#( Tbh the bosses were easier than I expected )

[inhcritance]

And I've finished my Ultimate MSM PS4 replay!

Now onwards to Miles Morales!

#(( out of character )) #( Tbh the bosses were easier than I expected ) #( The Sable Agents tho... oof )

[afternines]

I HAVE TO LAUGH I HAVE TO LAAUGGGGFHFH

#when i dropped out of school and started working somehow everything started being easier #my social anxiety got soooo much better . my depression got so much better and i wasnt stressed at any giving time and i thought #that maybe all my mental health problems were just a direct consequence of me being undiagnosed nd in an environment that expected too much #from me without offering accommodations for me to reach those goal #like work is still tiring and overstimulating at times but theres no deadlines!!! i dont have to bend n break my back to get certain tasks #done!!!!! like i have a package of tasks i just loop through and i can plan in my own days and weeks and decide what i will be doing when #and how and theres no wrong or right system of doing things as long as the result is just what my boss wishes for and im AUGDHDGFH im so #lucky to be here #To get back to the point im trying to make tho. #as i left an environment that just wasnt good for me and entered another environment that somehow did wonders to my mental health i rlly #thought i would find peace from now on. Like id still get upset and sad or whatever like non mentally ill people do too #but it wouldnt be to an extent anymore where i wanna hurt myself or disappear forever #and for a bit more than a year everything was good!!!!! started to think i made up all my mental problems tbh #but lately things have been so tuff . i havent been this depressed in years #and like i can still physically do things . i can still go to work and clean my room and take showers and whatnot #but im so exhausted. and i keep crying all the time and i feel like everyone hates me for being so . depressed and i cannot physically do #the one thing i love doing (drawing) like nothing i try comes out good enough which just makes me cry again lol #and i dont . i dont understand it #bc i removed all (most?) of the factors that were making me this mentally nauseous and i was supposed to feel better . i was supposed to fee #good now. but i feel like im back at uni sitting on my bed crying over my notebooks trying to cram all the paragraphs into my head not #understanding why i cant remember anything for my classes . why its easy for everyone but me #everything always seems easy for everyone but me #i really dont understand #is this really a part of me . will i really always be this miserable and insecure? will i always hate myself and not feel enough? #im still the same person i was before i just wear different clothes #my body grows but i just dont grow up

[freedomfireflies]

Five to Go Live*

Summary: The fifth and final part to One for the Money*

Mr. Styles, your boss (and the CEO of the company you work for), offers to help you expand your OnlyFans business.

But maybe you want more.

And maybe he does, too.

Word Count: 11.5k (I have no idea what happened tbh)

*Contains Mature and Explicit content! Please only consume what you feel comfortable with!💞You are so much more important!*

“Good morning, Mr. Styles.”

The tense frame of the man pacing in front of the window stills when he hears your greeting. 

You’re five minutes early, coffee in hand, ready to begin your workday.

However, he doesn’t turn around as you enter his office. But the slight glimpse of his profile lets you know he’s acutely aware of your presence.

He stays by his desk, offering nothing more than his silence as you set down his drink and move for the couch.

“Good morning,” is his brisk greeting. It’s not any warmer or colder than usual. It’s just him. “Do you have the reports I asked for?”

“Right here.” You drop them onto the coffee table. “Ready for your meeting this afternoon.”

“Good.” He stares out at the city, unwilling to look you in the eye. “And you’ve confirmed with Nadia?”

“Yes. She’s calling for a driver as we speak.”

He nods once, fingers flexing beside his thighs before he finally ventures a glance over his shoulder. “And I suppose you’d like to talk to me about the other day.”

You flip open the laptop and pull up your email, eyebrow raised. “The other day?”

He turns to you, and you feel his heated stare. “I believe I owe you an explanation.”

“Not really,” you respond, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “You agreed to help me with the video, and you did. I didn’t expect you to stay, Sir.”

Your peripheral catches his slight frown. “You didn’t?”

“No.” You open his schedule and begin jotting down a few notes from Nadia’s email. “You’re not exactly the cuddling type. Probably would have been weirder if you had stayed.”

His hands disappear into his pockets as he regards you. “I never meant to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” Another shrug. “I knew what I agreed to, and now we’re done. No harm, no foul.”

The frown deepens. “Still, I shouldn’t have walked out on you like that—”

“Mr. Styles,” you interrupt, turning to face him, “I wasn’t under the illusion that things would change just because we fucked. I didn’t need aftercare, I didn’t need your words of affirmation, and I didn’t need you to stay.”

Something unrecognizable passes over his features.

You lean forward. “We’re good, Sir.”

The office goes quiet. You know him well enough by now to know what it looks like when he’s biting back a response.

And you imagine there are quite a few things he’d like to berate you for, but instead, he merely clamps his jaw shut and nods.

“All right.” He returns to his desk and takes a seat. “Let’s begin.”

The rest of the workweek carries on like usual. Things return to normal. Or at least to the way they were before he admitted to knowing about your outside activities.

And you find that you’re grateful for that. It’s much easier to only imagine him as your boss instead of your…business partner. 

What happened that afternoon in the hotel room was great. Fantastic, even. But it was only ever an act of generosity. A favor, more like. He helped you exactly the way he said he would and now it’s over.

You won’t ever have to think about him like that again.

So…you don’t. 

At least, you try not to. But it proves quite difficult.

After deciding against posting the whole video for your channel, and instead only uploading the part where he comes on your tits, it becomes harder to ignore what you two have done. 

 After all, the response is overwhelming. Positive, excited, and extremely lucrative. Most of the requests are for more of the mysterious man they’ve come to know, and you try not to feel disappointed when you realize there won’t be any more guest appearances. 

You wonder if he’s watched it. Wonder if he remembers that day the way you do.

Sometimes you slip up, and you watch the beginning just to hear him talk to you. You watch the way you undress him. Watch the way he kisses you. Watch the way he drives himself inside of you and begs you to come for him.

But then it hits you. Like a fucking freight train. It won’t ever happen again, and lingering on the one time it did isn’t healthy.

So, you turn it off, and attempt to resume life as normal.

You reach out to Max to apologize yet again for what happened, and he’s incredibly understanding. He asks if you’d like to meet for drinks and go over another scene for the future.

And you agree because you will do anything to put Mr. Styles in your rearview mirror.

You don’t mention the meeting to your boss. You figure it won’t do any good, and even if he disapproved, it’s not like he would tell you.

This is your game now. Not his.

So, with a new lease on life, you head for the bar to meet with Max, eager to find out what he has in store.

He’s happy to see you. Pulling out your chair and refusing any attempts at apologies that you offer.

Which you’re more than appreciative of, although you can’t help feeling a bit guilty that he didn’t get the content he’d been wanting.

“Seriously, don’t even worry about it,” he repeats for the third time since you sat down. “Honestly. I get it, once other people get involved, it gets complicated.”

“Yeah,” you agree quietly, sheepishly glancing down at your lap. “But still. He shouldn’t have…I shouldn’t have let him run you out like that.”

He smiles. “It’s fine. Listen, your boyfriend has nothing to worry about. Really. And we can proceed however you feel is best—”

“Oh, no, he’s…he’s not my boyfriend,” you interject, head shaking quickly. “No, he was just…nobody. He’s nobody. Anymore.”

Max studies you for a moment, seemingly curious at your insistence. “Oh? Does…he know that?”

You swallow thickly and take hold of your glass. “Yeah. He does.”

A beat before he nods.

“All right.” Max takes a swig himself. “As long as you’re sure this is something you want.”

You nod but can’t help finding yourself hesitating. “Yeah, it’s…yeah. Of course.”

His expression softens. “Boyfriend or not, he still has a hold over you, doesn’t he?”

And you grimace because you hate the way it sounds. Hate how obvious it must be to everyone else. Hate that it’s even a thing at all.

“No, he just…he’s infuriating,” you argue. “I mean, you were there. You saw what he’s like.”

“I was and I did,” he agrees with a smirk. “Infuriating is the nicer way to put it.”

“He’s a dick,” you correct, making you both smile. “But I trusted him. And I trusted his judgment. And him being so…blunt is sometimes a good thing. Because there’s no room for overthinking or questioning what he really wants. He tells you. Exactly how he feels, exactly how he feels it.”

Max nods thoughtfully, urging you to continue.

“And yet there are so many things I feel like he’s keeping from me,” you murmur. “And maybe he doesn’t owe me answers. Maybe it doesn’t even matter, but I just…there was this moment when we were on the same page. When it felt so seamless, and easy, and good. And now…”

Max sighs. “Now he’s nobody.”

You both grow quiet as you let this settle.

“Yeah,” you whisper, taking a sip of your drink. “He’s nobody. And it’s nothing. And it’s over anyway, so…I’m free to do whatever I’d like.”

He laughs. “That’s a great attitude.”

“Why thank you very much.”

“Of course.” He rubs his hands together. “Well, I guess in that case…maybe we should go over—”

“Peach Valentine.”

And almost as if you spoke him into existence, that familiar voice finds you. Cutting right through your conversation as chills fly up the back of your neck.

You almost don’t want to look. Want to pretend that this is merely a subconscious projection of the very last man you want to see.

But you can feel his presence behind you. Can smell his cologne and can see the surprised look on Max’s face.

Of course he’s here.

Slowly, you turn around, letting your eyes find the tall figure looming only a foot or two away.

He’s wearing an expression you know all too well. The one that tells you exactly what he’s thinking without him having to say a single word.

And your stomach sinks.

“Sir,” you whisper, voice oddly timid before you clear your throat and straighten up. “Hello.”

For a moment, he’s quiet. Offering nothing more than a blank stare. Then, he looks at Max. He looks at you. And nobody speaks.

Finally, his jaw sets, and his hands bury themselves deep within his expensive pockets. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m…I’m meeting with Max,” you reply, shooting a smile toward your new friend.

Mr. Styles frowns. “You didn’t tell me you were meeting him.”

“I didn’t think I had to,” you retort, lowering your voice as you send him a pointed look. “Seeing as we’re not partners anymore.”

His eyes narrow. “You’re still my assistant. And your well-being is my concern.”

“Oh? I thought what I did with my personal life didn’t concern you.”

“It does when it has to do with him.”

Your glare begins to mirror his. “Well, since I am in need of a new business partner, I figured Max would be the perfect one to ask.”

Mr. Styles rolls his shoulders back, regarding you carefully. “And since when are you in need of a new business partner?”

“Since my old one walked out on me.”

This does it. His features twist into an unforgiving and rather harsh look of disdain as he steps closer and drops his tone. “I told you, I needed to explain—”

“No, you don’t need to explain,” you correct. “I’m not upset. I’m not bitter. I’m not angry. But that doesn’t change the fact that our agreement is over.”

His teeth grit. “Just because I left doesn’t mean I was ending our deal—”

“It does in my book. I don’t have time to wait for you, Sir.” You sit up, leveling the playing field. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”

His fingers suddenly wrap around your upper arm, tugging on you until your feet hit the floor, forcing you to stand. “I need to talk to you.”

A bit surprised, you blink rapidly and attempt to pull yourself free. “Mr. Styles—”

“Now, Peach.”

You want to argue. Want to fight him on this. Want to stay strong, stay with Max. Send the mean man away.

But you know him, no matter how belligerent he’s being. And there’s something in those eyes that you’ve found yourself lost in that persuades you to nod and follow him to the hallway.

The moment you’re alone and the loud music has been dulled to a quiet hum, you step away from him. Put the necessary distance between your bodies as he watches you go.

“You shouldn’t be talking to him,” he says simply, almost as if it were obvious. “In fact, you shouldn’t be here at all.”

You scoff, rearing back to stare at him incredulously. “I’m sorry…you’re joking, right?”

“It’s a work night,” he replies, still infuriatingly cool. “And we agreed you wouldn’t do business with him—”

“We agreed?” Your eyebrow raises. “No, we didn’t agree on anything. You ran him out of the room without so much as checking with me first. And since when are we a we at all?”

He’s far too calm for your liking. “I told you, I’m still your boss. And partner. I want what’s best for you—”

“Really? Is that why you left?”

Once again, he scowls. “I told you, I had things to do—”

“Oh, I’m sure,” you snort. “Look, I don’t care why you left. I don’t even care that you left. But you did leave. So if I want to film with Max, I have every right to do so—”

“You do,” he agrees. “But you’re much smarter than that, Peach. And you know it.”

“Yeah? And what makes me so smart, hm? Sleeping with you?”

His expression twists into something you don’t recognize. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what? Sleep with you? Or point out that we did?”

“Peach—”

“No, you know what?” You take a brave step forward. “You have no right to come in here and demand that I leave him. Max is a good guy. In fact, of all the people that I’ve messaged on OnlyFans, he’s the only one that hasn’t said something skeevy or inappropriate.”

His expression falls. “Are you being harassed?”

“Not if I don’t respond. The block button exists for a reason. And that’s not even the point. The point is that you told me to do this. You told me it would be good for my channel to collaborate—”

“But not with him.”

“Then who? You?”

The hallway stills as Mr. Styles leans back. “This was never about me.”

“No. It wasn’t. It was about me,” you agree. “That’s what you promised. That this would be about what I wanted to do. And I want to meet with Max.”

The glare returns. “If you’re trying to punish me—”

“Punish you?” You laugh but it’s void of all humor. “Punish you for what? For being exactly who I thought you were?”

“You shouldn’t be here with him,” he says again, and your eyes roll.

“Then where should I be, huh, Sir? Should I be at home? Like a good little girl?” You take another step forward. “Should I be on my knees, waiting for you? Should I be fucking myself with that toy you bought? Pretending it’s you?”

You notice the muscles in his jaw constrict as he steels himself and throws you a look of warning. “Peach—”

“Because if I can’t fuck Max, and I can’t fuck you, then what do you want from me?” Another step. “You’re never happy. I can never make you happy—”

“Peach—”

 “I get that this meant nothing to you. I get that.” You’re only inches away now. “But…you’re so confusing. You’re so goddamn confusing, and I never know what you really want. Sometimes I think I do, and other times…”

His lips purse shut but his eyes are soft.

“I feel like we used to want the same thing,” you admit quietly, heart in your throat as you stare up at the beautiful man before you. Your rage dwindles down to a contemplative annoyance. “And now we don’t. So…excuse me for trying to find somebody who does want me.”

Suddenly, he surges forward. Stepping up to you so quickly, and with so much power that it forces you to stumble back into the wall.

He cages you there, his broad chest brushing against yours as he peers down, features hard and unmoving.

“And you think that somebody is Max?” he sneers, almost as if mocking you. “You think that he wants anything more from you than the money you’ll make him?”

“Who cares?” you argue, but it’s weaker than you’d like. “It’s an investment, you said so yourself—”

“I am your investor. Not him,” Mr. Styles nearly barks, practically chastising you. “How could it ever be him—”

“Because he’s everything you aren’t.”

He doesn’t even flinch, instead cocking his head to the side as he smirks. “So that’s what this is? You’re trying to replace me? Trying to find somebody better?”

“Well it’s not hard.”

The Cheshire-like grin grows. “Fine, Peach. Let me ask you this…do you like who you are with him? Do you like the role he puts you in?”

Your lashes flutter. “I don’t…I don’t know what you mean—”

“Yes, you do.” His head dips until he’s fully in your space, making it impossible to know anything else but him. “Do you like how he treats you as though you’re nothing more than a means to his end?”

A breath catches in your throat. 

“Do you like how it’s never about you? Only him?”

You squirm back into the wall, once again attempting to create a bit of distance, but failing miserably as he places a hand next to your head.

“Do you like how insignificant he is?” His voice has dropped to a dangerous purr, like silk that slips across your cheek. “Or did you like it better with me?”

A question meant to trap you and you can do nothing more than stare at the buttons on his shirt as you will yourself not to gasp.

“Because I think you like yourself better in my reflection,” he murmurs, his other palm now smoothing across your hip, subtly tugging you into his body. “The way I make you beg for me. The way I touch you. Kiss you. Fuck you.”

The words weigh heavy on your chest, making it hard to breathe as his nose softly ghosts against yours. 

“Everything is better with me. And you know it. So why are you wasting your time with him? Hm, Peach? Who are you really trying to punish? Me…or you?”

And you could just slap him. You really could. Could fucking slap the dimples right off his face for being so smug.

“I’m not punishing anybody,” you whisper, nails curling into your palms to brace yourself. “I’m just doing what you told me to.”

“Well now I’m telling you to leave him.”

“Why?”

His eyes flick between yours. “Why do you think?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think. I want to hear you say it.”

The frown returns. “Peach—”

“Say it, Mr. Styles,” you repeat. “And maybe I will leave him. Maybe I’ll walk out of this bar, and never look back. I’ll delete his number, I’ll block him, I’ll never think of reaching out to him again. I’ll leave. With you.”

You can see the way he internalizes this. Can feel his grip tighten, can see the muscles in the arm beside your head flex.

“Just say it,” you mumble again, reaching out to brush your fingers down his chest. “Tell me what you really want. Because maybe I want it, too.”

Everything moves around you. The world, time, this moment.

But neither of you move.

And as the seconds pass, you can’t help but silently will him to finally be honest with you. To finally succumb to what he really needs. To make everything that’s happened mean something.

Then, his eyebrows weave together, and his lips turn down. “I want you to go home,” he finally says, and your heart drops so fast, it makes your head spin. “You’re drunk, and you shouldn’t be alone with him.”

“I’m not drunk,” you retort, now shoving on his sternum to create that space you so desperately need. “I’ve had one drink. And I’m not alone. You’re here.”

And maybe it’s too dark in this hallway to be sure, but you’re almost positive you see something painful flash behind his eyes.

“I won’t be for long,” he replies as he pushes off the wall and steps back. “I have other things to do besides babysit you.”

And that is your slap to the face.

Your hands ball into fists by your side. “You are such a fucking asshole. I never asked you to babysit me. I didn’t even want you here—”

“Clearly you need it,” he argues. “Since you aren’t capable of making decisions on your own. Even when you’re sober.”

You scoff so loud, it makes your throat sore. “I was doing just fine without you—”

“You were scraping by,” he corrects. “And you could do so much better if you realized that he’s nothing but a waste of time and sperm.”

Your nose crinkles as you make your way to the end of the hall, ready to rid yourself of him. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t…I can’t argue with you over the same goddamn thing. Okay, Max is nice to me. He tells me what he actually feels, and that’s something you could never understand.”

You think you see the briefest hint of disappointment, but it’s replaced just as quickly by a look of unamused indignation. “Fine. If you’d like your sex life and your career to be as mediocre as his cock…by all means. The choice is yours.”

“It is,” you agree coldly, ready to turn on your heel and run. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Styles.”

With that, you exit the hallway, leaving him behind.

And he lets you.

The following day, things aren’t as awkward as you expected. Mr. Styles doesn’t mention your run-in at the bar, nor does he attempt to restart the conversation about Max.

He treats you the way he did when he first hired you. With nothing but professionalism and distance. 

At first, you’re thankful. There are no more sly comments or lingering stares at your chest. He follows your terms to let you make your own decisions. He lets your business be yours.

And he’s nothing more than your boss.

But as the days progress, you can’t shake the nagging thought that something bigger is afoot. Almost as though something is wrong. Off.

Maybe it’s just in your head. Maybe you want to believe he’s more affected by this little falling out than he pretends to be.

But you’ve known him for over a year. You know what it looks like when he’s upset, and this…this is not it.

However, you decide to push away the inclination altogether, and carry on with your work as usual. Because even if something is wrong, it’s none of your concern anymore.

That is until Nadia mentions it over lunch.

“Listen, he’s a very complicated man,” she says when you comment on his odd behavior, waving her salad fork through the air. “He tries so hard to appear uninterested, but I know it’s just an act. Nobody is that heartless.”

You swirl your French fry around in your ketchup, mulling this over. “I don’t know. He doesn’t…I don’t think he’s heartless. I think that’s just…who he is. He has a one-track mind.”

Nadia snorts. “Please. You should have seen him before…”

Your little lunch corner goes oddly silent as she suddenly presses her lips together and winces.

“Before…?” you repeat curiously, head tilting.

“Nothing,” she’s quick to reply, dismissing the comment with a flutter of her hand. “No, nothing. He just…he was more open when he first started the company, that’s all.”

You know there’s more to that story than she’s letting on, but you don’t push. Instead nodding your head as you return to your burger, letting the inquiry rest.

However, the subject is changed for all of three minutes before she sighs, and finally says, “Okay, look, it’s none of my business. And I don’t even know all of details, but maybe this will help make your job…easier?”

Once again struck with curiosity, you motion for her to continue.

“He had an assistant before you,” she begins. “His first assistant actually. I don’t know too much because I was working the mail room. But I do know that they were really close. Maybe friends, maybe more. I don’t know. But they were close.”

You lean back in your seat, endlessly intrigued as you wait for the rest.

“And everybody loved them together. She made him so happy. He was always smiling, always laughing, always walking around the office talking to everybody. Engaging in chit chat and catching up on everyone’s lives.”

It’s odd to picture your boss so open. So…infatuated. In fact, this fantasy she’s painting doesn’t sound like the man you know at all.

You have to wonder how different things would have been if he were still the same.

“Anyway, I don’t know what happened exactly, but something bad,” Nadia sighs. “The rumor was that she was seeing somebody he didn’t like. He got crazy possessive over her, and it drove them apart. She quit, and he became this sullen, hollow version of himself. And now that’s just who he is, I guess.”

“That’s…so sad,” is about all you can offer, frowning some as she nods.

“Yeah. It was,” she agrees. “After her, he didn’t hire another personal assistant for quite some time. Until you, actually. Which was kind of surprising, and I think we were all a little worried for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, you seem to be handling him just fine, which is great. But…I don’t know. He just became very…cold. Distant, I guess. Doesn’t really create personal relationships anymore.”

You have to admit that this makes sense, although it doesn’t exactly help make things any clearer for you. “That must have been hard for him.”

“Yeah. And maybe he taught himself not to care, but…I think he hides who he really is because of her,” she admits with a shrug. “Which sucks. ’Cause he’s such a good guy, deep down. He just…he’s afraid, I guess.”

You hate the way your heart breaks for him. Hate the way this humanizes him. Hate the way it makes you second guess every interaction the two of you have ever had.

“Does he ever talk about her?” you ask next.

“No, never. I don’t even remember her name, to be honest. It was forever ago. Five or six years, at least.”

“Wow.”

“Mhm. As far as I know, he doesn’t date, either. I think he fucks around a bit. I mean, he’s a guy, after all,” she teases. “But he doesn’t really do anything…meaningful. Maybe he doesn’t know how anymore.”

Your stomach twists around an invisible knife. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah,” she hums, digging back into her salad. “I don’t know. If he’s being rude, just tell him to fuck off. That always works for me.”

You laugh as the subject is dropped and the two of you carry on with your lunch.

But you think about it for the rest of the day, the information following you back to his office where you’re quick to find that he’s left for the afternoon. 

So, you sit with this discovery as you go through your tasks. Unable to stray from the thought for very long before your throat constricts, and you feel a wave of disappointment.

You text him as you’re leaving for the evening. A simple, “Finished prepping the presentation. Hope you’re okay,” before you tuck your phone away and head home.

Hours go by without a response. Not that you really expected one, but you can’t help feeling slightly guilty for the role you played in pushing him to open up.

And no matter how out of line he was, or how justified you were in asking for his honesty, you know how hard it must be for him to be honest with you.

Especially if what Nadia said is true.

After messaging Max for a bit about your upcoming video, you decide to run yourself a bath, letting the bubbles fill the tub as you watch the water rise.

You’ve barely slipped out of your socks when your phone vibrates on the porcelain sink, making you jump some at the sudden noise.

The familiar name flashes across the screen, making your heart skip as you hesitantly hit the green button and bring the phone to your ear. “…hello?”

“You did it, didn’t you?” Mr. Styles says, but even through the static, you can hear that there’s something off. 

“Did…what?” you ask hesitantly.

“You fucked him,” comes the reply. Blunt and void of any civility. “Max. You fucked him, didn’t you?”

With narrowed eyes, you turn the water off and step out of the bathroom. “I don’t believe that’s any of your concern—”

“So, yes,” he answers for you. Then, you hear him chuckle to himself. However, there’s something chilling about the way he laughs. Bitter, almost. “You’re very easy to read, Peach.”

You can feel your expression fall into one of annoyance as you lean against the wall in the hallway. “Mr. Styles—”

“Was he good?”

You glower. “Mr. Styles—”

“I already know the answer is no,” he continues. “Even your own fingers would be better, but…maybe I just wanted to hear you say he wasn’t.”

You contemplate this for only a moment before you cautiously ask, “Are you drunk?”

You can hear the subtle slur slip through the speaker, and your eyebrows raise as he snorts.

“No, I’m curious,” he retorts, but it makes your heart pound. “And I’m still a subscriber. So I want to know what to expect.”

Your stomach wrenches. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Why are you avoiding my question?”

“Mr. Styles—”

“You like to torture me, don’t you?” he interrupts, and there’s a hitch in your breath. “You always have. From the first day I met you. You were wearing that really nice dress. And your hair was up in that pretty ponytail. And you walked in like you were trying to walk into my life and ruin me.”

Your head falls back into the wall, eyes fluttering shut. “Sir—”

“And I let you,” he carries on. “I let you ruin me. I let you do the one thing I promised I’d never do, and now what? Now you’ve gone and strutted your way into somebody else’s life.”

And maybe he doesn’t know what he’s saying, but you feel this overwhelming rush of emotion, anyhow. “Mr. Styles, where are you?”

“Where would you like me to be?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Says you.”

You huff. “Mr. Styles—”

“Tell Max I said hello,” he says instead. “And then tell him I don’t mean it.”

“Mr. Styles—”

There’s some sort of loud noise on his end before the line suddenly beeps three times and the call goes dead.

And you can only stand there, flabbergasted, as you stare at your phone. Wondering what the hell just happened.

You’re frozen for a good minute or two, running through your options. He normally doesn’t reach out when he’s drinking, at least not to you, and definitely not this late.

Maybe it’s a silent cry for help or maybe he just wanted to bother you one last time.

Either way, it breeds something unnerving in your gut as you groan to yourself and head back to your room to retrieve your shoes.

You don’t imagine he’s out. He has to be at his apartment, so at least you know he’s probably safe. But you don’t know what he might do. You don’t know what that sound was, and if he’s managed to hurt himself, but you don’t think anyone will be there to help for quite a while.

You grab the key he’d given you a few months ago. It was meant only for emergencies, although you’ve never needed to use it.

Tonight, however, you decide that this is as good an excuse as any.

You call an Uber to take you to his place, the lavish apartment building smack in the middle of downtown, quite a bit away from you.  

Thankfully, the traffic isn’t too bad this late at night, and you’re grateful for the quick trip as you’re brought to a stop just outside the sidewalk in under thirty minutes.

You jump out, greet the doorman, and book it for the elevator before hitting the button for his apartment at the top of the building.

It’s a good three-minute ride before you finally reach his floor, and once those doors open, your heart leaps into your throat.

Even the hallway is exquisite, and your dirty Vans squeak along the newly waxed floors as you approach his apartment, and fumble with the key.

You unlock it as slowly and quietly as you can, hoping not to startle him if he is in fact inside, and the moment the door is cracked, you call, “Mr. Styles? Are you here?”

Everything is dark as you enter. Not a single lamp to be seen, only the soft glow of the city lights outside of his many large windows, and the pale shadow of the moon cascading across the floors.

You see silhouettes of furniture, walls, and a few appliances. Enough that you manage not to trip over anything as you make your way into his living room. 

And then, you see him.

The shape of his body is outlined by the window to your left. He’s sitting on the floor, back against the wall as he stares out at the tall skyscrapers before him. 

Your heart sinks as you pocket the keys and approach slowly. “Mr. Styles?”

He’s still. Deathly still, in fact. As if he hasn’t even heard you. He doesn’t even bother to look over or investigate your presence.

And then, he murmurs, “You shouldn’t be here.”

Your breath hitches.  “Maybe not,” you reply quietly, taking another cautious step. “But I was worried about you.”

He snorts, arms slung over his knees, a crystal glass in one hand that’s only got a few drops left. “How nice.”

“Mr. Styles,” you try again, “are you all right?”

Now close enough to catch a glimpse of his profile, you see the sweaty hair matted to his forehead. The strain in his jaw and the red rim around his eyes. 

“M’fine. You can go,” he calls.

You take another step. “You didn’t sound fine—”

“Well I am, all right?” he suddenly sneers, turning to face you as you lean back. “I don’t need your fucking pity.”

“It’s not pity. It’s concern,” you correct briskly. “You’re drunk, and upset—”

“Yeah? What was your first fucking clue?”

You shoot him a look of warning as you bridge the gap and hesitantly crouch down to his level. “Why are you drinking?”

“Because I fucking can,” is his reply, his normally soft green eyes now as sharp as the edge of a sword. “Is that a problem?”

“Maybe. Do you remember calling me?”

“Of course I fucking do. But I don’t remember asking you to come here.”

“You didn’t,” you agree. “But I wanted to. Because I was worried.”

“Why? Don’t you have better things to worry about now?”

You’ve never heard him sound so insecure, and you’re reminded again of Nadia’s story as you glance over his expression. “I haven’t slept with Max.”

This is the only thing that seems to reach him, his lashes fluttering as he leans back, although his scowl remains put. “Why not?”

“We just haven’t yet. We’re still planning the video.”

“So you’re going to?”

“I think so, yeah.”

“You think so.”

“I plan to.”

He scoffs beneath a quiet breath and looks back out the window. “And you needed to come here to tell me that?”

“I came here because I wanted to make sure you were okay,” you tell him again. “And to set the record straight.”

“Why? You were right, it’s none of my fucking business.”

“It’s not, but you still seem to care.”

He snorts. “I don’t fucking care who you sleep with, Peach.”

“Sure, okay. Is that why you tried to keep me from doing it?”

“I was trying to help.”

“You’d help me a lot more if you were honest.”

“I am honest. I’m always fucking honest.”

“Not about this.”

His eyes return to yours. “I told you, you can do better. That’s my honest opinion.”

“Fine.” You take a moment to study him. “Then why did you offer to help me?”

His head drops back against the wall as he mulls this over, but his gaze never leaves you. “Because you needed the help. I knew you could make more money if you just did things a little differently, and I was right.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“What else would it be?”

Your head tilts. “Why did you agree to be in the video with me?”

“You said you didn’t have anyone else.”

“Why did you get me custom jewelry with your initials?”

His teeth begin to grit, the grasp on his glass tightening some. “What?”

“The peaches would have been fine. My initials would have been fine. But you wanted me to wear your name,” you remind him. “Why?”

“I already told you, I wanted him to know who your real partner was—”

“Yeah? Then why did you leave?”

His lips press together. “I thought you didn’t care—”

“I do now. Why?”

“I had somewhere to be—”

“Where?”

“Where?”

“Yes, where? Where did you have to be?”

He seems to fight himself on the answer before finally admitting, “The gym.”

You lean back, blinking quickly. “I’m sorry, you rushed out of there to go to the gym?”

“Yes.”

Now it’s your turn to scoff as you shake your head. “Wow. No, I should have assumed as much. Makes perfect sense. Clearly that was so much more important than just telling me I made you uncomfortable—”

“You didn’t,” he suddenly interjects, shooting you this look like he’s disappointed in your response. “I left because I knew I couldn’t stay.”

“You couldn’t stay? And why the fuck not?”

“Because—” He stops himself, once again clamping his jaw shut as if wrestling with the truth. Then, he drops his head, eyes finding the floor as he glares at the marble beneath. “Because I couldn’t.”

And you want to scream because you don’t know if he’ll ever be honest with you. Don’t know what to do to reach him.

“You know what I think?” you finally huff, and he looks up. “I think this is about her.”

Confused, he glances over your expression. “Her who?”

“The girl who used to work for you. Your first assistant. The one who left.”

Instantly, the atmosphere changes, his entire demeanor shifting on a dime as he presses his back into the wall and shoots you a venomous look of intimidation. “Oh you do, do you?”

“Yeah.” You hold your ground, keep your shoulders stiff. “I think you loved her. I think you were honest with her. I think you let yourself trust her, and I think…she broke that trust.”

You can tell he’s not quite sure what to do with this, furrowed brows still knitted together. “And where the fuck did you get that?”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s true, isn’t it?”

His finger taps the edge of the crystal in thought, but his contemplative expression remains. “Even if it were, what does this have to do with us?”

“Everything,” you say simply. “She broke your trust, and you chose not to get close to anyone again. But then you started helping me. And we got closer. And created a bond—created trust. And the second you realized, you ran for the hills.”

He snorts again, but he doesn’t rush to deny it.

So, you carry on. “Max coming along only made things worse for your fragile little ego. And maybe you were trying to keep it from happening again, but you did a really shitty job of it. And now here we are, sitting on your floor, saying everything but what we really mean.”

He’s angry. He’s so very angry, and you watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows thickly, fighting himself on what he really wants to say.

You scoot closer, gently reaching out to take the crystal glass from his hand so you can place it on the floor. Then, you rest your palm atop his arm, and meet his eye.

“Harry,” you whisper, and he sucks in a sharp breath, tensing beneath your touch. “I’m not her. And maybe that’s a good thing, maybe it’s not. But I have only ever wanted it to be you.”

He’s quiet but you have his full attention. And the intrigue in his features urges you to continue.

“Even before you told me that you watched, I imagined you,” you admit quietly. “I’ve always imagined you. Your voice, and your hands, and your face. And yeah, I didn’t mind keeping things…professional. Strictly about the content and nothing more. But…you have to know I wanted more.”

Once again, the back of his head meets the wall, as if bracing himself from your honesty.

“I wanted more,” you repeat. “And I thought you did, too. Maybe that’s why it’s been so hard, and maybe that’s why I tried to use Max to move on. But I never wanted Max. I only wanted you. I just…I wasn’t sure I could have you.”

He looks down at your hand, gaze softening when he sees the way it looks on his arm. Like he’s mesmerized by your touch.

“And I need you to tell me right now what you want,” you say softly. “I need the truth. I have to know if we’re running around in circles for no reason, or if…maybe we can get off this ride together.”

He’s silent for quite a long stretch, letting himself ponder a response as the apartment fills with a solemn quiet.

You study his face in the soft glow of the moonlight, wonderstruck by the sharp curve of his jaw in contrast to the soft curls near his cheeks.

Even now, he’s breathtaking.

Finally, he clears his throat. “Ellie.”

“What?”

“Her name,” he says, “was Ellie. And you’re right, I did trust her. But I ruined it. Not her.”

Now it’s your turn to listen as he recalls this memory to you, nodding gently for him to continue.

“She didn’t…she loved somebody that wasn’t me. That was her only fault,” he murmurs, once again staring at your hand as your thumb strokes his tan skin. “And it wasn’t even a fault. But I hated it. Because I wanted it to be me. And it was never going to be me. We both knew that.”

Slowly, his arm turns over, allowing your gentle touches to dance along the more sensitive skin.

You smile.

“I crossed so many fucking lines,” he admits quietly. “As her boss, as her friend. I pushed her away only to drag her back and try to keep her close. I suffocated her. I let myself need her in ways I shouldn’t have. She had every right to leave. In fact, she should have left sooner.”

You feel the tips of his fingers brush against you as he subtly grabs on.

“And then you,” he whispers, eyes still locked on where you’re connected. “I’d been doing so good. Didn’t let myself slip again, and then you came along, and everything was fucked. Because I knew I couldn’t do to you what I’d done to her. But I let myself think about you anyway. Even when I shouldn’t have.”

You can feel tears crawling up the back of your throat, and the wounded look on his face is like a fist to the heart.

“And for some fucking reason, I thought offering my advice would allow me to know you without ruining anything,” he sighs, tugging you a bit closer until your knees collide with his. “Which obviously didn’t work. And then I was looking for excuses to be with you. To have you. To touch you. Even though I knew better. Even though I had to know better.”

He takes a deep breath. Holds it. 

“I didn’t want to lose you,” he eventually exhales. “And I got scared that the only reason you felt like you wanted more was because I somehow tricked you into it. I confused you, I manipulated the situation. It wasn’t real. And I wanted it to be real. But then Max, and I got so fucking angry, and I knew I was doing it again. And I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to you.”

He won’t look up. He won’t meet your eye, and the hard set of his jaw makes you take hold of his other arm and squeeze it tight.

“Harry,” you whisper, but his head shakes quickly.

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” he barrels on, fingers wrapping around your elbow, keeping you close. “Because I can’t have it. I can’t have you. And you were right, I can’t be your partner anymore. I can only be your boss.”

You frown but it’s sad. “Harry—”

“Mr. Styles,” he corrects, finally shooting you a look of warning that breaks your heart.

But you aren’t deterred. Instead, you release him so you can wedge yourself between his legs and take hold of his face. “Harry,” you repeat, urgent but gentle. “This? It’s not the same.”

He struggles a bit in your grasp, tensing up as he tries to pull away. But it only lasts a second before he’s settling into your embrace, allowing you to guide his attention to you.

“It’s real,” you whisper. “It’s so fucking real. It was real even before you called me poor and badly dressed.”

This earns you your first smirk of the evening, and the butterflies that explode in your gut nearly make you dizzy.

“You’ve tried to push me away over and over. But I’m still sitting here, on your floor, begging you to talk to me.” Your thumbs delicately brush across the bags under his eyes, and he seems to nuzzle into your palms. “It’s not the same. You’re not just my boss or my investor. You’re my partner, Harry. And I can’t do this without you.”

His arms slowly slip around your middle, encouraging you onto his lap as his legs drop.

And you eagerly oblige, straddling his hips with ease as you look down at him.

“I don’t want to do this without you,” you murmur. “So don’t make me. Please.”

For a moment, you aren’t sure what he’ll do. What he’ll say or feel. He’s still somewhat tense, and far too quiet.

Then, he tugs, crashing your lips into his.

And it’s the most honest thing he’s ever done.

“Turn around.”

The strong command leaves no room for argument as you quickly spin on your heel, eager to obey.

Your ass is revealed to the camera. Bright red from the many spanks Mr. Styles has landed to it. It complements the dark black lingerie set he recently purchased for you, something you’re both rather proud of, and perhaps the main feature of this video.

You hear him hum his approval as he approaches, large hands slipping over the curves of your hips. “That’s my girl,” he murmurs before shoving you onto the bed. “Think it’s time we show them what a wet little whore you are, hm?”

You feel his finger hook into the crotch of the panties before he’s ripping them aside, allowing your swollen cunt to glisten for the lens.

You gasp as the cool air hits you, but it quickly melts into a desolate whine when you feel his touch ghost up the back of your thigh.

“Look at you,” he muses, palms pulling on your cheeks to spread you open, giving your audience a firsthand glimpse of your mess. “So fucking pathetic, aren’t you, Peach? And all I’ve done is spank you.”

“Can’t…can’t help it, Sir,” you pant, steadying yourself on your hands and knees as your eyes flutter shut. “Just want you.”

“Oh you do, do you?” He kneads your bruised flesh with admiration. “Do you think you deserve it?”

You squirm a bit as you whimper, desperate to lean back into his touch before he lands another smack to your thigh, reminding you to stay still.

“Yes,” you finally answer, chin meeting your chest. “Wanna deserve it for you.”

You hear him chuckle under his breath as he allows his touch to travel toward your dripping pussy, large digit pushing through your folds just to make you mewl.

“I bet you do,” he replies, running up and down your cunt to collect you. Tease you. “But we have a deal, don’t we, honey?”

You want to kill him and kiss him all at the same time.

“Yes, Sir.”

“We do.” He pats you again, this time gently. “Go on and grab it, all right?”

With a nod, you outstretch your shaky hand for the object sitting on the bed only a few inches in front of you.

Already tender and slightly swollen from the way he played with you earlier (casually and much too cruel), you feel a rush of excitement as you hand him the chain.

After taking hold of it, he moves to sit in front of you, allowing him better access to the front of your body as he motions for you to sit back on your ankles.

“You ready?” he asks quietly, eyes flicking between yours as he looks for your consent.

You nod. “Always.”

With that, he reaches for your exposed tits and begins preparing your nipples for the clamps.

You swallow a dozen whines and whimpers as he works them shut, the subtle ache quickly dissolving into an immeasurable type of pleasure.

And he’s smiling so big, like he’s so proud of you. Proud of the way you look, proud of the way you feel, proud of the way you obey.

It makes the yearning in-between your thighs that much worse as he travels the other end of the chain down to your clit.

Once again, he plays with you. Drags his fingers up, down, and through to make you writhe, and make sure you’re ready.

Then, with great care but devious intent, he slips the clamp along the base of the sensitive nerves and secures it.

You choke on a gasp, body stilling as the sensation becomes a bit more familiar. It’s quite thrilling. Not painful, but prominent. Taunting you with its power as you glance down at the way it holds you.

Harry leans back to study you, carefully observing every pull of your brows or hitch in your breath. “You okay, Peach?”

You nod, lip sliding between your teeth.

He frowns. “Color.”

“Green,” you say quickly, nails digging into your thighs as you release a heavy exhale. “It’s just…new.”

His expression softens as he reaches out to grasp onto your chin and squeeze once. “I know, my love. But you’ll take it for me, won’t you?”

And you say, “Yes,” with so much adoration and excitement that it returns those dimples to you.

His eyes drift toward the computer, checking the status of the livestream you assume before he leans forward and presses his lips to yours. 

You know your faces aren’t in the frame, but it makes your heart pound nonetheless as he offers you a moment of his affection. 

“How’s your ass?” he mumbles between kisses to your bottom lip.

You nod gently and sigh into his mouth. “Good. Sore.”

And he chuckles as he sends you a devious wink. “Good.”

With that, he stands, and begins to undo his belt as he returns to his spot behind you. He doesn’t plan to be gentle today. Not for your first live appearance, and you’re grateful for his punishing hand as it ghosts down your spine, guiding you.

It travels between your thighs, tapping them briskly as a reminder to keep them spread as you bend back over.

And once you’ve braced yourself against the mattress, you feel those long, skilled fingers nudging at you again.

“Sir,” you whisper, desperate for the friction as he keeps his touch light, merely tracing patterns along your folds while humming to himself.

“Yes, Peach?”

You swallow thickly. “Please?”

“Please?” His thumb moves up to brush over your tighter hole, and you gasp again as you await any sort of contact. “Please what?”

“Please…please touch me?”

“Touch you,” he repeats thoughtfully, as if considering it. “I don’t know. Have you disobeyed any of my rules?”

With a quick shake of your head, you glance down at the duvet beneath you, the expensive fabric soft beneath your clenched fists.

“Have you used any naughty language?” he asks, the tip of his middle finger lowering to circle through your arousal. 

“No,” you breathe.

He begins to push in, leaving your other opening alone. At least for today. “Have you called me by the wrong name?”

Not aloud, you think, biting back a smirk as you murmur, “No, Sir.”

The digit travels a bit further, the feeling of him pushing past your tight walls like heroin as you reel.

“Have you taken your punishment like a good girl?” he inquires next, and you chew on the inside of your lip as you nod.

“Yes.”

And you can’t exactly see him, but you can practically hear his smirk as he suddenly adds a second finger in beside the first, just to surprise you.

“Yes,” he agrees. “You have. Been my perfect peach, haven’t you? Guess you’re showing off for them, hm? Letting them think you’re actually an obedient little cock-whore?”

And maybe you are showing off, at least a little, but it’s hard not to obey this man. He just makes it so…worth it.

“Yes,” you call again, desperate to please him. “Only for you, Sir.”

Suddenly, you feel his fist against your scalp, scraping through your roots as he furiously yanks, forcing your head up.

“Only for me,” he nearly seethes, dipping down to press his lips against your ear. “Want you to fucking say it. Every time I touch you. Every time I make you come. Want you to say it. Remind them who you really belong to.”

Apparently, having his initials glimmer from your nipples isn’t enough, but that’s more than all right with you.

You’ll happily vow your life to him as many times as he needs. Because there’s something empowering about having a man beg you to be his.

And for the first time since you’ve met him, you realize…you’re on the same ground. Equal partners. Equal power. 

You and him.

One.

With that instruction, he curls, now stroking and thrusting into you with a fervent need to force you up the mountain. 

“Only you,” you whisper between salacious moans for relief. “Only, Sir.”

“That’s right,” he hisses, smacking his other palm against your ass before groping at the tender skin. Soothing it and stimulating it at the same time.

The pace increases, faster and faster until you feel as though you can’t breathe. Until you’re trying to meet his rhythm by rocking back into his touch, but the hand on your hip holds you steady. Makes you patient. 

“Only you.” It’s almost inaudible, released through quivering lips as you begin to slip into your first. “Only you. Only…”

He plunges in to the knuckle, beckoning you toward your release as it hits you hard. Fireworks go off behind your eyes as you keen, sweat beading around your hairline, and chest heaving.

“God, only you,” you barely manage as you fight for air. “Just you, Sir. Always.”

He takes his fingers out, allowing the world to see your come drip along the insides of your thighs. And the loss of contact makes your chest ache as you whimper and peek over your shoulder for a glimpse of his face.

He’s smug. Because of course he is, endlessly pleased with the way you’ve come undone so quickly.

Wet digits quickly outstretch for your cheeks, pushing on your lips to accentuate your already obvious pout.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he warns darkly. “You know better.”

You glance up at him with remorse and desperation, hoping your tiny hum will be enough to sway him. “M’sorry, Daddy.”

It’s the first time today you’ve used the nickname, and you watch the effect it has on him as he tightens his grip and scrapes his teeth together.

“Peach,” he grumbles, “don’t fucking test me. Not today.”

“I’m not. Promise. Just wanna feel you.”

And that’s the truth. It’s all you ever want. Want his cock, his time, his attention. Anything he’ll give you, and he knows this.

Because he wants you just as bad.

And maybe, if he had the strength, he’d punish you for this little game. He’d waste hours just making you wait for him. Tying you up, leaving you to beg, taunting you with something you can’t have.

But today, that would punish him, too. And you can see that he doesn’t have the capacity to go without you, not even for show.

So, he releases his hold on you only to land a very firm and sharp smack to your cheek. And it stings but it feels so good, forcing another groan as you lean back. 

“And you will,” he finally decides, settling behind you again as he begins to tug his pants down. “Gonna feel me for days, honey. Make sure you can’t fucking sit without thinking of me.”

Just the image of you in one of those boardroom meetings, legs still bruised and clenched tightly together as you sit for hours on end makes you gasp.

He’s gotten braver recently. Normally, he’s tame. Making you rest on his lap in the privacy of his office while he absentmindedly runs circles over your clit. Answering emails as he plays with you. Like it’s just an average workday.

But now he tries to tease you in public. In meetings, at lunch, when you’re apart. Making you sit with a remote-controlled toy deep inside your cunt during a meeting with the board of directors. Changing the tempo over and over again while forcing your silence. Leaving you to squirm in your seat as you silently beg him for mercy.

Sometimes he gives it to you. Most times…he does not.

You imagine this week will be no different. Especially after today. He always gets a bit more insatiable after the two of you have posted a video together. 

He’ll make you watch it in his office. His now favorite tradition. And the comments and response will encourage something in him that makes you giddy. Possessive yet proud. Like he wants to outdo himself next time. Make you come harder, longer, faster. Make everyone watching eat their fucking hearts out.

You feel the tip of his swollen cock brush down your folds, lazily rubbing against you as he alerts you of his presence.

Just the feel of him makes you breathless, back arching as you silently plead with him for more.

He won’t give it to you, at least not yet. Not until he’s had a chance to watch you soak him.

He presses his hand against it, trapping it to your cunt while gliding it through your arousal. Gentle thrusts that have you clenching around nothing until you hear him curse to himself.

“Beg me,” he calls, grasping onto your ass cheek to pull it apart, allowing him a better view. “Beg me to fuck you, Peach. Beg Daddy to make it better.”

“Please,” you comply instantly, a subtle quiver in your voice. “Please, Daddy. Need you. Need to feel you. Hurts.”

“Oh, honey,” he coos, finally circling the rim of your aching hole and pushing in only an inch just to pull back. “Bet it does. Know I’ve been teasing you all day, haven’t I?”

You whine again. “I deserved it. Always love it when you tease me.”

He chuckles under his breath, and you know you’ve made him proud. “That’s right. Know you do, my love. Because you know I just wanna make it better for you, hm?”

“I know.” You attempt to wiggle back into him, but his unrelenting grip keeps you frozen to your spot. “Always do, Sir. Always make it better.”

He slides in again, further this time, allowing your body to stretch for him. Then, he slides out, leaving you to wilt as you swallow a groan.

“And I always will,” he answers, knee knocking into your inner thigh as an instruction to spread your legs a bit further. “Just have to behave for me. Think you can do that, Peach? Think you can be good for me?”

And you’ve never wanted anything more, head nodding quickly before he finally thrusts into you with such power and dominance that it knocks the wind from your lungs.

Truth be told, you never know what you’re going to get with him. What rhythm will drive him. But you’ll take anything he offers. Because hard and slow or fast and eager…it’s perfect. Sets your nerves on fire and leaves you desperate and depraved.

The sounds of him pushing through and pulling out are sure to be captured by the microphone. You can’t see the computer, but you imagine the audience is loving it. They always seem to enjoy sounds as much as you do. And Harry’s sounds are the best.

Your quick breaths intertwine seamlessly with his unforgiving grunts. Like a melody for the soul, and you slowly slide down until your chest meets the mattress, although your ass stays up.

He seems to like this angle, nails scraping down your spine before he lands another smack to your cheek. “There she is.”

Both sets of clamps are stimulated as you’re pushed against the bed, making your eyes roll back every time he drives himself to the hilt.

The pain is delicious. Exactly what you’d needed, and just when you think it can’t get any better…he slips an arm around your stomach and forces you back up.

Instantly, his hand is on your throat, tugging your back into his chest as he settles you down on his cock. 

Dominant fingertips press into the sides of your neck, playing with your airways as you gasp. And for a moment, you are nothing more than his toy. Just a body for him to use, and the idea makes you clamp down on him until he groans and nuzzles his nose into your shoulder.

But you know it’s more to him than that. Know that you’re not just this thing for him to abuse and ruin. He wants to worship you. Treat your body like the divine gift it is, and even though this display of aggression is uncouth…it’s meant for you. To make you feel good. Everything he does is always for you.

“So good, baby,” he whispers, just quiet enough that only you can hear. “Fucking love the way you feel, Peach. Always so warm for me. So wet. My perfect hole.”

You shudder, nails reaching for his arm to scratch down his skin. Desperate to be even closer to him. 

His hand then drops to your chest, finding your breast and groping at it mercilessly as you cry out. The clamps are tugged, stimulating the rings, and forcing your back to arch. So many sensations are being exploited that it’s nearly impossible to think straight. Your mind is mush, focused only on one thing to keep from drowning:

Him.

“Wanna come, don’t you?” he taunts, now louder so the audience can hear. “Wanna come on my cock, so they see what I do to you?”

You nod quickly, unable to vocalize your agreement. But he doesn’t need it. He knows. Can read your body like a book, and it makes him smile into your heated skin.

“Good,” he whispers, pressing a lingering kiss to your neck before reaching down to undo the clamp around your clit. “Go.”

The moment the pressure is released, it hits you. Your toes curl, your eyes roll back, and you make so many noises, you wouldn’t be surprised if the people below Harry’s apartment can hear you.

He works you through each ripple and aftershock, perhaps hoping to send you into a third, but your body needs a moment to recharge. 

And this is more than fine with him because it gives him a bit more time to watch himself disappear into you. His favorite part.

You collapse in his hold, held up only by his strong arm that’s thankfully bare, allowing you to glance down at his tattoos.

He takes his shirt off for almost every video now. He knows that nobody will be able to recognize his tattoos, but he especially knows how much you love them. Love to lick them, trace them, stare at them.

Your perfect pastime, and you think this now as you grip onto his wrist and squeeze. 

He exhales into your shoulder before he’s suddenly cursing and pulling out, the sound of his slick cock slipping from your cunt making you whimper.

With a single pat to your hip, he growls, “On your back.”

You nearly throw yourself down onto the bed, finally able to face him fully as you’re met with the sight of his flushed cheeks.

He’s so beautiful when he’s turned on, and you feel nothing but grateful to be able to witness this sight firsthand. Even your audience is denied such a pleasure, and it makes it feel that much more special to you.

He pushes your legs apart and settles between your thighs, grasping onto his cock before guiding it toward your chest.

He never comes inside you on film. He claimed it was because they don’t deserve to see it, and you didn’t argue. You like the idea. Occasionally he’ll capture a short clip of the way he leaks out of your pussy, but it’s never posted. Instead saved just for the two of you to watch whenever you need.

So while you’ll miss feeling him inside of you today, you know that it’s worth it. You like that you get to keep something for just the two of you. You like this possessive side of him.

Love it, in fact.

Nodding at your breasts, he silently instructs you to grab them, to which you do, pushing them together as he brings his swollen and soaked cock closer.

Slowly, he slides between your tits, disappearing beneath the supple flesh as you both groan your approval.

He’s already seconds away from his own release, but he edges himself by fucking your tits for as long as he can. Staring wordlessly at the way he looks beside his initials on your nipples.

“Fuck, Peach,” he breathes, brows knitted together as his jaw clenches. “Like it like this, don’t you? Like it when I come like this?”

And you do, a soft sough of agreement all you can offer as you look down at the way his tip pokes through the valley you’ve created. The contrast of his pink flesh against your skin is beautiful. Artful, even. And it makes you smile, wider than you have all day.

His pace is slow, allowing you to feel the slickness paint your chest before he’s suddenly tensing, the muscles in his stomach contracting quickly.

You await his offering eagerly, practically panting as you watch him run his palm along his cock before he’s releasing all over your torso and chest. 

He falls forward, bracing himself with a hand beside your head while you throw your arms around his neck to keep him close.

“Thank you, Daddy,” you whisper as he milks the last few drops. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

You feel a shiver roll across his body at your comment before he’s smashing his lips into yours, dancing his relieved sighs across your tongue. 

It takes a good minute or two for you both to find your bearings, but once you have, he reaches toward the nightstand where the remote lies.

Aiming it at the camera, he clicks a couple of buttons, and the red light turns off, signaling that the livestream has ended.

Now alone in his massive bedroom, he grins down at you. “My sweet fucking girl. Did so well for me, honey.”

You bask in his praise, nuzzling your nose against his before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “That was fun. Like it when you fuck my tits.”

“Yeah?” He’s smirking again, palm now smacking against your breast just to watch it jiggle. “Good. ’Cause I don’t plan to stop.”

Your arms snake tighter around his neck until he’s forced to lay his chest against yours. “Think they liked it?”

“I know they did,” he murmurs, face disappearing into your neck as he breathes you in, sweaty or not. “They love you, Peach. You’re so good to them.”

You press your lips into his hair.

“You’re good to me, too,” he adds quietly, sliding his hand across your body until he can hold onto you. “Always so fucking good. Best thing that ever happened to me.”

A sort of flutter happens in your stomach as you squeeze him tighter. “Ditto.”

You stay there for a few minutes at least, teetering on the verge of sleep before Harry declares you need to get clean. 

He scoops you up and carries you to his large bathtub, dipping you into the warm water once it’s ready and settling himself on the other side to face you.

You talk for what feels like hours, until you’re pruned, and the bubbles have disappeared. You go over the scene, go over what you think the comments will be, and even go over his schedule for the upcoming work week.

It’s weird the way you’ve managed to balance the relationship of boss and lover. You’re able to distinguish the two and create the appropriate boundaries. Making it easier to work together without driving each other nuts.

 Something else you’re grateful for.

You stare at his wet abs as he talks, smiling to yourself as you admire every curve of his stomach, and every nipple he has to offer.

He splashes some water at you when he realizes before grabbing hold of your ankles and sliding your closer.

You kiss until you can’t breathe, and life feels really good.

Really fucking good.

Once you’re out and dried, you make your way back to his bedroom to make sure everything from the livestream is in order.

You scroll through a few of the responses together, making mental notes of what to do next time. And once you’re both in agreement that everything looks good, he adds it to your shared profile.

Appropriately titled,

Peaches and Cream.

I have no excuse for this or explanation, I'm just gonna blame it on the sick meds I took 🙃

I already miss them but I'm absolutely going to be doing some extras and maybe that'll make it not hurt so much 😭💞

Thank you to everyone who's read and been so kind and supportive!!! You have my entire heart forever and ever, I cannot tell you how appreciative I am 🥹♥️ This has been so fun!!

Peaches and Cream forever!!

Previous Part:

~ Four to Go*

~ Full One for the Money Masterlist

~ Other Harry Blurbs

~ Full Masterlist

Credit for the incredible and perfectly peachy dividers to @firefly-graphics!!

Taglist: @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @keepdrivingkisses @swiftmendeshoran @tiredinwinter @straightontilmornin @justlemmeadoreyou @harrysdaydreams @tiaamberxx @peterparker1sgf @myfavfanficsever @littlenatilda @vamprry @fdl305 @tchalametishot @ssaama @indierockgirrl @kathb59 @iamjustaholeforyousir @buckyssbestgirl @harrystylesfan2686 @cherryluvhobi @narry-heart @daphnesutton @uniquesexything @amateurduck @ilovec0lbybr0ck @winterrays @milfrrynation @definegirlfriendsx @allthelovehes @amiets2 @likeapplejuicenpeach @nega-omega @sucker-4-angst @hsgucci94 @gills-lounge @kennedy-brooke @avasversion @stylesfever @saturnheartz @finelinesss

#harry #harry styles #harry edward styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fan #harry styles request #harry styles blurb #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles concept #harry styles smut #harry styles series #smut #concept #ceo!harry #ceorry #one for the money #one for the moneyrry #harry and peach #peaches and cream

[blaiddraws]

Is there a summary of the fulcrum au?

undoubtedly but i don't feel like looking for it so. quick recap!

twin dragons au -- ingo is Zekrom and emmet is Reshiram. the way it works in this is that they can be Either human Or dragon but not physically both at the same time. zero dragon traits in human form, etc.

which is why it's Really Freaking Weird And Alarming when emmet finds himself half-reshiram'd one day. (especially once he later realizes ingo is missing--)

anyway. ingo gets eeby deebied and something about the trip to hisui smushes his human and pokemon form together. and since he and emmet/reshiram are so closely connected it kinda. pushed back to him as well.

various side notes under the cut;

- ingo arrives in hisui with no memories, but does have a somewhat easier time regaining them, especially once akari shows up and helps him

- dad ingo. adopts akari. we love to see it

- he also isn't technically a warden but the pearl clan lets him do what he wants. they treat him like a person, for the most part, but not really like a Human, if that makes sense. he's treated normally but there's always a strange tone to most of his interactions with the residents of hisui.

- pearl clan also decided he must be a gift from sinnoh. adaman saw this, decided ingo is a gift from HIS sinnoh and actually belongs with his own clan. ingo ignores this and hangs out in the highlands the majority of the time. but does spend a lot more time with the pearl clan because they're the ones that found him and took him in

- meanwhile. emmet stays out of public eye for a hot minute. and by that i mean a month or so. which isn't that surprising considering his brother disappeared. people figure he's just trying to cope.

- but. he's driving himself insane he can't stay away from the subway that long he has GOT to get back. or he will die. (he says this, dramatically, to elesa). and there's no leads on getting him back to normal.

- (technically, he could take a trip to sinnoh and call up arceus. but with ingo missing he feels that leaving the region would be a bad idea and totally irresponsible.)

- so he just. Shows Up At Work One Day. all half-reshiram'd. as if there is nothing wrong. depot agents, after a moment of baffled staring, have to just roll with it.

- the Public, however. dhkshsksbsksjd

- all he can say is that he has No Idea why he is Like This (true) and it happened when ingo disappeared (true). "But why do you look so much like Reshiram?" "you expect me to know the answer to that?? i'm a train conductor." (blatantly skirting around the truth without directly lying).

- eventually unova accepts that. yeah okay their subway boss is fluffy now. weirder things have happened tbh.

- surprisingly enough, the whole thing stays pretty well contained within unova, ESPECIALLY nimbasa. emmet is THEIR subway boss and he's Going Through It. he deserves to be treated well. etc.

- ANYEEWAYE. cut back to hisui. ingo adopts akari etc etc etc. she starts helping him regain his memory. and the more things he remembers, the easier it IS to remember.

- once akari finishes the pokedex, he remembers a significant amount of his human life. not quite enough to be Normal, but a fair amount. (he also remembers some stuff from being a legendary dragon, but a legendary dragon is a LOT more long-lived than a human. there's a Lot there to remember. and is a lot more... nebulous of a mind than a human's.)

- akari takes him with her when she goes to fight arceus. ingo has a little chat <3. arceus puts ingo and emmet back how they were before, because they cannot exist in the long-term with their forms smushed together like that.

- (Emmet wakes up one day human again, doom-brains himself into thinking ingo died despite how that would be impossible (considering zekrom is literal deity, the embodiment of the concept of ideals.). spends like two hours like that before elesa and drayden and iris have to knock some sense into him.)

- arceus. like. because Ingo asked nicely, arceus retcons (not Really retcons because it knew ingo would ask this when it did it. time is weird) kyurem into having a human form. caveats of this includes. kyurem doesn't Know or Remember that they're kyurem. they can't shift into kyurem. etc. because kyurem shouldn't be able to have a human form in the first place because of their. them-ness. their existence. makes it impossible. but arceus makes it possible because ~hadwavey seals their power away and uses its own to keep the human form intact idk~ Arceus-ness.

- ingo and akari spend the next few weeks tying things up and saying goodbyes before they go home. (ingo goes around saying his goodbyes and expressing his gratitude to people. COMPLETELY forgetting to mention the very important fact that he was that one dragon guy. he goes around to the same people a second time, significantly more mortified, and explains.) (akari was there most of the time and let it happen. it was hilarious.)

- ANYWAY eventually ingo and akari go home. happy reunions time!!!

- (and then, of course. we get into what is almost like the postgame plot equivalent of the au dkshksdhksjsjd. Who Is Kyurem?)

#answered #fulcrum au #''various side notes'' was supposed to be. side notes. but then i started rambling lol #''quick recap''. sigh #not art

[zaptap]

cleared 15 more floors of side order last night and left the last 5 for tonight (i remembered that i beat octo expansion like a day or 2 before the first splatfest after it--the orange juice one--so i decided i should try to be done in time for this one too)

and i beat it! (some spoilers ahead)

first 2 phases of the final boss weren't so bad, but in the third i died once (from the stingray... i remembered stingers are the number one thing i die from in salmon run so after that whenever i heard it i just RAN. reefsliders also broke my armor once so i learned to be careful of those too)

and since i only have 2 lives i had to play it super safe the rest of the fight. after dying, it literally took me almost 20 minutes for just that one phase (i recorded my playthrough so i know exactly how long it took).

i'd swapped my special for killer wail at a vending machine early on (using dualies btw) so my strategy was just to continue swimming + inking around the perimeter of the stage and then point the wail at it and go back to running. i also had a swim speed up chip and that certainly helped. slowly i wore each of the targets down bit by bit until they were gone (and sometimes ofc if i felt safe enough i'd hurl a splat bomb--i also got those--or go in and shoot at it)

wave 4 was super fun but i let all that power (and the music) go to my head and almost got killed by stingray again (if i didn't have armor i wouldve been dead)

was a little surprised that you only have to clear 30 floors (i guess 40 including the tutorial) considering how quick a lot of them go, i guess the expectation is you'll lose at least one run? (and i guess i did come close to doing that)

it's gonna get harder from here though probably. generally i chose based on which color chips seemed best, so i ended up doing a lot of easier floors (and i quickly learned my dislike of splat zones extends to this version of them too, i barely made it through a couple of normal/hard ones and decided to avoid them for the rest of the run) (tbh they're still better than defending an orb. at least you don't die if they take the zone)

....but i expect i'll probably want to clear all of the floors at least once in the end, just like how i've cleared every octo expansion/rotm stage with every weapon even though that isn't really necessary. so im going to have to go through splat zone hell later. maybe that'll make me better at splat zones though (also i guess the hacks should make that significantly easier. all i had was one extra life and slight damage reduction)

i did do one rigorous floor, acrobatic_triangular.floor, and it was fine. as with a lot of things in this game the trick was to just keep moving

and now that i've finally unlocked inkopolis square i can work on clothing store badges again (having unlocked the gold one in splatsville recently). i added up the amount needed to get everything i didn't have from 1 star to 2 stars and it was well over a million (this was before fresh season added more, too) so i didn't have to worry about potentially not being able to put money towards the jelfonzo badges. but at least now i'll get them sooner

i do still need gold hat/shoe badges from splatsville (i have all the inkopolis plaza ones) so i guess i'll be running back and forth until i have all of those and can focus my purchases entirely on inkopolis square shops

anyway splatfest for the next couple days so i guess i won't be doing anything in side order until at least after that. i do have several days off in a row though. also i gotta do my taxes. also i gotta get up for work in like 3 hours goodnight

#splatoon 3 #side order #splatoon

[unaplays]

4.2 Spiral Abyss Waning Phase Recap

Spiral abyss has just reseted a couple days ago and changed its enemy lineup. I took a peek from my friends on Twitter and Youtube who say that this phase is quite troublesome especially if you don't have a lot of hydro characters since we'll be facing 2 pyro lectors on floor 12.

Usually the buff and enemy of spiral abyss is suited to promote the current character banner so I thought I'd be fine since I already have Furina. But when I was doing random coop, someone told me that the spiral is more suited for Neuvillette instead of Furina since her hydro application is a mess, and I agree.

Tbh true damage buff isn't really my favorite type of buff lol. I prefer the previous abyss buff which adds elemental damage bonus. This buff can be maximized if you have Fontainean character or Furina in your team which will help drain your team's hp.

This is my floor 12 lineup. This is probably the first time Hoyo put all the single boss on the second half. Usually they put 1 on the first half on chamber 1, and then the next boss on the second half on chamber 2, etc etc. So if you wanna bring someone like Yoimiya who specializes in single target, you can definitely put her on the second half team.

I pick my newly assembled hyper carry Neuvillette team on the first half since most of the enemies are pyro. And as always, my ultimate die hard hyperbloom team which never fails to clear the abyss for the second half.

YOU MUST BRING HYDRO for the first half. Like I said, there'll be so many enemies with pyro shield that you need to break and hydro is the fastest pyro shield breaker. If you have Furina and wants to bring her, try bringing another hydro as her hydro application is inconsistent. It's also easier if you have crowd control like Kazuha or Venti because the enemies are scattered and if you're not good at manual grouping, it's gonna take longer.

For the second half, just bring your best team that you know can tank and deal a huge amount of damage, preferrably nuker because Coppelia on the second half 12-3 is very deadly. One hit and your character's gone.

I thought I could finish the battle in one run but I had to redo 12-3 second half because Kuki and Alhaitham died lol. I didn't expect Coppelia to hurt that much but since they were put on 12-3, the hit must be bigger than if they were in 12-1 or 12-2.

I was very nervous during 12-3 first half because grouping the pyro lectors is the key, not to mention there are also Kairagis who you need to take down at the same time, otherwise one of them is gonna recover their health and that will surely spend more of your time.

And that's how my abyss run this waning phase. If you have any question, just shoot away and I'll try my best to answer them!

#genshin #genshin impact #spiral abyss

[shadowfromthestarlight]

my personal drama update:

things went better than expected this week with the job i applied to. not only was i asked for my salary preference after the second interview, my references told me they got a call and had a positive conversation. i haven’t gotten an offer yet, my guess is the partners are deciding between candidates or someone else was their first choice and they’re waiting to hear back from them. still, i decided to use the situation to my advantage. i gave my boss a heads up that i’ve been looking into new job opportunities, especially opportunities that would help me achieve some long-term goals a lot faster, to get a sense of whether he would counteroffer if i were to get an offer. and he agreed to sit down and talk with me! it would have been nice to get an offer so that i could have turned up the pressure to have the conversation sooner, but i’m pleased that we’re going to have it anyway.

this is hard tbh. i don’t have a lot of friends, so my coworkers are my friends. i really care about a lot of my clients. jumping into a totally new office environment and having to absorb information about dozens of new clients sounds scary. but... some positions really would make it worth my while. a position that would allow me to move out west next year and work remotely, or pay me enough that i could move next year, or give me a lot of new experience and skills i could take with me when i move, is worth it. and if my firm can’t sufficiently counteroffer, i’m going to have to leave sooner or later. i care about moving enough that i would sacrifice for it. i’m already saving in anticipation of the move within the next two years. i would take a remote position now, even though i hated full-time remote work, because it would make moving easier. that’s how i know i really want it. 

#anyway i'm rambling bye

[atwas-gaming]

Ok, now that I've beaten the Master King Koco Trial, here's my opinion of it:

It is not bad. In fact, it's quite good. I wouldn't even call it unfair, although there are things that I find terribly annoying and infuriating. Perhaps one of my biggest peeves is how Sonic and Wyvern will stare at each other for several seconds, and you don't even have an option to attack during that time!!! TBH, I always noticed this little fact, and I always thought it was stupid- but now it's become an actual problem.

And, having at least attempted The End (I haven't beaten it because I couldn't figure out how to keep it from healing; I had to look up a video, and... duh, the solution is so ridiculously simple, I expected it to be much harder), the more difficult gameplay makes at least some sense, storywise.

What I feel is unfair is that we got absolutely NO warning or preparation. Especially for perfect parrying. I supposed it's not that big of a deal for more skilled gamers, but as someone who kinda sucks at dodging and parrying, and who was tremendously relieved that I didn't have to worry so much about parry windows in this game, I feel like we needed a buildup for it. And again, after seeing a bit of The End, I get why perfect parry is an important skill to learn.

But, just... bruh.

Again, I think the DLC is amazing. And I can see my own progress as I learn and improve. But the difficulty spike is just plain ridiculous.

Now, the general platforming, etc., I don't think is quite so bad. It's still a somewhat steep learning curve, but it's doable, especially if you've done the Special Kocos from the birthday DLC. And I, personally, didn't think the towers were all that much more difficult than the Rhea Island towers.

But everything else...wow. Cyberspace is insanely difficult, especially considering that all of Cyberspace before this was made up of levels we've already played dozens of times over, and now we have brand-new levels that we've never played before, on top of having the same kind of difficult platforming as in the overworld, and super-difficult missions to complete. The mini-bosses feel like they're souped up times infinity, and the Trials are even more likely than the mini-bosses to cause massive hair loss.

I still say, it's actually very good. But we needed more preparation. More DLC's, perhaps, that would teach us how to perfect parry, and introduce us to easier versions of the new Cyberspace levels. We simply didn't get enough preparation.

#sonic frontiers #final horizon #my opinion

[loquemevengaalamente]

So... Bayo 3.

I bought it expecting something far better than i got, story wise.

Like... There are so many things that are just thrown your way and not explained or mentioned again after. (i have a similar problem with Xeno 2, and yet i loved it a hell lot more in the end) Bayo 3 just... Disappointed me so much.

And it's not even because of it ending with canon Bayoluka, it's because it didn't get a proper buildup, and was just forced? For lack of a better word. Of course i do like Bayojeanne more, even Viola sort of resembled her at first, but her attitude is entirely Luka which is fun.

The thing is, i saw no point in giving him powers, since his charm was being just human. And Bayo's dynamic with him was so much fun, specially in the first game, because she was just messing with him every time he tried to flirt and all, and she feeling bad about his father's dead. But here they made them be like lovebirds or something in the few interactions they haf? and I've got to say that it does not feel exactly right so suddenly, Bayo feels so weird.

Also why call Viola Bayonetta too? That... I hated that so much, along with the ending having everyone die, it was so fucking bad. Also, killing Jeanne, and having Bayo simply being like oh no, is specially frustrating knowing she went to HELL TO RETRIEVE HER SOUL IN 2!? I felt like most characters were just... there and sometimes did stuff, there were barely any interactions between them.

The final battle stretched a bit too long for my liking, giving too many "plot twists" if they can be called that. I would have been perfectly content with having the trio fight until the end (i was screaming when they appeared, the repetition of the prologue was pretty cool tbh), or maybe finish before, with the other new versions fighting together.

I just have so many mixed feelings. Because i enjoyed the game before that last chapter. The boss battles were kinda easier, but the way of fighting was still fun. Alternative Bayos had really cool designs, the weapons were so great to use, masquerades were amazing, the demons interacting with Bayo was also nice. Viola's chapters were annoying, but that's more because of her weird blocking mechanics that personally felt a bit inconsistent. But her character was cool, i just feel like there wasn't enough time spent on explaining her. I couldn't care enough about her at the end, so the ending didn't really struck how it should have.

I'm not sure if I'd like a 4th game if it's with her as the new Bayonetta. Because the one i love is not there, and all because of a plot that made little sense or wasn't developed properly.

I want to cry, I'm rambling, i feel so angry and i should sleep it off.

I haven't felt this bad after finishing a game. And that's not nice coming from a saga i loved so so much and changed me so fundamentally after playing it.

#bayonetta #loquemevengaalamente #Rambling again #I feel so betrayed #Why kill them off? #The plot was shit at the end #And just because of not giving it time to develop #I don't like Luke that much #But if they had taken the time to make Bayo gradually start seeing him as more than her teasing target #Then it would be fine #And the wolf/faerie thing? #What?? Where did it come from? #It felt just like such a... Straight ending #And i don't ship Bayojeanne either #I just sort of liked Bayo being single #Because that's less common #And she worked perfectly like that #Like #That's her deal #Bayonetta is literally a strong independent woman who needs no man #Anyway #I just needed to vent #I can't change it so why bother being angry #I just feel so sad #Because waiting so long for it to end so bad... #bayonetta 3 spoilers #Jeanne #:'c #Viola #Luka

[ryssabrin]

finished kotor 2! that last like two hours of the game really drags lol. having a game where the combat system revolves around a party of companions and then having levels where you’re left by yourself can be fun and interesting but not for the entire ending of the game. i had to do the first phase of the final boss twice bc i slipped up right at the beginning of the second phase and died without saving. really annoyed when i figured out how much easier the second phase is lmao. for some reason my lightsaber attacks were just not doing any damage at all (they kept missing? no idea why) so all i could was slowly chisel down her health with all of the two offensive force abilities i had and rage every time she spammed the life drain ability. anyways. now that i’m done venting about that wow! the story was so good!

i think you can def tell it switched developers part way through bc parts of it feel very bioware and parts feel very obsidian. all of the companions have really interesting story hooks but either i sucked at progressing their dialogue or they’re just not written with much depth past a certain point. atton and kreia get a lot of focus and then mira gets a decent amount (but feels much less connected to the main story), but bao-dur, visas, mandalore and the droids get hardly anything. (why was hk-47 even there?) i did dantooine last so i didn’t see much of the disciple (slight blessing in disguise bc i was not expecting smellis to be in this game lmao), but he seemed like he might have had more focus than the droids. i know some of it is tied to your force alignment but still lol. loved what was there in terms of the character writing but a lot of it felt half baked, unfinished, or just missing key moments. there being no loyalty missions of any kind is very felt. i just barely managed to make atton a jedi right before the part of the game where your companions just aren’t there anymore.

if they’re ever able to remake the kotor games, the first one would be pretty easy to just one-to-one remake. add a voiced protagonist, dialogue wheel and proper character creator, beef up the gameplay and cutscenes (and flesh out the romances) and that’s it. but kotor 2 i feel like would need a full restructuring. the main story around the exile and kreia is so good. the way it digs into how different force users experience and relate to the force and how that affects them is good good star wars content and obsidian really nailed that. i wish sion and nihilous were more fleshed out and actually interacted with the exile more to really hammer home that idea and atton’s addition shouldn’t be locked behind figuring out his weird influence gains lol. anything that doesn’t tie in to that kind of falls to the wayside though.

i think it work better if it were less of an rpg. keep the player on their own for the most part with some story sections giving you different companions as uncontrollable npcs. you can keep the sections where the party splits up and you play as a diff character but have it be a set character with a similar moveset. keep the companions in set locations, maybe on the ship maybe not (mira really doesn’t have a reason to leave nar shadaa and mandalore doesn’t need to leave dxun tbh), and have them each have a questline. that would allow the player to engage with the companions as much or as little as possible and focus in more on the exile as a character and their interactions with kreia. the exile could honestly stand to be more of an established character with less player input as blasphemous as that sounds lol. keep most of the dialogue choices and the ability to play it light side or dark side but anything about the exile’s past should be set. and the planet order shouldn’t be variable. i followed the “best” planet order according to google and i didn’t like it actually lol. korriban should absolutely be last as it’s the only planet where you don’t get a companion, you fight sion for the first time and it has that whole optional vision quest thing. dantooine or possibly nar shadaa could be first and the other second with onderon third.

all in all i’m very happy i finally got to play this game and would be so stoked if it got a remake but i don’t think i’ll be doing a dark side run anytime soon lol.

#madelyn rambles #i loved the way they did the ‘epilogue’ #but i wish you got to see all your companions one last time before credits rolled #and the carth cameo! #i like that they were able to sneak it some fanservice for the shippers lol

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

What do you think about Azure Gleam's part II? I've seen many online discussions, mostly negative. The main issue is ofc how they handled Edelgard, the other Eagles and the Empire. There are also some who think it's boring/too predictable/less dynamic than the other two. And while I do think part I was indeed way better, I still did enjoy the rest while playing (though I felt really sorry for Edelgard). But when I read all the hate part II receives, I think maybe I'm part of a minority? lol

I loved all of AG tbh aside from a few forced writing choices like Literally Everyone Except Dimitri distrusting Claude for literally no reason whatsoever. I've talked a bit before regarding how I don't like how they handled Edelgard, but only to the extent that she was essentially literally woobified and couldn't knowingly take responsibility for her actions. Since those things don't actually affect the overall story though, they're more like... minor annoyances.

I don't feel like AG was predictable in any way tbh. Who expected Miklan to be part of the army and be hanging out at your camp as a friendly NPC? Who expected Dimitri to head to Fhirdiad only to get captured and need rescuing (because mind you a lot of people get annoyed about female damsel in distress tropes, and this was literally the opposite of the norm)? Who expected that NPCs would actually comment that Dimitri was more relaxed in the second half and was much easier to approach (which is a total contrast to AM where he's totally unapproachable then he's just back to his usual approachability. He didn't have the same support in AM to be able to relax in the same way)? Who expected that Thales was going to be the final boss of the route (seeing as most people would expect it to be Edelgard, and not woobified Edelgard)? Who expected to see Rodrigue being able to land the final blow against Thales because he can actually survive the entire game and kill his son's murderer-by-conspiracy? Who expected Rufus to be the big early game villain that you had to personally defeat and wasn't offed offscreen and told to us later?

There were a lot of things that weren't predictable in AG. It was also much more adrenaline based, whereas GW was more like looming dread for me. SB was just... eh. It was just alternate CF, so it wasn't anything new. All they really did was change who died in some regards and allowed the players to actually fight both Thales and Rhea instead of "and then after the war they fought and defeated TWS, the end"/

As far as the Empire went, I don't think it was made to look bad the way people seem to think? The Empire itself wasn't the issue. Thales and Ludwig were in charge of it, though Ludwig was mostly just Thales' puppet at that point like the rest of the army. What happened to the Empire wasn't because the people who ran the Empire allowed that to happen, and I actually liked that they really showed us the damage Thales could do. The whole country was a disaster and it was basically bandit central there. We've always been told how dangerous TWS is, but we've never really gotten to see the sheer amount of devastation they were capable of. What happened to the Empire would've been all of Fodlan if Thales was able to manage that. It was kind of annoying how TWS was supposed to be so powerful and terrifying but they were just laughable as villains in Houses. Hell, even Solon and Kronya lasted to nearly the end of the game. They actually felt tenacious and threatening.

Literally my biggest disappointment in all of AG is the fact that Miklan died lmfao. He would've been a great playable character and they even had playable quotes for him in Houses so at some point in Houses' development they considered making him playable (like, he had full voiced JP and Eng quotes as a playable ally).

When the game first came out I was really excited by all the things they filled the route with. Not only we did get closure on Duscur for so many characters and for the players (because it didn't feel all that satisfying killing Thales in AM, because nobody even knew he wasn't Arundel. The only satisfying part of it for me was killing the guy who was trying to hurt Claude ahjfghjsgdhf), but we even got to hang out with Duscur soldiers in camp! We even got a fleshed out paralogue in Duscur with some of the people affected by the Tragedy, which was a lot better than the one we got originally in Houses. There was also much better relationship development between Felix and Dedue, Ingrid and Dedue and Ingrid and other NPC Duscur soldiers. Felix's relationship with Dedue in Houses was just... minimal. Very, very minimal. They get a support arguing and then they get a support where all of a sudden now Felix is like >:/ don't die or I will kill u >:/ as if implying they'd grown a lot closer, when the only other conversation they really had was... their C support. Throughout the game in Hopes we actually get interaction and sometimes see them together at camp.

Honestly, playing AG and being at camp was super fun because there were people from everywhere. There were civilians there, the Knights of Seiros, people from the Empire, people from Leicester (and the people from Leicester were so sweet and kind when you get them in your army), you get Brigid rep through Petra if you recruit her, you have people from Duscur... It just felt like a really fun experience because not everyone you talk to while exploring camp came from Faerghus. On that note too, I feel like we learned a lot more about other locations through AG's expeditions, like Sylvain randomly throwing Morfis hair dye lore at us, or how Ingrid talks about Sreng's food problems. It feels like Faerghus is such an open space where you can learn so much, about so much more than just Faerghus.

Also, let's be real, it's the only route Seteth is playable in so it wins by default because we get Takehito Koyasu and Mark Whitten's wonderful voice acting (Koyasu voice being recruitable makes the route win by default, I don't make the rules, he's just the god of voice acting and he's everywhere gjksgjfgsjg). :) I'm kidding. Mostly! It does get a bonus for having Seteth though considering how unimportant the Church otherwise is is in this game, and Seteth actually gets a good chunk of screentime in AG and gets to have a friendship with Dimitri that we were completely stripped of in AM.

Then there's the dads! OH THE DADS. We got so much lore and information from Rodrigue in this game. Making him playable was probably really the best thing they could've done for the characters' relationships imo. Felix also really needed him to be playable for those supports. We got a lot of fun tidbits about Lambert too from Rodrigue's old man tea sipping gossip, and hearing all of that for the first time was so much fun for me. We also get to learn from about Matthias' relationship with Sreng considering he's been guarding against their invasions for so long, and in turn we get to learn that a Sreng commander is on pretty relaxed terms with Sylvain and seems to know Miklan equally as well, so it sounds like the man wasn't just talking with Matthias, but probably had some sort of friendship going on with the brothers, too. More than any other route, we learn more about the previous generation and how the kids are improving upon all the foundations started from their parents. AM left so much groundwork that it didn't build upon, but AG took all of that and more and had lore thrown at us from every direction.

AG was a huge to play, and I was SO relived that Claude was an ally in this route since I knew beforehand form the leaks about what would happen in GW and in SB. Also, Claude was actually on the map and fighting with you in two chapters which we were R O B B E D of in AM. I may be a lion, but I want my deer friends close by! And Ferdinand, but he went MIA. I refuse to say he died in that route. He was just hiding. He was waiting to come out of hiding. That's all. It was too dangerous! And Ludwig never mentioned anything about his son being dead so I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED! Sorry Hubert. You really did die offscreen, I can't help you there like I can cling to my weak little hope for Ferdinand...

OH OH and we got to have Cyril hang out at camp too sometimes! That was nice. It was like a quick hi and bye, but it was nice to see him sometimes.

When it comes to the few things I was meh about, I can look past them to an extent because there were way more good things in AG than bad things. My overall experience was positive and not me being bored or dreading whatever happened next.

I'M DISAPPOINTED WE DIDN'T GET YURI FOR HALF THE GAME but he does join you sooner in AG than either of the other routes if I'm not mistaken so I'll take that as a win. Sad tho that I gotta lose Miklan to reach him and my boy Lorenz.

OH and Matthias saying he would avenge Miklan and Sylvain being sad that he died (again lol...) was very nice. AG helped the characters and their relationships feel way more nuanced than just what we had in Houses alone.

Basically AG helped improve upon what we already had, which is why I loved it so much compared to the other two. There was so much information we could've gotten in GW and instead it focused on the same stuff it focuses on in the other routes (i.e. Fodlan war stuff, etc). GW was missed potential, and SB was just a rehash of what we already had. I mean, GW did do Lorenz justice which was severely needed based on the fandom's failure to recognize his character through Houses, and I did love basically everything Lorenz was a major part of, but that's really the only thing that kept me going in GW. AG instead always kept me excited and when Claude showed up in chapter 11 it was like YAAAAY HURRAAAAAY, and then we had basically all the armies in the game fighting together (also counting the Empire's people that you can recruit, since really even if those people once fought for Edelgard, they'd be fighting for Thales if they continued fighting for the Empire *COUGHCASPARCOUGH*. You had the Kingdom, Alliance, Empire, Church and Duscur all fighting together + Petra if recruited.

We're probably part of the minority of folks who liked AG, yeah, but I had very little to dislike compared to how much of it had my attention and enjoyment.

#DCB Ask

[baba-fett]

I know actors with famous parents are the face of nepotism in Hollywood but they really aren't the problem. Sure, there's some who don't really have the talent, but some are around acting so much they spend a lot of their life learning to do it. And there have been many that people comment how good they are but when someone realizes their parents are famous they for some reason take away the compliment? Sure, they've had an easier path but they aren't the issue with nepotism in Hollywood.

A few years ago I worked at a mid-size talent agency as an assistant. As assistants, you get barely above minimum wage, have insane long hours, are expected to be on call outside of work and because of how ridiculous LA rent is most have long commutes so there's really no outside of work time. This is how most people trying to break into the business have to get their start, being available at the beck and call of agents while barely making enough to survive in the hopes that after a year you can get more job opportunities (tbh it's like the Devil Wears Prada for some folks).

Now, our company's owner had a son. This kid was maybe a year or so younger than me. He didn't work, he was at the community college nearby I think but most of his free time was spent driving sports cars his dad bought him and being an influencer. One day, his dad decided he wanted him to start learning the business, so the plan was for the kid to shadow different desks in the agency to learn how to do the jobs. I was one of the first people he sat with, and he wanted nothing to do with it. He sat on his phone the whole time I was trying to teach him, when I asked him to do the simplest things he couldn't complete it; it took him fifteen minutes to send a simple email that he just copy and pasted from another one I had typed. HR had been plannign on having him cover my desk for a vacation day I had planned, but my bosses and I were straight up and said he could not handle it.

His lack of care and disrespectfulness were one thing, but the final straw was somehow his pay was leaked to the assistants; he was making more than an entry level agent. Assistants were routinely denied raises because they company said they didn't give raises for time and performance on the job. But this kid who didn't graduate college and walked out half the days cause he was bored, was making more money than us.

So when you're annoyed about nepotism in Hollywood with actors, they aren't the problem. Be annoyed that half the agencies and studios are handed over to kids who never had to work a day in their life and are suddenly being handed access to some of the biggest franchises and taking away entry level jobs that could be for people who actually want them.

#hollywood #nepotism #hollywood nepotism #movie industry #film industry

[devidoesnothing]

Sonic Frontiers review

9/10. pretty much everything was phenomenal (music, story, gameplay) but they did fumble the final boss a bit (first part was easier than the rest of the bosses, second part was... well I'll just say a letdown).

soundtrack's probably the best one of the year, only song I didn't exactly care for was I'm Here (the main theme, funnily enough) but the boss themes are SO FUCKING GOOD HOLY SHIT THEY WENT SO NUTS ON THESE WHY WAS THIS SNUBBED AT THE GAME AWARDS

graphics are another thing I should mention, as shown in pre-release stuff there is a decent bit of pop-in but there was only one time I really minded it tbh. there were also a couple instances where the shadows freaked out, but again I didn't really mind.

controls are great, not 100% perfect but eh I doubt I've ever played a 3D game with perfect controls. Sonic feels great to control, though funnily enough maybe a bit slow. you can upgrade his speed at certain places, but it did feel a bit clunky to do.

combat's a crucial part of this game, and thankfully it works really well. there were a couple instances where I got ganged up on by some lesser enemies and they could attack me while I was attacking other enemies, which got a bit annoying, but it wasn't unbearable.

thankfully the combat was fun to execute, though some moves felt a bit odd to perform. probably just my inexperience with the character action genre tho. skill tree was cool but honestly I didn't really get why these were necessary inclusions. eh, probably just me.

just remembered, the performance. loading times could be a bit long, which did get annoying at some points (reloading my save, going in and out of cyber space, etc.) but at least with the cyber space there was the training stuff to do while you waited. nice time waster.

story's phenomenal, as should be expected from Ian Flynn (the main guy in charge of the Sonic comics since like 2006). Sage is an amazing character and I hope she comes back in a future game. really cool to see some more Sonic lore honestly, hope to see more of that

oh yeah THE BOSS FIGHTS dude the music combined with the gameplay and the spectacle of it all just became such an amazing experience every time, especially with the second boss. I'm not spoiling a thing here, these need to be experienced. (well, the main three at least).

so yeah all in all Sonic Frontiers isn't a perfect game by any means but it's just such an amazing experience that it's entirely worth playing for that alone. probably my favorite game of the year, though tbf I've only played Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Splatoon 3.  buy this game. if you're hesitant, get it on sale. but you need to play this game. (at least on PC, no clue how it performs on consoles honestly).

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic frontiers #review #I don't know how tags work help me #game review

[kinetic-elaboration]

April 19: Coyote Ugly

I did a lot of sleeping today, which I suppose is something I needed. I fell asleep on my couch last night, so that’s like not great is what I’m saying. But I think this was good for me and I hope to feel better tomorrow.

After dinner, I watched Coyote Ugly, which I had never seen before although perhaps I would have been better off seeing it when I was 11, when it first came out. I think it’s the sort of thing that needs to imprint on you early and then its extremely timely look and sound will make you feel nostalgic forever. Not that it takes much to make me nostalgic for the late 90s. That was about half the reason I watched it: I wanted some lighthearted stuff from that era. The other half was that I wanted to see hot women dance on a bar.

Overall, I liked it. It was fine. I think it had too much romance and general drama centered around Violet and too little hot women dancing on the bar. That’s actually a semi-serious critique. Like, Violet’s underdog chasing a creative dream story is fine, very standard, very common in that era of teen/young-adult-centered film, but it’s also just not that complex. I wanted to pretend to be at the bar, I wanted to see more of the other coyotes, I wanted the whole found-family feel around the bar itself. Truly. Those were the best parts. Although it was very obvious that the dancers and the actors were not the same people and the frenetic cutting to separate face shots from body and feet shots was a little dizzying. I liked Lil a lot and I wanted her to be my scary/hot boss/older-sister-figure. And I want to hear more about Tyra Banks in law school.

Also I don’t think she got enough credit for running a successful business as a woman, and for all of the work she and the other women did in like… fighting back men who are always on the edge of assaulting them. Like….girl, you couldn’t make this in 2024, there would be #discourse. Instead, we have the two biggest male roles judging Violet for her job—a job she’s good at, where she’s kept safe by the power of her female boss, and where she pretty obviously isn’t doing anything with which she’s uncomfortable. And neither of them really apologizes for it? Like maybe there is sort of a critique to be had of her choosing the bar over her chance to play live and further the career she actually wants. But she’s fired the same night so there really isn’t any resolution to that idea, any chance for her to actually choose priorities. I suppose it comes belatedly in her choice not to return to the bar—but that’s an easier thing to do than to quit, or to scale back, or to recalibrate her priorities on her own. Neither she nor Kevin really apologizes or resolves anything. Both Kevin and Violet’s dad are at the bar at the end, so I guess they basically got over it. But that works with the dad more in my opinion, because he really got into it, he saw just how ultimately it was harmless fun, and that was rather heartwarming. Kevin just kind of… sails along as “the boyfriend” and tbh I feel like he’d pulled out the sexist critiques in a moment if given the least provocation.

I think the implication was that he was an undocumented immigrant and I was sort of curious why they walked right up to that but never actually said it. I don’t know. Even though the romance was probably fully 40% of the film, it still felt very obligatory and paint by numbers to me. The men in these films are never worth shit.

But I did get my 90s aesthetic for sure. Random actors I fully did not expect to see showing up (Melanie Lynskey’s Jersey accent… I’m glad she chose a different American voice for Yellowjackets because can you imagine). The fashion. The color scheme. The music. The music! That list of bands appearing at the Bowery alone SENT me. Vertical Horizon. Edwin McCain. Suicide Machines. I need my 90s playlist immediately.

#the year 2024 #2024: fandom thoughts #2024: movies

[moogghost]

okay i recently finished side order and i felt like compiling my thoughts here since honestly it's easier to write them out on here/get my point across than a list on discord. not gonna tag this one mainly bc i don't really post splatoon stuff now + i just don't feel like tagging it tbh. warning that i will be discussing heavy spoilers for side order even if i'm mostly talking about gameplay stuff

i Do really like how the gameplay is structured with side order actually the roguelike style is done pretty well and it's enjoyable to replay through and whatnot. it's not for everyone obviously but even with pmd as my only technical roguelike that i've played i still do enjoy this gameplay style as a nice break from the typical splatoon story mode structure tbh

the music is absolutely banger i Have listened to the boss themes outside of the game bc i simply like them

i'm kinda happy to see replica weapons again but at the same time i really wish some of them could've been alternate kits or smth bc. honestly i'd try luna blaster for real if i didn't hate both kits and i still think stamper nouveau should've gotten fizzy and crab. like i get why it wouldn't work but still

i will say that although i really wish there were at least four bosses to encounter on 10F and 20F for more variety the ones we do have are very cool and fun to fight (except like . parallel canon is a bit bland to me when ignoring the whole agent 4 thing sorry it's just charger practice for me if anything). personally pinball circle is my favourite i think it's just silly. and while the screaming noise tower is my enemy (light-heartedly it just freaks me out in a not good way in terms of anxiety. the slightly darker stage than usual for the spotlight and the noises freaked me out sorry). like it's a very well designed boss and i like the creativity in how it's fought i will say that outright! like it's boss theme is actually my favourite besides the final boss theme it's just that it unsettles me in an unfortunate way but otherwise? my personal grievances aside it's a very good boss it does its job well

i like the weapon upgrades for the most part? keep in mind i've only beaten the game with brella, roller, and charger atm but i do enjoy them a lot honestly and it makes levels really fun sometimes. like my charger run was really fun by the end with the portal stages bc of how much range, quick charge, and power up you can get if not really stressful bc of well. charger (and also bc i went out of my way to get killer wail sorry it's my baby and also i needed Not triple inkstrike for the final boss). and i like the option of choosing whether to go for them or not bc personally i didn't wanna get the undercover update for my brella simply bc i liked being able to push the enemies away further with my shield launch. which arguably i should've just gone for no shield launch anyways but

can i just say that brella's splatoon 2 kit was just really good to play in this dlc? like. ignoring the fact that i regularly play brellas for a moment sprinkler genuinely is really good in side order. the enemies struggle to destroy it from what i've seen and it chips away at their health which is Really good when combo'd with poison ink and/or hindrance ink. the same also applies with ink storm you just get it less than sprinkler. like no joke i actually beat order with fucking sprinkler chip damage the first time around. like i was so appalled at the kit choice at first but honestly i have so much respect for it now it hard carried me during my first successful run of the game. sprinkler mvp

and splitting up some of my more negative thoughts/my criticisms bc Yeah i do enjoy the dlc a lot but also i have Issues with it still

i know it's like a roguelike and your expected to go through it multiple times it's part of the gameplay loop etc etc. but also i just don't really like how much of a grind it feels like to get hacks/stuff at the store in postgame. like side order is DEFINITELY more generous than salmon run is with scales don't get me wrong but it still feels like a definite grind each time? then again i'm just not as much of a fan of grinding for stuff in splatoon than i would be grinding for things in rpgs by default sooo take that as you will. it doesn't feel enough that i wouldn't go out of my way to grind for certain things since there is some stuff i'd want to get both in terms of hacks and store stuff bc it isn't salmon run but Yeah

on that note i need like. a 'bad at game' kind of easy mode bc while yes i do enjoy the challenge some times and true, i can get through the spire with a few weapons. hear me out i really hate getting like three fucking rigorous floors as options and then i reset and then get even worse ones. that are like impossible for me to do whether it be a skill issue or literally bc my weapon is at least somewhat shit at it (cough cough SPLAT ZONES LEVELS cough). like i really wish they gave you more of an option with choosing difficulty overall bc like. sorry but some of these levels i simply cannot 'get gud' at them

also this dlc made me despise splat zones i think (i'm only half joking bc i just think zones is kinda boring if you aren't playing with people you know but also bc this dlc made some of the most hellish splat zones levels)

and another thing. those sniper enemies can fuck off actually they have such a good design but i really really hate how many of them spawn in some of the later levels like it doesn't even feel fair at a certain point

i'm sorry but there was such a lack of story to me and i was not that much of a fan despite not really being here for the lore or story as much now. like the characters are very good yeah but i feel like there should've been more of a plot? like yeah there's a straightforward plot true but it feels very bare bones and just a way to explain the gameplay structure/loop idk if i'm explaining this right bc i'm not saying it has to be anything grand but i am saying there was room for more story to be present and it just doesn't really feel there (and the dev logs do not count to me bc you have to kinda grind to get all of those and that's kinda. hmm. if it's story related). like i get that some of it is in part of the fact that they Expect you to know these characters but ghh. it could've been done so much better i feel

going further on the story stuff sorry i enjoy the main villain a decent amount after a few times clearing the spire again i think order/smollusk is silly and as i got more used to the plot given but also i will say i wasn't all too much of a fan of the AI goes rogue against its creator and is evil thing at first. like i got over it eventually but like it still kinda bugged me. partially bc yeah system moment there's definitely a robot headmate up in my brain that i know wasn't the biggest fan but also bc like. idk it just either could've been written like. more interesting (which is mostly an issue on with the story just being a lack thereof). or like something else idk it's just not the most interesting antagonist plot for me and while there's nothing inherently wrong with it i just feel they either could've done more with it in a more interesting way bc there's like Potential there or just done something else. idk that's just my own personal thoughts though

also i get that it's kinda explained in the dev logs with the stuff about sanitized octarians and whatnot but why is acht just. there. and just doesn't do all too much outside of being in the tutorial kind of. like i do enjoy them as a character i just don't get why they're just there without elaborating that much on it but also this leans into the story stuff. also kinda not a fan of the lore changes/retcons which yeah they can do that if they want but like. it feels like it was changed to specifically fit in with the loose plot given and idk that kind of bugs me bc then it just feels like the only reason they really grabbed acht for side order was bc they're the only real character that was fully sanitized. idk i could be wrong bc i certainly haven't gotten all of the dev logs yet or missed some stuff but that's just what it feels like to me personally

i said it earlier kind of but also i really really wish some of the order replicas were replicas of some of the alt kits already in the game instead of the base kit <3 sorry order brella ily but in multiplayer i don't think i'll have the patience i wish you were a sorella kit palette swap instead (the same Would go to the splatana but like. sorry i don't like toxic mist on stamper specifically can you tell /lh). it also makes me wish you could swap kits between like the base and alt kits bc now this just makes me wish i had sprinkler killer wail tri-stringer in the base game

also on the topic of weapons. can i just say i'm so tired of them fucking over inkjet these days. like why the hell was the splatoon 2 special carried over to splatoon 3 not an available special in the splatoon 2 themed dlc. why. why are the devs so allergic to putting inkjet on weapons nowadays (context the newest inkjet weapon was in sizzle season 2023). like this isn't even my favourite special to use or just in general at most i just think it's a cool special that's one of the better specials i can get in salmon run. but either way i'm utterly baffled why it isn't in this dlc. like they really did implement so much sting ray in the boss attacks but couldn't find a way to include inkjet despite it being in the splatoon 3 story mode too like Okay (sorry the way inkjet is shafted just bugs me A Lot)

again i mentioned this a bit earlier but i really wish there were more than the three bosses we got. like ik it's splatoon three but also it just doesn't feel like enough variety for me especially in a roguelike style game. like yes you can fix the predictability by just never having the reveal bosses on 10F or 20F on or just never buying it so it always feels random but also even then it still feels kinda stale in a gameplay sense bc you know its one of those three specific bosses if that means anything (since three isn't really. a high number). and also bc it means i'd experience the screaming tower less if there were more bosses and that's personally a win for me

my last kind of complaint is honestly more of a criticism of not just the side order part of the dlc but just in general but like. idk entirely how i feel about how much splatsville got sidelined in its own debut game in favour of dlc. which was primarily for the dlc campaign yes but also for the nostalgia factor of having inkopolis square and inkopolis plaza as world hubs. like idk there was a more coherent thought with this that just goes into my criticisms about how the game is handled itself so i won't go into detail here since this is about side order specifically but idk i just find it kind of frustrating in a sense i guess

#ghost whispers #hi my 3 am wall of thoughts about fish game dlc under the read more #bc the dlc did give me Thoughts and i wanted to write them out on here actually since i beat the game a day ago #mostly bc i just wanna get them Oute but formatted in a way i'd prefer

[atopearth]

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 5 - Episode INTERmission (DLC)

I finally got a PS5! Well, I was trying to stop myself but I ended up caving in because apparently my love for Final Fantasy trumps all and I have to play Crisis Core and Part 2 of the Remake asap lol. Anyway, time to play the Yuffie DLC first! It's easy to make a story for Yuffie since her goal has always been to find good materia to protect and fortify Wutai or whatever so she'll go anywhere and everywhere stealing it haha. Her appearance is definitely super childish with the moogle hoodie lol. Kinda cute how you get to see Jessie, Biggs and Wedge in the background. Anyway, I completely forgot how the battle system works so I'm kindaaa mashing buttons and I kindaaa died LOL. Am I too old for this?🥲 As for Fort Condor...very amusing. Honestly, it's not my thing, I vastly prefer the original mainly because I liked the limited units you had to choose from and I enjoyed getting to control stuff like my medic healing soldiers etc, whereas I feel like for this one, I'm just spamming units out until I win lol. As for the Happy Turtle flyers which I assume are like the original Turtle Paradise flyers, it was very weird to have a dancing turtle guy tell me to find these posters lolll. I kinda liked the subtleness of the original because it felt like a fun little game on the side with no pressure. Anyway, the turtle flyers were easier to find than expected, I didn't even try🥲 As for the Fort Condor game, personally, I didn't find it very fun, it wasn't very challenging either tbh but I guess it’s not hard mode haha. But I guess that is kinda how it was in the original lol. Even though I remember the game, it's not like I really liked it that much haha. To be fair though, I didn't like most of the mini games in FFVII aside from Chocobo racing. I never thought I could hate motorcycle racing more but the Remake was able to do it, so I won't be surprised if snowboarding and the submarine game will be the thing of nightmares🥲

Sonon looks pretty cute! Dangg, killing Ramuh was annoying, had to try a couple of times zzz. Carbuncle definitely helped with the clinch heal, and as usual, limit breaks deal good damage🥲 Personally, I'm not that fond of Yuffie, and she has very exaggerated movements which annoy me for some reason when she's talking hahaha, I'm sorry, I know she's just a kid but still. It's nice to see little fanservice moments such as what Tifa felt when Cloud was gone, but they're pretty minor so yeah. I have no idea how Yuffie can slide up a pole and do it that fast other than some kind of game logic but okay lol, it does look cool I'll admit. I was so happy when Yuffie took off her silly moogle hoodie😅 Anyway, Sonon protecting Yuffie from getting squashed on the train was cute, and I liked how they kept how she gets motion sickness haha, how nostalgic. Poor Sonon lost his sister because of Shinra's weapons that were made by Scarlet. Is it proof that I'm old when I think Reeve is hot? LOL Anyway, I was sick of the breaking boxes game so I gave up after a few tries lol😅 Honestly, I'm sad that we're stuck in the Shinra building again because it's such a boring place loll. Aside from that, apparently Nero and Weiss are from Dirge of Cerberus? They look pretty cool but otherwise, nothing else is appealing about them. Funnily, their boss battle is easier than when I fought Ramuh lol, and I never even ended up using Ramuh for anything! Personally, I am quite fond of Yuffie's skillset though, I love not needing to walk alot, it's so nice to throw her weapon and then kinda "teleport" to the enemy haha, kinda reminds me of the warping in FFXV?

Sonon dying was expected, but I kinda didn't want it to happen because it was sooo obvious lol. I think it would have been perfectly fine to have him alive because there's so many reasons for Yuffie to be alone. She's such a free spirit and does things at her own pace, of course she would run around by herself lol, but I guess it is what it is. I mean, it's not like I'm particularly fond of Sonon anyway, but that's also because I'm not that fond of Yuffie either lol, but I think they were cute, and it would have been sweet for Yuffie to have a boyfriend in Wutai haha! I mean, the fact that Yuffie was an optional character in the original FFVII gave the writers a lot of freedom to write her story, especially since her main goal is to look for materia, so she can literally do whatever she wants without affecting the story. Anyway, I didn't cry. Seeing Zack was interesting, since it seems to be some sort of alternate timeline, they're definitely intent on pushing the Aerith and Zack pairing, which is expected considering all the marketing and everything but yeah... Personally, the thing I'm most excited to see in Part 2 is Kalm! I honestly don't care about anything else, I just want to see my favourite town LOL. I love the track Ahead On Our Way and it just makes me feel so nostalgic and calm whenever I think of the music and Kalm. I would also really like to play the flashback again because playing as Sephiroth is always cool but we'll see.

Overall, INTERmission was pretty much what I expected. Was it worth $30? Personally, it wasn't worth it for me because it added no substance to the story or the characters for me but I guess that’s how DLCs are. Sure, it was nice to see Fort Condor and the turtle posters, but if you ask if I enjoyed them? Not really. It's nice to see another Avalanche group, but since Yuffie and Sonon don't really do much with them, it was basically lost potential. Personally, I think the biggest mistake for the DLC was to make it set in Midgar again, and not only Midgar but it's literally the same places. Like yeah, it's kinda cute to think how Yuffie was in the same place as Cloud and them, but at the same time, I'm sick of this place lol. Especially Shinra Building, such a boring place. Anyway, considering Yuffie is a ninja and she was in the open world when you found her in the original, I would have preferred to see more of an "adventure" than this DLC that tries to bait you with some Dirge of Cerberus fanservice at the end alongside a pretty basic plot in which nothing happened. I'm actually pretty disappointed because Yuffie from this DLC feels like a legit kid and sometimes I can't stand her haha! I can't tell if it's because I'm old now or if she's just too childish for me now, or if the characters just translated better as blocks lolll. The best thing about this DLC was Yuffie's skillset, I love playing with her skills!

Otherwise, if you're curious about whether you "need" to play this DLC or not, you definitely don't. I'd say Crisis Core Reunion which will be coming out in December would probably be more crucial considering how much the Remake wants to sell Zack and his story. The fact that they're remaking/remastering Crisis Core right before Part 2 comes out goes to show that they intend on Crisis Core being important enough to know about for the future. Whether that's a good thing or not, I don't really know because I've never cared for Zack either. Considering my grievances, you might think why does she even bother with the Remake lol, but despite my whining, I can't not play something that is FFVII related, I mean I still need to see my favourite Reno and Rufus again lolll, all I want to do is march as a soldierrrr!😍

#final fantasy vii remake #ffvii remake #ffvii