygenius.

this is my boygenius cover playlist. if someone wants to get it to them thank you. i need them to cover these songs.

[billconrad]

Try Not to Write Like Hemingway

    A friend of mine recently told me they wanted to write a fictional book and wanted to pick my bonkers mind for ideas. I answered her questions, and one stuck out, “Should I read a bunch of Ernest Hemingway books to write like him?” I told my friend not to pattern themself after other writers, and I thought it would be interesting to explain my opinion.

    Talented authors like Emily Dickinson, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare have a style and storytelling ability that define the literature benchmark. Writers should be well-versed in famous books to learn about character development, descriptions, plot structure, and flow. However, I think it is a huge mistake to copy their writing style.

    The problem is twofold. First, readers know these works and copycat books are not appreciated. Second, master authors are called masters for a reason. Only 0.001% of us have that writing ability, and attempting to write like a master is a recipe for failure.

    Instead, I recommend reading a variety of books from many authors. This list must include bad authors (we prefer to be called up-and-coming). Their books contain flawed stories, dismal characters, no flow, flimsy descriptions, grammmmar, and awful dialog.

    Why? Poorly written books are a tremendous resource because beginning writers can think about solving apparent problems. This book dissection is a fun activity, and it is also reinforcing. “Hey, if I can spot this problem, maybe my writing is alright.”

    Let me provide an example. I met a fellow author through Facebook who asked me to critique his first book. It is a spiritual awakening autobiography like The Razor’s Edge. (If you have not seen the 1946 movie, I recommend it. The 1984 remake is so-so.) From the first page, there were many problems.

    When I provided feedback, I recall focusing on one sentence, “I gave a speech on the topic.” Ok… Where did this speech take place? How many people were there? What was their reaction? This lack of description was so big that a bus could have driven through it. When reading a book like The Grapes of Wrath, spotting glaring mistakes is impossible.

    Yet, I know I have not convinced you, so I want to focus on the Hemingway book, The Old Man and the Sea. “I want to write a book just like that.” Alright, a similar plot is not out of the realm of possibilities. Let’s tweak the base story. A female sheepherder deep in the mountains guards her flock. Suddenly, a wolf attacks, and they battle to the death. The book contains epic scenes, grand descriptions, and powerful emotions. The result would be very similar to The Old Man and the Sea.

    What would critics think? “Weak plot, but good writing.” Why? Now, with powerful AI tools, excellent editors, and grammar checkers, the minimum benchmark is a well-written book. Readers now expect bold and unique plots to rise above the latest TikTok cat videos. Does this make The Old Man and the Sea obsolete because the plot is dated? I prefer to consider it a high-quality writing benchmark but concede the base story no longer holds up.

    Why? Today, the old man could have called his friends or the Coast Guard over a cell phone or radio to rescue him. Who cares about a silly fishing story? According to YouTube, you can buy fish at the grocery store. This classic has a slow pace, and today’s readers travel at the speed of the internet. But what if the writing goal was a slow-paced book? Such books have a limited market.

    Let me attack this from a different angle. A new author is a huge Tom Clancy fan who wants to write a similar novel. The problem is that readers are not static. They want fresh plots that rise above the noise. “I wrote a spy novel exactly like The Hunt for Red October” is not a recommended read. “I wrote a spy novel better than Tom Clancy’s best works” is an annoying boast. “I wrote a spy novel with dragons.” Dragons? Really? I might have to check that out.

    You’re the best -Bill

    March 20, 2024

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.

[amoveablejake]

Album Of The Week: ‘Impossible Germany’ by Wilco

Stand out song: ‘Impossible Germany’. 

I have lost count of how many times that I have written on the blog that I’m not too sure how I feel about Wilco. The funny thing about this is that I fall for artists quite quickly. I can listen to one song or parts of an album then the whole thing and be greatly involved with them at least for a time. Often with those sudden love affairs that I have with certain artists and albums, they don’t last. They are very intense for that time and its always meaningful when I do return to the work but it never quite captures that same feeling of wonder that I had. Then ofcourse, there are those artists that I adore immediately and that go on to become part of my key roster and my favourite artists. It is then a little funny, at least to me, that I can’t quite decide where I stand with Wilco. I have been listening to the band’s music on and off for about six years now and throughout that time they have brought me to near tears and have made my heart swell with emotion. They have made me smile a great deal and made me sit back in my chair to be lost in their music. But there is still a level of uncertainty with them which I think I’m going to have to continue to explore. 

A brief disclaimer. Wilco recently released a new album and it was my vague intention to have that feature as the album of the week this week however, I have’t given it enough time as of yet to feel that I can write about it the way that it deserves. But, after thinking about Wilco a great deal I decided that I did have to write about Wilco this week which leads me to another disclaimer. ‘Impossible Germany’ is not actually an album but rather a track lifted from the ‘Sky Blue Sky’ album which again, I have not listened to to the extent that it deserves and so I didn’t feel I could write about the album has a whole hence the dissection. That however, is going to change. I have decided, literally as I have been writing this that I am going to listen to the entire Wilco discography to try and come up with an answer to how I truly feel about the band. Am I excited to embark on this journey, I really am but also, I actually feel a bit nervous. I have felt nervous in the past when I have been about to listen to an album from one of my favourite artists but this, why am I nervous now. I think, I may have an idea why but I’m going to keep that to myself until the right time because as I say I think this is going to be an interesting exploration. At least for me and the band members of Wilco who I am sure read this. Jeff Tweedy, this is for you. 

So, why ‘Impossible Germany’ and not a full fat Wilco album. Well, ‘Impossible Germany’ is one of those songs that makes me feel unsure about how I feel about Wilco. I first heard ‘Impossible Germany’ the day after I got back from my first trip to Berlin in 2018. I was tired after a busy trip and I was missing a city that will always have a special place in my heart. ‘Impossible Germany’, when it came through my headphones, felt like a breath of fresh air. Now at this point I had been listening to Wilco for a couple of years and I had had experiences with their music like that but there was something about ‘Impossible Germany’ that felt different. In the Disney Pixar film ‘Inside Out’ you see memories be created and archived and alongside that there are core memories that go on to shape that person. When I first heard ‘Impossible Germany’ after that trip it felt like a core memory being formed. The song felt like it was the accompaniment for my memories of the trip and it worked perfectly. But more than that, the song has evolved to become one of my key song, or a core one if you will. It is a song that whilst this may sound strange, feels almost like a reflection, it feels very me. And I think thats where the whole Wilco uncertainty arises from. I think I’m on the precipice of them becoming my favourite band and that I’m trying not to give into that for whatever reason that might be. As I say, this is probably only a journey that is going to be interesting to me but I am going to now listen to all of their albums and try and work through these feelings. You could perhaps say its an impossible listening experience. I’m sorry. I’ll do better. 

-Jake, a man left speechless by how good ‘Tales of The Jedi’ is, 31/10/2022

[yanderart]

He caught you when no one else did; defeated you when no one else could. Whether you liked to admit it or not, Eraserhead had clearly proven his worth.

So why didn't you prove yours, little villain?

Another portrait for my POV yandere series, this time of Aizawa. Got a few people requesting me to draw/write for him so hopefully y'all enjoy it 🖤

Below the cut, as customary for the series, is a longshot one-shot that delves further into the backstory (Aizawa x Villain Reader, nsfw, dark themes, 8k).

TWs: dub-con, graphic smut, Bad Bondage Etiquette, degradation/humiliation, brat (villain) taming, cumplay and slight bimbofication. Scumbag Aizawa is real.

— — —

   The day you met Eraserhead, looking back, saying your worries had been misplaced would be an understatement. With not being apprehended and losing street cred at the very top of your list, it was decidedly easy to skip over any of the other big red-lettered warnings.

   You first felt the tickle in your nape while you carried your acquisitions across downtown Musutafu, accompanied by the familiar presage of someone watching your every movement. The city around you was bustling, as was the norm, as loud and meandering in its complaints as a chronically diseased elder, yet the alleys you took as shortcuts grew quieter and quieter with each step. 

   It was eerie, alarming, and a platitude of other adjectives you shamefully chose to neglect. 

   “So this is the great V/N in the flesh,” the lazy cadence of someone calling out your alias froze you mid-step, the way his owner dragged each syllable telling you he hadn’t yet decided whether you were worth wasting his breath on. 

   Your body was responding before you even had a chance to properly process the threat, running on instinct and muscle memory as you twirled to face the mysterious man and prepared to...

   “Cute dress, kid.” Eraserhead in the flesh stood barely a few feet away, glowing scarlet orbs illuminating his preternaturally blank expression and transforming it instead into a visage of pure intimidation. “Didn’t pitch you for the frilly type.”

   The growing panic in your chest put a hitch in your breath as you stared back. Yet you couldn’t help but still try, fruitlessly hoping—hands clenched, nails puncturing your own flesh as you tried to force your dormant quirk awake. And all for naught, considering your efforts were only repaid by the hatchet of your sinking realization being buried even deeper. 

   Although, the Pro-Hero also appeared to notice your meager attempts, taking a few steps closer to your form with a condescending gleam in his otherwise somber features. 

   Before you were conscious of what you were looking at (and before you had half a mind to attempt a quirkless attack on the hero), you observed the weapon wrapped around his neck unfolding fluidly, the extensions of fabric reaching out to envelop you in a forceful embrace that left your arms tucked to your sides and your back uncomfortably straightened. 

   “Better to trap you before you get any wild ideas. It’s your fault you’re in this position in the first place anyways,” he was taunting you, prodding you and poking you as you found yourself completely at his mercy, uselessly struggling much in the same way many of your victims had surely felt in their last few moments at your hands. 

   "Eraserhead," his pseudonym resembled an insult on your tongue, your rage and resentment making for rather colorful enhancements. "Don’t you have anything better to do than trapping helpless girls with this weapon of yours? Didn't peg you for a pervert."

   Usually, you managed to reign in some of your nastier attitudes, channeling them into your quirk and the violence you could inflict with it…

   But tied up and under the influence of his own ability as you were? All you had was pettiness. 

   "You can dress up as a civ all you want. Won't be fooling me." He took several steps, closing the distance between you two with barely the hint of a smile morphing his stern expression.  

   You could see the faint stubble on his handsome face from this up close, blood-shot eyes that refused to blink as they studied you in ample detail. Could even see the scar carved onto one of his cheekbones, a textured promise of the fight he had survived and now wore as a medal. 

   Such was your luck, that the Pro to finally catch up with you had to be this rugged scumbag. 

   "I'm not even engaging in any criminal activities, Eraseridiot." Your insult was terrible, but you were never much of a verbal sparrer. Not when you could use your fists instead. "What are you gonna send me to the pigs for? I know my rights."

   And you did. So when the condescension on the lazy hero's face turned into a full-on expression of mockery as he approached your "bag of acquisitions," you audibly gulped. Goddamn stalker couldn't have been following you for that long? Could he? 

    If only you knew. 

   "Then," he held up the bag with an indolent brand of interest, the contents dangling tauntingly from his clutch. "How do you explain this over here? I reckon even dirt like you knows what stealing qualifies as." His other hand dived for the contents and before you could voice any protest, cheeks blushing furiously, a slow hint of a chuckle was bobbing his adam's apple. "It would be a fun thing to peg you down for, though."

   That damned weapon of his didn't give out an inch as you started to furiously struggle, becoming instead impossibly tighter with each futile attempt at freeing yourself.

   "You fucking psycho, is this your sick way of trying to pick me up or something?"

   But your quip did not deter him at all (if anything, it spurred him on). The hand inside the bag tensed for a moment before he was retrieving the sole object inside. To say mortification was written all over your face would be an understatement. 

   A dark pantyhose now hung from Eraserhead's nimble fingers, not a second being wasted by the Hero before he proceeded to bring it up to his face, carelessly stretching the garment until you could see every single one of his features through the sheer material. The way the moonlight caught in it, bouncing off and bathing his patronizing face, made for uncomfortably intimate imagery. 

   (Yet a part of you, one you would never admit existed if further questioned, also could not help but notice the striking attractiveness of it all, making you want to squirm for completely different reasons while the man continued to exert his quirk on you through the fabric of your fucking lingerie.)

   "Gotta say, didn't take you for a pantyhose kind of gal either. Girls like you…" He uttered the last part more like an afterthought, tossing the bag aside before his hands continued toying with the tights absentmindedly. "Are suited for something like fishnets much more."

   By that point, you were sure he was just playing with you. You were such a harmless joke, restrained and showcased like a prize for his viewing pleasure.

   "Reckon you must own quite a few pairs, uh?" He continued egging you on when you failed to give a timely enough answer. 

   (Perhaps the fact that he so easily guessed that detail should’ve been your first real warning, too.)

   Yet you couldn’t help how his condescension and the downright dirty way he stared at you sent dark shivers up your spine, the threat he represented turning strangely alluring under the dim street lights illuminating you both. 

   As a villain, you had robbed, murdered, set people ablaze, and even stolen a popsicle or two from some crying kids. So why were Eraserhead's words having such an effect on you? Why did, a part of you deep down, seemed enthused by the awful way in which he was speaking to you?

   "You don't have any proof I stole them. I just threw away the receipt after I bought them. Very environmentally unconscious of them, too, when electrical ones are a thing."

   Now you were just rambling. What an adorable sight. 

   "Hmm, never thought I'd hear "environmentally unconscious" being uttered by a two-bit criminal." He stopped stretching the lingerie for a moment, thoughtfully scratching at his incipient stubble with his free hand instead, "Are you really trying to sell me the good samaritan angle?"

   To his credit too, he seemed genuinely puzzled by your approach for an instant. Guess even an experienced pro like him still had room to be shocked. 

   "I'm not trying to sell you anything, imbecile." The snobbishly controlled tone of yours was back, the shaking of panic subsiding while you held onto your only hope of leaving this confrontation unscathed. "And my rights clearly state you need proof to apprehend me. Need causality to exert your quirk on me, too, or you would be the one breaking the law." 

   Now, Eraserhead wasn’t annoyed per se. You could tell from what little he had already spoken (and from the myriad of cautionary tales you had been told) that little could rattle the man at all, but your comment definitely appeared to intrigue him. It made you feel like an animal being studied, pinned down, and ready to be dissected for his own morbid curiosity.

   "Isn't this just rich?" His tone was almost lethargic, words dragging on with a faint rumble. "Are you going to run off to the police, then? Tell them how a Pro trapped you and tried turning you in for a very obvious act of theft?", his eyebrows were raised, eyes more awake despite his monotone voice carrying on. "Be my guest then."

   Because of course you were all bark, no bite and he was more than willing to call you out on your shit. So instead of continuing down that route, you decided to veer for a new approach, switching from your assortment of insolent tactics. 

   "Do you get off on this, then?" Your voice morphing into meekness while you adopted an expression of distress, bottom lip jutting out with the sparkle of thinly veiled sarcasm glimmering in your eyes. "Do you like thinking of yourself as the Big Bad Hero, maybe?" And you could tell by the way the incipient smile froze on his lips that your question had caught him off guard. Made you wanna press even harder, "Do you like the idea of taking a defenseless little girl into an alley and showing her just how bad you can be? Maybe planned on teaching me a lesson, is that it?"

   His frown mimicked yours now, no longer any hints of cruel enjoyment on his part. His eyes still glowed red, but he was now squinting ever so slightly, zeroing in on you not only due to the limits of his quirk but also due to the words rapidly continuing to escape your impudent mouth. 

   "Does Eraserhead like to fuck his lays into being law-abiding citizens? Is the power over someone else what really gets you off, perhaps?"

   It was like a spell was cast on the both of you. He couldn't drift his attention, his eyes couldn't stop scanning your face — quickly flickering from the hatred coloring your gaze to the slight quiver of frustration shaking your lips. The hand which he still used to grab your stockings was now a closed fist, knuckles growing pale from the poorly contained strength.

   "Bet you plotted this entire thing, you creep. Wanted to take me behind an alley and show me my place." Your taunts were becoming increasingly more risqué, the anger blurring your sense of preservation—and the hint of something else too, a secret excitement you were unwilling to recognize. "Wanted to have me all submissive and obedient under you, surely. Show me what a scary hero cock can do, is that it?"

   But instead of earning another entertaining grimace, you had a first-row seat to the rapidly darkening expression on his face. Eyes squinted at the same time that the bandages settled even tighter around you, cutting off your breath for a moment before relenting just enough not to suffocate you. 

    And that's when you first felt it for the first time, just when your jests died on your lips and you drank on his foreboding reaction. The grip of Eraserhead's quirk, more constricting than any ropes, wavering faintly around the prison he had constructed around you; the distinct buzzing in your hands returning for a mere instant before flickering out again.

   Now that was interesting.

   "Should watch what you're saying," the pro-hero sounded gruff, voice tinted by a new kind of intensity.

   Like a shark smelling the smallest whiff of blood, you couldn’t help your instincts urging you to dial down. 

   "Always knew you hero types had a hard-on for the power trips. Bet you were using all of this as a decoy. Is this when you strip me and hold me down? When you plow me into the floor of this alley and tell me to "behave or else"?" 

   You knew your jabs were going too far, getting too brazen… yet as much as you enjoyed making the Pro visibly uncomfortable, once he decided to close the distance between you two there was little you could do to stop yourself from flinching. A fire inhabited his expression, the vivid brightness emanating from his stare not only intimidating, but downright frightening too.

   "Are you trying to rile me up?" His hand gripped your face with force, bandages shifting until they were enveloping your neck, holding you up and forcing you to reciprocate his glare, "What do you think will you achieve by antagonizing me even more, V/N?"

   You just looked at him through your eyelashes, still somehow managing to play up the innocent act through the layers of fear settling in. And as expected, it only served to further his irritation, calloused fingers digging even deeper into your cheeks and coaxing the claws of terror to continue trailing their nails all around you. 

   "I’m just trying to understand you, Eraserhead." The way you smiled at him was defiance personified despite it all, your tongue wetting your lips while you caught his eyes following the movement. There was the slightest give of his quirk again, a fluctuation in his concentration informing you that you were finally on the right track. "And I think, given the fact that I haven’t been cuffed yet, that we can both still come to a mutual agreement."

   Fingers twitched around your jawline, muffling your words while your sides were squished together harshly. But even manhandling you, the Hero couldn’t hide the spark in his eyes, an interest you foolishly believed to be ignited by your former comments. 

   "So you are indeed trying to rile me up then." It was an assertion, not a hint of doubt in his leisure intonation. 

   Instead of replying this time, you just slowly blinked his way, observing your imitation of meekness reflected in a gaze that refused to abandon yours. It had been so long since you last tried to play coy, so long since you needed to depend on anything besides your own strength and ruthlessness. You couldn’t help the thrill you got from playing the role. 

   "Think you’ll get me distracted enough to break away, I bet." He was whispering directly against your skin after getting dangerously closer, the heat from his cushioned lips provoking an involuntary shiver. "Do you believe nobody else tried this approach before, little villain?"

   You gulped, feeling caught before you even had time to properly set the stage. 

   "I wasn’t..."

   "Weren’t what, trying to seduce me?" There was a sense of levity hidden somewhere under his timbre, stored between words that kept dragging on in a mantle of aloofness. "Or did you not mean any of your words?"

   When you didn’t reply, you could feel the cruel smile resurfacing against your earlobe. 

   "If I lift your dress right now, do you think I’ll have my answer?" His question sounded almost casual, as weightless as your alias had been when he first called you out. 

   Your heartbeat sang in your chest, an anxious hummingbird trapped inside your ribcage. Because you knew the answer, you both did. 

   When the hand still clutching your bunched hosiery came up to press the fabric against your thighs, you could not help the gasp that escaped you.

   "I bet all those things you were just saying…" His tone drifted off as the stockings were slowly guided up the vastness of your legs, fingers barely grazing you through the thin layer of the stolen undergarments. He was thoroughly teasing you, enjoying the manner in which your expression contorted in response. "You just want me to do them to you, don’t you?"

   Even if you would’ve wanted to object, the pressure of his nylon-covered digits finally reaching your dampened panties was enough to kill any possible refusal. He traced the outline of your slit, soft touches running across it with deceitful lightness, and your mind became positively staggered as you were rendered overwhelmed by his actions. 

   You didn’t have to worry about his next move for long, either, because barely a moment’s notice passed before his entire palm was eagerly covering your crotch. And the new way in which he groped you was demanding, the heel of his wrist putting just enough pressure to drag a shamefully loud mewl from you. 

   The douchebag even had the gall to laugh at your reaction, the sound of his mirth prompting you to writhe even harder as he continued to feel you up through your rapidly soaking underwear. 

   "Knew you’d be a slutty one." His breath was hoarse against the side of your face, the stubble on his jaw scratching against your skin in a way which made you wonder how it would feel pressing elsewhere. "So fucking wet, it must hurt being this eager."

   He didn’t specify what exact kind of pain he meant, whether your growing need for release or the insufferable blow all of this represented to your pride. Somehow, though, you had an inkling that he was referencing both. 

   "Wanna show me just how needy you are?" His words echoed with each laboured breath of his, one of the few signs you had that he was clearly very much into the whole affair despite his detached demeanor. "Maybe you could show me more of your adorable little cries." 

   As Eraserhead rutted his palm against you another time, you found your hips lowering down to chase the feeling much to your own chagrin, more moans making their way out of your panting mouth while he coaxed you to sing the notes of his preferred melody. 

   It was true that you hated his guts… but another fact was that you hadn’t had action in a long while either. Even with the threat of imprisonment hanging over you, you could not deny how desirable the idea to get to cum against that veiny hand of him was, to grip those muscular shoulders as you reached the perdition he was so tantalizingly offering. 

   Decidedly forgotten was your plan of you being the one distracting him. For fuck’s sake, you really were a needy whore. 

   "Why not show me how you cum for me in this alley, if you’re really that desperate?" His words kept getting cruder, his tongue tracing a languid stripe from your earlobe down to the side of your neck, a beautiful path of distractions threatening to dip your sanity even lower. "Be the dirty little villain that I know you are, doll."

   But just as soon as the stimulation was hitting you a second time, so it suddenly disappeared. One second fingers were flexing against your tender flesh, coated by your arousal through the layers of fabric separating you and fluttering with the promise of an impending release, and then the very next instant you were left to whimper (a villain like you, actually whimpering!) in the unbearable wake of their absence. 

   When your eyes searched for the Hero’s again, in his blown out pupils you could only dare interpret part of the enjoyment he was getting from watching you scram for his touch, beautifully bold handwriting spelling out arousal for all to read.  

   Watching you so easily betray your own ego after all of your lip service? More than simple music to his ears, it was an entire sonnet. 

   "But, now that I think of it, you were the one trying to walk away free from this. So why should you be the one getting pleasured?"

   Even in your precarious situation, you couldn’t help rolling your eyes. 

   "Are you fucking kidding me?" Apparently, your discomfort at being denied was enough to forego your better senses.

   The bindings contracted around you in quick response to your insolence, your neck being craned even further and your arms mishandled until they were behind your back instead of at your sides, a sharp pain blooming from your shoulders as you struggled to adjust.

   Treated like this, he really did make you feel like a helpless little doll. (Goddamn, that thought alone was enough to have your juices gushing again, the trails of your excitement starting to make a mess of your inner thighs.)

   "You don’t get it, do you?" He asked in a despondent voice, unblinking eyes still refusing to abandon your face as he elaborated, "you should already be on your way to some second-rate villain prison, cuffed and muzzled and someone else’s problem."

   At his reminder of what you believed to be your impending fate, the mocking pout on your face transformed into a retelling of real horror. Because your spotless reputation was the one trick in your book that had managed to give you a sliver of notoriety over the rest of the unremarkable criminals, much more significant than any quirk or grandiose crime. 

   So for someone like you to lose that? You might as well hang up the villain costume and retire, for all anyone would care. (And yes, you had been called an attention whore a lot throughout your life, but who could blame you when you couldn’t help but thrive on it?)

   Sensing your spiraling thoughts, the Pro raised his eyebrows in an almost pitiful stint, as if he was truly empathizing with the agonized look of your face. 

   "I know you don’t want that, doll." As his declaration dragged on, the grip that had been steadying your jaw was swapped instead for the peculiar feeling of damp fabric —your pantyhose being pushed against your cheek and spreading your own juices around, all while Eraserhead intently studied the new wave of disgust coloring your features. "So why not show me that even a villain slut like you can behave? Give me a reason to believe that and..." The slickered garment was now pressing to your closed lips, your eyes starting to water with the weight of the humiliation you were being made to endure. "Maybe then I’ll consider letting you go."

    You knew he was lying, had every right to doubt the sincerity of his promise and, in its place, conclude he just meant to take advantage of you in your desperate state and then leave you for the pigs to find anyway. 

    You knew all of that, and yet you still opened your mouth and allowed him to do as he pleased. When he worked the pair of soiled stockings inside, you had troubles recognizing the pathetic sight being reflected your way from the wild hue of his gaze. 

   For someone who had always prided herself in being a predator, you had never looked more like prey.

   "Fuck, that’s it, doll." He pushed the piece further with his fingers, forcing you to stretch your lips until your jaw started to hurt from the strain. His fingers swirled inside, pressing the soaked material against the flat of your tongue and instructing you to eagerly lick it.

   You had never felt as debased in your entire life, being forced to choose between savoring your own arousal while tied up in an alley or ruining a reputation you had fought so earnestly to maintain. 

   (And yet your thighs were pressing together now, attempting to create some meager friction to alleviate a yearning that did nothing but shift, demand, grow.)

   "Look at you cleaning up your own mess," he almost sounded proud of you as you kept dutifully sucking, his other hand brushing your hair away from your shoulders in a strangely consoling way. "Seeing you all obedient like this, one could be fooled into thinking there is yet hope for reform."

   By the time the Hero finally took his hand away, bunching up the stockings before fitting them into one of the hidden pockets of his dark costume, you thought you could discern a mocking smile through the clouds of tears.

   "But now, now, doll… are you gonna keep crying or do you wanna try and take proper care of me next?"

   Not finding it in yourself to raise your voice again, you instead opted to wet your lips hesitantly as you awaited for him to elaborate further. There was a question dying to be asked, struggling somewhere alongside the myriad of insolent retorts and insults you wished you could swing the Hero’s way without being harshly reprimanded. 

   "I wouldn’t call that proper exactly," a chuckle reverberated from the back of his throat, gravely and dark as he misrepresented your movements. Fingers still slick from your saliva caressed your bottom lip, massaging it in a way which played straight into the undermining tilt of his words. "Although I’m sure you must be dying to wrap your pretty lips around my cock. Would give you a good reason to stay quiet, uh?"

   You really had been intending not to fall for his obvious goading, not trying to give the Pro anymore reasons to be harsh with you (or even worse, give him an excuse to leave you alone and to a fate worse than his company ever would be). 

   Had tried so hard too, but the cocky villain in you could only take so much degradation before it snapped. 

   "Goddamn it, are you trying to fuck me or bore to death?" As for the slight quivering in your voice, you dearly hoped he wouldn’t pick up on it. 

   Predictably enough, that slip earned you another harsh tug from the capture weapon, your whole body pulled back until you thought you were about to be snapped. 

   "I was just about to praise you for being all sweet for me, V/N." The switch from his pet names to your alias felt like a bucket of ice being dumped on you, voice a slow drawl while he tugged once more from your bottom lip, but this time harsh enough to have you wincing. "I’m trying to teach you how to be a proper girl, so don’t make me regret it. Or would you prefer to go take a prolonged vacation in a holding cell?"

   He already knew your answer judging by the way his eyes coldly studied you, unearthing the secrets you uselessly attempted to hide with an ease that unnerved you (and, as much as you loathe to admit, fascinated you). 

   When he tugged at your mouth again, nails sinking just enough to be noticeable, you knew he was expecting a verbal answer. And a nice one, at that. 

   "Then fucking get on with it…" Words slurred at the end, caught up in the increasingly somber aura of your captor before you swallow thickly, quickly adding as an afterthought, "Please."

   At that, his scowl receded enough for some satisfaction to find its way back into his grimace.

   The more you struggled, the sweeter your surrender became.  

   "Not perfect, but better," he conceded with a thoughtful hum.

   If you had properly studied just who he was beyond his active Heroism, then you would’ve understood just how accustomed he was to insubordination. If anything, your act only served to make him feel more at home.

   You had barely any time to wonder about whatever he had planned next though, because in an instant that damned contraction of his was moving you around once more, twisting you until you were facing the brick wall of the alleyway with heaving breaths. 

   Your legs were now maneuvered until you were forced to keep them apart just a smidgen, the new inviting space between your thighs surely a most intoxicating promise for the sick man manhandling you. And your back experienced pain afterwards too, harshly pushed until you had no option but to allow yourself to be pressed against the dirty walls; As a result, you found yourself with your ass backed up and for the world to see, the frilly skirt of your dress caught somewhere between all the movements.

   Yet even being roughed up as you were, when a hand reached out to tug your ruined underwear away you couldn't help greedily rutting into it, too worried by the fire gathering in your lower belly to care about maintaining a semblance of the reluctance you would later claim to have experienced. 

   It was almost comical for the Hero to observe the pathetic image you were now serving up on an ornate platter —especially when compared to the list of deviant crimes and horrors your spreadsheet of accomplishments preached. For all intents and purposes, you really were a horrible, messed up individual…

   So it was a wonder why his mind had kept supplying him with the same descriptor ever since he first saw you, the same sweet little word that he thought might as well be written all over your skin for how accurate it described you.

   A cute little doll (soon to be his cute little doll). Despite believing himself to be a fairly responsable Hero, the man had never wanted to play with anything as much as he did with you.

   The sound of a zipper being lowered was alarmingly loud in the emptiness of your surroundings, as loud as a wail to your sensitive ears. When you squirmed below your restraints, nonetheless, you could no longer pinpoint whether it was from unadulterated fear or a sick sense of anticipation.

   How easy it had been to break you, even if you would never recognize it openly.

   "Knew you were into it, and now watch your ass trembling in excitement for me." He was chuckling again, not pretending like the cruelty coating his words had any other intention but to degrade you further. It had been just his luck, to find the one villain who just so happened to enjoy it. "I really hit the jackpot with you, didn’t I, doll?"

   When the lewd sound of one of his fists pumping his cock reached your ears, you didn’t even bother disguising the whines of complaint refusing to be contained any longer. 

   "Stop..." Words spilled from clenched teeth, growled out with an annoyance that no longer sought to defy, "Fucking..." but to demand instead, "Teasing."

   "Hmm, that’s cute. Why don’t you try begging me though?" His cadence was growing as bated as his breath, littered by intermittent curses as his eyes dined on the sight of your glistening core, held up and offered up for him to do as he pleased. "Beg for me to use you, and if you put on a good enough show I might just let you off."

   Another shiver rampaging it's way through your body, an exhilaration that could not be entirely pinpointed. 

   "Please…" You started, rough intonation dripping with venom —But Eraserhead didn't seem to mind the sardonic nature of your pleading though, not as you heard the litany of damnations being spilled from his lips. Your shameful excitement, your bitterness, your hatred… he would feast on it all and do it gladly. "Get on with it, bastard. Didn't anyone tell you never to toy with your food?"

   A low murmur was your only response at first, followed by the lewd sound of his pre-cum covered cock being harshly jerked.

   "Hmmm, aren't you being a bit too demanding…" His steps echoed again behind you, his unoccupied hand coming up to massage your ass with a rather firm grip. "Even with the begging, I don't think you've learned your place yet."

    When he planted a slap in the same place he had been eagerly caressing before, sharp and flaring up your nerves with the sting of pain and humiliation, you couldn't stop your scream from turning into a wanton little moan halfway through. 

   Even if he was hitting you, it still meant he was touching you, and so enticingly close to the place you actually needed tended to.

   "Do it…" your breathing was too heavy to speak in full fluid sentences, body flushed and mind filled with the buzzing of desire. "Do it again, fuck."

   You were still not begging him like he asked, but it seemed like your choice of words still greatly pleased him. Another slap rained on your ass, his big warm palm massaging the same reddening spot right after.

   And he kept going, the spanking echoing through your body and sending both pain and pleasured shivers up your spine—lewd sounds mixing in with the increasing pace of his other fist pumping his cock. Even without directly touching you, your pussy clenched and weeped with each firm hit. 

   "Damn, it's my first time meeting such a masochistic whore." Punctuated by his most painful slap yet, the globes of your ass left trembling and a furious shade of crimson to match his lust-filled eyes. "I can see why you've managed to stay free for so long, little villain." The debasement, paired with the pain of his firm strikes, had you moaning even louder. You couldn't even recognize your own sounds, nor the thrills you felt at this entire fucked up ordeal. "Wonder how many other Pros you showed this beautiful sight to."

   Even through the fog of sensations impeding you from being wholly coherent, though, you still couldn't help but want to set the record straight. 

   "None, fuck…" Words merging into another expectant whine when you felt his hand gripping your flesh again, only this time he was kneading you in an oddly tender way —Urging you on, fingers creeping closer to your needy hole. "I'm not… usually in the business of fucking Heroes. Shit, I hate this…" 

   But you didn’t, and when you were surprised by the warmth of his naked erection barely grazing the sensitive outer lips of your cunt, you couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped you. 

   "Goddamn, V/N, even while you're an ill-mannered brat you still manage to know just what to say." 

   And then the older man was sliding his cock in the juncture of your thighs, teasing your core by pressing against it while grunts began to escape him. You thought you could cry from having him so close yet still not where you wanted him, but then his shallow thrusts against your legs proved to be much more stimulating than you first expected. 

   The fat head of his cock even managed to somewhat stimulate your puffy clit with its movements, pushing in its direction as your essence continued to leak out and cover you both. And It was so absolutely debauched, to think a Hero was using your thighs like a fucktoy while you were tied down and unable to stop it....

   But it felt so good. Even without him actually in you, you had never been this turned on before. 

   "More… ughhh," you were now screaming with the side of your face pressed flush against the disgusting brick walls, needy sounds filling the night and making it privy to your descent into madness.

   Another thrust, this time angled just precisely enough not to caress your pleasurable areas. Punishment, you feverishly thought while you attempted to wiggle your ass, eager to force more of that delicious friction you were quickly becoming hypnotized by. 

   "Now, V/N," his gruff voice had adopted a mocking tone of reprimand as he continued to rut against the soft skin of your thighs. "Haven't I taught you anything, yet? If you want something…" The hand returned to your heated skin, digits underneath you both spreading your pussy enough for the chilly night air to send shivers straight to your core. "You gotta say please."

   And say please you did. Screamed it even, so eager for more and already far beyond feeling any embarrassment. 

   He didn't fuck you, not like you really wanted, but suddenly his thick shaft was sliding between your lips as his capture weapon aided him in angling your body just right, pulsing against your hole while he found a new rythimn. When both of his hands returned, one of them held you back to make the process even easier while the other swiftly joined his cock in tending to your eager pussy.

   So lost were you in the new raw excitement seizing you, in the knowledge of just how messed up you both were for engaging in such debauchery —so distracted that you didn't even notice the faint buzzing returning to your arms, the vibrancy of an old frequency being reactivated and allowed to encapsulate you again.

   (You didn’t notice, but fuck if it didn’t made your orgasm all the sweeter.) 

   You were cumming like that, your moans resembling squeaks, your body feeling closer to a used fucktoy than a human being. The hero kept rutting against you, the joint efforts of his cock and hand mercilessly continuing to abuse your spasming cunt while your cries filled the space with their decadence. 

   You felt dirty, guilty, maybe even a little ashamed as the orgasm briefly gave you a clarity of mind your arousal had clouded.

   And yet, despite it all, it had been the best you felt in years, possibly ever. As the Pro now tugged your hair, forcing you to wrench your neck just enough to look at him over your shoulder, you couldn't help licking your lips in expectation of what he had in store next.

   "You're gonna show me your face next time you come, little villain." He gave you just enough time to nod, eyebrows drawn as your pleasure got impossibly dragged out by the stimulation he still bathed you with. "And you're gonna keep begging me, keep showing me why you deserve to stay free, okay?"

   It was commendable, how collected he managed to sound while thrusting into your thighs like that, the sounds of skin slapping against skin driving each of his words home. 

   "Yes, fuck, whatever you want…" Despite your senses shortly coming back earlier, you were still too far gone to rethink your poor choices. You just knew you wanted more, and so you asked for it. "Just give me more, please."

   So fucking obedient. If your parents could see you know, their failure of a villain daughter being all proper and learning to beg for what she wanted? Well, perhaps saying they'd be proud was a stretch, considering you were also the one getting fucked in the middle of a filthy alley. 

   What you hadn’t expected, however, was just how well your begging would work. 

   Because the next thrust of his shaft was not between your legs, but aimed to finally breach your needy cunt instead, easily filling you up in one go with how utterly soaked in both of your juices you already were. The girth of him had you already clenching with renewed vigor, his hand stopping his assault on your clit just to give you enough time to truly savor the new intoxicating sensation.

   And when your eyes found his again, so drunk on the waves of pleasure you were that you also failed to notice the lack of scarlet coloring the orbs boring into yours, now inescapable voids of dark desire and a type of intense fixation you thought hadn't been there moments ago. 

   (Or maybe it was always there, and you had been too busy with your own turmoil to notice the clues being left by your so-called enemy).

   "Want me to stuff you properly?" His guttural question hit you at the same time as his sharp movements found your tender spot with experienced ease, walls tightening around him while your entire body struggled to continue holding yourself upright, relying more and more on the capture weapon to keep you from toppling over. 

   The binds still hurt from how tightly they wrapped around you, bruises sure to be left on their wake, but by that point you weren't so sure anymore the sting was an entirely bad thing. If anything, it just made the pleasure all the sweeter by comparison.  

   "Want me to fill you with so much cum that you reek of hero cock for the rest of the week?" He laughed while he regurgitated some of your words from earlier, the hand pressing against your lower stomach caressing you with a distinct sense of ownership as he elicited another loud moan with a sharp movement of his hips. 

   Noticing you reacting not only to his actions but to his quips, you could practically hear the self congratulatory smirk as he spoke next.

   "Bet the other villains would love knowing how much of a cockhungry whore you turned into too, doll. Talk about fraternizing with the enemy."

   And he was right, in a way. Because what would your fellow villains think, seeing you being wrecked by one of the most infamous Pros in the business, lowering yourself to pleading and screaming as he rearranged your insides. 

   Would you get called a disloyal whore or just a plain traitor? Not only would your spotless reputation and the myth you had fought to build collapse, but from its ashes your eternal shame could be erected. 

   A shame that would tower over you, looming around you while the eyes of your peers followed you everywhere. You could even picture the jests veered your way, the looks of utter disgust and ridicule...

   Somehow, the idea of anyone finding out only made your screams grow louder, impossibly more fervent. 

   "Fucking… get on with it."

   However, his rhythm was rapidly interrupted after your jab, his cock pulling out almost entirely as your core convulsed with the sudden staggering emptiness it was left to grapple with. More whimpers, struggling against the set of eternally unforgiving ties encasing your body. 

   "But you're making me do all the work, little one" Another slap shook your entire frame as it landed heavily on your still pained cheeks. You were so sore, both from the previous set of hits and from the sheer exhaustion starting to set in, muscles tight and resentful from the awkward positions your body had been manhandled into. "If you really want to continue this, how about you start doing some of the heavy lifting, uh?" Just like before, his palm started massaging the tender spot he had just smacked, fingers digging into your supple flesh being as close to comforting as the Pro seemed capable of. "Show me just how good you can be."

   And you could've argued, truly, could've even attempted to hold onto the last vestiges of your pride…

   You could’ve done a lot of things, but the truth was that when his weapon relented its hold at last, retreating from the underside of your knees and giving in just a smidge for the first time since you had been captured, you didn't waste any seconds before you were chasing after your high with renewed vigor.

   Greedily sinking into him with an obscene sigh, you audibly marveled at the curve of his member being deliciously imprinted in your insides. While you copied the cadence the Hero had previously employed, his grip on your lower belly fluttered, almost like he couldn't decide whether to take control back or allow you to humiliate yourself further with your own zealousness. 

   It seemed like the later prospect won him over in the end though, because he remained almost impassively still as you did all the work needed to bring you both deliriously close to your peaks. 

   The sight must've been spectacular, watching you, renown villain V/N, so thoroughly broken and willing to heed his every command. Impaling yourself on his cock, moaning and continuing to beg him for something you were already taking for yourself. 

   If he died right then and there, he doubted Heaven wouldn't have as much appeal as the scene still unfolding before his eyes. (But again, considering his actions, Heaven wouldn't really be the right place for either of you.)

   You were just about to reach your second orgasm, toes curling inside your shoes, fists clenched and a face that spelt poetic extasis. Angling the way you took his cock, every single movement driving him painstakingly deeper, slamming against a spot that made you imagine the stars falling from the sky all around you, their light being the one bathing you instead of the malfunctioning street lamps. 

   So goddamn close…

   Only to have him pull out again, this time completely. You were clenching against nothing, all stimulation stolen from you, and the bitterness of a ruined orgasm promptly dragged curses and complaints out of you before you could even think to stop them. 

   Eyes searched his, urgently seeking an explanation for his withdrawal only to find his glare fixated instead on that same dirty pair of stockings that had started it all. 

   Eraserhead must have taken the garment out of his pocket sometime while he fucked you, unfolding it from its scrunched up state until the crotch was visibly presented for both of you to admire, dark sheer fabric still stained from a mix of your arousal and spit. 

   When the Pro looked at you again, a beautifully dark smile topped his attractive face. He looked painfully content, the way he studied your own mortified expression reminding you of an artist studying his masterwork. 

   "Only the truly obedient ones get their cunts filled." You noticed then how his other hand was jerking him off again, erection rubbing against the nylon undergarments in a most obscene depiction. Too bad you were too frustrated to appreciate any of it. "I don't think you've… hell, you haven't earned it yet, V/N."

    You didn't even notice you were tearing up from the annoyance until it was too late. And maybe that was what finally did it, seeing you actually crying at his refusal to breed you like the slut you both knew you were, writhing in exaggerated despair as you found yourself feeling jealous of a stupid pair of tights, because not long after your pathetic reaction the man was letting out a pained groan of his own and spilling himself all over the damned garment. 

   But instead of rubbing your wailing in your face after he came down from his own delicious high, last few spurts of cum slowing down to a halt, you were surprised instead by the weapon that had been binding you for the longest time finally retreating.

   As expected, you unceremoniously collapsed to the floor, feet now unprepared for supporting your weight and your entire being wholly exhausted after enduring the roughest fuck you had ever experienced. It hurt all over, although you weren't sure whether your still present longing wasn't what pained you the most. 

   When you looked up to the Pro again, trying to find an answer to the new freedom you were experiencing, you were surprised by having the cum-dripped stockings thrown in your face. 

   And quite literally so, the still wet seed dribbling down your cheek and into your trembling lips, all before you collected enough wits to grab the offending item and pull it down with an expression of unadulterated disgust. 

   "Sorry, doll, but you were pouting so irresistibly," The Eraser user actually laughed, this time the sound coming with an untroubled merriment you did not think he was capable of.

   He actually looked worn out while he tucked himself back into his costume, accommodating the pieces of clothing until all hints from your ravenous affair disappeared. The bandages were wrapping themselves around his neck once more, looking more like an extravagant scarf than the most precise set of inmovilazing gear you had ever endured. 

   However, something about his attitude had you forgetting all about his newest slight, much too worried by a new cause of worry. 

   "Hold on..."

   Eraserhead looked down at you from his place after you raised your voice, urging you to continue as he finished getting himself presentable. The air of nonchalance around him was almost more intimidating than any of the actual threats or vulgar comments he had voiced prior. Almost.

   "Are you…" you swallowed the sudden lump in your throat, voice still raspy and hoarse after what had just transpired. "Are you really letting me go?"

   The man just raised one of his eyebrows at that, eyes crinkling for the first time and looking strangely amused. 

   "Doll, I stopped exerting my quirk on you while I was still teasing you good and proper," he declared bluntly. When his orbs glimmered again, you now felt like an imbecile as you finally realized they had completely lost the reddish hue to them. "So you know what? I thought you deserved to get an out of jail free card for behaving yourself… even if you still need to work some more on your manners."

   To call your shocked expression dumbfounded would be a disservice. 

   When his now bottomless eyes bore into yours for one final time, all you could do was stare back in dazzled shock. Your quirk was back, the Pro himself had just confirmed it, and yet you were still nailed to the spot, still anticipating his next words without even thinking of attacking him in the meantime.

   One little tumble and you were already his brightest pupil yet. He was now so glad to have waited that long, it only made the outcome all the more fulfilling. 

   "You don’t need to be so surprised, Y/N, we'll be seeing each other soon,” He kneeled in front of you for an instant, both hands reaching out to hold up your face in a gesture more resembling a lover than… well, whatever the hell you two were. So entranced you were then, that the use of your real name barely even registered. “It’s been difficult to keep you away from trouble thus far,” his acknowledgment reverberated in the alley, its meaning something else lost to you as you couldn’t help but become entranced by the new peculiar softness he addressed you with, “but getting you like this now, seeing you break so easily… fuck, I’ll mold you right back up, doll, you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about anything else.”

   And just then, for the first time you realized, the Hero’s lips were brushing against yours gently, uncharacteristically careful as he kissed you slowly. Even his hands were tender while they guided you, treating you as if you truly were a doll that could just be snapped with a mere wrong movement. As if he hadn’t just been treating you like a dirty hole for him to use and abuse just short instants ago. 

   But at least he did not seem to care about the mess that was your face at the moment, about the cum stains or the still damp trails of tears. And, for whatever reason, you found yourself returning the gesture in kind, melting into the oddly affectionate touch of a man you were still halfway sure you loathed. 

   Even after he left you, alone and a mess still toppled over on the floor with the shadow of humiliation cloaking your shoulders, your fingers couldn’t help but touch your lips with a bizarre mixture of bewilderment and horror.

   He told me I would see him soon, your mind supplied as you found yourself irreparably fixating your stare on the pair of now completely ruined tights you were still holding onto. The fact that you felt any type of excitement about the notion did not fail to mortify you. 

   God, even for villain standards you were fucked. 

But it was okay, because misery loved company and, with time at his disposal and the right amount of coaching, Shouta was sure he could teach you to properly crave his soon enough.

— — — 

And, 8k of foul smut later, if y’all read through that whole thing... drop by my ask to recieve your congratulatory gold stars! ⭐ (jk but I do appreciate hearing y’alls thoughts, it’s what keeps me halfway productive 🖤)

Last but not least, very special thanks to my best pals @reinawritesbnha​, @snappysnapo​ and @drxwsyni​ (who actually proof read this and helped me out immensely with her Big Brain Feedback. A TALENTED ANGEL).