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projectionistwrites · 1 year

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FOR SCIENCE | SUBJECT 2

In which the Moon Knight alter system presents a unique opportunity to settle the nature versus nurture debate, once and for all...

Marc Spector x afab!psychologist!reader (11.0k+)

RATING: EXPLICIT (18+, mdni) WARNINGS: fetishization of mental disorders (DID), psychoanalysis, potentially unethical scientific practices, SMUT (dom/sub dynamics, fingering, oral (f! and m!receiving), unprotected p in v sex, squirting, creampie, bondage, intense edging, reader is very mean, facesitting/riding, 69ing, praise kink, dirty talk, use of the stoplight system) NOTES: time for everyone’s favorite babygirl. again, i really hope i did marc’s character justice. also, you can’t tell me marc wouldn’t look so pretty crying for you. i kinda went feral on this one. <3 DISCLAIMER: although i’m incredibly knowledgeable about psychology, i am NOT a professional. all psychoanalyses made throughout the course of this storyline are entirely my own, based on my own interpretations of the characters. in a similar vein, i am also not an expert on DID specifically (although i am well-read on mental disorders and diagnoses), so i apologize for any incorrect terminology or misrepresentation. don’t hesitate to call me out if i say something wrong!

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CASE STUDY: MARC SPECTOR

ROLE IN COGNITIVE SYSTEM: Host / Apparently Normal Part

ATTACHMENT STYLE: Fearful

CHARACTERISTICS: cocksure, standoffish, pensive, calculating; resilient to a fault; views himself as irredeemable in the face of his past, unworthy of forgiveness or compassion; must be in control of every situation in order to feel secure.

SPLIT FROM HOST: N/A

TRAUMA RESPONSE: tendency to run when facing emotionally distressing situations

SEXUAL PRESENTATION: dominant, assertive, deliberate, practiced, indulgent; derives majority of satisfaction from his ability to draw pleasure from his partner; cognitive blockages that are reminiscent of self-sabotage (undeserving of release or pleasure).

“You’re early, Doc.”

Marc teased—he was leaning against the doorframe with a smug smirk on his face, successfully blocking your entrance into his flat. You felt your face heat up beneath his devious gaze.

“I know.”

Your words were softer than you’d intended them to be, more hesitant—Marc’s eyes narrowed at your wavery response.

He wordlessly stepped to the side, allowing you to finally slip past him and into the threshold of the apartment. You paused in the entrance as the door clicked shut behind Marc. He narrowly avoided colliding into your form as he turned, his arms jutting out to brace himself against you to prevent either of you from stumbling. His hands gripped your biceps, his chest pressed against your back. Your body tensed under his touch, and he let out a low chuckle, slipping past you and further into the space.

“Jesus, you’re touchy today. Everything okay?”

He leaned back against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied you. The movement was so easy, so casual and relaxed, as if this was just like any other time you’d hung out at his place—as if you weren’t there just to get into his pants. You felt a blush rise to your cheeks as you glanced down at your worn sneakers. It felt...different, this time. With Steven, you knew there would be a learning curve for both of you. You knew that, to some extent, you would be the one calling the shots, making Steven feel safe and comfortable. But now...you were intimidated. And ashamed to admit it.

You must’ve been quiet a beat too long, because the next second, Marc was in front of you, standing toe-to-toe. When you didn’t meet his eyes, his left hand came to nudge your chin upward, forcing your gaze upon him. You gulped, but his dark eyes were softened with concern.

“Hey. You gotta talk to me, Y/N. What’s on your mind?”

You blew out a breath.

“No, it’s nothing, I’m just—”

“—nervous?”

Marc finished for you, and you squeezed your eyes shut in an effort to prevent yourself from seeing the satisfied look on his perfect face.

“Yes, Marc, laugh it up. I’m nervous.”

“Hey, I didn’t even—”

“Yeah, but you were gonna.”

You snapped with a glare, but you felt guilt punch through your gut when a look of hurt crested Marc's features. You sighed.

“Shit, Marc, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“I am, too, you know.”

You blinked once, then twice.

“You’re...what?”

He rolled his eyes, huffing out a bitter, humorless laugh, as if he thought you were toying with him. When he saw the genuine confusion on your face, he threw his head back with a groan.

“You’re really gonna make me say it, huh?”

Your eyes narrowed, but when you finally realized what he meant, you felt a small smile creep onto your face.

“Wait—you’re nervous?”

Marc shrugged sheepishly, and you could see a bit of color rise to his cheeks—was he blushing?

“You’re telling me—Marc Spector is nervous?”

“Yeah, and who’s laughing it up, now?”

He quirked a brow, giving you an accusatory look, and you giggled at him, the tension melting away from your body easily.

“I’m not laughing at you, Marc, I’m just—why would you be nervous? Especially around me?”

He shook his head at you incredulously, taking a few steps closer. You felt your back press up against the door behind you, successfully trapping you in Marc's vicinity.

“S’that so hard to believe? A pretty girl like you, coming over to study how I am in bed—even if it’s just for science?”

Marc wiggled his brows theatrically, and you laughed again, shaking your head. Still, there was blood pumping loud in your ears as he spoke, and you could feel electricity crackle in the air between you, charged with energy.

“Yeah, for science. But—you have pretty girls over all the time to see how you are in bed.”

“Yeah, but s’never been you, has it?”

The words were barely audible, muttered lowly beneath his breath, but you felt your jaw slacken at his quiet confession. Your eyes flitted up to his, and there was that cheeky, self-satisfied grin on his face again—fuck, he was too handsome, you just wanted to—

“Can I just fuckin’ kiss you, already?”

He was close, now, his warm exhales mingling with your own. His brown eyes glittered onyx as he drank you in, lips parted just slightly, the tip of his nose barely brushing your own. You felt faint, the proximity dizzying as temptation sank its teeth into your flesh. With the faintest nod of your head, Marc took the plunge.

You’d never had a kiss quite like this one before. Of course, Steven’s was great, but it was exactly what you’d expected—a desperate clash of teeth and tongue, the two of you battling your insecurities to fall into a steady rhythm. But this—this was fucking special. Marc’s hand slipped behind your head to thread through your hair, his other arm looping around your waist to pull you flush against him. You were frankly surprised at the tenderness with which his lips found yours, starting with a barely-there brush of his mouth. It was sweet, and raw, intimate, and you felt his lashes flutter against your cheek when he pulled away too soon.

You were breathless, your face following his as he drew back, desperate to maintain the contact. He chuckled at this, but remained close, eyes finding yours again.

“Still nervous?”

He asked, his voice low and gravelly. His eyes seemed darker as he smirked down at you, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth. Your eyes flitted down to his mouth, your breath catching in your lungs at the sight. Something resembling a squeak involuntarily escaped your throat.

“Marc. Please.”

You whined, big doe-eyes glimmering, and Marc scrunched his face up as though he was in pain, eyes squeezed shut tight as he groaned. He rested his forehead against yours.

“Shit. You really gonna make it that easy for me, baby?”

He practically hissed, and a breathy laugh blew past your lips. Marc captured your mouth with his again, harder this time, the hand that was in your hair reached up to brace himself against the door above your head, successfully caging you in. You hummed against him as his tongue passed through the seam of your lips, sinking into you further. Your desperate hands reached up and clawed at his chest, gripping the navy blue fabric of his cotton t-shirt in your fingers as you held him close. He pressed himself into you, and you could feel the hardness of his bulge flush against your lower abdomen. A moan escaped you at the feeling of his arousal, your body instinctually thrusting into his hold. You could feel him smile into the kiss.

“Yeah? You feel what you do to me, huh, baby?”

He teased against your lips, and you tossed your head back, thudding against the door behind you. You looked down your nose at him, through your lashes, panting slightly, your hands still twisted in the material of his shirt.

“Fuck, Marc, want you so bad, just—”

Your words died on your breath when his arms abruptly slid beneath your butt and hoisted you upwards, your legs wrapping around his waist and your arms around his neck. One of his large hands stayed firmly squeezing the flesh of your ass, the other roamed the length of your back as he pressed his lips against yours again, turning to walk you further into the apartment.

“Jesus, this is gonna be fun.”

He mumbled at your eagerness and responsiveness, your hands threading through his brown curls as he brought you towards the bed, teeth nipping at your bottom lip. You gasped when he threw you back onto the mattress abruptly, your body bouncing once at the contact, causing you to giggle. But then Marc was stalking over your body, hovering above your body with a predatory look in his eyes. He licked his lips as you blinked up at him.

“Gonna take my time with you, pretty girl. Gonna absolutely ruin you.”

You impatiently pulled his face back to yours, and he didn’t resist, kissing you back with equal fervor and desire as your own, but the moment you lifted your hips to seek friction from his body, he pulled away, tutting at you condescendingly.

“Ah, ah, ah. Relax, baby. Don’t torture yourself.”

He smirked, fingers dancing across the skin of your stomach beneath the hem of your shirt. You reacted immediately, lifting your arms above your head to allow him to pull it from your body.

“Look at you—so obedient.”

His patronizing tone normally would’ve pissed you off, but there was something about the look in Marc's eyes—completely enraptured with you, ready to give you the world—that made you want to do whatever he said. He reached behind your body to undo your bra, fingers nimbly unhooking the clasps as he yanked it off of you, his face immediately sinking into your cleavage. He groaned, lips frantically attaching themselves to the flesh between your breasts, wandering across the expanse of the newly-exposed skin and wherever they could reach.

“Oh, baby. Got such pretty tits.”

He growled, teeth playfully sinking into the skin at the top of your right breast, earning a yelp from your mouth as he quickly soothed the sting with a swipe of his tongue, smirking up at you. The heat of his mouth was enough to briefly distract you from his wandering hands, but then he was yanking your pants down your legs in one fell swoop, leaving you bare save for the plain pink cotton panties you’d worn today—they weren’t particularly sexy, as you had been trying to prevent your apparel from serving as a confounding variable, but Marc still looked like he wanted to devour you.

His rough hands ran up the plush skin of your thighs, over your hips before squeezing at your tits, making your back arch up and off the bed. A dark chuckle sounded from above you.

“So eager.”

He hummed, pressing a kiss to your mouth, and you felt his hands travel down your body again, teasingly fondling at the waistband of your underwear as you sighed. You let your own hands travel beneath his shirt, running your hands along the warmth of his toned abdomen, coaxing him out of the material. You were happily surprised when he honored your silent request, allowing you to pull the shirt over his head and toss it to the side. His expression flickered for a moment as you admired him, his eyes briefly shining with a certain warmth that you couldn’t decipher. He pressed his lips to yours, a soft, sweet kiss, but when he pulled away, the wicked gleam in his eye had returned.

“Gonna make you feel good, baby. You want me to touch you?”

Your nod was frantic, your head pressed back into the pillows as you forced your body to stay still beneath him, even as you desperately wanted to rut up against his jean-clad thighs.

“Yeah, you do, huh? Bein’ such a good girl for me, baby—you gonna keep behavin’ yourself? Gonna let me take care a’ you?”

You whined, desperation starting to pulse through your limbs, making you want to squirm.

“Yes, Marc, yes, just—please—”

He shushed you, his lips pressing hotly beneath your jaw before continuing down the column of your neck, down your sternum, across your breasts, and finally stopping above your navel. He hummed into your skin, the vibrations causing a chill to pass over your spine, goosebumps rising in their wake. He lifted his hands to spread your legs further apart, granting him the space to lay between them so he was face-to-face with your clothed core.

“Fuck, baby—soakin’ for me already.”

You could feel his hot breath against the cool, damp material of your panties, and you jolted when his fingers lightly pressed against the wet spot, the pads of his digits just barely swiping over your folds. Your toes curled and legs tensed, trying hard to withstand Marc's slow, relentless teasing. He seemed to be enjoying it, a dark chuckle escaping his mouth at your reaction.

“Tell me what you want, baby.”

He requested lowly, hands pressed against your inner thighs to hold them apart in front of him. You tried to make your voice steady.

“Marc, please, just—”

His fingers harshly curled into the flesh of your thighs, creating divots in the soft skin as you flinched. He gave you a warning glare.

“You never struck me as the bratty type. C’mon, baby—tell me what you want.”

“You, Marc, fuck—want you so bad. Always wanted you.”

You flinched at your own confession, but Marc responded with a throaty growl.

“Oh, yeah? Thought this was just for research, hm?”

You felt his nose brush against the crotch of your panties, and you whimpered, your hips lifting of their own accord. Marc’s hands gripped your waist tightly and slammed your ass back into the mattress, pressing you down firmly.

“That’s enough.”

He warned, suddenly strict, and you swallowed, trying hard to resist the urge to sink your hands in his hair and force him towards where you needed him most.

“Fuckin’ greedy little thing. I’ll give you whatever you want, pretty girl—just wanna hear you say it.”

You bit your lip defiantly, feigning confusion at his request, and he growled again, teeth sinking into the flesh of your hip right above the waistband of your panties. You jumped at the sensation, letting out a sharp cry, and you felt the vibration of his chuckle through your skin.

“Go on, Y/N. Tell me the truth. Tell me how bad you want me.”

Your resolve shattered.

“Want you so bad, Marc. Wanted you since the day I met you. Wanted you to bend me over the desk in my office, wanted—wanted to get on my knees for you right there on the bus. Got off to the thought of you fucking me so many times, Marc, shit, please, would you just—”

He practically ripped the panties from your body as his mouth finally surged forward to steal a taste of your sopping cunt. You yelped in surprise when his tongue swiped through your folds, and Marc wasted no time in sinking two fingers into your throbbing entrance, already beginning a relentless pace within you.

“Oooh, FUCK, Marc—”

You exclaimed, hips thrusting upward at the sudden stimulation, and Marc’s strong arm reached up to press down on your stomach, forcing your movements to halt.

“Sit fuckin’ still—want you to cum all over my fingers, baby.”

He muttered against your clit, lips wrapping around the bud to suck harshly. Your orgasm was rapidly approaching already, the pleasure mounting and mounting with each sudden thrust of Marc’s thick fingers, each move deliberate and practiced. You were mewling beneath him, back arched harshly as he continued his pace, dark eyes watching as your face contorted into a look of pleasure.

“That’s it, baby, can feel you squeezin’ my fingers, fuck—you gonna cum for me?”

Your climax peaked easily and you let out a long sigh as you let the waves of pleasure overcome your senses, only acutely aware of Marc’s gentle praises being muttered against your throbbing cunt as your became pliant beneath him.

Your muscles began to loosen after your sudden and intense orgasm, but the sensation didn’t last for long—Marc wasn't stopping. His tongue had replaced his fingers, thrusting in and out of your dripping pussy, his nose nudging at your clit in a move he must’ve learned from Steven, the cheeky bastard...

“Fuck, Marc, shit, I can’t—”

You couldn’t stop yourself from squirming, but he held you down securely, not allowing you to pull away from the intense stimulation he was still offering.

“Color.”

The sound was muffled, mixed in with the sinful slurping noises he was making, and your cloudy mind took a few moments to process his request, but as his fingers pressed harder into the divot of your hipbone, you threw your head back to respond. Stoplight.

“Green, Marc, but—God, fuck, s’too much, I can’t—”

“You can, and you will.”

Your eyes met his from his position buried in your mound, and the sight of his hungry eyes and the tone of his demand were enough to send you rapidly toppling over the edge yet again. The high-pitched wail that you let out was shameful, but Marc didn’t pause, watching you closely as you came apart on his tongue yet again.

As you came back down to Earth, he finally offered you a moment of reprieve, coming up for air to press a bruising kiss to your lips. The tangy taste of your arousal on his lips made your face flush hot.

“Taste so sweet for me, baby. Gonna give me another?"

You hummed, mind still foggy with bliss, but then his fingers were ghosting over your swollen clit, swiping carefully in circular motions on your tender flesh. Your head lifted to press into his shoulder, and he chuckled wickedly, increasing his pressure as you writhed beneath him.

“That’s it, baby, doin’ so well.”

He praised, hot lips pressed to your ear, and you could feel heat pool in your lower belly, red and hot and seething. Your lip was pulled between your teeth, hard enough that you could taste the metallic tinge of blood on your tongue as Marc sped up his pace. Your fingers wrapped around his arm, trying to pull him away, but his muscles flexed beneath your hold, and the overstimulation quickly made way for yet another stuttering orgasm, your cunt clenching around nothing as your teeth sank into the flesh of Marc’s shoulder, body twitching uncontrollably. You heard him hiss from the bite to his skin, but it quickly evolved into a groan as he turned his head to the side, littering your jaw with open-mouthed kisses as sweat dappled your face.

“There we go. Good girl, baby. Good girl.”

He cooed, finally pulling his hand away from your core. He lifted his slick-coated fingers and pressed them to your lips, and you absent-mindedly obeyed, sucking his digits into your mouth and lapping up the residual arousal from his knuckles. He hummed in approval, your face utterly fucked-out and eyes hazy. He pressed a soft kiss to your nose before sitting upright above you, his hands making quick work of his belt buckle as he pushed his jeans and boxers down simultaneously.

“Think you’re ready for my cock, pretty girl?”

Your legs were still quaking with aftershocks, your thighs sticky with wetness from your prior orgasms and Marc’s saliva. Still, even with exhaustion weighing heavy in your limbs, the sight of Marc’s cock standing at full height, ruddy and weeping, was enough to inspire a nod of your head.

“Want you—fuck, Marc, want you inside me, please.”

“Sound so pretty when you beg for me, baby.”

Marc crept forward on his knees, stroking his cock with practiced precision as he slid between your split legs. You felt the head of his member slide experimentally through your folds, nudging at your clit. You bristled, the heat of his hardened length jostling your shot nerves. You nearly cried at the contact, hips pressing into the mattress and away from the pressure, but then the tip notched at your entrance and you wanted nothing more for him to sink into you. Before he pressed further, though, he slipped fingers beneath your chin, turning your head to look at him. Your lip was quivering with want.

“Color?”

He rumbled, brown eyes gentle, and your ass lifted upwards, trying to force his cock further into your awaiting channel, but Marc pulled away completely, drawing a long whine of protest from your chest.

“Easy, baby. Say the word, and I’ll fuck you just how you want. But I need to hear it.”

You swallowed, fingers sinking into his curls, and your voice was hoarse when you spoke.

“Green, Marc. Fuck me, please.”

Your swollen folds made way for his thick length as it sank into you quickly, bottoming out in one swift thrust as Marc groaned throatily.

“Oh, fuck.”

He growled, eyes squeezed shut tight at the sensation of your tight walls fluttering around him. His balls pressed firmly up against your ass, and Marc reached down to grip one of your ankles, hoisting your leg high above your head so the front of your thigh was to your chest. He offered a slow roll of his hips, his cock nestling tightly into you as he snapped them forward.

“Oh, fuck, yes, baby—so fuckin’ tight.”

His pace started to build, and soon he reached for your other leg to hold it above your head, effectively folding you in half. The new angle allowed him to reach even deeper within you, the head of his cock prodding at something devastating. You were moaning shamelessly, now, incapable of forming coherent words at this point as Marc continued to pound into you, his teeth bared as his hips pistonned forward.

“Always wanted to fuck you like this, baby. Knew you’d make the prettiest noises for me, knew you’d let me do whatever I wanted to you. You gonna gimme another one, baby? Gonna cum on my cock?”

A sob ripped through you at his words, your hips thrusting upwards to meet his strokes. He had one hand wrapped around each ankle, braced over your head as he railed you into the mattress, the bedframe creaking under the strain. You felt your stomach coiling yet again, but your body was resisting, so overstrung and sensitive that your muscles felt like they were on fire. Still, Marc’s pace was relentless, and you couldn’t stave off the overwhelming need for release as you started to fall apart.

The groan that Marc offered was animalistic as your pussy clenched down on him, hard, throbbing rhythmically as you surrendered yourself to the onslaught of shockwaves that pulsed through your core. You felt faint, weightless, the crux of heat in your center exploding.

“Oh, fuck me, baby, oh my God, did you just—”

His words dissolved into a growl as he pounded into you harder, and it was only as you slowly regained your bearings that you could feel the slickness coating your thighs and Marc’s abdomen—you’d squirted all over his cock.

“Jesus, not gonna last much longer, baby, so fuckin’ good.”

His head was bowed, curls falling into his eyes as he rammed into you, balls slapping against your asscheeks with each thrust. Punched-out moans passed through your lips surreptitiously as you tried to maintain your focus, although your consciousness was slipping away.

Marc’s left hand released your leg and you felt his fingers swirl over your clit again.

“Gonna cum for you, baby, but you gotta gimme one more, first.”

You sobbed, body lurching off the bed as if you were possessed, your knee curling over his shoulder.

“Oh, fuck, Marc, I can’t, s’too much, please, just want you to—”

“Not gonna cum until you do.”

He spoke through gritted teeth, a hardened determination glinting within his crazed eyes. You drank him in—sweat dripping from his curls, nostrils flared, lips pulled up in a snarl, veins in his neck straining beneath the skin with his effort. His pace abruptly switched, his rapid thrusting replaced with a few slow, deep, and fucking bone-rattling plunges within you, the sound of his skin roughly slapping yours filling your ears. The change in tempo was too much, you were spiraling, and with a guttural cry of his name, you felt a blissful numbness erupt from within. Marc threw his head back as you clenched around him once more.

“Oh, fuck, baby, yes, yes, so fuckin’ good, God—”

You watched through half-lidded eyes as he pulled out of you hurriedly, hand reaching down to jerk his cock rapidly as he finally allowed himself to reach his release.

“Fuck, gonna cum all over you, baby, yeah, you ready? You want my cum?”

You nodded, whining greedily, your legs settling down on either side of him as you raised your hips towards him so you could feel his knuckles brush over your pubic bone with each rapid stroke of his cock. The desperation in your eyes is what hurled him over the edge.

“Fuckin’ take it, baby, I’m cummin’ for you, oh, fuck—”

His spend spilled all across your mound, spraying upwards over your stomach and some droplets even landing themselves atop your tits as he continued to jack himself off above you, deep grunts passing through his parted lips with each spurt of cum that he coaxed out. He was panting heavily, watching his white seed ooze across your skin and down his knuckles as he finally slowed the pace of his hand, squeezing one final drop of pearly liquid from the tip as he groaned, leaning forward to rest his forehead against yours to catch his breath. You hummed, unable to open your tired eyes, but the intimacy of the action was welcomed as his lips just barely brushed over your own, a silent ‘thank you’ in the aftermath of an intense moment of passion.

You didn’t think it was possible to feel simultaneously weightless but so heavy at the same time, your limbs sinking into the damp sheets beneath you as you attempted to catch your breath. Marc nestled his face into the crook of your neck—an action vaguely reminiscent of Steven’s habit of nuzzling into you—and you felt him take a slow, deep inhale against your clammy skin, his warm breath fanning out along your collarbone.

You tried to stay awake when you felt his body peel itself from atop yours, but he returned moments later with a cool damp cloth to wipe away the evidence of both of your orgasms. You whined when the cold came in contact with the swollen, sensitive folds of your cunt before he moved up to wipe away his own release—Marc easily shushed you, pressing soft kisses against the skin after he wiped each spot clean. When he was finished, he haphazardly tossed the towel aside, crawling up towards you yet again.

Marc liked to be smothered. If you could take any one thing away from this moment, that’s what you saw—he laid down beside you, flat on his back, before rolling you over on top of him, your face pressed up against his pecs as your body settled between his legs. You hummed at the new position, his arms curling protectively around you, fingers of his right hand playing with your knotted hair. Your ear was pressed up against his chest and you listened to the steady rhythmic thumping of his heart, and you easily could’ve fallen asleep in an instant. Still, you wanted to enjoy the tenderness of the moment for a bit longer.

“You okay?”

Marc finally asked, and the vibrations from his throat reverberated down through his ribcage for you to feel. You breathed in long and deep, the feeling of his soft, warm skin comforting and familiar.

“’M great.”

You whispered, tilting your head slightly to look up at him. There was a small adoring smile on his abused lips, his brown eyes sweeping over your face in a way that only Marc could do—calculating, observant, as if he was looking straight through you. Sometimes, his unusual skill for reading people made you uneasy, but now, you felt completely relaxed beneath his scrutinizing gaze. It would be hard not to, when his eyes glowed as if you’d hung the stars in the sky just for him.

“…was that okay?”

Marc rephrased, and it was only then that you caught on to the insecurity he so desperately tried to mask. The crease between his brows betrayed him, making his concern for you evident. You smiled up at him reassuringly.

“Marc, it was great. You were great. You are great.”

Maybe it was the post-orgasmic bliss that had you feeling sappy, the endorphins boosting you higher into your serenity. The look on Marc’s face was heart-wrenching—the gratitude that shone in his beaming smile, the glow of his face as it lit up with pride, the—dare I say—love, in his eyes, as he gazed upon you.

A comfortable silence settled between you, and the hand that was resting against your back reached down to pull the duvet up and over the both of you, cocooning you in its warmth. You let yourself settle further into Marc’s welcoming embrace, eyes fluttering shut as you let your exhaustion take you. You quickly spoke before you found yourself dozing off.

“So…what’s your typical post-sex ritual look like after this, hm?”

You questioned, lifting your chin slightly to see his face. His eyes blinked open to look at you, and he frowned, pursing his lips.

“Believe it or not…with most of my, uh, hookups, I—uh, I have the tendency to leave in the middle of the night so I’m not there when the girl wakes up—gotta leave ’em wanting more, y’know?”

You laughed breathily at that, but hoped to hide how crestfallen his admission made you feel.

“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll try to sneak out after you fall asleep—”

His arms tightened their grip around you, and there was a sort of pleading look in his big brown eyes as he shook his head.

“No, you don’t have to do that, really, I just thought you should—”

“It’s really okay, Marc, I don’t mind.”

You assured with a shy smile, but he shook his head more firmly this time.

“No. You aren’t just a hookup, and you aren’t just some girl.”

Your lips parted in a silent gasp, eyes searching within his to try to gauge his thoughts. He seemed genuine, insistent. Your heart practically melted in your chest.

“But, I don’t—”

“Please, just stay?”

He hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question, and certainly hadn’t meant to plead—this was more vulnerability than he’d ever displayed to you before, something you’d ached to see for as long as you’d known him. For him to open up to you, to trust you, to finally let you in.

You mustered up whatever strength you had left to lift yourself up and press a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. You gazed up at him through tired eyes, face aglow from his apparent affections.

You didn’t give him a verbal response—you didn’t need to. Instead, you settled back in against him, curling your head into his shoulder, pressing your face against the warm skin at the side of his neck. Sleep came easy for both of you—Marc felt lighter having finally let his impermeable facade yield to you, even if just for a second.

Tomorrow, you intended to convince him to drop his guard completely.

POINTS OF CONTENTION: - relinquishing control - embracing uncertainty - asking for help

TREATMENT: - practice submission - express vulnerability - communicate needs

You briefly got déjà vu when Marc opened the door to his apartment for you, a familiar cheeky smirk adorning his handsome features. This time, however, your expression matched his own as you stood on your tiptoes to plant a peck on his lips, pushing past him and into the flat as if you owned the place. He was startled at your forwardness, and he would be lying if he said your surge of confidence didn’t make him slightly uneasy—what had gotten into you?

“Back for more?”

He managed to quip, quirking a brow at you as he shut the door behind him. You approached Gus’ fish tank and tapped the glass a few times to get his attention, leaning over to watch him swim around aimlessly for a few seconds—it gave Marc a perfect view of your ass through your yoga pants as you bent down, and he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth as he stared unabashedly.

“I can see your reflection in the glass, you asshole.”

You jabbed, a teasing smile lighting up your face as you met his gaze in the mirrored tank, but he didn’t stop his shameless ogling—instead, he watched you with darkened eyes, a wicked grin on his lips.

“At least I don’t have to hide the fact that I stare at your ass every time I see you, anymore.”

Your brows lifted at his confession, and you carefully straightened up, turning to face him at an agonizingly slow pace. Your hands found your hips as you studied him with an amused expression. You stood across from him in challenge.

“So you admit that you’ve checked me out? Even before this little experiment?”

Marc fought hard to keep the smirk off of his face as he crossed his arms over his chest, sizing you up carefully to gauge your seriousness. You were clearly teasing him, but he offered a subject change nonetheless in an effort to avoid the fact that he just admitted he’d been eye-fucking you since the day you’d met.

Instead, his eyes flickered down to the small black paper bag that you had set by your feet, his brow raising in question.

“I see you brought props with you, this time?”

He closed the gap between you with two large strides, bending down to snatch the shopping bag from your feet before you could protest. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he peered inside, but his eyes widened when he realized what you’d brought.

“Jesus, Y/N. You dirty, dirty girl.”

His fingers reached in to pull out a pair of black silky restraints—it didn’t go unnoticed by Marc that the receipt was in the bag and the fabric still had a tag fastened to it. You must’ve bought them just for this occasion.

The expression on his face was practically carnal as he smirked at you, but something about the look in your eyes made him hesitate. You looked up at him shyly, reaching forward to thumb at the fabric before settling your hand into his open palm atop the silk.

“They’re not for me.”

Four words, and Marc was stunned into silence. His face fell, eyes wide as they studied you, expression bemused and slightly fearful. You swore you could actually see his face drain of color.

“We don’t have to, Marc, I promise—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to just spring this on you out of the blue, I’m sure it’s not something you’d normally—well, I mean, not that I know what you’re into and everything, but I just thought it might be—”

“Slow down, baby, it’s okay. I just—took me by surprise, s’all. Wasn’t—wasn’t expecting it.”

You looked up at him thoughtfully, now hyperaware of the trepidation in his features. He avoided your eyes.

“Come on.”

You grabbed his wrist softly and guided him over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and gesturing him to follow suit. He sat down beside you and carefully turned to lay out the two black restraints on the mattress behind him. Then, he turned back to you, eyes gentle. You reached over to pull his hands into your lap.

“Marc.”

You started softly, and his eyes flitted to you nervously, an uneasy lopsided smile on his face.

“Listen to me. We really, really don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable. I know it’s—it requires a lot of trust, and—well, I don’t know.”

You fell silent, unsure of what to say or how to proceed. Marc was giving you that familiar calculating stare, taking you in and analyzing every breath you took. You grew impatient with his lack of response.

“Aren’t you gonna say anything?”

There was an apprehensive edge to your tone, your eyes round and full of worry, afraid to offend him or make him uncomfortable. You could see the gears turning in his head as he pondered.

“And this... of anything in the world you could possibly want to do with me, to me... this is the one thing you’d choose?”

You carefully nodded your head, squeezing his hands in your own.

“I think—I think this could be good for you. If—if you’re up for it, of course. No pressure.”

He hummed at your reply, before he turned to you with a small smile.

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

You blinked once, then twice, surprised at his easy response.

“Wha—really? Are you sure?”

“I trust you.”

Maybe those words were just that—words. But you couldn’t help feel your eyes grow glassy as the gravity of his admission weighed on you, your heart soaring in your chest as you smiled widely at him, eyes crinkling at the corners. The glow radiating from your face made Marc’s shoulders roll back with pride—he would do anything just to see you smile at him like that.

Apparently, that really did mean anything.

You leaned over and kissed him deeply, hand sliding to cup his face as he pulled you against him, sliding you atop his lap easily as he sucked at your bottom lip.

You settled down onto his thighs, your core easing over his hardening bulge as you pressed your front into him, your pebbling nipples brushing against his chest as you kissed him feverishly. His hands held a bruising grip on your hips as you grinded against him, feeling his hold tighten with every brush of your clothed core over his growing erection.

He hummed when you pushed on his shoulders, coaxing him to lay back against the mattress as you pulled his shirt over his head easily. You guided him towards the headboard as you continued to kiss him, settling him carefully onto the pillows in the center of the bed. You drew your head back quickly, your breath catching in your throat as you drank him in—his dark umber curls a stark contrast to the white downy pillows beneath his head, his brown eyes darkening as he watched you with half-lidded eyes, spit-soaked lips parted. You’d never seen a prettier sight—and you knew how to make it even more enticing.

Your fingers traced up his chest and danced across his shoulders. You kissed him to distract from you sneaky movements as you reached behind yourself to retrieve the pair of restraints that had been discarded earlier. You let your nails skate across his nipples, causing him to hiss, before you gently pried his hands off of your hips. You grabbed each wrist carefully, intently watching his reaction as you guided them over the top of his head and towards the headboard.

You grinded down against his cock once more in an effort to relax his body—he groaned quietly, and you reached for one of the restraints, pulling his left arm straight out to the side and carefully winding the fabric around the bedpost before reaching to fasten it around his wrist. You watched his jaw ripple as you carefully looped the silk over his skin, tightening it just slightly to prevent his hand from slipping out. You tugged at the fabric lightly, testing its resistance, before you leaned back down to peck his lips.

“That okay?”

You asked carefully, nose brushing against his, and he squeezed his eyes shut, tugging against the binding before offering you a soft nod. You smiled at him graciously before repeating the action on his right arm, successfully rendering him incapacitated beneath you, his arms spread wide on either side of his body. You allowed yourself to draw back once more, the sight of him splayed out atop the mattress, completely at your mercy, caused a wave of arousal to rush straight between your legs. He must’ve felt the clenching of your thighs from where they caged his hips in, because he let out a breathy laugh.

“You like this, don’t you?”

His voice was low and hoarse, and you kissed him again, nodding against his lips.

“Yeah, Marc, I do. So pretty for me.”

You felt the warm huff of air that he let out at your praise, and you knew he secretly loved your verbal affirmations, even if he’d never admit it to you. You offered him one last kiss before slowly dragging your face back—his head followed your backwards movement, chasing the feel of your mouth against his, but he jostled at the feeling of his movement being restricted. His eyes opened suddenly at the sensation, as if he was surprised to find the restraints actually lived up to their name. You couldn’t help the tiny grin on your lips as he accustomed himself to his limited range of movement—you could feel the tightness in his muscles, his biceps flexing and tensing as he mindlessly fought to gain control back.

“Easy—you’re okay, I��m right here.”

You soothed, running your hands up his torso as his abdominal muscles contracted beneath your fingers. There was sweat beading at his hairline, his jaw grinding rhythmically as he finally opened his eyes to look up at you, forcing himself to inhale a steady breath in an effort to calm himself down. Your fingers rubbed at the tension in his shoulders and you felt him soften under your touch, becoming pliant beneath you as he allowed himself to settle back into the mattress, finally coming to terms with his current situation. You rewarded him with a kiss, leaning yourself forward so your front was pressed to his.

“Before we start, I need you to promise me something.”

His eyes followed you when you sat back upright, and he nodded for you to continue. You breathed.

“Marc. You have to swear to me that you will use the safe word if you need to.”

He rolled his eyes in response, but you squeezed your thighs together in response, putting an uncomfortable pressure against his hips. He glared at you, but you gave him a stern look.

“I’m serious, Marc. I don’t want you to think—to not use it just because you want to make me happy, or because you wanna seem like a big tough guy. You do make me happy, and I know you’re tough, regardless of whether or not you choose to tell me to stop. Okay?”

He could hear the sincerity in your tone, the genuine concern lacing your words. He swallowed. He wasn't going to lie and say it wouldn’t be hard for him to safeword—he didn’t like admitting defeat, showing weakness or cracking under the pressure. But this wasn’t some mission or fistfight with an adversary, he reminded himself—this was you. He was safe, and he trusted you, and he was supposed to enjoy this. Finally, he nodded at you, and you mumbled out a ‘thank you’ before pulling yourself off of him completely.

He watched you like a hawk, eyes trained on you intently, analyzing your every move in anticipation. You carefully reached for his waistband, and he obliged, lifting his hips from the bed to allow you to undress him. You pulled his briefs down in the same motion, discarding Marc’s final two articles of clothing and leaving him bare before you.

His cock was at full mast, resting atop his navel as he drew in slow, deliberate breaths, trying not to feel bashful beneath your scrutinizing gaze. You were still trying to fathom the fact that you had this Adonis of a man splayed out in front of you, completely surrendering himself to you.

He really had no idea what he’d gotten himself into.

“Color?”

You asked, kneeling back on your heels from your position beside him, one hand resting on his abs, just above where the head of his cock was patiently waiting. He breathed out a chuckle.

“You haven’t even done anything yet.”

You raised a brow, and at your persistence, he offered a roll of his eyes.

“Green.”

“Good.”

You smiled, fingers sliding down from his stomach to ghost over the tender skin of his shaft, causing a shiver to crawl up his spine. You were careful to take note of just how his body reacted to each ministration—the way his breath hitched when you finally wrapped your hand around the base, the barely-audible grunt when your thumb swiped the bead of precum from his slit.

You removed your hand briefly just to spit into your palm before you were back on him, beginning a slow and gentle pace of stroking him. He hummed at the motion, his heels digging into the mattress as he threw his head back into the pillows, fingers wrapped around each restraint tightly to give himself something to grip. Your other hand reached over to fondle his balls, and his hips jerked just slightly at the added stimulation.

“S’that feel good, baby?”

You purred, your hand gradually picking up speed as your jerked him. He groaned lowly, nodding at your question.

“Shit, yeah.”

You smirked, carefully shifting so you were kneeling in between his legs, lowering yourself down to lay on your stomach. He watched you closely, bracing himself as you leant forward and suckled one of his heavy balls into your mouth, your other hand continuing its steady pace.

You hummed around his sack and he grunted, abdominal muscles flexing as you popped it out of your mouth and traded it for his other bulb, tongue swirling around the flesh and listening to his small moans of pleasure.

He was trying to stay quiet, you noticed. You didn’t press him on the issue—you knew he wouldn’t be quiet for much longer.

You pushed yourself up and licked a long stripe from base to tip, tongue flicking over his frenulum which caused his hips to quake. You offered a few kitten licks to his slit, tasting the salty precum as you continued to stroke him steadily.

“Fuck, baby—just like that.”

He whispered, eyes squeezed shut at the sensations. He was holding himself back—you wanted him to fall apart.

You carefully drew the head of his cock past your lips, bobbing your head up and down over just the tip, matching your pace to that of your hand. He growled, and your eyes flitted up to watch his biceps strain as he tugged on his bindings, desperately wanting to bury his fingers in your hair. You sank your head lower, taking him deeper, lewd choking noises escaping your lips as you swallowed him down. His hips were weakly thrusting upward, now, his feet planted into the mattress to seek leverage in a sorry effort to fuck into the heat of your mouth. You didn’t stop him—you let him cling to the sliver of control he was desperately seeking, removing your hand to sink your head down completely, allowing him to thrust his cock into the back of your throat with his shallow movements.

“Oh, fuck, baby, fuck.”

He moaned, and you could see the muscles of his stomach clenching as you reached to fondle his balls again. You were breathing in carefully through your nose as he continued to abuse your throat, his length sliding in and out of your mouth sloppily. One sharp thrust caused you to gag and he let out a deep groan from somewhere in his ribcage—you could feel his balls tightening up, thighs flexing.

“Yes, baby, gonna cum in that pretty little mouth, yes—”

You sat up abruptly with a gasp, pulling your body from his completely as his limbs involuntarily jerked beneath you, his back arching at the sudden loss of contact. He yelped, and you could see veins bulging in his arms as he harshly pulled against the restraints.

“Jesus fuck!”

He cried out, hips falling back down into the mattress, defeated. You sat silently, watching as he tried to catch his breath. He blinked the bleariness from his eyes to fix his stare on you—there was a somewhat sadistic shine in your gaze as you met his eyes challengingly. When you didn’t back down, you were surprised when he let out a bark of a laugh.

“So this is your game, sweetheart? You gonna edge me? Really?”

He was trying to intimidate you—you could see right through him. He was mocking you, hoping to berate you into submission, into backing down. It wouldn’t work.

When you didn’t respond, he shook his head lightly, feigning composure as he lazily closed his eyes.

“Go on—have your fun.”

He offered, a small smile on his lips. You felt anger briefly flare up inside you, but you quelled it down with logic—you were in control, right now. You had all the power.

It didn’t matter how disciplined Marc’s psyche was—his body betrayed him. It told the truth. Your hand reached back up towards his shaft, and his cock jumped beneath your touch, thighs tensing just slightly. You bit your lip to prevent yourself from giggling with satisfaction—Marc’s face was set into a look of quiet concentration, lips pulled into a straight line.

You started again, the same way you had before, with your spit-soaked hand slowly escalating until your lips joined in. His noises were subdued—they came from deep within his chest, escaping through barely parted lips only when he was powerless to stop them. He writhed beneath you, responsive to your touch, and when the telltale signs of his approaching orgasm began revealing themselves again, you ceased your movement.

“FUCK!”

He yelled, back arching off the bed as he attempted to curl into a sitting position, but he was snapped back into complacency by the fabric bound to his wrists. There were veins bulging in his neck as he seethed, sweat beginning to bead along his hairline. You blinked up at him innocently as he glared at you, eyes dark and filled with disdain.

“So fuckin’ pleased with yourself, huh, baby? This what you wanted? To rile me up? God, if I wasn’t tied up right now, I’d—”

“You’d what?”

He blinked at your interruption, your voice showcasing your defiance.

“What’re you gonna do, Marc? Nothing. You’re not gonna do anything. You’re gonna sit back, and fucking take it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

His jaw clenched down tightly, his face practically trembling with rage. His nostrils flared as he stared at you, trying to win the silent battle between you, in complete denial of the fact that you were completely in control. He wasn’t backing down, unwilling to admit that he was powerless—so you reached forward and scratched your nails down the length of his shaft. He shouted in protest, hips jolting backwards to retreat from the uncomfortable sensation, and he growled lowly in his throat before sagging back into the mattress—his eyes were still on you, but his lips were sealed shut.

“That’s what I thought.”

You antagonized, leaning down to take his cock back into your mouth. It was taking increasingly smaller increments of time to get him to the edge, and you continued—once, then twice more. On the third round, he’d nearly lost it, but you squeezed around the base of his cock tightly to force the orgasm to dissipate as it peaked.

“You fuckin’ bitch.”

He snapped, and the words seemed to surprise him just as much as they surprised you. A heat of the moment utterance, offered in a second of desperation—but he didn’t take it back. Maybe you should feel hurt—instead, you felt pride swell inside you as you stared down at him wickedly.

“Such mean words from a guy who can’t even see me through his tears.”

It was true—there were tears streaming down either side of his face, eyes red and puffy as he fought viciously against your torture. He shook his head at you, overwhelmed with anger, but he couldn’t hold back the sob that practically pulled itself from his lungs when you gave a single lick up his shaft.

“Oh, fuck you, fuck—”

“You can cum whenever you want, Marc. I’m not stopping you.”

You tone was even and steady, expression blank as you studied him. His brows furrowed, his eyes suspicious as his breathing slowed again. You smiled coyly at him, innocently, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips—he didn’t kiss you back. He just watched you as you carefully resumed your position between his legs, waiting to hear your stipulation.

“You just have to beg for it.”

Marc’s venomous laugh was replaced with a long whine as you took his cock in your hands once more, stroking him a few times before simply holding him there. He sneered at you.

“I don’t beg.”

“Then you don’t cum.”

You shrugged easily, releasing his throbbing member from your grasp and allowing it to drop back down against his stomach. You could see every muscle in his body fighting for release—his heels digging into the mattress, his arms continuously straining against their restraints. You tutted at him condescendingly, your eyes mocking sympathy as you stood from the bed. He studied you carefully as you began to remove your clothes until your were completely naked. You rejoined him on the bed, loving the way his eyes turned ravenous as he admired your body.

“If you wanna torture yourself, Marc, that’s your choice.”

You purred, crawling up until you were straddling him. You watched the way his breath hitched when you were hovering over his cock, and you felt it jump beneath your cunt—but instead of dropping down, you crept further upwards until you were straddling his ribcage. He looked at you, confused.

“So what are you gonna do?”

His voice was gravelly and hoarse, raw from the moans you had been pulling from him. You leaned down and shoved your tongue into his mouth—he whimpered at the intimacy, but you pulled away soon after.

“I’m gonna ride your face, and you’re gonna be a good boy and make me cum on your tongue.”

The whine that he let out was carnal—you’d never heard anything like it in your life, and Marc might’ve been embarrassed if it weren’t for the painful arousal that was burning a hole through the bottom of his stomach. He tilted his head back as you began to position yourself over him, lips already parting in anticipation of tasting you, but you paused, your eyes turning gentle. Your hand reached down to stroke through his damp hair, and he pressed his head into your touch.

“Color?”

You whispered, and you watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat at he swallowed. He breathed in once, then twice, before meeting your eyes again.

“Green.”

You settled your knees on either side of his head, your folds already soaking from your time toying with Marc—you shuddered at the feeling of his warm breath on your awaiting cunt, and with trembling thighs, you slowly and carefully lowered yourself onto his mouth.

You lurched forward at his eagerness, his tongue immediately breaching your entrance and slurping up the arousal that was flooding your pussy. You yelped in surprise, arms reaching forward to grip the headboard as you tried to keep most of your weight off of him, allowing your face to just barely skate over his features.

He mumbled something into your core, and you lifted yourself from him in concern, worried that you'd hurt him.

“What?”

You asked for clarification, brows furrowed, but when you met his eyes from between your legs, they were dark and gleaming savagely.

“I said, sit the fuck down.”

He growled again, and you could feel the headboard bend as he strained against the fabric on his wrists, obviously wanting to grab your waist and pull you down onto his mouth with full force. You let out a breathy laugh before you eased your way back onto him, allowing yourself to relax more against his face. The thick muscle of his tongue immediately began fucking into you and it wasn’t long before you were grinding against his face, his nose rubbing up against your bundle of nerves and his mouth savoring your juices. Your head was thrown back in ecstasy, and Marc watched you from his position between your legs as you came apart on his tongue, quiet cries of his name leaving your lips as your rode out your high on his mouth.

Marc greedily lapped up all you had to offer, and he almost whined in disapproval when you began picking yourself up off of him—but then you were turning around, and he got a perfect view of your perfect ass as you slowly settled your cunt back down to his mouth and—

Fuck. He nearly cried into your pussy when he felt your lips attach themselves to his cock, and he jostled against you, hips jolting upwards of their own volition. He squeezed his eyes shut and tipped his head back, trying to fight the orgasm that he was already teetering on the edge of. You hand came up and squeezed tightly around the base of his cock, helping stave off his climax.

“I didn’t tell you to stop.”

You hissed, and Marc gulped before diving straight back into you cunt, his lips wrapping around your puffy clit as he suckled it into his mouth and flicked over it with his tongue. You moaned, you fingers beginning to stroke his cock again. When you turned your attention back to his length, however, his mouth immediately stopped its movement. You sank against him, rolling your eyes in theatrical annoyance.

“Jesus, you really can’t multitask, can you?”

“Y/N.”

He spoke your name lowly and with a warning edge, and you craned your neck to look at him—his head was peaking out from behind your asscheek, eyes desperately searching yours. You could see he was struggling to maintain his composure, but he kept his voice level and steady.

“I’m gonna cum if you don’t stop.”

He voice cracked at the very end of his statement, but you appreciated his honesty with you. You swiftly removed your hand from where it was wrapped around him and he let out a long sigh, steeling himself before attaching himself to your clit once more.

Your second orgasm came easily, creeping up and washing over you without warning as Marc continued to lavish your clit with his tongue, the obscene noises he was making only adding to your arousal. He slowed his movements as you came down from your high, lapping at your release as you slowly pulled you cunt away from his mouth. You pulled yourself off of him completely, kneeling at his side and pressing a sweet, gentle kiss against his lips. His face was coated in your slick and his eyes were alight with a sort of lovesickness, as if he’d completely forgotten the torture you’d been putting him through simply because he got to watch you fall apart on his tongue. You pressed your forehead against his for a moment before you swung your leg over his hip, finally settling yourself where he needed you most.

Anticipation flickered in his dark brown eyes, his body tensing beneath you as you reached between your legs to stroke his cock, using your dripping arousal as lube to give him a few tentative strokes. He hissed, his hips jumping at the touch, but he immediately froze when you pressed the head into your entrance. He held his breath.

“I’m gonna ride you now, okay?”

You asked, although it was less of a question and more of a statement. He nodded vigorously, eyes squeezed shut and head turned to the side as he braced himself for the feeling of your hot channel swallowing him whole.

“Marc.”

You probed softly, and he winked one eye open, looking up at you where you were paused, right in the moment before sheer bliss. You eyed him warily.

“Color?”

He smiled softly up at you, more relaxed than he’d been this whole interaction—finally, finally relinquishing his control and allowing you to take the reins.

“Green.”

The duet of moans that filled the room was intoxicating as you slowly eased yourself down onto his rock-hard length, the stretch offering a sting that was just painful enough to be pleasurable. Marc’s head was thrown back into the pillows as he began to ramble incomprehensibly.

“Oh, God, oh, fuck yes, so fuckin’ good, fuck—”

You braced yourself by planting your arms against his sturdy chest, raising up your hips until just the tip remained before slamming yourself back down, burying him to the hilt within you. A wrecked sob sounded from his mouth.

“Oh, fuck, God, I can’t—”

You settled into a steady pace, angling your hips backwards just slightly so his cock rutted up against that place deep inside you that sent you reeling. You keened, grinding back and forth against him as he moaned wantonly, knuckles turning white as he pulled on the restraints with every ounce of his strength. You orgasm was rapidly approaching, and with each careful plunge of his cock into you, you felt the coil tightening.

“Fuck, Marc, gonna cum on your cock, baby.”

You whimpered, throwing your head back as your walls clenched down around him. You must’ve blacked out for a moment, your vision going bright white as pleasure speared through you—when you regained your bearings and sensation over your limbs, your ears were blessed with a sound you weren’t sure you’d get to hear.

Marc was falling apart.

“Please, oh, God, Y/N, baby, please let me cum for you, I can’t—can’t hold it anymore, please, please, please, baby, please let me cum, pleasepleasepleaseplease—”

There were sobs ripping themselves from his lips as tears flooded his eyes and streamed down his cheeks, the muscles of his abdomen clenched so tightly you thought he might sprain something. The fluttering of your tight walls against him was unbearable, truly torturous—he couldn’t do it anymore.

His eyes blinked open to watch you as your hands crept up the length of his strained arms, fingers deftly untying the knots that held him hostage to the bed. His arms fell limp at his sides when released from their hold, and he looked up at you with wide eyes, glassy with tears.

You pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Been so good for me, baby. Go ahead and take what you want, Marc, it’s yours. Cum for me.”

Something snapped inside of him. A vein throbbed in his forehead as his hands flew to your hips, planting you firmly against him as he began to thrust up into you at a rapid pace, his hips slamming against your thighs loudly and roughly. You yelped in surprise at his sudden burst of energy, and he was staring intently at the place where his cock was splitting you open, hips relentlessly pistonning upwards into you as he slammed your body down against him to meet each thrust.

You didn’t expect to cum again, but the harsh drag of his cock inside of you as his hands grounded you firmly sent you hurling across the edge, your cunt clamping down on his aching length as you pulled him across the threshold with you.

“Oh fuck, yes, yes, gonna fill you up, baby, cummin’ so hard, fuuuck—”

Each harsh pump upwards was punctuated with a grunt as he spilled inside of you, his cock pumping you full of his white hot seed as he continued pounding into you relentlessly. Even as you came down from the climax that had blindsided you, and even after he’d completely emptied himself inside of your slick walls, he continued rutting up into you, his face contorted in a look of pain and determination as he gritted his teeth.

“Woah, Marc, hey, hey, slow down—”

You urged, reached to wrap your fingers around his wrists from where they were still firmly attached to your waist, the wet sounds of his cock still pumping in and out of you filling the room. His eyes finally looked up to you, the haziness clearing as your worried face settled on him.

“It’s okay, Marc, you’re okay.”

You assured, and he finally let your full weight rest down onto him, his body slowly rolling to a halt as the aftershocks of his intense pleasure pulsed through his limbs, blood pumping loudly in his ears. He was breathing heavily, his heart beating against his ribcage harshly, but his eyes watched you as you smiled down at him, reaching forward to cup his jaw in one hand as the other ran through his sweaty hair.

“There we go. There you are. There’s my handsome boy.”

All at once, he collapsed into a fit of sobs again, sitting up to pull you against his chest impossibly tight as he wrapped his arms around you. You felt your heart break as you coddled him, one hand stroking the back of his head and the other rubbing soothing patterns into the bare skin of his back. Years and years of internalized vulnerability spilled out of him in your embrace, and you held him there until his stuttering cries turned into shaky exhales, his face buried in the crook of his neck. He fell back into the pillows, pulling you down on top of him and keeping you snugly pulled against his body.

His cock was still nestled deep inside of you, and you could feel Marc’s cum leaking out and creating a stickiness between your thighs and atop his hips. When you shifted to move, he tightened his hold, his breath wavering just slightly.

“Please, don’t. Just—stay with me. Like this. For just awhile longer. Please.”

He whispered against your temple, begging for this brief moment of reprieve, of absolution, of solace. You sank into his chest, breathing in his heady scent and allowing yourself to indulge in the intimacy of this moment, too—a moment of comfort, of safety, of resolve.

Marc had one final thought before sleep overtook him.

Is this what being okay feels like?

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sinofthesloth · 7 months

Text

𝕊𝕥𝕦𝕕𝕪 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤?

synopsis: How would the first year react to being on a “study date” with you.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FT. Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, and Sebek ♥

★彡[ᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴏʟᴀ]彡★

You didn’t technically ask him to go on a study date, but it was the only way Riddle was going to let him spend time with you.

Everyone knew you both like each other, but Riddle was very strict when it comes to... anything really. There was rules to everything with Riddle. During the time Ace wanted to ask you on a date, or to hang out to get closer to you, Riddle would interrupt about some rule made by a long dead queen.

You saw Riddle trying to drag Ace into a study secession with himself and Deuce after the issue with Azul. Being tired of constant interruptions, you told Riddle that you asked Ace to help you study for the upcoming basic healing magic test. Riddle said you could join the three of them, and that’s how you ended up here. Sitting next to Ace.

While Riddle and Deuce focused on math, Ace stared boringly at the words on the page. The knowledge of the magic was both interesting to learn about, but boring since you couldn’t perform it.

Ace, even though he was sitting next to you, was passing you notes under the table. Some were funny, some were cute. But the best ones were the bad drawings of Riddle. They were stick figures with its mouth open and hold a shitty drawing of Riddle’s staff and crown with a bubble saying, “I love to get in the way of love. It goes against the rules to love anyone other than the rules.”

You’d snicker at each one and pass your own notes back. It was like the two of you were in middle school.

Sometimes you’d point to a word and laugh as Ace tried to pronounce it in the dumbest ways. Clearly fucking the word only for Riddle to correctly pronounce it.

When he would try to look at the book with you, he’d place his hand over yours for some kind of contact, but he’d never tell you that. He’d lie and say he didn’t notice. Only to not let your hand go until you had to turn the page.

You did distract Deuce a few times as Ace would continue trying to make you laugh.

No real studying was done, much to Riddle’s disappointment.

★彡[ᴅᴇᴜᴄᴇ ꜱᴘᴀᴅᴇ]彡★

He asked you to help him study last minute.

He normally studies with Riddle, Trey, or Cater, but all three were busy with their own upcoming tests, and he didn’t trust Ace to actually help him study.

The two of you are at Ramshackle so neither of you will be embarrassed about some of the dumb questions the other would most definitely be asking.

“Wait so, if you don’t stir the potions in the proper direction, I could mess up the entire recipe?”

“I mean, probably. There must be a reason people purposely put which direction to stir it.”

Deuce, though lovable, is an idiot. He summoned a cauldron, almost dropped it on you, and then halfway through making a mock potion, realized neither of you had all the needed items. So in your pajamas, you both walked to very much closed botanical garden. His test was in the morning and poor guy was panicking over not being able to get one last chance to practice.

You both had to talk the other out of breaking in. You wanted to do it so he would feel better about the test. He also wanted to do it to get more practice. But neither of you wanted to deal with Crewel’s anger over the thieving, broken glass, and your poor time management.

He ending up spending the night because the two of you fell asleep in the lounge area to him repeating the ten potential potion’s recipes.

★彡[ᴊᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴏᴡʟ]彡★

You asked him if the two of you could study together.

Seeing it was you that needed help, he wasn’t really focused on studying himself.

He had you sitting on the floor in front of the couch so he could play with your hair and help you when or if you needed it. Jack kept the things around Ramshackle from completely falling apart while you tried to study.

Ace needs help running from Riddle? Jack lets him inside due to you telling him to, but the second he distracts you? Jack is calling Riddle.

Deuce coming over to join you while studying? Jack has you sitting in the middle with his arm around you to read off your text book. He will also use that hand to make sure Deuce pays attention to his own work by putting his hand on the top of his head to turn it. “You need to read your work too.”

Jack enjoys these little study dates because the way you light up when he tells you that you’re right. He loves seeing the smile it puts on your face and seeing you get excited for more of his praise.

★彡[ᴇᴘᴇʟ ꜰᴇʟᴍɪᴇʀ]彡★

He asked you. At first he was telling himself it was to get away from Vil, but then it shifted into wanting to see you more.

He started coming over to Ramshackle so much under the excuse of studying that Vil and Rook asked to join. It’s not that they didn’t believe him but his grades didn’t move any in the last test.

Epel didn’t say yes, but he also didn’t say no, so they showed up about thirty minutes after Epel should have arrived to Ramshackle. They knock and Grim was the one who opened the door. “If you’re looking for the country boy, he’s in the living area with MY henchman.” Grim clearly didn’t like the fact your time was being spent on someone else.

When the pair walked into the living area, they saw you and Epel reading out of the same book. It seems Epel hadn’t brought his study stuff.

Neither of you notice the duo as the looked at the two of you. Epel began muttering something as he waved his magic pen and a green mist coated the apple he tapped.

Vil and Rook didn’t metal with either of you as you both tried to figure out why It hadn’t worked. Epel seemed a bit upset it didn’t work and glared daggers at it. “Maybe it was because you weren’t speaking how you normally do?”

Epel tried again without attempting to sound proper. “In all honesty I prefer your accent. No one else around here sounds like you.”

It still didn't work.

"Speak louder and with more confidence. The more you mumble, the harder casting will be." Vil spoke to make himself present.

All four of you continued studying with minimal

★彡[ꜱᴇʙᴇᴋ ᴢɪɢᴠᴏʟᴛ]彡★

You invited him, but he originally said no. He is only here because Lilia told him that Malleus thought it would be interesting to study with a human from another world.

Sebek promised him that he would study with you and retell him everything about the study session. I didn’t see it as a date. At first.

You decided to study in the living room since he opened his mouth about how decrypt the dorm was as soon as he walked in. You tried not to let it get to you since you knew he spoke his thoughts as soon as they entered his mind.

You brought your books down as he set himself up to begin studying, and even asked if he wanted anything to snack on. Bringing a plate of cookies and a few pillows to sit on.

Sebek didn’t ask for anything during the time the two of you studied. Every now and then you had to ask him about the history of something, and he’d answer. After answering a question, he’d take a cookie and return to his own studies. Without realizing it, he began anticipating your questions. Sitting and waiting for you to ask anything about fae history.

You made the mistake of asking about past fae rulers.

At this point, he seemed to have forgotten about his study. He was going on and on about each past ruler. Telling stories of his grandfather's travels with a magnificent, blood-red haired fae. You wrote everything down. The material didn't even fit the parameters of the questions asked. It was simply to read them over and over again, hoping to ingrain the way Sebek faces lit up when speaking of his family's past.

Once he got to speaking on how Malleus was going to make a great leader and how he couldn't wait to guard him with his life, his eyes met yours. A smile graced your face as you looked back to your work.

"The next time I come over, we can discuss further on the matter. You must know next to nothing of the subject and you're lucky I care about your studies."

Maybe he wouldn't share the discovery of how sweet your cookies are or how his chest tightened when he saw how immersed you were with his topic. Maybe he could be a little selfish when it came to his studies with you.

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annymation · 5 months

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Reimagining the characters in Wish

(Part 5- The Goat)

This will be the last one of these blogs about the characters. I was stalling on this one because honestly there’s really not much to Valentino in my rewrite.

Will his existence influence the plot tho? Yes, definitely way more than the movie Valentino did… Although that bar isn’t high.

So let’s go, animal companion time!

Personality

- Valentino is a one month old baby goat, a little ball of energy, too pure for this world, doesn’t know basic math and we must protect him at all cost.

- His main gimmick is that he follows Asha EVERYWHERE to the point it’s comical, like, I didn’t write him much so far in my rewrite (we’re currently on chapter 3 and he was alive in only 2 of them, so no wonder) but even when I don’t mention him just assume, he’s there… All the time.

- He cares a lot about Asha and sees her as his mother, since well, she technically is, she took care of him all his life (a month).

Main Traits:

- Curious

- Loyal

- Silly

- Innocent

- Determined

Backstory

(Because it wouldn’t be a rewrite of mine if the character didn’t have at least some angst, not even the 1 month old goat is safe from me)

- A month before our story begins, Asha was drawing animals at one of the farms in the kingdom, to practice, when suddenly she heard a new born goat all alone.

- She asked the owners where his parents were at, and they explain they didn’t notice the little guy under the hay earlier, they sold their goats to be exported to a neighboring kingdom.

- Asha felt really sad for him, so she asked to buy him, the farmer said she could keep him for free, taking care of baby goats without a mama goat around was too much trouble anyway, Asha was basically doing them a favor.

- Valentino obviously doesn’t know all that, but even if you told him it’s not like he’d care, he sees Asha as his mama and that’s all that matters.

- He’s very thankful for her taking care of him, getting him a nice sweater and a cozy little bed… He wishes he could thank her.

Which leads us to:

This Book

- So hear me out, there’s this kids book, “The Grateful Goat”, about Valentino, and it’s adorable, it’s my main inspiration for his rewrite.

- In this book we follow Valentino trying to communicate something to Asha and her friends, but they can’t understand him, since we’ll, he’s a goat.

- They try over and over to guess what he wants but nothing makes him stop bleating.

- Then, once Star came down and granted his wish, it turns out all he wanted to say was “Thank you”

That

That’s cute, I like that.

- Imagine this, in my rewrite, once Aster does grant Valentino’s wish and makes him talk, it’s a cute scene of Valentino going like:

“THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF ME!”

(And he sounds like a child by the way, because that’s how a baby goat should sound like DISNEY)

- Now, am I saying that Valentino is just gonna speak once to say thank you?… Kinda, but not quite.

- You see, Aster’s wish granting magic is only effective on you if you really really REAAALLY want it to be.

- As he makes animals in the forest talk for example, or brings the tress to life, they only remain like that as long as they really want to, and what do you know, turns out most trees are chill just being tress so his magic fades away from them in a short while.

- Valentino’s wish won’t be to permanently talk, he just wanted to thank Asha, so once he’s done doing that Aster’s magic fades away after a few hours.

-… However, some of Aster’s magic remains deep inside of Valentino, so if for whatever reason Valentino reeeeeally wants to communicate something… Something urgent perhaps… Then he regains the ability to speak.

- Oh yes I CREATED TALKING GOAT ON DEMAND! HE ONLY SPEAKS WHEN ITS RELEVANT TO THE PLOT BABEEEEY!!!

- Not gonna lie, I’m really happy with this, because that just means I won’t have to come up with lines for him all the time, he’ll only speak when necessary.

Design

- So. Many. Cute. Designs… AND WE GOT THE WORST ONE GAAAAH DISNEY WHEN I CATCH YOU-

- It’s fine, I’m fine *breathes* we can fix him.

- First of all, he has horns, because believe it or not 1 month old goats already start showing their horns.

- Second, I debated a lot on this but we’re keeping the little sweater, yeah I’m surprised too, I hated it at first (still do hate it in the way that it is in the movie) but then I was informed it’s a reference to how Walt Disney used to put clothes on the animals of his family’s farm when he was a kid, and that’s the type of deep cut and cute reference I wish we had gotten more of.

- But the sweater won’t be so tight on him, like, let it be a little bit more loose, and maybe don’t cover his lower half.

- This concept art I used for the second chapter of my rewrite kinda illustrates it perfectly how I’d like him to be:

- The fluffy tuff of hair, the big eyes, the long ears, the lil horns, it’s perfect, that’s it, that’s our boy. Tho I don’t imagine him being all white, lets say he has some brown spots.

Final Thoughts

This post actually made me really mad because I wrote it all once and it was perfect, but I forgot to save it before closing tumblr, so I lost it all, ughhh why don’t they have auto save on cellphones??

I have plenty of ideas on how to make him more plot relevant than he was in the Disney movie, he won’t be like THE MOST ESSENTIAL CHARACTER OF ALL, definitely not, but little things that he does move the story forward.

If my calculations are correct he’ll most likely be useful on chapter 4 of my rewrite (or chapter 5, cause like, I’m trying to make them a bit shorter)

Not gonna tell how he’s gonna be useful in the story tho cause I think it’s better as a surprise.

A bit of a quick tangent here, but have you guys ever noticed how some Disney animal companions are the opposite of their human friends?

Ariel is brave and curious - Flounder is a coward

Pocahontas is wise and calm - Meeko is a dummy and Flit has anger issues

Alladin is generous - Abu is a kleptomaniac

You get the idea.

We didn’t get that at all in the Wish movie.

I was trying to come up with ideas on how to make Valentino have an opposite trait compared to Asha, but I don’t really know how to incorporate that into the story, oh well, I might just figure out as I go.

Anyway, that’s our goat, hope you like him!

Thank You For Reading!

#disney wish #wish #wish 2023 #wish star #wish asha #wish disney #wish movie #wish rewrite #wish reimagined #wish valentino

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halliescomut · 7 months

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Yoh's drawings of Mizuki- a deeper dive

So, I went though to pull any and all pictures that we have of Yoh’s drawings of Segasaki, since they’ve made them a key story point, and it’s unfortunate that we don’t have more, because it’s honestly fascinating to me. You can find my first post with quick thoughts here. I sort of hemmed and hawed over how exactly to present my findings, but I think it makes the most sense to go chronologically per the story vs episode order, so we’re starting with episode 7 and the flashbacks.

Episode 6/7-Flashbacks

Episode 6 offers no specific images of the sketches but does give us the impetus for them. We get to see Yoh first lay eyes on Mizuki, and then are privileged to get his inner thoughts. We learn a lot about him in this episode, especially in regard to his career. The previous episodes would have us believe that Yoh was in university to pursue art in some form or fashion, but we learn in this moment, that prior to seeing Mizuki he had really only drawn manga as a hobby. That’s not to say he couldn’t be good at it, but it says that he didn’t consider it to be a possibility for him as a career. And while drawing manga isn’t easy or simple, it can be far less complex than drawing realism, which means that we’re seeing Yoh expand his creative wheelhouse SPECIFICALLY in an attempt to capture Mizuki on the page. And we see him practicing skills related to realism in one of the other sketches.

If you think about how Mizuki was essentially the catalyst for his dream, how he’s the base model of his love interests in his own stories, it becomes far more understandable why Yoh would be so upset to think that Mizuki doesn’t care about his career or value his talent. Because in his mind, he essentially wouldn’t be in this predicament if not for Mizuki.

Moving onto episode 7, we know that Mizuki can feel Yoh watching him, and he’s intelligent enough to put 2 and 2 together to understand that Yoh is drawing him in that little notebook of his. So after at least a few encounters with him, his curiosity clearly gets the best of him and he asks to see it.

I talked before in my no sub watch about how this scene just displays the MOST submissive behavior from Yoh. You can read Luta’s work about how Mizuki and Yoh are lovely examples of a lifestyle D/s dynamic that’s more organic than negotiated. It’s simply who they are, and it’s there from the very beginning. I know that age/seniority plays a part in some interactions, but it’s the lack of questions that confirm for me that it’s more than just societal expectation. Yoh doesn’t even question handing over his sketchbook, knowing there’s multiple pictures of Segasaki in it, he only becomes uncomfortable when he thinks his drawings are bad.

Segasaki, in Yoh’s point of view of this time in their lives seemed vaguely discontent, but not overly so. We find out he was fully uninterested in his friend group for the most part. I also sort of called that in my no subs watch, feeling that they were more friends of convenience, and possibly in the same faculty or major, and not people he gravitated towards. In actuality, even in the present we don’t see much in the way of Mizuki having friends. He’s friendly enough with his ‘at work persona’ but he has no interest in extending work interactions more than necessary.

Presented with these drawings depicting his boredom, vague grumpiness, even sadness or loneliness, he realizes that Yoh sees so much deeper than the front he puts on. That’s not to say his ‘engaged’ mask is flawless, it’s Party City quality at best, but his friends are sort of self-absorbed enough that they don’t care. That’s not necessarily meant to be a dig, it’s just kind of true. The reality is that most 20-22 year olds are kind of self-absorbed, they’re focused on themselves and their goals. I imagine Mizuki served a certain purpose in the friend group (likely intellectual) and in their mind since he wasn’t complaining he must be happy. It's also reasonable to assume that they filled a purpose in his life as well, even if it was just occasional company, or a study partner.

Yoh’s attempted defense at what he presumes is a complaint about their quality, only solidifies Segasaki’s understanding that Yoh sees him so much more clearly than anyone has. Because he confirms that the intention is to quickly perceive and attempt to portray the emotion of the subject as well as an accurate physical rendering. We don’t have information in the show regarding his family situation, but it’s possible that even if there is a solid familial tie that those people also don’t really see him.

This feeling is further confirmed when Yoh pulls Mizuki away from his friend group, asserting that he didn’t look well. His friends had taken no notice at his less than energetic interaction, but Yoh could seemingly see it from across the quad. AND despite having small in passing conversations and interactions, wanted to help him. (Also can we think for just a moment about the level of courage it took for Yoh to interrupt a group of SENIOR students as shy as he is?? But he did it for Yoh, because his wellbeing outweighs any and all concerns, the same way Yoh's wellbeing outweighs anything else for Mizuki.) Now we know from the internal monologues of episode 6 that Yoh was already enamored with Mizuki, so it’s not really a surprise to us as the viewers, but it would be a surprise to Mizuki.

Following this turning point in Mizuki’s feelings for Yoh (specifically his claiming of him in this moment)…

we now see a new side of Segasaki, where he wants more of this interaction, where he wants to see more of himself through Yoh’s eyes.

And we get to see how being in the company of people he chooses, and who choose him to an extent, he is happy to simply exist in Yoh’s company. Which I think speaks directly to his willingness to follow with what Yoh agrees to once their living arrangement and sexual relationship begins. In what is the most perfect depiction of what D/s is really about, Yoh is the one truly in control, and because he loves Yoh, he’s happy to basically take what he can get. In every possible moment is he trying to share and express his feelings to Yoh? Yes, but sadly he’s garbage at it, which is the conflict of the show. I posited in my original post, that I also think this was an attempt to hopefully have Yoh see how Mizuki feels about him, that if he were able to observe Mizuki’s feelings, then he wouldn’t have to speak them aloud. In the intervening years I think there were times where he was sure that Yoh truly understood the depth of his feelings and desire to take care of him, but seemingly following those moments, would come ones that clearly displayed that he did not.

Episode 2

Episode 2 we see Yoh doodling Segasaki while he’s meant to be working, and he’s doing it based off of his weather show, what we’re seeing is Meterologist Mizuki. This particular sketch is far more detailed, likely because he’s able to observe uninterrupted, and it offers what we see later in episode 3 Yoh refer to as his 'public persona.' I’m so interested to know if Yoh has truly interacted with another person that Mizuki would call a friend and what those interactions look like. Because we know what his public persona is, we see it with his coworkers, his interaction with Yoh at the café, even his interactions with Man-san; and we know what his personality is with Yoh, it’s one that we actually see the most of. It’s gruff tones, and rough touches balanced by gentle strokes and soft whispers. But what is it outside of that?

This drawing also comes about when the new weather girl is introduced, and Yoh in a fit of jealousy over Mizuki smiling at her, scribbles over the picture.

The next morning after his tiff with an intoxicated Yoh, Mizuki finds the drawing on the floor from where Yoh had thrown it at him the day before. His reaction in that moment is one of sadness, because he can see that emotional distance growing between them, even though their physical distance has decreased.

His face in reaction to seeing the drawing is quite clearly very sad, even distraught, because he’s likely imagining that if Yoh could simply throw away these sketches, then how easily could he discard him as well?

Episode 3

In this episode we get the café drawing, which is more him drawing Mizuki from memory versus the observational drawing in the flashbacks. The figure is Mizuki, you can tell almost immediately, but it’s erring more towards Yoh’s manga style than the closer to realism versions we’d seen before. It’s also likely very intention to see this small sketch done in profile, and then have almost that same profile enter the screen.

And we learn here that these ‘café sketches’ are sort of a habit of Yoh’s, something he’s done for basically all of the time Mizuki has known him, though Mizuki doesn’t know that he’s the catalyst for them. When he encounters him at the café, he’s surprised that he’s still doing them, which makes it extra sweet to me when he asks him if he wants to sketch on their little date as well, but Yoh didn’t bring his sketchbook. It means he’s trying to encourage Yoh to be doing the things that make him happy, and just allow him to be there too. Mizuki is a simple man.

We also get a small glimpse at his manga skills on paper, which when compared to his drawing of Mizuki that same day makes me think that perhaps when he doesn’t have the subject to refer to that his drawings of Mizuki, when they’re based on memory, begin to skew more towards a manga style. Essentially when it’s something more mindless, he lets his strongest skillset take over, leading to something that’s more of a mix between realism and manga styling.

In regards to the manga that Man-san and Yoh have been writing, appartently that art was done by another manga author at the request of the original manga artist for Taikan Yoho. Thank you @notfreetoday for that delightful information.

'Not sure about the sketches, but the doujinshi that Man-san and Yoh made is drawn by a different manga artist, Toshima Awako, who also draws BL, and is a good friend of the original artist Taino Nikke.

Tai-sensei asked Awako-sensei to help 😊😊'

So now we have come to the end for at least this week, it's possible more examples will be presented to us in the finale, but I don't know that it will be anything so life-changing as to require my added information.

Please enjoy these adorable pictures in appreciation for reading this far.

Look at the silly little beans....so cute.

#my personal weatherman #taikan yoho #segasaki x yoh #mizuki x yoh #segasaki mizuki #yoh tanada #mashiko atsuki #higuchi kouhei

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purlty23 · 2 months

Note

Anonymously asking the people I follow to talk about something that makes them happy! (I don't remember if i've already asked you this before ignore it if I have) Do me a learn if you're so inclined!

Hello dear anon! I don’t think I have gotten this before, it must have been one of the many that I’m sure slip through tumblr’s cracks. I love any excuse to talk about my interests, this is such a gift! Since we’re in the demon church fandom here, why not some history of demon summoning? Every horror movie you’ve ever seen where demons are summoned in under 24 hours vastly underestimate the work that allegedly went into the practice!

Before anything, I’m going to cite my source for everything here. Grimorium Verum is a grimoire written in the 18th century, though in the books itself it claims to be from 1517. Markedly untrue. It translates to True Grimoire, and it’s one of the only grimoires out there from the era that has a detailed description of the summoning of demons. It shares some things of note with the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, which was written during the Italian Renaissance. You can read Grimorium Verum translated here! One thing you’ll notice if you read it is how quickly the author is to tell you that everything is of consequence. Every action, every word, and even down to the time that they’re done or said is of meaning. It would be incredibly difficult to do it ‘on accident’ going by these guidelines like a lot of pop culture would have you believe First, you’d have to know which demon you want. Each demon has a specific talent or task it can complete. They also have their own sigils. That’s where works like Psuedomonarchia Deamonum, published in 1577, come in handy. Here’s my personal version of it if you’d like to read. It’s a full A-Z list of Hell’s notable demons and their standing in Lucifer’s leagues. Once you’ve figured that out, there’s a lot to plan. Preliminary incantations are just the beginning of pages upon pages of latin that would need to be spoken. The first Invocation is written on virgin parchment- parchment made of a young animal’s tanned hide, likely goat. Purification of the summoner must take place before any instruments for the summoning can be made:

The lancet, made of new steel on the day and hour of Jupiter in the crescent moon. Followed by reciting Orison and the Seven Psalms

The sacrificial knife, which needs to be made of new steel and strong enough to cut through the neck of a young goat. Made on the day of Mars on a full moon. It needs specific carvings on the hilt, and once more follow by Orison and the Seven Psalms

The virgin parchment, which must be made from the sacrificial goat, lamb, or other animal killed with the knife above. All other instruments must remain on the altar at the time of creation.

Two rods; both of hazel wood, one cut in a single stroke on the day and hour of Mercury on a cresent moon, one cut in a single stroke on the day and hour of the Sun. Followed by none other than Orison

Confused about all these days and hours? No worries- those of the time and talent would have had a great grasp on planetary days and hours. Every single step of tanning the virgin parchment comes with it’s own ceremony and incantations, and every action matters.

The summoner must to it all on their own before preparing themselves. They must pray in specific ways at specific times for three days. Seeing how we know this all must start in the day and hour of Jupiter, after those three days of prayer it would be 11 days of preparation.

The actual summoning ritual has to be on a Tuesday. It’s a lot of drawing of sigils, invocations and conjurations. It’s actually the simpler part of everything, if the grimoire is to be believed. However… it claims there to be two kinds of pacts to be made with demons: the tactic and the apparent. The apparent is notably also called the explicit. We can infer quite a bit from that one sly comment by our sassy writer here.

#Answers #anonymous #What would i even tag this as #Demon summoning 101?

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heaven-s-black-box · 6 months

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Jealousy pt.2- Miyuki x gn!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: February 22nd, 2022

Description: I really loved your hcs for Miyuki and Chris! Could I request an angsty thing (hc or scenario, whichever you’re comfortable with) about Miyuki getting jealous for whatever reason and distancing himself from his s/o? Maybe a bit of fluff at the end so it doesn’t hurt too much 🥲🥲🥲

Notes: Recovered in conjunction with research @curlyzensei, we thank them for their contribution. The first entry is available here.

Word count: 2 155

Back to directory

“Did you reach him?” Y/N asked, dropping down next to Mei.

They found it strange that Mei was frowning at their phone.

He handed it back and shrugged.

“I got voicemail, he’s probably still practicing,” he smiled.

“Hmph, you’d think he’d try and pick up. I get he’s got a lot on his plate, but he seemed kind of down over the break,” they huffed, rummaging through their bag.

“It’s Miyuki, he only thinks about baseball,” Mei snickered.

“Ya, which reminds me, what are your plans for tomorrow?”

“Hey!” Mei whined. “You’re so mean,” he draped himself across Y/N, “this is why Kazuya’s avoiding you.”

Y/N stopped fiddling with their bag.

“What?”

“Why do you think he’s ignoring me,” Y/N frowned. “I think he’d know if I was ignoring me.”

“I mean, when was the last time you two talked?” Y/N stared at him. “That wasn’t over the break?”

The two stayed in silence for a moment before Y/N checked their phone.

“Mei get off me, it’s late.”

“No.”

“Meeii,” they warned, drawing out his name.

“Nooo, come stay with me! Let’s have a sleepover,” he laughed, not wanting to end their talk on a sour note.

“You’re such a child,” Y/N smirked, pushing him off their lap and laughing as he hit the floor.

Slinging their bag over their shoulder, Y/N carefully stepped over Mei and headed towards the school gates.

“Bye Mei!” They called, waving over their shoulder.

“Bye Y/N, tell your aunt I say hi!”

“Will do!”

---

Mei huffed in exhaustion as he grabbed another ball to pitch into the net.

It was Sunday, and practice had let out for the day, and like Y/N had said, his plans were baseball. Someone would have to drag him out of here by his shirt if they needed him.

His wind up was cut off by his ringtone.

“Huh?” He accepted the call and raised the phone to his ear. “Hey Kazuya, Y/N’s not with me right now so-”

“I…”

“Mhm?” Mei dragged the ball basket over to the net and began picking them up.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Are you dying?” Mei frowned, pausing for a second.

Miyuki rarely wanted to talk to him, especially one on one. Mei always had to start conversations with him, and even then Miyuki always seemed annoyed.

“Uh, I might be,” he chuckled nervously. “That depends, how mad is Y/N?”

“Suuuper mad,” Mei said, annoyance heavy in his voice. “They never want to speak with you ever again and they hope you drop dead!”

“Wait seriously?!” Miyuki yelled.

“No you idiot!” Mei yelled back. “Upset? Yes. Hurt? Definitely. But I don’t think they could ever be mad at you. Now answer a question for me.”

“I will not tell you anything about our team, give it up.”

“Wa- Hey! Is baseball really the only thing you think I think about?!”

“I mean…”

“Don’t hesitate!” Miyuki chuckled on the other end of the phone, and Mei sighed. “Why’d you hang up on them yesterday?”

Miyuki stopped chuckling, and said nothing for a moment.

“They told you, huh?”

“Nope! I was the one calling.”

“Oh… why?”

“I figured you’d pick up for them more than me, turns out I was wrong. Now answer the question.”

“I just- I needed time to think.”

“You should ask Y/N, they’d be willing to help.”

“I need to think about Y/N.”

“Oh.” The line was silent for a moment before Mei spoke again. “So you’ve figured it out?”

“That I’ve been a shitty friend?”

“Huh? No, that you like them. I mean, since when have you ever cared if people like you? I mean, you called me first. You must be reaaaalllyyy desperate to do that.”

“You’re being over dramatic.”

“Am I really?”

Silence again.

“Bye Mei.”

Click.

---

“Y/N. Y/N. Y/N.” Mei called as he ran into their class.

“Whaaaatttt?” They sighed as they closed their phone and folded their hands under their chin.

“Are you going to watch the tokyo invitational game?”

The tokyo invitational game against Wynd youth academy had just been finalized, and Mei had just been informed of his invitation to participate.

“Sure.”

“You’re not even gonna ask what it is?” He gasped.

“Mei at this point Inashiro games have kind of started to blur together,” they chuckled. “What’s got you so worked up about this one?”

“Because it’s not an Inashiro game! They’re asking a bunch of players from other teams to come out and we’re playing against a school from America,” he rushed out, almost tripping over his words.

“Mei.”

“Yes?”

“Back off.” They pushed on his forehead and he stumbled back in an over exaggerated manner.

“You’re so mean, you and Kazuya really are perfect for eachother,” he huffed, taking his seat beside them and pouting.

“It’s kind of hard to have a relationship with someone who’s ignoring you,” Y/N chuckled dryly.

“Ya well, you fell in love with Kazuya, pay the price.” They were both silent for a moment as Mei began to get his stuff out. ��You should tell him.”

“Why? So he can continue ignoring me and I can think it’s because I like him? Because I prefer this over whatever that would feel like.”

“Okay,” he dropped his books onto his desk rather harshly. “I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought watching you two pine but this is getting sad and you’re making me depressed. He likes you, he’s just… Kazuya. And you like him, you’re just…”

“I’m just?” They goaded, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, why are you so certain he likes me?”

“Because he told me.”

---

Y/N sat outside the field’s fence, watching the temporary team warm up. The atmosphere was a little stiff, but they knew things would loosen up once they started playing together. New teams were always a bit stiff.

“Y/N-senpai?”

Y/N turned to find Itsuki standing nervously behind their bench.

“Hello Itsuki-kun, what are you doing here? Actually, silly question, you’re here to watch the game aren’t you?”

“Um, no-no,” he waved his hands in front of his face. “Actually, Mei-san actually asked me to come find you once everyone got here.”

“You know you don’t have to run errands for him, he’s a big boy. Despite how he acts,” they muttered.

“I don’t mind, besides he just asked me to remind you to meet him at the school gate after practice. Also I needed the study break,” he laughed.

“Hm, alright then,” they sighed. “Well, would you like to sit with me for a bit?”

“No, it’s alright. Have a good day Senpai!”

After Itsuki left, Y/N turned back to the field.

Warmups had finished and they were starting to make up teams. Mei turned around and waved at Y/N, earning a glare from the coach. But his over exaggerated display caught Miyuki’s attention, who followed Mei’s gaze and spotted them.

Y/N smiled and waved back, and Miyuki awkwardly returned a subtle wave.

---

“Late,” Y/N grumbled, flipping their phone open and closed as they watched the time tick by.

Y/N had left the field once the coach dismissed everyone to clean up and change, and had been waiting at the front gate since then.

Most of the people had already left, but aside from Mei, Miyuki hadn’t come out this way either and he would have to pass by soon if he wanted to catch the train back to Seidou.

“Look how sad they’re looking,” Mei hummed, leaning against the wall behind Miyuki. “You should go cheer them up, here-” he reached into his bag and handed Miyuki a can. “And while you're at it confess please, this isn’t funny anymore.”

Before Miyuki could start thinking again, Mei had shoved the drink into his hands and walked off.

“Thank me later!”

Miyuki didn’t move.

The sun was setting, he was going to miss the train at this rate.

The only way out was through the front gate, and past Y/N.

Taking a deep breath, he rounded the corner and called out, “What are you still doing here?”

“Mei stood me up,” Y/N shrugged. “What took you so long?”

“Uh, personal crisis,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Uh, here.” He handed them the drink. “You still like this, right?”

Y/N stared at it for a moment before shaking their head.

“No.”

Of course Mei wasn’t going to make this easy on him.

“Mei gave it to you, didn’t he?” They asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. When he nodded, they laughed. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the station.”

“Wha-huh? But don’t you have a curfew?”

“Ya, but if we leave now I can probably make it back just in time, so hurry up. And can I have that?” They pointed at the drink.

“But I thought you didn’t like it.”

“It’s rude to turn down a gift.”

The two headed off down the path as Mei peeked around the corner and cheered silently. Now Miyuki just had to use his words.

“So, are you looking forward to catching for Mei?”

“Nah, I’m not allowed to. They don’t want people who’ll be going against each other in the next tournament to play together. Honestly, I’m relieved. I deal with enough idiot pitchers at Seidou, I don’t need to find a new one.”

Y/N laughed, “Sounds like fun.” They took a sip from the can before offering it to Miyuki. “I should come by sometime.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” He exclaimed, taking the can and cringing at the taste. “Too sweet.”

“You know that’s why I used to drink it, right? Because you wouldn’t steal it.”

“Hey! I don’t steal your things.”

“Really? Because I think I’m still missing a cap or two, and a book, and I’m sure if I went through my stuff I would find more.”

“Fine, what else do you do for my sake?” He huffed, handing back the drink.

The train station was coming into view.

“Hm, I don’t visit you or call as often as I’d like.”

“Huh?”

“Well… I see how busy Mei gets with practice and school and since you take forever to reply and stuff I just… assumed you wanted to focus on that. I keep telling you to reach out, I guess I just wasn’t clear enough about it.”

“I…” Miyuki took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I should have tried to stay in touch better.”

“I mean, I guess I could forgive you.”

“Rea-” Relief washed over Miyuki.

“If you give me a good reason.” Miyuki frowned. “What? I’m not gonna forgive you at the drop of the hat. I’m here, trying to keep this friendship intact and you finally geting that through your stupid head doesn’t change it. So I’ll forgive you if you give me a good reason too. Otherwise you just have to make it up to me.”

“Make it up to you how?” He asked wearily.

“Take the high ground here, Kazuya.”

“No- no, I think I want to avoid that.”

“Kazuyyyaaa,” they warned.

“Hey, look, I apologized. I’m opening up, doesn’t that count as making it up to you?” He asked frantically, jumping back slightly.

Y/N frowned.

“Kazuya. Telling me something I already know isn’t opening up. How about I tell you something you don’t know about me and you can tell me why you’ve been so… weird.”

“Like there’s something I don’t know about you.”

“Kazuya, up until the break you didn’t know I was on the student council. Or that I hadn’t seen all your games.”

“... fine. Throw your best secret at me.”

“Hmph,” Y/N smirked. “On the count of three?”

Miyuki’s brows furrowed, “What are you, five?”

“One.”

“Fine.”

“Two.” Y/N and Miyuki both stopped walking. “Three.”

“I love you,” Y/N sung out as Miyuki rushed through it.

Miyuki froze, eyes squinted closed and holding his breath. It took him a second to catch up to everything, and when he finally did he relaxed.

Y/N was standing in front of him, hands behind their back and looking over their shoulder.

“Really?” They asked, laughing. “Bit of a shitty way to show it, huh?”

“What?”

“Ignoring me. Bit of a shitty way to show you love me.”

“I-”

“Unless, of course, you were jealous.”

“Jealous! Wha- of who?!”

“Mei. Who, by the way, I have to remember to thank. He totally set this up,” they grumbled.

“Why on earth would I-”

“Train.”

“What?” Miyuki whipped around to see the train pulling into the station. “Shit! This,” he called as he ran the last bit up the platform, “isn’t over!”

“We can finish this tomorrow.”

“I’ll just call.”

Y/N waved as Miyuki rushed onto the train, before checking the time.

“Ah man, I am so not getting back in time.”

#researcher s's recovery #ace of the diamond #daiya no ace #ace of the diamond x reader #daiya no ace x reader #miyuki kazuya #miyuki kazuya x reader #x reader #gender neutral reader #narumiya mei #angst with a happy ending

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atinylittlepain · 1 year

Text

Of Saints and Sinners - Chapter 2

Joel Miller x f!reader/f!oc

read chapter 1 here

warnings | 18+ angst, canon-typical violence

a/n | A shorter chapter. Still very much in the exposition but we learn a little more about our girl!

“I’m like Ellie.”

Those are the words that keep replaying in Joel’s mind. Her words. That, and the image of her mottled back, the grave scars and the swirling black ink on top of them. They've made it back to town, only after promising she'd talk to him later that night, so long as he kept her secret. He had asked her who else knew and she had told him only Tommy and Maria and the men you came to Jackson with. Suddenly she wasn't so cold, practically begging him not to tell anyone. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she had been on the verge of tears.

He’s supposed to go to her house tonight, to get some more answers. He feels like his head is spinning because suddenly, there’s another person like Ellie. Someone else immune. He understands why she wants this kept secret. It’s the same reason he feels the pull to protect Ellie. She's valuable, and that makes her dangerous.

He gets to her house late, already dark out. The curtains are shut but faint light seeps out along the edges. She lives with Alex and Steve, and it’s one of the two who answer the door when he knocks, although Joel can’t be sure which.

“Miller, what can I help you with?” The young man crosses his arms over his chest, making himself a little bigger, a little grimmer. He’s the one that can sometimes coax you down to the bar in town, Joel’s seen him even pull a smile out of you.

“He’s here to talk with me, Steve, it’s alright.” She comes up behind her companion, squeezing his shoulder. The two of them share a look before Steve steps back, sulking back into the house.

“I didn’t realize he was your bodyguard.” She snorts at that, shrugging her shoulder to invite him in. “He means well.”

“Where’s the other one?” She tells him that Alex is on patrol tonight, letting him follow her down the hall to what he assumes is her room. She closes the door behind him. It’s sparse, a mattress on the floor, an old wicker rocking chair, and a few stacks of clothes. What draws his attention are the stacks of books next to her bed. She must have been picking those up for ages to have so many collected.

She sits at the end of your bed and motions for him to sit in the chair. “Well, I told you I’d give you answers. So start asking questions.”

“Where’d you get all that ink?”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Joel huffs. He’s not really sure where to start, that’s just the first thing that came out.

She pinches the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezed shut. “Alex, he was an artist before – well, before. When I met him he had a gun made out of an old sewing machine motor, making his own ink out of ash and witch hazel. I’d let him practice on me. Figured anything would be better than what was already there.”

Quiet descends again. Joel wracks his brain, trying to find some thread of sanity, what to ask her next.

“That doesn’t sound real safe,” she fully laughs at that, pressing her palms into her thighs to stand up. “Look, if you just came to ask me questions about my tattoos, this conversation can be over right now and I can be out of here by tomorrow morning and no one has to know anything.”

“Listen, I’m trying to figure this all out too. I’m still having a hard time believing what I saw, what you told me. But I don’t see why you’re getting ready to fly the fucking coop. You got a good thing going here.”

Joel’s up on his feet and suddenly they're both in each other’s faces.

“Yeah, I do have a good thing going here, and I think you know better than most what a secret like mine can do to a good thing. I’m not gonna be turned into another person’s lab rat, do you understand?” Joel swallows, “another?”

“What?”

“You said you weren’t gonna be turned into another person’s lab rat. Is that what all those bites are from?” Joel doesn’t need an answer, he’s already got it in the way she shrinks back, gaze skittering to the ground. Something in him twinges at that.

“Does Ellie know about you?” She looks up at him again, shaking her head.

“I told you already. Only Alex, Steve, Tommy, and Maria know. And now, unfortunately, you.” She crosses her arms over her chest, letting out a long exhale.

“I wouldn’t tell anyone, you know. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Joel tries to sound genuine, but feels like he ends up coming off like a dope. “For some reason I’m inclined to believe you.” She sits back down on the edge of her bed, Joel leans back against the wall.

“Is that why you go out on those raids?” She looks up at him, questioning. “You’re immune. Feel like you can go out and play hero or somethin’?” She prickles at that, hardening her eyes into a glare.

“Hardly. I just need to get away from all this. It’s good. But it’s not real. Out there? That’s what’s real.” She's looking down at her hands, mumbling out the last of it. It’s quiet for a moment. Joel can understand that. That feeling like everything’s gonna fall out from under you eventually, because it always has, and you have to be ready for that inevitable plummet.

He studies her for a moment. The slope of her nose, her eyelashes falling over the tops of her cheeks. He thinks to himself that she would’ve been pretty, back before. Now, she's something else entirely, something that makes his breath kick in a way he’d be hard pressed to admit.

“You got any other questions?”

“Is Steve your – your man?” That one draws a laugh out of her that makes Joel reel. “You really ask the dumbest shit, you know that?” He hardly hears what she says, too focused on the waft of a smile across her face.

“I don’t have a man, Joel Miller. Just really important friends.” With that, she stands up, tilting her head as if to say are we done here? “So you’re gonna keep my secret?”

He nods, “you don’t have to worry about it, I will.”

She lets out another long sigh, opening her door and walking him back to her porch. As Joel’s walking out, he turns on his heel, “can I ask you one more thing?” She looks at him, expectantly.

“Why does everyone around here call you the saint?”

“You’re out of questions. Good night, Joel.”

#joel miller angst #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #tlou #tlou fanfiction #the last of us #fanfic

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prettyflyshyguy · 4 months

Text

Anyway here's wonderwall. I'm trying to start the new year off strong. Already feel sad its been a week and I've barely accomplished this. But that's the kind of negative talk that's so 2023. I'm throwing it in the bin. We focusing on personal achievements only.

I've been writing tonight! It's been fun! I'm still trying to get into the groove and struggling with the age old issue of whenever I hit a 'blank' I just stop working on the project, opting to wait for the stroke of inspiration to hit. This isn't helpful, and means I don't work through the issue. So 2023. Fuck that noise.

I'm still building my confidence back after having it a bit crushed last year, so no ETA on the final chapter of the main C Virus Fic, but you'll probably see some other mini projects pop up. Less stressful, helps me practice for the big stuff.

Anyway the song "Talking in your Sleep" has had me at gunpoint for 2 hours and I'm really happy with this interaction so here's a taster under the cut.

Chris and Leon attend a meeting with a Big Pharma client post-incident cleanup and they can't handle the heat of corporate talk.

Something had felt off about the job from the minute he set boots on the ground outside the factory. Chris had assured him that it’d be smooth, he’d done it a hundred times before, there shouldn’t be any issues. It was a C-Virus outbreak for sure, but not the normal kind. Valhanian was working on vaccines and preventative medication, blockers for the immune system that could quickly and effectively obliterate the virus or prevent it from even gaining a hold on the system. The most common form was the standard strains that had a very similar effect on humans as the T-Virus did, which they were lead to believe was the main focus of the factory - manufacturing and R&D for the ‘zombie’ strains.

What they found waiting for them was most certainly not the standard C-Virus infected humans.

Chris had brushed it off at the time, claiming that with how volatile the virus was, he wasn’t surprised that something had gone wrong and there were chrysalid variants in the facility.

Nothing’s without risk, something must have gone wrong, it’s not like we haven’t handled this sort of thing before.

Leon knew that there was no way in hell that a company with that much money in the game of vaccines would fuck around and find out - risking everything in the process. But it wasn’t worth arguing with Chris, he insisted that it wasn’t his job to worry about the science team’s side of things and that ‘Rebecca will figure it out.’

Chris was ever the optimist on his good days. Leon had seen too much to trust any corporation that invested in the field of medicine. You don’t get fission without fusion, and anyone who claimed that advancements in bio-organic warfare had no links to advancements in medicine, was a fool or a liar. Most likely both.

Of course something went wrong on the job, sure he’d had a little ‘mutation’ incident, but Rebecca’s drugs worked a treat, they just took a while to fully kick in.

“I don’t know what this is or what you’re trying to do, we don’t employ BOWs, whatever you’re trying to claim is unfounded.”

No no no you dumbass, don’t give it to them Chris!

“Mr. Redfield I’m just being thorough. You’re no stranger to the industry, and I’m sure you understand we are very conscious and concerned about protecting our trade secrets. Incidents like this are of a high concern to us as the entire reason we brought the BSAA in to assist us was to stop a B.O.W incident.”

Chris glanced briefly at the BSAA staff seated around him, and Leon. Fear and panic in his eyes, crying for help silently. He knew who was in the photograph and could only lie about it for so long before the game was given away.

Leon cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the sharks.

“Ms Harker I can assure you that Chris is just as shocked as you are, and that the BSAA operates at the highest level of-”

“Thank you for your assurance, Mr Kennedy, but I believe you are not a member of the BSAA is that correct?” her full attention snapped to Leon, her eyes looked predatory.

“Yes, I’m temporarily assigned to assist them in operations regarding the C-Virus as I have first hand experience with it that has proven invaluable in us combatting further outbreaks.”

“I don’t doubt that Mr. Kennedy. I’m aware of your reputation and high standing. Our country has a lot to thank you for.”

He shivered. There was no kindness in her tone.

“I just wish to express my concerns, as the security footage doesn’t lie.”

Leon digged his fingers into his thigh, scrunching the fabric of the chinos, his hands hidden under the table.

“Trust is critical to any operation as I’m sure everyone in this room is well aware. How can we trust the BSAA after seeing this? How can you trust yourselves?”

Chris began to speak, being swiftly interrupted by Harker’s shrill tone.

“Have you considered that there may be individuals laying dormantly infected, unbeknownst to the world?

Leon bit down on his tongue.

“Perhaps there’s an infected individual sitting in this room with us right now.”

The colour drained from Chris’s face.

“Perhaps it's someone not within the BSAA.”

Leon felt the eyes of every member of the meeting shift to look at him.

#c virus au #thank u resident evil for always being comforting to return to #mwah #its like putting on your old but still comfy jacket and feeling content

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try-set-me-on-fire · 8 months

Text

Tagged by @devirnis @rewritetheending and @wildlife4life for wip Wednesday. Well. I have opened another google doc but my idea for the story became what if it’s about this stern little lesbian getting a masc nickname and having a bit of a gender crisis while also dealing with the death of her father who she had a complicated relationship with And Also Buck Is There which I’m not sure would actually be interesting to anyone but me ahshshshs so this one will go on the back burner at least until I get more work done on other stuff. Here’s the opening scene though!

The station is clean. Not just free of dirt, mess, clutter, but the lines of it, stretching above her up into a loft who’s wooden roof provides a warm counterweight to the glass of the locker room, the stairs. It’s the first thing Beth notices, because back home the station had been, more or less, a big concrete room full of shit. The second thing is that they have more trucks, three shiny engines and an ambulance, which are all clean, too, no familiar and ever present layer of dust. The third thing is a very tall man standing at the top of the stairs grinning so wide at her it’s clearly visible even from where she’s lingering by the big bay doors. She takes a deep breath and heads forward, the man practically skipping every other step to meet her halfway.

He’s, somehow, taller up close, and the grin is wider. He’s in his 40s or 50s, maybe? She’s never been particularly good at guessing specific ages outside of very young and very old. His hair has a lot of gray in it, anyway, and she thinks when he stops smiling the crows feet will probably remain. There’s a red splotchy something she thinks is a birthmark hovering around his eyebrow but she doesn’t have time to really look at it because he’s talking immediately.

“Hi! I’m Captain Diaz! You must be our new probationary firefighter?”

She thinks he must know the answer to the question, he was the one waiting for her, and he must have seen her photo during the recruiting process. “Yes, sir. Elizabeth Mason.” He must know her name, too, but he’s holding a hand out in a way that invites introduction. She shakes it, and he has the same calluses as her father. “Graduated last week.”

“Congratulations,” he says, grin dimming into something so genuine it takes her off guard. “You had a few captains clamoring for you, glad you settled here with us.”

“Seemed like a good place to be.” She feels a little guilty at how pleased he looks, because the decision had actually been made around one in the morning in a mildly buzzed hat draw, one of her roommates scribbling station numbers on ribbed off beer labels for her to blindly root through.

“No better place on earth,” he says, and clearly means it. “Let me show you around.” He heads towards the stairs, and she follows a step behind. “And you don’t have to call me sir, Cap is fine, or Buck.”

“Call him Cap,” a firefighter passing them in the other direction says with a fond eye roll. He looks at Beth, jerks his head towards Buck. “He has a problem with authority.”

“Doesn’t that… usually go in the other direction? Problem with, not problem with having.”

Captain Diaz- Buck- makes a face at the other man. “Well. I’m very talented. I can do both.”

She just barely chokes down a laugh, but Buck seems to catch it, a glint in his eye. “Come on, don’t pay attention to any of my terrible subordinates, kitchen’s this way.”

The other firefighter laughs his way down the stairs, and they finish climbing their way up. There’s a few other people lingering around, anyone otherwise unoccupied giving them a friendly wave. Buck moves around the kitchen like a man in his own home, walking backwards and open cabinets without even needing to look, pointing out where they keep communal food and where people stash their own stuff, and then where people stash their own stuff if they really don’t want anyone else to take it.

“So, Elizabeth Mason,” he says as they look into the fridge and she nods like she has a lot of thoughts on coffee creamers and salads. “Got any nicknames? Or you want the full thing every time?”

She blinks at him. “Uh, no- Beth is fine. Or-“ she cuts herself off for a moment, not sure why she would bring this up, but then sticks her hands in her pockets and continues while playing with the seams. “When I was a kid my dad called me John.”

“Yeah?” Buck has that genuine thing going on again, eyes big and friendly like he really would like nothing more than to hear this story, to get to know her.

“Yeah, and I called him Bill- his name’s Thomas, I don’t know where I got the idea, I was like maybe four? Mom hated it but we thought it was the funniest thing.”

Buck is smiling in the scrunched up way people get when they hear a cute story about a small child. “Well-“ they both look up as he’s interrupted by the loud clanging of the alarm. He laughs, and claps her shoulder. “Welcome to the 118, John. Happy to have you.” It makes her smile without meaning to, maybe the first one she's given since she walked in, and Buck’s grin gets all big again in response. “Come on, let's head out.”

He heads back down the stairs and the room is different but the action is familiar as she follows behind.

Tagging @forthewolves @thewolvesof1998 @homerforsure @jeeyuns @buckactuallys @shitouttabuck @rogerzsteven @shortsighted-owl if you have anything to share!

#wip wednesday #tag games

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themagicmc · 1 year

Note

I’m glad you liked the last one!! I’m biased, but mayhaps: ballet dancer mc for the dorm leaders? Gratzi!

Welcome back darling sorry this took too long. I have been neglecting my duties as a writer. 😭

———————————————

Dorm leaders x reader

———————————————

Riddle

- Riddle doesn’t really see the point in the art but if it makes you happy then he’s all for it

- he makes sure you have all your equipment and plenty of water

- he will be strict with your schedule as too not over exert yourself. But not too strict.

- I think he might of created a few rules just for you -~-

-but he’s doing this all because he loves you and wants you to continue your love of ballet

8/10 a good boy who’s worried for your well-being

Leona

- He really doesn’t understand this at all

- all the spinning and the leaps just makes his head hurt

-but because this man drinks respect women juice every day he won’t say shit. (Cause you would beat his ass)

-does actually come to a few of your performances and does throw a few compliments to the dance.

- though he does wish you would just come and nap with him

7/10 only because he’s slept through some of your performances

Azul

- pleeeaaassseeee dance at the Mostro lounge

- literally the man who will try to get his lover work for him so they aren’t apart from him anymore

- would absolutely love and I mean LOVE to come to your performances. I mean this man gets front row seats and everything.

-I feel he would advertise you working there to bring in more buisness

(I mean man’s gotta work)

- All in all pretty respectable

- but I wouldn’t put it past him to draw up a contract that would make you dance at the Mostro

-I’m giving this boy an 6/10 because of the fact he would want to gain some profit form your dances

Kalim

-I would like to think that this boy would fall even more in love with you if you were able to do some form of dance

-I headcannon that form a young age Kalim was taught to do many forms of dancing including ballet.

-So ask him to join during a private practice he can help you!

-Even if he wasn’t dancing I think he would be there just to support you and tell you how much he adores the way you dance ever so gracefully

-Sweet boy 10/10 would recommend because of how good he is

Vil

-Oh Vil…

-Must we go through this again the man is obsessed with the thought of beating beautiful. How could he not think this dance was of the utmost perfection.

-I’m pretty sure he has designed MULTIPLE costumes you have worn.

-Definitely comes to performances every. Single. One. He’s not missing the love of his life performing the most beautiful thing he could ever see.

-I think he has a set schedule for you of when to practice and how to keep yourself healthy enough to perform.

9/10 only because of the one outfit he made where it was made entirely of SEQUINS

Sequins suck

Idia

-You remind him of this one anime character who is a redhead who will tune into a kind of bird when embarrassed and is trying to save the love of her life by returning parts of his soul back to him!

(Please tell me at least ONE of you know which anime I’m talking about)

-I think if he WERE to go to any performances he’d be standing in the back in the shadows so that way no one would see him. (His hair gives him away though)

-He probably has designed some pretty good light fixtures that you have used to spice up your performances. Heck even the judges wished to know who was behind the spectacular display.

8/10 only because the man literally can’t even show his face while he’s at the performance. But he tries his beats because he’s gotta love his S/O

Malleus

-Like Kalim I would like to think that he too was trained in the art of dance. Though I don’t think ballet would have been one of them

-I’m pretty sure this giant of a man has shown up randomly in your practice room just to watch. (Though he’s scared the crap out of you multiple times)

-This fae brings you flowers very time you have a performance just so he can give them to you at the end. (Cue blushing S/O)

-I don’t think he would sit way in the back where he wasn’t noticed but I think he would have one of those high up seats that sit on the wall. Just so he can have a Birds Eye view of his lover.

-10/10 I have no words for how this man will bend over backwards for you and I mean it.

#twst #twst x reader #twst wonderland #twst imagines #twst x mc #malleus x reader #riddle x reader #leona x y/n

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accio-victuuri · 1 year

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It’s time for some Christmas Eve / Christmas CPN to keep you company 🎄

first of all, Merry Christmas! I hope that you spend this day with people you love. may it be a cozy day filled with good food and gifts.

everything below is fake. for turtles only.

☼☽⋆｡°✧ ✧⋆°｡☾☼

let’s start with another cute story - drawing from Chengyi. This time with Bobo attempting to make bread/pastry for ZZ cause he knows he likes it. At this point, i’m just treating all the succeeding stuff she posts as fake stories. tho there is really something about a real-life person who they know, spent some time with them and saw them interact, turning into a full fledged turtle. lol. either on screen or real life, there is a factor that will make certain people believe in szd. What fans love about this comic is Bobo’s attempt in making ZZ happy by making what he likes — he is also wearing an apple watch, which we’ve been clowning about recently.

this reminds alot of us about GG’s 2020 birthday cake and who made it. There were lots of speculation at that time and one of them was Bobo made the cake. I mean, Bobo is someone who can do anything if he sets his mind to it, tho he may be a disaster in the kitchen— he can always practice. or maybe he had a bit of help. People are pointing out that in the photos, the cake looks smooth and perfect. but in the video, you can see in an angle that it wasn’t. there is a part with no icing and looks uneven. I know someone took some icing and smeared it on his cheek but that was only a little. So was he hiding the imperfection? trying to only show the perfect look of the cake his baobao made him? 🥺🥺🥺

When this CPN was talked about years ago, I was really skeptical because not everything is about their relationship. I mean, are we reaching too much? We are even connecting the cake to Yibo? But one thing I noticed about that cake is how simple it is. White. No decoration. Then I’m comparing it to the kind of cakes and cupcakes XZ and his team give out to staff/crew, it’s totally different. He prefers giving ones that look really pretty. So if this 2020 birthday cake was store bought or custom — why is it so plain? Unless someone handmade it. Someone who is a newbie in baking. 🤡

Example below are the cakes given by ZZ’s team to the ADLAD crew.

talking about these cakes, there was a card given alongside it ( see p1 ) with the message wishing a happy/merry christmas eve. The handwriting ( and message ) tho is similar to what was shared before by LRLG, a handwritten letter. Coincidence? lol. This is why we love LRLG so much!

Next is a submission in the ZSWW fake rumor house. I wanna mention it because of how cute it portrayed Bobo. 🥺🥺 I cannot post the whole translation here cause i’m not allowed, so I’ll share a few lines only.

• It said Bobo can be heard on the phone saying “I think you didn’t” and also “do you miss me?” / “do you miss me today?” / “thinking of you”

Then ZZ teases him, acting like he doesn’t miss him, and Bobo was like— “I’m the only one that miss you, you don’t miss me.”

This is so Yibo. He will only act spoiled and childish towards his ZZ, wanting his attention. It must be so delightful for ZZ to tease Yibo! Hearing that soft yibo voice ahhhhhh! We could never!!!! I’m so happy that they are in the same city now, and hopefully till the end of year or beyond. They deserve time to be together. Even if they have work commitments, at the end of the day, they can still go home to each other.

• Someone is already "quietly" preparing 🎄🎁what about you?

hmmmmmm. i doubt they will show off what each other gave, but who knows?

• OP mentioned the line : "Don't give up what you love because you're afraid" and this made me so soft. Not only does it talk about their relationship but their careers as well. yibo’s love for dancing. zz’s love for singing. both their passion for acting. They are two people who continue to pursue their love no matter what other people think. They are so inspiring. 🤍

Lastly, this unofficial bts video shared today. Nothing really incriminating. Just an example of how much they share and notice about what each other is doing. They don’t sound like two colleagues who just tolerate one another.

ZZ: Why did you just say you would go back to the hotel?

WYB: I just got back to the hotel and stayed there for an hour

ZZ: wearing makeup and wearing clothes

WYB: It’s hard. When did you switch over?

ZZ: I didn’t check the time, I just arrived 10 minutes earlier than you.

I swear. They know what the other person is doing or their schedule. It’s like they look forward to being together or whatever time they have sharing the screen. 🤍

-END.

#yizhan #bjyx #all of this is cpn #there is no science here folks im just clowning like i always do

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emblemxeno · 1 year

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Localization Changes: Takumi #ProtectThePineapple

Paging @theeeveetamer / @teaveetamer

I love Takumi! Easily Top 5 favorite Fates characters, probably number 2 after Xander if we’re being honest. The complex machinations of his self esteem issues, imposter syndrome, desire to be loved by his family, among many other aspects, is what makes him very endearing and loveable to me.

His antagonizing actions and harsh words made him divisive, especially when Fates first released, but to me that only made him that much stronger of a character. Raw anger and bitter resentment paints a wonderfully contrasting color to his heartfelt and even downright cute moments.

However, I feel like there are instances in Fates’ localization that kind of cheapen Takumi a bit. Moments where he lashes out are made into quippy one liners and can make him seem bratty and immature first instead of genuinely upset. His xenophobia gets amped up to a point where, while present in the JP script, it now became a trait that’s associated with him the most due to localization changes. Most of all, there’s even some instances where his agency and character growth within the story are, I feel, completely erased or blurred to the point of being unrecognizeable.

I wanted to detail stuff about Takumi that was changed, so this is what I could find. I get these things from this JP supports Pastebin , a Fates translated playthrough (all routes are on the channel linked) and Pegasusknight.com (the latter of which I do my best to interpret from translation tools, which is very subject to me being wrong lol). Keep in mind I also took a few liberties in writing down the lines from the JP version. I trust that the translators got the message across well enough, but the English major in me couldn’t help but clean up some things here and there to help the translations come across less stiff.

The rest will be under the cut! Any instance of me referring to Corrin, I’ll be using he/him, and I’ll be using the JP version of the character names when applicable and appropriate. Also, if you want, give a watch to the Fates Drama CDs! The first two volumes deal with Takumi’s thoughts, feelings, and character in regards to Corrin’s return to Hoshido during chapters 4, 5, and 6! While I won’t be citing them here, they give extra insight to his character and are very cool!

Prologue

JP Version

Hinoka: What!? The river dried up...!? Did they use the power of the Dragon Vein...?

Takumi: ...It looks that way. The enemy is drawing near...

[...]

Takumi: Pull yourself together, Kamui. The enemy... The Nohrian royal family-they’re strong. If we don’t stick together, we’ll... ...No. Right now, we have to work together. You let me know if you have any ideas.

[...]

Hinoka: Good, you’ve defeated the enemy! Kamui, Takumi, great work! This is the power of the bond between siblings.

Sakura: A-amazing, Big Brother...

Takumi: It went well thanks to someone’s well-planned instructions. If we join our powers together, we may actually win this war...

Hinoka: Well then, let’s hurry back to Ryoma!

Treehouse

Hinoka: The Nohrian army used a Dragon Vein to dry up the river! But I thought only royals held that power...

Takumi: Yeah, which means there must be some real big shots over there. Suit me just fine. I've always wanted to use a Nohrian royal for target practice!

[...]

Takumi: Hang in there, Corrin. The Nohrian royals are not pushovers... We'll have to work together to beat them. As the eldest, I guess you're in charge. Tell me what to do and I'll do it.

[...]

Hinoka: Corrin, Takumi, good work fighting off that ambush.

Sakura: You were amazing, Corrin.

Takumi: That went well. Probably because SOMEONE gave you good advice. ...And you're welcome, by the way.

Hinoka: No time to talk! Let's see how Ryoma's doing.

I’m glad that memes surrounding how characters sound in Marvel movies and Disney channel shows exist, because now I have something to describe how Treehouse makes Fates’ cast sound: right out of a sitcom. The whole “he’s right behind me, isn’t he”, tryhard ironic vibe is everywhere in the localized script, and it can suck the tension out of certain scenes. Takumi’s “I’ve always wanted to use a Nohrian royal for target practice” line is an example of this. I think it’s funny, tbh, but it evokes a different feel of his character, especially since this is the first thing the player sees of him. What I find more egregious though, is that Treehouse replaced his more sincere words of worry and doubt with cockiness across the board. While this can be charming in its own right, again, it changes the first impression. It gives you the idea that he’s genuinely overconfident, rather than finding out later that he’s compensating hard.

I didn’t include some context, but in the ‘well SOMEONE gave you good instructions’ line, the JP version of the archer tutorial just has him tell you how he fights rather than it being him telling you exactly what to do. Small changes, but it causes a ripple effect that extends to the line being changed, because what was intended in the original was him complimenting Hinoka (or maybe Corrin?) on her planning and how working as a team of siblings will get them through the war, but Treehouse changed it to him saying that it was him that saved the day.

Chapter 5, in the plaza.

JP version

Kamui: It’s just like you and Sakura said, the Hoshidans are all good people. Everyone seems to enjoy themselves here.

Aqua: I’m glad you like it. I love it here, too.

Takumi: Aqua. And Kamui…I mean, Brother. Mother wants me to start calling you that, now.

Kamui: ...

Takumi: Don’t get carried away, though. I don’t trust either of you.

Aqua: Takumi…

Takumi: Don’t speak my name so casually. You’re a Princess of Nohr, the kingdom that killed Father. There’s no way I can trust you. Kamui, you’re the same. You’ve been a Nohrian Prince for so long, after all...

Kamui: No…You’re contradicting yourself, Takumi.

Takumi: What?

Kamui: Aqua has been in Hoshido for as long as I’ve been in Nohr. By that logic she should already be one of your comrades, right?

Takumi: ...Hmph. Either way, I don’t trust you two. I just wanted to let you both know that.

Sakura: Big Brother, if it suits your taste... These dango are very good. Here!

Treehouse

Corrin: Everyone really is friendly here. And it’s so…bright…and open. It’s quite a contrast from the fortress I grew up in.

Azura: I’m glad you like it. Like I said, I’ve always been happy here.

Takumi: Just don’t get too comfortable…BROTHER.

Corrin: Pardon me?

Takumi: I don’t trust you. Shouldn’t you be heading back to Nohr soon?

Azura: Takumi…

Takumi: Hey, who said you could call me by name? You haven’t earned that privilege either.

Corrin: That doesn’t even make sense.

Takumi: Excuse me?

Corrin: Azura has been in Hoshido for as long as I’ve been gone. Shouldn’t that be enough to consider her part of the family?

Takumi: I don’t care. I don’t trust either of you. I just wanted to tell you that to your face.

Sakura: I apologize for Takumi’s rudeness. He’s a bit of a hothead. Anyway, how’d you like to try a sweet rice dumpling? It’s a Hoshidan specialty!

He’s giving his feelings towards the situation of Azura and Corrin both being Nohrian, but the way it’s written between versions conveys differences. Now from what I know of the logistics of the Japanese language, lots of context can be missed or hidden. The JP version can probably be seen as him being just as rude as he is in the Treehouse script, but from what’s here he does come off more... immature? Plus some context as to why he doesn’t trust Azura or Corrin gets cut, and Sakura calling him a hothead gets added in.

I considered putting the after battle conversation from Chapter 5, too, but there’s not enough significant difference between the JP and Treehouse’s version of Takumi’s lashing out to really warrant it. Though one difference is that when Corrin gets the Yato, Treehouse has him just say “Impossible.” whereas the JP version has him say nothing. The drama CDs do go more in depth into what he’s thinking, and given how Takumi’s written later in the game, it makes sense why he would stay silent rather than continue talking shit. But again, I don’t wanna cite the CDs too much, cuz I don’t know how much they can be considered canon even though I think the same writers (sans Kibayashi I’m guessing) wrote them.

Chapter 6 Birthright (After the Nohrian siblings react to Corrin’s choice)

JP version

Takumi: I will do it... For my fallen kinsmen, and for Mother’s sake as well...

Treehouse

Takumi: Stupid Nohrian jerks! I'll kill all of you!

Once again, a more thoughtful reaction was changed into a more juvenile anger. Not completely surprising coming from Takumi, but makes him a bit more one dimensional, imo.

Chapter 10 Birthright (Takumi shows up possessed)

JP Version

Hinoka: Ugh!? Why did you do that, Takumi!?

Kamui: Takumi, stop! You could’ve shot Hinoka...!

Takumi: Kill...

Kamui: Huh...?

Takumi: Me... everyone should only... appreciate me...

Hinoka: It’s as if he’s a completely different person...!

Sakura: B-brother... What’s happened to you!?

Takumi: I’m strong... I... have a divine weapon... But even then... all everyone talks about is my siblings... all everyone talks about is Kamui...

Kamui: What are you saying!? Takumi, please come back to us!

Takumi: There’s no need for people who don’t look at me... there’s no need for people who stand in my way... why don’t you all just... DISAPPEAR!!

Kamui: Takumi!?

Treehouse

Hinoka: Gah! What's wrong with you? That arrow almost hit me!

Corrin: Takumi, what are you doing?!

Takumi: Kill...

Corrin: Um...

Takumi: I should have been the chosen one...

Hinoka: This is creepy...

Sakura: *sob* Takumi... What h-happened to you?

Takumi: I am ignored...alone...forgotten. But I am more powerful than they can imagine!

Corrin: What are you saying? Snap out of it, Takumi!

Takumi: Ughhhh... I will not stand in the shadows any longer... They will all see me for the first time! I will make them pay for what they've done. I will make them...I will make them... DIE!

Corrin: Takumi?!

The JP version of this exchange centers around Takumi’s own inheritance of a divine weapon as well as his inferiority complex in regards to not only Corrin, but his other siblings as well. This is important, because it was never only Corrin coming back that caused Takumi to feel left out and ignored, but also Ryoma’s natural talents making Takumi feel inferior and Hinoka’s unintentional aloofness towards her siblings as a result of purely focusing on her training (these are things that are touched on in his supports with both of them btw). Sakura is exempt from this sentiment though.

Chapter 10 (Azura cures Takumi’s possession)

JP version

Takumi: ......

Aqua: Takumi... your eyes, and that gaze... Maybe, just maybe... If my hunch is correct, my song can do something about this. I can only hope it’ll be enough...

Takumi: No one...no one... looks at me... No one at all...

Aqua: Wait, Takumi.

Takumi: You are...

Aqua: Listen. You're being controlled by an unseen force. How awful... This isn’t you. Which is why... Please listen to my song... (Sings Lost in Thoughts)

Takumi: Ugh...! Gaaaaaaaah!!

Aqua: ......

Takumi: Ungh... ! Aqua...?

Aqua: Thank goodness. You’ve come back to us.

Takumi: Come back...? What do you mean? W-where are we...?

Aqua: I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to discuss that right now. The people of Fuuma have ambushed us. Can we count on your assistance?

Takumi: Oh... okay. I understand.

Aqua: ...Hey, Takumi.

Takumi: What is it?

Aqua: I can always count on you. You are very strong and intelligent. You have a charm that your other siblings don’t have. That’s what I think.

Takumi: H-huh!? What does-

Aqua: Hmhm, well let’s be off. Standing idle won’t do us any good.

Takumi: Hey, wait up! ...Hey, Aqua! ...... (smiling portrait) ...Well it can’t be helped. All right, time to show them what Prince Takumi can do!

Treehouse

Takumi: Unnnhhh...

Azura: Look at the color of his eyes... Could it be? There's only one way to find out. I'll have to sing to him...

Takumi: No one...notices me. No one...cares. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.

Azura: Takumi...listen to me.

Takumi: You... You are...

Azura: It doesn't matter. I'm someone who can help. You're being controlled by a dark force. This is not who you are! You don't have to give in. You can survive this! Listen carefully... (Sings Lost in Thoughts)

Takumi: Ugh... Gyaaaaah!

Azura: Takumi, can you hear me now?

Takumi: Ohhhh... Azura? Is that you?

Azura: Yes, it's me! Oh, thank goodness.

Takumi: Uh...where am I?

Azura: Unfortunately, we're right in the middle of a battle. I don't really have time to explain. Are you in any condition to defend yourself?

Takumi: I...I think so. I feel OK.

Azura: Very well. Just remember.. You're strong and intelligent. There's a certain something about you. I believe in you, Takumi.

Takumi: Um, OK...

Azura: That's the Takumi I remember. Now, come on! You'll need to focus to make it through this battle.

Takumi: Wait! Azura! Ugh, I'm still a bit woozy. So many questions... (angry/cocky portrait) I guess I'll just have to stay alive to get them answered.

I touched on this in my general Birthright script changes post, but I thought I’d bring up the overall tone shift here. Takumi’s genuine happiness in the JP version was replaced with an awkward reaction and a cocky response in the Treehouse version, hence why I also noted the portrait change. Not out of character per se, but I think Takumi having his first real establishing moment of joy being replaced does a disservice to both his character and the player getting to see it.

Chapter 10 (after battle)

JP version

Sakura: Takumi!!! You... you’re back to normal...!

Hinoka: (voice clip of her crying) Moron...! We were... so worried about you...!

Takumi: H-hey, quit crying. Aren’t you both too old to be doing that?

Sakura: I don't care about that! You’ve come back to us, so I’m fine with crying!!!

Hinoka: Me too! I love you too much to care about things like that now!

Takumi: Sakura, Hinoka... Thank you. I’m sorry that I worried you this much.

Kamui: I’m curious to know what’s been going on. What happened at the border battle, Takumi?

Takumi: That battle... it was a struggle. We fought by Izumo’s border at first... But before long the battle extended all the way to the Infinite Chasm. During the march there, I got separated from Ryoma.

Kamui: I see, so you don’t know where he is either...

Takumi: During the battle, the enemy’s attack triggered a massive rockslide. I got caught up in it... and fell into the Infinite Chasm.

Kamui: The Infinite Chasm!?

Hinoka: But... you’re alive. How did you manage to come back?

Takumi: That I still don’t know... Everything after that is a blur... I can’t remember anything before I woke up here.

Hinoka: I see... Well, at any rate, I’m relieved that you’re back alive. It’s a miracle you were able to survive that bottomless pit.

Takumi: Hey... what have I been doing all this time?

Aqua: It's best not to worry about it, Takumi. Some horrible magic took hold of you and brought you here against your will. That’s all it is.

Takumi: No... that can’t be it. Hinoka’s arm has been grazed by an arrow. It looks like it was cause by the Fujin Yumi... I attacked her, didn’t I?

Hinoka: Well, that’s...

Takumi: Tell me... what did I do in front of all of you?

Kamui: ...... ...Takumi. When you met us here, you immediately started attacking us. Until your sanity came back, you were fighting Hoshidan troops.

Takumi: !! That’s...! Attacking my own countrymen... Unforgiveable. I don’t think I’m qualified to be a part of Hoshido’s army after doing that...

Kamui: No, being qualified doesn’t matter. I was in a similar situation, being raised as a prince of the enemy country... but even so, you all accepted me without hesitation.

Takumi: No... I wasn’t like that...

Kamui: Er, well, be that as it may... What matters now is you’re here with us. If you feel you’ve made a mistake, you can make up for it from now on. I’d really like to fight alongside you, Takumi. Do you feel likewise?

Takumi: ...... I will, if you can forgive me for the harsh words from earlier.

Kamui: Of course. Those are things of the past.

Takumi: ...Thank you, brother. And thank you too... Sister.

Aqua: ...No, it’s quite all right. ......

Kamui: ...Aqua, are you okay? You look kind of pale...

Aqua: ...I’m fine, just a little tired. Don’t worry, I’ll get better soon.

Kamui: Um, okay...

Treehouse

Sakura: Brother! I'm so glad you're back to normal. We were all so w-worried about you.

Hinoka: (voice clip of her saying “I won’t allow it!”) Yeah. Don't ever do that again, OK?

Takumi: Whoa, guys! Stop crying. You're making me all embarrassed.

Sakura: I don't care. We didn't know if we'd ever see you again. And then when you showed up all weird like that...

Hinoka: Yeah. We didn't know if you'd ever be the same Takumi we know and love again.

Takumi: Well, it's definitely me guys. Thank you for your concern. And I'm sorry I made you all worried.

Corrin: It's good to have you back, Takumi. But as much as I would like to savor this moment. Ryoma is still missing. Can you tell us anything about what happened to you two?

Takumi: Yeah. It was insane. We ran into Nohrian troops just outside Izumo and began fighting. Ryoma and I were separated in the early stages of combat, before we had to retreat. We were outnumbered...and pushed to the brink of the Bottomless Canyon.

Corrin: So we still have no idea where he is...

Takumi: No, I'm afraid not. Something triggered a massive landslide, and I was caught up in it. That's how I fell into the canyon.

Corrin: You actually fell into the Bottomless Canyon? How are you still alive?

Hinoka: I've never heard of anyone returning from there before.

Takumi: I...I have no idea. All I remember is falling. There was a period of darkness, and then I woke up here.

Hinoka: Well, I'm just glad to have you back. It's a miracle you survived a fall like that!

Takumi: So, um, can anyone tell me how I ended up here? Or what, exactly, I was doing before I woke up just no?

Azura: It's best you don't worry about it for now. Just get some rest.

Takumi: No, I need to know. My Fujin Yumi was in my hand when I came to. And some of you have wounds in your backs...

Hinoka: Well...

Takumi: Tell me! What did I do?

Corrin: Takumi...you must have been under some sort of spell. You stumbled out of the woods and started attacking our party. Please, try not to worry about it. We know it wasn't really you.

Takumi: Oh, what have I done? A prince attacking his own men? How can I show my face in Hoshido again?

Corrin: Please! Someone... or something...was controlling you. We know you were not in your right mind.

Takumi: That's small comfort right now, I'm afraid.

Corrin: Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but all that matters now is that we're all here. Will you join us in the search for Ryoma? Perhaps something along the way will jog your memory. Can we count on you?

Takumi: Yes. If you can forgive me for all the hurtful things I’ve said and done.

Corrin: Of course. We must move forward—not dwell on the past.

Takumi: Thank you, Corrin. I also need to thank you...Sister.

Azura: Oh! You called me— I mean...you're quite welcome, Takumi. Ahem... *cough* *cough*

Corrin: Is everything OK, Azura? You don't look well.

Azura: I'm fine. I think I'm just a bit tired. Please, don't worry about me. I'll be better in no time.

Corrin: If you say so.

Hinoka was made kind of... less concerned over Takumi in the localization. Or at the very least, less worried like how an older sibling would be, where her crying is replaced with more of a reprimand.

In the JP version, Takumi specifically mentioned attacking Hinoka and her having an arrow wound to signify it, the localization changed it to a general “some of you have wounds in your backs.”

The instance of Corrin comparing his own situation to what just happened with Takumi was cut and replaced by talking about the possession (even thought it’s been talked about already), meaning a nice moment of character bonding and calling back to previous scenes was cut.

And lastly, there’s another instance of Treehouse Corrin in Birthright acting like an douchebag that I actually missed in my general Birthright post. In the JP version, when Takumi says he wasn’t as accepting of Corrin at first, Corrin tries to just shift the conversation to something Takumi can be more positive about. Treehouse replaced it with Corrin basically saying “well, I’m sorry that you feel that way, but can you help us now” which is such an asshole thing to say to someone who’s just now realizing he hurt his sister and has lost his memory up until this point.

Chapter 11 (before battle)

JP Version

Kamui: ...Phew. We made it to a ship just before it set sail. I never thought there’d be Nohrian soldiers at the port. We haven’t been attacked since Fuuma (Mokushu), so my guard was down.

Sakura: Yes. But somehow we managed it. Big Brother... you should probably rest a little bit, at least.

Aqua: I don’t understand... how did those soldiers track us down in the first place? No one should know that our party is crossing into Nohr.

Takumi: Don’t tell me... there’s a spy in our mix, isn’t there?

Aqua: Spy?

Takumi: Yeah. Haven’t you considered it? There could be a spy among us working for the Nohrians, reporting our movements. That mage... he’s especially suspicious.

Zola: H-huuuuh!? I am!?

Hinoka: ...Well, you are suspicious. Very much so.

Takumi: Big Brother Kamui said... before joining you guys, he tried trapping all of you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried something again.

Zola: W-what!?

Hinoka: ...Right, then. As promised, I’ll strike to kill.

Zola: Eeeek!

Kamui: ...No. Please stop, everyone. It’s not good to doubt your comrades.

Hinoka: Kamui...

Kamui: All right? There’s no proof that he’s a spy. Once we decide to believe someone, let’s keep believing them.

Takumi: Brother... Even so, I can’t trust this man.

Kamui: Yes... Well, it’s not something I can explain right now, Takumi. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about it later. For now, I’d like for you to trust in him a bit.

Takumi: ...... ...Very well. If you’re insisting that much, I’ll make an effort to believe him, too.

Zola: Lord Takumi...!

Takumi: What is it now? I never said I’d trust you right away. I’ll start considering it after hearing what my brother has to say. And stop saying my name so casually.

Zola: Gah! No, sir. I'm sorry, sir.

Treehouse

Corrin: Well, this should be interesting. I've never sailed before. And we made it just in time to catch the last boat leaving the harbor. How lucky!

Sakura: I know. It's been such a long march—I'm really looking forward to r-resting a bit.

Azura: I wouldn't get too comfortable. Remember, we are on our way to Nohr. Some of the passengers on this ship could be our enemies.

Takumi: Yes, and there could be a spy among us.

Azura: What are you talking about, Takumi?

Takumi: You know exactly what I'm talking about. That whiny little mage from Nohr! Whose idea was it to let him tag along?

Zola: Gah! I'm no threat, guys! I promise! Haven't I been helpful so far?

Hinoka: Don't worry, Takumi. I've been keeping a very close eye on him.

Takumi: I don't know. Didn't he set everyone up back in Izumo? I wouldn't be surprised if he were plotting something.

Zola: But...but...

Hinoka: OK, I'll get my knife ready...

Zola: Eeeek!

Corrin: Calm down, everyone. I trust Zola, and I believe you should as well. He stood with us through one battle without stabbing anyone in the back. Besides, how could he even really information to Nohr? It's a preposterous notion.

Takumi: Sorry. I can't just take your word for it. I don't trust him.

Corrin: That's fine. A little healthy skepticism won't hurt. Just try to be civil, OK?

Takumi: I'll do my best.

Zola: Lord Takumi...

Takumi: What's wrong with you? Did I say that you could speak my name?

Zola: Gah! No, sir. I'm sorry, sir.

Never caught this before. In the JP version the party apparently got ambushed by Nohrian troops at the port, and that’s why the topic of there being spies is brought up, since Azura wonders how the soldiers even knew of the party’s whereabouts. Treehouse cut out this information.

Takumi in general is more abrasive, which is consistent to how Treehouse has been so far. I’d also like to note that Corrin’s insistence on believing in people is diluted a bit in Treehouse’s version, where he says civil skepticism is fine instead of trying to get Takumi to trust in people more. While this can make Corrin seem more palatable and smart, this doesn’t line up with his established character. He’s supposed to have a backbone when it comes to trusting in people and peaceful, diplomatic solutions. It’s why he almost got killed by Xander for not wanting to kill prisoners of war. If Corrin actually believed in “healthy skepticism” he wouldn’t let Zola in the party, especially after almost hurting Sakura.

Also, Takumi’s supposed to be softening up to Corrin as a brother at this point and be more willing to listen to him, and Treehouse’s version of the exchange-while not bad in the logisitic sense-does a poor job in showing a family bond growing between them. A family bond which, if you recall, was mentioned in the JP version all the way back in the prologue. So... points for being consistent in cutting out themes, I guess.

Chapter 11 (after battle)

JP Version

Kamui: All right, we took care of them.

Takumi: No problem. Even invisible, there’s no way they could beat us.

Kamui: Haha, you’re very reliable, Takumi.

Takumi: (Smiling portrait) Well, yeah. I have to make up for my mistakes. A certain someone told me as much, anyway.

Kamui: (Smiling portrait) Takumi...

Treehouse

Corrin: That's the last of them.

Takumi: Ha! Those stupid things didn't know who they were messing with.

Corrin: Well, I'm glad to see that you're feeling like yourself again. Takumi.

Takumi: Me too. (Frowning portrait) After all, I have a long way to go to redeem myself...

Corrin: (Neutral portrait) Takumi, that's simply not true.

Corrin in the JP version: Takumi and I are starting to get along and he’s happy, that makes me happy too :)

Corrin according to Treehouse: Takumi, you’re really fuckin up the vibe :/

Jokes aside, it really does baffle me what Treehouse’s obession is with a) making Corrin kind of a dick and b) not letting Takumi smile/be happy more often, like wtf. I know that Corrin saying Takumi doesn’t have to redeem himself could be taken positively, but since a specific tone has already been set by Treehouse, it unfortunately comes off as patronizing instead.

Chapter 11 (after Zola protects Takumi)

JP version

Kamui: Are you okay, Zola? Thank you for helping Takumi earlier.

Zola: No need for thanks... That was something I wanted to do. When I saw Lord Takumi in danger, my body moved on its own.

Kamui: Even so... thank you.

Takumi: Hey... Zola.

Zola: ! L-lord Takumi! Ah, forgive me. I said your name again...

Takumi: No, it’s fine. You can call me whatever you like. I’m sorry for doubting you earlier, Zola.

Zola: What...?

Takumi: Yeah. You just saved my life at the risk of your own. If you hadn’t done that, that guy could’ve killed me. So I’m sorry I didn’t have faith in you.

Zola: That’s...! Please raise your head, Lord Takumi! There’s no need to thank me for this. I merely did what Lord Kamui did for me back in Izumo, when Lord Leo was about to execute me.

Takumi: What!? Kamui, you did something that reckless?

Kamui: Ah... haha... well, something like that...

Zola: Yes. Since then, I’ve changed. Thanks to Lord Kamui.

Takumi: ...I see. Well, with a story like that, I have no choice but to believe it. I’ll be counting on you as a friend from now on, Zola.

Zola: Likewise... thank you very much.

Kamui: (Smiling portrait) ......

Treehouse

Corrin: That was extremely courageous, Zola. Are you all right?

Zola: It was nothing. I'm just glad that Lady Sakura was able to heal me.

Corrin: I beg to differ. It was not nothing. It was a remarkably selfless act.

Takumi: Zola...I have something to say to you.

Zola: Yes, Lord Tak—I mean yes, milord?

Takumi: Please. You've more than earned the right to speak my name. I'm sorry for doubting you.

Zola: Really? You mean that?

Takumi: Yes. Talk is cheap, and I still think I was smart not to trust you at first. But you may have just saved my life. It was a heroic act.

Zola: Thank you, Lord Takumi! I'm just following Lord Corrin's lead. If it weren't for him, I may have died at the hands of Lord Leo in Izumo. Now maybe you'll have the chance to perform a similar gesture.

Takumi: Wait, Corrin jumped in front of an attack meant for you? Right after you tried to kill him?

Corrin: Ha! No, Takumi. It wasn't exactly like that. I merely asked Leo to spare Zola's life. He was helpless and defeated.

Zola: Yes. And that kindness was enough to sway Lord Leo. He merely exiled me instead of taking my life.

Takumi: I see. Well, I just hope we can put all of this behind us.

Zola: Of course, milord!

Corrin: (Neutral portrait) Yes. It's time to focus on what's next. Who knows what's waiting for us in Nohr...

Takumi in the JP version is more willing to admit a mistake without a kind of “but I was still right” line, Treehouse adds one in anyway.

Also Treehouse made Corrin into a buzzkill, in other news, the sky is blue.

In further chapters, it’s mostly the same routine. Takumi is more abrasive and certain tender family moments involving him are diluted. I mentioned back in my general Birthright post that Takumi in his sickness, bed ridden delirium in chapter 16 talks in bigger detail about the “truth behind this war” and while this doesn’t have much to do with Takumi in particular, I thought I’d bring it up again.

Chapter 24 (pre battle, Takumi talks to Iago about possession)

JP version

Takumi: How dare you manipulate and mock me? What you said earlier about my feeling inferior is true... but I've learned something in this fight. There’s things only I can do! That's why... I would never betray my beloved siblings or my precious friends! As a proud prince of Hoshido!

Treehouse

Takumi: I just woke up for good. That's what happened. You were able to exploit some of my deepest fears and flaws, but that's over. My brothers and sisters need me, and I won't let them down. I'm a proud prince of Hoshido, and from now on I will live up to the title!

Both are fine, but the JP version is a bit more self actualizing, whereas the Treehouse version is more dependent on Takumi feeling like his siblings need him.

Chapter 24 (Takumi vs. Iago boss conversation)

JP version

Takumi: I’ll never forgive you...How dare you...how dare you take advantage of me. Macbeth...

Macbeth: You just regained your senses, and already such cheek...! You should’ve stayed as a good little pawn right until the end.

Takumi: When I was freed from your control, I remembered everything... How I’d send an owl with information of my whereabouts every night. How I’d lose all memory of it every morning. How I suspected my allies without knowing I was the traitor all along... What an absolute disgrace...

Macbeth: Then repent for your sins and quickly die. Isn’t that better than living a life of shame?

Takmui: Shut up! I'll live to pay for this crime! First, I’ll start making up for what I’ve done by defeating you here, Macbeth!

Treehouse

Takumi: Yes! I was hoping I'd get a chance to kill you myself. This is for everything you've put me through!

Iago: *yawn* You know I chose you because you were the weakest, right? You should never have come out of that spell—now you're going to suffer!

Takumi: Wrong! Now that my head is clear, my aim is truer than ever. I'm going to turn your face into my own personal bull's-eye.

Also touched on this in the Birthright post. The fact that Treehouse cut out the entire explanation for how exactly Takumi relayed information to Iago is freaking weird. Like... why?

Overall, though that’s about it for major changes to Takumi in Birthright’s story. Now for Conquest.

Chapter 10 (pre battle conversation)

JP version

Hinata: Lord Takumi, it seems the Nohrian army is stationed at the port.

Takumi: …An ambush, is it? Well, I expected no less of them. We won’t run away with our tails between our legs. It’s what they want.

Treehouse

Hinata: Lord Takumi! It seems the Nohrians aren't going to back down.

Takumi: So they plan to fight us, do they? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Nohrians aren't like normal, decent people. They live for the thrill of battle. All the better. I shall delight in putting those cowards in their place.

While I’ve said before that Conquest’s localization changes aren’t as egregious as Birthright’s (at least when not concerning Xander), I do find it funny that Takumi is consistent for the most part, aside from taking little jabs like he does in Treehouse’s version. Here’s another example:

Chapter 10 (Corrin vs. Takumi)

JP version

Takumi: ! Kamui...

Kamui: Takumi...

Takumi: Never expected to see you here, Prince Traitor. For the person who left Hoshido in such a wreck, you’re sure doing well for yourself.

Kamui: I’m sorry... I’m afraid I have nothing to say to that.

Takumi: Hm... guess you’re still man enough to feel guilt, after all. Then you can start regretting your mistake as I kill you right here!

Treehouse

Takumi: Any last words, Corrin?

Corrin: Takumi... In your heart you must know this is the last thing I ever wanted.

Takumi: Ah, how quaint. More pretty words from the Prince of Betrayal. How can you stand to live after the horrors you caused in Hoshido? My suspicions must be accurate. Nohrians don't have souls.

Corrin: Words could never express my sorrow for what took place...

Takumi: Oh? Are you still human enough to feel remorse? Fascinating. It's a fitting last emotion. I hope you feel its sting as I strike you down!

Takumi being a little shit towards his enemies is always hilarious, that’s one thing that Treehouse did that I think is fun. Another one I like is in chapter 13, where when Camilla calls Scarlet a traitor, Takumi responds with “Nohrian logic never ceases to amuse me.” And again in chapter 23 where, while not funny but more dramatic, he tells Corrin he “...shall cherish the sound of life leaving your body for all eternity.” Lines like these weren’t in the JP version, but since they are harmless additions and not replacing anything, they’re all fine. It only becomes an issue to me when said moments start replacing genuine tender scenes or cutting out details, like in Birthright.

Endgame (Corrin talks to Takumi in purgatory)

JP version

Takumi: Thank you. It would have been if we had fought alongside each other. Kamui. The truth is... I always wanted us to get along as siblings. I wanted to call you ‘brother.’ I wish I could have said that when I was still me... but I'm so stubborn that I just couldn't be honest with you. ...... I'm sorry.

Kamui: I’m sorry, too... Your resentment is my doing. ...I have always wanted you to call me ‘brother’, as well. Once the war was over, we could have been close as siblings should be. And yet...I am so sorry that things turned out this way.

Takumi: No, it’s all right. You accepted my resentment and came all this way. That's enough. Thank you, brother...

Treehouse

Takumi: Thank you, Corrin. I wonder…what it would have been like to fight on the same side as you. I always wished we could have been close, as you are with your Nohrian siblings. Right up until my last moments, I wanted so badly to call you my brother. To look up to you and love you…and never allow anything to come between us. I wish I had told you that before I died. While there was still a chance… I was just so stubborn, so hurt. I couldn’t admit those feelings even to myself. For that, I am truly sorry. I’m so sorry for letting you slip away, dear brother.

Corrin: Takumi…I’m sorry too. I caused you so much pain. The truth is, I longed to have you accept me as your brother too. I never let go of the dream that after the war we could all be together again… I’m so sorry things turned out the way they did.

Takumi: It’s all right, Corrin. We finally got to say all the things we needed to say. You have done more than enough. My heart… It’s finally at peace. Thank you, Brother…

I mentioned in my Conquest post that, while the Treehouse version is perfectly fine, it could potentially be read as putting more of the onus of Takumi and Corrin’s falling out on Takumi rather than Corrin. The JP version makes it more clear where each party is responsible.

Anyway, since Conquest’s localization has a fraction of the issues that Birthright’s has and Takumi showed up less frequently since he was an enemy, time to move on to Revelation... or at least, I would, but like Conquest, Revelation doesn’t have nearly as many localization issues as Birthright. Plus, Takumi has to share the spotlight with 7 other siblings and Azura, soooo... not many lines to screw up, anyhow.

So instead, time for supports and other general dialogue!

Corrin Support

In the JP version, when Corrin notes that it’s harder to draw a bowstrong than he imagined, Takumi notes that it takes a lot of physical and mental strength to do so. Localization just has him say “Well of course, did you think it’d be easy?” Similar message, but fewer details. Corrin then notes that because of that, he realized once again how talented Takumi is. In the JP version, Takumi gets flustered and nervous, in the localized version, he asks if Corrin is being sarcastic. Again, same message, but comes across a bit differently.

Other than those things and few lines being rearranged, the support chain is pretty faithful for the most part.

Felicia Support

In the JP version at the end of the A support, Felicia says that, while satisfied with Takumi’s apology for being rude, she still wants to share stories of her hometown, so he should be prepared. In response, Takumi laughs and says something like “Is that so?”. Treehouse changed this to have Takumi say outright “No more Ice Tribe stories anymore.” The reason why this was changed is most likely to fit in with how the S support is framed, where Takumi says he was frustrated with Felicia only talking about her hometown all the time instead of about herself. The JP version kept it intentionally ambiguous because there’s no guarantee that Takumi and Felicia will S support one another, so meh. Not a huge mistake, but thought I’d mention it. Other than that, the support was done well.

Azura Support

Again, not many major differences. Just in the JP version of the A support, Takumi says “from now on, let’s get along like brother and sister” whereas Treehouse has him say “we’ll both make more of an effort.” Less familial, so it can be seen as lacking a bit.

Sakura Support

JP version of the C support has Takumi mention that prominent aristocrats of Hoshido will attend the party/banquet attending, so that’s why he and Sakura can’t skip it. Treehouse cut out this small detail. Also, in the JP version Takumi says the atmosphere of these kinds of parties are stuffy, whereas Treehouse has him say “I wish we could leave all this highfalutin stuff to someone else”, which honestly got a chuckle out of me. Love words like that.

Treehouse version of the B support adds the line where he suggests lighting the guests hair on fire and running for cover, alongside the pre-existing line of faking being sick. Again, pretty funny to me tbh. Takumi saying crazy shit is a-ok to me, so long as it’s not at the expense of other lines being removed or moments being ruined.

Hinata Support

C support in the Treehouse version has Takumi pull rank by saying “Is that any way to address your superiors? “Show yourself”? Seriously!?” JP version just has him say “If you need anything, just tell me.” The idea of Takumi pulling rank isn’t exactly surprising per se, but he’s more the type to lash out at unfamiliar people speaking too casually with him. Hinata is a close friend and retainer, so it’s a bit out of place.

Oboro Support

In the Treehouse B support, Takumi says the fabrics that Oboro chose get the “Takumi seal of approval.” Not a negative addition at all, it’s cute.

Kagero Support

In the Treehouse C support, Takumi says “It seems like stealth comes naturally to you. After all, just a moment ago you popped up and scared me so bad I peed a little.” The peeing line wasn’t in the JP version. They made my son a pissbaby.

Kana Child Support

I felt obligated to mention how Takumi says “Well mold my onions, aren't you clever?” in response to how Kana has been helping Corrin out during the little father-son contest. Not in the JP support, obviously. But y’know. Onions, lol.

Camilla Support

Bit of a change here.

JP version

Takumi: I may seem unreliable as I am now, but if it's for you...I will definitely become even stronger, no matter what it takes!

Camilla: ......

Takumi: That's why...please marry me!

Camilla: Prince Takumi...You were...very dashing just now. I...didn't know you could be so bold.

Takumi: Princess Camilla...

Camilla: I...happily accept your proposal. Please let me watch over your growth by your side, okay?

Takumi: Yes. Of course.

Treehouse

Takumi: I know you still see me as cute, or childish, or as a fun plaything. But I have more to offer than that! Give me the chance to prove it to you!

Camilla: Hmmmmmmm... That was shockingly mature, for you. I've never known you to be so solemn and direct.

Takumi: Princess Camilla, I...

Camilla: I accept your proposal. Perhaps I flatter myself, but I suspect it's my care which has helped you along. In which case, staying by your side for years to come will only improve you further.

Takumi: N-not exactly the response I was hoping for...but I'll take it. Here's to our life together!

Like Camilla says herself in the Treehouse version, she flatters herself more. She also says him being mature is a shock, which is kinda mean, and that feeling only gets cemented when Takumi says it wasn’t exactly the response he was hoping for. JP version more or less has Camilla be more genuinely surprised at how bold he is.

Leo Support

More significant differences. First is a part of the C rank.

JP version

Leon: I'm telling you in advance that we probably won't be getting along well.

Takumi: Hm, What a coincidence. To tell you the truth, I thought so too.

Leon: What...?

Takumi: That haughty attitude, and that condescending way you look at other people... I knew you were a disgusting sort of person from the beginning.

Leon: ………… …Okay then, your childish way of thinking makes me want to vomit. I won't ever approach you, so you also must never approach me.

Treehouse

Leo: We might as well get this out of the way. You and I are not going to be friends.

Takumi: What a coincidence! I was just thinking the same thing.

Leo: Of course you were. You have such an arrogant attitude and—

Takumi: Me?! I'm not the one going around patronizing everybody! You're the jerk!

Leo: Is that the best you can do? You sound like a whiny, little brat. Just as expected. Let's make a deal. You stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. Think you can manage?

Consistent with certain other instances of Treehouse, the same message is getting across, but the tone is a bit different. Both are definitely hostile, but the Treehouse one could come across more... immature, I guess. I personally don’t take issue with it, but I thought it was relevant to bring up. Now on to a part of B rank:

JP version

Leon: Prince Takumi... What's your favorite food?

Takumi: I like miso soup...

Leon: Miso soup?

Takumi: Ah, you mix miso and dried bonito in hot water, season it, and add other ingredients such as vegetables or tofu to boil and then eat.

Leon: Wha...?

Takumi: Hm, what's wrong?

Leon: I... like food such as soup and stew. To put it simply… Food where you mix meat and vegetables in boiling water which you then season …In other words, it's something like miso soup.

Takumi: Wh-what?

Leon: W-well then, what's your favorite kind of book to read? Novels or essays, or poetry anthologies? What's your favorite genre?

Takumi: Books, huh… I read all kinds, though I mainly like philosophy books. Philosophers from the past who expresses a different way of thinking compared to the people who are living now. That's what's interesting to me...

Leon: H-how is this possible!? How can this be the same too!?

Takumi: Then, what about your favorite pastime... What's your hobby!?

Leon: I-I like chess. Chess is a strategic game where you use pieces to battle on on a board.

Takumi: Th-that's... In Hoshido, that's something called Shogi!

Leon: ...And do you like this Shogi game, Prince Takumi?

Takumi: Like is an understatement, I'm the best in our family. How... how do we have so much in common?

Leon: …………

Takumi: ………… Hey, Prince Leon. Maybe getting to know one another isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Leon: What a coincidence… I was thinking the same. Do you want to continue talking about each other's tastes?

Takumi: Y-yeah. Who knows, we might find out about other things we have in common.

Leon: In the unlikely event we do hit it off, I’m sure we’ll get along well, h-hahaha...

Takumi: Hahaha...

Treehouse

Leo: They say that people with similar personalities like the same things.

Takumi: I like miso soup.

Leo: Mee-so soup?

Takumi: Yeah. It's a Hoshidan dish. You got a problem with that?

Leo: No. My favorite food is beef stew. It's kind of like a soup. Hmm...

Takumi: What kind of books do you read?

Leo: I read all kinds of things, but I have a passion for history.

Takumi: Is it...because you love to study the strategy behind past battles?

Leo: Gods, don't tell me... Do you like to read history books too?

Takumi: Yes, but I'm sure our hobbies are different.

Leo: My favorite game is chess. It's a tactical board game where—

Takumi: In Hoshido, our version is called shogi.

Leo: And do you like to play this "show-gee" thing?

Takumi: I'm the best shogi player in my whole family.

Leo: I can't believe it. Who would have guessed we have so much in common?

Takumi: I don't know, but I'll tell you—it's hard to hate someone with such excellent taste!

Leo: No kidding. I was about to say the exact same thing. Hmm... Maybe we should do this again sometime.

Takumi: Ahaha! Oh? So now you want to be best friends?

Leo: Ha! Of course not. That will never happen.

Takumi: Never!

Once again, similar message gets across, but lines are rearranged. However, this time, some details are cut, such as discussion of how both Takumi and Leo take their miso soup and stew respectively. One significant change is how originally Takumi and Leo loved philosophy books, but Treehouse changed this to battle strategy and history. Don’t know why this was changed, I thought it was neat. Also near the end, while both versions of the support have a kind of “in-denial” aspect about becoming friends, it can come across a bit differently. Though this is just linguistics in general, tbh. Japanese itself is a more... indirect language when it comes to speaking. There’s also Leo saying “mee-so” and “show-gee”, which some can probably think is cringe, but meh. It fuels my “Hoshido and Nohr speak different language” headcanon, so I’m fine with it.

Anyway, in the JP A support there’s another description by Leo of the miso soup recipe and him detailing a bit why he enjoyed it, but other than that, that’s it for their support. And for supports as a whole, too.

Private Quarters

When inviting:

JP version

"Brother, what did you want?"

"Brother, what should we talk about?"

"Brother, I’m here. What’s going on?"

"What’s wrong? ...Am I in the way of something?" (When Married to someone else)

Treehouse

"What is it? Did you want to tell me little secrets or something?"

"What's with all the racket in here? Are you playing the drums or something?"

"What do you want? There's no point in sparring. You couldn't keep up!"

"Huh! If this is how it is, I'll get my slippers. We can all cuddle." (When Married to someone else)

The JP version of these lines are a bit generic, so I appreciate the changes Treehouse made here.

Last, but not least, while there are other changes to his lovers lines in Private Quarters, his S rank line in particular I wanna bring mention too.

In Treehouse’s version, it’s this:

“I would do anything for you. Would you do anything for me? I need to know...”

In the JP version, however, it’s this:

“I love you. If there were another world in which I raised a hand against you… at that time kill me to stop me. Promise me that you will definitely do that.”

Big difference. Treehouse did this a lot with certain private quarters lines and confessions, where references to story happenings get outright replaced. Off the top of my head, Xander’s S rank private quarters in the JP version talks about how he’d be fine with dying if Corrin was the one doing it, referencing his death in Birthright. Elise, Ryoma, Flora, and as seen here, Takumi, have similar cases. It’s a shame that these were replaced, because I find it pretty neat that tragedy involved with these characters gets invoked in personal settings.

Anyway, I couldn’t find any more significant differences! I looked at DLC lines, My Castle lines, and the like to make sure, but all of it was pretty faithful to the original script. Overall, yeah, there are pretty significant changes here, with Birthright being the main offender as per usual. Some of them are baffling, some are effectively harmless, but regardless thought to do this because Takumi remains one of my favorite characters in Fates and Fire Emblem as a whole.

I hope you all enjoyed reading it!

#takumi fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fire emblem #fe14 #hoshido #fire emblem if #treehouse localization #meta

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arogustus · 27 days

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Splatband Analysis - Hightide Era

So I was eating breakfast the other day when I found on the back of my milk carton this picture about a band being missing? Now, I think they’re exaggerating a bit on the “M.I.A.” thing. Sure, they haven’t been mentioned since Splatoon 2, where they got to cameo in the White Day artwork and are involved in the backstory for Ink Theory, but you know who else hasn’t been mentioned since Splatoon 2? SashiMori. And I don’t see anyone making a big deal about that (other than me, Nintendo, please), but I digress. Let’s talk about these losers.

The Band

Hightide Era is an indie band that developed a strong enough fanbase to get their music into the Turf War scene. The band started life with Taka performing on the street, before later being joined by Kuze, and then Nishida, in that order. One of the first things we learned is the meaning of the band's name, which refers to both the nature of the band's sound, brimming and full… and also the ecological realities of the world. Seems the band has environmental concerns they wanna draw attention to, enough to make it a part of their name.

Taka

The band's pianist and vocalist, and the overall center of attention of the band, which is exactly what they want. They’re an incredibly talented musician, having practiced piano since the age of Four, and attended the same prestigious academy that Karen did, having been her senior while she was attending. After that, though, they grew tired of all this academic music nonsense and took to the streets to perform, which is where they met Kuze and Nishida.

The most obvious thing to know about Taka, outright told to us in their own description, is that Taka is a shallow poser. Their main motivation for making music isn’t for any artistic merit, but just because it gets them attention and adoration. Which, considering they’ve been at it since the age of Four, is pretty concerning. Also very superficial beneath the surface. It’s an Ichiya situation, with a lot of surface level charisma concealing a superficial personality. It must be pretty effective too considering they have a dedicated fan in Karen. That desire for attention also keeps them from adding a bassist to the band, it draws attention away from the low notes they hit. What an ass.

White Day art time, we see our stinker leaning back on their chair, clearly spectating the epic battle between Tangle and Finn like a weirdo. They must get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing chaos going on around them. Or maybe they’re trying to peek at Finn? In which case they probably didn’t get to stay as a spectator for long.

Kuze

Kuze is the drummer and a stone fish. He plays on cheap drums because it provides a very messy but powerful sound that compliments the other members trying to look cool. He probably just likes the way the drum sounds and thinks it looks cool. He’s also a fashion designer, he made the uniforms the band wears. Probably has a lot of talents in that area, too.

He’s the third and final member of Underpass Bass Drum, so he’s an active turf player. It’d be cool if one day we got an idea as to what their weapon preferences are. Maybe they even wear a uniform too, what with him being a part of the team? Ah, I’m speculating.

White Day has him sitting with Paul and Jawn. He’s not playing the game, so he’s probably just hanging with them and watching, perhaps waiting for his turn. But there’s one thing you can see him do, and that’s giving Taka the side-eye. It gives the vibe that he knows about Taka and their shenanigans and doesn’t tolerate them too much. Or he’s just keeping an eye on them in case Finn notices and takes it as a challenge.

Nishida

Nishida is a herring and a guitarist. They don’t like being in the spotlight, despite the stereotype revolving around guitarists. May or may not have something to do with the fact they are the youngest of 247 siblings. Like, yeah, that’s a huge ratio of sibling teasing, bullying and fawning, especially since they’re the youngest. Still, they don’t hate attention, they’ve apparently been featured in a serialized magazine that talks about their guitar skills. And apparently people they’re trying to “put on airs” (it means they act like they’re better than others, to be snobbish), when really they don’t do that… most of the time. Is it trying to say that they’re only occasionally snobbish and act egotistical?

In the White Day artwork, they are shown engaged in conversation with Taichi in the back of the bar. They’re more social than they appear, at least, but we may never know what the nature of their conversation is. #Nishida x Taichi Romance. They also brought their guitar for some reason, despite absolutely no one else bringing anything. Wonder what that’s about.

—

And that’s Hightide Era. I never cared about them until today, but I’m glad to say I’ve gained an appreciation for them as of this analysis. There’s something to love about everyone, even if some of them could probably use a little less attention (*cought* Taka *cough*).

We are down two bands. The Chips that Chirp, the neurodivergence squad Chirpy Chips, and everyone’s favorite band of fish freaks ω-3. I’ll go with the Chips first, and then finish with the Salmons. This is fun.

#splatoon #splatbands #splatband analysis #hightide era #taka #kuze #nishida #my work #i see the appeal of these guys #they're all hot losers #it all makes sense now

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obeymematches · 30 days

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Hello! Are you taking matchup requests? If yes, I'd like to send one in for Obey Me. I'd like a pina colada please

I'll go by ⭐. My pronouns are she/her and I'm demisexual

Appearance: I am South Asian with long wavy black hair. Usually tie my hair in a half ponytail at the back because I like how it looks and I don't really like the feeling of hair on my shoulders. I am 165 cm tall and reasonably fit

Personality: I'm calm, collected and hardworking. I can be a bit aloof and arrogant sometimes, but I make sure it doesn't get out of hand. I am curious and perfectionistic, and I'm also pretty academically smart (though I sometimes struggle with impostor syndrome lol). The gifted kid burnout syndrome is catching up, though. People say I do have a bit of a cold facade, but once they get to know me, they say I'm much warmer and gentler than they initially thought. I care deeply for my friends and my family, so I'll do whatever I can for them. I do face a lot of pressures too from having to be the perfect oldest daughter, the therapist friend (despite psychology not being my major, more of a special interest) and from having to do well in school (as much as I enjoy engineering, it is kicking my ass low-key). It may not look like it, but I'm very much a romantic, but I'm more practical about it if that makes any sense 😅😅

I often bake my closest friends and family a cake on their birthday with a silly message written on it. I also has a soft spot (special interest) for outer space and love to stargaze wherever the skies are clear. Don't know if this is important, but I do make some pretty mean South Asian food if I do say so myself

Likes: Books, herbal tea, art, lofi hip-hop, video games, anime, drawing, spicy food, affogato, outer space

Dislikes: Incompetence, unnecessary conflicts, bullies, fake friends dishonesty, cruelty, dog-eared book pages, anyone who dares threaten my family, loud noises, itchy fabrics

oh! we've done an exchange not too long ago.

I've decided to match you with Solomon.

• Your academia vibes definitely match his; don’t get me wrong, although he is a master of many things, unfortunately he isn’t a fashion icon (yet?) but he thinks academia style looks elegant / cute depending on the day. • It just means that he is attracted to you at first sight. Which is always a good start, even if you don’t elope into a long talk the very first time you meet. • (Bet she looking 🔥 when she feels comfortable and cute!) • To be fair he isn’t here to make friends with humans; he was fine neglecting the human world for several decades. He isn’t going to care more, now that another human is here…. but curiosity got the best of him and eventually he made sure to meet you before classes. (No. He didn’t attend that class.) • After your quick chat it became a weekly habit of his, to meet you there and then, start some kind of conversation (you’d think he was awkward and you’d be very wrong. Listen he communicates and manipluates his ways into forming a pact with almost every person there.) • It only starts getting awkward when he starts to like your personality for real real. For example this week he arrived 5 mins earlier and was waiting for you. • After a while you two found yourselves in front of your class’s door 20 minutes (!) before it would begin. Huh. • He liked your cold facade ngl, he likes a challenge. However, his ice cold frozen heart slowly, very slowly starts to melt as you warm up to him more and more. • He learned that you are reliable and trustworthy, which he very much appreciates. It lowkey made him want to get closer to you, I mean spiritually. Please help him with this or that, let me show you something, you must see this, etc. • This went on for months, you were truly good friends when he asked you the question you were excited to hear; Would you date me? Shall we go on a date? • Of course he jokes about it being a human thing and at first you can’t tell if hes just being funny or he is serious…. • By now he figured out that you like romantic stuff so if you agree to date him he is going to make the first date romantic just to please you! Possibly stargazing as you like that, or maybe a museum if you are not comfortable with meeting at night. • He secretly craved for a long time to have this level of intimacy with someone and so he’d make sure to please you; whatever you r love language is he does it to make you feel loved and secure! • The fact that you can and will cook is going to be life saving in the long run! • Some downsides of this relationship include him making dog ears to some of the books, he is always up to no good, very known public image so it’s hard to go out in public without anyone stopping you two (in the devildom, the human realm is safe).

My second option for you was Barbatos, honestly the only downside of that relationship is that neither of you is going to start and try to have a good conversation…. so it’s a rocky beginning, but if you get past that phase somehow, it’s going to be pretty solid if I do say so myself.

#obey me matchup #obey me #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me swd #obey me solomon #om! matchup #matchups #obey me!#swd obey me

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bestworstcase · 1 year

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if salem and ozma are the gods of choice and knowledge, do you have any thoughts for what that means for cinder and raven, the maidens of their domains?

TO START,

we have to lay out some more general Thoughts and Concepts because this whole. can of worms has been simmering in my brain for more than a year and there’s just. A Lot. i can’t find and link every previous post of mine that has brushed up against it before because there’s too many but i’ve also not done a proper rundown of the whole thing before so we’re going to do that now.

what’s a god?

to lead into this i want to first set the baseline of the typical fandom-wide reading of the brother gods so that we can then talk about 1. what a deity is in the polytheistic sense, 2. why salem and ozma are not in fact “false” gods, and 3. why popular readings of lost fable are largely nonsense

the standard reading of the brother gods is that light is generally benevolent and dark generally malevolent, with some flex on either side to account for light’s rigidity and dark’s fickle nature; dark is implicitly understood to be subordinate and light the de facto supreme creator of everything, with dark’s participation reduced (incorrectly, per the text) to making the grimm and the destructive side of human nature. in essence, the majority of the fandom reads the god of light as the christian god and the god of darkness as the christian satan in fantasy costumes. this is what i meant by monotheistic lens—in popular fanon the god of darkness is effectively demoted to subordinate divine agent of the capital-g Supreme God. likewise, salem and ozma are understood as “false” gods for no reason at all other than circular “well they’re not real gods” logic.

so what is a god?

in the broadest, most simple terms, a god is a being revered as divine.

that’s it.

now if you want to get into the weeds there is a bewildering variety of definitions and meanings because concepts like “deity” and “divinity” have hugely different meanings across cultures and history, but for a loose general definition, we might get a little more granular and say that a god is a being with some degree of supernatural control or influence or power over some part of reality or existence, who interacts with humans in some emotionally or spiritually significant way. <- note the sheer amount of equivocation baked into this definition, because it isn’t possible to concisely and precisely define what a god is without drawing lines that exclude some entities who absolutely were or are gods. this includes attempting to narrow the definition by specifying that the being in question must not be human, because deification of ancestors and culture heroes are both widespread practices throughout history.

indeed outside of a monotheistic framework the notion of a “false” god is frankly meaningless; if a being is more powerful than ordinary humans and worshipped as divine then ipso facto it IS a god. divinity is a social construct.

as it pertains to rwby, the narrative has very helpfully provided some explicit definitions of divinity as it is understood by some of remnant’s cultures:

- a god is a being who uses magic and comes back from the dead (infinite man)

- a god is a higher power guiding people’s actions (after the fall)

- a god is a magical being who offers freedom and change (shallow sea)

- a god is a supernatural being who adjudicates conflicts between mortals (judgment of faunus)

- a god is a phenomenally powerful, but still finite, being who creates and destroys the world (two brothers)

- a god is a being that performs wonders far beyond the capability of any one human (gift of the moon)

some of these ideas overlap with each other and some don’t and some implicitly contradict each other, which is very realistic, but if we look at them all collectively it is perfectly clear that with the possible exception of adherents to the monolatrous brother-cult, most people on remnant would consider not only salem and ozma but also the maidens and the relic spirits to be gods—and the same holds true if we judge by the standards of the real world and polytheistic religions both today and historically.

(this is one of many reasons why the mantra pyrrha recites when she awakens jaune’s aura interests me so much; whatever religious tradition pyrrha subscribes to conceives of death as an apotheosis and that is an intriguing cultural belief to lead with in a story about religious war between two immortal people and their respective cults.)

now of course it goes without saying that the brothers are more powerful than the relics or ozma or salem, who themselves are more powerful than the maidens; but that doesn’t matter because godhood is not a measurement of raw power. divinity is a social construct. these characters are culturally defined as gods, ipso facto they are gods.

worship in the lost fable

the most critical thing to understand about the brothers is that they’re bad gods. i do not mean this in the sense of them being morally wrong (although they are that, too) but rather, they’re bad gods in the way that a bus driver who refused to pick up passengers would be a bad bus driver; the brother gods do not perform the basic functions of the societal role they occupy. this again is something the fandom at large gets abjectly wrong as a consequence of reading the god of light as the supreme-creator God and the god of darkness as the subordinate Devil, firstly because that reading presumes a christian-esque unidirectional relationship between God and humanity and secondly because it demands the assumption that light has the standing to forbid worship of his brother.

and that is um. not how polytheistic religions work. again there is a phenomenal amount of variety here across different cultures and time periods so i’m speaking in broad generalizations but 1. in polytheistic contexts worship of any given deity tends to be a matter of proximity, in the sense that if you go out into the woods to hunt you’ll want to be in good with whatever forest and hunting god(s) you might have in the area; it isn’t about belief so much as it’s about peaceful coexistence with the powers that be, and 2. the expectation is that the gods will make it worth your while. longtime followers and anyone who happened to see the post-9.5 brainmelt incident may recall me throwing the phrase ‘do ut des’ around and this is what that means—a literalish translation would be “i give that you might give”—it’s specifically a roman concept (<- roman polytheism was particularly contractual in nature) but the basic idea is very common. you do things to please the gods with the expectation that they will give something in return, or otherwise you repay divine favors with favor of your own.

thus a god who not only fails to deliver but punishes you for asking is violating their side of the arrangement and, practically speaking, is not going to be worshipped for very long, or at all. if a god who behaves in this manner is too powerful to ignore—as the brothers are—then at best they might be appeased from a distance, but nobody with the slightest bit of self-preservation or common sense is going to keep praying to a god who curses people for praying to them.

and although we see very little of the culture of ancient humans, what we do see suggests quite strongly that careful, arm’s-length appeasement is exactly the dynamic that existed between the brothers and humankind; both have modest shrines on the outskirts of their domains and apparently no formal religious systems whatsoever beyond that, as salem meets with no theological resistance in the course of inciting three kingdoms to rebellion against the brother gods. the incomprehensibly powerful creators of the cosmos were real and materially present alongside their creations, and a single person united multiple nations to go to war with them without so much as a whisper of protest from their cults because THERE WERE NO CULTS!

the brothers were such abject failures as deities that they were not widely worshipped on remnant until hundreds of millions of years after they left, and ancient humans existed in a state of such profound spiritual deprivation that all it took to provoke a rebellion was one woman with nothing left to lose.

—i could go down a rabbit hole here about the god of darkness but i HAVE talked about him quite a bit before so i will do my best to restrain myself. suffice it to say that there are some interesting layers to this where he’s concerned because he clearly does want to be worshipped in this reciprocal way and nearly comes to blows with his brother over light’s determination to prevent that.

the salient point as far as your actual question (we’ll get there!) is that when i say “salem did nothing wrong” i do not just mean that a traumatized grieving woman who grew up imprisoned in a tower deserved compassion instead of exorbitant punishment, i mean that the gods cursed her with eternal torture because she worshipped them. she makes an appropriate offering to both of them and tells them exactly what she wants—that’s not arrogant or entitled, that is straight up just how polytheistic religion works.

the god of choice

i want to stress up front that i’m not arguing that this is a deliberate allusion (because the similarity is archetypal) but rather using the real-world mythology as an illustration of the archetypes salem evokes; with that disclaimer in mind, let’s talk about the popol vuh!

in the interest of brevity i am going to give a very abridged summary; michael bazzett’s translation is lovely though :)

so, basically: the hero twins hunahpu and xbalanque, bastard children of hun hunahpu (whom the lords of xilbalba murdered) and xquic (daughter of a xilbalban lord), grow up in the dubious care of their grandmother and their two viciously cruel (and murderous) elder half-brothers, they’re made to work all day while their brothers play and then surrender the fruits of their labors over to their brothers, and so forth. they overcome every challenge they face through a combination of cunning, resourcefulness, and close connection with nature. when the vain god vucub caquix claims to be the sun and adorns himself with precious jewels, the hero twins are called upon to undo his falsehoods. first encounter with him, they break his jaw and he tears off hunahpu’s arm before escaping; undeterred, the twins trick him into returning the arm (which is then reattached) in exchange for the removal of his bejeweled teeth from his broken jaw by a pair of “doctors.” later they kill his equally arrogant and foolish sons, zipacna and cabrakan, through similarly deceptive means. later still, the twins begin to play in their father’s long-abandoned ballcourt and make so much noise that the lords of xibalba decide to invite them over for murder (as one does) and the twins stretch to the limits of their cleverness and creativity to survive various trials until they’re made to spend the night in bat house and hunahpu’s head is bitten off by one of the bats. (he’s fine) (xbalanque pulls off an elaborate sleight of hand to steal his head back and puts it back on and he’s literally fine). the lords of xibalba at this point are pissed so they build a big oven with the intention of forcing the twins into it; the twins are like, uh-oh, i don’t think we can’t trickster hero our way out of this one, so they instead jump willingly into the oven and get incinerated; the lords scatter the ashes in the river aaand the hero twins come right back to life. disguised, the twins return to xibalba and act as dancers and miracle-workers, burning and unburning houses, ritually sacrificing each other and then rising from the dead again, so forth, until the lords get so jazzed about the miracles that they demand to be killed and brought back too—and that is how the hero twins slay the lords of xibalba, avenging their father and breaking xibalba’s dominance over the land above, after which they depart from xibalba and ascend into the sky as the sun and the moon. time begins, and the final creation of humankind is completed at last. (<- the gods of the popol vuh make several attempts to create humans and destroy each failed attempt; the exact nature of the hero twins is ambiguously divine-human-adjacent.)

again, we are concerned with archetype here, not direct allusion. the essential building blocks of the popol vuh narrative—katabasis, confrontation with the divine, the cyclical creation and destruction of failed attempts by the gods to create humankind, apotheosis through death and resurrection, defeat of an older divine regime as the final act in the creation of the world—occur in a huge variety of different forms across a huge variety of cultures, and i’m referring to the popol vuh because it conveniently combines all of them into a single narrative. what i’m coming to is that a key strength of the lost fable is that it is an entirely plausible creation myth, and given the general nature of rwby’s narrative and its significant and overt intertextuality, there is no doubt in my mind that this plausibility is intentional; the lost fable is not based on any one myth but is rather a fictional myth crafted by combination of many mythical themes and motifs that exist commonly across many different traditions.

from this perspective, the lost fable is fairly unambiguously a story about the apotheosis of a mortal culture hero through a series of deaths and resurrections: she sees the injustices and cruelty of the gods laid bare and challenges their rule, as punishment she is cast into the fountain of creation and drowns and becomes immortal, she takes their curse and remakes it into her greatest weapon against them; the gods, displeased by the defiance of the humans they created, attempt to destroy them, and salem too is obliterated before she regenerates from the ashes; finding themselves unable to to kill her, the gods simply leave and consign her to eternal isolation, but salem casts herself into the pool of grimm and is torn apart and remade and climbs back out into a living new world. whether there is a direct causal relationship between salem’s transformation and the resurrection of humankind is not yet certain, but 1. the structure of the myth positions salem’s transformation as symbolically equivalent to the recreation of humanity itself, in that she wanders the dead ruin of the world alone until her transformation and the next we see of remnant it’s bursting with civilization, and 2. the first humans were created by union of the brothers’ natures, and salem’s transformation explicitly recreates that union (“it created a being of infinite life with a desire for pure destruction”), so mechanically speaking there is good reason to interpret her transformation as the act that gave rise to modern humans: identical to the brothers’ design in every way save for lacking the brothers’ blessings and having instead a kind of magic drawn from their own souls.

and this is what makes salem the god of choice, right. in the mythological sense her rebellion succeeded through its defeat: the gods annihilate humanity and salem is renewed from the ashes and they leave; she drowns herself in the pool of grimm and restores the balance of her soul and the world comes back to life, humanity rises again liberated from the exacting tyranny of the brothers. she is a god not only by the cultural definition given in the infinite man but also the one suggested by the shallow sea, a magical being of transformation and change and liberation.

our souls transcend death

with all of this laid out i want to return to pyrrha’s mantra, because it’s the keystone holding everything else together.

“for it is in passing that we achieve immortality. through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. i release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee.” <- the method pyrrha uses to awaken jaune’s aura is ritualized death and resurrection. aura, she tells him, is about knowing, understanding both light and darkness, within the self and in the world beyond. death is an act of transcendence. note that this mantra is echoed in the lyrics of rising, and the coincidence of this repetition with the lost fable is almost certainly not an accident; pyrrha draws upon a religious tradition that harkens back to the death and resurrection of humankind through the death and resurrection of salem herself. this is the first salvo of rwby’s cosmological worldbuilding and it’s about the triumph of salem’s rebellion, the rebirth of humanity from the ashes of defeat and unbound by death from the will of the brother gods.

the god of knowledge

strictly speaking i think it would be more accurate to describe ozma as a god of fate, but as we’re working within the fourfold metaphysics of the narrative here we’ll call it knowledge. the god of light brings him out of the afterlife and burdens him with an eschatological quest, telling him that humanity is gone but destined to rise again and must be redeemed before the brother gods or else be annihilated once again. he returns and finds salem and it is this unreconcilable tension between ozma’s knowledge of humanity’s fate and salem’s absolute defiance of the authors of that fate that ultimately tears them apart; if salem embodies humanity’s liberation from the brothers, then ozma is the threat of their eventual subjugation or obliteration. their conflict is a conflict between apostate and disciple but also thematically a conflict between choice and knowledge, freedom and fate.

in the more granular sense ozma also prosecutes the cold holy war through control and manipulation of knowledge; he refrains from telling salem the truth until she makes an unambiguous declaration rejecting the god he serves, whereupon he commits to the lie in an effort to guide her back into the fold—which goes predictably and catastrophically wrong; afterwards he devotes himself to eliminating all knowledge of her existence from public knowledge and spends lifetimes nurturing the monolatrous ditheistic brother-cult using careful arrangements of half-truths and lies to coax humanity back into obedient submission, with negligible success. by his own standards of divinity—“a higher power guiding our actions”—he’s a god, whether he cares to admit it or not.

but the most critical piece here is silver eyes, whose origin has been definitively confirmed but not yet explained: they are not, as maria assumes, a gift from the god of light, but rather a trait found in bloodlines stretching back to ozma. they come from him—and the quality the silver-eye magic belongs to is not creation but knowledge. after the first time ruby glares, she experiences echoes of pyrrha’s last moments in her dreams, remembering dialogue she herself did not get to hear; when maria teaches her how to use this power, she instructs ruby to think of the people who love her and how that makes her feel—to know what it feels like to be loved, so to speak. the first time ruby glares deliberately she has to call out to the avatar of knowledge for help, symbolically associating the glare’s magic with the presence of knowledge. and of course rwby has been very clear from the beginning that the sphere of knowledge encompasses emotion; grimm, creations of darkness, are drawn to emotion, the god of darkness himself is driven by emotion, and true human magic—aura—arises from knowledge of light and darkness, life and death. thus the glare, fueled as it is by love and grief, is at its core a power derived from knowledge.

(note that silver eyes are powerfully associated with light—and the relic of knowledge is a lamp.)

cinder and raven and broken fairytales

okay so with the preamble out of the way, both cinder and raven are to salem and ozma respectively as salem and ozma were to the brother gods; that is, cinder wants something from salem that salem is not willing to give and she is willing to disobey and defy salem in order to get it, and raven was entrusted with knowledge and power with the intention that she would use both in service of ozma’s will. the key difference with cinder is that salem met defiance with concession and compromise, and the key difference with raven is that upon realizing that her mandate was far worse than she had been lead to believe, she changed her mind and walked away from it.

in this sense both of them reveal the correct way forward; the brother gods must be made to uphold their side of the religious contract and ozma must find the courage to lay down his mandate and walk away. that salem gets it right when she’s put into the divine position is interesting mainly for what it might suggest about the way she conceives of herself in relation to the brothers—at a minimum she has correctly identified their tyranny not as their refusal to give her what she wanted but rather in punishing her for asking, hence why she takes responsibility for both cinder’s disobedience and her failure while still maneuvering cinder away from direct confrontation with the winter maiden. this also means salem is now in uncharted territory, in that she chose not to repeat the cycle of divine punishment and what cinder will do next is an open question.

similarly raven is due for a return and i expect that to loosely coincide with the reveal that summer rose is working for salem and team rwby’s return from the ever after, and for all of these things to incite change in ozma through their combined indictment of his conviction that there is no greater shame than “retreat.” raven in particular has already offered a direct counterargument to ozma’s philosophy on choice; he says “there is no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat” and condemns raven for choosing to “abandon her duties in favor of her own self interest,” she says the only sane thing to do is “look at all the information […] assess the situation, and make a choice”—and while raven has made plenty of bad choices, broadly the narrative agrees with her stance, not with ozma’s. the kids have been assessing the information in front of them and adjusting their choices in response to new information ever since the lost fable, and V9 so far is very much about questioning and looking at things from different perspectives in order to find better answers. so whereas the god of choice is changing herself by choosing to compromise, the god of knowledge has lost his absolute control over knowledge and is on the brink of a serious challenge to his philosophical understanding of choice and knowledge; a nascent third repetition of human rebellion against divine authority that must be answered before the story can end. and resolving these confrontations, negotiating reciprocal compromises with both salem and ozma, sets the pattern for final resolution of the ongoing conflict with the brother gods.

#it’s mythical in the most literal sense #which is to say it’s true but not literal #and ‘god’ is a social category

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