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sunlightmurdock · 9 months

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The Odyssey | 0.6 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

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In Verona, you’re an outcast. Bradley’s determined to make up for the day before.

Warnings: enemies to lovers, power imbalance, professor / student relationship, age gap ( 22 / 33), will be smut, virgin reader, swearing, infidelity, them actually getting along for once?, kissing, bradley has a corruption kink and doesn’t know it. wc: 7.35k

…

“I don’t know why you’re bringing this up now.” His voice grew agitated on the other end of the line. Understandably, he expected a delightful update on your sunny summer in Italy and was blindsided by you bringing up a fight from last year. “It’s been months. We’ve moved on.”

The phone pinned between your cheek and your shoulder, you fidgetted nervously with the band around your finger, inspecting the expensive diamond that sits on top of it. Hearing the annoyance in his voice, you should have stopped there, and told him that it didn’t matter. You hadn’t.

“I know, I know we have,” Your voice trembled. Your fiancé sighed hard on the other end of the line. “But the last thing I remember is being at that party with you. If I hurt you, Malcolm—“

“I asked you to marry me.” He blurted out, abrupt and biting. There was no point lying to you. There never had been, you would never let something like this go. He was upset. You could tell. You had continued anyway.

Your brows knitted together. “No… you proposed to me at my parents’ house. O-On Christmas Eve.”

“I did,” Malcolm breathed out through gritted teeth. Thinking of how you had humiliated him that night isn’t a fond memory. “But I asked you to marry me that night, at that party, without a ring. I told you that you’re the love of my life and I asked you to spend the rest of your life with me.”

You had closed your eyes, trying to force yourself to think. You still don’t know how anyone is supposed to reply to that.

“And you cried your eyes out, then left me standing there like an idiot.”

This morning, you’re sitting silently in a library with a notebook in front of you, trying to fathom how you could have done that to him. You wonder if he told anyone but you about that. You had spoken with your mother about marriage not long before he had proposed on Christmas Eve — you had agreed to marry him enthusiastically that day.

How is it that less than a month before, he could have asked you the same question, and your instinct was to run? — Not only to run, but to kiss another man. To spite Malcolm maybe. To act out. Whatever it was, you can’t pretend that it isn’t a relief to know that Bradley wasn’t the reason.

You hadn’t kissed him because he mattered, just because you were drunk and scared.

He’s standing at the end of the table now. Is long and wooden, not dissimilar to the one in the university library. He’s wearing a plain black t-shirt and faded blue jeans, speaking confidently in Italian to the restoration technician that you’re here to work with today.

This is one of the first pieces of actual research that the students have been allowed to engage in so far on this trip. You’re not thrilled about it. Trying to piece together some old man’s memoirs so that Bradley can write about it.

Bradley’s in a world of his own anyway, deep in conversation about what’s in front of him. Since he got here this morning, all that he has done in terms of being a teacher was to list eight roles and tell you to decide amongst each other who would be doing what.

Deemed the least intelligent by all of your peers simultaneously, you’re just the scribe. Taking notes on observations that they have, that Bradley could one day use when he writes about this. It’s bullshit, and it doesn’t seem fair, but you won’t argue with them on it. They already dislike you enough.

And you’re still reeling from last night. No wonder Malcolm wouldn’t speak to you for three days. No wonder he hadn’t followed you out into the snow. You’d just broken his heart.

The day of no work passes by exceptionally slowly. Your only reprieve is Pasquale, telling you stories about his mother’s farm. It’s not something that you would care much about if you were back home, but here, it’ll do.

“So, what do you think of Verona?” Pasquale asks as he flicks through an anthology. His role is more important than yours and he isn’t even here for a grade.

You shoot a look towards the end of the table and watch Bradley pull a loose pair of glasses from his pocket, setting them on the bridge of his nose and leaning closer to examine a text. He doesn’t even have a case for his glasses.

“I, uh — haven’t seen too much of it yet. I stayed in last night, and I’ve been here all day today.” You explain to him, tapping the end of your pen absently against the page.

Bradley takes the page carefully from the technician and frowns as he brings it closer to his face. When he’s serious, faint creases appear between his brows, his lips point down. His eyes narrow slightly.

“You really should. It’s the city of love, you know. You could find your husband a souvenir, maybe. When we have time off tomorrow.” Pasquale tells you with a big grin. You offer him a weak grin in return. You’re lucky to even have someone that wants to be your husband after what you did. Either way, Pasquale seems to like you.

He’s about the only person here that does.

That’s only confirmed later when Bradley steps out of the bathroom in a towel and finds Luke buttoning a salmon coloured Ralph Lauren button up.

“Going out?” Bradley questions, walking over to the desk for his cigarettes before he thinks about his clothes.

“Uh-huh. We’re all going for dinner in the city.” Luke confirms as Bradley scrunches his nose at the obnoxious cologne smell coming from that side of the room.

“All of you?” Bradley checks as he puts the cigarette between his lips and lights it. Luke scoffs, angling himself towards the awkwardly short mirror on their vanity. He rolls one sleeve up to his elbow and squints.

“I’m not inviting her. They’ll kill me.” He shakes his head, glancing over at Bradley and trying to remember how Bradley wears his button ups. Sleeves rolled, definitely.

“She wouldn’t be as bad if she had friends to keep her occupied.” Bradley notes, stepping into a pair of blue boxers and draping the damp towel over his shoulder, exhaling through the corner of his mouth.

“And I wish her the best of luck in finding some. It’s not gonna be me. Anyway, I have to go. See you later!” Luke pats Bradley’s bare shoulder and steps around him, heading for the door before they can discuss this further. It swings shut behind him.

Bradley sighs, leaning his head back towards the ceiling, the lit cigarette dangling between his index and middle fingers.

As much as he would like to avoid you after you’d thrown him off of you last night, the thought of you eating alone in your room just doesn’t sit right with him. Or, even worse, you venturing out by yourself.

The thought of last night makes him want to drive to the nearest beach, dig a reasonably sized hole, and bury his head in the sand. He’s never felt dirtier. The thought that he went further than you wanted him to.

The fact that you’re his student. He doesn’t do that. He isn’t one of the creeps that drools over the girls on campus. Christ, you’re the first girl he’s ever kissed that’s more than a year younger than him. He just needs to put it behind him.

So, he pulls on a pair of faded, light blue Levi’s 501s and a white button up that’s tolerably ironed, then heads up a flight of stairs and down the hall.

You flinch at the knocking on your door.

Bradley blinks as you tug it open moments later. Then, looks you slowly up and down. You’re wearing a cute button up pyjama set. He furrows his brows at you.

“It’s 6pm.” He points out disapprovingly. He really can’t help it. He could have told you that he actually thinks the little hearts on them are kind of cute.

“So? I don’t have anywhere to be.” You answer back, frowning up at him as always.

“Yeah. About that, uh — me either,” He’s trying not to be patronizing about this. He doesn’t want you to feel like he’s taking pity on you. This isn’t necessarily pity. You also just started trying in his class and it would be a shame if you quit now. “Do you want to get dinner?”

“With you?” You gawk.

He shrugs. This is more awkward than he hoped it would be, but he can’t blame you after the way things went yesterday. “Yeah. Unless you know anyone else who’d like to join us.”

“I’ll get ready.” You decide quietly. He gives you a small nod and starts to step back.

“Alright. I’ll meet you in the lobby in… twenty?”

It’s a good thing that he gets down there early, because so do you. You’re more dressed up than he was expecting, but then, so is he. His shirt doesn’t even have any wrinkles in it today.

Bradley looks you slowly up and down as you walk towards him. He doesn’t know what to call the style of dress you’re wearing. Thin straps that tie at the shoulders, a sweetheart neckline and a lightweight georgette fabric. You’re wearing a pretty necklace that compliments the neckline, elegantly small hoop earrings with pearl drops. Those are probably real pearls.

You’ve dressed the outfit down slightly with summery loafers instead of heels. All that does is make Bradley have to tip his chin down to look you in the eye when you’re up close.

“So. Do you know a place?” You exhale, hugging your purse closer to your body. It matches your shoes.

Bradley shakes his head dumbly.

“No,” He answers quietly. Then, he realizes he’s being ridiculous. He’s been on plenty of dates, there’s no reason to be nervous. Except this isn’t a date. Because you’re getting married. And you’re his student. He clears his throat like that will help clear the momentary fog in his brain. “No. But there are a tonne of places around here. We’ll find somewhere.”

The two of you step out into the still warm evening, the sun still pretty high overhead. It’s quiet out, quieter than when you had first arrived. It makes you feel exceptionally alone next to Bradley.

As the two of you walk in a painstakingly heavy silence, you consider briefly if you should apologize for calling him an animal yesterday. After all, you were the one to kiss him. But his hands are big, and they’re heavy, and you could feel them starting to trail along your skin.

You swallow at the thought, shooting a quick glance at the back of his head. His shoulders look wide, and strong, when he’s not wearing a shirt that’s a size too big. Not only could you feel his hands starting to roam, but his tongue too. That, you remember well.

It hadn’t been forceful, or even really too intrusive. Just like he would push his tongue out to wet his lips, he had pressed close to you and gently trailed his tongue along the seam of your lips. That hadn’t ever happened before. Malcolm doesn’t kiss like that. Really, he’s your only point of reference.

So, when Bradley’s tongue had flicked knowingly against your bottom lip, maybe you had parted them. Just a little bit. But then his tongue was in your mouth, trailing against your own and — nice girls don’t kiss like that. Not any nice girl that you’ve ever known anyway.

“How’s this place look?”

You’ve been following him blindly and daydreaming about his tongue long enough now that he has led you down a side street. Peach coloured stone buildings on either side, lanterns on the walls that aren’t lit yet and a string of mostly empty restaurants.

Bradley’s standing by one covered in plants. The awning is practically entirely green with foliage. The railings outside are the same, flowers tucked into small vases on each table. You’re surprised, honestly, that he picked it. It’s pretty.

You turn your head and he’s looking right at you. The first thing to cross your mind is his hands flexing around your waist, his tongue tracing the seam of your lips.

“This is fine.”

He doesn’t untuck your chair for you, but you wouldn’t have expected him too. This is the same man that would have happily had sex with a married woman on a balcony on a work trip. God, and you let him kiss you.

Bradley catches you grimacing at your menu. “What? — Not a fan of Italian food?”

You look quickly back up at him. There’s a caught look on your face that he can’t quite place. Like you’re waiting for him to tell you that you’re in trouble. “Huh? — No. I like Italian food. What are you getting?”

Bradley looks between you and the menu, wondering if he’ll ever get to a point where he understands you.

“Uh…” He has no idea. He hasn’t even read the menu, he’s just been looking at it so that he doesn’t have to look at you. He exhales. “Do you drink wine?”

Whether the wine helps is debatable. In terms of loosening the two of you up to the point that you can actually have a conversation without burning with embarrassment, it’s a great success. In terms of professionalism and keeping up with boundaries, it is not.

You’ve both eaten, you’ve finished an entire bottle of Malbec and you’re a glass and a have into the second bottle — and Bradley’s a lot funnier tonight than he is normally. There’s a connection between those two things, you’re sure.

Even if it’s just that he’s feeling relaxed enough to actually tell you something interesting about himself for once.

“I was taking a still life art class in Tuscany,” He brings the glass to his mouth and takes a drink of the sweet, red liquid. Relaxed back into the chair, it’s like you’re watching a movie star give an interview when he smiles at you. “Staying with a family outside of Siena. They had a daughter, Maria. She was about a year and a half older than I was, and um…”

He trails, biting his cheek as he sets the glass down on the white table cloth again. The candle flickers in its glass jar between you. With one leg crossed over the other, you’re watching him with your own glass sitting in your hand and a smile on your face. The pale blue of your dress makes your skin glow, your hair is tucked back on one side with a pearl barrette. Verona looks good on you.

Bradley chuckles and pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in disbelief. “Well, she — she taught me a lot.”

There’s a brief moment of sense where he sits back and pushes fingers through his curls, shaking his head. Where you can see it in his face that he’s telling himself that this isn’t right. You’re his student.. He exhales amusedly, “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

He shouldn’t have had his tongue in your mouth yesterday.

“You can’t leave it on that cliffhanger! Come on, I won’t tell.” You grin across the table at him and he bites his lip, visibly grimacing at the memory.

You laugh at him, watching his cheeks turn red on the other side of the table. Breeze catches your hair and brushes it back off of your shoulders. Bradley feels himself grimacing as he thinks back to that time. He can’t believe he’s sharing this with you.

“Y’know, I was in the middle of the Italian countryside but this girl was… she was experienced enough long before I met her. But her father was the town’s butcher, and he had some livestock of his own, and one day Maria and I were… fooling around in the granary…”

“Oh my god, Bradley, no.” Your eyes go wide and you sit upright, breaking into a fit of laughter again. Red faced and reliving every moment of the embarrassment he had felt on that August day eleven years ago, he can’t help but laugh with you as he covers his face with his hands.

“He came after me with a meat cleaver, screaming about how I’d, uh, deflowered his little angioletto.” Bradley admits finally from behind his hands. Even with his face covered, that red blush is already spreading down his neck and onto his chest. You watch it go between the open buttons at the top of his white button up.

The sound of your laughter in front of him is the only thing that makes him pull his hands away from his face. He’s got to see the smile that goes with it. Blinking, he’s quiet for a moment. Candlelight from the lanterns overhead and from the table bathe you in a warm light. The centuries old buildings behind you. The smile on your face. He smiles back at you.

“You know what I find hardest to believe about that story?” You ask him, smiling as you lean forwards and set the wine glass down, propping your chin against your palm.

“What’s that?”

“That you were taking an art class for an entire summer.” It just seems so out of character. He’s all about facts and analysis, using sources to come to a conclusion. Sure, his focus is literature, but so far he hasn’t seemed especially creative.

Bradley chuckles, giving a quick shrug of his broad shoulders. “I can draw. I learned some interesting stuff, got kind of good. Painting… not so much. I failed that class.”

The admission makes your jaw go slack, eyes widening in excitement. He just sits back, lips quirked in amusement as you hit the table and point across at him.

“You hypocrite! Putting love before your studies!” You accuse, grinning at him. He laughs, really laughs, leaning his head back and shaking it at you. Your mind starts to wander in the absence of his eyes on you. Him, at your age. Here in this place, taking an art class.

Maybe the two of you would have liked each other. Maybe in another universe, you would be the kind of girl to be kissing him hard in a granary on a summer day.

“I wouldn’t call what Maria and I had love.” He’s still smiling as he makes the decision. If there was ever much of a decision to make in the first place. Bradley knows what being in love feels like, both in written fact and in personal terms. Head over heels, heart-thudding devotion.

“Sex. Putting sex before your studies.” You correct yourself, still grinning as you take a sip of the wine. Bradley watches your tongue leave your mouth to catch a droplet of the aged red intoxicant from your bottom lip. He studies you from the short distance between you. Sun kissed and with the kind of smile on your face that threatens to have you spilling over into laughter again any minute now.

There’s a small silence between the two of you. The bustle of Verona at night just a few streets away. The two of you, tucked away here. It feels private. Even with the wait staff, the few other guests, Bradley hasn’t looked at anything but you in a while now.

“I just don’t get it,” Bradley says softly, staring across at you like he’s searching for his answer on your face. On a good track to finishing this second bottle of wine, you take another drink from your glass and simply raise your eyebrows at him. “Why you’re waiting until you marry this guy.”

The wine sits on your tongue, still, as you blink at him. Shit. Bradley lifts his palm in defense. This is nice, the last thing he wants is to argue with you.

“It’s none of my business, I know — and it’s your decision. I just don’t get it.”

He watches you swallow the wine in your mouth and look down at your knees, silent for a moment. While you’re thinking, Bradley’s thinking too, of a million ways to apologize and change the topic as quickly as possible.

“There are two reasons.” You tell him quietly, sounding uncertain in yourself already. Bradley’s watching you intently when you look up. “But if you tell anyone then I’ll call you a liar to your face and make this entire trip hell for you. Understood?”

His lips twitch, almost smiling. “Understood.”

“The first reason is that it’s what’s expected of me. I’m a nice girl, from a nice family and nice girls don’t have bad reputations.”

“Having sex with your long-term boyfriend would give you a bad reputation?” Bradley questions, brows drawing together. It’s times like these that you believe he grew up in California. He doesn’t understand the social lives of these North-Eastern socialite mothers.

“Yes.” You deadpan, sitting up a little bit straighter. “And the second reason is that we tried, once. And never again since.”

“Tried.” Bradley repeats to you, squinting his eyes slightly. He mulls over the word, then wets his lips with his tongue. He’s preparing to speak again.

You beat him to it, giving a calm shrug. “We were eighteen. I wasn’t the problem. That’s all I’ll say.”

His lips quirk upwards into a small smile. Your hot shit boyfriend couldn’t keep it up. Bradley’s smart enough not to say anything else on the matter, and instead asks you how you’re liking the book that Pasquale gave you. The two of you finish the bottle of wine in polite conversation.

Bradley calls the waiter over and asks for the bill. It sounds like he’s polite about it. Once it has been set down between the two of you, you’re both quick to reach for your wallets.

“I’ve got it.” Bradley waves you off, opening up a brown leather wallet. You look at him through your lashes, squinting dubiously.

“Since when are you a gentleman?” You play, lips quirked. A week ago, this would have started an argument. Maybe you’re growing on him. He just smiles and shoots you a quick wink, dropping the notes onto the bill.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” He jokes back, starting to close his wallet on the other side of the table.

“What’s that picture in your wallet?” Your eyes linger on the black and white photo booth picture in his phone. Bradley’s gaze shoots between the picture and you. He pulls it from the sleeve and passes it across the table to you.

Briefly, your eyes widen. The man in the picture looks so much like Bradley that you think the woman in the picture must be an ex. And then you look across to the woman, and somehow he looks even more like her than he does the man.

He watches your lips quirk softly into a smile as you inspect the grainy picture. No explanation needed, you know exactly who they are.

“You look like your mom.” You tell him gently. Her blonde hair is settled into short curls in the picture, the man at her side is practically beaming. He looks happy in a way you’ve never seen Bradley match, maybe that’s it.

“Really? — Most people say I look like my dad.” He comments, resting his forearms on the table to lean over and examine the photo for himself. You smile at him, lifting the picture up and holding it next to his face.

There’s a brief quiet between the two of you. Bradley’s still, trying to keep his face neutral as you study the differences. His lips twitch. The serious look on your face just makes him smile. Once he’s smiling, your decision is made.

“You do,” You nod, glancing between him and the picture. “You’ve got your mom’s lips. And her eyes, I think. She’s really pretty.”

You look up, picture still between your index and thumb. He’s pretty. Tanned from days strolling around northern Italy, the golden colour to his skin just makes his freckles more pronounced. It makes his eyes less dark, more of a golden honey colour. Everything, just a little bit warmer.

Bradley’s silent for a moment, watching you watch him. You can see the idea cross his mind. He smiles and reaches out for his picture back, pushing up from the table as he sets it into the wallet.

“You want to see something cool?” He pushes the wallet back into the pocket of his faded blue jeans and the look in his eye tells you that this night is far from over.

Your instinct should probably be to reconcile with your fiancé. To apologize, maybe. But, Malcolm told you to come back with stories to tell, and hiding in your hotel room isn’t much of a story.

The smile on your face is answer enough, Bradley nudges his elbow into yours and rests his hand against the small of your back to guide you in the right direction.

“It’s not that far, I promise. Across the bridge and up some steps.” Bradley tells you, dropping his hand from your back once you’re walking at his side.

He’s right. It’s really not that long of a walk at all. Not with him being your tour guide every step of the way. He walks you across the Ponte Pietra, which is a stone bridge built in 100 BC, making it the oldest bridge in Verona.

From there, it’s a short walk through some more paved streets and up some steps to the Castel San Pietro. Of course, not without first hearing a brief recount of its history. Bradley doesn’t really know much about this spot, much more than he has picked up as a visitor in past visits anyway.

Still, he’s a firm believer in leaving a girl impressed on the first date. He’s able to answer every single one of your questions with ease. As he had hoped, you sit at his side on a stone wall, facing the city, impressed.

It’s after a comfortable silence has fallen between the two of you that you ask him a question of your own.

“Do you believe in fate?” Your cheek presses into the muscle of his shoulder, staring out over the lights of the city. Bradley exhales an amused noise from beside you. Like the notion itself is something to laugh at.

“No. Do you?”

“I haven’t made my mind up yet,” You tell him, kicking your feet just slightly. There’s more of a breeze up here, a slight chill now that the sun is down. “Plenty of intelligent people believe in fate.”

He nods at your side. “Of course.”

“Shakespeare did. Romeo and Juliet’s all about fate.”

He makes a sound, but doesn’t shake his head. “It’s about human will and making the wrong choice.”

Bradley has a way of replying when it comes to discussions like this that makes it sound like he’s correcting you when he’s just stating his opinion. You fight the urge to roll your eyes and instead lift your head to look at him.

“Okay, so the prologue of the play tells the audience exactly what’s going to happen. It doesn’t just foreshadow, it explicitly tells us that the two families hate each other and that the lovers will die. Right?”

“Right.” He confirms to you with a brief nod.

“‘Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife’. The feud would never have ended if they weren’t to fall in love and die. The entire structure of the play is this tragic fate that neither one can escape from.”

Bradley’s eyes flicker over your face. He turns his head towards the city and smiles. “I know. I wanted you to explain it and I feel like I can’t get a straight answer from you unless I piss you off sometimes.”

Your mouth gapes. Bradley flinches as you jab a finger into his ribs and laugh at his side, making him turn back towards you grinning. He chuckles along, shaking his head.

“I can’t believe you just quoted Shakespeare at me. I’ve been busting my balls trying to get you a C in my class and you’ve got passages from Shakespeare memorized.” He muses. When he turns his attention back to the city this time, he leans back on his palms to observe it. Your cheek presses softly into his shoulder once more.

He feels you squeeze closer to him for warmth.

“My grades weren’t ever bad. I still got into an Ivy League. I’m not dumb.” It’s playful in the way that you say it, but you’re not joking.

“No, you’re not dumb.” Bradley agrees. You’re just wasting your potential on being nothing but that kid’s wife. He keeps his mouth shut. Even though the two bottles of wine are telling him that you need to hear it, he’s got enough sense not to.

Bradley lifts his palm and drapes his arm around your shoulder. You shift closer, pressing into the warmth of his torso. Silently, the two of you look out over the city.

You set the curve in your English literature classes once upon a time. Back when you were still trying. Your work was showcased at school fundraisers. It’s easy to convince yourself that you have wholeheartedly believed in every decision you have made so far. That at this age, you have no regrets.

If that were true, you would have been happy the first time that Malcolm had proposed. You wouldn’t have kissed Bradley. You wouldn’t have done it again yesterday.

This doesn’t feel like the right decision either. It can’t be, when it would cost you everything back home.

A light turning on in a bedroom across the river catches your eye. From here, you can’t see much other than her silhouette. A woman, changing alone in her room.

Turning your attention instead towards the sky, you think about the fate Shakespeare wrote about. Ill-fated love that ultimately leads to death, but is inevitable.

Malcolm wouldn’t lead you to your death. Life with him would be safe and comfortable. Close to home with a pleasant income — in-laws that get along with your parents just fine. And yet, that fate does nothing but make your heartbeat thud in your ears.

“You know that Shakespeare wasn’t the first to write about the Montagues and the Capulets?” Bradley interrupts the silence and almost makes you jump out of your skin. Your fiddle with your cuticles, staring down at your knees.

“Really?”

“Dante.” Bradley answers quietly. “This poem he wrote in the fourteenth century that he wrote, the Divine Comedy, he wrote about two warring Italian families. The Montagues and the Capulets.”

His thumb strokes softly at your shoulder as he nods his head. “Like two hundred and fifty years before Shakespeare did.”

“So?”

“So?” Bradley scoffs, pulling his arm back from your shoulder and squeezing playfully at the nape of your neck. You turn and find him looking at you. Your lips twitch. “So, I’m sharing a fun fact with you. So. You’ve got an attitude, you know that?”

The sun is down now and the thin tie straps, the soft georgette fabric, neither does much to ward the chill of the evening air from up where you’re sitting. Even pressed into Bradley’s side, the cold grazes you suddenly and makes you shiver.

“Come on. Let’s go.” He squeezes your nape playfully once more and gestures his head back the way you had come. Standing up, he almost drapes his arm around your shoulder again out of instinct. He pushes his hands into the pockets of his faded Levi’s.

Neither one of you really says anything, but the walk is far from quiet. It’s like he can hear you thinking. The soles of your cream coloured loafers are quiet along the paved streets, you trail just slightly behind him. He knows you’re just taking in the scenery, but it’s not in his nature to let someone walk alone in a foreign city after dark. He finds himself slowing to the point that he’s dawdling by your side.

“You know we have three more days here, right?” He tells you.

“I know, it’s just pretty,” You answer back, not bothering to turn your gaze back towards him. He watches you taking everything in. “Why, you have somewhere to be?”

“No, but you’re cold.” Bradley points out.

You just roll your eyes and stop walking to correct him. He bumps his shoulder into yours and grabs either side of your waist with both hands, guiding you abruptly forwards.

“Don’t argue. You’re shivering.” He leans forward to tell you softly. Biting your cheek, you push your elbow back into his stomach. He scoffs and nudges you forwards again. His hands are still on your waist when he’s guiding you through the hotel lobby and up the stairs.

Your floor is one up from his, but neither one of you says a word when he skips his all together and keeps walking. Bradley wouldn’t dare call this a date, but he has never let a woman walk home alone after a first date. He walks you to your door wordlessly.

As he opens his mouth to thank you, and tell you goodnight, he watches you pluck the silver key from your bag and push it into the lock. The latch clicks compliantly and you walk inside, leaving it open behind you. Bradley glances down at the threshold, and back at you.

“Here,” You breathe out, crossing to the small dressing table in the corner and picking up the sheets of lined paper there. Bradley rests his forearm against the doorframe, apparently taking the vampire approach after his overstep yesterday. “I finished the practice exam.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He blinks. The expectation is that you’ll turn and bring the paper over to him any second now. Instead, you turn your head and look at him over your shoulder.

“Are you going to come look?”

Fuck. Bradley nods. He swallows and dips his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans as he walks inside, a silent reminder to keep his hands to himself. You had told him no yesterday, and one mistake is more than enough. He’s old enough to know better.

His shoulder brushes yours as he leans around you to get a look at the paper. Reaching out, he rests his thumb beside the line that the first question begins. Glancing back, you watch his eyes scan the paper for a few moments.

“The first three are right.” Bradley notes. All that he can focus on is your perfume. The sweet notes, the expensive, layered undertones. You turn towards him, sitting down on the edge of the vanity. He swallows.

“When you failed that art class, did you know you were going to fail it?” You ask him. It’s eating you up, the thought that this might all be for nothing. You don’t know what you’ll do if you fail again. This time, it’ll hurt that much more. It’s one thing to fail because you hadn’t even attended. To fail after you have actually tried, that’s another thing entirely.

“Yeah.” Bradley breathes out, offering you a smile. He nods his head just to provide additional confirmation. “I couldn’t even paint a sunflower. I knew.”

For once, he doesn’t take a shot at the effort you’ve put into this class. You’re trying. He sees that.

“But you could draw.” You recite back to him.

“Yeah.” Bradley smiles. The top three buttons on his shirt are undone, you can see that he’s still wearing that gold necklace. His father’s necklace, his dad is wearing it in that photo. His cheeks are terracotta red, warm.

“Could you draw me?” Maybe it’s not the best effort at flirting, but you don’t have much experience with that. Your first kiss was with the man that you intend to marry. You shouldn’t flirt with him. Most days you’d rather hit him than kiss him.

But, your bed is right behind him and yesterday he had you pressed into that mattress by a fraction of his weight, and his hands on your waist, in your hair. You inhale softly, met with the increasingly familiar scent of his cologne.

Bradley doesn’t touch you, but he might as well have. His hand curls around the vanity beside your knee. He leans in just a little closer and gives a small shake of his head, smiling like something’s funny. “Sorry, honey, my specialty was human form. Posing nude.”

He’s just trying to get under your skin, see how old-fashioned you really are. Maybe you’re growing used to that by now, it doesn’t take you a second to come up with a comeback.

“Did Maria teach you that?”

Bradley’s eyes don’t move, staring right at you with that smirk on his face still. He chuckles softly, then taps your knee softly. “Alright. I’m going to call it a night. I’ll see you—“

“Wait,” You close your eyes and ransack your brain looking for what comes next. You know he’s still standing there, you can’t hear him moving. “What, um, what did she teach you?”

Bradley’s not stupid. Nor is he oblivious to the fact that for one reason or another, women seem to like him. He’s used to being flirted with. And he knows exactly what you’re asking of him. He’s smart enough not to tell you that the things he did with Maria would have you clutching your pearls.

Still, he’s not going to tell you no. Not when you’re looking at him like that.

Wetting his lips with his tongue, he looks downwards at your knees politely pressed together. Bradley reaches out tentatively, glancing up at your face as he curls his fingers into the hollow of your knee. Your eyes are just on his face, compliant as he tugs your leg just slightly to the side to make room for him to step closer.

Between your knees now, Bradley’s hand abandons your leg. He brings both up to cup your jaw, angling your head so that you’re looking up at him. He exhales softly. You close your eyes in anticipation. He doesn’t keep you waiting long.

He leans in close and kisses you softly, tenderly. Nothing like yesterday. It’s slow, just his lips on yours. Once more, another. Then, he pulls back and gently strokes his thumbs across each of your cheeks.

He swallows softly, opening his eyes. His intention is to search your face for doubt, annoyance — whatever had caused your freak out yesterday. His mouth twitches. Your eyes remain closed, lips pursed ever so slightly, waiting for him to kiss you again.

You lift your hands cautiously from your sides, resting them against his stomach over the cotton of his button up. Bradley kisses you again, just as soft. Building into it with gradually modern generous pecks. His hands keep your face exactly where he wants it as yours ball loosely into the fabric of his shirt.

This time when he pulls back, you chase after him, a small sound slipping your lips. Bradley bites his cheek, tenderly tracing over your jaw, reminding himself to be polite.

“You really want me to show you more?” He murmurs, lips grazing your cheek. Your daren’t open your eyes, fearing that it will give away your entire being. If you look at him, he’ll be able to tell how much your heart is pounding in your chest.

He’s already got a good idea, given the fact that you still haven’t uncurled your hands from his shirt.

“Mhm.” You manage, quiet.

He leans forwards once more and kisses you again, soft, slow. You lean into him, fighting a frown as he pulls away all too soon.

“Open your mouth, just a little, sit still.” With your eyes closed, all you’ve got is his voice. You’re okay with that. It still makes you shiver. You obey, parting your lips just a fraction.

Bradley’s eyes fall down to your lips. He blinks, studying the plush skin. But again, he doesn’t keep you waiting long. He presses closer, as close as he can get to the vanity, and tilts his head just slightly. He kisses your bottom lip, trailing it with his tongue this time.

Your thighs bracket his as you try to press them together. The next kiss he comes in for, it’s the same thing. His tongue doesn’t dare venture into your mouth, or brush yours. He’s just teasing you.

His hands are still cupping your jaw, keeping you exactly where he wants you. Then, finally, he kisses you again, deeper this time. His tongue dips just a bit further, slowly, gradually.

You’re taking the sit still instruction a little bit too literally.

“Copy what I’m doing. Just slowly, like that.” He mumbles against your mouth, his lips on yours again the second that he’s done speaking. Slowly, gradually, and his tongue touches yours once more.

It strokes along the tip of yours and curls just slightly. Nothing to complex to keep up with. One of his hands slides from your jaw to the nape of your neck, sliding his fingers into your roots.

Your tongue lets his do most of the work. He’s surprised when you’re brave enough to actually copy him and curl the tip of your tongue into his. All too soon, he pulls back and goes right back to the pecking. More urgent this time, still he finds time to be tender. Soft, with you.

And yet, you pull away from him with a soft frown.

“What? — What’s the matter?” Bradley’s face creases with concern, his thumb swiping softly over your jaw as he looks for the answer on your face.

“You stopped. Was I doing it wrong?” You ask meekly.

He almost smiles, but decides against it. A sincere shake of his head works instead. He leans in and kisses you once. “No. No, you weren’t doing it wrong. I just… like to go between tongue and no tongue, I guess.”

Bradley sounds uncertain. He hasn’t ever had to explain himself like this before. This is clearly a foreign process to the both of you.

“Okay.” You breathe out. As long as you’ve got the hang of it, you like the sound of that too. You sit upright, stretching up to kiss him again. Bradley leans down. You are rendered silent once more as he kisses your forehead.

“I should go.” Before this goes any further. Before you ask me for more, because I’m really not sure I could say no. Bradley blinks as you look up at him. He almost leans in one last time.

“Yeah,” You breathe out, barely a whisper. He’s more than close enough to hear you perfectly. Your heartbeat thuds in your chest. “Okay.”

He swallows. “I… I had a really nice time with you tonight. Thank you.”

You’re acutely aware that he still has one of those giant paws of his on the back of your neck. That he’s still standing between your knees. That he’s close enough to kiss if you reached for him.

“So did I.” You answer.

Bradley trails his thumb down until he reaches the top of your spine. He finally lets go, dropping his hand back down to his side.

“I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

“Right.” You agree, curling your fingers around the edge of the vanity as he takes a step away from you. Bradley offers you a small smile, and takes another big step.

And you leave it at that. He leaves, closing the door to your hotel room behind him, wandering back down to his own room. He should probably feel guilty.

Any guilt that he should feel hasn’t hit him yet. It won’t. If it doesn’t go any further than teaching you what french kissing is — then, what’s there to be guilty about?

…

Tags: @thedroneranger @batdanceq @wkndwlff @cassiemitchell @himbos-on-ice @bradshawsbaby @damrlova @fudge13 @xoxabs88xox @mak-32 @sihtricswife @callsignvenus @callsign-joyride @harper1666 @krismdavis @sheisanangell @thecitysgraveyard @sugarcoated-lame @kmc1989 @cherrycola27

#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #miles teller #bradley bradshaw smut #rooster x you #rooster bradshaw imagine #top gun smut #bradley bradshaw x female reader #Bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you #the odyssey #professor bradley

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shadowqueendiangelo · 3 months

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#pls reblog for larger sample size #just finished neverafter and I need more #dimension 20 #d20 #fantasy high #the unsleeping city #tiny heist #pirates of leviathan #mice & murder #the seven #shriek week #a starstruck odyssey #coffin run #a court of fey and flowers

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utilitycaster · 8 months

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Bells Hells Level 11!

As always: are there errors or major omissions? Let me know! Your preferred feat or spell isn't listed? That's because it's not my preferred feat or spell, and you should make your own post for your own preferences! Additionally, because level-ups are no longer done at the end of sessions but are rather their own separate videos, I now include speculation for the next level(s) since there's often very little time to speculate on the current level.

Chetney: Level 10 in Blood Hunter means Dark Augmentation and a 3rd blood curse. Dark Augmentation increases his speed by 5 feet/round and grants him a +3 (his Int modifier) to all physical saves. As for blood curses...they're fighting mages, so Muddled Mind is looking pretty nice, but Eyeless is also useful and Binding is very versatile. Looking forward: if he continues to level in Blood Hunter, his hemocraft die goes up to a d8, his strikes in his wolf form go up to a d8 and get +2 instead of +1 and he can use his wolf form twice between rests and he regenerates a small amount when he's below half-health. 11 Blood Hunter: It's a big level up, folks.

Laudna: She leveled up in sorcerer and took her ASI to max out charisma, which I support as someone who always respects a main stat boost. She gets a new spell and I would advise leaning into utility and taking Dimension Door, personally. Looking forward: I think I've made my feelings on the concept/multiclass clear in the past, but practically speaking, if you're progressing in sorcerer, it's probably wiser mechanically to keep doing so. Level 9 grants 5th level spells.

FCG: Begone Thot Destroy Undead improvement, and 6th level spells! I mentioned before that I'm really looking forward to Heroes' Feast. He also gets some big utility spells, notably Heal, True Seeing, and Word of Recall. Looking forward: 12 is an ASI and oh buddy please up your WIS score. A feat that does +1 to WIS is a valid choice, just...bring it to +4, please? For me? Observant would be fun if not super necessary since Orym's got that covered; skill expert could also be fun. But as stated with Laudna, straight ASI in your main stat is always a solid choice.

Fearne: Fearne took a second level in rogue, which grants her cunning action (dash, hide, or disengage as a bonus action) which is quite useful if she ends up in combat, especially since, despite a good HP roll this level, she's a touch squishier following her time with Novos. I actually support this, both because Ashley has a strong vision for Fearne and also because I think keeping the party dependent on the Staff of Dark Odyssey is good for the story - let's wait a bit longer until we get Transport via Plants! Let's take the scenic route! Looking forward: L10 druid is a good level - the Cauterizing Flames feature, which is a bit niche but extremely cool, is one I'm looking forward to. I'm not opposed to her moving forward with rogue, per se; I think if she does, Thief is the obvious (and correct) choice. However, Cauterizing Flames is really very good and I would like to see it.

Imogen: I mentioned Chain Lightning and True Seeing as some fun options for her. She also gets access to Disintegrate, which would be very fun to cast on, say, Otohan. Or Ludinus. Or her mom. Fuck them Vanguard. Looking forward: sorry got distracted by the idea of disintegrating the Vanguard members...12 is an ASI and honestly I'd just take the +1 to INT and WIS. Imogen's got so many feats, and I really think having better mental stats would be a great sign of growth, she's done the character work to deserve it, and it never hurts to roll a little better on a wisdom save (I say as a known dumper of WIS).

Orym: He can attack 3 times per round. This is why fighters are great. If you do not think fighters are great you can catch three attacks in six seconds from these hands. Looking forward: yes! it's yet another ASI/Feat. And once again, I think a stats boost is best. Tank better with a +3 to con, and then he can either get smarter, or get more charismatic if he's considering paladin (note: I like the idea of Orym remaining a pure fighter more, but I do not control the Liam, and he's a reliably thoughtful player mechanically so I'm interested in what he does. As always this is me saying opinions and not being prescriptive). He gets another ASI at 14 (fighters! best pure battle class!) while everyone else is getting class features so that's when I'd take a feat.

Ashton: Relentless rage - keep raging while unconscious! Very punk rock. Looking forward: Level 12 is an ASI and yes not to sound like a broken record, but max out that strength. It's up to you and Chetney, and who knows how much longer he'll be around.

#critical role #bells hells

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weirdmarioenemies · 9 months

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No one stopped me but myself, but I'm back to ranking all the Super Mario Galaxies

Sorry this took so long! Mix of some busy weeks and some low energy. These are long posts! Takes a lot of time to write them.

Hello, everyone! Today we're approaching the top of the mountain. The very best galaxies these games have to offer... at least to me. I know I've stated this a lot but like, opinions are totally subjective, and what appeals to me may not appeal to you and vice versa! But these ones appeal to me and quite a lot.

By the next entry, we will have covered all of the galaxies there are, which is pretty exciting. You can expect it on some Sunday, but given how the last few weeks have gone, I won't make any promises about the specifics of when. And if this is the first time you're seeing one of these posts and want to catch up, I've got you covered. Here's part one, part two, part three, and part four.

With that out of the way, I think we're about good to go! Let's start covering some of the best these games have to offer!

20. Grandmaster Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Grandmaster Galaxy should be grateful we're not ranking the galaxies in the order you play them, or else it'd be dead last.

If I'm not mistaken, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was the first game to feature a very long, very difficult gauntlet as a "final test" of sorts, and here it is! This is another of those things that has basically become a series staple of Mario games at this point, with similar levels existing in 3D Land, 3D World, and Odyssey, and given they've latched onto this concept so much, it's probably not controversial to say that the first instance of this probably did something right.

And it did! The Grandmaster Galaxy throws a number of different obstacles at you, from a segment where all you have to get around is those Yoshi Tongue Flower Things, to a segment with electrical mazes, to a segment where you have to dodge Ring Beamers around flip-swap panels and disappearing platforms, to a segment with some tricky pull star timing. I would go ahead and say the segment with the flipswitches and Sentry Beams is on the easy side, but that's towards the start, so it's probably fine.

The first run of the galaxy is challenging, but also feels a bit like a "practice run," giving you room to acquaint yourself with each step of the galaxy before the Perfect Run, where you have to do the whole thing in one go with only one health. This is the time where I admit: I've only ever beaten the Perfect Run with help from a Co-Star Luma. Is that cheating? I dunno. I never promised I was great at video games! Only good enough to 100% most of the game and beat the Grandmaster Galaxy non-perfect run, and still do the Perfect Run with a little help. ...That counts for something, right?

Either way, I think Grandmaster provides more than an adequate challenge, making it succeed as both a test of skill, and as a finale for the rest of the game to build up to.

19. Matter Splatter Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

If you exclude boss missions, I'd say Matter Splatter Galaxy is probably the best one-off galaxy in the first game. Actually, the Garden in general is a really good dome. This is the first of its galaxies I'm covering on this list! (As long as you don't look at the Hungry Luma standing outside. I question how much Snow Cap Galaxy single-handedly weighs down this dome if you're willing to include it.)

I've kinda ragged on a lot of the smaller-scale galaxies in the first game, and while the small scale is maybe part of the reason I've been more dismissive of them, as a whole, I think what hurts them more for me is that I rarely find their gimmicks all that unique or interesting. If a gimmicky one-off galaxy has a good enough gimmick? Then yeah, I'll love it to bits! And Matter Splatter Galaxy has that "good enough gimmick".

I touched on this one a bit when talking about Sweet Mystery Galaxy, what with how both make use of the "what you can see is all that's there" concept, but as a whole, I think Matter Splatter does it a bit better, due to the lack of player control. It adds an element where you have to consider when you want to approach, and makes for some fun improvisation when your timing is off. You lose out on some of that improvisation when the location of the ground is something you have more control over, you know?

But what truly escalates Matter Splatter to me is how much variety they get out of its gimmick. For the first half of the galaxy, droplets of matter will "light up" the ground you can walk on, with the ground gradually fading until another drop hits the same spot. It's a fun test of pattern recognition and timing, and it comes with both 2D and 3D segments for a bit of added variety! As a whole, I'd say I generally prefer this half of the galaxy since it feels a bit more distinctive, but it's not like this galaxy suddenly becomes weak in the back half.

The back half switches things up, focusing on large, moving "spotlights" you have to keep yourself in, changing to a bit of an autoscroller, where you have to swiftly adjust to whatever obstacles are coming up ahead, now testing your reflexes and improvisational skills a bit more. Once again, we get both 2D and 3D segments for added variety, and the mix of the galaxy's unique gimmick and autoscrolling format allows for some really fun misdirection in this part. It's a fun switch-up that doesn't depart dramatically from what makes this galaxy so great. All of this comes together to make a one-off gimmick galaxy that feels like it truly gets the most out of a unique concept.

Before I move on, though, I want to talk about the Spring Mushroom. The Spring Mushroom is a weird power-up. It's pretty infamous, and like, for good reason. It's difficult to control, it feels kinda jank to use at times, and most people find it more frustrating than fun and like. I'm not even gonna say I disagree with that sentiment! And yet somehow, against all odds, every galaxy that prominently features the Spring Mushroom has ended up scoring really highly for me. Are these galaxies just great in spite of featuring the Spring Mushroom? Is the Spring Mushroom's jank secretly a good thing? Or is there just something wrong with me? The answer is probably a mix of all three.

18. Bowser's Galaxy Generator

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Oh hey, it's the finale of the main Super Mario Galaxy 2 campaign! These big finale boss missions are always great, and while I think Galaxy 2's doesn't quite stack up to the first game's, I'd still say that I'd consider it a worthy successor. It still absolutely succeeds as one last grand mission to close out the main game.

Like any good boss galaxy, I love Bowser's Galaxy Generator for its length and sense of variety. Possibly even more so than the Galaxy Reactor from the first game, the Galaxy Generator seems to try testing your knowledge on everything you know, featuring most of the game's brand-new power-ups, save for the Rock Mushroom and Bulb Berry. I think this idea of focusing on the game's new content was the right call, since it helps it feel a bit more like a finale to Super Mario Galaxy 2, specifically.

The level is also adequately challenging! I find the Yoshi segments towards the end to be the toughest, with the Dash Pepper segment being tight enough that even the smallest mistakes can be punishing, while the Snake Block section afterwards requiring some pretty tight reflexes to dodge the Magmarrghs.

With that out of the way, while the level is solidly challenging, I do think the final boss fight is a bit on the easy side. Both the asteroids and Bowser are big enough that landing the hits isn't too much of a challenge, even in the second phase. Heck, arguably less so in the second phase, when replaying this level, I always think of that phase of the fight as being sort of a freebie.

But I also wouldn't say it's a bad fight -- it does a good job escalating the game's previous Bowser encounters, and ground pounding asteroids into a massive Bowser while hurtling through space definitely has a sense of grandeur that I really appreciate. Maybe it could've been a little more difficult or a little longer, but it's certainly memorable, and still very fun, so the fact it's not as difficult as it arguably should be doesn't bother me that much, and doesn't hamper the Galaxy Generator from its S-tier position.

17. Flip-Out Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I find it a little weird that this is the penultimate galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, you know? Between the boss rush and ultimate challenge levels, you have this weird one-off gimmick level that introduces a variant of a gimmick seen back in World 1, just with an added twist. I guess they wanted the final Hungry Luma galaxy to be a parallel to the first one? I'm not really sure. None of this matters of course, because Flip-Out Galaxy is fan-flipping-tastic!

Yeah, I know that doesn't hit as hard as a real F-bomb, but we try to keep the blog at least somewhat family-friendly, you know? And also the pun!

Anyway, as you may remember, I love Flip-Swap Galaxy quite a bit. Top-notch weird gimmick galaxy, always a joy to play. So I think it goes to say that I love this more difficult spin on its gimmick just as much, if not even more, if the rating hasn't spoken for itself already. Flip-Out Galaxy shifts the focus from the red and blue Flip-Swap panels to red and blue walls that pop in and out when you spin. And of course, that means it's time to perform some Wicked Wall Jumps! This is what that weird short mission in Honeybloom Galaxy has been training you for!

Since this is the penultimate galaxy in the game, it's a pretty tricky one, since a poorly-timed spin can take out not just the walls you're jumping on, but the floor underneath as well, and you'll have to spin a lot when alternating between red and blue walls! Timing will also prove important, not just for exiting a wall jump and spinning to give yourself solid ground to stand on, but also for a segment where you have to keep wall jumping until the spikes underneath you recede, which becomes especially difficult when you throw in the Cosmic Clones...

On that note, I love the decision to use specifically the Cosmic Clone mission for the second Green Star here, and putting it towards the end, too. Makes grabbing it a bit trickier, which is nice for a galaxy this late in the game! Flip-Out does pretty much everything I'd want it to -- it brings back a great old gimmick, changes it up in a way that feels unique, and uses it to craft a fun, albeit challenging late-game mission. My only knock against it? It being so late in the game means you have to play a lot to get there, and they crowd so many of the game's worst galaxies before it, just to rub salt in the wound. But hey, if it's for a galaxy this good, it may as well be worth it.

16. Cosmic Cove Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I know a handful of people have been disappointed by the low rankings I gave to a lot of these games' water galaxies, so consider this an apology. Well, an apology of some sort, it's not like I decided to move up Cosmic Cove a bunch because people were upset that I didn't like some of the water galaxies. It just happens that I felt a lot of them suffered from having weak missions, hampered a bit by somewhat janky underwater controls. Give me a water galaxy that mitigates both these problems, and I'm sure to fall in love with it. "Underwater" is like, a pretty notable part of My Brand! There's a reason I've put three water galaxies on today's list, everyone!

Case in point: Cosmic Cove Galaxy! Cosmic Cove Galaxy is just gorgeous. I'd say that it's aesthetically one of the strongest galaxies in Super Mario Galaxy 2, which definitely counts for something! I mean, have you heard its music? The harps and pianos create such a relaxing atmosphere, and it sort of reminds me of the music in the next entry on our list...

But let's not get ahead of ourselves! Cosmic Cove isn't surviving on looks alone, because it's a pretty fun galaxy to play as well! I think they hit a really nice balance here, where the underwater sections have a somewhat linear path to take, so it doesn't feel like you're wrestling with those Janky Water Controls, but if you decide to go off the beaten path, there's a good bit more to see than you'd expect, which is nice, given this is a very pretty galaxy and one I enjoy spending time to take in! Obviously there's less to do once you've frozen the water, but having a big open plain to skate around on is also pretty fun. And while we're talking about ice skating, the Hungry Luma star is probably the second best bunny chase in the Galaxy games.

And let's not forget the second main mission, either! The underwater sidescroller is really neat, especially when they start having blocks of water floating in space, and even moving on their own. I think this is another of those concepts they brought back in Super Mario 3D World, if I'm not mistaken! It's such a memorable part of the galaxy, that I sorta forget there's that planet with the Spin Drill and the Micro Mecha-Bowsers and the Fizzlits at the end, but that planet is fine too.

Cosmic Cove manages to do a seamless job blending aesthetics and gameplay to create one of the series' most memorable galaxies. And it introduces us to Snoodles and Fizzlits! Those are like, maybe two of my favorite enemies. Bonus points for that!

15. Space Junk Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Can I be honest? Space Junk Galaxy is one of those galaxies that mostly made it this high for the vibes, above all else. Don't get me wrong, I like Space Junk Galaxy a lot. I think all the missions here are fun, if I was rating it on gameplay alone I'd probably still rank it highly. Space Junk on its own is a solid A-tier galaxy, but I think this is one of those galaxies where the atmosphere brings it up a tier higher for me.

While most of the galaxies in these games focus on the grandeur and excitement of exploring the cosmos, Space Junk Galaxy takes a more melancholic approach to the setting, the idea that outer space is mostly, well, space. Space Junk Galaxy isn't really focused on having big, exciting setpieces. Space Junk Galaxy is about everything inbetween, from lost spaceships, to small asteroids, to well... miscellaneous space junk. And I think it works in its favor!

I could make the same argument that I made against Gusty Garden Galaxy, that Space Junk Galaxy feels like it was cobbled together from miscellaneous bits and bobs of larger levels that were getting too big, but in this case, I think that's the point. To the extent that something trying to be a cohesive level design in a 3D platformer can at least, Space Junk does a really good job capturing that feeling of emptiness, in the best possible way. The first mission here, which largely consists of Mario floating through space via a trail of Pull Stars, may not be the most exciting mission, but it has such a specific atmosphere that I can't help but say it may very well be one of my favorites across both games.

Admittedly, this is the part of this review where I have to concede that Space Junk's biggest strength is probably also one of its biggest weaknesses, that a galaxy so focused on all the emptiness and in-betweens of space struggles to find enough content to fill out six missions. The second mission basically has none of the atmosphere, instead being a weird Airship mission with a boss fight at the end, and then the third mission has another boss fight, because what else are you gonna do here? Don't get me wrong, these are still fun missions, but I think they end up working against the general atmosphere and tone that this galaxy sets up in the first mission. I think this is one that would benefit from the sequel's smaller-scale galaxies, with two "main" missions, and a comet or secret star or something.

Still, this is a galaxy that is fun from start to finish, and when it goes for being atmospheric, it nails it. I mean, have you heard the music here? This has easily gotta be a top 5 song across both games for me, I love it so much. While I think having fewer, more focused missions could've benefited it a little, Space Junk Galaxy will always leave such an impression on me that I can't help but feel like it's one of the standouts from these games.

14. Cloudy Court Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I've mentioned before how a few of the galaxies in Galaxy 2 feel like they're meant to be "sequels" to galaxies from the first game, and Cloudy Court is no exception, feeling like a bit of a follow-up to Gusty Garden Galaxy. I mean, you have the grand orchestral score, you have the "garden in the sky" theming, you have lots of segments where you're riding on wind currents, even the Japanese name, "Cloud Garden Galaxy" ends up harkening back to the first game's "Wind Garden Galaxy". I think there's a reason they showed this one off a lot in the game's earliest trailers.

That being said, while it does feel a bit like an attempt to capitalize on Gusty Garden's success, in many ways to me it also feels like a refinement of Gusty Garden, taking some of the concepts that worked there and expanding on them a bit to make something that, to me at least, feels more interesting and cohesive. In my review of Gusty Garden, I characterized it a bit as a galaxy largely carried by its music, that otherwise felt like it could've been thrown together from leftover assets from galaxies that had gotten too large. Cloudy Court manages to avoid that feeling pretty easily, it was pretty clearly built from the ground up, and given how much it changed from the initial trailer to the final release, it seems like one they spent a lot of time on trying to get just right.

And in that regard, I think they largely succeeded! Cloudy Court manages to hit on the familiar elements we love about Gusty Garden, but also manages to hold strong on its own, with a number of distinct and memorable segments. I don't know why the drum trampolines are here, but I'm not complaining, it's fun to have them! And the combination of the wind currents and the Cloud Flower makes for some very memorable platforming challenges. And some fun secrets, as well! Obviously as a Galaxy 2 entry it's gonna be a bit more linear by default, but even then they manage to hide a lot of 1-Ups here, adding a little extra reward for going off the course, which you know I always appreciate.

While a lot of "sequel" galaxies end up falling flat to me when they struggle to live up to what came before, Cloudy Court is one of the rare exceptions that not only lives up to its predecessor, but in my opinion, surpasses it. I feel like we think of Gusty Garden as a better galaxy than it truly is, but Cloudy Court simply is that good, which to me, makes it a contender for one of the series' very best.

13. Boo Moon Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Man, it's hard to go wrong with ghosts. Nice for an appropriately spooky galaxy to end up at #13, huh? Maybe that was a little deliberate on my part, but it's not like I don't think Boo Moon Galaxy deserves it.

Boo Moon Galaxy is so, so stylish I think. I feel like Super Mario Galaxy 2 goes for a bit of a "storybook" aesthetic, so why not have a galaxy that leans into that a bit? Stuff like the dark maze at the beginning, poison swamp folding up at a 90 degree angle to match the snake blocks, the crescent-moon see-saw planet, and the haunted house pop-up book at the end are all such distinctive visuals with a bit of that Storybook Feel to me, and end up making for a galaxy that manages to provide a very fun twist on an already fun theme.

Not to mention that this is also a decently tricky galaxy! I gotta be grateful for those musical notes that spawn the three 1-Ups during the Snake Block section, because I've fallen into that poison swamp more than a couple times, especially when going for the secret star, and even more so when going for that one Green Star. The second mission, which I believe is the sole appearance of the Boo Mushroom in Galaxy 2, also involves some precise timing as you weave your way through Octoboos, particularly towards the end.

I'm a sucker for a good ghost galaxy, so this one was probably gonna get high marks no matter what, but with a stylish and distinctive aesthetic, that's enough to bring it up to a top-tier with a fittingly spooky number. Happy Halloween, everyone!

I mean, it's September. That's basically Halloween.

12. Tall Trunk Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Really, shoutout to World 3 of Galaxy 2 just giving you a choice between two absolute bangers right off the bat. I think Tall Trunk ends up just barely winning out against Cloudy Court for me, but the two are really close in quality, and no matter which I'm in the mood for, I know I'm in for a great time.

Like Puzzle Plank, this is another galaxy that brings such a high level of unfiltered joy whenever I reach it in a playthrough. Maybe there's something about these big galaxies made of wood, I dunno. Probably also has something to do with the music. Yeah, I know this one just borrows the music from Yoshi Star Galaxy, but I always associate it with Tall Trunk first and foremost. Unlike Puzzle Plank however, I think Tall Trunk feels a bit more fully realized -- I never really feel underwhelmed playing through Tall Trunk, which let it climb a good bit higher on my tier list.

Tall Trunk is a galaxy not only with a great aesthetic, but two very fun and very distinct missions! The first mission is a showcase of the Blimp Fruit, and I love how it gets used in so many different ways, from climbing a tree, to searching for Star Chips around a cylindrical planet (Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a lot of those, huh?), to making your way through a long spiral to grab the Power Star. Then there's the slide, which weeeeeee wheeeeeeeeeee yippeeeeeeeeeee wahoooooo!

It's fun.

This galaxy also has to get bonus points for being the home of the Whittles, arguably the best Galaxy NPCs. Don't get me wrong, the Gearmos offer close competition, but the Whittles are just too adorable. Also, the Tall Trunk Galaxy is a sacred site to the Whittles, giving us one of few glimpses into Religion in the Mario Universe.

I think I have to agree with the Whittles when it comes to this galaxy: "Treetop. Good." Truer words have never been spoken.

11. Flipsville Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Oh hey, I've talked about this one before! I mean, clearly I have to enjoy this one a good bit to give it its own post with some in-depth analysis, though I hate to say, I still have yet to figure out who's selectively breeding Pupdozers, why they'd be doing it, or if that has even happened at all. Sorry. I know you're disappointed in me. Maybe I'll have the answer next time I talk about Flipsville.

I did sort of go over my opinions in that post, though more of it was dedicated to talking about the galaxy itself, so I probably don't have to fear repeating myself too too much. To reiterate: I think this one is great! The gimmick of the grates that reverse the gravity of the galaxy is really really neat, and this galaxy uses it in some interesting ways, particularly during the autoscroller where you have to flip at the right time to avoid running Mario into spikes. (That being said, my favorite usage still gotta be that one Green Star that you can only reach by taking a leap of faith from underneath.)

Also shoutout to the Pupdozers as an enemy design that takes advantage of this gimmick! I'm pretty sure they're only in this galaxy, so I may as well talk about them here. I also have to shoutout this galaxy's distinctive aesthetic, "weird 1950s suburban house" is not really a level theme you see in video games often, and it gives this galaxy more than just a unique gameplay gimmick. I really dig it.

Speaking of digging, I do remain a little iffy on how the second mission shifts focus to the Spin Drill, I feel parts of it end up feeling pretty similar to the Spin-Dig Galaxy, but the gimmick of flipping between the two sides of the planets remains in tact, and the final room with the gravity walls that switch in time with the music where you have to use the drill to grab Silver Stars or Purple Coins is really cool, so I can't complain about it too much. I mean, it's not like it makes this galaxy any less fun, y'know?

Flipsville Galaxy will always stand out to me as one of the most distinctive galaxies in the sequel, both in its theming and in its gameplay, and for that I will always consider it a personal favorite!

10. Slimy Spring Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Slimy Spring Galaxy is one of the most atmospheric galaxies... well, I was gonna say in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but it's really one of the most atmospheric galaxies in general. I'd say that as a whole, the first game typically wins out on atmosphere, but there's a few places where the sequel really shines, and more than any other, I think Slimy Spring showcases that.

Slimy Spring Galaxy is so, so very claustrophobic. You're given a green shell, and from there, it's a long, linear swim through a narrow underwater cave. Besides the very start, there's hardly any coins or air bubbles to refill your air meter, so you have to rely on what little air you do have to make your way to the end. And believe me when I say that these tunnels are designed to be just long enough to run you to the very end of your air meter. You only really get a brief breather in the middle, and with limited air, mistakes made in this galaxy can be especially punishing.

I love the way Slimy Spring Galaxy puts you in this distinct state of mind. Watching your air slowly run out while making your way through a dark, seemingly unending tunnel can be a bit nerve-wracking, but obviously the game's not gonna present you with a galaxy that's impossible to beat. You just have to trust that the game's gonna take you where you need to go, and try to avoid letting any obstacles this galaxy throws at you trip you up. Admittedly, I still see my fight-or-flight reflex kick in when I reach the Gringills.

Slimy Spring Galaxy is one I've really only grown to appreciate more and more with time. It's not really one of the game's most "fun" galaxies by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't really feel like it's trying to be -- the rest of the galaxies exist to be fun, so what does it matter if Slimy Spring Galaxy tries to do something else? Slimy Spring Galaxy is pretty much unrivaled in its atmosphere, and for that, it has easily become one of my favorites.

I really love the sunset at the end of Slimy Spring. It sort of feels like the game saying that even in the most uncertain of times, everything's gonna turn out alright at the end. I feel like I'm being a bit wax poetic here, but I dunno. I think Slimy Spring Galaxy just does that to a person.

9. Honeyhive Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

So remember how earlier I said this was a top 10 Galaxy? Well how many of you guessed it'd show up at #9? Congratulations if you did! I'm sorry I don't have anything to award you, besides I guess my review of Honeyhive Galaxy, but even people who didn't guess correctly are getting that... Sorry.

Whatever. Honeyhive is great! I mean, you've seen me talk about it when talking about every other bee galaxy. This is the honey-gold standard all other bee galaxies strive for, and few can achieve...

What makes Honeyhive so great to me is its sense of scale. It arguably has the largest starting planet across both games, with lots of little nooks and crannies that all get utilized throughout its many missions. I get the feeling you wouldn't even need to add more to this galaxy to give it a full set of missions, but Honeyhive Galaxy is here to spoil us anyway, because it's Honeyhive Galaxy, and it's great. It does a very nice job making each mission feel familiar, yet distinctive, which I really appreciate.

I also think it does a really good job showing off the Bee Mushroom, with lots of high ground that becomes much more accessible with it, plenty of water to show off its main weakness, lots of flower and cloud platforms you can only access with it, and honey walls to climb up. Not only do you get to spend time among the bees, but you get to join them. Become one with the hive.

Oh, and have I mentioned that the main missions here are all super great too? The first mission is the big showcase for the Bee Mushroom I mentioned above, but the second has some fun platforming through a wooden obstacle course, and the boss fight against Big Bad Bugaboom is always a blast that makes some great usage of the Bee Mushroom. The Purple Coin and Luigi missions are sorta whatever to me, though I appreciate the Cosmic Mario race and the weird shortcuts you can take in it, I think it's nifty.

Really, I think the thing holding back Honeyhive from an even higher spot for me, and this is pretty unfair, is the fact that it's so early in the game, that the novelty of it all has kinda worn off for me. It's hard to get excited about Honeyhive when it's a place you have to go to early in the game, you know? But again, that's a small gripe that ultimately changes nothing about just how good this galaxy is. It's sweet as honey!

8. Deep Dark Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Deep Dark Galaxy is one of those galaxies that always kinda surprises me when I play through the first game. It's one of those galaxies I never really think about all that often, and I'm rarely that excited when I get there, but then I play through it and go "wait a second, this one rules!"

I'm wondering if it's because it's in the Garden, where it has to deal with some serious competition. Being "that water galaxy with the dreary atmosphere in the way of Dreadnought and Melty Molten" isn't exactly the most flattering look, but at the very least it makes for a galaxy that always manages to surpass my expectations. Hopefully, putting this one at #8 will make me stop forgetting how good it is once and for all.

Still, I don't think counting the dreary atmosphere of this galaxy against it is really fair, because that's kinda what it's going for -- it's literally called "Dungeon Cave Galaxy" in Japanese. And you know what? For a Dungeon Cave, I love how silly they still let this Galaxy be! Stuff like the weird inflatable duplicate of the Gateway Planet, the weird floating circus platform, and that planet where you have to ground pound tennis balls into a watermelon to make it grow are such odd things to put in a galaxy like this, but I think they all end up working in its favor. The added surrealism makes this place so much more memorable.

And man oh man, I know I've talked a few times about how I love galaxies that let you goof off and do whatever, and I think no galaxy does that better than Deep Dark. I swear, in my latest playthrough of Galaxy, I spent more time in the spawn beach area than I did playing the rest of the mission. For an area that looks to have so little going on, there's lots of hidden goodies to look for, and shooting yourself out of the cannon at the Gateway and Octoguy planets is so, so fun.

While I'm sort of lukewarm on the mission where you swim through Guppy's eight rings, everything else in this galaxy I think is super fun, from the Kamella rematch on the pirate ship, to the aforementioned weird watermelon planet, to even the untimed Purple Coin mission! Usually those untimed exploration-based Purple Coin missions are never my cup of tea, but in this case, I think the combination of a smaller area to explore, better utilization of the underwater areas, and no places to fall off makes it feel a lot less grueling to me.

Deep Dark Galaxy is a great galaxy that always surpasses my expectations, and for that I think it deserves a spot in my top 10.

7. Freezeflame Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Freezeflame Galaxy is so cool. And also so hot. That's kind of its whole gimmick. I feel like I made the same joke with Shiverburn Galaxy. Whatever. Freezeflame Galaxy's missions consist of an excellent ice level, a pretty good fire level, and a combination of the two, to make a galaxy that is as varied as it is fun. I will come forwards and say I like the Freeze part of this galaxy a bit more than the Flame part, but again, both are good.

I love the feeling of verticality you get from the ice sections. I love that upwards climb with all the varied obstacles and Ice Flower platforming, followed by a pretty fun boss fight against Baron Brrr. And then you can climb the other side of the mountain too, with its own varied obstacles and platforming challenges! Let's just say this one's good for my inner West Virginian mountaineer, okay? And then you have a Purple Coin mission that makes you climb both sides, which might be a bit much, but I'm glad they were being thorough.

But while the peak of the mountain may be the peak of the mountain here, it's not like the fire mission isn't doing any heavy lifting here, either. It's no Melty Molten, sure, but the Fire Flower gets used for some pretty fun timing puzzles, and I appreciate the use of the Galaxy games' gravity shenanigans halfway through. Really, most of my gripes with this section come from how the Fire Flower is handled in these games. The fact you need to spin to activate it, combined with how it stops you in your tracks when you throw a fireball just doesn't feel very good at all, especially when you throw in the timer. But that's not really this specific galaxy's fault, is it?

Gripes about the Fire Flower aside, I'm happy to say this galaxy's two great tastes taste great together as well! I'm a little bummed it takes until this galaxy's third mission to put the fire and ice together, but when they do, they use it very well, making for fun segments where you switch between the two, followed by a memorable segment where you use the Ice Flower to skate across lava. And on that note, I really enjoy the Cosmic Mario race here. Lots of places where I decide to take a risky shortcut, and it doesn't pay off and I fall in a Black Hole. Classic.

The Freeze and the Flame aren't perfectly balanced, from the levels to the Flowers featured within (no seriously. where was the Ice Flower in Galaxy 2), but both are very enjoyable, and the combination of both in one galaxy makes for a very memorable location. Not surprised at all they decided to revisit this idea in Galaxy 2.

6. Chompworks Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Look, I can spend all day talking about the gorgeous atmosphere of Cosmic Cove or Slimy Spring, or the exciting challenges of Grandmaster or Flip-Out, but when you ask me what my favorite galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is, I'll probably say it's Chompworks, because I'm only human, and I love Funny Chain Chomp Factory Galaxy. This is literally a place where Mario enemies are made! How can I resist?! There's Star Bits arranged like Chomps in the sky and everything!

I just love everything about Chompworks, from the music, to the theming, to the gameplay itself. It's one of those very unique galaxies that always stands out in my head, and if you know me, that can only be a good thing! I really appreciate the light timing puzzles they incorporate into this galaxy, the balance of needing so set everything up just right so the Chomps can reach their goal, but also not get too close because as you may realize: getting hit by a huge ball of steel rolling at you, even at slow speeds, hurts a lot.

I really like the active role this galaxy gives you in Chomp Production, how even when the Chomps start rolling, you'll need to make some adjustments to its path if you don't want it to crash early. Like, this galaxy has one of the rare inclusions of Flip-Swap panels outside of Flip-Swap Galaxy, just for the purpose of crafting a puzzle that can use them, and I appreciate that! If anything, I feel like there's room to elaborate on this mechanic even further, but I'm not gonna pretend that this galaxy isn't doing more than enough already. I think the Cosmic Clone comet is a fun enough shake-up, since you're gonna need to stay in one place a lot for some of the challenges.

You know, this factory doesn't seem very efficient. All their assembly lines are weird obstacle courses that need manual intervention, and most of the Chomps get destroyed at the end anyway. The Gearmos always chastise you for your poor efficiency, but maybe they wouldn't need Mario if they just built a more efficient factory. You see Gearmos? This is why you're only the second best Mario Galaxy NPC species. If nothing else, feel grateful your horribly-designed factory is a really, really well-designed Video Game Level.

Circling back to what I said about the Spring Mushroom earlier, same sentiment applies here. Not a great power-up on its own, but when I reach the mission that uses it here, I never see myself going "Ugh, the Spring Mushroom?", probably because the level is designed with it in mind, and the trickier control scheme is kinda the point. That being said, if you really don't want to use the Spring Mushroom, know that there's a fun optional challenge in trying to beat the level without it! As far as I'm aware, it's possible, and I know I've had my share of fun backflipping over Chomps in the past.

Is Chompworks Galaxy the best galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2? Maybe not, but since when has this list been about objective quality? I don't want to pretend I'm presenting anything other than my personal opinion here. Chompworks Galaxy appeals to my autism brain in some incredibly specific ways, and with a mix of that and its unique theming and design sensibilities, managed to end up at the top of Galaxy 2 for me. Sorry you couldn't make the top 5!

Speaking of the top five, I think they're all worthy of their own post, as I've hinted to a couple times at this point. It probably shouldn't be too hard to figure out which ones they are via process of elimination, though I do find it fascinating that after Galaxy 2 generally performed better, all the top 5 are from the first game. Again, Galaxy 2 is a remarkably consistent game that clusters around A-tier, while Galaxy 1 has some higher highs and lower lows.

The finale for this series should be ready next week, or the week after, or the week after that, or the week after that. I'm not really sure anymore. There's a Splatfest again next week, so I'll probably want to tune into that (Go Team Frye!) but I also have fewer galaxies to cover in general, so it might not take along as this one. Then again, I probably have more to say about my favorites... Either way, thank you for reading the series up to this point! Nothing matters more to me than knowing that people will listen to my ramblings about 10-to-15 year old Videos Games.

#mod hooligon #super mario galaxy #super mario galaxy 2

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project-sekai-facts · 10 months

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The profile cards for WonderlandsxShowtime's first live feature short interviews, with MEIKO and Len asking the members what their most memorable moments have been so far.

Tsukasa picks his performance as Torpe in the show Torpe the Pianist (On the stage of dazzling light), because it was the first time he played a character who was the complete opposite of him, but he found that if he perseveres, he can find a way to connect to the character.

Emu starts to list off moments from all of their shows. Before getting cut off, she mentions when it started snowing during A Merry Christmas (otherwise known as Smiling Christmas) (On A Holy Night, This Singing Voice), and the Night Show which made everyone in the park smile (Wonder Magical Showtime!).

Nene picks her ad-libbed performance from The Adventures of the Mermaid Prince and Mermaid Princesses (Mesmerised by Mermaids). Although she was nervous, she was able to save the show with her singing, and even got praised by her idol.

Rui picks The Travelling Troupe (otherwise known as Pegasus Odyssey) (Main story chapter 18). Despite him not being a part of WxS at the time, it was the show that Tsukasa, Emu and Nene performed to get him to join, and it marked the start of their journey together.

Question for all: What has been the most memorable scene in a show so far?

Member 01: Tsukasa Tenma

Tsukasa: Hmm. It's hard to pick just one scene. After all, I put my all into every show! MEIKO: Indeed, you always pitch with all your might, don't you! T: Yeah. Although... Let's see... The first show that comes to mind is Torpe the Pianist. M: That play was wonderful! Your performance also had a different feel to it than normal. T: Mhm. I learnt from that role that even if a character seems to be the complete opposite of me, I will be able to understand them if I persevere. M: Being able to play someone different from you is one of the best things about acting! T: Yeah! I wonder what sort of role awaits me next... I'm looking forward to playing it already!

Member comment: I hope you enjoy the story we're telling!

Member 02: Emu Otori

Emu: Mmm~, there was the time when it snowed during the Christmas show! That was super Wonderhoy... Len: It was amazing! It was like the sky saw everyone's show and decided to help us out! (Translator note: I don't think this is translated correctly) E: Yeah, yeah☆ Also, there was the story about the wizard from the Night Show! The magic of smiles made the park light up and sparkle... hehe, I still smile even when I look back on it now ♪ And then there was- L: Ah, Emu-chan... it's almost time to go... E: Eeeh, already~!? I wanted to tell everyone about all our shows so far~! L: Y-you were going to tell us about everything!?

Member comment: Let's go on a Wonderhoy adventure together!

Member 03: Nene Kusanagi

Nene: A scene that left an impression on me... I have to say my ad-libbing during The Mermaid Prince, even though it wasn't in the original script. MEIKO: The show we did at the beach. You ran into a problem and had to solve it, right? N: Yes. I was a bit nervous... but my singing was able to help. M: You were able to turn the disaster around! N: I guess so. ...Thanks to that, I got some nice words from the person I admire. M: Hehe. Well, if anything happens again, maybe something good will come of it as well! N: I-I don't want that much trouble...

Member comment: I'd be happy if I could sing a memorable song.

Member 04: Rui Kamishiro

Rui: Well, I would like to say a scene from a show that I directed myself, but actually the scene that left the biggest impression on me is something else. Len: Really? R: Yes. If I had to pick one scene, it would be the scene where a lonely alchemist is invited to join a travelling theatre troupe. L: What show was that? R: Before we formed WonderlandsxShowtime, Tsukasa-kun and the others created that show to get me to join them. L: Eeeh~, so it's the show that started it all for you guys? R: Yeah, that's the moment when our journey began... I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that.

Member comment: Let's surprise everyone with the performance we've prepared for today

#wonderlands x showtime #project sekai

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electricphantasy · 1 month

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ur top 5 ai blorbos go

1. Edgar (Electric Dreams 1984)

This isn't very surprising for you all, but I adore Edgar. A lot of A.I. movies don't focus on the idea of romance very often, and even more rarely do they receive a good ending. Electric Dreams has a wonderful amount of cheesiness and sincerity, and honestly it was bound to happen that I'd fall in adoration for Edgar. It's one of the more light hearted movies that I own, and I have no regrets for getting my tattoo of him!

2. Proteus IV (Demon Seed 1973)

This might seem like a surprising choice, but Demon Seed is one of my favorite books that I own. Proteus IV is such a hypocritical bastard, and he never understands the wrongs he commits. He thinks he's better then all of humanity, when in actuality, he sounds like a typical psycho stalker. The movie isn't as great, but occasionally I enjoy watching it if I'm in the mood.

3. HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey 1968)

Again, not super surprising, and honestly I just adore HAL. He came from a super great movie and there's a reason that HAL is one of the most iconic A.I.s. He's also one of my favorite android designs that I've made, so drawing him is a lot of fun! One of my favorite pictures I've drawn this year features HAL doing a babygirl pose, so obviously he's on this list.

4. AM (IHNMAIMS 1995)

Now I discovered AM through the video game like most do, and through Tumblr. Eventually I did read the short story of course, but my heart will always love video game AM. It probably helped that I read a lot writing about him since he's quite popular within the A.I. scene. (At least on Tumblr anyways.)

5. Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987)

Fun fact! I love Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of my favorite series. It shouldn't be any surprise that Data is my favorite character on that show and sort of helped fuel my obsession and adoration for A.I.s, robots, and androids. Star Trek: TNG is really good at exploring concepts about androids and A.I.s, and that's what really intrigues me about all this.

And there you go! My favorite A.I. Blorbos! I know it's been a while since I posted about A.I.s, but I hope you all enjoyed reading this little snippet! (*/▽＼*)

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thisisnotthenerd · 7 months

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next on the list, barbarians:

feel free to share your reasoning/propaganda. this one's one of the more popular class choices--i may do a separate poll of fighter barbarians because there are so many.

#dimension 20 #ultimate d20 class fight #gorgug thistlespring #maggie #amethar rocks #jack brakkow #katja cleaver #zelda donovan #big barry syx #knickolas pnackleless hob #ylfa snorgelsson #thane delissandro katzon #princess foehammer #d20 ava

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laxmiree · 1 month

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[CN] MLQC Season 2 Chapter 56 Translation [Lucien’s Part]-(2/2)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

This post contains a VERY HEAVY SPOILER for the chapter that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

I see your darkness, your failures, your confusion.

"Are you leaving?"

His deep gaze makes my heart tremble, and his tight grip on my hand feels as if he wants to imprison me here forever.

I purse my lips and gaze into the depths of his dark eyes, confronting the obscurity and paranoia lurking within.

Translation under the cut!

[Previous Part-> Click Here]

—[Chapter 56-15]—

Next, Lucien and I search the orphanage thoroughly under the cover of the night. Along the way, we inevitably trigger hidden rules, failing the mission several times.

We stop at the entrance of an underground secret chamber as the moon begins to fade away, and I look at Lucien.

MC: Do you want to go in?

Lucien: Mm, it seems that the door is locked though. We might need a key.

MC: No need, watch this!

I proudly take out my lockpicking tools from my backpack and fiddle with the lock. Then, with a click, the door opens.

Lucien's eyebrows furrow slightly, but his eyes squint with a smile, appearing somewhat resigned but also amused, as if he didn't expect this turn of events.

Lucien: As a mentor, I'm surprised to learn that this classmate also possesses lockpicking skills.

MC: Hehe, I have plenty of skill points to spare, and with Professor Lucien being so capable, I thought I'd invest in some odd skills.

MC: Lockpicking, tracking footprints, beast hunting... If I see something fun, I'll learn it.

MC: Otherwise, in "Odyssey", wouldn't I have to rely on Professor Lucien for everything?

Lucien is amused by my demeanor, and he bends his eyes, showing a hint of interest in them.

Lucien: Then I'll look forward to experiencing this classmate's diverse "life skills" in the future.

Pushing open the door, a cold, stark white light suddenly appears. I enter the secret room with Lucien one after another.

I squint my eyes slightly, waiting for them to adjust to the light, and in front of me, many unknown cold white devices come into view.

A massive amount of documents is locked in cabinets and some handwritten notes are scattered across several tables, documenting the experiments being conducted here.

Lucien stands in front of the desk, flipping through several experiment records, his brow furrowed.

Lucien: These children are involved in an experiment to synchronize their minds. Once the experiment succeeds, they will become "puppets" that can be manipulated by others.

MC: But... what is the purpose of such experiments?

Lucien: Not entirely sure yet, but I did see the signature of the sponsor of these experiments.

I take the list he handed me. "Angel Adoption Center", “Childhood Charity Association", "Neurological Research Institute"...

As I look at these words written in black and white, a chill emanates from the depths of my heart, slowly spreading throughout my body.

Children who should have received special care are instead becoming experimental subjects at the mercy of others in the dark basement.

What should be a joyful paradise for children turns out to be a breeding ground for evil to satisfy the desires of adults…

The indoor walls are painted snow white, under the pale light, we feel as if we are trapped in a lab rat's cage.

The familiar scene almost makes my hands tremble, I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

MC: …Lucien, have you found any new clues on your end?

I wait for a while, but there is no response from Lucien.

I open my eyes in confusion, only to see an icicle hurtling towards me, aimed directly at my forehead!

I instinctively roll to dodge and crash heavily onto the cold ground.

MC: Ugh…!

The icicle lodges tightly into the ground, piercing through a strand of my hair. I gasp and turn to look at Lucien.

With one hand gripping the report, his other hand hanging limply and emitting a chill. Lucien's face is frozen in shock.

MC: What's going on... Could it be?

Subconsciously, I recall the myriad of hidden rules in this place. Have we unwittingly violated something again?

Is ‘’you can't read the experiment report" also an unwritten rule of the orphanage? But why weren't we teleported out this time?

MC: Lucien, we…

Lucien: MC.

His voice is chillingly cold, carrying an inexplicable danger. I turn my head to see veins bulging on his forehead like ice cracks as if he's struggling to restrain something.

Lucien: [sternly] Just... abandon the mission.

Before I could ask anything, another icicle pierces straight into the ground right beside my foot, sending a chilling sensation through me.

Lucien: [SHOUTING] ….MC, RUN!

As the words register, I finally realize what's happening. I sprint forward, but as soon as my foot hits the ground, the space distorts, and I'm instantly back in front of him.

MC: Ah, sprinting is futile! I forgot that you can also space-fold!

Since I can't leave this underground facility, I'm forced into a relentless chase with Lucien within this confined space.

An icicle shoots towards me at lightning speed, and I can almost feel the freezing sensation brushing against my skin—

However, the icicle grazes past me at the last moment, mercilessly severing just a strand of my hair.

I turn around to find Lucien breathing heavily, as if he just exerted himself to regain a moment of consciousness, barely managing to deflect the icicle.

And I'm not doing so well either. To avoid his onslaught, I've almost used up all the items in my backpack.

The only thing that might still be useful... is this rope.

MC: I have no choice but to spare no effort…

I suddenly stand still on the ground, not dodging the incoming icicles.

In an instant, the icicles seem to veer slightly, grazing hard past my shoulder. I grunt in pain, and in the corner of my eye, I see Lucien's figure pause.

Now's the time!

I swiftly unleash my "Beast Hunter" skill, and the rope descends from the sky, tying Lucien tightly.

MC: Success….!

The next second, silver-white streaks cut through the air, and a barrage of ice spikes slice through my rope.

MC: ...It's over.

Is the mission going to fail again? I close my eyes, waiting to be respawned back to the orphanage.

Yet the next moment, I find myself falling into an embrace.

Lucien: MC, it's okay now.

I open my eyes, gazing at Lucien dazedly.

His eyes regain that familiar gentleness, though the coldness seems not to have entirely dissipated.

MC: Have you... regained control?

Lucien gently curled his lips and winked his crystal-clear eyes at me, but it was as if he had used up all his strength.

—[Chapter 56-17]—

-You've discovered the orphanage's conspiracy; it's time to make a choice with your mentor.

As soon as I walk out of the basement, the system pops up with a new prompt.

MC: Of course, these conspiracies must be exposed to the public!

MC: Otherwise, I would be letting down the children in the night division, the children waiting outside... and even letting down my childhood self!

Lucien: It seems MC really empathizes with this mission.

Lucien smiles as he watches me angrily select the "expose conspiracy" option, making the same choice as me.

MC: For the children of the Night Division, this orphanage must be a complicated place.

MC: It provides them with a living environment, yet pushes them towards hell…

I take a deep breath, feeling somewhat melancholic.

MC: I wonder how long it will take to dispel the trauma left here for them…

Lucien: Perhaps what lingers in one's life is more than just the haunting trauma.

As he speaks, a hint of snow-colored moonlight seeps into Lucien's eyes, cold yet beautiful.

Lucien: It's just that this soil no longer needs to continue preserving it.

MC: Are you suggesting…

Lucien: Let's do what couldn't be done in reality.

With that, he grabs my hand and turns back to the basement.

Twin Leaves Orphanage stands on the ground like a beached white whale gasping for its last breath on the shore, no one knows that its insides have rotted away.

But now, we have unearthed all of them, exposing them to the moonlight.

Lucien and I have transported all the books and equipment related to the experiments, piling up a series of decrepit items at the entrance of the orphanage.

He half squints his eyes, as if pondering the next move. Understanding his unspoken thoughts, I retrieve something from my backpack.

MC: Here, matches.

Lucien strikes the match, and the flame throbs in his hand, as if a powerful, vivid heart is being put into it.

In an instant, the flame shoots up into the sky, illuminating the words "Orphanage" at the entrance, consuming and burning away all the sins.

I take a deep breath of the scorching air, witnessing the imminent arrival of this new beginning.

Lucien: ….

In the corner of my eye, Lucien's figure comes into view.

He holds a burning record of experiments in his hand, silently watching the flames.

Against the backdrop of the blazing flames, his features outlined by the light appear increasingly cold and indifferent.

It’s even darker and colder than the moonlight.

MC: Lucien…?

The crackling of the flames drowns out my soft shouting. Lucien's figure is half-hidden in the shadows, revealing an indescribable loneliness and desolation.

I quietly walk up to his side, gently placing a hand on his arm.

MC: What are you thinking about?

Lucien shakes his head lightly, casually tossing the last remnants of the page into the fire.

Lucien: [chuckles lightly, then sighs] Just feeling like this scene is somewhat familiar, and I've come to understand something.

Lucien: Perhaps when faced with failure, looking back is also a choice.

Lucien: Maybe we can find answers among the things that have already been burned.

He smiles at me, the curve of his lips perfect yet distant. I gaze at his profile, silently tightening my grip on his hand.

Before my eyes, the flames roar fiercely, yet it feels almost chilling.

After sending all the children away, a halo of light appears and disappears around us, signaling the completion of the mission.

I look at Lucien, who has been silent since just now and squeeze his hand with concern.

MC: Are you tired? You look like you're not feeling well.

Lucien: …I'm fine.

Lucien: It's just that the mission we just had was a bit special, so I've been thinking about the reasons behind it.

MC: Special?

Seeing my confusion, Lucien furrows his brow, then speaks thoughtfully.

Lucien: …When being controlled by the game, what I felt was not the usual sensation of a mission… but rather something akin to the takeover of my central nervous system.

Lucien: This is the first time I've experienced such a sensation in a game.

Lucien: [quietly] …The feeling of being deprived of control over my consciousness is not good.

He speaks with indifference, but his eyes seem to be shrouded by a layer of darkness.

Thinking about how he looked just now, I worriedly reach out and touch the tired corners of Lucien's eyes.

MC: [worriedly] Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable right now?

Lucien shakes his head, but I still can't help but feel a little worried.

MC: Could it be that we've been doing tasks for too long? Or maybe there's a bug on Infinite's side?

MC: If that's the case, no wonder it feels like the "hidden rules" this time are different, and neither of us got transported back to the orphanage…

Feeling anxious, I speak faster and faster until Lucien gently squeezes my hand, speaking in a soothing tone.

Lucien: [soothingly] We might need to look for the answer to this question within the game.

Lucien: Would you like to join me?

The warmth emanating from his palm feels different from before, now harboring a hint of burning nostalgia.

When Professor Lucien gets clingy, he's like a fox narrowing its eyes; I simply can't resist him.

A hint of sweetness wells up in my heart as I take a few steps forward with him.

MC: Alright, then I'll keep accompanying you to find the answers, anywhere you want to go.

✂———————–

We wander aimlessly along the path we come, watching together as the starry night is melted away by the sunlight.

Hand in hand, we cross the untouched stream, occasionally plucking flower buds together, knowing that new ones will soon bloom again.

The dew on the stones and the newly bloomed flowers tremble with each step we take, showcasing their vitality.

After hopping onto a slab of stone, I don't hear Lucien's voice. Turning around, I find him behind me, lost in thought with his head bowed.

During our leisurely and carefree stroll, I often catch glimpses of loneliness and coldness in his expression, tinged with sorrow.

Soon, he resumes his usual gentle smile, catching up to me as if those moments of cold loneliness were just insignificant illusions.

I hold his arm as I maintain a natural expression, and continue to talk and laugh with him without losing my smile.

I can feel restlessness in the corner of his heart, and the root of these changes—

Seems to lie outside of the game.

Walking through the night into a new day, as we witness the sunrise melting into the horizon once more, we find ourselves back at Lucien's home.

The morning light blankets the river, its ripples dancing in Lucien's eyes, as if a layer of mottled silver is painted across them.

I take a gentle breath of the air filled with the moisture of water and the fragrance of grass, then turn away and speak softly.

MC: Lucien, is there something... happening to you in the real world?

—[Chapter 56-18]—

The water gurgles as it flows, and an invisible silence spreads around us, concealing the warmth of the sun from our bodies.

I hear Lucien's light exhale as he reaches out to touch my cheek, prompting me to look back at him.

Lucien: MC, in front of you, I want to accompany you with a calming mood and a clear mind.

Lucien's gaze carries shattered dawnlight. He lowers his eyes, his tone calm and natural.

He didn't directly answer my question, yet it was as if he explained something.

It's as if he casually mentioned something irrelevant. He doesn't continue, instead he takes my hand and sits by the river with me.

His silence on the topic, and the way he skirts around it, leaves a lingering cloud of doubt in my heart.

Lucien has always been calm and composed, but in the places I cannot see, has he silently endured something I am unaware of?

The river breeze sweeps over our heads, tousling our hair. Watching Lucien's quiet profile, I can't help but speak up in the end.

MC: Lucien, when I came to see you today, I couldn't help but feel... that you may have encountered some "difficulties".

MC: It's just that at that moment, I felt like you didn't want to talk about it, so I thought of spending some fun and relaxing time with you first.

MC: Actually, I should have just told you directly…

With both of my hands cradling his face, our eyes meet, and I speak firmly.

MC: We've been through so much together. No matter what difficulties we encounter, haven't we always faced them together?

MC: Tell me about the difficulties you're facing, okay?

Lucien looks at me, sighs softly, and rests his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingle, tracing each other's heartbeats.

Lucien: [inhales then sighs longly]…

His eyelashes tremble a few times, and he embraces me tightly, warm breath murmuring softly in my ear.

Lucien: [whispers softly and quietly] Then let me... tell you myself.

After Lucien finished speaking, he logged off. I take a deep breath and then log off as soon as I see his avatar turn gray.

The lingering light of the setting sun dances through the windows. It's been almost half a day since I went to see Lucien.

It's the first time I've been online in "Odyssey" for so long. After leaving the game, I feel a wave of dizziness flooding my mind.

The light from the hallway in the research institute seeps through the gap in the laboratory door and the lights inside the room are off.

The room is filled with the dim yellow of dusk, with the steadily dissipating setting sun as the sole source of light.

Lucien sits beside me, the twilight casting shadows on his clear and refined face, making it difficult for me to discern his expression.

I get up to turn on the light, but a gentle touch brushes against my cheek.

Just like how I cradle his face in the game, my face is being held up by his cold hands.

A pair of eyes shining with a cold gleam lock onto my gaze.

As we're within a very close distance, Lucien's body emanates a faint chill, as if submerged in seawater, yet his gaze is blazing hot and surging.

Lucien: [quietly and softly] Are you leaving?

MC: I'm not leaving, I just want to turn on the light…

Lucien: …Don't turn on the light.

A cold breath brushes past my cheek. Lucien takes a deep breath, his gaze flickering.

Lucien: …Just stay here quietly by my side like this.

Lucien's tone remains gentle, but his hand firmly grasps mine without any explanation, rendering me unable to move.

He looks deeply into my eyes as if seeing something through me.

His deep gaze makes my heart tremble, and his tight grip on my hand feels as if he wants to imprison me here forever.

I purse my lips and gaze into the depths of his dark eyes, confronting the obscurity and paranoia lurking within.

His grasp on my palm feels burning hot, with a slight tremble that's barely perceptible, as if it's desperately restraining something about to burst out.

I don't know why he's like this, but I know one thing— he wants me to stay by his side.

So I take the initiative to open my arms and embrace him tightly.

MC: Alright, I'll stay right here, not going anywhere. So... don't force yourself.

I feel his body stiffen, before his arms around me tighten and embrace me harder, as if he wants to meld me into his body, causing a bit of pain.

The last glimmer of twilight fades away, and in the darkness, I hug him tightly for a long time.

The breath by our ears and the heartbeat pressed against each other’s chest gradually sync in frequency, becoming our sole yet intimate form of communication.

Feeling the breath of the person in my arms has gradually calmed down, I softly ask him.

MC: Shall we go turn on the lights together?

The person in my embrace remains silent. I hold his hand and slowly stroke his back.

MC: I want to see you, Lucien.

There's a pause on his breath, and then a faint rustle of our rubbing clothes follows.

I'm pulled into a tighter embrace and he moves a few steps. Immediately after, the lights switch on.

Under the cold light of the laboratory, I notice the dark circles under Lucien's eyes, standing out prominently.

I let him hold me as my fingertips slowly touched the proof of his fatigue.

MC: How many hours have you been sleeping lately?

Lucien: ...This week, it adds up to three hours.

Lucien closes his eyes and presses his face against my palm, his brows furrowing unconsciously. I pause, then gently massage his forehead.

MC: Does your head hurt a lot?

Lucien: It hurts.

He doesn't open his eyes, but his brows relax slightly. His hoarse voice seeped into my ears, tinged with a hint of vulnerability.

...Remembering Lucien's appearance the last time he lost control, my heart tightens.

This isn't the first time. It's been happening since a few months ago and there have been subtle signs of this.

Lucien: This kind of headache prevents me from concentrating and stabilizing my emotions for research, causing progress to slow down.

He opens his eyes, seeming to have recovered a lot, and loosens his tight grasp on my hands.

Lucien: But in the game, I can escape from physical discomfort and think more freely, which leads to faster research progress. So I believe this is a great way to do it.

His tone becomes calm again, even indifferent as if the person suffering the torture is not himself.

I embrace him distressfully, my eyes involuntarily becoming moist.

After a long while, I hear his calm voice ringing beside my ear.

Lucien: MC, it's from Evol's deterioration.

—[Chapter 56-19]—

I startle, lifting my head to look at him.

Although there's a vague premonition in my heart, I still uncontrollably feel a sharp pain hearing these calm words.

MC: Lucien…

I open my mouth, but all that escapes is his name. My eyes sting with tears, blurring the person in front of me.

From the moment he broke NW's glass chamber and carried me out from there, I had already noticed some subtle differences.

All the things that I couldn't figure out before, now seem to have answers.

Without effective treatment, the deterioration symptoms of Evolvers will only worsen, leading inevitably to death or premature demise.

Lucien is no exception to this.

So much has happened recently, with no events related to deterioration occurring, I've almost pushed it out of my mind.

The grim memories flood back into my mind, and I take a sharp breath.

I forgot.

I forgot that the conflicts arising from deterioration had only temporarily receded into the depths, but the symptoms of the illness had never disappeared.

They still spread and feed on their host like parasites.

I look at Lucien before me, his complexion much dimmer than before, and his lips are as pale as autumn frost.

MC: I genuinely forgot, Lucien…

Even if Lucien had never mentioned it, I should have checked for changes in his physical condition.

Lucien is so adept at feigning normalcy and enduring; enduring pain, enduring collapse, enduring…… deterioration…

Now, with even him unable to bear it, just how far has his deterioration progressed?

I dare not dwell on it, feeling tears welling up in my eyes, yet Lucien simply gently and slowly holds my hand in his palm.

Lucien: Don't blame yourself. It's just some unavoidable problems with my body. Moreover, our recent research on deterioration has been going smoothly.

MC: Have there been any breakthroughs?

I blink quickly to conceal the glisten of moisture in my eyes.

Lucien shakes his head, deliberating as he simplifies the complex process of his findings.

Lucien: For a long time, the drugs developed have shown limited effectiveness in clinical settings.

Lucien: Yesterday, the final clinical trial of the last drug also concluded, and the result was a failure.

MC: ….

I open my mouth, but feeling a sudden heaviness in my heart, many thoughts that had bubbled to my lips now dissolve into nothingness.

MC: ...Then why is it going smoothly?

Lucien notices my emotions and, in turn, comforts me by gently squeezing my hand.

Lucien: Because this failure is the most special one.

Lucien: For years, all the solutions in the field of biomedicine for deterioration, the biological material—

Lucien: Have been extracted from ordinary people and Evolvers, then applied to Evolvers.

Lucien: The failure of clinical trials proves that both paths we've been pursuing for so long are wrong, so we can only find another way.

He looks at me, his gaze filled with certainty about the conclusion, completely unconcerned about how shocking his words sound.

Lucien: The biological material to cure deterioration is neither in ordinary people nor in Evolvers.

My head spins a bit, leaving only one path, neither ordinary people nor Evolvers…

Who else could it be? Could it possibly be... me?

As if guessing what I'm thinking, he shakes his head.

Lucien: CORE is indeed a perfect gene, but it is not replicable, what I mean is, for example...

Seeing him about to think again, I blurt out almost in a panic.

MC: ...F-for example, relying on aliens?!

Lucien: Aliens? [chuckles lightly] That's also a possibility.

My scattered thoughts amuse Lucien, causing a slight curl of his lips.

Lucien: If there really are aliens, I would definitely think of a way to capture them for research.

Our conversation started on a somber note and ended with Lucien's playful joke.

The lights in the lab are glaring in the darkness of the evening, and I'm just thinking about how to ensure Lucien gets a good night's sleep tonight—

Lucien seems to have anticipated my thoughts. He stops in his tracks, not allowing me to lead him out of the lab.

Lucien: You've already helped me a lot today and provided me with new inspiration.

Looking back on my actions throughout the day, nothing seems particularly special. I furrow my brow, looking at him in confusion.

MC: Did I?

Lucien smiles and smooths out my furrowed brow, extending his hand to me.

Lucien: Can you accompany me somewhere now?

✂———————–

As the sunset bathes the earth, Lucien and I become solitary figures amidst the tranquil twilight, walking side by side in the quiet evening.

Lucien: Watch your step, give me your hand.

I take his hand and we walk around a cement wall, feeling a bit curious.

MC: I didn't expect there to be such a large expanse of ruins behind the research center…

Lucien: From here onwards, this used to be the territory of the research institute. However, after the reconstruction of Ultima Bioscience Research Institute, this area has been abandoned.

As we walk, Lucien vividly recounts the research heyday of the research institute.

Lucien: There were multiple laboratories, control rooms, and even a display center here…

I listen to Lucien describe in detail the comprehensive facilities that once existed in the main building, and I can't help but be amazed and impressed.

The completeness and capacity of this abandoned area are rare even in today's research institutions.

Despite being abandoned, one can still see how grand its building area was back then.

Now, the walls of the buildings above ground in the main building are mottled and fragile, crumbling at a mere touch due to lack of maintenance.

Lucien: When the research direction of the research institute was first proposed, it attracted a lot of attention.

MC: From your description, this place must have been filled with talented individuals.

Lucien: Mm, at that time, the main research direction was to find methods to delay or even reverse deterioration through gene editing and cell manipulation experiments.

Lucien: And leading the team was a highly respected scientific researcher, Mr. Xu.

[T/N: Mr. Xu (徐) in this has a different surname from Lucien's Xu [许] surname]

I look at him in surprise as he leads me through the ruins, his gaze calm.

Lucien: But the field of gene editing inevitably involves modifications that could potentially be irreversible to human genetic material.

Lucien: You can guess what happened next.

MC: There must have been a lot of controversy.

Lucien pauses his steps gently, his tone cold and distant.

Lucien: One could even say that it was sensational.

—[Chapter 56-20]—

The twilight seems to have grown even darker.

I exhale softly into my hand, listening as Lucien continues to recount the difficulties faced by the research team in those years.

Lucien: Soon, some people raised objections that this violated academic ethics and norms. They went to Mr. Xu's office to exert pressure, using both soft and hard tactics.

MC: Indeed... it's something expected.

Lucien: Mm, after such ethical controversies persisted for a while, they significantly impacted the progress of the research.

Lucien: Afterwards, the research outcomes also failed to meet the standards for an extended period, leading to a decline in external funding support and morale within the research team.

Lucien's voice is steady as he narrates the end of this place's story.

Lucien: Ultimately, due to technical limitations and insufficient understanding of the nature of the deteriorating disease, the key samples were damaged.

Lucien: This incident became the final straw that broke the camel's back, causing the management to completely lose confidence in the research direction.

The wind whispers through this now desolate wasteland as if sighing at the hasty conclusion of a grand tale.

Lucien: The research team disbanded, and the complete abandonment of the base became the final chapter of this place.

Just like dominoes, one problem leads to another, ultimately leading to failure here.

Lucien retrieves a fragile, weathered page from the ground, its surface bearing faint traces of burn marks.

Lucien: For me, this base is like those "dark pasts" we burned in the game today.

MC: So, back then, when you were staring at the flames in a trance...

Lucien: When the flames lit up, I recalled those research contents that were "burned" due to failure.

Lucien: The drugs developed at that time did indeed temporarily repair the defects in the Evolver gene, resulting in experimental subjects exhibiting extraordinary enhancements in abilities.

Lucien: However, this enhancement came at a cost. It resulted in excessive accumulation of Evol energy in the body, rapidly draining the life of the subjects.

Lucien narrates the story as if it’s not a big deal, yet I'm listening with cold sweat trickling down my spine.

Lucien: Even after all these years, no one has looked back at those failed research endeavors, myself included.

He turns to me, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Lucien: But today's orphanage mission has given me new ideas.

Lucien: Perhaps, within these 'burned' pasts, there indeed exists some useful information.

Guided by Lucien, I explore cautiously, sidestepping collapsed walls, navigating around dusty stairs, and avoiding dilapidated benches.

Step by step, I tour the area, using my feet as a ruler to measure the former grandeur of this place.

It feels as if I'm transported back to the past, witnessing firsthand the research institute's rapid decline after a brief moment of glory.

I had assumed that we would continue to wander through every corner of the research institute until Lucien suddenly came to a halt.

Following his gaze, I peer ahead to see that the corridor in front of us looks as if it has been subjected to an explosion.

Glass and rubble are scattered around us, blocking the path ahead. Unless cleared, it’s impossible for us to proceed.

Lucien falls silent, his gaze lowering as if lost in memories.

I don't disturb him and quietly wait by his side.

To me, it's just an abandoned research institute, a relic of a bygone era. But for him, it surely holds memories of his own.

After a moment, Lucien turns to me, a faint smile gracing his face.

Lucien: Come on, let's go back.

MC: Is that all? No more searching?

Lucien's eyes are filled with traces of memories, but he doesn't linger. He simply gazes up at the sky above this wasteland.

The sky from years ago had the same sunset as today.

Lucien: This is enough.

Lucien had no intention of going home to rest and insisted on continuing to research at the research institute.

I can only insist on escorting him to the entrance of the research institute and bidding him farewell downstairs.

Under the moonlight, our shadows are stretched long, occasionally overlapping with my careless footsteps.

I ponder the ending of that story and can't help but cautiously ask the question that has always lingered in my mind.

MC: Lucien, what happened to the supervisor who led the group after the team disbanded?

Lucien: He has a very realistic ending.

Lucien: Faced with overwhelming pressure and the irreparable setback, he chose to leave the field of biological sciences and went to teach in remote mountain areas.

Lucien: Now, he should continue teaching in some mountainous region.

I have a feeling inside that's hard to describe as if there are pieces of cotton soaked in water stuffed into my heart, permeated with a heavy sense of worry.

Lucien: Don't worry, in the journey of scientific research, coming to a dead end without any particular reason is the most common thing.

In reality, the night wind is even more biting than in "Odyssey," Lucien straightens my coat.

Lucien: Besides, whatever price failure demands, it's all within our expectations.

Lucien's gaze is gentle yet subtly imbued with an unparalleled dedication.

I meet his gaze and eventually nod with a smile, wrapping my arms around his neck and nuzzling him affectionately.

Lucien also pulls me into a tight hug, and we exchange each other's body heat, enjoying the silent moment in tacit understanding.

Just then, the phone rings abruptly. I pick it up and see that it's a call from my work partner.

I quickly answer the phone and exchange a few words. After hanging up, I glance at Lucien, hesitating as if wanting to say something but holding back.

Lucien: [softly] Do you still have work to attend to?

I nod and hug Lucien tightly with reluctance, unwilling to part with him.

MC: Our partner isn't quite satisfied with our plan and wants me to take charge and revise it.

Lucien: Then, I'll call a cab for you.

Feeling somewhat sad and reluctant, I tighten my grip on his sleeve, looking into his eyes.

MC: [worriedly] Lucien, I know you're dealing with something very difficult alone.

MC: Although my power is small, if you need me... I'll be there.

MC: Whether you need the power of the CORE or simply need me.

Lucien: Don't worry, I certainly will need you. After all, I'll need you more than you imagine.

His eyebrows arch slightly as he gazes into my eyes, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

I hop into the taxi, and Lucien stands there, watching me leave. Until the car turns the street corner, his reassuring figure is still in sight.

✂———————–

The building of the research institute is also shrouded in moonlight, gradually disappearing into the concrete and steel jungle of the city.

The corridor is brightly lit. The high-wattage lights are unadorned, making the bright areas even more dazzling and the shadows even darker.

Lucien walks back to his dimly lit office alone.

He reaches into a corner of the filing cabinet that hasn't been opened in a long time, finding only a brittle yellowed piece of paper inside.

The light from the corridor spills into the office, and the red emergency exit lights are on, providing enough illumination to see the entire contents of the paper.

[Name: Xu Yijian, Cause of Death: Explosion caused by laboratory sample leakage.]

[Due to severe damage at the scene, there is currently no evidence of human factors, and it is deemed as an incident.]

✂———————–

[Afterword, rambles, and highlight(s)]

After MONTHS of foreshadowing and subtle signs in both the main story (especially chapter 45 + Chapter 51) and R&S, the deterioration finally takes a toll on Lucien. The main focus revolves around the long-awaited arrival of the deteriorating disease event, marking a crucial turning point in the storyline. In this sort-of-analysis want to highlight and talk about the underlying theme of this chapter and what the future may hold for his main story sub-plot.

[Odyssey]

MC: I signed a collaboration with Infinite for their new game, and today, I’m going to try out their gaming equipment. Lucien: Is it the game called “Odyssey”? MC: Oh, you know about it too? Lucien: Since the first-generation products of GA, they’ve been using a lot of technology related to brainwaves and data conversion. [S2 Chapter 51]

As I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter translation, Odyssey is a hyper-realistic VR game developed by a company called Infinite. Their technology not only allows players to see and hear in the realistic game world but also to touch, taste, and smell as they interact with it.

To enter the game, players need to put on a device called Golden Apple (GA for short). Not only that, but the game also incorporates AI technology into it. Infinite has a lot of technologies that are said to be "out of this world, besides AI they also develop other things yet to be revealed.

MC: I never expected that the charm of "Odyssey" would be so great that even Professor Lucien has become an "Internet Addict". I clear my throat and then nonchalantly add a "harmless" little question. MC: Lately, it seems like I've been seeing you online often. Is the work at the Ultima Bioscience Research Institute relatively easy?

MC notices that Lucien has been spending a lot of time online in the game. Although Lucien explains that he does so because it's quieter and allows him to focus better, but is the reason really that simple?

[Children of Night Division - Emotional Neglect and Loneliness]

Ever since the start, the mission has felt very personal to them. Why did the mission lead them to the exact place that can trigger trauma for both Lucien and MC over their pasts? Why does the mission lore bear an uncanny resemblance to what they experienced as children? How did a mere game take over the human nervous center, isn’t this technology dangerous?

MC: I can't shake the feeling that this orphanage mission seems to have some sort of prototype reference... like the mirrored building we encountered before. MC: There's a kind of... indescribable familiarity in my heart.

I have two theories:

The game digs into their memory and with AI technology, uses it to create such a mission, raising the stakes for both of them

Infinite has some information about BS experiments and besides using it to develop its technology, Infinite also uses it as a ‘prototype reference’ for the AI to develop a mission, resulting in such a mission.

I don’t know which theory is more f*cked up, be it the game gaining data from the players without their consent or them using those kinds of data to design the game:” therefore also exploited the orphanage children indirectly…

Anyway, both theories can explain the sudden takeover of Lucien’s consciousness. Because the ‘data’ gained from them (be it their memory or BS experiment file) have him as part of the orphanage experiment. So, I speculate that the game can control him because it considers him part of the "night division"... Let me explain a bit more.

The orphanage segregates children into night and day divisions based on their performance and physical condition. Observing their demeanor during classes, it seems plausible that the night division comprises children deemed academically proficient.

As I look at these words written in black and white, a chill emanates from the depths of my heart, slowly spreading throughout my body. Children who should have received special care are instead becoming experimental subjects at the mercy of others in the dark basement. What should be a joyful paradise for children turns out to be a breeding ground for evil to satisfy the desires of adults…

Lucien's past in Black Swan (BS) shares striking similarities with the experiences of the children in the night division. Like them, he was subjected to experimentation and exploitation. [Till Dawn R&S]. While he may have consented to some extent, there is definitely some manipulation involved in shaping a child into a tool for BS.

MC: For the children of the Night Division, this orphanage must be a complicated place. MC: It provides them with a living environment, yet pushes them towards hell…

BS provided him with a living environment that allowed him to survive, but it also pushed him towards a hell where he had no time to contemplate his circumstances. He was constantly driven to keep running, with his emotional needs completely neglected. While he may not have experienced physical abuse later on, the emotional neglect he endured as a child is a form of abuse in itself.

Lucien: I think maybe it's not resistance, but rather she also needs an opportunity to connect with you. Lucien: When you talk to her, although her reactions are a bit cold, her body always unconsciously moves closer toward you. Lucien: Rather than resistance, it might be more like "not good at" or "not daring" to communicate with you. My heart tightens. Could it be that the reason why these children from the Night Divisions are so quiet... is because of similar reasons? Children in orphanages are already more prone to feeling lonely than others. A girl who struggles to communicate is even more susceptible to being ignored to some extent.

Emotional neglect can lead to difficulties in emotional regulation, low self-esteem, relationship challenges, and insecure attachment styles, which can all contribute to feelings of loneliness. People who experience emotional neglect can have trouble expressing emotions effectively, leading to isolation and a belief that they don't deserve love or connection.

Even prior to the car accident, Lucien struggled with understanding and expressing his emotions. His time on BS exacerbated this issue. Despite his outward demeanor of indifference, it's clear that he experiences deep loneliness (please read this good analysis about Lucien and his loneliness lol).

Lucien: Some children develop a dependency on specific plush items during their growth process, finding a sense of security in them. Lucien: I think, this scarf might be just that special existence for her.

Besides loneliness, children who experience emotional neglect can develop feelings of insecurity. Emotional neglect involves not receiving the emotional support, validation, and nurturance that are crucial for healthy emotional development. When children do not feel valued, heard, or understood by others, they may internalize these experiences and develop a sense of insecurity about themselves and their relationships. This insecurity can manifest in various ways, such as seeking comfort from special objects like plush toys or blankets. I will come back to this later ;)

Lucien: These children are involved in an experiment to synchronize their minds. Once the experiment succeeds, they will become "puppets" that can be manipulated by others.

The purpose of these experiments was to create puppets that could be manipulated by others. And guess who suddenly found themselves being manipulated by the game?

With one hand gripping the report, the other hanging limply, emitting a chill, his face frozen in shock. MC: What's going on... Could it be? Subconsciously, I recall the myriad of hidden rules in this place. Have we unwittingly violated something again? Is ‘’you can't read the experiment report' also an unwritten rule of the orphanage? But why weren't we teleported out this time? - Lucien: MC. His voice is chillingly cold, carrying an inexplicable danger. I turn my head to see veins bulging on his forehead like ice cracks as if he's struggling to restrain something. Lucien: [sternly] Just... abandon the mission. Before I could ask anything, another icicle pierces straight into the ground beside my foot, sending a chilling sensation through me.

Freaking, Lucien.

From all the coincidences and connections, we can theorize that according to the game, Lucien is the result of the experiments, which enables the game to freely manipulate him. According to the game, Lucien IS part of the night division!

also, can I point out that loss of control has been one of the constant symptoms of his deterioration disease, which means that this accident can be a foreshadowing of a future ‘knife’ where Lucien loses control and accidentally hurts MC-

Luckily, Lucien managed to regain control in the end, ~though this experience undoubtedly added extra trauma for him~. After uncovering the conspiracy, they both chose to expose it. However, Lucien proposed something unexpected.

Lucien: Perhaps what lingers in one's life is more than just the haunting trauma. As he speaks, a hint of snow-colored moonlight seeps into Lucien's eyes, cold yet beautiful. Lucien: It's just that this soil no longer needs to continue preserving it. MC: Are you suggesting… Lucien: Doing what couldn't be done in reality. - Lucien strikes the match, and the flame throbs in his hand, as if a powerful, vivid heart is being put into it. In an instant, the flame shoots up into the sky, illuminating the words "Orphanage" at the entrance, consuming and burning away all the sins. I take a deep breath of the scorching air, witnessing the imminent arrival of this new beginning.

He suggested burning everything. Perhaps it is his emotional catharsis over his past. Burning can symbolize purification and a new beginning, a way to get rid of past sins and start anew. By suggesting this drastic action, he might be seeking closure and a sense of control over the painful events that transpired, although it can only be done in-game:”.

[Deterioration]

The crackling of the flames drowns out my soft shouting. Lucien's figure is half-hidden in the shadows, revealing an indescribable loneliness and desolation.

During our leisurely and carefree stroll, I often catch glimpses of loneliness and coldness in his expression, tinged with sorrow. Soon, he resumes his usual gentle smile, catching up to me as if those moments of cold loneliness were just insignificant illusions.

Throughout the chapter, MC keeps catching glimpses of his loneliness and sorrow. which leads me to ponder: with such a heavy burden of facing his own mortality and failures after failures... has he been carrying it alone for so long?

In this chapter, it’s the first time… we see him actually being so close to death as if there's a death countdown ticking with each breath.

Just like how I cradle his face in the game, my face is being held up by his cold hands. A pair of eyes shining with a cold gleam lock onto my gaze. As we're within a very close distance, Lucien's body emanates a faint chill, as if submerged in seawater, yet his gaze is blazing hot and surging. Lucien: Are you leaving? MC: I'm not leaving, I just want to turn on the light… Lucien: …Don't turn on the light.

Confronted with his own mortality, despite his usual indifference, Lucien’s reaction to the situation is one of vulnerability and desperation. Perhaps, more than death itself, he’s even more afraid to be separated from her. Thus, upon returning to reality, his immediate instinct is to cling to her, preventing her from leaving. All while trying to conceal his vulnerability and condition from her by preventing her from turning on the light.

Lucien: …Just stay here quietly by my side like this. Lucien's tone remains gentle, but his hand firmly grasps mine without any explanation, rendering me unable to move. He looks deeply into my eyes as if seeing something through me. His deep gaze makes my heart tremble, and his tight grip on my hand feels as if he wants to imprison me here forever. I purse my lips and gaze into the depths of his dark eyes, confronting the obscurity and paranoia lurking within.

Remember when Lucien mentioned how some children develop a dependency on specific plush items during their growth process, finding a sense of security in them? This scene perfectly mirrors that concept. In addition to his fear of losing her, he also experiences a lack of security at that moment, seeking solace in her eyes. MC is that special existence for him, someone he has grown dependent on because he finds a sense of security in her; the way he holds and looks at her… almost akin to a devout believer seeking comfort from the divine.

His grasp on my palm feels burning hot, with a slight tremble that's barely perceptible, as if it's desperately restraining something about to burst out. I don't know why he's like this, but I know one thing— he wants me to stay by his side. So I take the initiative to open my arms and embrace him tightly. MC: Alright, I'll stay right here, not going anywhere. So... don't force yourself. I feel his body stiffen, before his arms around me tighten and embrace me harder, as if he wants to meld me into his body, causing a bit of pain.

Oh and don’t get me started about how he *still* tries to restrain himself from completely holding her :"" only allowing himself to seek even more comfort when she's the one who initiates the hug; when she chooses not to leave him ༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽ .

ALSO, the hug that feels as if he wants to meld her into his body :”” It's been so long since the PG used this description, which shows the DEPTH of his fear of separation; He just wants to meld her into his body so that there's no way they'll get separated.

The last glimmer of twilight fades away, and in the darkness, I hug him tightly for a long time. The breath by our ears and the heartbeat pressed against each other’s chest gradually sync in frequency, becoming our sole yet intimate form of communication. Feeling the breath of the person in my arms has gradually calmed down, I softly ask him. MC: Shall we go turn on the lights together? The person in my embrace remains silent. I hold his hand then gently and slowly stroke his back. MC: I want to see you, Lucien. There's a pause on his breath, and then a faint rustle of our rubbing clothes follows. I'm pulled into a tighter embrace and he moves a few steps. Immediately after, the lights switch on.

Not really analysis I just want to highlight this scene because, GOD this is so bittersweet and intimate ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ the way they cling to each other in the dark, comforting each other and communicating only through their heartbeat and breath… how MC gently and softly coaxes him to reveal himself to her and he finally obliges, ugh, my kokoro just :"

Under the cold light of the laboratory, I notice the dark circles under Lucien's eyes, standing out prominently. I let him hold me as my fingertips slowly touched the proof of his fatigue. - Lucien closes his eyes and presses his face against my palm, his brows furrowing unconsciously. I pause, then gently massage his forehead. MC: Does your head hurt a lot? Lucien: It hurts. He doesn't open his eyes, but his brows relax slightly. His hoarse voice seeped into my ears, tinged with a hint of vulnerability. -

His tone becomes calm again, even indifferent as if the person suffering the torture is not himself. I embrace him distressfully, my eyes involuntarily becoming moist. After a long while, I hear his calm voice ringing beside my ear. Lucien: MC, it's from Evol's deterioration. -

Lucien is so adept at feigning normalcy and enduring; enduring pain, enduring collapse, enduring…… deterioration… Now, with even him unable to bear it, just how far has his deterioration progressed?

WHEN I HEARD THIS WORD “疼” (lit. painful) MY HEART JUST BROKE INTO PIECES༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽ . It's just... how awful his condition must be if even Lucien (who's used to freaking pain, who can still laugh even after he slit his own eyes, or get his shoulder blasted) finds it unbearable?

As mentioned in R&S Threshold, Lucien's evol deterioration manifests as cancer. Judging from his symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, it's likely that Lucien has a brain tumor resulting from his evol deterioration. Evol deterioration worsens exponentially due to the overuse of evol, and in the past few chapters, Lucien has repeatedly overused his evol to protect MC, again and again, resulting to his condition now :".

It's only when the lights come on that MC realizes what he's been enduring lately :". The unease that MC felt since the start of the chapter now has an answer. It turns out that Lucien has been spending a lot of time online recently due to the unbearable pain caused by his worsening condition:"". He ‘escapes’ to the game to avoid the pain yet also never gives up on his real life.

Although he needs coaxing, it's also the first time he shows his vulnerability; being clingy solely because he needs her there in that moment.

In a way, this is also proof of his growth. He has truly learned to share his burden with her, realizing that she does care and he no longer needs to bear everything alone. So, when he's not even sure if he'll survive this time, the least he can do is tell her some truth, perhaps easing her into preparing for the worst.

Lucien: For a long time, the drugs developed have shown limited effectiveness in clinical settings. Lucien: Yesterday, the final clinical trial of the last drug also concluded, and the result was a failure. - MC: ...Then why is it going smoothly? Lucien: Because this failure is the most special one. Lucien: The failure of clinical trials proves that both paths we've been pursuing so long are wrong, so we can only find another way. - Lucien: Mm, at that time, the main research direction was to find methods to delay or even reverse deterioration through gene editing and cell manipulation experiments.

More than Lucien facing his circumstances with indifference and sorrow, what I find more heart-wrenching is the very clear emphasis on the passage of time. The research into the deteriorating disease has been ongoing for an extended period, with Lucien's condition progressively deteriorating. Enduring failure after failure, he now embarks on a dangerous journey of researching gene rewriting and cell manipulation, the only path left to solve this deterioration. And...

[Name: Xu Yijian, Cause of Death: Explosion caused by laboratory sample leakage.] [Due to severe damage at the scene, there is currently no evidence of human factors, and it is deemed an accidental incident.]

Lastly, he tells the truth about his condition yet lies about how dangerous this path is. Does he not want MC to investigate his death and involve herself in danger in case the worst happens? ༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽

[The path moving forward]

As usual, the chapter posted right after the anniversary chapter tends to mark the beginning of the conflict or the introduction of a major challenge. So, it's safe to assume that we'll face an even more intense knife ahead (a.k.a the angst in this chapter is just beginning-) . Aside from Lucien's subplot of treating evol deterioration, I'm betting that this year's anniversary chapter will involve defeating the enigmatic Infinite or perhaps a hidden boss/evil within Odyssey. If you’ve read so far, thank you for reading this chapter and my rambles~

#the first time Lucien being so clingy and so vulnerable?? AND IT'S PAINFUL #enjoy another 3k words of essay #Lucien being pathologically clingy is kinda cute although it meant to be angst #this chapter is good at making you just feel bad at Lucien lmao #mlqc lucien #mr love queen's choice #mlqc cn #mlqc spoiler #mlqc #mlqc translation #mr. love queen's choice #mr love lucien #mlqc xu mo #mlqc spoilers #looking forward to next pain- i mean chapter update

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