#creepy and unsettling like their new realities

[starshine-valley]

Sun-Kun except it’s a silly au where vivid bad squad has been through hell and back, exploring new dimensions or realities to the point where they have been warped and so have those they know (the main pjsk and the NPCs are also gonna look different). Essentially, they are friends from separate realities and now planning to stop their realities from falling apart and regain old memories while appreciating and moving forward with the new ones!

Addition to this, they have a sekai but it’s distorted, not empty as in empty sekai but it’s pretty much just a distorted and glitched city, buildings destroyed or glitched into each other/the ground.

#pjsk #project sekai #prosekai #proseka #prsk #akito shinonome #an shiraishi #kohane azusawa #toya aoyagi #vivid bad squad #vbs #NO CAUSE I DUNNO WHAT THE HELL SUN-KUN IS #it’s probably the untitled song that takes them into the sekai #creepy and unsettling like their new realities #by the way the sekai is the only way they can meet from their seperate realities

[alespov]

Preach til the morning light.- A.Wesker 18+

Tw: Content: No mention of religion, he's really just posing as a priest. Umbrella is cult-like. Swearing, smut to come in later chapters. age gap, creepy creature… anything else lmk loves

a/n : this is going to be a dark fic! I don’t condone this in real life! Feedback is appreciated, requests are open! (If the text is to small, don’t hesitate to ask for bigger text :) )

Consider Supporting me of Ko-Fi

As autumn leaves shifted their hues, a growing eagerness to depart from your stagnant hometown emerged. You and your mother were about to embark on a fresh chapter in Raccoon City, reuniting with family and liberating yourselves from the stresses of your former existence.

Upon setting foot inside your new residence, a surge of thrill washed over you. The charming essence of the house embraced you as you ascended the staircase towards your bedroom. Bathed in gentle sunlight filtering through the windows, it epitomized the idyllic sanctuary you had always imagined. Eagerly, you began to unpack and create a space that was truly yours. You occupied the bright upstairs bedroom while your mother chose the one on the ground floor.

Each possession that emerged from the moving boxes contributed to crafting a snug refuge for your soul. Beloved novels found their home on shelves, cherished photographs were displayed as reminders of fonder times, and nostalgia blossomed while recalling halcyon days when life was uncomplicated.

"Honey!" your mother's tender voice permeated through the air, urging you to reluctantly set aside your book. You hesitantly rose from the soft embrace of your bed and navigated the stairs to locate the living room. There, amidst flickering light from the television screen, your mom lounged comfortably on the sofa, leisurely absorbed in her show.

Upon turning off the television, a deafening silence filled the room, amplifying her burgeoning sense of unease. Her eyes, brimming with anxiety, locked onto yours as she inquired, "Have you noticed the alarming number of people vanishing lately?" Her voice trembled with palpable concern, and understandably so - such occurrences belonged to the world of fiction, not reality.

"Before I forget, I have a little something for you," she mentioned with hope as she made her way to her bedroom. She reemerged holding a dark green gift bag. "I'm always worried about you being out late, so I just wanted to help ensure your safety." Her laughter was strained and nervous; she was visibly unsettled. Handing over the bag, she embraced your appreciative hug. "Thanks, Mom. I truly appreciate it. But please don't stress about me," you told her gently while giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She offered a bittersweet smile and responded, "I know, but after losing your sister and your dad... I can't help it." Tears streamed down her cheeks; your heart weighed heavy with guilt. Dabbing at her eyes, she motioned towards the bag.

As you delicately unwrapped the tissue-covered parcel, anticipation surged through you; her eyes danced with excitement. "Go on, open it already," she urged playfully; her infectious laughter warmed the room.

A soft gasp escaped your lips as a self-defense keychain was unveiled alongside a coordinating student ID holder. Both were adorned in your most treasured color - one that deeply resonated within your soul and intertwined with the present moment.

"Wow Mom, this is amazing! I love it - thank you so much," you expressed gratefully. After nodding in acknowledgement and exchanging smiles, you both went on to enjoy the rest of the evening separately. Clutching your bag and new keychain, you ventured out the door to make your way to work.

You genuinely enjoyed your job, and your colleagues were pleasant, with the exception of Victoria. Even though you had minimal interaction with her, she would deliberately make your life miserable for no obvious reason – from splashing water on you to knocking over books and taking unplanned days off. You were greatly irritated by her behavior, but there was nothing you could do about it. Victoria was quite popular and well-known.

Fortunately, she had called off today which turned out to be a hidden blessing. However, that also meant you had the responsibility of closing the library all by yourself. There weren't many people around today, so your workload was relatively light.

As evening approached and the sun vanished beneath the horizon, the library doors slowly shut. With the keys securely in your possession, a satisfying click echoed through the desolate streets, signaling the arrival of a peaceful nighttime ambiance. With the day's hustle and bustle finally over, you eagerly anticipated the warmth and relaxation waiting for you at home.

Quietly approaching your car, your fingertips gently traced the cold metal of the door handle. A serene atmosphere embraced the crisp night air, and all you wanted was to head home. However, something felt amiss, and you could sense it in the atmosphere. As you unlocked the door and reached to open it, suddenly someone grabbed your arm. Terrified, you glanced up and saw what used to be a man. His chin looked like it was half-separated from his face, with his skin slowly peeling away. Struggling to breathe amid choking on saliva emitted an even more unsettling aura.

you felt the whirlwind of emotions, the terror and vulnerability overwhelming you like a tidal wave. Your heart raced as if it were trying to outrun your tormentor, while the deafening sounds of the city seemed to mock your desperation. At that moment, the collision with the stranger felt like another attack, only adding to the chaos that had consumed you. You let out a piercing scream, causing the man to cover his ears and fall to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, you ran, dropping your belongings in the process. As you collided with another person, your fear escalated, making you sob uncontrollably.

"NO... let me go!" You continued to hit before you heard a soothing voice. Just as the stranger began to feel the full force of your distress, a surge of empathy erupted from within. They quickly wrapped their arms around you.

"Please, dear, calm down. You're safe with us, especially with me." You felt lightheaded, and soon you were struggling to keep your eyes open.

- sorry for the cliffhanger babes <\3

#┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ allyse talks ┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ #albert wesker #dbd albert wesker #dbd albert wesker x you #albert wesker x you #albert wesker smut #albert wesker x reader #albert wesker fanfic #dbd albert wesker x reader #albert wesker headcanons #movie albert wesker #re4 wesker #re x you #wesker x you #resident evil #albert wesker x fem! reader

[blacktobackmesa]

I've always found the parts like Tommy's wonderment at "you built this? This, this whole world?" And darnolds "Might as well, Darnold supposed, he’d built the damn house, Darnold just chose all the furniture and lived in it." - I think its a really interesting concept of these guys living in a world that was built completely by one of their friends. Maybe its too broad or vague but do u have any more thoughts on this? Sorry I just rly like streamman and have been rereading (*´`)

Yes! I have lots of thoughts on this, and if you come up with a more specific question I'd be happy to answer that too. But as it is, I do have things to say about this!

One thing I think about is this little moment in Start Again, where Coomer comes home to their new place with groceries for the first time. it passes very quickly.

A struggle between Bubby’s grouchiness and his curiosity always tended to end in the latter’s favor. He rustled through two bags before finding his prize. “They had Bug Juice?” Coomer gave an eager nod. “That stuff isn’t always easy to find, you know. I was lucky to find it in such a small store!” Bubby pursed his lips. “Lucky is one word for it, I guess.”

And then they just go on with putting the groceries away. Bubby's not excited that the store happened to carry his favorite drink, and he's not moved that Gordon put that much thought into the world. Gordon has lost his trust at this point, so instead of this being a thoughtful touch, it's unsettling. If your friend remembers your favorite food, it's sweet. If someone who isn't your friend does-- or someone who you thought was your friend, but turns out to be a stranger who had you in a web of lies and was filming you without your knowledge or consent-- it can charitably be called creepy. What does he have to gain from combing through his footage, finding the things that would keep Bubby complacent?

Of course, it's really not all that nefarious. Gordon just knows that his friends have nowhere else to go, so he wants to be a good host. He didn't build this place to be a Coraline Otherworld that's too tempting to leave, he built it so they could continue to exist. If they want to go somewhere else and it's possible, that's their choice. He just wants his door to be open for them.

All that being said, later on the extended Science Team totally likes to use the fact that Gordon was the project lead on their world whenever they want to prove a point. Which is frequently.

"He's still not dressed for the ceremony?! God, how can the man pull a functional plane of reality out of his ass and not know how to tie a windsor knot?"

"Hey, I-- first of all, I didn't build the program all by myself, I had help."

"Do you need to set up a Kickstarter or something to teach you how to dress like a god damn professional?"

"BUBBY."

#gordon streamman #go grandbub go [bubby] #3…2…1…gordon! [gordon] #this post really became the bubby and gordon show here but its not all about them #ask

[izunias-meme-hole]

Top 15 Final Fantasy Villains

(In My Opinion)

Number 1. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) - Sephiroth is one of the hardest bosses in gaming and a genuine horror villain. He is a tragic monster born from science, and a loyal “son” fo his alien mother, Jenova, but he’s still scary as hell thanks to his god complex, unlimited strength, ethereal vibes, years of experience, his ability to live off of pure spite just so he can make the lives of his enemies (and Cloud) complete hell. His appearance in of itself is creepy due to how beautiful, yet unsettling it is, thanks to his silver hair, green snake-like eyes, and perfect physique which is complimented by a black coat. However the most dangerous things about him are that he’s completely delusional, his strength is unmatched, and just how far he’s willing to go to distort other peoples sense reality, specifically Cloud’s sense of reality. Sephiroth a tragic character and a phenomenal villain.

Number 2. Kefka (Final Fantasy VI) - Were it not for Sephiroth’s existence, and the fact that this clown’s debut game being at the end of an era, Kefka would definitely be number 1 on here, and get more respect. Aside from that, Kefka is basically what Majora is to the Zelda series. A completely insane, and legitimately funny villain with a desire to destroy everything, however the difference is that Kefka is a mere jester with magic powers that became god! Plus he actually did send the world into ruin, but because of a little group of heros with hope, he was utterly defeated. So while Sephiroth is indeed ethereal, delusional as hell, and a horrifying nemesis, Kefka is the better manifestation of the pure unadulterated evil a person can bring, with the right tools.

Number 3. Ardyn (Final Fantasy XV) - Ardyn Lucis “Izunia” Caelum is the near perfect mixture between Sephiroth and Kefka in a way. He’s got the same “funny man wants to watch the world burn” vibes like Kefka, but he’s also a creepy, vengeful, tragic, and very personal villain, much like Sephiroth. Ardyn was once a messiah, a healer who was going to become a king, before he was betrayed by his brother, Somnus, and the gods, and cursed to be made immortal via daemons. So after centuries of imprisonment, he decides to take revenge upon his own kin, AND the gods. A simple motive, but in all honesty the amount of trolling he does in order to achieve  it, is truly gut wrenching sometimes, and it gives you the motivation to plunge your blade into his chest, but at the same time… you kinda feel slightly bad while doing it too for some reason. He's a villain that you love, hate, and pity in the end.

Number 4. Kuja (Final Fantasy IX) - Kuja is one of the more unique Final Fantasy villains because of his personality. He’s a narcissist that wants to destory, which isn’t new for most JRPG villains, but he’s also flamboyant as hell, and talks as if he’s in some kind of play where the world is his stage. He isn’t funny like Kefka, nor is he as intimidating as Sephiroth, but you can feel that wasn’t the route the writers were taking with his character. If anything he’s a pitiable, destructive, and flamboyant narcissist, but the Dissida series expands upon his character a lot in a way that kinda gets you hooked. So yeah, Kuja is unique alright.

Number 5. Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII) - This time manipulating witch is all style over substance, but god damn her style is really terrifying. She also has quite the presence, much like Sephiroth before her, so its not like she's sitting on her ass all day.

Number 6. Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy VII) - Wow, another FFVII villain, and it's Sephiroth's piece of shit mad scientist dad, Professor Hojo. This walking mass of complexes is a perfect example of the "Greater-Scope Villain." Never taking away from the Big Bad's spotlight, yet is responsible for almost half of the shit in the narrative. Though responsible for many things, his most noticeable crimes against nature were his experiments with Jenova, and the creation of Sephiroth, whom he also experimented on throughout his whole life. Pretty easy to see why Sephiroth was doomed from the start.

Number 7. Vayne Solidor (Final Fantasy XII) - A politician who wants to give the freedom of choice back to man, and preserve his family’s status and power. Those were Vayne’s end goals, and his personality is that of the ideal of a politician. He’s charismatic, ruthless, and levelheaded, so he’s surprisingly one of the more sane Final Fantasy villains too, but that doesn’t mean he’s the least evil.

Number 8. Garland/Chaos (Final Fantasy) - The first man to go by the title of Chaos. Jack Garland was seemingly a generic princess kidnapping video game villain, and he was the first boss in the first game. Granted he did have a small bit of backstory that explains that he was a former knight of Corneria who went mad, and wanted world dominations, but it wasn't enough at the moment. A couple of hours of gameplay later, along with some buildup of the entity known as "Chaos," we find out that Garland IS Chaos, and has practically made himself immortal thanks to a time loop he created with the Four Fiends, whom he sent into the future. Granted he's still a very simple antagonist if we're talking about goals, but in terms of how he went about it, he set up a standard for other villains in the series to surpass.

Number 9. Exdeath (Final Fantasy V) - Raw menace, ham and cheese, presence, permanently killing one of the main characters, and THE VOID. Exdeath was just a delightfully evil bastard, and it's all explained by him literally just being all of the evil in the universe that was sealed inside of a tree of all things. Bro really was "born evil."

Number 10. Rufus Shinra (Final Fantasy VII) - This man is the literal definition of a "Magnificent Bastard." Calm in almost every given situation, legitimately intelligent and level headed, smug as shit, and has the occasional "pet the dog" moments. Rufus Shinra pretty much has it all.

Number 11. Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV) - He has gone by several names, led two empires, and lived thousands of lives, one of the most prominent antagonists in the entire game, but this man will forever be known as Emet-Selch, a.k.a Hades and Solus Soz Galvus. While he never appeared onscreen at first, we did know him as the founder of the Garlean Empire, and the emperor in the first 2 parts of the game, until we saw him in the flesh in Stormblood and Shadowbringers, and good lord he's surprisingly good. He does share some of Ardyn’s vibes, but compared to that glorious troll, Emet acts like a worn out and bitter old man, which is very fitting when you remember that he constantly reflects upon his great his old life was, and lived in a replica of his former home with the souls of his fallen comrades. Jesus Christ, no wonder his real name is Hades, the man is constantly surrounded by the dead in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Compared to the top picks he isn’t that great, but considering how well done he actually is, in-spite of how much people kinda oversell him, this is a decent placement.

Number 12. Sin (Final Fantasy X) - Ever wanted to see Jaws in a Final Fantasy game? Well that's what Sin was. Granted, it’s goddamn terrifying, unforgettable, and moves the plot, but it doesn’t really have much to it outside of being this eldirch whale monster that was created to destroy. Still it makes the goddamn most out of what it is.

Number 13. Ultima (Final Fantasy XVI) - Oh god where do I begin? There's a great amount of stuff that the writers of this great game got right when deciding to make their main villain a literal eldritch god, and he's honestly fascinating in some areas. His buildup is similar to Sephiroth's, his terror level is 100% its own thing that's worthy of him, and good god the way he operates is honestly something to behold. Yet he falls off the mark in a lot of ways. He isn't a bad villain, and honestly is overhated sometimes, but good god a fair amount of potential was missed.

Number 14. Golbez (Final Fantasy IV) - The first Darth Vader expy of the series, and goddamn he’s surprisingly good. Keyword good, not great.

Number 15. Caius Ballad (Final Fantasy XIII-2) - Another tragic immortal, however this one is a former time traveling protector. My thoughts on this guy are mixed. On one hand, as the main antagonist of FF XIII-2, he's great on a lot of angles. On the other hand he, much like half of the FF XIII trilogy's cast, suffer heavily from its writing. Still, his stripes aren't unearned.

#sephiroth #kefka #kefka palazzo #ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #kuja #ultimecia #vayne solidor #garland #jack garland #chaos #exdeath #professor hojo #hojo #emet selch #solus zos galvus #hades #rufus shinra #sin #ultima #golbez #caius ballad #final fantasy #ffvii #ffvi #ffxv #ffix #ffviii #ffxii #ffv

[celepom]

SOME BOOK RECS FOR PRIDE THAT I HAVEN’T DONE REVIEWS FOR!

Taproot by Keezy Young

Blue is having a hard time moving on. He's in love with his best friend. He's also dead. Luckily, Hamal can see ghosts, leaving Blue free to haunt him to his heart's content. But something eerie is happening in town, leaving the local afterlife unsettled, and when Blue realizes Hamal's strange ability may be putting him in danger, Blue has to find a way to protect him, even if it means... leaving him.

The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith

After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will. As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home. While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl.  

Life of Melody by Mari Costa

A human child abandoned in the woods is discovered by an unlikely pair: Razzmatazz, a fairy godfather, and Bon, a beast man. After quarreling over the best way to handle the child, they finally agree to co-parent in the human world--for now, at least. What the two men don''t expect is this little arrangement will push them to discover more about themselves...and more about each other, which might result in love. In this charming LGBT+ romcom, one "temporary" magical family might just become real!

Our Dining Table by Mita Ori

Eating around other people is a struggle for salaryman Yutaka, despite his talent for cooking. All that changes when he meets Minoru and Tane—two brothers, many years apart in age—who ask him to teach them how to make his delicious food! It’s not long before Yutaka finds himself falling hard for the meals they share together—and falling in love!

I Think Our Son is Gay by Okura

Despite belonging to a family of four, the Aoyama residence is typically home to three due to father Akiyoshi'’s job. While he''s away at work, mom Tomoko and her two beloved sons Hiroki and Yuri go about their everyday lives--going to school, making dinner, doing homework, etc. But now that Hiroki''s in his first year of high school, his thoughts are turning ever so slightly to sex and romance...and his mom can''t help but notice his slips of the tongue when he''s talking about who he likes. Supportive Tomoko has an inkling Hiroki might be gay, but she''s going to let him figure it out for himself. Unfortunately, Hiroki has little talent for keeping his "secret," so he might die of embarassment before all is said and done!

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

Snap's town had a witch. At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online—after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too. They make a deal: Jacks will teach Snap how to take care of the baby opossums that Snap rescued, and Snap will help Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to get to know Jacks, she realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic—and a connection with Snap’s family’s past.

The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag

In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he''s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

DeadEndia by Hamish Steele

Barney and his best friend Norma are just trying to get by and keep their jobs, but working at the Dead End theme park also means battling demonic forces, time traveling wizards, and scariest of all--their love lives! Follow the lives of this diverse group of employees of a haunted house, which may or may not also serve as a portal to hell, in this hilarious and moving graphic novel, complete with talking pugs, vengeful ghosts and LBGTQIA love!

Cheer Up! Love and Pom Poms by Crytal Fraiser & Val Wise

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades

#book rec #book recs #pride #gay #lesbian #transgender #nonbinary #gender queer #queer #graphic novel #manga #I have more that I want to give #proper reviews to #after rereading #But here's 10 very good queer books!

[beneathashadytree]

Hiiiiii! I wanted to request an angsty fic, where reader is like Scarlet Witch in WandaVision who makes this alternate universe where Whitebeard is alive and like Ace is Vision and they both have kids. While all that's happening in the Hex, the Red Hair Pirates, remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Straw Hats try to stop her since she's taking over the New World. (The Marines are trying to kill her) I'll leave the angsty details to you since I suck at thinking🤣 THANK YOUUU, HAVE A GREAT DAY!

PICTURE PERFECT - PORTGAS D. ACE X READER

Warnings : Marineford spoilers, mentions of death, blood, gore, and the like, grief and delusions, this can be generally unsettling, this is not proofread, reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : angst (plus creepiness)

Word count : 1.0K words

Additional notes : Hi nonnie! So sorry for taking a ridiculously long time to get to this, but as you might know by now, I’ve been on hiatus after certain traumatic events in my life. I had to change up quite a few things in this because I haven’t watched anything from the Marvel Universe, so I know absolutely nothing about how this would work🫠 Also, I’ve had requests for ficlets (4K+ word-long pieces) turned off for over a year now, so I couldn’t get into too much detail anyways. And of course, as stated in my rules, unless the gender affects the plot, I write my readers as gender-neutral to be as inclusive as possible. However, I hope this could be somewhat satisfactory to you, with the general vibes I could manage🥹💗

Requests : Are closed for the time being.

Want to support me financially? Here’s my CashApp!

Masterlist

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. This wasn’t how they’d planned out their future together.

They’d always expected a life on the run; they’d never imagined anything different. But still, the love between them was too intense to deny, and too unconditional to ever think for a moment that it would ever disappear. If they had no faith in anyone but themselves, they could, at the very least, believe in their love.

Wherever they would’ve gone, they’d still be just as smitten as they were the first day they met. No matter how their future played out, they were so sure that their love would have them dying in each other’s arms at a peaceful old age, their last breaths weaving in bed together. Wherever one went, the other would follow. That was how it was supposed to go.

It wasn’t supposed to end with them carrying Ace’s limp, ice-cold body in their arms. It wasn’t supposed to be the acrid smell of burnt flesh that suffocated them. It wasn’t supposed to be his blood that drenched their clothes and stained them unsalvageable.

They weren’t supposed to be gasping for air as their entire body shook violently, pure horror painting their features. Nor were they supposed to feel bile rising at the back of their throat and tears stinging their eyes at the terrible realization that his chest wasn’t moving, not one inch. As a matter of fact, nothing much remained of his mangled chest at all—if they could even recognize it as his chest anymore.

Their trembling only intensified, failing to register just how empty and mutilated he seemed in their lap. Vision swimming, they couldn’t help but let the ugly sobs rack their body, their tears falling freely down their cheeks. They hiccupped on their sobs, the sounds mingling with the moans of a deep, deep pain that threatened to swallow them whole.

Ace had left them. He’d left them behind. He’d left them behind in a world they no longer wanted nor cared for. He’d left them to look forward to nothing, to feel so empty and numb but somehow consumed by a sadness so immense it nearly ripped them apart.

Perhaps it was that moment, that moment when their entire world crumbled around them, that drove something to crumble inside of them. Something broke, and that odd, unfamiliar something awakened the deepest pit of their sorrow within them. Pandora’s box opened, and it shattered their very reality as they knew it. With Ace’s dead body in their arms, and their wailing piercing the stormy vortex of sudden bleak night, they were soon swallowed into it without even being the slightest bit aware.

The grief was blinding, and they’d lost all control. Where it took them, they didn’t care nor pay it any notice.

***

Having lost track of time, they hadn’t any idea how long it had been. In all cases, it didn’t matter. No, it truly didn’t matter what had happened on that day; after all, why would it? They still had Ace.

Yes, they still had Ace. And he was sitting right behind them on a small, tattered-but-well-loved couch. Strong arms cradled them close to his chest—a perfectly intact, moving chest, not even the slightest bit scarred. Would the universe demand a price from them, for the heinous crime they’d committed just to have this? Maybe. But this universe, at the very least, was one that handed everything to them on a silver platter.

“What’s on your mind?” he mumbled, lazily planting soft, open-mouthed kisses up their neck to their ear, and his teeth lightly tugging at their earlobe.

They hummed in delight, snuggling deeper into his embrace. “Nothing much. Just thinking about how lucky I am.”

Ace laughed a little. “You just called us “three snotty-nosed brats” an hour ago.”

“And? You know I’m right,” they teased him, before asking, “Speaking of, did the kids give you a hard time falling asleep?”

Yes; kids. Kids that kissed them goodnight, kids that clung to them whenever they went out, and kids that would get mud on their carpets but shoot them the sweetest smiles that got them out of trouble every single time. Kids that cried when they scraped their knees, and kids that ran into Pops’ arms whenever he demanded his favorite grandchildren visit him.

Kids that made the small house feel like a warm home, and kids that fit perfectly into that delusion of happiness they’d built, with a father and grandfather that were perfectly healthy and fine. Deceptively so.

Perhaps this sort of deception wasn’t as sinful as it sometimes whispered it was in their ear. Their Devil Fruit had never proved itself useful, and their lack of desire to use it had been the reason why they’d found themself stunned by the existence of this universe of their own creation. The grief that had nearly killed them of heartbreak had been the very same thing to offer some salvation to them, by granting them a second chance in a world where things were perfect, in an almost eerie way.

“—babe? Babe? Hey—“

“Yes, yes,” they sighed, momentarily snapping out of it. “Sorry, got lost in my thoughts for a second.”

“You’ve been doing that pretty often lately.” Ace’s handsome face contorted into a worried frown. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

They didn’t respond to that. Almost as though on autopilot, their feet carried them to the kids’ room. With stiff movements, they bent over to brush their hair back from their foreheads, hands subtly passing underneath their noses to check that they were breathing. Good. They were very much alive, and very much real. They were real. Not just figments of their imagination.

Ace still seemed confused as they turned to walk back to him. Peering into his beautiful dark eyes, they held their breath for a moment. Yes, yes. Good. His eyes were alive; they weren’t unblinking, nor were they unseeing.

And as they reached up with trembling hands, they could trace the freckles on his cheeks and feel him leaning into their touch. The warmth of his skin was a stark contrast to the icy coldness that remained as a phantom touch in their memories.

They could live like this, forever and ever. No losses, no sorrows staining their flawless lives.

Plastering a smile on their face, they nodded. “Of course. Everything is picture perfect.”

Taglist: @stories-that-shaped-me @finch-ya @wifeofkyojuro @livwritesfics

#imagine #oneshot #angst #anime #horror #one piece #op #one piece x reader #one piece angst #one piece oneshot #op x reader #portgas d. ace #portgas d ace #portgas ace x reader #portgas d ace x reader #portgas d. ace x reader #ace #ace x reader #portgas ace #ace angst #portgas d ace angst #portgas ace angst #portgas d. ace angst #whitebeard pirates #one piece ace #one piece portgas d ace #op ace #op portgas d ace #ace oneshot #portgas d ace oneshot

[7ndipity]

"Shadow"

Demon Hoseok x Reader (feat. Jin)

Summary: A mysterious music box leads to some unsettling activity and dreams. But what happens when your dreams become reality?

Warnings: paranormal/horror themes, swearing, injuries, stalking/yandere-ish vibes(I mean he's a demon so yeah) nightmares? Idk, lmk if I missed something

A/N: ngl this one came out pretty creepy. Thank you all for the support you've shown for Spooktober, the final piece will be posted later this week.

Spooktober m.list

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Y/n, look at this!"

Jin was holding up an old cookoo clock, covered in tiny decorative leaves and swirling scrollwork. "It's cute, right?"

"Uh, it's not really my style." You said gently, trying not to offend him.

He was supposed to be helping you look for furniture for your new house, but so far, all he had done in every thift shop you two had gone into was get distracted by various knickknacks and old toys, leaving you to basically fend for yourself.

"Oh c'mon, you could hang it in the kitchen-"

You attention was pulled away from the conversation by a shelf of old music boxes. One in particular caught your eye, slightly smaller than the others, almost able to fit in one hand, with a simple diamond and checkerboard pattern carved into the surface.

Curious, you picked it up and gently wound the key, the gears stiff from age and lack of use. A soft twinkling melody began to play, causing a twinge of nostalgia to ring through you, but you didn't know why. The song sounded familiar, like an old forgotten memory come back to the surface, but you couldn't quite place it.

"-what do you think?"

"Hm?" You shook out of your revre, glancing up at your friend in confusion.

"Were you really not listening to me?" He pouted at you.

"I'm sorry, I don't what happened." You said absent-mindedly as you checked the box for a price sticker, but finding none. "I'll be right back."

You quickly made your way up to the counter, griped by a sudden need for the charming little box.

"How much is this?" You asked the lady at the register.

"Oh, that old thing?" She looked at it in surprise. "You can have it, no charge."

"Seriously?" You said in disbelief.

"Mh-hm." She nodded, "It's been here for ages, it doesn't even work."

"But, I just-" You were cut off by the sound of something crashing to the floor, making you both jump. Ducking back around a few shelves, you found Jin standing awkwardly over the busted remains of the cookoo clock.

"I'll take it!" He said, cheeks red in embarrassment.

. . .

You took the box home.

As you climbed into bed that night, you picked it up again, examining it carefully.

There were hinges along one side of the top, indicating that it could open, but the tiny lock on the front prevented you from doing so. You gave a small huff of frustration, about to give up, but then you remembered seeing a similar box in a movie once where the key for the music mechanism had also served as a key for the lock.

Turning the box over, you gave the key a gentle tug, it came free of its housing easily enough. Slipping it into the lock, you found to your delight that it turned and clicked.

Thrilled with your discovery, you gently lifted the lid and peered in. The inside was lined with a teal green velvet, in the center was a small spring that you suppose once held a figurine of some sort, but now stood empty, missing its miniature dancer.

Slightly disappointed, you closed it again and sat it in it's new home on your bedside table before shutting off the lights and going to sleep.

That night, your dreams were full of strange sights and sounds. Strange flashes of color. Someone was laughing, but the noise was foggy and muffled. Somewhere, distantly, you could hear the music box playing.

. . .

Over the next few weeks, you started to notice strange things around your new place. Creaking footstep-like sounds, doors that refused to stay open or closed, the scent of something like woodsmoke and rain that seemed to move about the house.

At first you tried to brush it off. It was an old house, old houses had weird noises and smells, right? You'd known that when you moved in. But then, there were more things that you couldn't find a logical explanation for.

Voices that seemed to echo down the hall from empty rooms. Shadows moving out the corner of you eye, peaking around doorways when your back was turned, catching sight of the flickering movement in the mirror while you were brushing your teeth or watching TV.

At night, it got worse. You were finding it increasingly difficult to sleep. When you did manged to drift off, you kept having the same recurring dreams of smokey figure slipping into your room through a crack in the window or under the door, the swirling and billowing mass drifting ever closer, watching you with eyes like burning coals.

Everything in your body said that you should be terrified, but for some reason, you weren't. In fact, you felt oddly serene as he gently reached out and took your hand, tugging you up out of bed and pulling you close, seeming to dance about the room with you. Everytime, you would wake up shaking and sweating.

. . .

"Y/n?" You jumped slightly at your name, looking across the table to see Jin eyeing you with concern.

"You alright?" Jin asked.

He'd noticed the recent changes in you and to say he was worried was an understatement. You were pale and jumpy, shadows under your eyes from lack of sleep.

You looked down, sighing. "I- I don't really know, Jin."

"What's wrong?"

"Promise you won't make fun of me?" You asked.

"I swear." He held up a hand in oath.

"I think my house is haunted." You started, half expecting he would think you were crazy. But if anyone was going to believe you, it would be Jin.

As you spoke, Jin had gone still and pale, his brow furrowed as he listened.

"And then, there's these." You pulled back your sleeve, revealing fingerprint like bruises littering your arms. They didn't hurt and they would fade almost as fast as they appeared, but you could still sense them, like invisible sootstains on your skin.

He swallowed hard, mouth pressed into a thin line

"Maybe we should call someone, like-"

Jin's voice faded out as you froze, staring out the glass front of the restaurant over his shoulder.

He was there, a faint, greyish figure, semi-transparent like a reflection, except that he standing outside on the sidewalk. He tilted his head slightly as he grinned at you.

"Y/n? What is it?" Jin turned to see what you staring at, looking back at you confused.

"He can't see me, Love, only you can." The figure mouthed, but it sounded like he was right next to you, sending a shiver up your spine.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Snapping your attention back to your friend, you spoke quickly, gathering your things. "Look, don't worry about it, I've got a handle on it." You turned to leave, but Jin grabbed your arm.

"'Got a handle on it?' Wait a minute, y/n, I don't get this. Are you scared or not?"

You stopped.

Were you? The same question had been plaguing you for days.

"I... don't know."

. . .

'It was a dark and stormy night.' You rolled your eyes at your own joke. It was Halloween night, rain pouring down outside with thunder and lightning as you finished washing up for bed. 'How cliché.'

As if to prove your point, there was a loud clap of thunder, and the room was plunged into darkness.

"Shit." You whispered, fumbling your way down the hall. Where the hell had you packed the flashlights?

Making it to your room, you stilled as you heard a soft twinkling melody floating through the air. The music box.

You were frozen, heart was pounding so loudly in you ear that it took you a several seconds to realize there was another set of breaths in the room.

Another flash of lightning illuminated a figure standing in the center of the room.

You fell back against the door as you let out a shrill scream.

"Don't be afraid." He spoke in a low, raspy voice. At that moment, the lights flickered back on, revealing the intruder.

He was tall, very slim, a mop of messy black waves partially covered dark eyes with deep shadows beneath them

"Please don't hurt me." You whimpered.

"Hurt you?" He tilted his head at you. "Why would I do that? You let me out."

"I-what?"

"My box, you opened it." He let out a small laugh as he picked it up and pointed to you. "That was impressive, you know? Not everybody can do that."

"I don't-" You stopped as you realized.

You recognized that voice, the angular face, those eyes, though usually they had a different glow than the playful glint they held now.

"Oh my god." You whispered, slumping against the door again.

"Not quite." His lips quirked up in a smile.

"I'm going crazy." You ran a shaky hand through your hair.

"Crazy looks good on you then." He said, taking in your features more closely. You were cute, weren't you? 'Lucky me.' He thought, watching you fidget nervously. If he had to be indebted to human, at least it was someone fun.

"What are you?" You asked

"I've been called a lot of things," he said softly, Cheshire grin on his face as he crept closer. "but you can call me Jay."

Everything felt jumpy and distorted, like an old, fragmented movie reel. The closer he came, the worse it got.

"We had such a nice time before," he breathed, as his fingers brushed your arm. "Imagine how much nicer it would be now that I'm real, that I can actually touch you."

"I-" You pulled back slightly, but you it was a like you were a rabbit and a viper. You couldn't look away.

He cupped you face gently, everything feeling like it was in slow motion.

"What do you say to another dance?"

#jung hoseok #hoseok #jhope angst #demon!bts #demon!hoseok #demon!jhope #hoseok x y/n #hoseok x reader #bts supernatural au #jhope x reader #jhope oneshot #bts angst

[delusionalmultifandomwriter]

Beautiful Harlequin

Requested?: yes (see below)

Note: I do not want or plan to adopt this fandom to my usual writings, it was an interesting experience but i dont really vibe with it (You will notice, normally i write deeper stories). Thanks for the request though, i hope you like it!!

Request: A Kaptain Krazee x female clown reader story in which the reader wakes up with no memory of how she got there as Kaptain Krazee’s clown bride. Naturally, the reader is freaked out and wants to figure out a way home. Until then the reader has to cope with being married to a creepy clown for a husband. Will she figure out how to get back home or will she be forced to stay with her terrifying husband and his clown family?

You slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the bright, flickering lights above. The room was filled with colorful, striped wallpaper and bizarre clown decorations. Blinking a few times to get rid of the drowsiness before you shrieked up. How did you get here?

You sat up, looking around frantically, when the door creaked open. In walked a clown figure dressed in a blue-and-silved costume with large red shoes, complete with crimped red hair and a white-painted face that seemed permanently etched onto his face.

"Ah, my beautiful Harlequin!" Kaptain Krazee exclaimed with a high-pitched laugh. "Good morning, my dear! You slept through our wedding night."

Wedding? Your heart raced as you tried to make sense of the situation. You stammered, "Where am i? What's going on? Why am i here?"

Kaptain Krazee merely laughed. "You're in the Cavalcade of Clowns, my sweet. Don't act stupid. Isn't it marvelous?"

As the day passed, you struggled to adapt to your bizarre new life. You were surrounded by other clown performers who seemed just as eccentric and unsettling as Kaptain Krazee. Where did you come from? How long had you been here before? When did you get married to such a weirdo? And most important: Why?

Determined to unravel the mystery of your 'new' life, you slowly began investigating. You overheard whispers among the clown performers. As soon as they noticed you, they turned away their heads and laughed with eachother as nothing ever happened. Desperate for answers, you finally decided to confront Kaptain Krazee.

He chuckled, his smile widening. "My sweet Harlequin, you are here by choice. You willingly became my bride. When i first saw you in the ring, i knew you were the one. And now you're part of the Circus of Wonders forever."

Doubt and fear consumed your mind, but you refused to accept this twisted reality. Why would you ever marry a clown? Let alone a psychopathic one like this?! You dived deeper into the circus's secrets, forming unlikely alliances.

One night, you sat on a bench of the ring when a female clown approached you. Lucky you, you were not afraid of clowns, although they all seemed a little uncanny to you.

"Hello darling." She said while sitting down next to you. "Why making such a sad face?" She blinked with her lashes and gave you a sad smile. "Just overthinking something." You answered while you stared holes into the air. The clown leaned over a little. "Need a little help with escaping?" She whispered, suddenly sounding much clearer.

"What?" You asked irritated. The clown girl lifted two fingers and brushed over the white makeup on her neck. It rubbed off and under it showed lightly tanned and definitly human skin. Your eyes widened. "You are like me." You whispered. She pulled up her costume to cover the free spot and nodded.

"Let me help you." She whispered. You nodded. "Why are you here?" She hesitate for a moment. "I was Kaptain Krazee's bride once too. I blended in with the clowns and he lost interest. He is more into humans." She whispered. You nodded thoughful. "Let's get out of here together." You whispered back. The girl nodded solemnly.

You ecxchanged a hand shake.

Whatever would come, you could survive this. Together.

#kaptain krazee #haunted hour #afraid of clowns #requested #requests open #clowns #clown #kaptain krazee x reader #xreader #x reader #my writing

[simplepotatofarmer]

If we're on the topic of horror movies, do you have any reccs for movies with few/or no jumpscares? I love horror but it's so hard to find movies without them

I DO!

it definitely is hard to find them, you're right but i know of a few that i'd recommend.

right off the bat, 'lake mungo' from my other list has no jump scares. the movie is just eerie and....kind of sad? but onto new movies i haven't talked about:

rosemary's baby: it's a classic and it relies solely on atmosphere and physiological stuff to be scary. definitely a movie that's worth a watch if you can pirate it.

night of the living dead: another classic but with zombies and there's no jump scares, just the creeping dead and the even scarier 'dealing with other people' aspect. romero is one of my favorites so i might be biased here but i love this movie so much.

the amusement park: another romero flick and this one again doesn't rely on jumpscares but is deeply frightening and like all romero movies, it has an aspect of social commentary that honestly makes it all the more horrifying.

frailty: so this is a movie from the early 2000s that so many people forget about. it makes you question what's really going on and does a great job of doing so up until the very end. it's honestly really good and i highly recommend it.

the fly: i could try to explain why this movie is good but if you like monster movies, this is the one for you. also it has jeff goldblum if you're into that.

the blair witch project: yeah, yeah, i know but the first movie is legitimately good and scary and it has no jumpscares in it, at all. it's just creepy and scary because of the situation and what's happening.

the wicker man (1973): so back to the classics and this one has always been one of my favorites. the atmosphere is creepy and lingering and it doesn't need any jumpscares to be that way.

get out: there's no jumpscares, just building tension and dread. i'm a huge fan of peele's work and this is one of my favorites by far. this movie is one of the only movies that has made me cry out of fear of what might happen.

green room: this might be more of a thriller than a horror movie but for me, it's horror if only because of the reality of the world we live. check out content warnings because it deals with real world topics but i do i think it's a good scary movie.

the invitation: this movie is so underrated that it's criminal. the long creeping sense of dread is amazing and the build up is fantastic. it's also a movie that allows you to care about the characters which is important.

others i'd suggest: the endless, the witch, ringu 0: birthday, session 9, searching (a thriller but unsettling), the devil's backbone, creepshow, and the ritual.

#loyal answers things #movie rec list

[rhetoricandlogic]

Jake Casella Brookins Reviews Rose/House by Arkady Martine

May 27, 2023Jake Casella Brookins

Rose/House, Arkady Martine (Subterranean 978-1-64524-033-4, $45, 125 pp, hc) March 2023. Cover by David Curtis.

Arkady Martine’s Hugo-winning novels are delightfully huge, sprawling affairs. It’s a different kind of delight to see her approach some of the same themes and influences in a new style, as she does in her latest: the tight and unsettling novella Rose/House. Against the backdrop of the near-future California desert, two small-town detectives find themselves embroiled in a particularly strange case when the AI of the seemingly uninhabited Rose House – final creation of world-famous architect Basit Deniau – announces that it contains a dead body. Investigating this possible murder leads them to the late Deniau’s former student, to a strange and possibly-nefarious group of international art dealers and urban planners, and, most ominously, to the strange intelligence of Rose House itself.

The procedural homicide investigation is one of the most tried-and-true plot vehicles, and one that maps well onto genre setups far more outlandish than this. All too easily, these plots tend to double as copaganda, and an excellent if quiet part of Rose/House is how it distances itself from that – partially through plot, partiallythrough implied social changes. Alongside all the usual-but-devastating near-future details, such as water rations and accompanying desperation in the American Southwest, Martine includes hints of actual police reform. Precisely because these reforms read as boring and infrastructural – neither detective is armed at critical junctures, because of the “hours of check-out paperwork” – they read as encouragingly achievable.

Martine hat-tips William Gibson fairly early in the investigation, and Rose/House reads, in part, like a riff on the underexplored creepiness of his work: the uncanny closeness of inhuman technology, the hauntology of artifacts and built environments, both the promise and the threat of technological expanse and evolution. The nebulous larger plot behind the murder – of which our detectives descry only the vaguest of outlines – is one involving digital archives, legally and ethically fraught urban planning, and, as the novella somewhat self-consciously reminds us, weird architects: it all combines for a story that’s stylish, discomforting, and strangely believable.

Cyberpunk might be one influence I’d bring up in discussing Martine’s Teixcalaan novels – particularly if pulling on the interesting loose thread about the fused AI/human police force in A Memory Called Empire, a theme intriguingly revisited here. But a more likely comparison would be to C.J. Cherryh, whose political and psychological approach to space opera clearly informs Martine’s work. Rose/House, with its narrower focus – wholly terrestrial, unearthly as the house may be – is still digging into themes that Cherryh fans will appreciate: the artist’s desire to bend reality of Wave Without A Shore, the AI-assisted posthumous grasp for control of Cyteen.

My favorite bit of homage, though, is the su­perbly well-done nod to Shirley Jackson – Rose/House has a deeply satisfying set of recurring phrases and images that kind of rhyme with The Haunting of Hill House – in a different pitch, under different lighting. Nothing about this feels derivative. It’s Louis Kahn’s idea of ‘‘Silence and Light’’ as a prompt for a murder­ous ghost; it takes the house as seriously as the haunting. Rose/House is a freaky love letter to architecture, weird and otherwise.

#Arkady Martin #Rose House #mahreviews #long post

[orossii]

everyone talks about how creepy ‘hotel california’ by the eagles is but ‘dirty laundry’ is another don henley song that creeps me out given what i know about the news media, laurel canyon, and CIA blackmail operations. the verses

“You don't really need to find out what's goin' on, You don't really wanna know just how far it's gone Just leave well enough alone Eat your dirty laundry”

and

“Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie We love to cut you down to size We love dirty laundry“

and

“We can do "The Innuendo", we can dance and sing When it's said and done, we haven't told you a thing We all know that crap is king Give us dirty laundry! “

ring very ominously in what is otherwise a very catchy 80s pop song about sensationalism and tabloid news. ‘you don’t really wanna know just how far it’s gone’ doesn’t quite connect with that theme, but makes more sense if you consider the fact that it’s coming from someone at the center of the CIA’s cultural cold war, who had to be hyper-conscious of the spate of mysterious deaths happening in laurel canyon at the time, possibly even some of the inside details re: the manson murders. don henley was also arrested for giving cocaine to a 16-year-old prostitute in 1980, and given the fact that celebrities generally get away with things like that (lmao) i kind of wonder if that arrest was to reign him in for whatever reason. this song seems to be directly in response to that arrest, so if that’s the case he certainly seems to think so

the implication secondary to ‘tabloid journalism exploits human suffering and embarrassment for profit’ is ‘and they’re using that to distract the public from a reality so horrifying they won’t even want to know about it’. it’s very unsettling to me

#this post is not an endorsement of don henley lol i'm just fascinated by that song #hotel california too actually for similar reasons

[saintofdaggers]

A strange and unsettling reading rec list

Kobo Abe: The Box Man, The Woman in the Dunes, The Face of Another

Kobo Abe was a prolific Japanese postmodernist author whose work deals heavily with questions of identity, existence and meaning in odd and surreal settings. The Box Man starts out as a tale of urban alienation before plunging headfirst into a confusing labyrinth of questions unanswered; The Woman in the Dunes sees an everyday figure trapped in a nightmarish living situation with a mysterious companion, while The Face of Another is a twisted meditation of identity and appearance (the latter two have also been adapted into excellent movies by New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara).

Italo Calvino: Invisible Cities

This lyrical, haunting journey takes us into the world of cities. Imaginary cities, existing cities, fantastical, dreamed and made up, will-be or has-been cities. Do you understand it? Do you feel it? It works both ways.

Adolfo Bioy Casares: The Invention of Morel

While not perfect, this unsettling pseudo-sci-fi novella from a contemporary of uncanny master Jorge Luis Borges has one of the most twisted, surprising and grotesque endings I’ve read, embedded in an atmosphere of guilt, paranoia and unrequited longing.

Leonid Andreyev: The Red Laugh

If you are looking for the most visceral, haunting, surreal yet utterly believable depiction of the horrors of war, look no further than this short story from an underappreciated early Russian realist.

Daisy Johnson: Sisters

A tense, dreamlike, vinegar-sharp twist on the classic Gothic premise of ‘strange women in strange houses’, this short little novel was one of the most surprising and satisfying reads of the year for me.

Victor Pelevin: The Yellow Arrow

Without spoiling the premise, this little travel story is both heavily existential and elegantly symbolic, while steeped in the categoric Eastern European down-to-earth reality, and just enough mystery to make you think. Studying it in college was a formative experience for me.

Friedrich Durrenmatt: A Dangerous Game (US title: Traps)

Not to be confused with the similarly-titled classic short story, this novella is from a brilliant Swiss writer who has been my favorite ever since my middle school German teacher put him on my radar. A master of the odd, the tragic and of the blackest comedy, most of Durrenmatt’s catalog makes for very rewarding reading; but this novella, about the nature of guilt and the absurdities of the justice system was another memorable piece of college study in my life.

Han Kang: The Vegetarian

If you haven’t read yet this (deservedly popular) haunting, powerful story of a woman’s quest for autonomy and identity, do it. Reading it feels like being doused with a shower of ice-cold water and blood - and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Kathe Koja: Extremities

Ex-horror author Kathe Koja first got on the literary radar with her Stoker Award-winning debut novel The Cipher; however, this collection of surreal, grotesque and disturbing short stories is much lesser-known than I feel it deserves. To sum it up: Extremities is a trip to that thin little border where the impossible and the nightmarish breaks through to invade everyday life. Whether the protagonists can deal with it or not... read it and find out.

Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac: The Woman Who Was No More, Faces in the Dark

Boileau-Narcejac were a prolific French crime-writing duo who have sadly fallen to the wayside in recent years, except for fans of classic crime thrillers and European crime fiction (you might know them as the people who wrote the novel Vertigo is based on - yes, the Hitchcock movie). These two novels, from the few of theirs that have been translated into English, are incisive and creepy psychological trips into the psyches of disturbed individuals: a murderer and a blind man who suspects his family members of a strange conspiracy, respectively. Both are twisted, surprising and written with potent imagery that I guarantee will stay with you.

#book recommendations #rec list #literature #literary fiction #postmodern #book rec list #recs tag #my posts

[dimobserver]

I was tagged in this song tag game by @aomitois, thank you! ^^

Rules:  Set your music to shuffle and write down each song you get for  the “thirteen scenes”. Tag whoever and as many people as you’d like! Or  if you’d prefer, just write down the first thirteen songs you get from  your shuffling! Anyways here we go!

Title Scene: Yasashii Suisei- YOASOBI

 (the lyrics somehow fit with what happens from the car scene later on)

Waking Up Scene: Piano Dorobou- amazarashi

waking up in a bleak reality

Falling in Love Scene: Lost in Paradise- ALI ft AKLO

not much about falling in love itself, but it’s still about fighting for one’s happiness, so i guess this counts?

First Date Scene: Injection- Rise Against

a continuation, but this might be too intense; quite a desperate first date and they fall fast

Fight Scene: Rapture- Panorama Panama Town

if there’s a fight there, i feel like it’s about a difference in their worldviews

Tragic Death Scene: Kono Machi de Ikiteiru- amazarashi

it may be a tragic death, but whoever died must have been content with their life- unless it’s the killer who is?

Mental Breakdown Scene: Enemy- Imagine Dragons

maybe the main character is the one responsible and this all takes a dark turn

Series Monologue Scene: We Will Not Go Quietly- Sixx:AM

a decision has been made and their new lover joins them

Flashback Scene: Train Wreck- James Arthur

this would really fit as a title, with how the plot is developing;

apparently going against the world isn’t going that great

Driving Scene: Nandemonaiya- RADWIMPS

i guess it will be this kind of emotional driving scene that might end up in goodbyes?

Kissing Scene: Ostatni Romantyczny Zachód Słońca- szymonmówi

both incredibly fitting and unsettling

plot-twist: instead of sad goodbyes it gets an even darker turn and we get a creepy final goodbye

Party Scene: Anta e- amazarashi

はやく　涙拭けよ　笑い飛ばそう　僕らの過去 

Wipe your tears, and let's laugh away our pasts

行くあても帰る場所もないから　頭の中に僕の居場所を作った2 そこで笑っている父や母や恋人が かつての面影だと���付いて途方にくれる

I’ve got nowhere to go and nowhere to come home to,

so I made a place for myself inside my own head.

And in there, my father, mother, and lover are all smiling,

but I didn’t know what to do, when I realized they were only shadows of the past.

so they went partying

Ending Scene: Vent’anni- Maneskin

my guess is the main chara moves on, has a sudden redemption that shouldn’t have suddenly happened during a timeskip and becomes a better person; manages to get away with everything and just lives freely

That was fun, i definitely didn’t expect it to turn out this way xD

surprisingly all of the songs that showed first when on shuffle are ones i haven’t listened to for a while too

tagging: @p0l-anka, @1-800-i-ship-it, @shinonomebrainworms, if you’d like to ^^ also anyone who sees this and feels like joining

#tag game

[rucow]

ok here's my interpretation of the phantom, specifically female phantom bc im a lesbian and i crave more women characters in fiction who have actual depth and are a bit unhinged :'D

(please keep in mind that i haven't read the book yet and that my way of seeing her is based mostly on my own imagination and also me projecting very hard on her😭)

putting this under a read more bc its Long long

first, here is my art of fem!phantom ! and one more art of her

to begin, i headcanon the phantom to be named erica with a c, like the flower that grows in harsh conditions and that's very enduring and requires little water to thrive. i think it suits her! please look up "erica flower" and see for yourself :)

i think 35 is a good age for her, the same age as how long the broadway poto has been running for before closing :')

let's talk about her early life. she was born to a loving mother somewhere in eastern europe (modern day romania perhaps 👉👈), and her appearance was indeed unique but not disfigured. she was born with a birth mark of sorts that affected half of her face and her hair as well, causing strands of her black hair to lack pigment and appear as white (im thinking maybe vitiligo? idk exactly but the point is she looked Unique). she has grey eyes. besides that, as an infant she had a very quiet and calm personality as well, not really crying loudly like most babies do and often staring deeply at people, appearing "creepy" to them. (hint: she was just autistic)

erica's mother loved her. she thought these traits made her special and beautiful, not strange or unsettling. her mother would sing to little erica every day and night, but thats something erica doesn't remember, because her mother died far too soon (i like to keep the cause of death vague) and so little infant erica ended up in an orphanage.

now, the caretakers in the orphanage saw these unique traits of hers differently than her mother did. where erica's mother saw beauty and something special, these people saw Evil and Wrong. they thought they could pray away erica's "affliction" and "cure" her, both her appearance and her quiet reserved odd personality.

she was only about one year old when one of the orphanage caretakers tried a new way of "curing" erica via pouring acid on her little face. the acid dripped onto her neck as well. erica doesn't know this is what caused her scarring. as far as she knows, she has always looked the way she does. she thinks she was born this way, that she was doomed in some way, and sadly she will never know the truth: that this was Done to her

erica spent her first years of life in bandages and healing. even after she had healed, the orphanage caretakers kept her bandages on because they didn't like to See her. they didn't want to acknowledge what they'd done, so they kept her hidden and covered up and pretended her skin would be fine under the bandages.

(this is based on the 2004 film) the travelling fair. members would occasionally visit orphanages and other institutions while pretending to be interested in adopting, when in reality they were interested only in finding children they could exploit. when they saw little erica, who was still only a few years old, they knew they could make money off of her. the orphanage's caretakers were most relieved to be rid of her.

and then we all know what happened, and how a young madame giry took young erica and brought her to the opera and kept her safe and hidden. but erica was deeply traumatised and acted purely on instinct, she was completely nonverbal and nonresponsive. to this day, erica and madame giry still don't speak; their agreements are speechless and they both prefer it that way. erica is very uncomfortable acknowledging her past, so she secretly appreciates madame giry for not prying despite the fact that she witnessed little erica Murdering a whole grown man (again, she acted purely on instinct, she was protecting herself)

the opera was all she's ever known, and she has watched singers and managers and dancers come and go, while she remained. art and drama are all she's ever known. she's never felt the breeze in her hair or the sun on her face. she has access to the opera's roof, but she only goes there at nighttime when she can't be seen, and only on extremely rare occasions. art is her only escape and her only outlet. she doesn't just create music, she also paints, and she can sculpt if she has the materials for it. she creates any and all art

erica is incredibly smart as well, and has a vast knowledge on many topics despite lacking any form of education. she learned to read by watching the operas, because sometimes there would be signs and written words on the props. she paid close attention to any and all information she could get, and there were a lot of old things stored down there beneath the opera house that helped her learn and discover new things. but even so, her knowledge of the real world is incredibly limited. she has no idea what the sea sounds like, or what mountain air smells like

having so little to do, she focused her attention on the operas and on studying them, seeing what could be improved and thinking of how to make them come to life. she found most of the singers and dancers lacking, she felt no one really understood the passion required to make a performance feel alive. but that is probably because the performances were just a job to most of those people, while for erica it was her entire lifestyle. at the end of the day, the performers and managers and whatnot would go home to their families and see to their lives, while erica can never leave the opera house. she's fixated on every aspect of it, from the music to the choreography to the management... she constantly sees things that could be improved, and that leads me to my next point.

she started disguising as the phantom in order to help bring her vision to life, by communicating what she wants changed in the operas. of course, her social skills are lacking, so she puts on an act when interacting with anyone, and she doesn't let herself be seen. acting is the only way she knows how to approach another human, so adopting the role of a phantom wasn't hard for her. its easier to be the villain than to be herself. she is, in both literal and autistic terms, masking. she also sees how women are treated, and how they're not taken as seriously as men, so she dresses herself as a man and uses her naturally deeper and lower voice to seem as one. she's also very tall, which really helps on the rare occasion that she's spotted, though it's usually only her shadow that gets seen

now, christine. erica pretending to be christine's father/angel. again, she did this because its easier for her to play a role than to be herself. she knows that no one would accept her for her true self. she doesn't even really know herself, she's never had the chance to discover herself.. what she's like when she's laughing with friends, or how she acts when caring for a pet or child.. she doesn't know herself at all, all she knows is her work, her passion, her escape: music, art, acting. dreaming.

at first, erica did use christine as a way of making her dreams come to life. she can't perform herself, both because of her appearance and because her voice doesn't allow her to sing as a soprano. so she sees christine, alone and aimless, and begins refining her talent. erica never realises how intensely she feels for christine until raoul comes into play. she's possessive, not really in a romantic sense, but because christine is all she has. christine is the only person who willingly meets with her and listens to her, even though she doesn't know her true identity

seeing christine face to face and in the flesh is what really awoke feelings in erica though, and what made her want to have christine to herself, though she doesn't know how to go about it other than pretending to be something that christine can find trustworthy and desirable (again, the whole masquerading as an angel thing). but erica tries, she tries to drop the façade and be herself. she tries to ask christine to trust and accept her, but you can imagine how difficult and terrifying it must be to be that vulnerable with someone for the first time in your life.

when the unmasking happens, erica basically goes into full panic mode, and can't regain her composure. she doesn't know that christine's intention wasn't bad, but she's truly deeply traumatised and acted on instinct once again, which caused her to lash out at christine as a form of defense. she was really really scared in that moment, and once she became rational again she felt immensely guilty for lashing out at christine and for frightening her :')

she pretty much hates raoul. because he's what she can't be: a safe presence for christine, someone she can feel protected by, someone who can OFFER her a life of freedom and warmth. someone who can be seen in public with her, someone who wont ruin her reputation. erica has nothing to offer but her creations, her music, her hidden passions. she hates raoul because she can't be him. because she can't compete with him. she feels this way about most men, its just that raoul just so happens to be the man that christine is closest to

the murder of buquet. erica had always despised him, for obvious reasons. he reminded her of the men at the travelling fair, with the way he would describe her just for shock factor, and she didn't know how to process that. he was always watching the dancers too closely. his death was a perfect way of showing that she should be taken seriously and that her demands should be met. his death also meant the death of any memory of her past. also, he saw her. she couldn't let him live anyway

the masquerade! don juan triumphant was basically erica's vent art/music (she needs healthier coping mechanisms /lh). erica declaring herself christine's teacher in front of all to see...a cruel act which served to humiliate christine and force her into being associated with her. with the phantom. a complete parallel to christine and raoul's secret engagement........

erica's SINGING. it's just as unique as the rest of her, each word she sings is filled with emotion and passion and meaning. she sings low, and her voice can be soft and forcefully powerful in the same breath. she sounds unearthly, especially since she has no training herself yet she knows how to express herself through song. if only she knew how lovely she sounds,,,,,

performing the point of no return with christine on stage was the highlight of erica's life. she had abandoned all fear and showed herself in public, in front of all to see, JUST to be with christine and to show christine her heart. yes, she knocked piangi out (she didnt quite kill him, because shes Not a mindless murderer) to steal his role, and she doesn't regret it. singing with christine is erica's favourite activity and she wants the whole world to see how well they complement each other. madame giry nearly had a heart attack when she saw erica on stage

erica didn't see it as herself kidnapping christine. in her mind she Had to do this, because it was the only way to make christine understand her and force her to SEE how she feels for her..... and she never intended on killing raoul. would she take her frustrations out on him and brawl with him and choke him and whatnot? yes. would she kill him? no. she can't do that to christine. but it Did feel good to fight him. fighting for her life is all she's known after all

erica was so desperate to show christine her heart that she was willing to say and do anything, and her making christine choose between raoul and herself was her last desperate attempt. though inside she knew christine can't choose and that it isn't fair to force her to do it. when christine kissed her, and comforted her, and told her shes not alone, it was like the heaviest stone was lifted from erica's heart. she snapped out of her desperation and let christine go, because she truly wants to see her happy and safe, even if with someone else. erica had always known she doesn't stand a chance, she knew she can't win christine over, but she dreamt of it anyway. and if she spent less time trying to manipulate christine, she would've seen that christine was always willing to know her and to be with her

also, for any astrology nerds out there: i hc the phantom to be a pisces (with a scorpio moon and capricorn rising) :') basically i made her be an emotional wreck who gets Very obsessive about her passions. art flows through her

that is all :) im sane about her (not true)

#txt #this is very much nonsensical i kinda fell asleep midway through writing this IM SRY #female!phantom you are so dear to me #lesbian poto #poto #i could write more but im. trying to remain sane😭 #anyway i know my interpreation of the phantom is pretty different from canon but yea i like my women pathetic and sad #interpretation* #oh my god this is over 2k words im INSANE

[imagineandimagine]

Such a Tease

Chapter 1: Look but don’t touch

Pairing: Kino Loy X Reader

Warning: A few sexy things occur in this chapter so be warned. ;)

You were kidnapped from your planet by a crew of space pirates and then captured again by the empire and sent to Narkin 5 without a trial because they just assumed that you were part of the pirate crew. Suffice to say, you had a really bad day.

-

Everything hurt as you walked the hall after being zapped by the guards in order to demonstrate why any resistance was futile. The automatic doors opened to reveal a room filled with workers at their stations. There was a sudden silence the moment you entered the room and then immediately after that, a flood of whispers.

“Quiet!” you heard someone command from down bellow.

One of the guards shoved you onto the platform in front of you. As the platform slowly went down you looked around the room, a muscular man with salt and pepper hair caught your eye immediately, he had this air about him where you instantly knew that he was the one in charge, even though he was wearing the same uniform as you. You became self-conscious when you realized that your eyes were locked on that man a little too long so you quickly looked away.

When the guards finally left, the man you were eyeing before approached you. “This is unit 5 2D. My name is Kino Loy, I’m the 5 2D unit manager…” he then proceeded to explain how everything worked around the place. “Name?”

“Y/N!” you blurted out before you realized that perhaps you should have given him a name you made up, but somehow you felt like he would be able to tell, and you didn’t want to get on this man’s bad side right from the start.

Kino lead you to your table and told you to watch the men do a few rounds before you started helping them. You watched them for a bit, it was the exact same thing over and over, so it wasn’t too long before you got to work.

-

After a few hours the work was so monotonous that you were already extremely bored. You looked around the room and your understood why everyone was constantly stealing glances your way. It wasn’t because you were new, it was because you were the only woman in the room. You started to feel even more uncomfortable than before.

“Back to work!” Kino’s booming voice echoed and everyone that kept stopping their work to stare at you seemed to snap back to reality.

The men at your table introduced themselves to you but they seemed to be tired after a long day so they weren’t very talkative after that. They helped you a few times when you got stuck so they seemed nice enough. There was this one tall man at your table named Gor who would not stop staring at you, for a moment you looked back at him thinking that he had something to say but he remained silent, only giving you this unsettling smile. You were starting to wonder if it was possible to switch tables.

-

Then there was the shower situation. You were horrified when the guards told you to take a shower in plain view of everybody but what else could you do. You slunk back against the wall to the corner at the very end of the room with your back to everyone.

You looked over your shoulder and thankfully everyone seemed to be looking straight ahead, everyone except Gor that is. Gor was a few rows ahead of you facing your direction with that creepy smile of his not even trying to hide that he was staring straight at you. You felt panic shoot through you, at first you wanted to wait until everyone left and then sneak out and get your uniform but that was out of the question now. You feared that Gor would stay behind and try to corner you, what would you do then? The water stopped, and everyone started walking towards the exit, but to your horror just as you expected, Gor was walking toward the back of the room, towards you.

You kept your eyes on him so that your knew where he was and you frantically tried to think of a way to escape, but you were still naked so you really didn’t want to draw attention to yourself. You tried to look for the guards but there were none to be seen. You looked back and Gor was gone. Oh no… where is he… at this point you were expecting him to jump out at you at any moment, your eyes started to sting you wanted to cry so badly. When you heard a commotion a few feet ahead of you. You couldn’t see what was going on, a small group of still naked men seemed to be surrounding someone and one of the guards ran in your direction with a large towel and covered you. You wrapped the towel tightly around yourself as you were led out of the shower-room by the guard.

-

The guard let you change in a separate room, but you could still hear people shouting at each other. When you were finally dressed you tapped the guard on the shoulder to signal that you were ready, the guard that escorted you out of the shower looked uncomfortable, like he fucked up or something. He turned to you. “Look… I shouldn’t be doing this but in order to avoid any further incidents take this key.” He gave you a key on a long piece of black ribbon “It’s a key to one of our private showers. I never use it. Do NOT tell anyone about it.” He pointed to a door at the opposite end of the room.

You put the key around your neck and under your uniform. This was a huge relief, you almost thought that you would have to go through the entire ordeal every day, you would hug the man but in the end he was a guard. Then you remembered something he said “What do you mean by incident?”

The man looked flustered, he cleared  his throat and threw his shoulders back trying to seem intimidating “No questions. Get back to work.” He said as he pointed you towards a door.

The door suddenly flew open and Kino Loy dashed into the room panting and looking frantic, he had fresh scratches across his neck and his cheek was swollen. He ran up to you and grabbed you by the arms “Are you alright?”

You were surprised not only by the way he grabbed you but because the look he gave you was just so… tender?

“Hey! No touching,” the guard said holding up his baton.

Kino gave the guard a stern look but he let go of your arms and stepped back.

The guard pretended not to be phased but a glare like that from Kino made him take a step back.

“I’m fine. What happened back there?” you asked.

Kino looked troubled, like he was unsure what to say when after a long pause he finally spoke “Don’t worry about it. Just know this...” He put his hand on your shoulder and looked deep into your eyes and this time the guard said nothing “…if you ever have a problem with anyone, just tell me and I’ll take care of it. Do you understand?”

The way he looked at you with such intensity was doing something to you, you could feel a tension in the pit of your stomach and you couldn’t turn away from those deep blue eyes of his “I understand” you replied shakily.

“Good. Now let’s get back to work,” he let go of your shoulder and his demeanor suddenly changed, this was Unit Manager Kino again.

You felt frazzled to say the least but you followed the two men to the workroom.

-

A few months passed. The work was hard but thankfully after the “incident” they moved Gor to another table and in his place was a guy around your age called Likko. Likko was like a breath of fresh air, he was very cheerful, telling jokes and stories which almost made you forget that you were in a prison. He wasn’t too good at the job but you just couldn’t dislike him, even though he constantly kept fraking up when he got too enthralled in a story he was telling.

But the same work done over and over again would tire anyone out, and by the end of the day even Likko would become quiet. You didn’t know about the others but the only thing that kept you somewhat sane during those last few hours of each day was Kino. You would perk up every time you heard his voice, even when someone else was being chewed out by him you’d become kind of jealous about the attention they were getting. When he passed your table you would sometimes drop your tools just so he would pick them up for you, which he did the first few times, but he was getting looks from everyone else so the next time you did it he told you to pick it up yourself and that was the end of that game.

Thankfully you at the very least had the memory of THAT day to entertain you. You had become so touch starved, you kept fantasizing about how that rough heavy hand of his felt on your shoulder. You really wouldn’t have minded him wrapping that hand around your neck and squeezing it during... What were you thinking? At this point any physical contact would have been great but there was no place for privacy there. Even the way Kino barked orders at everyone was getting to you but in a very unsuitable for work way.

You were so lost in your daydream that you didn’t notice Kino approach your table. “You guys are catching up. Good work.”

You visibly shivered the moment you heard his voice right next to your ear, you prayed that nobody saw it. You mustered the courage to look at Kino, and gave him a small smile.

He looked at you for a split second but his expression did not change. He simply cleared his throat and went to inspect another table. You felt a pang in your heart. You were surprised at how you were feeling, how could such a small thing have such an effect on you? Just because he did not smile back at you?

You went back to work, but Likko was the only one that didn’t pick up his tools “Did you just shiver when Kino came to our table?” he asked with the biggest shit eating grin on his face.

You blushed an even darker shade of red as you mumbled a very unconvincing “No.”

At this point all of your colleagues stopped working as they looked at each other.

Likko’s smile became even wider as he raised his hand and called out “Oh, Kinooo! Excuse me!”

Internally you started to panic. What was he doing!? You looked at Likko with pleading eyes, whatever he was planning you did not want it!

“What’s the problem?” Kino asked as he approached your table.

Likko smiled devilishly “Y/N seems to be having problems with the twisty-thingy but she’s too shy to ask for help.”

You gave Likko an angry look and you started to protest, “I do not! I can-!” but you shut up the moment you felt Kino grabbing your wrists and guiding your hands on the machine. He stood behind you, your back pressing against him, your legs almost gave in as you felt the heat from his body engulf you. It felt so good to be touched like this, to feel his entire body against you.

“Here… just twist it sideways and pull it towards you.” He instructed, and just like that, he let you go.

You almost stumbled backwards desperate for more physical contact as you felt the warmth of his body leave you.

“Next time just help her and keep up!” He said sounding annoyed right before he left.

You felt that sharp pain in your chest again when you heard how irritated he sounded. You glared at Likko.

He laughed and clapped his hands like a child that just got a new toy “Well… isn’t this interesting.”

“Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!” you snarled at him through gritted teeth.

Likko just kept on smiling. “I’m going to have some fun with this…” he promised.

-

A few hours later the work day ended and you headed straight to your cell at the very end of the hall. You would usually socialize with everyone else but you didn’t really feel like risking being teased by Likko about your now obvious crush on Kino. Maybe after a few days he would forget about it? Who were you kidding, there was nothing else interesting happening, people would latch on to anything even remotely exciting just to get their minds off the situation they were in.

As you sat there sulking not knowing what to do you realized how bored you were. It was insufferable. You kept peaking out onto the hall hoping to get a glimpse of Kino but instead you locked eyes with Likko.

Likko waved at you cheerfully “Hey! Y/N! I want to ask you something! Come here!”  

NOPE! You quickly scurried back into your cell. You weren’t dealing with this today.

You heard footsteps coming your way. Your mind raced as you tried to make up some excuse about what happened today. “A crush on Kino? Me?? PSHHH! No way! Why would you even think that?” Would that sound convincing?

“Hey!” you heard Kino say to someone “It’s almost lights out, you should head back to your cell.”

You heard a groan and then footsteps walking away from you. You sighed with relief.

A few minutes later it was “HOT FLOOR! HOT FLOOR!” all over again. You saw Kino walk back to his cell that was located right across from yours which did not help your obsession with him. He noticed you looking at him, so he gave you a polite good-night-nod before stepping into his cell.

How cold.

-

No matter what you did, you just couldn’t sleep. You had a new memory to obsess over, the way he felt today against your back…that heat radiating from him…was it your imagination or was that his cock that you felt against your ass when he leaned in. This was unbearable…

You saw Kino stir in his sleep and turn to face you. You watched his annoyingly sexy face as he muttered something in his sleep.

If Likko was going to tell Kino about your crush anyway, why not beat him to the punch, or at least do something about the situation… ANYTHING!

You sat up in your bed, you weren’t sure what you were going to do but your arousal seemed to be clouding your judgment. Why should you be the only one to suffer?

You tore off a button from your uniform and you threw it at Kino’s head. It bounced off his temple. He mumbled something and scratched the spot where the button hit him.

“Psst! Hey!” you called out in a half whisper.

He didn’t move.

You contemplated throwing a fistful of the mush they call food at him but the tubes that dispense the food make a loud sucking sound that would have woken everyone up. You sighed in annoyance. There goes that plan, you wanted to go back to sleep but you were feeling way to hot so you tried unzipping your uniform but the zipper seemed to be stuck, you yanked it as hard as you could and there was a louder ZIIIIIPing sound which turned out to be enough for Kino to wake up. He sat up on his bed trying to look intimidating but he was obviously still very sleepy, “Hey! Go back to sleep! You have work tomorrow!” he half whispered sternly.

Your heart skipped a beat, this was exactly what you wanted, your arousal seemed to be dictating your every move from that point on, so you just batted your lashes and you whispered “Me?”

Kino let out an annoyed grunt “Yes, YOU! Go back to sleep!” He was standing up now clearly groggy and irritated gesturing at your bed.

Now was the time to act, you stood up and without breaking eye contact you slowly started to fully unzip the front of your uniform.

Kino was fully awake now, any sign of sleep had disappeared as his eyes grew wide while he watched your hand travel lower and lower.

“What are you doing!?” he called out as quietly as he could.

Your zipper was completely undone at this point, leaving an exposed trail of flesh visible from your neck to the waistband of your trouser making it clear that you weren’t wearing a bra underneath your jacket.

“I order you to stop!” his tone was stern but because he had to whisper, it did not sound as intimidating as he intended.

You giggled as you slowly turned around and you let your jacket slowly slide down your shoulders, your back, and finally it plopped onto the floor. You looked at him over your shoulder and relished in what you saw.

He stood there, completely frozen, eyes wide, his mouth slightly agape, unmoving.

There was nothing he could do to stop you. You took pleasure in how helpless he looked. You covered your breasts with your arm as you turned around, giving him a little dance, swaying your hips as you walked almost to the edge of your cell, you gave your breast a little squeeze and you moaned.

His eyes were glued to you, not a muscle on him moved, like he was under some sort of spell.

You turned your back to him again and you hooked your thumbs on your waistband as you tentatively started pulling them down making sure to sway your bare ass at him before your trousers hit the floor. You were watching him over your shoulder the whole time, and you’ve never seen him look so vulnerable.

He could have turned away but HE was the one that chose to keep looking at you. Through hooded eyes he had this dark stare as if he had just cornered  a prey he could not get to. A frustrated hungry growl escape his lips, even in the dim light you could see how white his knuckles had become from clenching his fists so tight. You could see the outline of his cock pressing mercilessly against the now very stretched material.

You bite your lip, the thought that he had to endure this and he couldn’t do anything about it was just so exhilarating!

You decided that this was enough of a taste, for now. So you gave him a nod and whispered “good night” before you jumped onto your bed and covered yourself with your blanket.

You lay there giggling, not daring to turn around. You strained your ears for any sound he might make, you heard a frustrated grunt, a thud and him manhandling his blanket.  If he had a chair you’re pretty sure he would have thrown it at you.

#kino loy #andor #star wars #andy serkis #kino loy x reader

[frauleinandry]

alright, finished my first time playthrough of the third semester... tbh I think there was a lot of really cool concepts introduced, both narrative and gameplay-wise, but it was too short to really utilise either of them to their maximum potential. 

this got fucking long, so I’m slamming it under a cut, and I’ll make a separate post about What I’d Do Differently later

first things first, I thought the choice between maruki’s reality/the real reality would be waaaay more of a moral dilemma than what it was. instead, the whole thing is clearly as creepy as all heck, and the fact that some times bad things can lead to good ones is immediately highlighted by every single one of the thieves. like, unless you’re a huuuuuge akechi fan, I cannot see why anyone would ever choose maruki’s reality. this could be a bit of fandom poisoning leaking through, but I really thought there’d be more conflict behind whether or not it’s moral to reject/accept his reality.

next up, I want to talk about the royal trio - they’re such a huge thing in the fandom, but you only get the akechi/joker/sumire trio for like... ten minutes of gameplay, and akechi/sumire barely interact. in fact, we get tragically little of both akechi and the real sumire in general. 

seeing akechi and the phantoms thieves’ working together civilly was great, but he really didn’t have enough screen time/plot relevance for me to feel particularly saddened with maruki’s revelation on 2/2, especially since I knew it was coming. like, if he’d actually begun to form genuine connections with the non-joker members of the team, it might have actually felt sad, but as-is, it was more of an ‘oh well, that’s a pity’ kinda deal. 

plus, I personally would have enjoyed more antagonist!sumire, as her temporarily siding with maruki was soooo juicy, and it didn’t really feel like her re-joining the phantom thieves made sense until you’d done most of her confidant, which... is entirely optional! 

to compound this, while sumire is a good unit and I used her for most of maruki’s palace, akechi... kind of isnt. his magic is mediocre, and none of his physical skills have crit, and nor does he have native access to charge. tbh while I wanted to use him and sumire for most of the third semester content, I found a joker/sumire/haru/makoto team far more useful for generic shadows, and joker/ann/ryuji/makoto for the bosses.

speaking of another gameplay thing that should have been cool in theory, but was a bit average in execution, were the third awakenings. honestly, I love the narratives behind them, especially with the persona 4 homage, and the busted skills you get are reeeeeally fun in theory, but... there just isn’t enough gameplay left to really utilise them!! like, you either toggle between unlocking them and sumire’s confidant, and hope you’ve done it in the right order so you can get all of them before clearing the new mementos level/maruki’s palace, oooooor you clear that stuff first, and then only have the final boss/challenge battles to use them in. ugh!

while there’s been a lot of crit so far, I will say that I thought maruki’s palace, and maruki in general were excellent. the palace managed to hit the nail between dystopic and utopic perfectly, for a delightfully unsettling effect. I thought the exam section and the twilight corridor were both fantastic - the former for what it said about maruki’s character (i mean... YIKES), and the latter for its visuals/music/vibe in general. also, the video tapes revealing maruki’s backstory were great - seriously, all this time, I thought the palaces needed something like it, and now that we’ve actually got it, it was just as good as I expected. 

speaking not of his palace but him in general, unlike sumire, I thought maruki was woven into the narrative in general really well. his introduction to the story felt natural, and I looooooove how it was joker’s fault he figured out how to usurp reality to begin with. not to mention, fist-fighting your therapist on the roof is just... such a peak final battle. I love it.

#tl;dr I really like the final palace and it's ruler #buuuuuut I found the rest of the third semester stuff kinda underwhelming #persona 5 #review tag