#I’ll write down points for how the story would progress

[shawnxstyles]

we need a part two when they finish the project please

sweetheart (part 2)

warnings: smut; (f- receiving [fingering, clit stimulation], praise kink, protected sex, slight cock-warming, dirty talk), and tiny fluff

note: i’m soooo sorry i haven’t been as active. once june starts i’ll be able to write more and post more stories, but right now i’m super busy. i have a few fics right now that i’ve started, but haven’t gotten the chance to sit down and finish them. so for now, please accept this blurb 😖 sweetheart part 1

—

you’ve always had a liking for school, in every aspect. unlike most people, you enjoyed doing homework and projects because it helped you understand the material you were learning. specifically, you adored science. you thought that the facts and what-ifs of the universe were fascinating, and you wouldn’t mind spending your whole life experimenting to discover new things. you absolutely loved chemistry and found it fun to analyze different equations to see what substance creates which reaction.

but right now, you’ve never hated science more.

peter is sitting on his computer typing away on the essay portion while you’re trying to focus on writing the poster. in all honesty, he gave you the easier job and you’re grateful, but you can’t seem to focus. not after he had his warm mouth on your pussy only two hours ago. every few moments, you would peek at peter’s fingers typing. you were getting so desperate to the point that each word he typed sent a tingle down your belly. when you two made light conversation, you swear his voice got a little deeper each time, and the rumbly rasp nearly sent you flying onto his lap.

“y/n, did you hear me?” you did not hear him.

“huh?” you blinked a few times, shaking all your dirty thoughts of his fingers from you. but they looked so rough and they moved so quickly, just like they did in you—

“are you okay?” no, you were not okay.

“uh, yeah, i’m fine,” you lied because you just wanted to finish the project, so peter could withhold his promise. that promise was the only thing getting you through this poster. there seemed to be a million facts and a lot of diagrams.

“what’d i say about lying?” peter asked with a head tilt and an octave-lower voice, his fingers halting on the keyboard. your heart skipped an erratic beat and your pencil dropped onto the poster paper.

“d-don’t do it.”

“good, you remembered,” he smirked subtly before typing away again. you take shallow breaths, wondering how he takes away your breath so easily.

the pulsing need of your clit and the burning of your stomach keep you from focusing. after ten minutes of hazily writing and sketching nonsense, you swallow your fear.

“peter, i was wondering if…we could take a break?” you suggested, pencil spinning around your anxious finger.

“sure, that sounds good,” he replies, but not the way you wanted him to. you watch as he saves his progress and closes his computer before walking around the kitchen island. he grabs two cups of water and hands one over to you when you appear at his side.

“oh, i’m not thirsty,” you smile to deny his offer.

“but you will be,” peter says nonchalantly before taking a smooth sip of his water. you feel the all-too familiar blush cascade across your neck as your eyes wander around the floor.

“are you all shy now? you didn’t seem to be when you were checking me out earlier,” peter taunts with a fake-innocent smile and places his glass on the counter. your eyes go wide for a moment, embarrassed that you were caught. “what? you didn’t think i saw you looking at me like you were going to jump on me? i know needy eyes when i see them, baby.”

the overwhelming heat of your skin fogs up your brain, making it impossible to focus on anything but the words leaving his lips. you’re silently begging him to touch you, to mend that ache in your cunt with his rough fingers. and hopefully, his cock. god, you want to see and feel his cock more than anything. you bet it would stretch you out for a whole week.

you swear you’re not normally like this.

“something’s on your mind,” peter observes with squinted eyes and a hand under his chin. “what is it?”

oh, just the idea of you fucking me into oblivion that’s all is what you wanted to say, but of course you didn’t. you mumbled out some gibberish that he couldn’t understand.

“i can’t hear you, sweetheart,” his words were so condescending, and in some twisted way, it turned you on so much.

“your promise,” you finally said, looking at his eyes. with each passing moment they grew from brown to shades darker.

“oh, i see,” peter tsks, “please, remind me what my promise was again? i seem to have forgotten.”

peter just loves games. especially the ones where he can feel your skin radiating fiery heat and watch your body squirm in its place. like he has all night, he’s been able to smell your arousal throughout the two hours you’ve been working. it utterly killed him to sit steady and type some scientific essay that wasn’t nearly as entertaining as your moans or ogasmic face. it was even worse knowing that you were just as desperate, but most likely didn’t want to interrupt your guys’ work time. what an angel you were.

but right now, peter’s never wanted to do more sinful things.

“you said…” how does he say such dirty words with ease? “you said we could continue what we were doing earlier.”

you lean your back against the counter, heart beating erratically in your chest as you try to remain cool. but your entire body was on fire and your clit was throbbing in your soaked underwear, so it was pretty difficult to stay focused.

“and what was that? use your words,” peter softly demands, licking his lips smugly. a never-ending heat cascades through your body, making your heart beat faster than ever. you breathe in, trying to get the courage to be so upfront.

“you said you would…fuck me,” you surprised yourself when you said the words. they sounded even bolder than you would have thought. every little moment he doesn’t say anything makes you think he’s just going to laugh at you. at this point, you think you’ve gone insane because you can no longer feel your heart beating. just the impending silence dangling between you two.

“good girl. now i remember,” peter smiles proudly and inches his way closer to you. his hand snakes up your neck and caresses your jaw. his thumb plays innocently with your bottom lip as your trembling breath huffs out. he could do whatever he wanted to you, and you would let him. “it wouldn’t be very nice if i didn’t keep my promise, would it?”

“no,” you waver out. your legs are stiffened together and your eyes are straining on his every move.

peter solely smirks before leaning down to kiss you. like the movies, his kiss is soft and pleasant. the way your lips molded together caused such an intense chemical reaction, and you would love to experiment on it. multiple times. every day. you would kiss him as many times as you could. you never would forget the magnetic feeling of his lips on yours.

your hands get lost in his brown hair, twisting their way through his ends. you’re so lost within his kiss that you didn’t even comprehend when he said “jump,” but you subconsciously listened and leaped into his hold. peter carried you to his bedroom, which you have been dying to see since you walked through the door. you believed someone’s bedroom said a lot about them.

however, you were too focused on other things to analyze peter’s bedroom. peter delicately lays you onto his black sheets, still kissing you like the world is ending. he slowly makes his way down your warm neck as you hum at the feeling. knowing what’s coming, you don’t wait for peter to ask permission behind discarding your own shirt. you close your eyes and tell yourself to not be self-conscious. he’s already seen you naked, so why be nervous?

seeing this, peter frowns slightly. his rough fingertip taps lightly on your temple. “open. wanna see your pretty eyes.”

your stomach tingles at his words before obeying his request. instead of smirking, peter smiles goofily and then kisses your cheek. a wave of warmth erupts through your skin at his affection. your entire body was covered in flames at this point, and you wondered if you would even be alive to get to the good part.

his tough hands roam your supple skin in hopes of exploring every inch. the rough texture left tingles in its trail.

“jeans?” he asks, looking up at you for approval.

“yes. please, peter,” you rushed and pleaded. your clit was begging for some friction, and you were about to start crying if you didn’t get something.

“gotta tell me what you want, sweetheart,” peter sang, thumbs rubbing the supple skin of your inner thighs teasingly. you wavered out a shaky breath, trying to conjure up the words.

“i need you so bad it hurts,” you whimpered. you were honest with peter, but your words weren’t what he wanted.

“i bet it does, baby. but that’s not what i asked,” peter flicks your clit through your underwear causing you to gasp at this unexpected movement. your thighs twitch and tighten at his teasing. he does it a few more times, just to get your body even more excited, and to get you to finally speak up.

“f-fuck! peter, i need your cock. i-i need you to fuck me,” you shouted, louder than you intended, but that was even better for peter.

“look who’s using her words,” peter says smugly, making your roll your eyes. you both assist in shrugging your panties off, making you completely naked while peter is still fully dressed. you reach for his shirt, but he’s already a step ahead of you and pulls it off himself.

when you see his body, you swear you almost faint. peter had six bulky packs of muscle on his abdomen and lumps of muscle on his arms. his chest was buff and tight, yet looked soft all at the same time. you had to blink a few times to make sure he was real. you even poked a finger at his stomach just to make sure it didn’t go through him like a ghost or a hologram. peter chuckles at your antics before grabbing your hand and kissing it, just like he had done earlier in the evening. and just like earlier, you felt yourself blush profusely and feel tingly all over again.

while you’re smiling like a goof, peter’s hands resume on your body. you instantly stop smiling because you remembered just how much he’s deprived you. but he’s also given you more than anyone else has in the past…

his digits caress your soaking slit between your crossed legs. you gasp because he’s finally touching you bare.

“open,” he demands softly, voice deep and lustful. shakily, you listen and do so. peter doesn’t hesitate to find your lips again with his fingers.

you quietly moan at the delicate pressure, feeling the smallest bit of friction. just as you were about to beg him for more, or to hurry up, his middle finger slips inside of you. it was almost embarrassing how easy it was. the amount of wetness you were leaking could fix the california drought.

“god, you’re so wet. what made you like this?” peter slowly pushed his finger in and out, thumb circling your puffy clit at the same time.

“you, peter! fuck,” you clenched around his digit, needing release already.

“are you thinking about my cock? hmm?” peter questioned, voice gravely as he leans over you. “are you thinking about me inside of you? thinking about how much i’m going to stretch your little pussy out?”

you groan at his foul language, pulsing barbarically. you’re straining to keep your eyes open, trying to obey his earlier request and to intake the moment. peter urges you to come, increasing his thrusts and pace. before you know it, your core is tightening and you’re squeezing peter’s fingers until you do. you thought you cut off his circulation from how hard you were clutching onto him, but when he pulls his fingers away and licks them proudly, you knew he was just fine.

“taste so good, sweetheart,” a smirk dances upon his lips as your taste lingers in his mouth. he’ll never forget that taste, no matter what happens after tonight. he’s hoping there will be more nights like these. more days too.

“can you please fuck me now, peter?–”

he holds up a finger to your lips.

“all of a sudden you know how to use your words and it still sounds so dirty coming from your pretty lips.”

in the blink of an eye, peter is reaching over to his night stand to grab a condom (hopefully). when you see the tinfoil wrapping, he stuffs it between your teeth, making you hold onto it. you then watch as he undresses his pants, clearly taking all the time in the world like he has it.

the smell of your orgasm and your wetness is haunting peter’s senses. the scent of you is never going to rid from his body or his room. he also doesn’t ever want you to leave, so he’s going to drag this out as long as possible.

once his pants are finally off, you get the courage to undo the wrapper while he’s taking his underwear off. holding the condom, you almost drop it once you see his length. he’s big, bigger than you’ve ever had. the tip of cock is bright red and leaking a bit of pre-cum, clearly just as desperate as you.

“fuck,” you mumble when looking at him. all he does is smirk before taking the condom from your hand and putting it over himself. peter leans over you again, face over face.

“ready, sweetheart?” his smirk lingers while you clench around nothing. you can feel the overwhelming sensation of your clit throbbing and you just want him to mend it. “ready to be fucked so hard you can’t leave?”

“yes, peter. fuck me hard.”

with your final words, peter is gently sinking into you. your wet folds encompass his cock snuggly causing you both to groan in delight. after a few moments, he starts to rock his body and you release a string of moans with every thrust. you try your hardest to keep your eyes open, but fail to do so. the sensations are indescribable throughout your body.

peter’s actions get harder, rougher. just like you wanted. he’s flicking his hips into yours with skilled movements while his face is relaxing in the crease of your neck. you feel his warm breath on you as he groans into your ear, lighting your whole body on fire.

“shit, peter, it feels so good. don’t stop,” you whine when he hits a certain part inside of you. your hand creeps down in between you both to rub the ache in your clit, but peter stops you.

“love when you touch yourself,” he grunts, never halting his movements, “but that’s my job right now.”

so, peter begins harshing rubbing your clit to no end. instead, your hands squeeze tightly on his biceps while he pounds into you so hard, you see stars. your never-ending wetness makes it so easy for him to slip in and out.

you feel yourself clutch onto his cock and when he moans, he sounded like the best thing you’ve ever heard.

“i-i love when you moan,” you croaked out, feeling too blissful to speak coherently.

“yeah? what else do you like?” peter huffs out, still smug as ever, even when he’s deep inside of you.

“l-love when you talk dirty, peter.”

“knew you were fucking filthy.”

with his rough words, you’re on the brink of your orgasm. your core tightens like it did earlier and your nails are digging deliciously into his skin. peter hisses in pleasurable pain, loving what you’re doing to him.

as your orgasm flows over you, your heart beats a million miles an hour and your breathing becomes staggered. the moans you elicit were just as filthy and pornographic as…well a porno. as you came, peter was smiling the whole time.

peter twitched inside of you and that’s when you knew he was close. you tangled your hands in his hair one last time and gave a single tug. that simple movement caused him to groan deeply and bring him to his release.

he doesn’t pull out quite yet. he just rests inside of you with his head on your chest. then after a few moments, he goes to get up.

“don’t leave,” you whisper and slide your hand through his locks again.

“it’s my place, baby, i’m not leaving,” he chuckles and slowly pulls out. you whimper at the loss of his cock, and at the feeling of being stretched out to the max.

“peter, i think you ruined me,” your voice cracked because it was hoarse and dry. you definitely needed some water now.

“good. are you thirsty now, sweetheart?”

—

tags: @invisibletrolleyson-jeremy @lnmp89 @crybabyddl @pretty-npeach @marine-mayday @aerangi @justanotherpasserby-blog @tinafuentes @moniffazictress11 @eywaheardyou @alwaysclassyeagle @mrstealuregirl @bisexual-desi @sherlockstrangewolf @madsttx @graywrites20 @bradtomlovesya @princesspannnn @raajali3

crossed out= not able to tag

#shawnxstyles #peter parker #peter parker smut #blurb #peter parker fan fics #peter parker au #peter parker fics #peter parker blurbs #requests #peter parker one shot #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #tom holland #tom holland smut #tom holland fics #tom holland fan fics #tom holland c you #tom holland x reader

[concreteangel92]

Do you want to be a good girl for me?

Noah Sebastian x fem!reader

TW: mentions of dom/sub relationships, getting turned on? Honestly nothing is too graphic here

A/N: So I had this idea in my head today after wondering how the conversation would go with Noah about him being a dom while you’re in the early dating stages.

This has definitely been inspired by watching him spanking the air during IDWT$ the other day which I have yet to recover from 🥵

I haven’t wrote any type of fanfiction in about 7/8 years! I used to write a lot when I was younger but stopped due to adult life haha so I do feel incredibly rusty but Noah and reading everyone else’s stories on here over the last few months has definitely inspired me but please be kind as it’s been so long 😂

I am half way through a smut filled Noah one shot atm so hopefully if this goes well then I’ll be posting that soon!

• So far you were on date number 3 with the Noah Sebastian Davis.

• Tonight was a home cooked dinner and movie night at yours

• Currently sitting together on the sofa, chatting after dinner

• You had both agreed to take things slow-ish to begin with so you could really get to know each other

• Noah being aware that you were a fan of the band prior to these dates

• The most you guys had done so far was holding hands, cuddling and a lot of kissing

• Now you know there is more to a relationship then sex but let’s be honest, it’s pretty important and it’s important to be compatible

• You hadn’t mentioned anything to Noah about the kinks or kind of relationships that you were into but it was definitely the time to see if things could progress

• “so I feel these dates have gone really well and that we appear to be really compatible”

• “so do I”

• “but there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you…”

* Noah would definitely be more intrigued when he sees a small blush forming

• “ask away”

• Noah, as ever, would be very collected with a calm expression that you can’t read

• “Umm, well the thing is….I just wondered….”

• “Don’t be shy y/n, if the blush on your cheeks is anything to go by then I can only assume it’s more of a private question?”

• Noah’s eyes never leaving your face and of course he would have a small smirk on his lips

• “right ok….so obviously you know I’ve been a fan of the band for a while before this….so I’ve seen certain videos online of you performing….and….and seeing the way you present yourself or the way you do certain things…”

• “What things?”

• Noah interrupting with an even bigger smirk, clearly catching on to where the conversation was headed

• You would definitely be blushing a bright shade of red at this point and trying not to do your nervous laugh and you most certainly can’t look him in the eyes

• “The videos of you spanking the air and the way you come across….I just have to ask….are you really the dom that you appear to be?”

• That whole sentence would have been said extremely quickly

• You would feel the need to ‘shy away’ from him after being so bold, eyes looking down at your lap

• Until you feel his fingers brushing your hair off your shoulder

• “why? Do you want to be a good girl for me?”

• You would instantly feel your tummy do a flip and have an instant ache in between your legs

• The latter would have you squirming ever so slightly on the spot and clenching your thighs together

• Something Noah of course does not miss

• “ your reaction just then tells me everything I need to know about you”

• You’d look at him with big eyes, a knowing smile on your face

• “I just needed to make sure that we were compatible in that area, most guys I’ve met aren’t into what I am”

• Noah would be tracing small patterns on your neck, his intense gaze never leaving yours

• “We can discuss what we like or don’t like, make sure that there is a safe word or a colour system in place but I do think we are going to be more then compatible”

• The ache would start to become very prominent to you at this point

• “Just to warn you, I’m not always very well behaved”

• You stare into his eyes, heart rate accelerating and you most certainly had a wet spot on your underwear at this stage

• “Good. Because I love my subs to have a bit of bite to them”

• You would unconsciously move closer to him while his hand gently wraps around the back of your neck

• “Can we just skip the movie now please?”

• Noah also moving closer “please what?”

• “please sir”

• “there’s my good girl”

• The kiss that happens after this would be messy and desperate and a small indication of what was to come

• The film definitely being forgotten about for the rest of the evening

Well that definitely turned out longer than I expected haha 😂 hope you all enjoyed it and if anyone wants a proper part 2 then let me know!

#noah sebastian #noah sebastian davis #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian fic #bad omens #bad omens band #bad omens cult

[mrsstarkey1]

nice to meet you - peter parker

SUMMARY: after doctor strange wipes everyones memories of peter parker, he meets a girl in a coffee shop

WORD COUNT: 1.7k

WARNINGS: none

You absolutely hated living in the city. There was so much crime and violence, there were so many people everywhere. And it smelled disgusting. You were much more of a small town girl, and you missed your hometown more than anything.

You moved to New York for your first year in college at Columbia. If it wasn’t for the scholarship you received, you would have never considered moving to the grimy city. You could admit that it grew on you, slowly. You especially could tolerate it during this time of year.

Christmas in New York was truly magical. The snow, the lights, the music. It so easily became your favorite time of the year.

You also loved Christmas break. No school and plenty of time to yourself. Plenty of time to dedicate to your writing that you put off throughout the school year.

You sat in your usual seat and your favorite cafe, just outside campus. It was the least crowded cafe in the area, and it was the most relaxing. You sipped on your  hot chocolate in between typing paragraphs of your short story. You smiled a little at the progress you’d made in the couple hours you’d been sitting there. It was the most you’d written in weeks.

“Going well, hm?” A familiar voice said from behind you, and you tilted your head to see your friend Sarah.

You nodded, “so well,” you said with a happy sigh, leaning back in your chair. “I’m nearly finished.”

Sarah smiled, patting you on the shoulder, “I’m very proud. I’ll grab you a celebratory muffin, on the house.”

You let out a small chuckle at her offer, “I’d love that, thank you.”

Sarah disappeared behind the counter, and you placed your fingers back over the keys, desperate to finish this story before you lost inspiration. 

Minutes passed as you typed away, the Christmas tunes in the background playing softly in your ears. Once you typed the last word, you let yourself slump back in the chair with a relieved sigh. You noted the time, and wondered where Sarah was with your celebratory muffin. You were starving.

Your eyes traveled up to the counter where Sarah was helping a customer. You could just see the backside of the man, but once your eyes landed on him you couldn’t tear them away. He was decently tall, dressed in dark jeans and a heavy jacket. His hair, brown and curly sat at the top of his head, pieces of snow and ice mixed in.

After moments of ogling, you made eye contact with Sarah, and your cheeks turned red thinking about how long she had seen you staring at the mystery man. Sarah’s eyes twinkled with an idea, and she looked back and forth between you and the man in front of her.

Your eyes widened as Sarah hit the guys shoulder lightly to get his attention, then pointed over to your table. He turned swiftly, and you directed your gaze to back to your computer, trying to hide from him.

You couldn’t bring yourself to look back over toward him, and you prayed that if you clicked your heels together 3 times you’d be back in your apartment.

After a couple moments, you assumed he’d gone away, or at least forgotten about whatever Sarah said about you. You brought your eyes up from your computer, and at the exact same moment, a chocolate chip muffin was laid down right in front of you.

You examined the hand next to the muffin. It was… masculine. Definitely not Sarah’s.

Your heart literally skipped a beat when you forced yourself to look up at the owner of the hand, and the giver of the muffin. If there was any word to describe the man you were looking at, you’d have to say it was handsome.

Handsome enough to literally take every word you knew from your brain, leaving you speechless.

“The girl up there, um-” he turned slightly to point to where Sarah had been standing, “told me to bring this over to you?” he said, as if unsure of his own words, and his nervousness made you a little more relaxed. “She also um,” he cleared his throat, “said I should ask if I could join you,” he said quietly with a bashful smile.

You couldn’t stop the smile from playing on your lips at his words and nervous facial expression. His eyes scanned yours, awaiting a response, and you found yourself literally drowning in them. You had never been so lost in someone’s eyes before. You snapped out of it after a few seconds, realizing you hadn’t said a word. “I’m sorry, um, absolutely. Absolutely you can join me,” you breathed out quickly, gesturing to the empty seat across from you.

The mystery man’s face broke into a heartwarming smile, and he gratuitously sat down at the table, shrugging off his jacket. He was wearing a simple gray hooded sweatshirt that fit loosely on his figure. His cheeks were red from the cold, making him impossibly cuter.

You finally forced yourself to tear your eyes away from his, knowing that if you kept the eye contact you wouldn’t be able to form any thoughts.

“Thanks for bringing me my muffin,” you said eventually with a smile, tearing off the wrapper.

“No problem. Um, I’m Peter, by the way,” he said, holding his hand out to you.

Peter. He looked like a Peter.

You pulled your hand from the muffin and reached out to shake his, “y/n,” you introduced yourself with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. Do you live in the city?” hopefulness was laced in your voice. With your luck with men, he would be here on business from a far-away country.

He nodded, “yeah, not too far from here. You?”

You took a bite of your muffin and nodded, “I live in an apartment just off campus,” he looked confused for a quick second, so you added, “I go to Columbia.”

Peter’s eyes twinkled with admiration, “Wow, that’s really impressive. Columbia’s a great school. What’s your major?” He leaned forward on the table, resting elbows on the edge.

“Journalism,” you said with a smile. “They have a really great program. I’m really lucky to even be in it,” you shrugged a little.

“I’ve always wished I was good at writing. I’m much more of a math and science guy.”

You chuckled a little, and shook your head profusely, “not me. I’m awful at anything that involves numbers. Maybe you could help me with my statistics homework,” you said, a joking tone in your voice.

Peter smiled, “I’m happy to help if you’ll let me,” he said sincerely.

You let your smile grow, thrown by his real offer. “Yeah?”

Peter nodded, “yeah,” he confirmed.

Peter spent an hour trying to explain the unit you were learning in stats, and with every passing moment you became more embarrassed about your lack of understanding. But Peter was so patient, and so sweet.

He would admit, it was like teaching inferential statistics to a toddler, but he loved every moment of it. He loved the way your eyes twinkled when you found something you understood, and the way you put your head in your hands with a angelic laugh every time you didn’t understand. He would sit in that cafe and teach you anything you wanted for hours upon hours if he could.

Unfortunately for Peter, you glanced at the time on your computer and let out a sigh. “It’s getting late,” you breathed out, followed by an involuntary yawn.

Peters lips twitched into a small frown, but he covered it up quickly with a laugh,“I didn’t even realize it was dark out.”

As you packed up your school things, Peter mentally debated whether or not to ask you for your phone number. In the moment, he wanted nothing more than to see you again.

But a big part of him didn’t want to let anyone know him. He felt like every person that he let in got hurt in some way. Even just knowing Peter Parker, not even Spider-Man, was like a curse.

You were the first person he’d had more than a 2 minute conversation with since Doctor Strange erased his existence. You were the first person he let himself talk to. Now that he thought about it, you may be the only person in the world to know his name.

Peter stared at you shamelessly as you backed your bag up, and slid on your winter coat. He went against every single part of his brain telling him to just leave the cafe and never look back and said, “could I get your phone number?”

You met his eyes with a surprised smile, and you nodded after a second, taking a small step toward him. “Hand me your phone,” you said simply, a smile still playing at your lips.

He did as you instructed, and you typed your number in, sending yourself a quick text so you had his number. You handed it back to him, your fingers grazing along his for a split second.

“Thank you,” he breathed out, his brain effected by the small moment of contact.

You nodded curtly with a smile, and let out a sigh. “I should, um,” you gestured toward the door subtly, mentally slapping yourself in the face. You didn’t want to go, but you didn’t know if Peter wanted to do anything more than teach you statistics. “I should get going. I’m exhausted,” you said with a small chuckle.

Peter nodded understandably, “It was nice to meet you, y/n. I’ll see you again sometime, yeah?”

“Absolutely. It was nice to meet you too, Peter.”

You turned on your heel, walking away from him. He found himself wishing, begging internally that you’d turn back around. You glanced at him one more time through the window of the cafe, sending him one more of your gorgeous smiles. His heart skipped a beat, and he smiled to himself.

He stood in the cafe for a couple moments, reminiscing in the last 3 hours. It was the longest that he hadn’t been completely and utterly alone in nearly a year, so those hours meant everything to him.

He spent the walk back to his apartment, thinking of you. Your laugh played in his head on repeat, never ceasing to bring a smile to his face. He knew how pathetic it seemed that you, a woman he just met in a cafe a few hours ago, were on constant repeat in his head. But you were the only good thing that had come into his life in what felt like a lifetime.

The sound of his creaky apartment door opening is what finally took you from his mind, and he was reminded of what his life really was. He brought his finger up to the light switch, turning it on. The light flickered off much quicker than it flickered on, and Peter let out a scoff.

Peter changed into his pajamas in the corner of his dark apartment. He nearly flinched at the coldness he felt without his jacket and thick jeans. The heat had gone out at his apartment weeks ago, and it was starting to get unbearable. He kicked on his personal heater at the foot of his bed, and got under the many blankets he had piled on his mattress.

He pulled the blankets up to his chin, trying to cover every part of his freezing body. Turning on his side, he closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep before the night air got too cold for comfort. Peter fell asleep with the image of you in his mind, the only thing that kept his soul warm.

------

REQUESTS VERY OPEN !!!

if u follow me & reblog my posts i’ll do the same for u !!! love making tumblr friends

#peter parker #peter parker imagines #tom holland #tom holland imagines #peter parker fluff #peter parker x reader #spiderman imagines #spiderman fluff #marvel fanfiction #marvel #marvel imagines #marvel fluff #marvel peter parker #tom holland spiderman #no way home

[cdelphiki]

How does Clark feel about the whole Jason thing? And has he had any contact with Bruce?

On the one hand I understand how he, as a friend, might think Jason is exaggerating his reasons for not going home

On the other, any journalist would seriously question the reason why Jason, knowing the extent of Bruce's bank account, instead chooses to hold down two jobs at 16 just to keep himself and three kids away from his father.

I’m gonna put this under a spoiler because I everything will eventually be revealed so if people want to learn naturally they can!

So he’s staying up on the fence. He believes Jason has a good reason for doing what he’s doing, or at the very least that he BELIEVES he has a good reason.

When Clark was talking to him the first time in Jason’s apartment he was fully prepared to go get Bruce that very second but Jason’s heartrate spiked and he was panicking. Clark paused at that point and thought to himself, why is Jason afraid of Bruce? So that’s what made him go into investigator mode and decide to feel this out more. He lives Bruce like a brother, but he will absolutely always land on the side of a CHILD over the adult he’s afraid of. And he tells Bruce as much eventually.

So. Has Clark had contact with Bruce? This is the serious spoiler so turn away now if you don’t want to know!!!!

Yes he has. He did not go tell Bruce himself, he has kept his promise, but that little sneaky dork who ambushed Clark while Jason was napping?

Yeah. He wasn’t there by accident. Tim was going over just to confirm all his theories and Clark telling Tim to “leave it” was all the proof he needed. Then Kon relayed to Tim what Jason and Clark talked about immediately after and it double confirmed. He put together a presentation and gave it to Bruce that night.

So that means that at this point in the story now, Bruce knows about Jason and the kids, and he’s put together his connection to Damian. (Not to Attie because Attie was a test tube baby so he’s not thinking it’s even possible she’s his and also Attie doesn’t look like Bruce)

He and Clark have had a fight now over it. I’ll eventually write this as a side story, I have it drafted out. Clark told Bruce in no uncertain terms that he is not to contact Jason because Jason is skittish, scared, and way over stressed. Bruce finally agreed to Clark’s terms, just because Clark really layed into him about how scared of Bruce he was. Bruce doesn’t know why Jason is scared of him but he loves Jason enough to back off.

Temporarily. Clark has asked for a month. :)

As the story progresses try to keep an eye out for Bruce’s invisible hand.

[project-sekai-facts]

working on writing hypothetical events for my oc unit made me realize how messed up the prsk timeline is (do they realize the seasons keep repeating? do they know they’re in a time loop?) and i know it doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things but it makes my job so much more complicated bc i need to think about whether i’ll trap my ocs in the time loop with them or write their events so time progresses naturally like it would irl.

mostly just sending this ask here because i vaguely remembered you made a post about writing a timeline at some point and that compelled me to want to break down prsk’s story timeline for myself 😭

yeah i was gonna compile a timeline for the anniversary but put it aside for now due to various reasons, one of which being there's SO many continuity errors to work through

the characters are kinda in this weird state of being aware that they've celebrated their birthday and halloween and christmas multiple times, but not aware of the fact that they should be moving up grades and yknow, ageing. they acknowledge that the events of the past 3 years out-of-universe have taken place over one year in-universe, despite having celebrated new years day 3 times.

i seem to remember in one event or card story it actually being addressed that new students start high school in april but if that's the case then what class are they going into? none of the previous freshmen aged. those classes are taken. the previous freshmen just went back to the school after the holidays as if going up a grade isn't real.

#asks

[slvt4tristan]

my biggest rival

pairing: tristan dugray x fem!reader

genre: smut, fluff

description: you and tristan have been competing academically at chilton for years, and it’s not exactly like you two have a peachy relationship. translation: you hate each other. however, you’re forced to work on a final group project together that’s worth a huge chunk of your grade. both stressed out from finals season, maybe it’s time to find a new thing to compete and see who’s better at, something that satisfies the both of you way more than schoolwork.

warnings: 16+ only, smut, blow job, face sitting

notes: i feel like i got way too carried away with this one but oh well… i’ve been getting a ton of requests to write more after my first story and i’m sorry this one took so long <333

You’ve come to the conclusion that Tristan Dugray is impossible. Today you were invited (more like forced) to come to his house to work on a final project. However, he seems hellbent on doing anything and everything he can to slow your progress. You didn’t understand how he got such good grades, good enough to rival even yours, if he had such a devil-may-care attitude about schoolwork. God, he annoyed you so much, and at a time when you already had so much stress built up from final exams, you were at your breaking point.

“Stop being so tightly wound,” Tristan scoffed, “I bet this is your first time in a boy’s room” He was seated next to you on his bed. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the buttons mostly undone. Your eyes drifted every now and then to his defined chest muscles. A pencil was tucked behind his ear.

“As opposed to you, who fucks every living thing, probably doesn’t even make them cum, and never looks their way again,” you responded bitterly, not taking your eyes off your notes.

“Oh? What makes you think I don’t make the girls I sleep with cum?” he suddenly shut his notebook, which he was only pretending to write in, and sat up at attention. Of course now that you two were talking about your sex lives, he was attentive and ready to participate.

“Just a hunch about guys like you.”

“Guys like me?” There was a hint of teasing in his voice, egging you on.

“The hot popular kids everyone wants to fuck, and when they finally get a chance, the sex is disappointing and the guy is gone in the morning.”

“I’m a guy that everyone wants to fuck?” he asked in a cocky tone, inching closer to you, almost breathing in your ear. “Including you?”

“No chance in hell.” You quickly shot back, but not before he saw your flustered complexion and nervous fidgeting.

“Hmm, I’m not sure if I believe that,” he replied, “Let me make a proposition to you. Since you claim I suck so bad in bed, let’s have a little bet. If you win, I’ll help you with this dumb project.”

“What’s the bet?” You said, gulping.

“Let’s see how fast we can make each other cum. I’ll time it. Judging by how visibly tense your shoulders are, you need a major stress reliever.”

You hated the fact that he was right. Everything had been weighing down on you so hard that you felt badly stretched thin. Plus, he wasn’t a bad looking guy. There wasn’t really any harm in this… right?

“I’ve never been one to shy away from a wager, but… one question. What happens if you win?”

“Let’s just say I get a special request from you.” He smirked.

“Deal. Uh, who should go first?” You found yourself more nervous than expected now that the real thing was getting closer.

“Ladies first is what I always say.” Tristan grinned, retrieving a pulling out his phone to set the stopwatch.

Huh, I guess the best strategy would be to suck him off, you thought to yourself. You gently lowered yourself onto the floor in front of Tristan, finding a comfortable position on your knees. Looking up at Tristan, you could tell he was getting flustered at the sight of you kneeling for him. You smiled to yourself. He was cute with sweaty hands and red cheeks. You reached up and pulled the zipper down on his khaki pants. He was wearing checkered boxers, and the tip of his dick had leaked a patch of pre-cum onto them. You wrapped your fingers around his clothed clock, making him let out a breathy groan. His head was tilted back, lips open, and adam’s apple showing on his throat. You couldn’t deny it, you liked what you saw. You pulled down his underwear and revealed his hard, needy dick. Quickly, you took the tip in your mouth and massaged it with your warm tongue.

“Agh, y/n, please!” He shouted, his brows knitted together in pleasure.

His moans turned you on too, and soon you shifted to place your knee underneath your clothed clit. You began slowly rubbing yourself up and down against your own leg, feeling the tingly vibrations and warm pleasure waves make their way throughout your body. You took him fully in your mouth, licking up and down his shaft whilst sucking. Every now and then you would moan against his dick, sending vibrations up the sensitive body part. He was thrusting his hips now, desperate.

“You’re good at this babygirl, just a little bit more!”

The nickname increased the pulsating sensation in your clit, you desperate for him. You began bobbing your head at a merciless pace, bringing him closer to orgasm. He let out a strangled moan, yelling a mixture of affectionate nicknames and your name. His hot cum shot down your throat, which you swallowed quickly.

“Did you swallow my cum?” He asked, still breathing heavily, while reaching over to stop the timer.

You nodded, wiping around your mouth and standing.

“Fuck, I really like you.”

You felt crimson reach your cheeks.

“I- thanks, um… what’s the time?”

“3 minutes and 17 seconds,” he said sheepishly.

“Not bad.” You commented, shrugging.

“Ready for your turn? I saw you humping your leg while you were giving me a blowjob, you must really want me, huh?” Of course he had to be as cocky as ever throughout this whole process.

“Shut up.” You responded, taking the initiative to straddle his lap, placing your hands on his shoulders.

“Eager.”

You chuckled. For a second, everything froze. You were seated on top of him, gazing into his deep blue eyes. Your gaze drifted to his lips: plump, soft, pink. Was kissing allowed when the stopwatch wasn’t on? Would he think it was weird? Were you the only one who didn’t really care about the bet anymore, and just wanted to have more of him?

“Kiss me, beautiful.” He breathed out.

You closed your eyes and leaned in. His lips were warm and plush against yours. You kissed again and again, lazily making out. He bit your bottom lip gently and tugged on it, causing you to jump and move closer to him. One of his hands moved to your lower back, and the other just below your breasts. He slid his tongue into your mouth. The hot muscle licked against your own, slowly massaging each other. You began slowly grinder against his forming bulge, clit feeling delicious friction. Finally he broke away, and you felt embarrassed for your indulgence.

“Baby, as good as you taste, I kinda wanna eat something else,” he groaned, reaching over to set the stopwatch.

You were surprised. You never really thought of him as the type to eat pussy. You had had a few choice sexual encounters before, but you were still a virgin, and had never been eaten out. However, you had… read some things. So, of course, you weren’t about to say no.

“Let me undress you?” Tristan asked.

You nodded in consent. He lifted off your shirt, revealing an intricate cream-colored bra decorated with a bow and lace.

“You wore lingerie to my house?” He chuckled.

“N-no, it’s—I wear this all the time.” You lied.

“Don’t be shy. It’s exactly what I like to see, babygirl.”

Feeling emboldened, you grabbed his hands and placed them on the breasts. In response, he squeezed them and began playing with your tits.

“Did you like that too?”

“Yeah, I did. You have cute tits. I wanna see more.”

He reached behind your back and unclipped your bra with one hand. You had the urge to cover up your naked breasts, but Tristan quickly began sucking on them. He pulled away to rid you of your pants. When you had stripped down to just a pair of underwear, he pressed the base of his palm against your clit and started with circular motions. He then slid your panties down and pocketed them discreetly.

“Sit on my face,” he said, lying back flat on his bed and smirking.

Oh, this was going to be fun. You straddled him and slowly lowered your pussy onto his mouth. You could feel his hot breath sending shivers straight to your clit. You relaxed and placed all your weight on Tristan’s face. He licked a stripe across your cunt, testing the waters. It felt like bliss when his warm tongue met your clit.

“More!” You whimpered.

You could feel Tristan smiling against your core. He grabbed your hips, shifting you forward so that you clit rested on the tip of his nose. Then, his tongue plunged into you. He began a merciless pace of fucking you with his tongue, hitting your g-spot consistently. You began to drag yourself up and down, his nose providing friction for your clit. Soon you were desperately riding his face as he thrust into you with his tongue.

“T-tristan, I’m getting close!” You stuttered, your mind had gone dumb from pleasure.

“I know baby,” he groaned against you.

He slid his tongue out of you and brought it up to your clit. This time he laid it completely flat against you, inviting you to use him however you wanted to get off. You bucked your hips against his tongue, sliding up and down until your climax started to build.

“I’m cumming!” You yelled.

A string of moans which mostly consisted of “Oh, Tristan!” left your mouth. You gushed onto his face. Slowly, you lifted yourself off him and laid down on his right, panting and cunt aching with pleasure. Tristan was good. He casually laced his fingers with yours.

“So… was it okay?”

“Not just okay,” you giggled.

He grinned at you, cheeks dusted with red, and sat up to check the stopwatch. Glee spread across his face.

“3 minutes and 11 seconds,”

You cursed under your breath. Now all the embarrassing things Tristan might make you do at school were racing through your mind.

“Alright, lay it on me. What’s my punishment? Please don’t make me wear something ridiculous,” you snorted.

Glancing over at Tristan, you realized he had a more serious expression on his face, and wasn’t laughing with you. He looked almost nervous, fidgeting with his fingers and working up the strength to say something.

“Y/n, I want you to let me take you out on a date.” When he saw your shocked expression, he attempted to backpedal and coerce you further, “Look, I know this is all kind of fucked up. I mean, we’ve already given each other head before we’ve had our first date or even, I don’t know, hugged. But I just… really want you to give me a chance.” You could see the sincerity in his eyes.

“Okay, Tristan. I’ll go out with you,” You beamed.

“Great! Uh, I mean, thank you. I won’t let you down.”

He slipped his hand back into yours and gave you a reassuring squeeze. You carefully laid your head on his shoulder and sighed.

“I guess this stupid project can wait until tomorrow.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He grinned.

#tristan dugray #gilmore girls #gilmore girls smut #girlmore girls fluff #smut #smut fanfiction #tristan smut #tristan fluff #tristan dugray smut #tristan dugray x reader #tristan dugray fluff #tristan dugray x you #tristan dugray fanfiction #gilmore girls fanfic #gilmore girls fanfiction #tristan dugray x reader smut #tristan dugray fanfic #tristan dugray imagine #tristan fanfiction #gilmore girls fluff #chad michael murray #chad michael murray x reader #chad michael murray smut #chad michael murray fluff #chad michael murray fanfiction #gilmore girls x reader

[9w1ft]

I always interpreted evermore as a song about depression, I never linked it to Kaylor, can you tell me your view on this song?

dang i had a conversation about this with someone several months ago but i can’t find it. ill give you the abridged version. firstly, i think it can be about both! because the situation got depressing there for a hot minute!!

taylor said in an interview with zane lowe for apple music that she had written the song when the election was upon us and she didn't know what was going to happen. evermore the album was released in december 2020, which suggests that she wrote it pretty close to the release date, but also had time to reflect on what she knew to be true before releasing it— that trump wouldn’t win reelection. there’s a billboard article where she talks about the moment she learned biden won and i think it meshes really well with how evermore concludes thematically and emotionally.

when we think about the impact that trump being elected had on kaylor back in 2016–throwing a birthday party for lorde only days before the 2016 general election and wearing the vsfs angel wing ring in public for the first time, and that picture of them both kissing lorde on the cheek, going from that to at once enacting a love blackout and never being seen regularly in public again (the next time being rep tour 2018)— and on top of that, them going out of their way to separate themselves in the media via the creation of a “feud” during 2017 (swish swish, sushigate, etcetera) which pitted karlie with katy perry and kanye and cast her as someone for swifties to hate, guilty by association, we can imagine the weight and sadness of this chapter in their story. this is the start of the pain. this choice (i consider it a choice), to take the battle underground, sunk kaylor little by little into the world of the improbable for any casual observer. and it also put somewhat of a hex on karlie indefinitely, and for as brave of a soldier as she is, its an awful long while to be put in jail for something you didn’t do.

with these details as the background, i consider evermore to be a song chiefly about 2019 onward, though you might also position some of the date markers in the song within a sort of 2016/2017 focused timeframe. personally though i tend to think that 2019 events work just as well and operate under similar themes. for example, “hey november i’ve been down since july” could be in reference to the period of time where it became slowly more clear that the 2016 election results might not be a non-starter. or, it could reference the day after the masters sale (which was end of june 2019) and the theorized “failed coming out” that many expected her to do at the new york city pride parade that week. this followed by november, the conclusion of editing Miss Americana which would be released the following month (“motion capture put me in a bad light”) or alternatively november 2020, the point at which she is writing this song. there’s also an lsk theory that taylor and karlie were broken up from july to november 2019 but im not so versed in that so i’ll just keep it to a mention.

in any case, “hey december” can circle back to miss americana being released, not as a coming out documentary but as a “political coming out” documentary. hence the “can’t remember what i used to fight for.”

or it could be both, in a way. for example rewinding the tape but all it does is pause on the very moment all was lost could be both the rewinding of the miss americana documentary released in 2019, and/or perhaps conceptually the idea of the 2016 election night footage being rewound by everyone in the disbelief that occured the night that “all was lost”

because all was lost that night, in a way, no?

i tend to see justin vernon’s part as being a depiction of karlie after kaylor was exiled to a new level post the masters sale. i don’t mean this to say they were broken up. it’s just that they had to do a factory reset on a lot of the progress that had been made up until that point, and they would not be seen together (in order to accomplish some vigilante shit, is what i think anyway). back to justin vernon’s lines. it just reminded me deeply of all the hate karlie got that summer. and indeed, all the hate she had accrued until then. whether summer or winter, this feuding arc had put karlie in a position that i would argue was growing unbearable and incessant. “out on waves im being tossed, is there a line that i could just go cross?” referring to the latest wave of said hate. in this scenario, “can’t not think of all the cost and the things that would be lost oh can’t we just get a pause to be certain we’ll be tall again?” seems like karlie calling out to taylor, amidst the haze and confusion of the masters sale, think about everything that we would be giving up if you don’t come out right now. (think of me.). and then upon that line leading nowhere saying hey let’s pause before we hurt each other, to be certain we will make it through. here “tall again” reminds me of paper rings “standing here so tall”

so what of the ending? well, as a time marker i would once again refer to when the song was released, post-2020 election, where taylor saw that trump had lost and they would have a path forward. …covid-19 was yet to happen of course, and with that i think there were life priority shifts, but i just see evermore as a song that covers taylor and karlie seeing a light at the end of the tunnel that had been their love lockdown to love blackout to exile story. its a song that encompasses so much hope and i just really really really love it as a kaylor song because of the specificity with which you can tie it to their story, specifically a more contemporary chapter, the likes of which we hadn’t had too many songs depicting up until that point (basically just peace/hoax/the lakes).

so yeah that’s why it’s a kaylor song to me 🫶

#it paints a singular picture

[vgfm]

Predicting the Release of Deltarune Chapters 3, 4, and 5

a.k.a., “I spend way too much time analyzing a dev cycle that I do not fully understand and have no control over”

Undertale’s 8th anniversary has come and gone, and it’s left some fans feeling disappointed. I wasn’t expecting anything too major this year since the last three anniversaries were a bit of an anomaly. We’ve truly been spoiled to have gotten the Undertale concert, Chapter 2, and the Spamton Sweepstakes back-to-back-to-back. It’s easy to forget that the anniversaries before this were far more low-key affairs.

Even so, the 8th anniversary still felt a bit lacking. I had been hoping for a full status update post to the Deltarune website, but instead we got a much shorter update in the autumn newsletter. It’s true that we’ve gotten 3 other newsletters in the time since the 7th anniversary, and each has had tidbits of Deltarune news as well as their own share of fun extras. However, even all four newsletters combined seem to have less to say about Deltarune’s status than an annual update post usually does.

Fans who’ve been paying attention also seem a bit disappointed with the current progress of the game. Early status updates made it sound like Chapters 3, 4, and 5 were speeding along, while later ones make it sound like Chapter 3 has slowed to a crawl. I initially felt this way, but upon reflection I think this mindset is due to two main factors: (1) fans interpreting status updates overly optimistically, and (2) Toby sometimes using unclear language when describing the status of development.

I’ve poured over the recent newsletters, Deltarune’s past status updates, and Toby’s old tweets and interviews to get a better picture of how the game’s development is progressing. I also looked to the development of Chapters 1 and 2 to get an idea of what a completed chapter’s dev cycle looks like, and with that info I’ll try to piece together my best estimation for when Chapters 3 through 5 might finish.

Yes, I’ve hit peak hiatus brainrot and, like some others, I’ve run out of things to theorize about the game itself and now I’m trying to write a theory about game development, despite the fact that I have zero experience in game dev outside of making a couple of goofy low-effort mods. I want to emphasize that I’m doing this for fun and that I don’t want to rush Toby or his team—I’d like for Deltarune to take as long as it needs for the best result and for the team to not be overworked.

With all that said, before I can make a prediction, I must first break down my observations for each chapter’s development cycle so far. As mentioned, I’m pulling this info from newsletters, status updates, and Toby’s tweets and interviews. I won’t cite a source for every bullet point, but it’s not too hard to track down this information.

Note: Dates referred to here are release dates for products and status updates/posts. I’m aware that most major posts that Toby writes nowadays are made at least 1 month in advance due to the need for translation. To make things simple, I’m using the publishing dates instead of second-guessing the date of writing.

Chapter 1

Took roughly three years of total development time, from late 2015/early 2016 to October 2018

An unknown amount of early planning was done during and prior to Undertale’s development.

Toby and Temmie largely worked on this chapter alone

This chapter required creating the entire party-based battle system

This chapter required designing the entire Hometown and ensuring it would “set up” future events in the game properly

Except for composing some songs and writing the story, Toby didn’t work on any future chapters during Chapter 1’s development

My assessment is that this was almost certainly the hardest and most time-consuming chapter to develop. Toby had to create the game nearly from scratch with the fewest resources at his disposal. All future chapters benefited from using chapter 1 (and later 2) as a base and having things like Hometown already set up in advance

Chapter 2

Came out three years after Chapter 1, but Toby later said Chapter 2 only took 1.5 years of active development—beginning in May 2020 and releasing in September 2021. This 1.5 year period likely does not include planning and pre-production, since Toby tweeted about designing and writing parts of Chapter 2 prior to May 2020. However, this 1.5 year development period would include testing and other finishing touches.

The other 1.5 years prior to Ch 2’s full development were spent experimenting with other game engines, hiring team members, pre-production on Chapter 2, and planning future chapters of the story.

Toby finished outlining the rest of the game and writing most of the full game’s dialogue during and prior to Chapter 2’s development. Toby decided what all battles will be for Chapters 3 through 5 and most battles for the rest of the game. Toby also has all locations planned (in the form of text) for 3 through 5 at this time. This is all outlined in the 2020 status update.

After the first four months of active development, Toby guessed chapter 2 was 50-80% content-complete by the time of the Undertale 5th anniversary. He also projected that the game would be ready to enter beta testing by the end of 2020. 

Chapter 2 was in beta testing by April 2021 at the latest, since Toby tweeted about it at that time, so Chapter 2’s development phases can be broken down thusly:

Design (Pre-production; writing, planning, designing assets): Less than 1.5 years

Implementation (Active development; programming, graphics, creating battle assets and environments, music): 8-12 months

Finishing (testing, translating, polishing): 5-9 months

My assessment is that, although there was a 3-year time period leading up to both Chapter 1 and 2, it feels like Chapter 2’s development period got a lot more done. Toby has said that chapter 2 is the largest chapter in the game in many ways. Toby was working with a team starting with Chapter 2 and he was able to start planning and pre-production work on future chapters in the meantime, allowing for a much smoother start to Chapter 3’s development than chapters 1 and 2 had. Chapter 2’s release also seems to mark a shift in how Toby’s team structures their development phases, which I’ll go over in 3 through 5.

Chapters 3 through 5

Most early planning for chapters 3 through 5 was completed during chapter 2’s development, likely shortening the pre-production phase compared to previous chapters. However, Toby did mention in the 2022 update that “certain aspects” affecting 3 through 5 needed a while to set up. As of 2022, those “aspects” are now in place.

As of September of 2022, one year after Chapter 2’s release, Toby’s team is working on 3 through 5 in parallel and has already completed more than one chapter’s worth of “bullets, cutscenes, and gimmicks”. I will elaborate on this in a bit.

In March of 2023, Toby’s team is primarily focused on finishing Chapter 3. We can say for certain that Chapter 3 entered active development in early 2023 at the latest

As of September 2023, Chapter 3 is in a fully playable state from start to finish and is presumably ready for alpha/beta testing

Chapter 3 seems to mark a slight shift in the team’s production order for each chapter. Chapter 2’s phases were outlined in the 2020 update as three phases: Design, Implementation, and Finishing. Based on context clues from last year’s update and this year’s newsletters, chapters 3 through 5 seem to be following a modified four-phase workflow:

Phase 1 – Design – writing the story, planning the game, and assigning roles to team members. It’s hard to quantify how long this took with chapters 1 and 2, but the good news is that most of this phase was completed for future chapters during chapter 2’s development, according to the 2020 status update. The 2022 update does imply that there was still some set up required leading into chapters 3 through 5. This could be connected with the rumored engine changes to GameMaker to allow multiple games to be launched from a single launcher. Either way, this set up was finished before the 2022 update and be presumed to be done for all three chapters.

Phase 2 – Early Implementation – I’ve split implementation into two phases for reasons I’ll explain in the next phase, though these two halves likely overlap. I suspect this first half of implementation involves preparing dialogue for translation (which was previously done as a finishing step for Chapters 1 and 2) and creating assets in bulk to plug into the game later. This phase is likely when the “chapter’s worth of bullets, cutscenes, and gimmicks” mentioned in the 2022 update was created. Later newsletters imply that Chapter 3’s locations were in an earlier state of development than many fans expected, so I think Toby has artists and programmers design enemies, puzzles, and cutscenes in advance before areas are created to put them into. Chapter 3 seems to have completed the early implementation phase. Chapter 4 has had a significant chunk of this phase complete, based on the 2022 update, and currently 4 and 5 both seem to be in this phase, as of June 2023.

Phase 3 – Full Implementation – This consists of programming game world locations and assembling the full structure of the game. I believe this can be treated as a separate phase from the early implementation because (1) Toby mentioned in the 2020 update that he doesn’t draw map designs until the team starts programming, (2) Chapter 2’s maps had only just been started when its cutscenes, songs, bullet patterns, and other assets were nearly finished in 2020, and (3) Chapter 3 seemed to be early in this phase in 2023, despite more than a chapter’s worth of assets being created in 2022. Chapter 3 recently finished this phase, and chapters 4 and 5 likely haven’t gotten far in this phase or reached it yet. All implementation for Chapter 2 lasted between 8 and 12 months. It’s likely this will take less time per chapter for 3 through 5 due to Toby saying Chapter 2 was the longest in the game and Toby having more resources available to complete early implementation on 4 and 5 while 3 undergoes full implementation and the next step:

Phase 4 – Finishing – This is presumably the same as Chapter 2’s finishing phase, only with translation likely occurring earlier in the process, per the March 2023 newsletter. Chapter 3 recently entered this phase. This phase took anywhere from 5 to 9 months for chapter 2, depending on when that chapter entered beta.

Conclusions

Overall, we know that chapters 3 through 5 are using Chapter 2 as a base, Toby has a larger team and more resources available to him than ever before, and Chapters 3 through 5 are being developed in parallel. Chapters 3 through 5 also had the advantage of having most of their planning and design taken care of during Chapter 2’s development cycle. To reiterate, Chapter 2’s development ended up like this:

Design: Less than 1.5 years

Implementation: 8-12 months

Finishing: 5-9 months

Based on what we’ve heard regarding chapter 3, I think we can extrapolate the following timeline for Chapters 3 through 5 so far:

Design: FINISHED (all chapters). Less than 1 year – I’m not counting the design work on 3 through 5 that was already completed before Chapter 2 released. The 2022 update did hint at some form of set up or planning affecting 3 through 5 that had been resolved by September 2022—this makes one year of design the maximum possible amount in this development cycle, though it was likely considerably less

Early Implementation: FINISHED (Ch 3), IN-PROGRESS (4&5). 6-17 months – The 17 months figure is from adding up the year between the 6th and 7th anniversaries and ending at the March 2023 newsletter, when finishing chapter 3 was announced as now being the team’s main focus; this assumes that early production began as soon as Chapter 2 released and that priorities didn’t shift to Chapter 3 until right when the March newsletter came out. The 6 month figure is assuming that most of 2022 was spent on design and resolving the “factors” that affected 3 through 5, which is highly unlikely. We know that early implementation assets were worked on for chapters 3 and 4 simultaneously in 2022, and it’s likely that Chapter 3 alone would have taken less than a cumulative year at this stage. Extrapolating from where things were in 2022, I’d guess Chapters 4 and 5 are at least halfway done with this phase cumulatively.

Full Implementation: FINISHED? (Ch 3). 6-12 months – I base the 12 month figure off of the idea that focus switched to Chapter 3 immediately after the 2022 update and I base the 6 month figure off of the March 2023 newsletter being the point where focus shifted. Chapter 3 became fully playable in September 2023, marking a probable end date for this phase

Finishing: IN-PROGRESS? (Ch 3). Unknown. This could match the 5-9 months for Chapter 2. It’s also possible that 4 and 5 could move onto full implementation while 3’s playtesting takes place, since the latter can rely on people outside the team playing the game while members of the team are freed up to work on other things. Bumping up translation earlier in the pipeline might also shave some time off this phase.

The Prediction

Overall, I’m reasonably certain that Chapter 3 will be completely done within the next 6 months, barring some unforeseen difficulties. Game development can be unpredictable, so anything’s possible (especially delays). Toby has remarked on how strange chapter 3 is and he’s implied that some segments have had to be removed or cut down, so it’s possible this chapter was a lot more experimental and needed more time.

I’d say chapter 4 is, bare minimum, halfway through early implementation. More likely, I think it’s nearing the end of early implementation. I say this because having more than a chapter’s worth of assets completed in 2022 meant that not all of that was for chapter 3, and 2022’s update made it sound like 3 and 4’s progress was roughly neck-and-neck at the start of this phase—hence, half a chapter’s worth of assets done for 4. Obviously focus has shifted to chapter 3, but Toby did reiterate that assets are still being made for 4 and 5 during the summer newsletter, so it’s likely 4 has the majority of this phase done and 5 has made some progress.

Where do I think we’ll be in a year? The optimist in me would like to say that all three chapters will be done by next September, but I’m honestly doubtful. I think a more likely scenario is that 3, 4, and 5 will release sometime between the 2024 and 2025 anniversaries. If we’re lucky, then end of 2024 or early 2025. I think the best case scenario would be that Chapter 3 wraps up around the end of this year (or final testing frees up the team to focus on 4 by then) with Chapter 4 ready to have its maps created immediately afterwards (or already started). Chapter 4 would then enter testing in early-to-mid 2024, with chapter 5 following a few months after to be ready just in time at the end of the year.

I know it may sound bleak to some to be willing to wait another 1-2 years, but keep in mind that this pace is still much faster than what development has been so far. In six years we got two chapters of Deltarune. With my estimate, we’d be getting three chapters in 3-4 years. Chapter 2 took 1.5 years of dedicated development time, plus pre-production, whereas 3 through 5 seem poised to take less time per chapter. I predict that chapters 4 and 5 will go more smoothly, partly because they seem to be more “standard” chapters but also because the groundwork is already being laid for them while 3 is being finished. It took less than a year for Chapter 3 to go from a pile of assets to an assembled and test-ready game. At that pace, it wouldn’t take much longer for 4 and 5 to both bridge that gap—the only extra time will come from finishing up early implementation on 4 and 5 as well as testing each chapter.

I don’t have much else to say in terms of predictions, but I did write up a big timeline of Deltarune (and Undertale’s) development while making this post. I was originally going to put it at the beginning, but it was hard to parse and contained some redundant information. On top of that, Tumblr messed up the formatting so it may be a little hard to read.

Instead of placing the timeline front and center, I’m including it below for all you truck freaks out there who want to know where I pulled various dates from, or if you’ll just read anything Deltarune-related. For everyone else, this post is basically over now. Bye!

Timeline

2011

Toby is first inspired to make Deltarune from a dream (according to interviews)

2012

Toby attempts to create a Deltarune-like project but abandons it before creating Undertale

2013

May 23 - Undertale demo is released

2014

Toby develops Undertale and continues creating Deltarune concept art on the side (according to 2018 tweet). Toby also teases Deltarune’s existence on the Undertale Kickstarter at some point between 2013 and 2015

2015

September 15 – Undertale releases on PC and Mac

Toby creates and updates the Deltarune.com website between 2015 and 2016. Development on Deltarune chapter 1 likely begins in earnest in late 2015 or early 2016

2016

July 17 – Undertale releases on Linux

2017

August 15 – Undertale releases on PS4 and PS Vita

September 15 – Undertale 2nd Anniversary. Toby releases early draft of alarm clock dialogue. First mention of Rudy Holiday

2018

September 18 – Undertale releases on Switch

October 31 – Deltarune Chapter 1 releases on PC

According to Toby’s Twitlonger, Chapter 1 was content-complete “a little while” prior to October 4th and was still being translated as of the 4th. This implies that, during Chapter 1’s development, translation was one of the final steps. According to Toby, Chapter 1 took “a few years” to create. At this time he says 7 years is the maximum time he’d be willing to spend on a project. Toby announces his intent to release all remaining chapters at once. It’s implied that Toby created chapter 1 mostly on his own, with art by Temmie. He mentions wanting to hire a team for the rest of the game. Toby mentions that Chapter 1 needed to create the entire Hometown “correctly on the first try” in order to “set up properly for the rest of the game,” likely adding to development time. Toby says that apart from creating some songs and writing the whole story, he hasn’t completed any work on the other chapters at this point. Specifically, no programming or final art has been done.

According to later statements by Toby, he and his team will spend the next two years writing, composing, designing, and drawing content for future chapters

2019

February 28 – Deltarune chapter 1 releases on Switch and PS4

March – Early development on future chapters begins, but “99%” of the work at this time is spent on investigating alternative game engines to GameMaker. During this period, Toby continues planning the game and writing its story

April 18 – Toby tweets that he’s “making great progress designing Chapter 2” and posts concept art, indicating that the chapter is still in early development

June 12 – Toby tweets that he has “about 50” songs past Chapter 1 in various stages of completion, compared to Chapter 1’s 40 songs. He also mentions that he’s currently writing and drawing bosses, bullets, cutscenes, and characters for future chapters

July 5 – Toby reiterates via tweet that he plans to release all remaining chapters at the same time

September 15 – Undertale’s 4th anniversary and Deltarune Chapter 2 status update

Toby reveals annoying dog in toy car sprite from Chapter 2. Toby posts early versions of the songs Lost Girl and Welcome to the City. Toby posts concept art of Susie’s angry reaction to Noelle looking at her tail. Overall, Toby says the design of the game is going “really well” but that other aspects are “facing some hurdles”. This seems to imply that Chapter 2 is still in early development at this point.

2020

Around March or April, Toby experiences severe wrist pain that slows down his ability to develop the game

“A few months” prior to August/September, Toby completes readable outlines for every chapter in the game, including first-pass dialogue for almost all cutscenes. All major events and battles that will take place are now known. Toby also decides around this time to go back to GameMaker as the engine of choice for the full game

May – Deltarune chapter 2 begins full development, using Chapter 1 as a base

September 15 -  Undertale’s 5th anniversary concert and Deltarune Chapter 2 status update

Toby reveals he’s now working on a team with four full-time members (including himself) and other part-time members. Toby is designer and programmer. He also proposes hiring more people to work on Chapters 3 and beyond. Toby believes that Chapter 2, content-wise, will be done before the end of 2020 (not accounting for translation, bugtesting, and porting). This likely meant that, by the end of 2020, Chapter 2 was in an alpha or beta state where it could be played through from beginning to the end. Toby estimates that Chapter 2’s design/early development phase is 100% done. Toby estimates Chapter 2’s art is 90% done, Cutscenes are 80% done, Bullet patterns are 70%, other battle elements (ACTs) are 30%, audio is 80%, “other”/misc content is 65%. Chapter 2’s maps are mostly started or placeholder but with all NPC interactions completed. Toby reveals that he doesn’t draw his map designs until his team starts programming. Chapter 2’s balancing/bugfixing/translation/porting are all 0% done. Overall Toby suggests that Chapter 2 is between 50% and 80% done. Toby makes a distinction between Chapter’s 2 development and the development of remaining chapters. He also says that the game will be released in “many Chapters,” perhaps implying he was already reconsidering his goal of releasing all chapters at once at this time. Toby describes Chapters 3 and onward as having story and progression 100% done, cutscene dialogue 95% done. Ch 3+ Textual map design is 70% done overall and earlier chapters 100% done. “Earlier chapters” likely means 3 through 5. Drawn map design is 0% done. Ch 3+ enemy conceptual design is 90% done and bosses are 100% done. Enemy bullet designs are 80% done overall and 100% done in earlier chapters. Ch 3+ music concepts are 95% done, completed music is 50% done. Ch 3+ background concepts (first-pass) are 75% done. Ch 3+ bosses (first-pass) are 100% done. Ch 3+ sprite art is 20% done.

November 23 – Toby tweets the giant toilet from Chapter 2

2021

March 16 – Undertale releases on Xbox One

April 17 – Toby tweets about a friend playing the beta version of Chapter 2, confirming the game was in beta and undergoing playtesting around or prior to this time

July 20 – Toby tweets again about another friend playing the Chapter 2 beta

September 15 – Undertale 6th anniversary, Deltarune Chapter 2 announced

September 17 – Deltarune Chapter 2 is released

Toby’s team has expanded since the last status update and he considers expanding the team a little more. Toby says Chapter 2 was the biggest chapter in the game in many ways, including by cutscene count. Toby confirms changing his mind about releasing all chapters at once. Instead, Chapters 1 through 5 will be bundled together as a paid release once 3, 4, and 5 finish development.

September 23 – Deltarune Chapter 2 released on Switch and PS4

September 24 – Toby confirms in an interview that Chapter 2’s development took 1.5 years. This would line up with development starting in earnest around May 2020. Toby also confirms that chapter 2’s programming was handed over to another member of the team due to Toby’s wrist injury. Toby is now working as director on the project.

2022

February 9 – Toby posts concept art of future chapters

May 17 – Toby posts more concept art and mentions he’s gotten more people to help with development

September 15 – Undertale 7th anniversary

Toby’s team is simultaneously working on chapters 3, 4, and 5. Toby confirms more people have joined the team and the pace of creation has improved from Chapter 2. Most work completed has been for Chapters 3 and 4. Between 3, 4, and 5, the team has created more than one chapter’s worth of bullets, cutscenes, and gimmicks (likely meaning puzzles). Toby mentions 3, 4, and 5 having “certain aspects” that took a while to set up but are now in place, which will make development go smoother. Toby releases screenshots and songs from chapters 3 and 4.

September 17 – The Spamton Sweepstakes

November 17 – Toby announces Undertale/Deltarune mailing list

December 19 – The first Undertale/Deltarune newsletter is delivered

Toby says “the end is in sight” for some of the content in Chapter 3, but is very vague overall.

2023

March 30 – The second newsletter is delivered

The team’s main focus is completing Chapter 3. Translation for chapter 3 is close to starting. Based on what we know from later updates, it seems that translation is beginning sooner for these chapters than it did for chapters 1 and 2.

June 29 – The third newsletter is delivered

The team is still focusing on Chapter 3, but a few people are working on bullet patterns and puzzles for later chapters. The team is creating the final overworld area for Chapter 3, which is the last thing to complete before Chapter 3 is fully playable from start to finish (i.e., entering an alpha/beta state). Toby mentions how chapter 3 is an unusual chapter and implies it may have been harder to work on than a typical chapter. He also says Chapter 4 will be a “much more standard chapter”.

September 14th – The fourth newsletter is delivered

Chapter 3 is now playable from start to finish and is (presumably) undergoing testing and polish.

#deltarune #undertale #deltarune theory #toby fox

[ottoslab]

You know: Re: “there’s an in-story reason there are no fat characters in xyz media,” I feel like there’s a lack of understanding about the root idea behind why there should be fat characters regardless of the “in universe” explanations.

Im going to keep this conversation in line with Into the Spiderverse/Hero media, because I’ll be honest: I don’t disagree with the idea that there’s never a reason for there to be less body type diversity in a cast. I think the reasons are fewer and far between than people claim, but I don’t think they’re not there. Maybe it’s important for worldbuilding, maybe there’s another reason. Just getting it out of the way so I can say that I’m not talking about these specific instances where fat characters wouldn’t work in the narrative for whatever reasons.

I’m talking about: Spider-Man cant be fat. He’s too busy running around and swinging on webs to be out of shape. There’s no way there could be a fat avenger, they’re way too active. Etc etc.

Ok. Cool. I don’t care.

When it comes to body diversity in media, my first thought is not usually the in-universe reasons for the body diversity, for fat characters being fat. My mind is always going to the intention behind the writing first and foremost.

The Spider-Man series, and a lot of superhero stories, are stories about empowerment. Spider-Man itself is a character built around the idea that “anyone can wear the mask.” The spiderverse movies are built around that idea.

Spider-Man, in universe, is a character who fights crime, who has the weight of the world on his shoulders, who does super cool stunt moves and is usually like 16 years old and fighting off super monsters.

But, like. That’s the in universe stuff. The subtext, the reasoning for the plot, the character evolution, is so much more than that, isn’t it? It’s a story about empowerment, about encouraging the viewer, you, whoever you are absorbing this media, to take great risks and to evolve. Spiderverse isn’t asking you to put on a mask and swing around and fight a woman with octopus tentacles. Spiderverse is using a very specific in-universe challenge to ask you how you’d operate with great power, and the price to use it responsibly. Etcetera etcetera. Generally speaking.

And anyone can be viewing that story. Even a fat person. Who wouldn’t “realistically” be able to be a spider-man. Fat people still face adversity, still identify with having goals and taking risks. Like anyone else. That’s the point of the “anyone can wear the mask” thing. Why couldn’t there be a fat Spider-Man, for audiences to relate to just as much as they would a skinnier Spider-Man, but with the added “hey, that’s like me,” factor for some people who don’t usually get that?

And then comes the other stuff. The fact that, while a lot of media may not have positive representation of fat characters, they still have fat characters. They still exist. And where are they?

Well, usually being the butt of the joke, probably.

We can’t have a fat spider-man, but we can have a Peter B. Parker, down on his luck, pitying himself for the decisions he won’t make, at a low-point in his life. And how do we portray this? Oh, yeah, we’ll have him be fat. And we won’t stop pointing it out. We won’t stop mentioning it in a way that would have a laugh-track playing after every mention if we could. Because being fat is bad, because being a fat spider-man means you’ve done something wrong. And once you’re doing better? You’ll be less fat, probably. Because it means you’re probably doing something with yourself.

I don’t mean to say that there’s absolutely no reason a person could gain weight when they’re at a low point in their life, or that losing weight can’t be a sign of someone’s progress in their life. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the writing, I’m talking about the framing of this. Peter B. Parker is the only fat Spider-Man in Into The Spiderverse, (I know there are plus sized background characters in across the spiderverse, but theyre few and far between and do not take away from the treatment of Peter B in the first movie) and they’re going to make sure you remember that, and they’re going to hope you laugh at him for it. Peter B Parker isn’t a real person, but a real person, real people, had to write his character and how people treated him.

TLDR: If you’re making a story, I don’t give a shit if there’s “no reason” for a character to be fat in universe. Let them be fat anyways. There’s probably “no reason” for half of the things they are or aren’t, but we still give characters those traits anyways. And I guarantee, in the stories where there “shouldn’t be” fat characters, there will be anyways. They just will be there to be laughed at, to point at as a sign of “greed,” to be the antithesis of what the protagonist should be. Because from a writing standpoint, apparently, where anyone can wear the mask or whatever, being fat is still wrong.

#Hm. Im not really one to type out really long tumblrposts about topics like this. #but im doing my best to make it clear that im not trying to start an argument. #I am passionate about this. Maybe even a little upset on some level. #but idk. I feel like i can have my one obnoxious tumblrpost as a treat. #This might not be entirely comprehensible #but i hope if youre reading it you can do your best to not immediately go with the worst interpretation of what im saying here GDKHFGLJDGJL #not tagging this. Either it goes somewhere or it doesn’t. God bless o7 #long post

[slowips]

truthful rumours

cyno / reader

Shouldn’t the rumour be dead after frequently hounding others that it was fake? He’s not wrong, but things are… complicated. 

# secret relationships, a kiss on the cheek, 1.3k words.

✱ thank you mimikyu @andromeda-nova-writing for editing this story!

series / prompt

.　⁺ . 　 ˚　✦　.　　+ ⁺　 　 . ✦

“I love you.”

The man can’t look at you. His hands bolster a bouquet of roses and padisarahs to shield his face. Instead of aiding his claim, it steals your attention. To have the flowers pruned and arranged probably cost more than the average spent by a customer in Puspa Cafe.

It takes a minute of silence for you to remember you haven’t given him a reply.

“I’m sorry,” you begin, pushing the bouquet away. You want to address him but can’t recall his name. It has only been a month since he arrived, and he’s barely even conversed with you. “I appreciate the effort, but… I can’t return your feelings.”

He’s jumpy, frantic, and you almost feel apologetic as he freaks out. Something behind you catches his eye, hardening his gaze. The anxious boy you saw flies out the window. Before you can turn to confirm what it is, his question throws you off.

“Is it because the rumours are true?”

You scrunch your eyebrows in perturbation. You’re just an ordinary employee of Puspa Cafe. It doesn’t sit right with you that you’ll be involved in rumours. Hardly anyone remembers your name unless they’re filing a complaint. But, there is someone whom you’ve grown close to that constantly has murmurs and secrets attached to his name.

You give him a quizzical look. “What rumour?”

“The rumour that you’re dating the general mahamantra.”

Shouldn’t the rumour be dead after frequently hounding others that it was fake? He’s not wrong, but things are… complicated. 

“Putting your feelings aside, what makes you think that?” You didn’t mean to sound accusatory, but he pulls himself back as if you’re some desert scorpion ready to sting.

“Well, he walks you home when you end your shift…” he mutters, looking down. It’s the third time someone raises your walks home with Cyno to start prying into your love life.

“Okay, but we live near each other and there have been reports of increased criminal activities. I don't think anything about it is inherently romantic,” you chide, hands on your hips. You wonder if whatever caught his eye before is still there, listening to the conversation.

“Then let me walk you home, since there’s nothing inherently romantic about—”

“Wait a minute,” and you place both hands in front of you to create distance. “I think you should think before you speak. Just a minute ago, you confessed you had romantic feelings for me and I rejected you.”

He nods, blankly staring at you. Your point completely misses him if not (or at least you hoped) it would slap him across the face. 

“Aren’t you a storyteller?” you jeer, “If you harbour romantic feelings and walk home with that person then it’s obviously romantic? I’ve already rejected you, so anything romantic involving both of us would make me… how do I put this… I’ll be uncomfortable.”

“But how can you be so certain that the general mahamantra doesn’t possess romantic feelings for you?” His eyes glint with mischief.

You blink, taken aback at the conversation’s progression. Usually people drop the topic once you’ve explained, as nonchalantly as you can, that every act is proof of your close bonds with him and shouldn’t be understood otherwise.

It is expected that he’ll push you to a corner though, you did provoke him. Luckily, you’re prepared. Perhaps a little too well, many nights spent pondering.

It’s hard to pin if your hesitation is due to your faith in your answer—10 reasons why anyone can be certain Cyno doesn’t like you romantically. It’s an arsenal you don’t want to use. Saying it out loud feels like admitting that maybe, even if it’s slim, Cyno probably doesn’t like you as much as you believed.

There are pockets of truth in your lies at the end of the day. Like how the routine of walking home together is for your safety, and how your house is a road away from his so it won’t inconvenience him unlike the new employee.

You hear your name being called. What perfect timing; you guess Cyno has been listening all along.

“Am I interrupting something?” he says with crossed arms, his menacing aura clashing with the pride of the new employee. There seems to be a second conversation in the way their gazes fight.

The new employee hides the flowers behind his back after lowering his head. “I suppose it is late,” the new employee says. “As much as I’d like a reply, whatever suits your boat. I just… hope you’ll give me a chance if the rumours are false.”

Cyno grunts. His slightly scrunched face indicates he has a comment, but he remains quiet. When his rival leaves, he looks at you, eyes unwavering.

“Ready to head home?” He asks.

The answer to the new employee’s question is at the tip of your tongue. You push it aside to reply, but it leaves a bitter taste. 

“Yeah. Sorry if you had to wait.”

“Not a problem.” 

The cafe has been void of customers since 30 minutes ago. It’s a different situation when you step out behind Cyno. Eyes watch both of you as you maintain distance no matter how much you want to grab his hand.

You’ve escaped an interrogation, which is enough questioning for a tiring day. Anyways, you have the answer you’ve swept aside to entertain.

After all, how long has it been since Cyno did something you couldn’t explain through the views of friendship?

⠀

----

⠀

“I love you.”

Even in the dimness of the night, you can’t deny the weight of Cyno’s gaze on you. True enough, you meet with his red eyes. They glimmer under the banners of moonlight slipping through the dense canopy. It’s the gentlest stare you’ve come across, a refuge compared to a citizen's look whenever you’re out with Cyno.

It takes a minute of silence for you to remember you haven’t said it back. However, they’re stuck in your throat, fighting for space with laughter that wants to burst from your chest.

“I refuse to believe you like me that way,” you tease instead, a giddy smile plastered on your face as you titter. The prior event flashes in your mind like a film, and the current irony amuses you. “I mean, shouldn’t you be freaking out after telling me how you feel?”

He doesn’t seem offended. It can be hard to tell without noticing the subtle changes in his expressions, but he replies calmly.

“This isn’t some badly written romantic comedy so, no, I shouldn’t and wouldn’t be freaking out. We’re not children anymore.”

You giggle, not wanting to guffaw and attract unwanted attention, ending this pleasant moment.

“I mean it when I say I love you,” Cyno whispers, taking your hand. You gasp at the sudden contact, but the shock dies when you remember only the trees and critters are your audience. “I don’t know how you would reply to his question, but I didn’t want to hear it.”

You interlace your fingers with his. “I didn’t want to say it either. Sometimes, I’m too convincing.”

He bends to pluck a sweet flower before passing it to you, “I’m sorry I can’t say it more or do more to show it.”

You take a whiff of its scent and want to tuck it behind his ear—

There’s rustling of the bushes. You drop the flower. It crunches as Cyno swiftly adjusts his grip on your hand. He spawns his spear while you prepare a series of explanations for your close proximity with him if anyone inquires. From holding your hand in preparation to run to preventing you from fleeing too far from him in fright.  

After a beat of silence, he keeps his spear. The sparks in the atmosphere from elemental usage dissipates. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“Cyno,” you say as you tug his hand. Although there were plenty of anxieties built up over years—after falsifying every action to the point you almost believed the hole you dug was your grave—his words are a wave of reassurance, and even if brief, it’s all you really need. “It’s okay, I understand.”

You lean in and kiss him on the cheeks in the cover of the night. The warmth on your lips tells you enough.

“Just promise me that you’ll be safe,” you add.

“I will be.” He lets out a tiny breath. “But you—”

You gingerly press your index finger against his lips.

“I’ve lied to others for years now. Although, yes, at times I fall prey to my own words, but you’re always there when I need you, right? Like now. You don’t have to worry.”

It’s sad to hide, but what else can be done when falling in love with someone who has a dangerous vocation? Even if it breaks your heart that every moment together means proportionally long hours spent rationalising and seeing everything as an act of friends in case anyone asks; even if it means years of silent stares and glimpse of affection; you think it’s worth if he doesn’t have to worry that his enemies will go after you.

After all, don’t you love him?

───・

requested by sleepybunboo / author commentary (+notes) coming soon.

#cyno x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin x y/n #cyno x you #cyno x y/n #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x y/n #x reader #genshin impact imagines

[jessequinones]

Writing Advice: Slow burn vs. dragging it out (relationship edition)

I’m currently reading Dragonfire: Fallen Star and I need to get this off my chest, it’s about the difference between a slow burn and dragging something out, namely in the way of creating a relationship.

In the first book, Blaze meets Risha and it’s obvious she’s the love interest and that’s fine. She doesn’t have much of a personality besides being moral support for Blaze but it’s whatever. At the end of the book, the author does something differently and doesn’t pair them together despite it being obvious.

That caught my attention, if it didn’t happen in the first book after the final battle and Risha almost died, maybe Blaze would get with someone else in book two? No ... he doesn't. It takes until the end of book two for both of them to admit they love each other and Blaze is confused because he never had a concept of “love” and didn’t realise he was in “love” or that Risha loved him. (I know asexuality is a thing however I can’t comment if Blaze is asexual or aromantic because I’m not either of those things. As far as I’m aware, Blaze isn’t.)

So let’s talk about a slow burn vs. dragging out a relationship.

A slow-burn love story is kind of the focus of the story. Most of the time you see them in either slice-of-life stories, romance, or even erotic storytelling, but the main focus of the story is primarily the relationship between two or more characters. You know it’s gonna happen, everyone around them knows it’s gonna happen, and the build-up of their relationships feels natural, and if written well, you’re waiting for that “I love you, let’s kiss as a couple” moment just like how everyone else in the story is waiting for it.

Now that’s not to say a slow-burn relationship is only found in those stories, as it’s a common trope with a lot of storytelling. Two characters are in love but don’t have time to do anything about it until the story is over where they can relax and admit their feelings for one another. (Insert nearly any story here).

The point is, if it’s obvious, and we know it’s gonna happen if it doesn’t happen at the end where we thought it would...then it becomes a love story which feels like it’s dragging on.

Case in point, Dragonfire book one and two. While I was caught off guard about book one’s ending where Blaze didn’t get with Risha, book two started off with the most obvious “I’m in love but don’t realise it” kind of writing there is and it doesn’t stop until near the end. This relationship was already established and written in book one, why does it have to carry over to the next book? Mind you these books are over 400 pages long, I basically, read an 800-page romance where they don’t get together until page 800. That’s not a slow burn, that’s dragging it out.

Slow burn vs. dragging it out comes down to how the reader feels about said relationship. I’ll use myself as the main example because I like slow burns. I giggle when I see them because I think it’s cute when two people are in love, don’t realise it, and they blush every time they see each other. I’m a sucker for romance so I’d like to see my slow burns every once in a while.

Slow burn for romance, slice of life, and even erotica are kind of the point of their stories. Two characters are in love, they spend a lot of time together and in the end, they get together. So I don’t need to explain much about them because it’s kind of the whole point you read them some of the time.

Slow Burns for nearly every other story is written in a way where two characters are in love, they don’t know it, but as the story progresses, they think about each other, maybe even flirt a little, and they sacrifice their lives for each other. (Typical romance in more adventure pack stories.) At the end of the final climax of the story (normally after a love interests nearly die) and the world is saved, they kiss at the end and everyone cheers. While the romance isn’t the main point of the story, it’s still a very obvious way to write one and a lot of readers expect something at the end after it was built up from the beginning. Even if the relationship isn’t written well, some readers might give it a pass if they know what’s gonna happen at the end.

Now what about a slow burn for multiple stories? At what point does it drag?

Slow burns for multiple stories can work, but you need to change the relationship a little. First of all, having the main character “not realise” they're in love isn’t a good way to avoid putting them together unless said character is aromantic or asexual. (Like I said, I’m not either of them and have no idea how to write a character who's like that, so if that’s what you’re going for I suggest asking other writers who are either of those things.)

The relationship needs to grow and others need to comment about it. The characters could be unsure if the other will like them or they could both be aware they like each other but have neither want to make it official because what if it causes their friendship to break? Just do something which indicates they’re trying, but have a good reason not to make it official. 

Sometimes you can make fake love triangles. (Fake love triangles are love triangles which are put in place to further the relationship between two characters). Fake love triangles normally don’t last long, but last just enough for the slow burn to do its magic. Which is mostly by making one of the love interests either jealous or sad because they “missed their moment” even though the character they're crushing on is very obviously not gonna stick with their current partner.

Real-life relationships don’t just happen overnight, sometimes they can take years so there’s nothing wrong if you want to write a slow-burn relationship, the problem comes from the audience's patience and this is something which will vary from person.

From my own experience and how I feel when reading these types of relationships. If it was obvious, that they were supposed to get together at the end of one book but didn’t, that could either surprise me as I might've felt I read the entire relationship wrong or get annoyed because we’re doing this entire song and dance all over again in book two.

While I can’t give an example for every time I felt like this while reading stories, I’ll try to explain why I felt like some relationships were dragging on because as I stated before, this ultimately comes down to audience patience.

Enough time has passed: Most of the time between books one and two, there’s a time jump. Book one of Dragonfire and book two have a four-season time jump (so most likely a year) during this entire year, neither Blaze nor Risha get together? What were they doing this entire time?

I don’t know about other readers but I’d like to imagine what characters do when the story is over and if there’s a seconded book with a time jump, I'd try to imagine what they were doing in said time jump. Both of these characters were crushing on each other for the entirety of book one and yet neither made a move during the gap? Why? It also doesn’t explain why they never tried to make a move on each other during the gap in book two as well.

If you want to create a slow burn for several stories and you know there’s gonna be a time jump in between some of the stories, you need to explain why your characters, who now have some time to relax, don’t get together. Sometimes it can be as simple as “we already tried and it didn’t work out”, it happens. Sometimes people need to try a relationship a few times before getting it right. If this is the case, it’s more believable that while they still like each other, they don’t want to try again because what if it doesn’t work out a second time? What if they get into a fight and ruin their friendship?

You can also have one of the characters already in another relationship with someone else. This is leaning more on the love triangle side of things instead of creating a fake one, but how this one works is that one of the characters took a bit too long to say “I love you” so, the other character moved on during the time jump and now the character which took a bit too long to say “I love you” is upset about their actions. The reason why I say this isn’t really a fake love triangle trope is because if this love triangle is established at the beginning of the second book, then it’s gonna play a more prominent role throughout the story.

Maybe you could create a Romeo and Juliet kind of slow burn where the main characters know they love each other but they can’t make it official because of reasons. While this is on the line of creating an established relationship, there’s a difference between them kissing in secret compared to kissing in public and it’s the public kiss the readers are waiting for. You can also do this same exact love story but have it where one of the characters keeps refusing to progress because if others find out, then a war will break out or something.

The point is, that you need to acknowledge why they haven’t gotten together instead of the “I didn’t know I was in love” trope.

Another reason why I feel a slow burn turns into a dragging-on love story is when there are no other options. I know we all hate love triangles but they do serve a purpose. If two characters love each other, and there’s no other character that ever gets brought up as a potential love triangle then I ask, why haven’t they just tied the knot if neither of them have any options?

It should’ve happened already: This one is an easy explanation. If a reader feels like the relationship should’ve already been confirmed and it’s not...that feels like the relationship is dragging on. This kind of feeling will vary from reader to reader so if this is what someone says, it’s best to ask them to clarify.

The writer put too much emphasis on the relationship: If you want a relationship to take place over several stories, or even just one, but you want it to be a slow burn, while not creating a romance, slice of life, etc. If you bring up the fact two characters are in love over and over, to the point it feels like the relationship is getting more attention than the actual story, readers might want those characters to tie the knot just so the story can move forward.

Every single one of these examples is based on a reader's feelings about the relationship you're creating so it changes for everyone and everyone will have a different spot in your story they can tell you where it felt like the relationship is dragging on. For me, it was in chapter two of book two, I already felt like it was dragging on as soon as I realised this was gonna be the same thing as in book one.

Beta readers are your friend and if you’re gonna have this come across in multiple stories, then make sure to find beta readers who’ve read each story and ask them how the relationship felt for them. If someone tells you it feels like it’s dragging a bit. You don’t have to change the relationship entirely, but make sure you get multiple opinions because each reader will view your relationship differently.

Despite love being a very common experience everyone has felt, it’s also one of the most difficult ones to write. Just make sure to get different opinions and see what the majority of your readers feel like.

#writing #writeblr #book #books #dragon #writers on tumblr #dragons #writers of tumblr #writerscommunity #writers #creative writing #author #book writing #writer #on writing #writer stuff #writing advice #Dragonfire #Dragonfire Fallen Star #LJ Davies

[inkareds]

can you do a cass cain x female reader story?

Rest Your Weary Eyes Cassandra Cain

nav // dc m.list // ko-fi

✧.* word count: 1k (a shortie) ✧.* genre: Fluff ✧.* warnings: The reader is female, that's it

After a long night, Cassandra just wants to be in the arms of the woman she loves

Jesus christ this was requested last year I am so fucking sorry I had like 0 ideas for her so I'm really sorry if she's a bit ooc (also I'm working on everyone's requests starting from the oldest one 💀)

“Black Bat watch your six!” Cass quickly turned around at the sound of Barbara in her earpiece. 

Unfortunately, she didn’t turn quickly enough as the moment she did turn around, the assassin had already lunged towards her. Being around thrice her size, the assassin barrelled towards her and shoved her entire body towards a brick wall. 

Cass groaned as he landed a punch to her abdomen, disoriented from the crash the assassin was quick to land a few more hits to her. Though once she did regain her focus, her eyes saw opportunity after opportunity within the assassin’s hold against her. Making use of his weak points, she efficiently took him down. 

Finally, back on her own two feet, Barbara spoke again. 

“There’s four more coming your way.” Cass sighed. 

“This is going to be a long night.” She muttered under her breath. 

~

Your tired eyes tried their best to stay awake as you glared at the document in front of you. There were barely any words on the screen, yet you have to finish this four thousand-word essay by the end of the week. A task, at this point, you felt was impossible to do. You shook your head. 

“I can do this.” You muttered to yourself as you began to type. 

After the first few paragraph and sips of your favourite tea, you finally got your groove for writing back. The words came somewhat easily to you as you progressed into the essay. 

In fact, you were so focused you didn’t hear the loud thump on the outside of your fire escape. Nor the sound of the window opening. All you saw was a black shadow in the shape of a bat behind you from the reflection of your computer. Causing you to scream out. 

Cass immediately took off her mask and put both her hands up. 

“It’s me! It’s me!” 

Realising now that this was Cassandra Cain, your longtime girlfriend, you let out a loud sigh. 

“Oh my fucking god! Why’d you gotta scare me like that?! I know you’re like trained to be quiet or something! But Jesus, I think you shaved off four years off my life.” You chuckled holding your chest as you heaved, still panicked. 

Though, after seeing Cass’ reaction to your statement, you sterned yourself. There was a tired tight-lipped smile on your beautiful girlfriend’s expression. Your brows furrowed together as you looked across her body. 

With her standing up and you still sat down on your chair, you could get a good look at her costume. Muck, dirt, and blood greased the surface of her suit. Sweat stuck to the skin of her face and her hair was much greasier than usual after a night of patrolling. Not to mention how tired she actually looked. Her eyes dropped and it would seem that she was begging for a shower. 

You sighed and shook your head. Cass was just standing there, her chest rising and falling at the deep breaths she was taking to try and calm her quick heartbeat from the tough patrol she just went through. She came here to just see you. Spy on you for a little bit, as creepy as that sounds, she just wanted to make sure you were okay. 

Today’s patrol made her remember how dangerous of a place Gotham could be. She needed to know that you were safe and sound. What she didn’t expect was for her body to not listen to what her brain wanted and snuck into your room. 

But now that she was actually in your room, in front of you, she didn’t really know what to do. 

“Go shower, my love. I’ll get some of your clothes that you left here then we can rest together.” 

At your response, she smiled before making her way towards the bathroom. 

Though the two of you didn’t live together, it was almost like your apartment was her second home. Next to your towel was a grey towel just for her. Next to your toothbrush was her own. She even had her face wash and skincare right next to yours. She smiled looking around the bathroom, it was such a simple space. 

Something a lot of people overlook, but it was an important part of a home. It was almost like you in that regard, though she chuckled over her mind comparing you to a bathroom. 

You were far more than that. But it was true. You weren’t a vigilante, you weren’t a hero, you were just a normal civilian student going by her daily life. You were by no means special in the grand scheme of things and you could be overlooked by many things in life. 

But by her? By Cassandra Cain trained assassin and Black Bat? You were everything. You were one of the most important things in her life. And seeing her life slowly merge into yours in the shape of her belongings slowly making a home in your home? That caused her heart to swell. 

So much that she couldn’t help but take a quick hot shower so she could cuddle with you on your bed. 

When she finished her shower, you were already in bed ready to welcome her. 

Cass wordlessly shuffled to your bed and wrapped her hands around your torso as she lay on her side. Her face buried deep in the crook of your neck. You chuckled at her touchiness, who would’ve thought one of the genuinely most terrifying vigilantes in Gotham was such a cuddle bug? 

As you kissed the top of her head you whispered. 

“Good night Cass.”

Cass hummed back. 

“Good night beautiful.” 

At the comfortable weight of your love safe and sound in your arms. Her somewhat still wet hair against your hands, you felt yourself drifting into a deep sleep. Though not before you heard Cass mumble. 

“Thank you.” 

Leaving you to sleep with a wide smile, knowing tomorrow morning you’d actually be able to have a conversation with the woman you loved. Now, though, now, you’d both rest. 

#cassandra cain #cassandra cain x reader #cassandra x reader #cassandra cain x you #cassandra x you #black bat #black bat x reader #black bat x you #dc #dceu #batman

[lollytea]

Okay I wanna write down a few thoughts on that part of the climax in Thanks to Them that has garnered some mixed opinions. Specifically Hunter’s possession and the subsequent death of Flapjack. 

I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m defending this scene, as people are perfectly within their rights to be uncomfortable with it and criticize everything from its execution to its inclusion at all. Whether this whole thing was objectively a terrible writing decision for Hunter’s character, his arc, and the overall message it sends is....a discussion starter to say the least. Rather, what I wanna do is maybe try and dissect the reasons why these scenes might exist in the first place. From a writing perspective. 

I’ve been thinking about it a lot, trying to figure out just what angle the crew was going for and I think I might have some vague idea. And I’ll admit, I think there’s something poignant in here somewhere. Maybe they fumbled the bag a bit and didn’t consider just how troubling some of these implications could be. Writing gets clunky sometimes. But that’s up to every individual viewer to draw their own conclusions. But personally, I don’t believe that these scenes were intended to be gratuitous. I don’t believe that they were added solely because the crew are sadists who enjoy wringing Hunter dry like an angsty dish cloth. As flawed as they may be, I think I can understand why they were written. Possibly. 

So, I’m gonna try to give an objective look at the themes, storytelling and symbolism at play here and how all of that relates to Hunter’s overall character and the big climax of his story.

We’ll start with the very understandable hurt viewers felt when Hunter’s road to recovery was abruptly relapsed by Belos. The thing many people are vocalizing their feelings about is how the episode made sure to demonstrate just how happy Hunter was. That’s what devastated them the most. Hunter was in the process of healing, which hits close to home for many, making what Belos did to him all the more disturbing on a personal level. 

However, every single one of us knew that Belos was alive before we watched the episode. Hunter did not. Hunter believed that Belos was dead and this was the only reason that he felt safe enough to make such progress in his recovery. So now matter what way you twist it, we all knew Hunter was set up to relapse the moment he realized Belos was in the Human Realm. 

So what was the point of showing this sixteen year old abuse victim experiencing safety, warmth, happiness, confidence and self exploration just to cruelly rip it all away from him? 

Put simply, to establish just how much Hunter now has to live for. Just how much Hunter has to fight for. His motivations for living and for fighting are sprinkled all throughout the episode. This boy has such a hopeful future laid out before him and he knows it. So when he finally gets his moment to tell Belos exactly what he wants for himself, you understand exactly where this passion and determination is coming from. It means something. 

And then there’s the possession itself, which everything comes down to. We saw the leaks, we hated them, some of us talked ourselves into believing they were fake but we all kinda knew deep down. It was a very fun very terrible week. ANYWAY. 

I think that Hunter’s arc would have felt incomplete if he didn’t get a final confrontation with Belos. That’s the popular opinion. However, many are also in the opinion that Hunter getting possessed was very unnecessary and violating and it should not have been done in the first place. And I’m not gonna argue with this view. It’s legit. But again, here’s what I believe the crew might have been going for with this.

The possession of Hunter’s body is a symbolic manifestation of everything Belos has always represented in his life. It’s a final culmination of all sixteen years under that man’s thumb and all the damage he’s done to Hunter’s body and psyche. 

Ever since Separate Tides, Hunter has been Belos’ puppet. And honestly, though the specifics of the arrangement have shifted, this was still the case throughout Thanks To Them. Between Separate Tides and Hollow Mind, it’s pretty simple. Perfectly obedient Golden Guard who does everything his uncle tells him to do, without much say in the trajectory of his own life. 

However, after Hollow Mind, Hunter was no longer that. But that didn’t mean the puppetry stopped entirely. He was a nervous wreck for the rest of the season. The mention of the Emperor’s name paralyzed him with fear. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t done directly. Belos still had an alarming amount of control over Hunter. 

So long as he was alive, Hunter knew he wasn’t safe. And once Hunter starts to realize that he’s still out there, it becomes obvious that he will never fully recover until he’s certain Belos is dead. 

Everything about the possession is an encapsulation of what Belos’ years of abuse and manipulation have been like to Hunter. How powerless he’s always felt. But this time, it isn’t done through words or threats of violence. It’s worse than that. It’s physically invasive. It’s desecration. It’s having his very self taken away from him and nothing is more sacred than a person’s autonomy. The weight of what’s happening to him is palpable. 

This is the worst thing Belos has ever done to him. 

But what does Hunter, the boy who spent his entire life petrified of this man, do about it? 

He finds it in himself to rebel against it.

Because, though Belos’ abuse and the negative effects of his upbringing have always been such a crucial aspect of Hunter’s sense of personhood, it’s not all that defines him. 

A long time ago Hunter was given orders from the Emperor to slay a selkidomus. Instead he passed the job off to somebody else because he didn’t want to do it. 

Hunter self-sabotaged his own mission and allowed Luz to escape with the palismen he was ordered to recover. 

Hunter studied wild magic against his uncle’s wishes. 

Hunter went to Eclipse Lake even when he was told not to. 

Hunter had a secret palismen named Flapjack. 

Hunter assigned himself to the Hexside mission without getting Belos’ approval. 

Hunter owned a secret scroll. 

Hunter refused to roll over and die in the mindscape even when Belos decided that he was no longer useful. 

Hunter has a rebellious heart. Had one from the very beginning. He was definitely in denial about it back then (Happily declaring just how much he loves “Authority! And rules!”) but it was there, clear as day.

But this is the moment where Hunter embraces that rebellious heart. And in doing so, he finds the willpower to regain control of his body. To Hunter, this moment is a reflection of everything he’s always wanted to do. To break free of Belos’ power. To speak his mind. To choose his own future. To choose himself. 

And all that genuine joy we saw him experiencing earlier in the episode is what strengthens his resolve to grit out his final words to Belos.

Hunter releases years of pent up frustration that he was too brainwashed to ever let himself think about. 

Hunter openly expresses desire after desire, fully aware that every single one of them will boil Belos’ blood. 

Hunter outrights demands that he be allowed happiness. 

He’s proving, not only to Belos, but to himself that you can hurt him, you can scare him, you can manipulate him, you can even possess him, but you will never own him. Nobody will ever own him. 

So, yes, absolutely. There are valid criticisms to be had of the concept of Hunter being possessed. And it’s likely the writers didn’t really think a lot of the ramifications through. 

But I believe the idea it’s trying to portray was how the intensity of that moment and how violating it was to Hunter further emphasized just how powerful Hunter’s final act of defiance was. It wasn’t just one last fight between the two of them, it was a visceral way of having Hunter confront everything Belos has ever put him through, allow his resentment to bubble over and finally understand that he has the right to reject who he was “supposed” to be, whether Belos likes it or not. 

One thing that came from the possession scene that I believe is genuinely a good and healthy thing is that Hunter’s perspective of Belos has changed for the better.

This was the worst thing Belos could have possibly done to him. And Hunter did not only survive it but he was capable of resisting it. Something he’s never been able to do before. He has officially endured the worst Belos can inflict on him. So, with that in mind, Hunter has no reason left to be afraid of this man anymore. With this, all remaining control Belos had over him has been shattered. 

I have to acknowledge that, though this experience was truly godawful, it did provide Hunter with the closure he needed. It was necessary to how he proceeds forward. With all that fear out of the picture, Hunter’s current feelings towards Belos consist of righteous fury and contempt. Which is cathartic to say the least, as Hunter’s hate can finally be directed at the person who hurt him, rather than himself. In the case of a victim struggling with their trauma, allowing themselves to be angry at their abuser can be a very therapeutic thing. 

This is huge for Hunter. While many have expressed the opinion that the after effects of this moment will be detrimental to Hunter’s overall arc, I honestly think it’s a massive step in the journey to recovery. It’s not the nice peaceful part he experienced while in Camila’s house but not everything about an abuse victim’s healing process is pleasant. Sometimes it’s ugly. But progress is progress. 

And then there’s the matter of Flapjack’s sacrifice which is a doozy of a subject. 

Anyone who follows me is aware that I was very vocal in my belief that Flapjack would survive, because surely they wouldn’t take something so precious to Hunter away from him. Surely. 

(Well I’m Stan and I was wrong, I’m singing the Stan Wrong Song, okay fuck you.)

But once that episode was over and the credits were rolling, I started to think about Flapjack as far back as his introduction in Hunting Palismen. And honestly, I feel like his death was planned from the start. The kind of friend who comes into your life, changes you for the better before inevitably having to say goodbye. But even if it’s temporary, that doesn’t make their presence in your life any less impactful. 

While Flapjack had plenty of personality, he wasn’t so much a character with his own arc, as he was a tool in progressing Hunter’s. His role in the story was to guide a lost and lonely boy into the light and show him that he’s worthy of being loved. 

And with Flapjack’s influence, Hunter let himself meet people who don’t make him feel worthless. He has never felt more loved in his life. 

Flapjack officially imprinted on Hunter when the boy expressed a longing to figure out his own future. Flapjack decided that he would try to lead him in the right direction. 

And in his final moments, Flapjack watched the boy he had been guiding adamantly proclaim everything he wanted his future to be. It was safe to assume he had figured it out. 

Flapjack’s existence in Hunter’s life also represents the link to Caleb along with Hunter’s complicated “relationship” with this ghost of a man that he’ll never know. Caleb is not Hunter and Hunter will never be Caleb. However, they’ll always be connected by the strings of terrible, terrible destiny that Belos tied together. And though Hunter didn’t know it, Caleb lingered in his life in the form of the bird he left behind.

And in all that time where Hunter figuring out his own identity, Caleb’s bird was helping him along. It was when Hunter was finally certain exactly who he was (Not a witch hunting accomplice of Belos) that Caleb’s bird was ready to move on.

With all these ends tied up, Hunter did not need Flapjack anymore. 

But Flapjack still had one more job left to do. And that was to make sure Hunter got to stay with the people who loved him and Hunter got his chance to experience the future he had decided for himself. Figuring it out is useless if it’s all a hopeless fantasy. Flapjack wanted it to be a reality. 

It must have been a relief to the little bird’s heart that his witch had grown so much and he could leave knowing Hunter would be okay without him.

(There’s also the interpretation that Flapjack is an analogy for a service animal/disability aid. But that line about learning to carve could not set it up the future any clearer. Hunter will not be without a palisman forever.

Obviously, it might take him some time before he’s ready to begin again. But he will make a new palismen. As a boy who’s spent his entire arc learning how to let new loved ones into his life, it would make absolutely no sense whatsoever if he didn’t.)

Anyway, my biggest fear when I saw the leaks which showed Flapjack sacrificing himself for Hunter’s sake, was how much something like that could completely destroy all of Hunter’s healing progress. Because why wouldn’t it? He not only lost his best friend but Flapjack died to keep him alive. How could he possibly live with himself after something like that? 

I think this is one of the main talking points over why people are upset about Flapjack’s death. How it’s going to effect Hunter. I’ve seen the belief that this devastating loss was detrimental to his recovery journey and it’s rendered all of the lighthearted scenes of enthusiasm and confidence from earlier in the special obsolete. But I honestly feel like it’s the exact opposite. 

Hunter’s reaction to Flapjack’s death was different than I imagined it would be. And not in an objectively bad way. It’s quite telling of how far he’s come. Compare it to Hollow Mind where Hunter also experiences a traumatic loss which results in him having a complete meltdown. He cries, he hyperventilates, he runs blindly into the woods. It was borderline apocalyptic. And it’s completely understandable. At this point in life, Hunter lost what he believed to be his entire world. 

After Flapjack’s sacrifice, the first thing Hunter did when he regained consciousness was smile, softly greet his remaining loved ones and ask if they were alright. It’s revealed seconds later that he already knew Flapjack was gone. But he still had it in him to smile. Because even in the devastating aftermath of losing the creature who changed his life and introduced him to real happiness, he’s relieved to know his friends and family are safe. He knows he’s not alone. 

Flapjack was deeply important to Hunter. It’s impossible to even articulate just how much he adored that little bird. When he lost his former life, Flapjack was all he had.

However, by this point, Hunter’s life is flourishing with hobbies and interests and ambitions and friends and family and love. Flapjack was no longer everything Hunter had. And being surrounded by so many people who cared about him in his moment of grief is a powerful thing. 

Hunter is quiet about Flapjack’s death. He’s weak, he’s exhausted, he’s utterly gutted. But there’s nothing that implies he blames himself. Judging by how he was aware of the sacrifice despite just waking up, I believe they did get one last goodbye via their mental link. 

And I think this is why Hunter seems so accepting of what had just happened. Whatever Flapjack said to him, he had successfully made Hunter understand that this was just how it had to be and that it was not his fault. And with all the love and optimism Flapjack has instilled in him since they met, Hunter decided that what he needs to do now is try and lead the most fulfilling life he possibly can. He has to. This life had been a gift from Flapjack after all.

But as mentioned way up above, Hunter can never have the life he wants until Belos is permanently out of the picture. I think this is where his new lease of life comes from in the final moments of the special. 

Hunter has changed significantly throughout this episode. While in his opening scene, he was completely clueless on how to comfort Luz properly because he equates the guilt she feels to his own and that link between their similar feelings sabotages any attempt at clarity on his part. His words of comfort were basically “If it helps, they’ll hate me more.” 

But before he steps through the portal, Hunter has a new perspective on the self-loathing that has been corrupting both himself and the girl he now calls family. It was never them. It was Belos. It was always Belos. Hunter is able to tell Luz that it was never her fault because he finally understands that it was never his fault. And he’s telling her all of this because she’s important to him and she always will be. 

Hunter still has Luz.

He then expresses his new motivation. To fight back. To regain control of his life. To get some justice for all the damage his abuser has done to him and so many others. To protect the world that he cares about. 

Hunter still has Willow and Gus and Amity. 

Hunter still has Camila and Vee. 

Losing Flapjack did not kill Hunter’s fire. It did not render all of his prior growth in the Human Realm null and void. Hunter has experienced a loss and his grief is palpable but he still has so much left.

In fact, I think if Hunter hadn’t had these experiences, hadn’t built these relationships, hadn’t realized just how much life has to offer to him, he wouldn’t be taking such a defiant stance. He wouldn’t be the first one to march into the portal, taking Flapjack home, determined to end Belos once and for all. And he’s standing on a strong foundation of mourning, experience, wisdom, love and support. 

I keep thinking about that very infamous line by Dana that was misinterpreted to Hell and back. 

“Dana doesn’t like happy endings.” 

That line never bothered me much, even when I didn’t know what the exact context actually was (Dana doesn’t like happily ever after.) Like, I watched the Owl House, I know the kind of stories Dana liked to tell. So, the way I always interpreted that opinion was the simple message that we can never have it all. 

Life is tumultuous. There are ups. There are downs. There are gains. There are losses. And I feel like that’s an accurate summary of Hunter’s development throughout the special. 

Hunter had been mistreated. He now has far more scars than he started out with. He lost Flapjack. These are all devastating blows to him physically and emotionally. 

But please, don’t allow the suffering Hunter went through distract from all of his positive growth in this episode. Hunter spent months making happy memories. He strengthened his bonds with his friends. He now has somebody who genuinely loves him that he can call family. He’s discovered all these brand new hobbies and interests. 

He likes who he is now.

That hasn’t changed. I promise you that it hasn’t changed. 

And most importantly of all, Hunter is no longer ruled by fear of the man who hurt him. He is no longer under Belos’ control. 

Hunter is grieving right now but he is not in ruins. 

This is not rock bottom for him. 

I feel that Hunter’s gains and losses were pretty evenly distributed throughout the episode. However, because of the attachment people have towards him, as a teenage abuse victim who’s steadily recovering, it’s easy to only see his losses. Because it hurts to see, it really does. 

But I promise you all of those happy Hunter memories meant something too. Those are what’s him pushing forward right now. 

Anyway, those are my two cents on that whole thing. Again, I don’t think these scenes are immune to criticism. However, I did want to take a moment to examine them a bit because I truly believe that there was a team of passionate writers attempting to create something profound with this.

I like to write myself and I understand that a lot of the time I miss the mark and don’t always execute the point I’m trying to make. So, at the very least, even if things aren’t handled perfectly, I’d like to try and dissect the message that they were attempting to send. 

It’s absolutely fine if you don’t agree with a word of this. I understand that these scenes have hurt quite a lot of people. But thank you for reading. I appreciate it. 💕

#toh spoilers #tw abuse

[silverofthunder]

☆ the greatest temptation ☆

Papa Emeritus IV x GN Reader || 🔞

summary: ”I know that one day I’ll have you and take a taste of that sweet wine flowing in your veins.”

content: 2.9k words, mystery (kind of), drama, fantasy, romance, suggestive stuff

♡♡ part 1 ♡♡ part 2 ♡♡ part 3 ♡♡ part 4 ♡♡

Oh, I had sooooo much fun while writing this part. 😁 The whole story feels so slow burn even though things are progressing all the time. And this isn't even that long yet. But anyway, this is another fave part of mine, hope you enjoy this!

It was already past 10 pm as you were walking home. You had had to stay longer at work due to Olivia being sick and there had been no other employee available. The cold air was pinching your cheeks and you tried to move your scarf up to cover your face more as you kept a fast pace, wanting to get home as soon as possible. You had decided to take a shorter route, though during this time it might not be the best option.

There were some people sitting on the streets with ragged and dirty clothes. They didn’t pay attention to you when you walked past them but your heart stung a bit as you thought how they probably lived on the outside. Being homeless didn’t necessarily mean that they were criminals but you still couldn’t shake the small feeling of uneasiness as you reached a point where the streetlights were broken.

Then someone grabbed you and pushed you around the nearest corner, pinning you against the wall and covering your mouth. With panic rising inside you, you tried to break free but the man was way too strong and then you saw him flashing the fangs to you.

”Oh, such a pretty snack walking here…” he spoke darkly, eyes glowing red as leaned closer. You swallowed, staring at the man, fear settling into you. You had no way out as your strength couldn’t match with the vampire’s so all you could do was to try stay calm.

”Wait… Do I know you?” the vampire asked, slowly moving his hand away from your mouth and you drew in a deep breath.

”No,” you answered.

The vampire tilted his head, the corner of his mouth turning up.

”I can swear I’ve seen you before,” he spoke, now running his forefinger along the side of your face, the sharp nail scraping your skin. ”Oh, yes, Hunter’s Moon. You were with one of the Emeritus brothers.”

You didn’t say anything, just stared at the vampire with gritted teeth. He licked his lips, his hand wrapping around your neck, the look in his eyes turning predatory.

”Hmm, would be nice to see what he does if I took a taste of his pet.”

”I wouldn’t try that,” another voice came from the right and you turned your head as much as you could to see Copia’s brother, Terzo leaning against the wall. You let out a breath you had been holding for a while, the fear now subsiding.

The other vampire hissed at Terzo and you knew it was a mistake. Everything happened so fast that you couldn’t even register it all but you were freed and Terzo and the other vampire disappeared into the darkness. You smoothed out your clothes, sighing, and were ready to head back home and just forget what happened.

”You’re not walking alone now,” you heard Terzo’s voice soon from behind you and turned around. He looked you up and down, slight line of worry on his forehead. ”You alright?”

”Yes, I just want to go home,” you sighed, feeling the exhaustion in your bones. ”Thank you by the way.”

Terzo stepped closer to you, a small smile passing his lips as he placed his hand on your shoulder.

”Hey, that was pretty close,” he stated quietly. ”I was lucky to caught your scent. Why did you even walk here?”

”I was taking a shortcut to home. Workshift was longer than usual and… well, you know,” you explained, giving a small wave of hand. Terzo nodded, his eyes closely studying you.

”You’re obviosly tired. Maybe it’s best if you crash at Hunter’s Moon tonight.”

A thought of a warm, soft bed was so tempting that you didn’t even bother to decline the offer. With a tired smile, you nodded and Terzo slid his arm around your shoulders and you leaned against him.

”Let’s go, then.”

You had barely woken up when someone rushed into the room and closed you in a tight embrace. When your tried mind realized it was Copia, you melted into it, burying your head into the crook of his neck, letting his familiar scent ground you.

”Oh, tesoro, I’m so sorry,” Copia spoke quietly. ”I should have been there to protect you.”

You shook your head, mumbling the next words against Copia’s skin.

”I’m okay.”

Copia pulled away, craddling then your face, his eyes full of worry and relief, too. You offered him a smile, placing your hand on his chest.

”It’s not your oblication to protect me. You can’t do that always. It was my mistake to choose that path.”

Copia’s expression changed pained and you knew he was not letting this matter go so easily.

”I would have never forgiven myself if you had been bitten.”

You patted his chest gently, cupping the side of his face with your other hand.

”Terzo was there and nothing happened. I would have kicked the vampire in the nuts but I suppose it wouldn’t have done much.”

Your attempt at trying to lighten the mood was almost successful as the smile was tucking at Copia’s lips even though he seemed to fight it.

”That I would have wanted to see,” Copia stated, caressing your cheeks with his thumbs. ”Though you probably would have only pissed him off by that.”

You grinned at Copia before leaning in to press a light kiss right on the corner of his mouth. You still hadn’t have time to properly go through the whole incident of the previous night so you didn’t know how to take it. Downplaying it wasn’t good but you were there, safe and still very much alive.

Copia captured your lips in a kiss, all sweet and slow, and you hummed into it happily. It deepened soon, Copia’s other hand sliding to the back of your neck while the other traveled down to your hip, pressing you against him. A small moan of yours was drowned into the kiss, your arms snaking around Copia’s middle as you slipped your tongue past his lips, the desire for more growing in your body.

When you swiped your tongue over where Copia’s fangs would be, he drew in a breath through his nose and a low growl left at the back of his throat, the sound of it sending shivers running through you. It would be so easy to just let go and let the desire drown you, let your bodies get tangled while exploring one another. Every cell in your body wanted that, to have him as close to you as possible.

Your hands went to the hem of Copia’s shirt and started pulling it up but then Copia moved his hands, stopping you as he broke the kiss. You let out a dissatisfied huff and Copia chuckled before his expression changed serious.

”Now’s not the right time for more,” he said, placing a kiss on your forehead as a compensation. ”I want you so much, in so many ways but I’m afraid I can’t control myself.”

Copia wasn’t lying, you could see it in his eyes – the fear tearing him, the sight causing your heart to make an unpleasant move behind your sternum. He didn’t like the idea of hurting you, no matter how many times you had told him it would be okay.

”I trust you,” you said, now again placing your hand on his chest. Copia gave you a half-smile.

”I know. You’ve always been so trusting,” he said softly, his hand settling under your chin. ”But the more time I’ve spent with you, I’ve realized how hard it has gotten for me to keep control. I thought I could fight against that primary instinct but you’re not making it easy.”

You tilted your head, a crooked grin finding its way on to your lips.

”I think I can feel that.”

Something predatory flashed in Copia’s eyes as he leaned closer, his lips almost touching yours. Warmth pooled in your lower body, your heart jolting and it felt like a timebomb was ticking beside you. Copia was that bomb, ready to explode when the timer would reach zero. Whenever you two had spent time together, it had been so easy to just forget what lied beneath Copia’s gentle exterior. He had been holding back all the time so no wonder all the tension was building up.

”You’ve been one of my greatest temptations so far,” Copia said, voice getting a bit rough as he continued after leaning closer to your ear. ”And I know that one day I’ll have you and take a taste of that sweet wine flowing in your veins.”

Suddenly you started to feel dizzy and if Copia wouldn’t have been there to catch you would have dropped to the floor. You swallowed, breaths coming out short after, mind filling with fog and your eyes fluttered closed. Copia hissed quietly in your ear and then you felt his lips on your neck, peppering light kisses on the skin. You gripped Copia’s arms tightly, heard your heartbeat ringing in your ears.

You would have let him take you, drink your blood right then. Pain or no pain, you would take it without hesitation.

”Il mio preriozo,” Copia whispered, the sound of his voice making you shiver. You breathed sharply, your fingertips digging into Copia’s arms, and there was a small voice somewhere at the back of your mind telling that he was testing you. How long would you be able to last?

You couldn’t blame him, though, for testing – or tempting – you. You had been doing the same to him and you had enjoyed every second of it. Grinning, you tried to push Copia further – and he let you do so, the dizziness oozing away from your mind due to the spell breaking. His expression was mix of predatoric-like hunger and something softer, a warm flame that had settled deep into him.

”Dammit, I want to be with you forever,” you breathed out. Copia grinned, fangs in full display but there was the familiar sadness reaching his eyes soon and the grin faded. He cupped your face, scanning every little detail he could find.

”You really have no any self-preservation instinct, do you?” he asked, raising his brows.

You shook your head, trying to keep a straight face but ending up grinning, nonetheless.

”I think that part might be missing.”

Copia stared at you for a while, then rolling his eyes with a smile and pulling you into a hug. You used the opportunity to slid your hands under his shirt and feel the cool, soft skin against your palms. Copia tightened his hold of you and you let out a long, content sigh.

There would be right time for everything, that was sure.

Your mind was full of all kinds of unprintable stuff as you basically stormed into Hunter’s Moon after very annoying workshift. You had to walk through a crowd of other people and vampires before finding your way to the back, go through the door that led to a corridoor and a staircase up at the end of that which lead to the private rooms of Emeritus brothers. Copia’s room was the last on the left and you didn’t even bother to knock, placing your hand on the doorknob and turning it – the door wasn’t locked and you could just barg in.

The sight that awaited you was something you had not expected, though you probably should have as Copia was a vampire after all. Copia was sitting behind his desk and there was a person on his lap, leaning against him and Copia’s face was buried on their neck, fangs clearly sank into the skin. You froze on the spot, blinking and mouth falling open.

Copia’s eyes found yours immediately, the dark look in them making your stomach turn – it wasn’t unpleasant, more like a thrill doing flips. He raised his head a little, the blood smeared fangs becoming present and the person he was feeding off from mumbled something you couldn’t quite catch. Copia just looked at you and this time you could only see the beast in him – there were only hard edges in sight, certain darkness that should have made your blood run cold but it didn’t.

This was it, what you had wanted to see for a while now. Copia who fully embraced the vampire side of him, who let his instincts do what it was meant to do. It was fascinating, to see how Copia then sank his fangs into the neck of his prey again, the satisfaction he got when the blood slowly killed his hunger. The person he fed from seemed to be in a some kind of drugged state, maybe due to vampire venom, and they probably had given their consent before any of this had happened.

The whole feeding seemed intimate but you knew that there was no more to it. Copia’s hands were just holding the person at place, otherwise he sat there like a statue. But there was still the slightest bang of jealousy – you wanted to be there instead of that person. And it was like Copia could sense that want in you, he pulled away from the person’s neck, his chin and paints now smeared with blood. He licked his lips before standing up, carrying the person to the bed on the right side of the room.

Then Copia walked to you, stopping right in front of you, his eyes glimmering danger and you swallowed, your heart now hammering in your chest. There was still no fear in you and you reached out to touch Copia’s face, the dark lines that resembled elevated veins now visible around his eyes. Copia flashed his fangs as your fingertips ghosted over his skin and he looked like he wanted to take you then and there, his gaze so intense and hypnotizing.

You smiled in awe, leaning closer, sliding your fingers onto his lips and Copia drew in a deep breath through his nose, his hands grabbing your arms and sharp nails digging into your skin.

”You should go,” Copia croaked out, sounding almost desperate. ”Now.”

It was a warning – maybe. However, you had no intention to go anywhere. So you just shook your head, leaning now so close to Copia that there was only a mere inch between your lips.

”Why should I? I’m not afraid of you,” you said quietly and the look in Copia’s eyes changed into a mix of wonder and disbelief.

”You’re too good for me.”

”No,” you spoke softly, now cupping Copia’s face, smiling warmly. ”You deserve this – to be happy.”

Copia’s gaze turned into a warm sea of red and white, completely melting your heart. You could feel this fun, warm vibration around you, but there was also some darker, deeper force pulling at you from within. Maybe it was love, though slightly twisted kind of that, maybe lust and fascination or everything at once.

”I believe that with you I can’t be anything else than happy,” Copia admitted and while it might have been a bit too optimistic and sappy view, it still meant a lot to you.

You let out a long sigh, gaze flickering to Copia’s lips that were slightly parted. They were still partly covered by blood of the stranger so you slid your thumb over them, trying to wipe it away. However, Copia gently took a hold of your wrist and stopped you. For a moment you held your breath as you thought you had offended him by doing so but as your eyes met, there was no sign of hurt visible and you could release the breath.

”Leave it, I’ll wash it away later,” Copia said, pressing your hand against his chest. ”This is who, what I am. The sight is not as glorious as you might have thought.”

You gave him a half-smirk.

”I rather see my blood on there.”

Copia smirked back at you.

”I know. We’ll get there at some point, tesoro.”

You knew that it would happen eventually. By now there were no doubt about that. You were getting a bit impatient – waiting for some things you really wanted could be hard – but you knew it was best to wait a while yet. Out of the two of you, Copia was certainly more of the voice of reason, making sure that you knew what you were really getting yourself into.

A voice coming from the bed interrupted your moment, startling you as you had already forgotten their presence. You peeked behind Copia and saw the person now sitting on the bed, looking at you with wide eyes. Copia turned around and the person stood up, smoothing out their clothes.

”You feeling good?” Copia asked, and the person nodded, their eyes then settling on you. You offered them a polite smile and they smiled at you back with a bit of hesitation.

”Sorry if I interrupted something,” they apologized, heading to the door but stopping after opening it and turning to look at you. ”Uhm, I happened to hear a part of your conversation. It seems like you two have a special bond.”

You shared a look with Copia, both smiling knowingly.

”I guess we have,” you stated happily.

”I’m happy for you,” the person said and after one last smile they left the room. Their words warmed your heart and now you felt kind of silly that you had been jealous of them. You knew there wouldn’t be others, not in the way like you were. When you turned to look at Copia, there it was, clear as a day in his eyes – adoration, deep affection, and you could swear that in that moment you fell for him a little bit more.

You were so gone that there would be no point of return anymore.

taglist: @nijiru

#papa emeritus iv x reader #copia x reader #ghost band fic #ghost band fanfic #jen writes fics

[tsukimino]

Kenzan Substory: The Yamato-e Painter

Below the cut is a translation of Kenzan substory #45, “The Yamato-e Painter.”

Please be warned that this story contains an incident of sexual harassment that’s played for laughs in a homophobic manner. This writing is very much in line with the kinds of storytelling choices that RGG Studio has made in the past and has since disavowed through disclaimers or even outright cuts in their remastered games and remakes. 

Yamato-e is a genre of painting that (as the name – literally “Japanese painting” – suggests) takes specifically Japanese people, places, and themes as its subject matter. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s page on yamato-e provides a helpful summary of the genre’s history. Most relevantly, by the early 14th century, artists working in this genre had begun to produce realistic portraits of subjects such as poets, courtiers, military heroes… and perhaps, in Kenzan, a certain wandering swordsman. 

[Kiryu is wandering about in Kawara when he runs into a man dressed in a white kimono with a pink-ish overcoat. The man – identified in the text box as “Ranzan” – waves him down.]

Ranzan: Excuse me, sir, do you have a moment? Where on earth did you train that magnificent body of yours? You’re not like all those other meatheads…

Kiryu: …

Ranzan: Ah, my name is Ranzan. I’m a traditional Japanese painter. Surely you’ve heard of me? 

Kiryu: …

Ranzan: My specialty is warrior portraits. If I may impose, would you be willing to let me paint you? If I were to depict that figure of yours, I’m certain that it would be a most wonderful piece: a work to be handed down through the ages! This is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter – I can’t just let this opportunity pass me by! Please, I’m begging you! I’m prepared to offer you a most handsome reward… 

[Kiryu is presented with a choice to accept or refuse Ranzan’s request; we choose to accept.] 

Kiryu: Uh, yeah… I’ll think about it. 

Ranzan: Yes, I would be most grateful if you would! This must be fate! 

[Ranzan wipes his forehead, then points off into the distance.]

Ranzan: Well then, let’s go to my studio right away. Please follow me. 

[The screen fades to black. When we return, Kiryu is standing in front of Ranzan in the middle of his studio. Various paintings are on display, and there's one in progress on the table to Ranzan’s left. The painter faces Kiryu and mops his brow again.]

Ranzan: Ah! How wonderful! A magnificent physique, like a rock that’s stood since time immemorial! Eyes like a tiger’s that peer into the very depths of one’s heart! Hmm… Hmm, hmm… Yes, that’s it! 

[Ranzan leans in and nods at Kiryu.]

Ranzan: Pardon me, but would you mind removing your clothes, please? Just your upper body is fine! I, Ranzan, am prepared to give this painting everything I’ve got…! 

[Once again, Kiryu is presented with a choice to agree to his request or refuse. Naturally, he agrees.]

Kiryu: Okay, got it. 

Ranzan: Yes, oh yes!  

[The scene fades to black. When we return, Kiryu has stripped down to his fundoshi.]

Ranzan: Ah! How beautiful…. Those burgeoning muscles – they bring to mind a cascade of cool snowmelt… The more I look at them, the more breathtaking they become… 

[The camera pans slowly down to Kiryu’s junk.]

Ranzan: Hmm… Hmm… Hmm, yes, I have it! Just one more thing, if you please: would you be so kind as to remove your underwear? 

Kiryu: …No way! 

Ranzan: Really, now… We’ve come this far and now you’re hesitating!? I’ll get that thing off even if I have to do it by force!

[Still in his fundoshi, Kiryu gives Ranzan – identified as an “Excited Guy” in the splash screen – a thrashing. Note that this title is probably a pun: the verb that the writers use to describe Ranzan – “tatsu” (たつ) – can also refer to getting an erection. After the fight, Ranzan falls to his knees at Kiryu’s feet.]

Ranzan: Ohh… The pen is weaker than the sword. 

Kiryu: What the hell do you think you’re doing?! 

Ranzan: From the moment I saw you, I was smitten! And what’s more, it was no mere fluttering of the heart… Yes, this is what they call love…!  

Kiryu: …

Ranzan: I’m so terribly sorry! Please don’t think ill of me… I want to make amends somehow… But at the moment, I have nothing of value. The only things here that are worth anything are these paintings – but I still need to eat. You can take whichever one you like, but please be merciful and just take the one.  

[A text box pops up and asks which one you’ll take (and adds: please show mercy and choose only one). The options are a painting of a warrior, a painting of an actor, or a painting of a famous place. The outcome of the story isn’t affected by the painting that you choose here, but the warrior and actor paintings sell for 10,000 mon, whereas the scenery sells for one single mon. In any case, once Kiryu picks a painting, the scene fades to black again, and we return to the street where Kiryu first encountered Ranzan.]

Ranzan: It pains me to part ways… I look forward to the day we meet again. Farewell…

[The screen fades to black, and with that, Ranzan is gone. A box pops up informing us that Kiryu has received 1000 EXP.]

#rgg translations #kenzan #substories

[ladykailitha]

WIP Wednesday Game

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

My only problem is that I tend to file name what the title is so I can find it easier, so...here’s what they were called before I titled them.

"File" Names

Soulmate AU

Werewolf Steve

Boy w/a Bat Book 2

Steve is in a Metal Band

Snippet

God, it took me a half hour to decide which tasty snippet to give you guys today, so settled on the scene that started me down the Steve is a history nerd journey.

Enjoy!

“Have you thought about selling your pieces?” Katie asked. “You could be making bank with these.” She lifted up the shirt to emphasize her point.

Steve shrugged. “Sure, but I wouldn’t have any idea where to sell them or who to sell them to.”

“I’ll sell them for you,” she said, “with a cut of the profits, of course. I sell at gaming and comic conventions, Ren fairs, sci-fi and fantasy conventions.”

Steve chewed on his lip. “I don’t make them very quickly. With them being all hand sewn.”

“Which makes it all the more valuable,” Katie insisted. “A hand sewn dress from a major clothing designer would be worth thousands, sweetie.”

****

Now, like I've mentioned all week (and will mention again in tomorrow's post so no one misses it) I will only be working on these four on WIP Wednesdays because Omega Escort Steve and History Nerd Steve are going to get super spoilery super fast as I'm nearing the end and don't want to lessen the fun of either story.

Also I'm not sure how much time I'll have with these today, if all goes well my husband will be out of quarantine and I'll see him for the first time in over two days (he had a COVID outbreak at work).

But I don't want that to stop you. Send them. Loads and loads. I can answer them on tomorrow or Friday if I need to. I'm happy to do that.

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #wip wednesday