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storytowrite · 8 months

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Love Untold (OT8 x F! Reader)

Chapter 9

Paring: Han Jisung x reader

Genre: smut

Warnings: spanking, 18+, alcohol, alcohol games, nudity, licking the whipped cream off the body, masturbating with dry hand, alcoholic intoxication

Word Count: 5958

Masterlist | Love Untold Masterlist

Due to the work of your parents, you are forcet to constantly move. However, this time moving houses let to interesting and unusual events. You met 8 handsome boys at school and somehow you managed to move in with them. How will your fate go?

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Still puzzled, Minho let you into the apartment, almost tripping over shoes standing in the doorway. You were shocked by the number of shoes, you were not able to understand how many pairs of shoes one person can have.

After taking off your shoes and the jacket Minho picked up from you, you made your way to the huge living room. Everything was modern and looked well-kept. The large window overlooked the skyline of the beautifully lit city. The furniture was mainly white, with black accessories. Your eyes immediately went to the very comfortable looking couch. You threw yourself on top of it and nearly sank into the comfy cushions. The sofa was huge, it could comfortably accommodate 10 people. Opposite was a TV, or should you say home theater. You couldn't get over how one guy could afford it all.

“Y/n what are you doing here?” The boy repeated the question, standing in front of you. Only now did you take a good look at him. He was wearing baggy black shorts and a black hooded sweatshirt. Strands of his purple hair poked out from under his hood, falling over his eyes. You didn't like him, but you had to admit he looked really good. The boy even at night knew how to dress to impress with his person.

“I have stated that I will move in with you and grant your wishes, just please do not share my photos.” You finally let it out. Of course it wasn't true. You weren't going to be some maid for Minho, but you weren't going to marry a guy who wanted to rape you either.

Still confused by the whole situation, the boy stood awkwardly, watching you carefully. Of course you didn't take off the dress you were in at the party, you were too annoyed to even think about it.

You cleared your throat, trying to snap him out of his trance. “May I have a blanket, please. I'm a little tired and would like to go to bed." You started when the boy came back to earth.

"Yes, I'm going to... I'll take you to your room in a moment." He replied not fully aware of what you said to him. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts and motioned for you to follow him.

You walked through a corridor illuminated only by white LEDs that were on the floor. You passed a lot of locked rooms you wanted to explore, but sleep was more important now. There were three doors at the end of the corridor. One on the left, one on the right and the third in the middle. He opened the one in the middle and you entered the room.

Afraid to take the next step, you stopped as soon as you crossed the threshold until Minho pressed the button. You squint your eyes as bright light flooded the room. It took a while for you to get used to the light, but once you did, you saw the whole beautiful interior.

The room may not have been huge, nor had much furniture, but it looked wonderful. You'd say better than your original room. The walls were white and the accessories were dark gray. The bed was against the single wall, made of light wood, and there were two small nightstands right next to it. Opposite was a huge ceiling-high wardrobe with a built-in mirror next to it.

It's enough for you now, at most you can buy additional furniture later. Looking around, you sat on the bed. The soft mattress and delicate linens encouraged you to throw yourself on the bed like a child and cuddle up to the soft duvet.

Minho was still standing in the doorway, staring at you with slight contempt and embarrassment, though you could have sworn a shy smile crossed his lips for a moment, but it quickly disappeared.

“Here's your bed, duvet, pillow and go to sleep. I advise you to get some sleep, because tomorrow you will have a difficult day." He announced, clicking his tongue casually and closed the door.

You lay on your bed staring at the ceiling for a while, trying to control all your emotions and sort out all the thoughts in your head. You got up and started rummaging through your bag for your pajamas. However, you haven't found any. You sighed loudly and put on your first long t-shirt and panties.

You made yourself comfortable among the soft pillows lying on the bed. You covered yourself with a soft but quite heavy duvet and turned off the light. You didn't have the luxuries of having a light switch next to your bed in your home.

You closed your eyes and were slowly drifting off to sleep when you heard a loud bang. You looked at your phone, which showed almost 4, so you were surprised that Minho was leaving somewhere at this hour. But you were so comfortable in bed that you had no intention of getting out of it. You closed your eyes again and snuggled into the duvet, allowing yourself to be wrapped in warmth, falling asleep.

In the morning you were woken up by very loud music, despite the closed door, you could clearly hear every word of the text. Annoyed, you pulled the pillow over your head, trying to go back to sleep. But the music continued to play, in fact it got louder and louder.

You pushed the pillow off your head, kicked off the duvet and with visible anger on your face, you left the room. You quickly made your way to the living room where the music was coming from. You were about to resent Minho when you stopped halfway.

In front of your eyes were Minho, Changbin, Seungmin, IN, Chan and Felix. Your eyes got so big that you literally felt like they were about to pop out of your sockets. All the boys gathered around immediately looking at you. You felt hot and a blush crept onto your cheeks.

Chan carefully examined every inch of your body, biting his lip slightly. Changbin's eyes screamed lust. Felix and Seungmin, on the other hand, stopped mid-eating, holding a sandwich to their lips.

Only after a while did you realize that you were standing in front of them in only a T-shirt and lace panties. You desperately pulled your shirt down, trying to cover your panties. The tight fabric showed off your slightly upright nipples. The blush on your face turned beet red. Suddenly you heard the sound of the door opening and before you could turn around you heard a sound behind you.

“With such views, I can always wake up. Who was the girl with for the night?" The voice sounded familiar, very familiar even. You quickly turned your head and saw Han, next to whom Hyunjin stayed close. “Y/n?... What are you doing here?” Jisung asked with obvious surprise.

You tried to explain yourself, but he left you speechless. You didn't know what to say, no words came to your mind. The taller boy standing next to Han licked his lips slowly, winking at you. Suddenly it hit you like a sledgehammer that your whole ass was sticking out as you pulled your shirt down the front. Both Han and Hyunjin had the opportunity to see your half-naked buttocks. You quickly moved closer to the wall. As your skin met the cold surface of the wall, a soft moan escaped your lips.

Han lifted the corner of his mouth slightly in a swashbuckling smile. Confused, you quickly ran back to your room. You slammed the door and leaned against it. Your breathing was rapid and irregular. So many thoughts and so many emotions swirled in your head. You didn't know what to do.

Where did they all come from? I was supposed to live with Minho, what are they doing here? They know each other? They live together? Or did they just come? But why everyone? Everyone who influenced me in some way? You tried to control your thoughts. You didn't know if you should be happy that you met the boys you fell in love with again, or maybe sad and worried that everyone is in one place and it will be very hard to control yourself. After all, you don't want them to think you're some girl who just plays with guys.

Meanwhile, there was a great commotion among the boys in the living room. Everyone wondered what you were doing at their house.

“What is Y/n doing here? Not that I'm complaining that she showed up here, but what is she doing here?" Han started in surprise, approaching the rest of the boys.

Minho just smirked and took a bite of bread that was on Seungmin's plate.

“She will work for me, that's why she came to live with us.” Changbin, who was drinking his morning protein shake, choked.

"What?!" He spoke a little louder than intended.

The commotion among the boys grew stronger again, the conversations became louder and there was a huge racket.

You in the room, as soon as you manage to control your breathing a bit, you put on the first clothes you found from your bag. Only now did you realize how few clothes you had with you. You put on thin leather pants and a cream corset top. You put on a little make-up, aiming for a more natural look.

You grabbed the doorknob, but before opening the door, you took two deep breaths to calm yourself down and give yourself some reassurance. You pulled the handle down and stepped back to the 8 guys sitting in the living room.

Again, all eyes turned to you. Without saying anything, you sat down on the couch and tried hard not to look uncomfortable. Suddenly a plate with two sandwiches appeared on your lap and Minho sat down next to you.

You were surprised that Lee Minho made you breakfast. Since when he was supposedly nice to you? You lifted the plate closer to your face and were about to take a bite when you were stopped.

“What do you think you're doing? This is my breakfast. Feed me, I don't want to get tired." Minho said, opening his mouth wide and pointing at it with his finger, demanding food.

You got slightly annoyed, rolled your eyes, but decided to do what the boy asks, in the end you had no intention of going back to your home. You shoved the sandwich into his mouth, making him gag.

"Enjoy your meal." You sneered.

Anger flashed across Minho's face, but before he could do anything, he was stopped by Chan. Only then did you realize that the rest of the boys were laughing at the situation. After a while, a plate of sandwiches appeared on the table again.

“I hope you enjoy it.” It came from Jeongin's mouth, who was scratching his head awkwardly, waiting for your opinion.

You were grateful that he made you food, because you'd still feel a bit awkward if you had to go through all the cupboards. You quickly bit into a sandwich with white cheese and tomatoes.

Literally as soon as you finished eating and placed your plate on the table, you felt hands wrap around your waist from behind. You turned your head as much as you could and saw Jisung, who sat down behind you, hugging you tightly.

“Y/n, you don't even know how happy I am that you're going to live with us. It means I can cuddle up to you and talk to you every day.” He said, snuggling into the notch in your neck. His warm breath caressed your neck lightly. Your whole body tensed and you let out a soft, barely audible and very airy groan of pleasure. You quickly covered your mouth, but it wasn't enough. Han, Minho, Chan and IN, who were closest to you, smiled perfidiously.

From the complete humiliation of yourself and showing yourself from the worst possible side, you were saved by the ringing of the phone. You quickly took it, getting up from the couch like a slingshot.

"Miss, where is Miss? I searched the whole house and couldn't find Miss. Has something happened to Miss?" You heard Sebastian's worried voice on the other end of the phone. You didn't need to see him to know that he was probably very stressed right now.

“Everything is fine, I'm fine. I forgot to call you to let you know I was…” You paused, looking around the living room. All the boys were looking at you intently, waiting for what you would say. You don't want them to know about your situation with your parents, you went to lock yourself in your room. “From now on, I will live with my friends. I'm safe here, you have nothing to worry about. I'll send you the address right now so you know where I am. Just please don't tell my parents, I don't want to go back to them. You know how they treat me, right? I'm begging you, Sebastian, let me stay here." Tears of helplessness welled up in your eyes, but you didn't have the slightest intention of crying.

“Miss knows very well that Miss is the most important person to me. I won't tell Miss's parents. It's important that the Lady is safe and happy. If Miss needs anything, just one phone call and I'll be right there." His voice was much calmer than before. You too sighed with relief.

You hung up and walked back to the living room. Some of the boys have already gone to school. You took out your phone to check the directions to school from there, but you were interrupted by Chan, who suggested that you go with him, Minho and Changbin.

You agreed because what did you have to lose? You all went to the garage, which was much bigger than you expected. It would easily accommodate 2 cars and even have some space left.

A beautiful black Jeep appeared before your eyes. Changbin opened the front door for you and held out his hand to help you in. Minho put his hand up to keep you from banging your head on the car, but as soon as you sat down he immediately took his hand away. He thought you hadn't noticed and immediately made rude comments before heading to the driver's seat. Chan and Changbin sat in the back and you went to school together.

The day at school was going rather calmly, even too calmly. No messages from Minho with demands, no harassment from Victoria and her entourage. You felt like today was a good day and moving was good for you, even though it's only the first day.

Together with Daisy and Carmen, you were out for a walk in the nearby park when your conversations were interrupted by a notification. You looked at your phone and saw that you had been added to the group.

Hannie: Hello everyone. I thought it would be easier to communicate if we wanted something from everyone.

Channie: Very good idea. Y/n if you need anything, write to any of us.

Y/N: Thanks guys. I hope we get along. You wrote with a slight hesitation. You were still stressed about the whole situation, because you were attracted to all these guys, and very much so. As soon as you were around any of them you got hot, but you wanted to have a good relationship with them so that you could enjoy living together. You decided not to be a gray mouse, but to show them all you are, and not to pretend to be someone else.

Binnie: I'm sure we'll get along, don't worry about that.😏

Minnie: Hey, how about we throw a Y/n welcome party tonight? It will definitely bring us closer together and help y/n feel more comfortable with us.

Jinnie: I'll arrange some alcohol and see you tonight.

Know: Alcohol? I'm in.

Lix: Omg… What a great idea and we can play different games

Innie: I'll handle the food

Channie: Okay, a welcome party tonight then

You won't say you were slightly surprised by the idea, but you decided that maybe the guys are right and it's a good idea to get to know each other.

The rest of the day passed very quickly and before you knew it, classes were over. You wanted to call Sebastian to drive you, but you were caught by Lix, who was walking home with the boys, and you got another free ride.

Preparations for the usual event were in full swing, everyone was doing something. You also wanted to help, but you were stopped by Minho, who told you to do his homework. So instead of helping clean, cook, and organize the party, you stayed locked in your room, thinking about Minho's assignments.

You struggled to complete all the tasks, but finally you managed to finish. So you quickly went to the boys to help them prepare, but everything was already ready.

The amount of different kinds of snacks and alcohol surprised you. You literally could choose between different types of alcohol. Vodka, Soju, Wine, Beer, Rum, Whiskey, whatever you wanted. You had no idea where Hyunjin got so much alcohol, but you didn't complain.

The boys greeted you with a smile as soon as they noticed you. Hyunjin handed you a drink and winked at you. You took a sip and melted in the otherworldly taste of the drink.

Everyone grabbed their drink of choice and you all sat down in the living room. The conversations became more casual with each sip. Everyone was getting more and more relaxed, and there was no end to laughter.

You don't know if it's because of alcohol, but you felt very good among the boys, you immediately caught a common language.

The first game that Seungmin proposed was "truth or dare". Great game to get to know each other a bit at first.

You found out that Felix plays computer games in his spare time. Changbin can't sleep without his blanket, Lee Know has a scar on his stomach from the surgery he had as a child.

The information about Minho surprised you a bit, because your childhood best friend and your first "boyfriend" also had the same operation. But you said it was just a coincidence.

The party was in full swing and the alcohol never stopped flowing. Neither of you had any inhibitions anymore. You all were like open books.

From the easy tasks that arose during the game, Changbin doing squats, holding Felix in his hands like a princess, and Minho slapping Han's ass.

After the game you felt your bladder was full so you went to the bathroom. When you came back your seat was taken by Minho sprawled on the couch.

"A maid doesn't deserve a seat." He mumbled, stuffing a handful of cheese balls into his mouth.

You didn't want to argue and stood next to the couch. Suddenly you felt a fairly strong pull and before you knew it, you were sitting on Chan's lap, his hands wrapped around your waist. Gently brushing your fingers against your bare skin. You had no need to lie, it was very pleasant and you had to hold yourself back so as not to make a sound.

You were saved by Changbin, who suggested "beer pong". Everyone was delighted with the idea. You quickly set everything up and the game began.

Everyone was surprisingly good at hitting the plastic cups. And each subsequent task became more and more sexual.

You threw the ball and hit the penultimate cup.

The person with the fewest dice removes his shirt

Chan, Changbin, Hyunjin and Minho rolled the dice and it landed on Chan, who took off his shirt without hesitation.

Beautifully sculpted abs appeared before your eyes. You couldn't resist biting your lip again.

"Do you like what you see, baby girl?" He asked as he approached you. He grabbed your hand and ran it over his muscles.

You gasp for air as your fingers meet his warm skin. You felt heat hit in your lower abdomen and a knot formed there. Trying to loosen it somehow, you began to move your legs, rubbing your thighs against each other.

You were saved by the sound of a ball falling into a cup. Quickly removing your hand from Chan's stomach, you grabbed the piece of paper with the task. The card had the same task as before.

Your team rolled the dice and it's your turn. You rolled the dice and watched the rolling dice expectantly. Your heart missed one beat when the dice showed one point.

Everyone was staring at you, waiting for you to take your shirt off. The alcohol helped a bit, and after a while your top landed on the ground, revealing your bra and beautifully exposed breasts.

You didn't have to wait to hear the boys' loud reactions. Despite the distraction that was you, Felix threw the ball and it landed in the last cup.

Seungmin pulled out a piece of paper and read the assignment.

Have a team member lick the whipped cream off the person with the most skin exposed.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to you. Seungmin grabbed the whipped cream that was on the table and walked over to you with a smile.

You closed your eyes and gave yourself completely to him. You felt cold cream on your hand. You shivered slightly as cold cream touches your skin. You felt the next line on your neck and the last on your breasts.

You widened your eyes as Seungmin finished applying the whipped cream.

"Are you scared y/n? That means we win this?" Bin started, teasing you feisty.

You just nodded your head and closed your eyes again. Hyunjin slowly walked over to you, grabbing you by the waist. Sensually but slowly, he licked the whipped cream from your hand. The touch of his lips was driving you crazy. You knew very well which of the boys was doing the job. You remembered that touch from yesterday.

Before he moved to your neck, he approached your ear, brushing it lightly with his lips. Your breathing quickened and the warmth in your lower abdomen returned again.

As he passionately dug his lips into your neck, his tongue licking the whipped cream, a loud sigh escaped your lips. You didn't see the boy, but you knew he was smiling victoriously.

It's finally time for your breasts. You opened your eyes as you felt Hyunjin pull away from you. You saw the request for permission in his eyes. You nodded, biting your lip.

The boy approached you. He placed one hand on your buttock and the other just below your breasts. He slowly and passionately ran his tongue over your breasts. Lightly sucking the whipped cream into your mouth.

You threw your head back. You didn't know that you would be so sensitive to his touch. You haven't had a boyfriend in a long time, so you wanted someone else's touch. The knot in your abdomen tightened.

Hyunjin began to place wet kisses on your breasts, moving up along your neck, ending at your lips. The kiss was passionate, almost greedy.

You were excited and the warmth against your core grew. You slowly began to lose control of yourself. You slid your fingers into his hair, gripping it tightly and pulling him closer, wanting to deepen the kiss.

"Okay... Enough for the first time." Han interrupted, pushing you away from him.

"It's not the first time." Hyunjin smiled victoriously, rubbing his thumb sensually across his bottom lip.

The surprise on the rest of the boys' faces made you laugh a little. They looked like such cute puppies.

"We met yesterday at a party. Y/n dances amazingly, and how she kisses." Hwang winked at you.

A raspberry blush appeared on your cheeks. But you couldn't get the fact out of your head that your pussy was throbbing with the desire to please yourself.

You sat back on the couch to find out more about last night's party. You already put on your top but the feeling of warmth in your core was bothering you.

You put your hands between your clenched thighs and rubbed them together, trying to relieve some of the pressure. You hoped none of the guys would notice how desperately you were trying to please yourself.

"Hey, I have a great idea, let's play 7 minutes in heaven. The two people who draw the shortest sticks go to the closet and are locked in there together for 7 minutes." Han suggested, taking a sip of beer from the bottle.

"Great idea, I'll get the sticks ready." Chan said getting up from the couch. After a while he came back with sticks in his hand.

Everyone drew their own stick, and each showed the stick to the rest. You looked at the rest of the people and knew that your stick was by far the smallest. The boys compared their sticks and the second person to go into the closet with you was Han.

You were happy because you had known him the longest and you were the least stressed around him. Being teased but also hyped by others, you went to the wardrobe located in the hall.

The wardrobe was not large and filled with many things. Clothes lay on shelves, hung on hangers, but also lay on the ground. As soon as the door closed, it was dark. You couldn't see anything, not even the boy who was literally standing in front of you.

Only when Han turned on the flashlight on the phone did you see his face, which was close to you. The flashlight's bright light revealed his full lips, and his silvery gray hair looked even more fluffy than usual.

You stood like that for a while, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of you dared break eye contact. His gray eyes drew you closer to him. As if by magic, you melted into his gaze.

“Finally alone… You don't even know how long I've been waiting for this.” He said in a flirtatious, seductive voice, breaking the silence that was pounding in your ears.

You stared at him in surprise as he connected your lips. Your eyes got big like from a cartoon. You were surprised by the boy's behavior, but it would be a lie if you said that you didn't want this for a long time.

You closed your eyes and gave in to the kiss. You felt his soft lips against yours slightly. You felt his hands slowly move to your waist, pulling you closer.

Your whole body started to warm up again, especially your private area. Han must have been turned on as well as you, because he deepened the kiss. This time it wasn't such an innocent kiss.

He immediately parted your lips slightly and slipped his tongue inside. This is where all the fun started. Jisung grabbed your buttocks, squeezing them tightly in his hands. Your tongues battled for dominance, but you quickly gave up, giving all the initiative to the boy.

The knot in your lower abdomen tightened again, and the throbbing feeling of warmth in your pussy returned. It was just a kiss, but it was enough to get you turned on and horny.

The boy's hand quickly found its way to your shoulder, slowly slipping down the strap of your top and bra at the same time. He then parted your lips, placing one timid kiss on your bare shoulder. He watched your reaction the whole time and noticed you biting your lip again, he continued kissing slowly going lower and lower.

Your neck was your sweet spot, and every kiss he placed on it drove you crazy. Which Han used cleverly, he knew well what your weaknesses are, after all, you talked about everything.

His teeth gripped the skin on your neck lightly, leaving a faint red mark. A long-hidden moan of pleasure escaped your lips. He placed his hands just below your breasts, his fingers hooking over them from time to time.

He ran his tongue all over your neck leaving a wet trail. He paid special attention to your collarbones, where he sucked a little harder, leaving hickeys. You felt yourself getting wetter and wetter, and if you don't release the pressure building up in your belly right now, you're going to go crazy.

You grabbed Han's hands and placed them on your breasts. You didn't have to ask him to start caressing them. First, gently, with slow movements, as if a little timidly, to rip off your top and bra after a while.

Your breasts popped out of your bra, bouncing slightly. The cold air that enveloped your breasts made you arch your body towards the boy. Your nipples were hard and your thighs clenched tight in a desperate attempt to satisfy your lust.

Jisung immediately grabbed one of the nipples in his mouth and the other between his fingers. A loud gasp escaped your mouth. You quickly covered your mouth with your hand, after all only a thin wardrobe door separated you from the rest of the boys. You didn't have to see it to know he had a sweet grin on his face.

As you fought with yourself not to make any loud noises, the boy sucked harder on your nipple until you felt dizzy.

The whole world was spinning and you felt like you were in paradise. No one has ever given you as much pleasure as Han does now.

Unruly, moving your legs in search of relaxation, you felt that your panties are slowly starting to get wet. You grabbed him by the hair and squeezed harder against your chest. All you wanted now was to feel fulfilled.

Suddenly, the boy stopped sucking your nipple, which was met with a quiet growl of discontent from you.

"I know you want me, I can feel it. You think I haven't noticed how desperately you tried to hide your excitement and lust after playing beer pong? Do you want to feel this unearthly feeling? Help you get rid of that awful feeling of dissatisfaction?" He whispered sensually right into your ear, slowly moving his hand lower and lower.

His slightly hoarse voice sent a pleasant current down your neck. Unable to utter a single word, you nodded. His touch dangerously close to your core was driving you to despair.

Glancing at you lustfully, Han pressed your cunt harder. You gasped as you felt the warmth of his hand seeping through your pants. You involuntarily rubbed against his hand, which was firmly holding your crotch.

"You're hornier than I thought, honey." He sneered, finally moving his hand.

A loud moan escaped your lips again, which pleasantly irritated the boy's ears. You felt like some horny teenager doing something with a boy for the first time, but Han had such an effect on you that you couldn't help yourself.

You pulled him to you, connecting your lips in a desperate kiss. This time you took the initiative and kissed him passionately until you ran out of air and had to catch your breath greedily. The boy seemed to enjoy it as much as you did.

Under Jisung's touch, your legs started to shake slightly. You put your arms around his neck to make sure you didn't fall. With each subsequent movement of his hand on your throbbing crotch, your breathing quickened.

Before you knew it, Han slid his hand down your pants and began slowly circling your throbbing clitoris.

“Agh Jisung, here.” It slipped out of your mouth as he pressed harder against your already sensitive clit.

“Do you like it sweetie? Here?" He also seduces you with his voice, gently stroking your sweet spot.

Your legs buckled slightly under you and you dug your nails deeper into his hands.

“So wet already?” He teased you by slipping one finger between your folds.

The material of the panties intensified the feeling of pleasure, additionally irritating your sensitive places. The knot in your lower abdomen began to squeeze tighter and you felt yourself close.

“Oh yes here. Do not stop. I'll cu… I'll cum soon." You weren't worried about anyone hearing you anymore. The impending feeling of accomplishment took over your mind.

The boy, hearing your pleading pleas, accelerated the movements of his hand and you didn't have to wait long for you to cum. With Jisung's name on your lips, you released yourself. Your whole body trembled with pleasure and your legs became like jelly. He had to hold you to keep you from falling as he continued rubbing your pussy as he guided you through an intense orgasm.

Only when you felt that the pleasant moment was over, your legs could not stand it and you fell to the ground. Your breathing was uneven and your body was still shaking from time to time, but you were content and very pleased.

He knelt beside you, placing a tender kiss on your forehead. There was no trace of lust in his eyes. Now tenderness has replaced them. The charming smile returned to his face.

“We need to repeat it, honey. Now let's go to the rest, because we were definitely here for more than 7 minutes.” He laughed sweetly and offered you his hand so you could lean on him after an intense orgasm.

The rest of the members were sitting in the living room sipping drinks and playing cards, but once you both entered the room, all attention turned to you.

“Well, someone was actually in heaven there.” Hyunjin started, pretending to come to annoy you a bit.

“After 7 minutes we wanted to pick you up but judging by the sounds you guys were having a good time so we didn't want to disturb you.” IN said innocently.

Your cheeks immediately turned red and you, trying to hide from your embarrassment, stood behind Jisung and snuggled into his back.

"You don't have to worry Y/n. What happened between us stays between us. That's one of the guiding principles we've established together." Chan tried to cheer you up somehow, pouring himself another drink.

After that, you felt a little better and sat down with the boys. You played board games until the morning. As the sun slowly crept into the sky, you felt a little tired. You thanked the guys for a great welcoming party and went to your room.

But before you left the room, you stopped.

“I have one little question. I forgot my pajamas from home, so could one of you lend me your shirt?" You asked timidly. Your question received a loud response.

Every one of the guys volunteered to lend you his shirt, even Minho, but he gave up after a while. Hyunjin almost fell off the couch trying to take off his shirt and Felix was so surprised by the question that he tried to take off Bin's shirt just to be first.

You ended up taking the T-shirt from Chan, who was extremely calm. You put on an oversized T-shirt and couldn't help but bury your nose in the soft material. The shirt smelled amazing, just like Chan, making you feel like he was enveloping you.

You made yourself comfortable on the bed, rolled onto your side, and pulled the t-shirt over your knees. Thinking about little fun with Jisung today, you fell asleep. You knew that living with the boys would be very interesting.

<;- PART 8 | PART 10 ->

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@nobody3210

#skz reaction #stray kids #skz #skz smut #kpop #kpop fanfic #skz fanfic #stray kids reaction #han jisung stray kids #han jisung skz #skz jisung #jisung x reader #han x reader #han jisung x reader

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dovahkiin796 · 2 years

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Afton Siblings visit the Pizzaplex

This was originally a skit based off the Untold Series by Tenebrae Vesper. But since I didn’t have permission to use their characters, I cancelled the skits and then deleted them. So, I decided to work shop this skit into something original and not a skit.

Michael Afton, older brother of his two younger siblings named Elizabeth and Evan. And was once the last surviving member in the Afton family till he met his one out of two demises, in an underground facility by the Scooping machine.

Is sitting on a recliner watching his favorite TV show, “The Immortal and The Restless”. It was a show he never much paid attention to it till his final week as a living person. Being able to relate somethings from the show to his actual life.

When the show cut to commercial, he was going to grab the remote that’s resting on the armrest of the chair to change the channel. However, his bandaged-up hand ended up phasing right through it. “Right. I’m a ghost now.” He said with a frustrated sigh.

Being a ghost had a lot of cons to it and one of them was being unable to touch physical objects. Sure, if he concentrates his spiritual energy, being able to touch things does become possible. However, this leaves him very exhausted, and he already had to use his energy to turn on the TV. “I’m surprised I’m only a simple ghost nothing else above that. Given all the crap I went through in my life.” He said with mix of bitterness and amusement.

Just then a little girl with blonde hair and wearing a pink shirt and blue skirt phases through a wall and stops in front of him. Hovering at his eye level. “Michael! Michael!” She excitedly says with a big smile on her face. This is Elizabeth Afton.

Now it wasn’t usual for Elizabeth to have so much child-like energy nowadays since her death and semi-failed possession of Circus Baby had left the girl... well. Jaded and/or cynical aren’t exactly the proper words that could be used here. More she doesn’t display that child innocence anymore after she final gained control of her robotic body and then being freed from the metal prison. At best there’s only remnants of it left in her.

“What is it, Liz?” Asked Michael.

“I heard from some kids at the local school talking about some new Freddy Fazbear’s location that’s at the edge of town. I heard it’s huge and full of games and fun rides! Like a roller coaster. We should go check it out right now!” She explained with the biggest smile on her face.

Quirking a brow, “A Freddy’s with a roller coaster?” The older brother said with skepticism.

Nodding her head, “Yes. Doesn’t sound so cool?” Scratching the top of his head. “It does. But I doubt it’s true, I’ve worked at two Freddy locations and none of them were big enough to have a roller coaster inside the building.”

“But this one is. I heard it’s like four stories tall and is as big as a mall.” Said Elizabeth. Snorting, “Yeah, sure. And I’m possessing one of the new animatronics I’m assuming they have.” Standing up from the recliner, “Though I guess it doesn’t hurt to check it out. Gives me something to do other than watch TV.”

Sometime later the two siblings are standing outside the massive building with different expressions on their faces. Elizabeth’s is full of eagerness and excitement. While Michael’s is wide eyed and stunned. “Wow. It really is that big as you described it.” He said.

That’s how the skit would’ve ended. A flabbergasted Michael and an ecstatic Elizabeth. I cut Evan for time.

#five nights at freddy's: security breach #michael afton #elizabeth afton #fanfic #fanfiction

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knightcallie · 4 months

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Baldur's Bounties: His Family

Weichei was not a hot single in their area! Maybe he should tell the marriage schemes during bounty hunting later...

The party learning that Weichei actually was married was, a whole thing. It kind of made Weichei laugh, maybe a little shy. Yes, he had two husbands, one had passed away. Did he marry rather young by elven standards? Yes, perhaps, but that didn’t matter.

Temerity, his childhood best friend and his first romance. An albino tiefling, from rags to riches, he’s become Fenim’s brightest rockstar in the music industry. They grew up together, and despite everything, they still stayed connected. Temerity was loud, rambunctious, never to be quiet ever again. He vowed to never be an untold story, an unsung melody. Sure, maybe he has a loose filter, but he always cared and loved strongly for those he held close. He did, always for Cheri. He loved the drow intensely, never letting him forget that he was loved.

Beau was the bassist cellist of the band Temerity formed. He currently was still alive, a strong stoic wood elf (autumn eladrin ancestry). He was a gentle lover, having fallen in love with the drow for just how passionate and adorable he was. He had originally wanted Weichei and Temerity to marry first, he can come later. Though, that was dashed considering they both ended up planning a ring and had part of it commissioned. He loved them both to pieces, caring for them and feeding them both well.

Weichei had even made marriage beads to wear himself, as that was what his Vaddy did for him and Mumu. Temerity’s a glass bead swirled with red and white with a strip of gold in the middle, while Beau’s was a dark oak bead with tiny green oak leaves carved the middle. Rings were a common marriage custom, but down in Fenim’s Underdark, creating hair accessories for their intended was the way to go for the drows.

The poly had four children. The first were the twins, Melian and Belamour. Both meaning some form of love, so they would never forget they were loved. Melian took more of the tiefling traits, her lavender skin a mix of Temerity and Weichei. She took up the drow’s love of artificing, growing the gadget empire. Belamour took more of the elven traits, her dark drow skin taking a more warm green tone. Though, they did find teeny tiny horns hiding in her curls. She took on Temerity’s and Beau’s profession, leading her own band called The Unsung.

The last two came a little later. There’s this runaway, a human forcibly turned into a tiefling. Archdevil Levistus wanted to finally break free and take over the Nine Hells for himself. They had found Niven when he was partially transformed, where his skin still partially showed his light medium tone before it was engulfed in ice blue and icicles. His legs turned hooven like a goat, eyes pitch black. A crown of horns were still rather small when they found him, afraid and defensive and ice cold. (It reminded Weichei so much of Temerity, back when they were children.) It took so much time and patience and kindness, and perhaps still too clingy for his age. But after what they went through together, it was understandable. (Sometimes, Weichei could still hear the shattering of the ice when he put a hole in that archdevil).

Finally, Raihin, who looked far more like Beau than the others. Her skin was warm, her eyes a kinder red that could be mistaken as brown. Her hair was looser and nearly white like Temerity’s, her bark horns standing tall like a beacon. She’s a stepping stone for those making the journey back to Paeon, to the Oak Father. She was the warm welcome, caring for those who desired rest for just a moment. The three daughters had spouses, children (blood-related or not) of their own, and Weichei sometimes looks through the memories of them in the pocket mirror. Niven only recently began a platonic relationship, still learning and understanding.

Going through the pictures, showing the group each and every one had Weichei’s heart aching. Oh how he wished he could tell his family that he was doing okay, albeit with a little passenger at the moment. Oh how he wished he could contact the Trades about what’s happened in the last few months. He had people awaiting him back home, people who held him in their person.

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castiel-left-his-mark-on-me · 3 years

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Hi, Ary, very inactive ex-mutual(i think???) here. Good to see you thriving! ♥ It's been a while since I've dipped my head into cockles stuff. Could I perchance maybe ask uuuuum tf is going on??? lol I see Mish apparently confirmed he used to stay over at Jensen's in Van, and heard newbs were apparently freaking out about it and getting a bit messy, which I get that, business as usual. But I'm also seeing shit about spin-offs? And Jared getting in a twitter fight with Jensen, causing/resulting in stans to going feral and sending hate?? I know you're not as big a fan of Jar, but that's part of why I figured I'd ask you, you usually have a really level head about this kinda stuff. If you don't wanna answer publically, or at all, that's totally chill!

Hey, Rhi! We're still mutuals! Of course we're still mutuals! When I saw the notification of your ask, I was like "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" and my husband was like "???" and I said "Tumblr" and he said "Oh."

It was a wild time haha.

In any case, welcome back to the dumpster fire! We are obviously still a mess. So to catch you up, I guess I will start by summarizing both before and after the finale (not sure where you left off so this might be redundant for you) ... basically, it became obvious as the end of the show neared that Jensen was not on board with the plan for the finale; although Jared never stopped singing its praises.

We got confirmation of this during a zoom interview where Jensen said that he actually went into the writers room as well as called Kripke to basically voice how he didn't agree with the direction the final season was going, but he was shot down on all fronts. In another interview, he was asked "What would you tell your younger self going into this career?" And Jensen responded with: "I would tell myself to just keep your head down and do the work" meaning, "Don't try to change things because you can't." I also think that this whole situation is what he wrote "Let Me Be" about for his first Radio Company album, but that is just my own speculation. All of his reluctance, even though he always followed it up with "But I eventually saw the value in the script" or "I came around in the end" (which never sounded sincere, and I don't think he was really trying to sound sincere) made us all very nervous about what was to come for 15x20; and of course, when the last two episodes aired, we saw just how badly they fucked it up.

After the awful finale, the entire fandom became aware of the CW's heavy handed role in the thing, basically squeezing all the life out of SPN to shape it into a ramp from which Walker could launch itself. They not only erased all the love and joy and representation that Cas's love confession gave us, they also tore apart the things that made sense about the bond between Sam and Dean, making it really just about Sam-- and therefore Jared, which of course, Jared seemed to be fine with ... even though no one else was. Misha barely said anything during the finale, and a few of the other actors talked about the show ending in various posts, but Jared tweeted up a storm ... and Jensen? Jensen just sat in sexy-silent resentment of the whole thing. He didn't tweet, he didn't post, he didn't say a word once he no longer had to, and I think that's because he was already going full-steam-ahead on his plans for redemption.

Which brings us to Chaos Machine-- Jensen and Danneel's new production company that is being run by a queer creative director and has a mantra of inclusivity and representation woven throughout it's fabric; and apparently, the first story that Jensen wanted to tell through this new platform is the origin story of Sam and Dean's parents; so last week (?) he announced the upcoming production of "The Winchesters" -- the untold love story of John and Mary. Obviously, John is not the most likable character from the show, so the idea was met with a lot of resentment when it was first announced, but Jensen has gone on to say that he is excited to take on the task of telling the "true" story behind these characters-- the one that makes sense with the pre-established canon and doesn't reject it. So, given that, the idea is being mulled over with a bit more optimism from the fandom.

Who isn't being optimistic though?

Jared Padalecki.

When Jensen made this announcement on Twitter, many of his friends and coworkers congratulated him, but not Jared. Jared responded with a passive aggressive: "I'm happy for you, man, but I wish I didn't hear about it through Twitter." This of course, sent all the die-hard Jared fans into a tizzy and they immediately began asking him if he was serious (hoping it was just a joke-- we all hoped it was because there would be fallout no matter what one's opinion on Jared is). Instead of leaving it there though or just deleting that tweet, Jared went on to tweet some more, saying that he was being serious that he didn't know about the plans for the prequel, and that he was "gutted" that Sam apparenlty wouldn't be included (mind you, this a prequel to SPN... meaning BEFORE Sam and Dean were even born, so how could Sam be included? But Dean is apparently narrating this story so maybe Jared thought Sam should be helping to narrate it? I don't know). But Jared being Jared couldn't just leave that there, he then went on to tweet at Robbie Thompson who was announced as a writer for "The Winchesters" so then Jared went off on him too, calling him "Brutus" and a "coward" acting like Robbie betrayed him (speculation is-- Robbie refused to write for Walker, so Jared is pissed that he essentially chose Jensen over him). He did fairly quickly, remove that tweet attacking Robbie, but of course the damage was done at that point. And it truly only took his first tweet calling out Jensen for some people to be like "Jared-- that sucks if you didn't know but why are you saying any of this publicly?"

As you might know, Jared has had issues in the past with posting hurtful things on social media, and has even used it as a tool for attack before-- calling out customer service agents and public workers that he felt have wronged him, which is bad enough ... but for him to then do the same thing to his best friend of well over a decade? Many people who had once liked him or at least gave him the benefit of the doubt (I used to ...) stopped after this latest twitter tantrum.

However, some people have suspected for some time that J2 had a falling out either shortly before the finale or just after. Their public/social media interactions have seemed awkward, stilted or even non-existent in moments that they normally wouldn't be. In the past year, when Walker premiered, Jensen didn't say much about his friend's new venture other than a "Congrats. buddy" here and there. Later, we learned that Jensen refused to work on the show ... Jared said he make him do it, drag Jensen to the set "kicking and screaming" which made many fans quirk up an eyebrow because, why would Jensen put up a fight unless the two weren't as close as they used to be? And then Jensen moved his family to Colorado (either permanently or for an extended period at least) which is notable considering how he moved to Texas seemingly to be closer to Jared, even buying a house that was near his. All this was just speculation though; but it wasn't until Jared's tweet complaining about not knowing about the prequel that the theories behind them falling out, became less theory and more fact.

The day after his twitter tantrum, Jared tweeted again-- not retracting his statements or apologizing, but instead saying that he and Jensen "talked" and were "all good". Jensen then tweeted too, parroting this statement to some degree, which only made the whole thing even more sour in the mouths of the fans. The fact that Jared didn't apologize for his outburst and throwing his friend under the bus, and also the fact that Jensen-- Mr. Sexy Silence, Mr. Never Tweets, Mr. Tech-Ignorant-and-Proud, actually had to POST SOMETHING saying that he and Jared made up, it just screamed OPTICS. It was obviously the work of agents and PR firms and lots of people going "Look, if you two keep beefing, that will mean the death of both of your projects. Even more people will stop watching Walker, and this SPN prequel will never get picked up due to the scandal." So, the two "made nice" publicly to quell the chaos, but in my opinion, it's all too little too late. Jared started a storm that he can't contain now with a little tweet, and it seems like he knows that too because before he talked about him and Jensen making up, he asked that people "not send threats". He could have just as easily said that he shouldn't have made this a public issue and that he's sorry, but instead, he continued to play the victim and stoke the flames by alerting us all to the damage he's done.

Now, like I said before-- I used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's an awful human or that he deserves to be attacked or anything, but he is an adult man with very poor judgment and an obvious selfish-streak a mile wide. He should know better, and he should have more respect for his so-called "friends" and "brothers" than to make them targets to public ridicule. I have a hard time believing that Jensen still sees Jared the way he used to, and I wouldn't blame him a bit for wanting to pull away-- especially when he's moving on to so many new and exciting things. Jared certainly deserves happiness just as much as anyone else, but he went on twitter and basically asked for a scandal, and he got one.

The question is now-- was there a motive behind it? Was just looking for a reason to bring his and Jensen's falling out to light-- while making himself looking like the victim in the process? Or did he genuinely not know about the prequel and just decided to go about "not knowing" in the most toxic and hurtful way he could manage?

In any case, that is the drama ... that is the J2 insanity in a rather lengthy nutshell ... that is the tea ... and I hope it all makes sense.

But the good news out of all of this is, Cockles is thriving-- they are happy and in love and Jensen calls Misha "Babe" and Misha misses waking up to see Jensen in the morning, and they are just as cute and wonderful as can be.

So, I will end that there. I am so glad to see you back, and I hope I answered all your questions in a way that made sense ... I tried anyway!

💖💖💖

#omg #I don't even know if this makes sense #this took way too long to write #j2 #cockles #long post #spn family #so glad you see you back again my dear #welcome to hell #it's hotter now

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starglow-xx · 3 years

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owning a bakery and being discovered by the ada and the port mafia (part 2)

platonic! fukuzawa yukichi x f! reader

type of writing: head canons !!

this is part of my head canon series, flour & fluff !!

tag list is open !! go to this google form and fill it out to sign up!

series synopsis: owning a bakery at 20 is tough; even more so when you have to handle members of two opposing organizations! this is your journey to meeting those fools and creating an unlikely bond with each of them. but only at the cost of your peace and sanity.

fandom: bungou stray dogs

content: fluff & platonic stuff

previous: part 1: meeting the greatest detective

author’s note: ages are a year younger than canon so ranpo is 25, yosano 24, kunikida & dazai 21, fukuzawa 44, you’re 19, and atsushi and the other younger members are not employed yet

and i guess slight spoilers for the untold origins of the armed detective agency but not really. it’s just a reference to it tbh

their beloved president

going to Sakura’s the next morning wasn’t what Fukuzawa had planned during his week

the reason he was dropping by was to give you money for the sweets you had given ranpo

when he had arrived back at the agency the evening before, he had made a big fuss about you and Sakura’s

he had sparked a lot of people’s interest seeing as ranpo was well invested in whoever you were and what your business was

he wouldn’t stop talking about the “cute and annoying bakery girl” who practically saved the agency simply bc she sheltered him during the rain and fed him and almost got hit by a car for him

i mean, how would the agency survive without ranpo? it was founded to make use of his intelligence and ability after all

the other agency employees exchanged looks and that’s when ranpo tiredly sighed and showed them his phone

on the screen was a contact, yours to be exact, labeled “cute bakery girl” with the note underneath reading “best follower, sweets supply & annoying little kid”

around that time, the president had stepped out of his office to see his employees huddling around ranpo and his phone

he walked over to them and asked what was going on, and seeing the president, ranpo explained what had happened with more details

“so you’re saying that a young girl, 19 years old, nearly got herself run over to shelter you from the rain, gave you food, closed her business early so you could keep talking, and when the rain stopped, she gave you a map and even more food, and even though she may have been inconvenienced, she did not ask for anything back? nor did you offer to give her anything back? even though she relies from the money she earns to survive?

“...maybe.”

after a, private chat with ranpo, fukuzawa ended up saying that he’d go take a visit to Sakura’s first thing in the morning to pay off the sweets that she’d given him by sliding an envelope of money under the door with a note

he initially told ranpo to go back right away (and to bring someone with him this time) but that ended up not pulling through bc ranpo had told him you went to retire for the evening

so yeah

there he was walking towards your bakery when he saw a small black cat with green eyes near the entrance playing with one of the potted plants outside

even though it was small, fukuzawa could tell that it wasn’t kitten due to his love of cats but the cat was still small compared to other adult cats

when he was just a couple feet away from the entrance to your bakery, the black cat took notice of him and walked his way before rubbing itself against his leg

fukuzawa let out a small smile as he bent down to pet the small creature, and the cat gladly ate up all the attention

suddenly the entrance to Sakura’s bursts open, and there you are looking back and forth frantically

but you soon spot him and the cat and you visibly calm down

the black cat rushed to you and rubbed itself against your leg

it turns out the cat was yours, and you couldn’t find him so you panicked and rushed out the door

from there, you introduced yourself with fukuzawa doing the same

you still had about a little more than forty five minutes til Sakura’s was scheduled to open but you offered fukuzawa to come in anyways

he declined at first, but he gave in when, just how you did with ranpo the day before, you dragged him into your bakery

“you know, fukuzawa-san, this is giving me some major deja vu!”

“it’s because of ranpo i presume.”

“oh! you know ranpo-san?”

when the two of you entered, you rushed to a table and pulled out a seat for him before you disappeared off into the kitchen

just a few minutes later, you appeared with a tray with two steaming mugs, two hot plates of food, and small basket of bread

you set one mug in front of fukuzawa as well as a plate of food while you set the other mug and plate in front of the seat across from him and the basket of bread near the center by the small vase of flowers that you had for a center piece

he gave you a confused look as you sat in front of him and as your cat leaped into your lap

“ah! it’s pretty early in the morning, and you still have to go to work later, so i thought you should at least have a little something before you go. and i didn’t have breakfast yet so i thought it would be nice to have some tea with some company. and i made extras anyways!”

fukuzawa blinked before letting out a small smile and he quietly thanks you

you beam at him and as the both of you begin to eat, you ask him why he’s here this early and how he knows ranpo

with that, the silver haired man addresses your questions and explains the reason why he’s here and how he knows the brown clad male

after explaining, fukuzawa pulls out the envelope with some money and slides it over to you

you try to reject it, but somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re screaming bc you know you need the money for bills and whatnot

fukuzawa wasn’t very helpful either

“so you’re saying you don’t need the money?”

“...no”

you end up accepting the money much to your inner conscience’s chagrin and to fukuzawa’s inner delight

moving on from that, for the rest of the time he was there—the last 40ish minutes or so—you rambled and talked to fukuzawa like how you did with ranpo the day prior, only this time, with a cat switching his resting point for either yours or fukuzawa’s lap

honestly, you’ve gone through so much deja vu and at this point, you’re not sure if you’re still in reality or not

sometime in your conversation, fukuzawa learned that your cat, ironically, was named lucky

apparently you found him in an alley while you were grocery shopping two weeks ago and since you took him in, you noticed that Sakura’s received a lot of new customers and that a lot of them actually ended up becoming regulars

speaking of the cat, you kept having to stop lucky from eating the food on the table

if fukuzawa was amused from your antics along with lucky’s, he was pretty good at hiding it

you: “lucky you naughty cat! i already told youuu” >:(

lucky: >:3

fukuzawa internally: :) & :D

the two of you had also became well engaged in talking about different kinds of tea, with fukuzawa even complimenting you with the tea you had made for him

it became his favorite <33

you were so happy <3

oop there’s that kid-like behavior again🤭

don’t tell ranpo🤫

scratch that he probably already knows somehow </3

speaking of which, the two of you also talked about the childish detective

it was kind of hard to tell whether or not you were admiring him <3 or insulting and complaining </3 about him lol

“so you’re the president ranpo-san was talking about huh. we talked a lot about his job yesterday! it seems quite exciting! but he talks quite a lot honestly.”

“ranpo talked a lot about you as well”

“ah really?! he can be a bit of an ass, but he really is amazing isn’t he?”

“mhmm”

through fukuzawa, you also learned how the two had first met, and this time, it was hard to tell whether you were amazed or angry at him

“awh that’s so cool!! but for someone so smart, he’s an idiot! what if he got hurt?! it was a good thing you got there huh fukuzawa-san?”

if you thought ranpo was like an older brother figure, you definitely saw fukuzawa as some sort of father figure

he noticed that you started to act like ranpo a little bit

you had developed some sort of attachment to him and when he praised you abt your tea, you had the same glow ranpo has when he gives him praise

not that fukuzawa minds

you’re just another child he’s adopting !! <33

not that either of you knew that hehe >:D

time went by pretty fast and before you knew it, there was only 10 minutes until you were scheduled to open

it was a good thing you had just finished all your prep before fukuzawa arrived

after making a promise with fukuzawa for him to come back again for some more tea, he stood up and made his way to the door as you carefully lifted lucky from your lap so you could quickly wash the dishes and to wipe the table and chairs you used

you offered some baked goods and some tea for to go but fukuzawa declined saying that you needed your supplies for your customers

as soon as you placed lucky on the wooden surface, he bolted to fukuzawa and kept on circling his legs and rubbing against him to stop him from leaving

i guess it turns out you weren’t the only one to get attached to fukuzawa

he couldn’t get even one step closer to the door without lucky reacting and running rapid circles around his legs to get him to stop moving

you didn’t know what to do and you were starting to freak out bc it was almost time to open up, but fukuzawa saved the day and offered to take lucky back with him and promised to take him back the next day

at first, like how you did with the money, you declined but ended up giving in when you saw quite a few of your morning regulars walking down the sidewalk towards Sakura’s for its opening

fukuzawa simply picked up the cat and walked out the door giving you one last wave of good bye

when they left, there was only about 5 minutes left and you rushed to finish the last minute clean up

when fukuzawa arrived at the agency (after a quick stop at home) with a cat in his grasp, let’s just say that quite a few more questions were raised

when asked about the cat, he simply answered that he was cat-sitting for a friend and ranpo knowingly smiled

but he then realized that fukuzawa arrived without any of your signature baked goods and he started complain as the rest of the agency members stared in confusion

with ranpo’s visit, they had quite a few questions, but with fukuzawa’s visit to Sakura’s, their confusion only grew a whole lot more and will continue to keep growing

<< previous // next >>

taglist: @hanniejji

tag list is open !! go to this google form and fill it out to sign up!

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fantastic-rambles · 3 years

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Random BSD Thoughts: “The Untold Origins” and The Decay of Angels

WARNING: Spoilers for “The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency” LN (Brief spoiler for Chapter 91 near the end.)

So I’m still plodding my way through the light novels and making notes on the various things that catch my interest. For those who have read the third novel, saying that I’m going to discuss the Decay of Angels in relation to it might seem odd, but there’s a method to my madness (in my own head, at least).

Right now, we’ve been introduced to the five members of the Decay of Angels in the manga, which seems to have rounded out the group. And the light novel, as the title suggests, refers to events that happen a long time before the events of the manga. But I think that the novel could be hinting toward the existence of the Decay of Angels even back then, with Ranpo and Fukuzawa briefly catching its tail.

(My thoughts/reasonings are pretty tenuous, so there’s a very good chance that I’m wrong/will be proved wrong since I’m no Ranpo who can solve a mystery by looking at it, but this is just where my brain went and I felt like sharing. xD)

“V” and the Decay of Angels?

(I’ve learned how to use headers instead of having enormous walls of text, go me!)

The lines that caught my attention and sent me spiraling down this rabbit hole are these, which appear near the end of the light novel:

Behind it all was a domestic underground syndicate known as “V,” whose goal was to rid the country of skill users.

And the battle against them was only beginning.

Of course, it doesn’t name the Decay of Angels explicitly, but there are a few things just in the first line that caught my attention:

They are a domestic syndicate. Of course, the Decay of Angels (currently) has skill-users from several different countries, but their leader is very much Japanese. And maybe back then, they were primarily Japanese, with Fukuchi recruiting the others in the years since (more on this later).

“V”: the Roman numeral for 5, which could refer to the five “signs” of the impending death of an angel (one of which is the “lack of delight in their heavenly seat” or something along those lines that the ADA fulfilled--I think I’m mixing up the Mouryou no Hako description with the BSD description, but you get the point). It could also refer to the number of members, but I find that unlikely given that “V” does seem to have more than five people at this point in time.

Their goal, to rid the country of all skill users: isn’t that literally what Fyodor wants to do? Though on a slightly larger scale, as he apparently wants to rid the world of them altogether. But again, if he were recruited later, that would have provided him a strong incentive to lend his support to the DoA.

We also learn that this organization is willing to use any methods in order to achieve their goals, which is rather reminiscent of the methods of the DoA, especially Fukuchi orchestrating an enormous terrorist plot in order to gain control of an international, non-affiliated army and destroy all of the countries.

Plus, the member of the organization who is caught by Fukuzawa and Ranpo is a police officer, Jun Mitamura. Was he an early member of the DoA or the Hunting Dogs under Fukuchi? Yes, he doesn’t seem to be a skill user, as is the case with both organizations now, but it’s also established that back then, the knowledge of skill users wasn’t well-known, and the government seemed to be trying to collect them. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable that some of the earlier iterations of the groups might have had non-skill user members, and it would make most sense to recruit them from law enforcement and/or the army.

To prevent him from talking after he was captured, Mitamura was stabbed by a blade that disappeared (as was Kurahashi); I don’t know when Fukuchi obtained Amenogozen, but it certainly seems like something he could have done if he did have it then. Especially since he was also affiliated with the military (and maybe was starting to get a reputation?) and could probably walk around a police station/jail without raising suspicion.

Angels in the Light Novel (an aside, mostly)

Another interesting tidbit is that “angels” feature prominently in the story, most particularly in the play that is performed early on that has a minor mystery for Ranpo to solve, including the death threat that is received:

An angel shall bring death, in the truest sense of the word, to the performer. - V.

Although this is part of the plan to fake Murakami’s death, it seems clear that “V” and Murakami and/or Kurahashi were in contact in order for this note to be written. After all, it would be a wild coincidence for them to have randomly chosen “V” to be the anonymous sender of the letter and then for this organization “V” to show up later in the novel.

Of course, the “angels” in the play don’t actually have great bearing on the story (as far as I can tell), and the depictions of skill-users in the play are considered inaccurate/dramatized in general (again, since they’re not well-known about at this point), but it is noted that it’s very unusual to include them since they’re generally considered some sort of urban legend. But if “V” had a hand in writing the play through Kurahashi, they could have provided information about skill-users (possibly to pique Natsumi’s interest and get him to show up?) as well as influenced the theme of the angels.

Overall Timeline of Events

So with this information, I’ve organized a rough (theoretical) timeline of events for the development of the Decay of Angels. Starting from three facts:

14 years ago (prior to the present shown in the manga), Fukuchi joins the army and comes to hate war.

12 years ago, the ADA is founded.

8 years ago, Fukuchi defeats Bram Stoker and forces him to join the DoA.

Presumably, around those 14 years ago, that’s when Fukuzawa left the army/being a government assassin and found employment as a bodyguard instead. But Fukuchi did join the army and was caught up by the horrors of war, which led him to start forming plans to destroy all of the countries and establish world domination. So by the time Ranpo meets Fukuzawa two years later, possibly Fukuchi has formed a proto-Hunting Dogs/DoA organization that is called “V” with his charisma and growing fame.

Then, in the following years, he goes on being the world’s hero, fighting against highly skilled and dangerous skill-users. With his reputation and image of reliability, trust in him grows and he’s able to freely go almost anywhere, which would give him opportunities to meet and recruit people like Fyodor and Gogol. Gogol seems to be close friends with Fyodor, so they probably came as a package, while Fyodor may have agreed to the cooperative relationship so that he could get the Book and erase skill-users, while Fukuchi would be able to benefit from Fyodor’s malicious and thorough ability to devise complex plots to achieve their goals. Also:

MANGA CHAPTER 91 SPOILER: “One Order” is apparently an ability that “frees soldiers [people] from the yoke of sin”/takes away their guilt (over committing murder). Sound familiar??? This might just be a coincidence, though. But if Fyodor is also interested in this, it could further explain why he joined up with the DoA.

But not all of the collaborators are working with Fukuchi willingly, as is seen by Bram Stoker. But when he defeated Stoker, Fukuchi clearly thought that he would be useful (either his own idea, or possibly Fyodor’s if they’re working together by that point) and kept him secretly for 8 years. So this is a plan that’s been in the works for a very long time and only coming to a head now, since the ADA has grown enough to be able to realistically pin the terrorism accusation on them.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

How does Fukuzawa get his ability of “All Men Are Created Equal”? If he does have this ability, at the very least, he doesn’t recognize it at this point of his life. Possibly it’s again due to the dearth of knowledge/interactions with skill-users (especially any that would be under his leadership since he’s very much a lone wolf), but is it actually possible to develop a skill later in life as is mentioned in the play, and which Fukuzawa uses to convince Ranpo that he’s a skill-user? (I’m inclined to think not, and that it just becomes applicable after he establishes the ADA and skill-users join, but still curious.)

Little Oda! When the assassin with two pistols showed up, I hoped he was Oda, and he was! Which means that Ranpo and Oda met (ish) before Oda decided to stop killing, and again when Oda decided to start killing again. And Little Oda still likes curry. D:

#bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bsd #bsd light novel #bsd decay of angels #bsd hunting dogs #fukuzawa yukichi #yukichi fukuzawa #edogawa ranpo #ranpo edogawa #fukuchi ouchi #ouchi fukuchi #random thoughts #analysis #mine

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doortotomorrow · 3 years

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Mirrors and Cautionary Tales : John Murphy’s Journey to Redemption

When it comes to John Murphy, plenty of people have wondered why he spent a significant portion of his screen time interacting with the seasonal villains, and I think I’ve come up with a reason why this feels like such a steady trend in his overall story arc. It all comes down to how these villains represented Murphy’s internal struggles with himself as he grew and matured into the man we now know him as today.

Let’s take this back to the very first season of The 100 where we first encounter Murphy as he touches down onto Earth and the kind of person he was back then. As beloved a character as he is now, I can’t mince words or sugarcoat things. He was the villain for the delinquents in the first season. So, what kind of villain was he?

He wanted power and authority by any means necessary - ( “Well, I think the princess is dead... but I know the king's about to die, so who's really gonna lead these people, huh? Me, that's who, and, yeah, maybe I'll have to kill your grounder-pounding little sister.” - We are Grounders I )

He was downright wrathful - ( his willingness to kill Jasper, holding someone over a fire, ganging up on Wells to remove his bracelet, almost killing Raven )

He was selfish and all about his own self preservation- ( making everyone else do the work around the delinquent camp while Bellamy is gone, wasting resources to blow a hole in the drop ship to make his getaway )

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With those things out of the way, let’s jot down all the villains Murphy interacted with.

Charles Pike

Ontari kom Azgeda

Paxton McCreary

Josephine Lightbourne

Sheidheda

We’ll start with John Murphy’s origin point and his experience under his abusive Earth skills teacher, Charles Pike. While Murphy was largely absent from witnessing much of what Pike did to become Chancellor of Arkadia, he did see the end result of how that worked out for him. Desperate, in a jail cell, and then later on, stabbed to death in an act of revenge for the horrific things he did while in a position of power he practically stole.

On the Grounder side, he had the unfortunate luck of being trapped in Polis with Ontari kom Azgeda. Initially, he went along with the whole false Commander thing, masquerading as her Fleimkepa and even gave her advice on how to maintain her power...but then he started becoming unnerved by her violent paranoia, ultimately getting traumatized by her when she viciously abused him.

Murphy’s front row seat to watching two people’s quests for power and authority left him with this valuable lesson : being power hungry will turn you in a paranoid, unhinged person with a list of enemies a mile long. You will never, ever have a moment’s peace. You will always be looking over your shoulder wondering if this is the day you get a knife in the back.

After the third season, Murphy’s desire for power and authority completely disappears. It’s not something he’s interested in anymore because he’s been shown that it’s simply not worth it.

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Enter season five and its main villain : Paxton McCreary. What does McCreary like to do for fun? Start riots, blow things up, fire off big guns, and getting high off of combat. Oh, and he’s always, always emotionally detached and angry. His default setting is rage. It’s sounding kind of familiar, isn’t it?

The fifth season is where Murphy’s at his most chaotic and destructive(both internally and externally). He’s blowing things up, playing with huge guns, causing riots, jumping into any battle he can for the adrenaline rush, pushing everyone away, breaking up with Emori until finally, it all comes crashing down on him. All of this chaotic behavior leads to him getting shot in the Rover, nearly losing his life in the process.

On the other side of the war, McCreary’s wrath caused untold levels of destruction. It was McCreary’s need for destruction that lead to Earth being completely fried, it was McCreary’s wrath that resulted in the loss of Monty and Harper, taking away two members of Murphy’s family from him.

All of this unquantifiable destruction and death was a giant wake up call for Murphy. McCreary leaves him with this lesson: if you let rage and chaos possess you, you will end up losing everything.

That’s why, when the sixth season rolls around, Murphy’s lust for battle was greatly diminished.

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Speaking of the sixth season, it’s time to revisit Sanctum and get ourselves reacquainted with Josephine Lightbourne.

When Murphy arrived in Sanctum, his heart was heavy, clearly in a state of mourning over those he lost when he woke up and realized Monty and Harper were gone. Not only that, but yet again, he had suffered another traumatic near death experience during Sanctum’s Red Sun event. His first day out of his long hibernation was hardly fun at all, experiencing nightmares about going to hell when he fell into a coma and waking up screaming over what he saw.

So, in a moment of vulnerability and wanting to avoid going to hell, Murphy became more and more tempted with the concept of the Prime’s method of immortality. The ultimate survivor’s move : not dying at all. It’s at this point where he met Josie and saw first hand what living forever does to a person. At first, he made a deal with her to get his hands on some empty mind drives(getting Emori in on the deal as well), but the longer he lingered in her company, the more immortality started losing its luster. When it was revealed Clarke was still alive, Murphy joined the others in helping to get Josie out of her head.

Immortality had turned Josie into a sociopathic monster, utterly incapable of respecting other people’s feelings and wishes, only focusing on her own wants and needs for the sake of preserving herself. This wasn’t who Murphy wanted/needed to be anymore, having fallen in love with Emori, and creating a family alongside her which Murphy valued too much to lose. After all, what was the point of living forever if he lost his family?

That’s why, when the mind drives come up again in the seventh season, they’re now a symbol of finite time in Murphy’s story. Just a few more hours with the woman he loved as humanity itself faced its final hours.

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With all of these cautionary tales Murphy’s seen play out throughout the seasons, avoiding all of those pitfalls the previous villains fell in, we’re introduced to his perfect foil : Sheidheda, the dark commander.

Sheidheda was everything Murphy could have become if he never went on his journey of redemption, falling in love, and finding a family to fight for. Sheidheda craved power and desired nothing more than to see everyone kneeling at his feet. Through the Flame, he had lived forever, waiting for his moment of opportunity to arrive where he could rise again. If something got in his way, he’d burn it all down, creating chaos and bloodshed in his wake. He’s all of the previous villains combined into one package.

We were in desperate need of a hero...and we got one.

When Murphy and Sheidheda had their first confrontation, Murphy was deep into hero mode. He helped Emori calm down a rioting crowd, saved Sanctum from a nuclear meltdown, and rescued a group of frightened children. He kept on saying he was tired of playing the hero, but let’s be honest here, he wore the title well. Sheidheda was flawlessly utilized to showcase how far Murphy had come as a character, becoming a man we know his father would be proud of.

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There you have it! My long, long winded way of breaking down why Murphy spent so much time interacting with the villains. It was their way of marking down each stage of Murphy’s overall arc. It was very much intentional.

#The 100 #John Murphy #Richard Harmon #this wasn't meant to be this long #but I ran with it

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dahlia-coccinea · 3 years

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A few thoughts on Nelly and the 1st and 2nd generations in Wuthering Heights...I recently read Graeme Tytler’s essay, ‘The Presentation of Two Housekeeps’ and it made me consider a few parallels between Zillah and Nelly, and specifically their treatment of Catherine Earnshaw and Catherine Linton. While Nelly, Zillah, and the other housekeeper, are each unique characters, there are some interesting similarities and repetitions. Particularly between Zillah and Nelly - they both tend to see Catherine and Cathy as proud and remote, they neglect and diminish their feelings, and can be defensively snobbish in their interactions. I’ve mentioned before on different occasions how Nelly’s biases are most apparent in how she will leap to the defense of Cathy II, Hareton, and even Hindley and Linton at times, yet she seemingly cannot forgive similar faults in Catherine Earnshaw. Catherine and her daughter clearly have many of the same faults, and I’ve also mentioned how Isabella and Catherine have some similarities and with that have some similar faults, yet Nelly still believes Cathy to be good-hearted and Isabella to be a fine gentlewoman. Zillah and her unnamed predecessor are similarly biased against Cathy II, Hareton, and Linton though, I think their animosity is most apparent towards Cathy. They find her proud, demanding, and not worth their time. There are a few interesting similarities which I will quickly run through.

First, in Tytler’s essay, he mentions:

“...she (the unnamed housekeeper at the Heights) clearly regards the boy (Linton) as a sort of ‘spoilt brat’ instead of seeing him as someone who is in a loveless household is trying to cope with the symptoms of what will eventually prove to be a fatal disease.”

Though this is about Linton and not Cathy II, this does parallel how Nelly treats Catherine (then still only 15 years old) during her illness after Heathcliff runs away, in which Nelly even admits, “I cannot say I made a gentle nurse, and Joseph and the master were no better.” Both housekeepers take a negative view of their “spoiled” charges and disregard their feelings and illnesses.

Another similarity is the hostility and violence of the house; Hindley’s sadism certainly rivals Heathcliff’s. Heathcliff’s toxicity seems almost tame when remembering the scene of Hindley trying to shove a knife down Nelly's throat. (Also, wonder where Heathcliff might have learned his sadism??) Before the scene of Hindley dropping his son, Hareton, off the second floor Nelly says:

“I went to hide little Hareton, and to take the shot out of the master’s fowling-piece, which he was fond of playing with in his insane excitement, to the hazard of the lives of any who provoked, or even attracted his notice too much; and I had hit upon the plan of removing it, that he might do less mischief if he did go the length of firing the gun.”

We never get a clear example of Hindley’s worst treatment of Catherine compared to his actions towards Heathcliff, but I can’t imagine she escaped his ill moods. After Heathcliff runs away, Hindley finds Catherine distraught and he threatens to throw Heathcliff out if he finds out that they were spending time together and he tells her “after he’s gone, I’d advise you all to look sharp: I shall only have the more humour for you.” Catherine then declares that if he does throw out Heathcliff she’ll go with him and then, “Hindley lavished on her a torrent of scornful abuse, and bade her get to her room immediately, or she shouldn’t cry for nothing!” Yet Nelly imparts so much judgment on Catherine for using Hindley’s desire to see her marry or her illness after Heathcliff leaves, as leverage. I personally don’t blame Catherine one bit.

During times of emotional crisis for the two Catherines, both Zillah and Nelly show a lack of sympathy. When Heathcliff leaves Nelly compares her crying to that of a child’s and despite her own senses telling her something is amiss she tells Catherine “What a noise for nothing!” and “What a trifle scares you!” Similarly when Cathy wakes Zillah to tell her to fetch a doctor and that Linton is dying Zillah believes she is overreacting and is “mistaken” and decides to wait a “quarter of an hour” until she is woken again by Cathy who was correct in her original fear.

To be fair to Nelly there are times she yields to compassion, such as when Heathcliff and Catherine run away and she decides she will let them in despite Hindley’s orders not to do so. Or when Heathcliff had been beaten and locked in the garret she, “intended by no means to encourage their tricks: but as the prisoner had never broken his fast since yesterday’s dinner, (she) would wink at his cheating Mr. Hindley that once.”

Another parallel between mother and daughter and the housekeepers is their perceived egos. Zillah says of Cathy, “I should love well to bring her pride a peg lower.” I can’t help but find this eerily similar to Nelly’s opinion on Catherine Earnshaw when she tells Lockwood:

“I’ve had many a laugh at her perplexities and untold troubles, which she vainly strove to hide from my mockery. That sounds ill-natured: but she was so proud it became really impossible to pity her distresses, till she should be chastened into more humility.”

Nelly also says of Catherine upon her return from Thrushcross Grange: “Our young lady returned to us saucier and more passionate, and haughtier than ever” and says “she esteemed herself a woman, and our mistress.” Catherine Earnshaw's insistence of her maturity and womanhood is similar to her daughter's speech to Nelly many years later:

“The Grange is not a prison, Ellen, and you are not my gaoler. And besides, I’m almost seventeen: I’m a woman. And I’m certain Linton would recover quickly if he had me to look after him. I’m older than he is, you know, and wiser: less childish, am I not?"

Zillah mentions to Nelly her opinions of young Cathy after her marriage to Linton, and notes her perceived snobbery, and says she, ‘would have been rather more friendly, but her attempts at increasing kindness were proudly and promptly repelled.’ These feelings are mentioned again when Cathy leaves her room at the Heights, a fortnight after Linton’s death and Nelly relates to Lockwood that Zillah complains Cathy, ‘turned up her nose at my civility, as Zillah puts it, namely that of offering ‘my seat in the arm-chair.’ Zillah says “in spite of her pride, she was forced to condescend to our company, more and more.” Similarly, Catherine and Nelly's relationship have similar problems - after Heathcliff leaves Nelly says at one point she tells Catherine it is her fault that he left and, “From that period, for several months, she ceased to hold any communication with me, save in the relation of a mere servant.”

I think I may be forgetting some other scenes...and I’m interested to see how my ideas change when I reread the book next month. In conclusion, Zillah's complaints about Catherine Linton are very reminiscent of Nelly’s feelings towards Catherine Earnshaw. There are multiple times where both housekeepers display an utter lack of sympathy and they struggle to understand them and their emotional needs. Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t think Nelly, Zillah, and the other housekeeper are the same characters, but they help create parallels between the characters and the plots of the two generations. I think these examples also cast doubt on Nelly’s already questioned reliability as a narrator.

#this has been sitting in my drafts half finished for ages #unfortunately work is draining me and its hard to find time to discuss or enjoy anything lately :/#wuthering heights #thoughts #emily brontë #i did not organize my thoughts nearly as well as i would have liked by my brain has just been fried lately

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proudfreakmetarusonniku · 3 years

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Ok the Dream SMP citizenship trend going around is amazing but let me present my alternate headcanon.

The thirty-four (so far) people on the server are the only people there. Everyone on the server was hand invited by Dream (with a few exceptions), all for his own desires.

It started out innocently enough. The first eight were him and his friends (back when he believed in those.) The Minecraft family was infamous, so it made sense to invite them too. The ram-horned boy who came with their youngest wasn’t invited, but the two were inseparable. Getting rid of one would result in the other leaving (and for some reason, the idea of Tommy leaving grips Dream with a sense of terror he hasn’t felt in thousands, maybe even millions of years.)

Mercenaries would be useful, just in case, so the prodigy Purpled and the renowned Punz find a letter written in green cursive promising untold riches in this new land. Eventually, another one of the Minecraft’s joins, the father of the young fox (though the youthfulness of his face makes this a surprise.) More importantly, Tommy somehow manages to let some bigshot business man Dream has no interest in through his intensive security. Of course, Dream banishes him (yet, he gets the feeling some day he’ll return.)

Skeppy’s arrival was inevitable, from the moment Bad joined. It was another case of them coming as a package deal (for some reason, the thought of Bad leaving terrifies Dream less). The youth with the pure white eyes is not someone Dream knows, but he knows those eyes, and he knows what they mean. A link to a long-deceased god. Dream is curious about the origins of this youth, and who said he wasn’t allowed to indulge in his curiosities every once in a while?

It is after a war when Dream accepts two travellers into the borders, youthful and useful. They remain unswayed to his cause. A shame. He must have lost his touch, indulging in friendship and trying to play the good guy for once. Still, it’s an interesting game, and he’ll continue until he grows bored. The boy he’ll never grow bored of asks him if he can add a friend, a duck winged man with a lazy smile and a glint of ambition in his eyes, and Dream relents. (Later, when he finds himself in a pool of his own blood, staring up at the same lazy grin, Dream will regret this decision.)

Karl shows up one day, like he’d been in the server for years. Dream recognises his face, from an old town when he went by a different name. He stays, as a reminder of a past time. The cat hybrid in a lumberjack outfit seemed naïve, an easy target for someone to get on his side at a politically... interesting time, but Dream barely even sees his face after he arrives and he gets the feeling he underestimated him.

A visitor returns, the same bigshot as before, and he proves to be interesting. Dream plays along, though he feels this role start to grow stale. He always preferred playing the villain. Technoblade, his arch rival for thousands of years, gets tangled in the plot, too. (Somehow, that thought doesn’t interest him as much as it should. Instead his thoughts are on a blond haired boy, how fascinating the look of pure betrayal on his face was.)

Another old friend joins, looking worse than Dream had ever seen him, his tail flicking sadly and the red-headed boy always by his side gone. When Dream started the server, this would move him. Now, it is simply another observation. The world burns, and an immortal rushes in to fail to save his son. It’s not the traditional arrival, but hey, he was invited, and the look on his face as his son bled out in his arms was certainly entertainment enough for Dream to forgive.

A hedgehog boy shows up one day, following Karl. Dream swears he’s seen him before too, and curses his sentimentality for letting him stay. The woman who once long ago called him her duckling washes up on the shore, no memory, with the curse he’d placed long ago. Dream allows himself in peacetime to follow her and pretend that hasn’t changed. Dream allows himself to draft an invite to the star Tommy (his Tommy) admired, and his friend too. The look of excitement on the boys face was almost as good as the looks of fear Dream cherished.

Somehow, a boy even younger than the one with ram horns and burns finds a way to sneak around his security. Dream first wants him dead, but soon realises his value. He’s intelligent, and his strange states, times where he seems like he’s sleepwalking and others where his eyes shine purple and he listens makes him useful. (Besides, there’s an uncanny resemblance to the boy and himself, and it’s not weakness if it’s for kin.)

The boy- Ranboo- visits him in prison every once in a while, and passes on notes written in shaky green. One to a god he knew long ago, of great power and anger. Dream is disappointed to find out he’d long gave up his ways. Disappointing, and a waste of effort. He invites a younger goddess of roses, and doesn’t hear back much from her either. Power seemed to fail to find a way out, so he sends out an invite to a man he once called a friend, who’s obsession with him was obvious. It was easy to manipulate attachments when you’re the attachment.

He only finds out about the slime when the boy with a lazy smile and a messy tie slips up and says something in front of him, when he thinks he’s too delirious from the blood loss to hear. When Dream gets out of prison, he swears he’ll hunt down that slime and kill him, slowly, and make his tormentor watch.

#dream smp #dsmp #dream Smp headcanon #dsmp headcanon #c!dream character study #kind of #this is dumb I wrote it at 11 sorry #tw torture mention #tw abuse mention #tw obsession #tw possessive behaviour #tw implied death #tw manipulation

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adeptisauric · 4 years

Text

Lunar Tears ❥ Oneshot

▹ 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 : nier: automata

⋱ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 9s / gender-neutral!reader

▹ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : the war against machine lifeforms is finally over. yet, you’re still the only human alive and you’re in love with a broken android.

▹ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : profanity (i think, i literally can’t remember if there is any at this point)

▹ 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫(𝐬) : i do not own any characters within nier automata! nor do i own you, the reader.

✂ ────────

▹ 𝐚/𝐧 : this is my first oneshot that i written back in december of 2018. it might not be the best... but i’m proud of it. also, yes, you can find this on wattpad, quotev, and ao3 as well!

✂ ────────

"Nines, where are you taking me?" I grumbled as my limbs nonchalantly carried my body as I proceeded to follow the white-haired android to our untold destination.

"You'll see~" he purred in reply, adorably bounding about our hike.

Not gonna lie, I felt a little jealous by the boy's everlasting energy... it must be entertaining being an artificial humanoid. Furthermore, it also must be a little boring at times.

Breathing softly, I halt in my steps, refusing to move any longer. It was at this point where I was tolerably tired, I mean, we've been traveling on foot for what seemed to be seven hours. Call me lazy, I just don't care and I despise all things exercise.

"Mm? Oh, come on, (Y/n)! It's barely just a few more miles away," 9S pouted while I shook my head and my butt found a portion of ruins to set itself down on, "Do I have to carry you?"

Blinking, my orbs were fixed upon his unmasked features as I took his query into consideration. "Yes," I answered plainly, a grin now upon my lips.

Without about word, my body was hoisted bridal style into his arms and he was already proceeding to walk.

Eager aren't we?

Our little adventure was quite tranquil... yet quite quiet. But, I didn't mind the quietness of the air among us, it just enabled me to rethink of my history and how it placed me directly here, right in this moment.

When I originally arrived, I was terrified and very bewildered. I couldn't remember much of what transpired in my life, nor how I even got here. Nevertheless, now thinking about it, I was quite satisfied that whatever occurred, occurred. Because, if it didn't, I wouldn't have met the love of my life... 9S.

Yes, after I got here, everything was quite absurd, but now things are subtle and tranquil. There are no more hostile machine lifeforms... and YoRHa is no longer exists.

I've got Nines all to myself...

"We here," he expressed softly, placing me down on my feet which tore me out of my trance.

"The commercial facility?" I uttered, perplexed, "Why here?"

9S shot me a smirk, "It's what's underneath this."

What?

Feeling quite simple-minded, he took my hand and escorted me to the—what I deemed was broken—elevator. Once he pushed the button and the doors open, he scooted me on inside before pushing the solitary button there.

"You're going to love this, I have no doubt about it," Nines murmured rather happily. Before the doors could open, he promptly planted his palms over my orbs and led me out a bit. "Okay, ready? One, two, three-"

Uncovering my eyes, I was met with a brilliant light of—maybe—over a thousand flowers. I suppose I was gazing at them like I was some kid in a candy store because I overheard 9S chuckle vividly.

"So, what do you think?"

"I... I love this place!" I eventually cracked, hopping up and down a bit before spinning on my heels to face him—only to have him tuck one of the numerous flowers behind my ear.

"I'm glad," he beamed with surprisingly adoring orbs, "They're called Lunar Tears, I imagined since you like looking at pretty things, that you would love these."

Oh, Nines.

He held my hand once again, guiding me into the center of the patch, "Though... nothing is more fascinating than you."

My mouth went dry a bit, shocked by his words.

'...nothing is more fascinating than you'.

I didn't know what to respond, in truth, I didn't know what to even do. It was like he broke me entirely—but, not in a bad way. "Thank you..." I ultimately mustered up, my eyes becoming now fascinated by the ground, "...for everything."

Is it corrupt for me to love an android so much? To have my heart feel like it's rupturing every time he's near me or whenever I overhear his name? Probably not. However, I truly don't want to destroy him... like when 2B had died in front of his orbs.

9S isn't mentally okay right now... he just puts a mask on to make me feel content.

"You're welcome," he answered lastly, his voice appearing a bit complicated. "Hey... (Y/n), look at me."

My head snapped up once he said those words, my eyes finding his. He seemed so lost—like he wasn't there at all.

Was he reminiscing about what transpired? Or is he just gradually losing all emotion?

Before I could ask anything, he had seized my face tenderly as his lips led themselves to mine. Of course, I was overwhelmed, but, I instantly obtain my thoughts back and returned his affectionate kiss. Genuinely, I don't certainly know what startled me more, the fact that he kissed me or that he actually was a fucking wondrous kisser.

As suddenly as the kiss occurred, it ended. Feeling the loss of his warm saddens me, but what had me grimacing was his following words.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," his speech was now irregular as he conversed, "I love you, yet I can't love you. Me, loving you, will presumably tear you apart... and I don't-"

I silenced him with another kiss considering it seemed like the only way to get him to shut the hell up. I could tell he was taken by surprise but he took it anyways.

"Are you mad?" he questioned, breaking our kiss for the second time, his orbs wide.

"Yes, 9S, I am. In fact, I'm in insane—I'm insanely in love with you," I responded, staring him straight into his blue eyes with my (E/c) ones, "And, I don't care if you 'break' me because I'm already broken. But, with you, I'm genuinely happy and I'm discovering my missing pieces one by one with you."

Nines just blinked at me, taking a few moments to grasp everything that I just said to him before his expression went into an indecipherable state. "...in love with me?" he began to murmur softly, yet, I could only pick up on the last few words of his sentence.

Are you repeating what I-

Not even a few seconds later, my train of logic was cut off by the impact of 9S' form against mine, knocking us both off our feet and into the lunar tears.

"You love me even though I'm mentally wrecked?" he whispered into my right ear, causing a shiver to shoot down my spine by how close he was.

Honestly, I couldn't move—well, I could move my arms... but that's not the point. He was essentially perching on top of my stomach, bending over me.

"Nines... I love you no matter what." I muttered, my hand stretching up and caressing his check. Shortly, he got to the position where he was now resting beside me, his head resting upon my breast while enveloping his arms about my torso.

"Do me a favor then..." he commenced, softly, "...don't let me go."

#fanfiction #nier automata #9s #9s x reader #nier #nier automata x reader #insert reader #gender neutral reader #fanfic #last human #android x human #android x reader #spoilers for nier automata #after game #machine lifeforms #androids

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chalabrun · 3 years

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tsunade & the medical ninjutsu system (theory)

Something I feel is never really properly established in Naruto canon is just exactly how Tsunade improved medical ninjutsu, its institutions, and to what extent. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding medical ninjutsu, let alone how the system itself came into place.

Basically, here are my thoughts as to just what Tsunade did as the world’s greatest med-nin.

The Medical System wasn’t yet established

Ch. 160

One thing that was made apparent during or before the Second Shinobi World War was the fact that, by all accounts, there was no medical system in place. While the common story is that Tsunade may have only established the new pecking order of including a medical ninja in each 4-man cell, as this proves, it likely went beyond that.

So, considering how broad medical ninjutsu really is, where would Tsunade have gotten it, and how would it have been passed on?

Medical Ninjutsu: A Senju legacy

From Naruto: Shippūden #467, the anime

As shown here, in episode 467, Kanna and Asura are two of the first named users of the Mystical Palms Technique--one of the most versatile and commonplace medical ninjutsu for med-nin to learn. In a way, it’s a bit of a Swiss army knife in what it can heal for a talented enough med-nin.

Kanna and Asura are, naturally, the ancestors of the Senju clan. Kanna being Asura’s wife and a healer like him. While Asura isn’t specifically known for being a healer, Kanna is, and this establishes a trend of medical ninjutsu among the Senju clan.

But, like their descendant, neither are classed as med-nin. Which leads to the next point.

Ch. 576

Despite how many disregard it, Hashirama--Asura’s next notable transmigrant--is also known for being gifted with medical ninjutsu despite not being classed as a med-nin. His contemporary, Madara, states that Hashirama was better than even Tsunade.

Ch. 576, during the Gokage battle against Madara.

Tsunade herself concedes to this fact.

Ch. 576

As I’ve stated in another meta, Hashirama’s regeneration and medical ninjutsu are considered two separate things.

Ch. 578

As shown here, even Madara sees them as two distinctly different things.

Regeneration Ability entry (Source)

In fact, the Regeneration Ability that stems from Hashirama’s cells is never classed as medical ninjutsu. Especially compared to Creation Rebirth and Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth--Strength of a Hundred Technique that are.

Creation Rebirth

(Souzou Saisei)

Ninjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User: Tsunade

The absolute pinnacle of medical ninjutsu~~ a forbidden regeneration technique!

Created by the greatest of medical ninja, Tsunade, this is the ultimate regeneration technique!! By releasing a large amount of chakra at once, the body’s cell division is forcibly stimulated, reconstruction all organs and all tissues making up the human body!

If this technique is used, a body whose vital organs are so gravely injured that it cannot bear it any longer will be instantly restored to its uninjured state. It’s impossible to die by any means… for the sake of continuing to protect the lives of one’s comrades. That’s the resolution hidden in this technique.

By releasing the great volume of chakra stored in her forehead, Tsunade can make her body do the work of an untold number of years in an instant.

This wound may have brought her on the verge of death, but she won’t die~~

The acceleration of cell division that allows for the complete recovery from wounds is paid for with the shortening of one’s life span.

- Second Databook, Creation Rebirth entry (Source) (Raw scan)

Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth--Strength of a Hundred Technique entry, 4th Databook (Source)

However, something I need to assert is the fact that Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu being less than Hashirama’s by no means diminishes her achievements. A point I’m trying to make here is the fact that medical ninjutsu is a legacy passed down through the generations that explains where Tsunade attained hers, and how she took that knowledge to share with the world by organizing and devising the medical ninjutsu system that no amount of prowess can supplant.

In this respect, Tsunade absolutely surpassed Hashirama’s ability. Creating Creation Rebirth and the 100 Healings absolutely asserts this alone. She’s the greatest medical ninja in the world, that much is for certain.

Ch. 678, affirming that Hashirama wanted to leave the future to future generations, which would absolutely mean the legacy here.

Moving on...

Medical Fuuinjutsu: A possible origin & Uzumaki legacy

As shown here, one of the most mysterious applications of fuuinjutsu we see is in medical ninjutsu. Now, while it’s not known if it’s specifically fuuinjutsu or not (as the medical ninjutsu below isn’t described as it), it’s beyond coincidence that fuuinjutsu and its branches also use fuuinjutsu formula arrays, like below.

While I’m not here to explore that too far, what I’m more interested in where it could’ve come from and how it applies to Tsunade, the one who established and revolutionized medical ninjutsu.

Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique

(Chikatsu Saisei no Jutsu)

- Ninjutsu, A-rank, Supplementary, Close-range - Users: Medical Team

Using a special intensive care unit, this act is laid out. For this medical treatment, teamwork between similar jutsu users is most vital. Through the collection of cells from the hair, it is used as a medium. The lost part is filled up with new cells. Minute attention to detail is necessary. This treatment’s success rate is not high…

In this formation, a burning restoring of life, a wondrous medical ninjutsu!!

With part of the casualty’s body as a medium, that part’s cell ratio is changed, and the lost part is regenerated. Due to the extreme difficulty and chakra control required for matching up the cell ratio, this requires a long period of time.

Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique, Second Databook entry (Source) & (Raw Scan)

Ch. 235, where Chouji in shown in intensive care after the Sasuke Recovery Mission’s failure.

Like the above, here we see another complex array of seals that are undeniably similar to fuuinjutsu.

Ch. 238, where Sakura is shown learning medical ninjutsu with what appears to be a fuuinjutsu.

And, shown here, fuuinjutsu seems to have a part to play in learning medical ninjutsu, too. How the fuuin actually functions is anyone’s guess, but it’s likely that Tsunade developed it. How? Where might she have learned fuuinjutsu from?

4th Databook, Mito’s Entry (Source)

As we are well aware, Tsunade is the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki, the kyuubi jinchuuriki before Naruto or Kushina and well-known for her sealing prowess--enough that she sealed the kyuubi in herself by her own ability--it goes without saying that Mito’s own knowledge of fuuinjutsu likely passed on to her, too.

Something passed on between them is the Byakugou, a seal that originated from the Sage of Six Paths era.

Ch. 36 of Boruto where Sakura explains the Byakugou’s origins.

While it’s not known whether or not the marking on Mito’s forehead is also a Byakugou, what absolutely is is the fact that, since Tsunade’s Creation Rebirth and 100 Healings were both inspired by Hashirama, it’s likely that Tsunade’s own knowledge of fuuinjutsu and the Byakugou’s attainment came from her grandmother, Mito, and their Uzumaki heritage/Hiden.

And since medical ninjutsu is an apparent Senju legacy, it’s extremely likely that Tsunade came to incorporate both in her medical ninjutsu and help pioneer its use that would be standard in medical ninja practice by modern times.

Now, can I prove this? No, I cannot; however, given the fact that Tsunade is reliably proven to have pioneered the medical ninja institution, it’s likely it would’ve come from her, as well.

Biomedical Advances: The Niidaime's contributions

Ch. 681

Ch. 619, where Tobirama relays the biological function behind Sharingan.

For better or ill, when it comes to medical ninjutsu's biomedical background, what scientific knowledge that Tsunade learned seems to stem from what she might have inherited from her granduncle, Tobirama Senju, who was an acclaimed innovator and scientist.

Ch. 699, where Sakura mentions Tsunade crafting whole artificial limbs from Hashirama's cells.

Ch. 545, after Sakura and Shizune--Tsunade's disciples--performed an autopsy on a White Zetsu clone.

As it would seem to have passed on, from Tobirama did Tsunade attain a biomedical background when it came to medical ninjutsu that would spread to her disciples generations later.

Medical Ninjutsu: Foiling poisons

Ch. 253, wherein Tsunade’s rival, Chiyo, recalls how Tsunade was the only person capable of foiling her poisons.

As we know, one of the greatest threats to shinobi is that of poisons. And, there is the fact that Tsunade established ways of producing and foiling them that passed on to her students.

Ch. 253, where Sakura Haruno--Tsunade’s disciple--utilized the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to remove the poison from Kakuro’s body, and synthesize an antidote. Both were things Chiyo couldn’t do.

Ch. 235, where the Nara Clan Medical Encyclopedia is being consulted by Tsunade to help her heal Chouji.

Hell, even the encyclopedia utilized here likely had a hand in Tsunade becoming such a poisons expert in the first place. Even if not, it undoubtedly had influence and a place in the medical ninja system Tsunade pioneered.

Biomedical Advances: The Niidaime's contributions

Ch. 681

Ch. 619, where Tobirama relays the biological function behind Sharingan.

Ch. 699, where Sakura mentions Tsunade crafting whole artificial limbs from Hashirama's cells.

Ch. 545, after Sakura and Shizune--Tsunade's disciples--performed an autopsy on a White Zetsu clone.

As it would seem to have passed on, from Tobirama did Tsunade attain a biomedical background when it came to medical ninjutsu that would spread to her disciples generations later.

Medical Ninjutsu: A system to put in place

One thing that can’t overlooked is how Tsunade absolutely set rules and regulations in place that would go on to influence their rules by the modern day.

Ch. 577, where Tsunade lists the 4 rules governing medical ninja.

Ch. 632 where it’s again brought up when Tsunade trained Sakura in a flashback.

Ch. 160 where the standard to place a medical ninja in every unit of ninja is first introduced by her.

And because Tsunade was the one who established it, it’s likely it spread to other countries, as well, once it was established in Konoha. While it’s not shown, her disciple, Sakura, is shown to have inspired the medical institutions of other hidden villages through her own pioneered effort in the Konoha Children’s Mental Clinic that’s established after the war.

Pg. 24 of Sakura Hiden where the success of the Konoha Children’s Mental Clinic created waves, enough that Sunagakure began taking interest in establishing their own therapy center. (Source)

Again, while this doesn’t necessarily detail Tsunade’s own exploits with spreading medical ninjutsu and practices around the world, because the motif of the next generation improving from the former, it’s likely what happened before or even after she left Konoha.

Closing Thoughts

Again, while I can’t definitively prove as to how and what Tsunade pioneered with medical ninjutsu at home and abroad, given the hints and clues in canon, I have reason to believe that it’s much, much more extensive than what she might be given credit for.

Regardless, always draw your own conclusions and interpret canon as you see fit, but if this inspires your own portrayal of her, I’ll consider it an honor!

#tsunade senju #senju tsunade #tsunade #pro tsunade #pro tsunade senju #my meta

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tenthgrove · 3 years

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hello~!! I’m back again and I was wondering if you have any lore on pesci or if not him in a singular sense what kind a lore do you have for him and pros? Please and thank you 🥰 I hope you’re doing ok

Hiya! The first thing to know about my backstory for Pesci and Prosciutto is that their brother status is biological, and both play a central role in each other's fates. Because of this, I will be telling their stories together:

Prosciutto was born the sole heir of the formidable Crepuscolo Crime Family, already in its third generation at the time of his father, Don Giuseppe Crepuscolo himself. Prosciutto's mother was named Jennifer Sumner, an aristocrat from England. At the time of Prosciutto's birth, in 1964, the marriage had long since disintegrated, but rather than going through the mess of a divorce they chose to keep themselves to themselves, using their respective wealth to live their own lives while retaining the image of a strong marriage to outsiders.

Prosciutto was AFAB, his name at birth being Maiale. The Don originally wanted to keep him out of the family business due to his beliefs about the role of women, but after a few years when it became clear Jennifer could not be convinced to have any more children, he relented to giving his sole heir a more androgynous upbringing. Prosciutto was a well behaved child, accepting of his lot in life and cordial to his parents despite the lack of warmth, particularly from his father's side. With age, he began to question his father's actions with more scrutiny, but wisely kept this to himself. What affected him most was the complete change in personality his mother underwent during their long summer trips together to Jennifer's family in England. It made Prosciutto realised just what life as a Crepuscolo had done to her as a person.

Regrettably, tragedy would strike when Prosciutto was 12 years old, as Jennifer was diagnosed with Leukemia. Her battle with the disease was long and painful, but it soon became clear her days were numbered. 3 years later, it was clear the end would be coming soon.

Amid all this, Prosciutto was going through a different personal crisis. He was beginning to question his gender. With his father no longer able to control his intake of information entirely Prosciutto had become aware of what it meant to be transgender and knew he supported the movement, but was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with his feminine body and was starting to think of himself as a boy. After a long period of consideration, he finally came out to his mother at age 15, when it was clear there'd be no further chances. This confession was entirely private, given that Prosciutto's father was not present, having gone on holiday with his mistress, a family maid.

Much to Prosciutto's relief, Jennifer was accepting, and the pair enjoyed a blissful few more days together before Jennifer passed away peacefully. Among her final words to her son were the affirmation that he had her full blessing to break from his father when the time came. She knew he wouldn't give himself permission otherwise.

Within the year, Don Crepuscolo had married a new wife, the maid Loreta. She was a very young woman, not a decade older than Prosciutto and very naive. Despite the situation, Prosciutto got on very well with her and soon confessed to the situation with his gender. She was also very supporting and agreed to help hide it from the don. Just 5 months after the wedding, Loreta gave birth to a baby boy, Pesci, at which point the Don's interest in her quickly faded. Pesci was a difficult baby, and unlike Jennifer, Loreta could not simply take the baby off somewhere when it started to annoy him. Crepuscolo began to resent his wife and baby, and before Pesci's first birthday, they were both out on the streets.

Prosciutto was absolutely outraged. Already considering no-contact he swore to break his father off at the earliest possible opportunity, and began slipping his allowance to Loreta so that she and Pesci could get by. Finally, at age 19, Prosciutto graduated high-school, fulfilling the terms of Jennifer's will that would allow him to inherit her millions. He cut his father off the very day he took it.

He went onto to study politics at university, with the intention of becoming a political theorist, and continued to support Loreta wherever possible. He visited Scandinavia for his reassignment surgeries, and by the end of university had largely achieved the body he desired. He changed his first name to Prosciutto and took on his mother's last name, severing himself from his father entirely.

By age 24, Prosciutto was doing very well for himself in a journalist position, and had plans to buy a new house for himself, Pesci and Loreta. Unknown to the three of them, the Crepuscolo empire was collapsing. It was being replaced by Passione. Giuseppe Crepuscolo would meet his end at the barrel of a gun, courtesy of a sudden grab for power by his Passione rivals. To cover all their bases, they decided to go after his heir next, abducting Prosciutto and burning his house to the ground. He was informed that to save his life (as well as Pesci's) he would be forced to work for Passione. That would be the only way they could keep an eye on him.

Seeing nothing else to do with himself, Prosciutto put his work into Passione. Bit by bit, he earned their trust and was granted a stand after a couple of years. Unfortunately, there was more bad news- Loreta had been diagnosed with cancer, Leukaemia of all things, and Prosciutto found himself badly torn between two commitments. His progression of status started to slow.

But then, the order came through to form an assassination team, and the responsibility was given to Prosciutto. Not wanting to be captain since it would make it harder to care for Pesci, he attempted to pass the responsibility onto his old allies Sorbet and Gelato, but the higher ups refused this. He did, however, manage to secure them on the team. Instead, Prosciutto turned to a newer ally of his, a relative nobody to the gang named Risotto Nero. Though he was young and had few confirmed kills, Prosciutto saw great potential in him and put him through to be given a stand. When this resulted in Metallica's creation, the Don was quick to accept the proposal of him as captain.

Loreta, meanwhile, was having a very tough time. Over the enduring years she faced a number of near-recoveries and relapses. Each time she became sick she was forced to give Pesci to Prosciutto, which is how the boy ended up being a regular acquaintance of La Squadra long before he joined.

By the time Loreta was on her death bed, Pesci was 15 and La Squadra had gained every member except him. Both brothers were at her side whenever they could be, and while Prosciutto prepared him for the worst, strange things started happening around Pesci. Whenever he fell asleep next to her bed, he noticed the strange feeling of her heartbeat in his hands. One time, he swore he even saw a string extending out from his finger towards her torso. Putting it down to sleep deprivation, he ignored it, that is until Loreta finally died.

Prosciutto, through poor luck, missed the moment by mere minutes, leaving Pesci alone to face the initial grief. In sheer anguish, his stand Beach Boy came to fully manifest, tearing out Loreta's heart on accident as he desperately tried to find a beat. Prosciutto arrived on the scene and knew immediately what had happened, but was unable to console Pesci until he fled. Fearing what untold chaos his stand might do without guidance, Prosciutto recruited La Squadra to get him back.

After days on the run Pesci finally reunited with his brother, who explained what Beach Boy was and what Prosciutto had been doing all these years. From the crowd, Risotto stepped forth and offered Pesci a place in the team. For his own good. From there, they could teach him how to control his stand. Most importantly, he would be with family.

#prosciutto #pesci #la squadra #again if you've read my backstories before this is mostly the same stuff

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eyelinerda3euro · 3 years

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The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction

In the temperate and tropical regions where it appears that hominids evolved into human beings, the principal food of the species was vegetable. Sixty-five to eighty percent of what human beings ate in those regions in Paleolithic, Neolithic, and prehistoric times was gathered; only in the extreme Arctic was meat the staple food. The mammoth hunters spectacularly occupy the cave wall and the mind, but what we actually did to stay alive and fat was gather seeds, roots, sprouts, shoots, leaves, nuts, berries, fruits, and grains, adding bugs and mollusks and netting or snaring birds, fish, rats, rabbits, and other tuskless small fry to up the protein. And we didn’t even work hard at it — much less hard than peasants slaving in somebody else’s field after agriculture was invented, much less hard than paid workers since civilization was invented. The average prehistoric person could make a nice living in about a fifteen-hour work week.

Fifteen hours a week for subsistence leaves a lot of time for other things. So much time that maybe the restless ones who didn’t have a baby around to enliven their life, or skill in making or cooking or singing, or very interesting thoughts to think, decided to slope off and hunt mammoths. The skillful hunters would come staggering back with a load of meat, a lot of ivory, and a story. It wasn’t the meat that made the difference. It was the story.

It is hard to tell a really gripping tale of how I wrestled a wild-oat seed from its husk, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then I scratched my gnat bites, and Ool said something funny, and we went to the creek and got a drink and watched newts for a while, and then I found another patch of oats.... No, it does not compare, it cannot compete with how I thrust my spear deep into the titanic hairy flank while Oob, impaled on one huge sweeping tusk, writhed screaming, and blood sprouted everywhere in crimson torrents, and Boob was crushed to jelly when the mammoth fell on him as I shot my unerring arrow straight through eye to brain.

That story not only has Action, it has a Hero. Heroes are powerful. Before you know it, the men and women in the wild-oat patch and their kids and the skills of makers and the thoughts of the thoughtful and the songs of the singers are all part of it, have all been pressed into service in the tale of the Hero. But it isn’t their story. It’s his.

When she was planning the book that ended up as Three Guineas, Virginia Woolf wrote a heading in her notebook, “Glossary”; she had thought of reinventing English according to her new plan, in order to tell a different story. One of the entries in this glossary is heroism, defined as “botulism.” And hero, in Woolf’s dictionary, is “bottle.” The hero as bottle, a stringent reevaluation. I now propose the bottle as hero.

Not just the bottle of gin or wine, but bottle in its older sense of container in general, a thing that holds something else.

If you haven’t got something to put it in, food will escape you — even something as uncombative and unresourceful as an oat. You put as many as you can into your stomach while they are handy, that being the primary container; but what about tomorrow morning when you wake up and it’s cold and raining and wouldn’t it be good to have just a few handfuls of oats to chew on and give little Oom to make her shut up, but how do you get more than one stomachful and one handful home? So you get up and go to the damned soggy oat patch in the rain, and wouldn’t it be a good thing if you had something to put Baby Oo Oo in so that you could pick the oats with both hands? A leaf a gourd shell a net a bag a sling a sack a bottle a pot a box a container. A holder. A recipient.

The first cultural device was probably a recipient.... Many theorizers feel that the earliest cultural inventions must have been a container to hold gathered products and some kind of sling or net carrier.

So says Elizabeth Fisher in Women’s Creation (McGraw-Hill, 1975). But no, this cannot be. Where is that wonderful, big, long, hard thing, a bone, I believe, that the Ape Man first bashed somebody in the movie and then, grunting with ecstasy at having achieved the first proper murder, flung up into the sky, and whirling there it became a space ship thrusting its way into the cosmos to fertilize it and produce at the end of the movie a lovely fetus, a boy of course, drifting around the Milky Way without (oddly enough) any womb, any matrix at all? I don’t know. I don’t even care. I’m not telling that story. We’ve heard it, we’ve all heard about all the sticks and spears and swords, the things to bash and poke and hit with, the long, hard things, but we have not heard about the thing to put things in, the container for the thing contained. That is a new story. That is news.

And yet old. Before — once you think about it, surely long before — the weapon, a late, luxurious, superfluous tool; long before the useful knife and ax; right along with the indispensable whacker, grinder, and digger — for what’s the use of digging up a lot of potatoes if you have nothing to lug the ones you can’t eat home in — with or before the tool that forces energy outward, we made the tool that brings energy home. It makes sense to me. I am an adherent of what Fisher calls the Carrier Bag Theory of human evolution.

This theory not only explains large areas of theoretical obscurity and avoids large areas of theoretical nonsense (inhabited largely by tigers, foxes, and other highly territorial mammals); it also grounds me, personally, in human culture in a way I never felt grounded before. So long as culture was explained as originating from and elaborating upon the use of long, hard objects for sticking, bashing, and killing, I never thought that I had, or wanted, any particular share in it. (“What Freud mistook for her lack of civilization is woman’s lack of loyalty to civilization,” Lillian Smith observed.) The society, the civilization they were talking about, these theoreticians, was evidently theirs; they owned it, they liked it; they were human, fully human, bashing, sticking, thrusting, killing. Wanting to be human too, I sought for evidence that I was; but if that’s what it took, to make a weapon and kill with it, then evidently I was either extremely defective as a human being, or not human at all.

That’s right, they said. What you are is a woman. Possibly not human at all, certainly defective. Now be quiet while we go on telling the Story of the Ascent of Man the Hero.

Go on, say I, wandering off towards the wild oats, with Oo Oo in the sling and little Oom carrying the basket. You just go on telling how the mammoth fell on Boob and how Cain fell on Abel and how the bomb fell on Nagasaki and how the burning jelly fell on the villagers and how the missiles will fall on the Evil Empire, and all the other steps in the Ascent of Man.

If it is a human thing to do to put something you want, because it’s useful, edible, or beautiful, into a bag, or a basket, or a bit of rolled bark or leaf, or a net woven of your own hair, or what have you, and then take it home with you, home being another, larger kind of pouch or bag, a container for people, and then later on you take it out and eat it or share it or store it up for winter in a solider container or put it in the medicine bundle or the shrine or the museum, the holy place, the area that contains what is sacred, and then next day you probably do much the same again — if to do that is human, if that’s what it takes, then I am a human being after all. Fully, freely, gladly, for the first time.

Not, let it be said at once, an unaggressive or uncombative human being. I am an aging, angry woman laying mightily about me with my handbag, fighting hoodlums off. However I don’t, nor does anybody else, consider myself heroic for doing so. It’s just one of those damned things you have to do in order to be able to go on gathering wild oats and telling stories.

It is the story that makes the difference. It is the story that hid my humanity from me, the story the mammoth hunters told about bashing, thrusting, raping, killing, about the Hero. The wonderful, poisonous story of Botulism. The killer story.

It sometimes seems that the story is approaching its end. Lest there be no more telling of stories at all, some of us out here in the wild oats, amid the alien corn, think we’d better start telling another one, which maybe people can go on with when the old one’s finished. Maybe. The trouble is, we’ve all let ourselves become part of the killer story, and so we may get finished along with it. Hence it is with a certain feeling of urgency that I seek the nature, subject, words of the other story, the untold one, the life story.

It’s unfamiliar, it doesn’t come easily, thoughtlessly, to the lips as the killer story does; but still, “untold” was an exaggeration. People have been telling the life story for ages, in all sorts of words and ways. Myths of creation and transformation, trickster stories, folktales, jokes, novels....

The novel is a fundamentally unheroic kind of story. Of course the Hero has frequently taken it over, that being his imperial nature and uncontrollable impulse, to take everything over and run it while making stern decrees and laws to control his uncontrollable impulse to kill it. So the Hero has decreed through his mouthpieces the Lawgivers, first, that the proper shape of the narrative is that of the arrow or spear, starting here and going straight there and THOK! hitting its mark (which drops dead); second, that the central concern of narrative, including the novel, is conflict; and third, that the story isn’t any good if he isn’t in it.

I differ with all of this. I would go so far as to say that the natural, proper, fitting shape of the novel might be that of a sack, a bag. A book holds words. Words hold things. They bear meanings. A novel is a medicine bundle, holding things in a particular, powerful relation to one another and to us.

One relationship among elements in the novel may well be that of conflict, but the reduction of narrative to conflict is absurd. (I have read a how-to-write manual that said, “A story should be seen as a battle,” and went on about strategies, attacks, victory, etc.) Conflict, competition, stress, struggle, etc., within the narrative conceived as carrier bag/belly/box/house/medicine bundle, may be seen as necessary elements of a whole which itself cannot be characterized either as conflict or as harmony, since its purpose is neither resolution nor stasis but continuing process.

Finally, it’s clear that the Hero does not look well in this bag. He needs a stage or a pedestal or a pinnacle. You put him in a bag and he looks like a rabbit, like a potato.

That is why I like novels: instead of heroes they have people in them.

So, when I came to write science-fiction novels, I came lugging this great heavy sack of stuff, my carrier bag full of wimps and klutzes, and tiny grains of things smaller than a mustard seed, and intricately woven nets which when laboriously unknotted are seen to contain one blue pebble, an imperturbably functioning chronometer telling the time on another world, and a mouse’s skull; full of beginnings without ends, of initiations, of losses, of transformations and translations, and far more tricks than conflicts, far fewer triumphs than snares and delusions; full of space ships that get stuck, missions that fail, and people who don’t understand. I said it was hard to make a gripping tale of how we wrested the wild oats from their husks, I didn’t say it was impossible. Who ever said writing a novel was easy?

If science fiction is the mythology of modern technology, then its myth is tragic. “Technology,” or “modern science” (using the words as they are usually used, in an unexamined shorthand standing for the “hard” sciences and high technology founded upon continuous economic growth), is a heroic undertaking, Herculean, Promethean, conceived as triumph, hence ultimately as tragedy. The fiction embodying this myth will be, and has been, triumphant (Man conquers earth, space, aliens, death, the future, etc.) and tragic (apocalypse, holocaust, then or now).

If, however, one avoids the linear, progressive, Time’s-(killing)-arrow mode of the Techno-Heroic, and redefines technology and science as primarily cultural carrier bag rather than weapon of domination, one pleasant side effect is that science fiction can be seen as a far less rigid, narrow field, not necessarily Promethean or apocalyptic at all, and in fact less a mythological genre than a realistic one.

It is a strange realism, but it is a strange reality.

Science fiction properly conceived, like all serious fiction, however funny, is a way of trying to describe what is in fact going on, what people actually do and feel, how people relate to everything else in this vast stack, this belly of the universe, this womb of things to be and tomb of things that were, this unending story. In it, as in all fiction, there is room enough to keep even Man where he belongs, in his place in the scheme of things; there is time enough to gather plenty of wild oats and sow them too, and sing to little Oom, and listen to Ool’s joke, and watch newts, and still the story isn’t over. Still there are seeds to be gathered, and room in the bag of stars. by Ursula K. Le Guin

#ursula k leguin

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jeongyunhoed · 3 years

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You’re traveling to another dimension It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity It is the middle ground between light and shadow, Between science and superstition It ties between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge This is the dimension of imagination

An ATEEZ Twilight Zone!AU (masterlist here)

A/N: In time for Yuyu’s birthday. I actually kept putting this off because the episode this is based on creeped me out so much even the song in the episode creeped me out.

Happy birthday to the tall care bear also known as the love of my life, Jeong Yunho!!!

Listen to this song for the full effect. It’s the song from the episode. Trust me. It adds to the effect.

T/W: Death. Enough said.

XV. Come Wander with Me (Yunho)

Noon.

With a backpack and his recording device in hand, Jeong Yunho was walking through the forest. It was part of his so-called “soul-searching” trip before he had to get back to work. Yunho was a singer under an independent label, busking every now and then while landing televised gigs and online concerts. He was stuck in a rut, a songwriting rut, having been in creativity limbo for the past several months. Not a word, not a tune came into his head that he saw was good enough. He recalled the advice given to him by a nearby resident, which was to look for a man who owns a shop in the very forest he was traveling to, there would be his inspiration.

Yunho was focused on getting an original song, in the hopes of coming back to the scene with a viral hit that would get him onto the more popular shows. It was always good to strive for more. He approached a clearing, finding a small shop. “Hongjoong’s Curio,” said the sign. It was an odd shop to look for a song in, but Yunho figured he’d take his chances. He had enough money to buy the rights. It looked like it hadn’t been renovated since the 1970s. Then again, Yunho knew better than to judge. Maybe the owner intended the shop to look that way.

He stepped inside, the door ringing the bell above his head. Yunho saw that there was more to the shop than he thought. There were trinkets sold hanging from a papier-mache tree in one corner of the shop, vintage objects in another. “How may I help you?” A man with bright red hair stepped out from the backroom, his coveralls covered in small streaks of orange and white paint.

Yunho blinked a few times as if to snap himself out of staring at his surroundings. “Oh, hi, I was told you sell a lot of things here, including songs?” He asked.

“I do sell a lot of things here. Things that remind people of the past, things that say a lot about the present,” Hongjoong fiddled with the paintbrush in his hand. “...Things that could foretell the future…”

“...Including songs, right?”

“Oh yes, including songs,” Hongjoong nodded.

“What kind of songs do you have?”

“It depends on what you got in exchange.”

Yunho took out a wad of bills from his pocket and set it down. “You can name your price, I’m sure I can pay for it.”

Hongjoong stared at the bills and then at him, slowly shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I can’t take your money.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I said I can’t take your money. You’ll have to look somewhere else. That’s all I can say,” He said, sliding the bills back to him.

“But I’m offering you this much money for a song,” Yunho argued.

“You can take your money elsewhere, as long as you’re here in my store, I can’t accept that. You’ve just wasted your time, I’m sorry,” Hongjoong said dismissively, returning to the backroom and closing the door.

Yunho padded back outside, a slight gust of wind making him shiver. He turned on his heel to go back in the same direction he came from when he suddenly heard a humming. Yunho paused to listen, the humming became clearer until he realized it was someone singing from a distance, accompanied by a soft strumming of a guitar. He went in the other direction to find the voice, passing by a slab of rock close to the path in the woods, unaware that the slab of rock he passed by was a tombstone.

Jeong Yunho, the Wandering Man.

Yunho wandered through the forest, the voice becoming louder and clearer the more he traveled through. The voice was sweet-sounding, the song, a haunting masterpiece. If he managed to get the rights of the song, Yunho knew it would become a hit.

“He said, come wander with me, love, come wander with me, away from this sad world, come wander with me,” the voice sang.

Yunho nearly broke into a run as he looked for the singer, skidding to a halt when he approached the lake. He heard the same words again but this time, it was close by until he found who the voice belonged to. It was a young woman, sitting under a tree and playing the guitar, humming the same words as what he heard earlier. He carefully approached her. “Hello,” He said.

The young woman looked up. She seemed to stare at him in familiarity until a small smile played across her features. “Hi,” she said quietly.

“I could hear you singing from far away, that’s a beautiful voice you have,” Yunho said, taking another step forward.

“Thank you,” She looked down at her guitar again.

“It’s a beautiful song too.”

The woman’s smile faded slightly. “...Thank you.”

“Do you mind if I hear it again?” Yunho bent down.

“...Okay,” She said, softly strumming the guitar. “He said, come wander with me, love, come wander with me, away from this sad world, come wander with me,” She sang. “He came from the sunset, he came from the sea, he came from my sorrow, and can love only me…”

Yunho smiled as he listened to her sing and play. By the time she finished, she looked at him with that same look of familiarity again. “...Can-can I buy that song from you?” He said. “It’s a very beautiful song, everyone should hear it.”

The woman shook her head. “The song isn’t for sale, I’m sorry,” She said.

Yunho leaned over, tilting her chin up. “Are you sure it isn’t for sale?” He said, his tone honeyed.

“Yes it’s not for sale,” She said softly. “It’s a song that needs to be earned,” She added, in an attempt to joke.

He chuckled. “How can I earn it?”

“You’ll have to love me,” She replied. He was quick to stifle his surprise. “Can you do that?”

“I can, and you’ll have to love me too, can you do that?” Yunho nodded, and she did the same. “My name is Yunho, Jeong Yunho.”

“Juhyun,” She replied, her cheeks heating up when he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“What if you record just one part of the song for me?” He murmured against her lips. “So I can listen to it all the time if we’re apart? What do you think?”

Juhyun smiled. “Okay,” She said. Yunho took out his recording device, keeping it close to her. “He said come wander with me, love, come wander with me, away from this sad world, come wander with me,” She sang.

“He came from the sunset, he came from the sea, he came from my sorrow, and can love only me,” She continued. As Yunho sat beside her, recording the same lines and verses she sang, a woman in black was watching from the distance, having watched them all this time.

“He sang of a sweet love, of dreams that would be, but I was sworn to another, and could never be free...”

“The Choi men were brothers, four men strong and bold,” Juhyun hummed later that afternoon, Yunho resting his head on her lap. “And for one I was chosen, with my love still untold, they heard of the wanderer, they heard he loved me, they heard of…”

“You really have a very beautiful voice,” He said, making her smile.

“Hey!”

Juhyun and Yunho looked up, a man appearing from the woods. Yunho noticed he was holding a rifle. “...San,” She said, looking petrified.

“Word around here travels fast, this outsider is coming for my wife-to-be,” He said. “Wait ‘til my brothers hear about this.”

Yunho got up. “Listen-”

“Don’t you tell me to listen, you’re coming with me, my brothers will teach you a lesson-” The man pointed his rifle at him.

“San! Please!” Juhyun cried out as Yunho resisted, the two men getting into a tussle, wrestling to get rid of the rifle until Yunho outmaneuvered him, sending the man known as San into the tree headfirst.

San fell to the ground, and Juhyun bent down to check on him, staring in horror when she realized that he was dead. Yunho threw the rifle aside in horror, accidentally playing his recording device. “You killed Choi San, betrothed unto me, struck him down in his anger, under an old willow tree,” Juhyun’s voice could be heard, making the two of them exchange looks. The young woman looked shaken. “By the lake where our love dwelt, under the willow tree, you killed Choi San, under the old willow tree…”

“What the-” Yunho stopped the recording, dropping the device. “Come on!” He took her hand, leading her out of the woods.

“Yunho, please don’t leave! Please stay with me,” She said, almost pleading.

“I can’t,” He stressed. “That guy is dead, it was an accident, I only meant to get rid of the rifle, he was going to shoot me, Juhyun…”

“Still, please, please stay with me,” Juhyun pleaded.

“I’m sorry Juhyun, I don’t think I can.”

“They sought out their brother, and found him alone, they wept by the lakeside, for a boy hardly grown,” She broke into song, making him stare at her. “They wept by the lakeside, and vowed he must die, the wandering stranger…”

Yunho broke away from her. “I have to leave. You can keep your song.”

“Yunho, please don’t leave me!” Juhyun held onto him. “Things will be different this time, I know it, just please don’t leave me.”

“This time? You mean this has happened to you before? You’ve lured other men with that song of yours, haven’t you?”

“No!” She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s always been you, Yunho, it has always been you.”

“...No!” Yunho broke away from her, sprinting away. He needed to get away, he didn’t care about the song anymore. As he looked back, he nearly tripped and fell when he saw that Juhyun had changed. She was dressed in black, a black shawl over her head, face weathered and in tears.

“Yunho! Yunho!” She cried out from the distance. “Yunho, it’s always been you!”

Yunho kept going further back in the direction he remembered coming from. He could already hear the voices of San’s brothers from the distance as well. He stopped when he saw the shop once again and stepped inside. He needed to hide until they had gone. “I said your money’s not welcome here,” Hongjoong tried to send him back out.

“No, no I’m not looking for a song, I just need to hide from the guys that were chasing me-”

“You can’t hide here, get out!” Hongjoong tried to push him out of the store, only for Yunho to bash his head with the nearby saxophone. The shorter male fell to the floor, unconscious.

The voices grew louder and Yunho squeezed through the array of musical instruments, hiding behind the drum set. His heart was pounding as he looked out at the entrance. They would be coming at any minute.

Yunho tried to move but accidentally bumped a music box, making it play. The more he moved, it sent the other music boxes open and playing, the various tunes filling the shop. Yunho got up, stepping over the boxes in an attempt to move away, and before he knew it, three men that he knew were San’s brothers had arrived, all of them holding rifles. A gunshot later and Yunho fell to the floor.

#kdiner #ateez #ateez au #ateez scenarios #ateez timestamps #yunho #jeong yunho #ateez yunho #happy yuyu day

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doomarchives · 3 years

Text

David Annandale’s The Harrowing Of Doom: An In-Depth Review

So, I was kindly offered an advance reviewer’s copy of The Harrowing of Doom by David Annandale for the Marvel Untold series, a new prose line revolving around Marvel’s villains. Although I’m not personally familiar, the author’s prior written work and academic scholarship indicated a strong background in fantasy, science fiction, as well as horror film and literature - all essential elements of Doom himself honestly, whether in his character, design, or formative influences. A promising start from the outset!

To no one’s surprise, I was especially excited for this one. Doctor Doom is both my favorite Marvel character and area of nerdy comics expertise, and Annandale sounded like the perfect candidate to tackle him.

The Harrowing of Doom centers around a conflict familiar to those who know the character. Taking place fifteen years after his ascension to the throne, Victor von Doom is still hellbent on rescuing the soul of his mother, Cynthia, trapped in hell by the demon Mephisto. His yearly attempts to save her have been fruitless thus far, but he believes he can really do it this time, enlisting the help of a new character, Maria von Helm, and some of his lesser known subjects (also new characters) to accomplish the task, by building a machine called The Harrower. The noble scheme is further complicated by the reappearance of Prince Rudolfo Fortunov, son of the monarch deposed and murdered by Doom years prior, who is equally determined to take back what he believes is his birthright by any means necessary. The novel is a relatively dense and detailed one, and as a true blue Doom enthusiast, I have a dense and detailed review to match.

The first thing that I personally take note of in any material involving Doom is the author’s perspective on the truth of Latveria’s “benevolent dictatorship.” It immediately speaks volumes about a writer’s perception of Doom’s accountability and sense of morality; it kind of ends up coloring his entire characterization. That being said, I was really pleased by the evenhandedness with which Annandale treats Doom’s Latveria and his influence upon his subjects. It slots in neatly with some of the greats, Lee & Kirby, Jonathan Hickman, Roger Stern, etc with the acknowledgement that Doom is indeed a despot with an iron fist and a will absolute, but one who cares for the wellbeing of his country. Through dialogue from his subjects like the skittish Father Grigori Zargo and diehard loyal Captain Kariana Verlak, the reader gets the sense that Doom’s rule may be the best leadership Latveria has ever known. (A brief aside: another great strength of The Harrowing of Doom that has to be mentioned is the fleshing out of these different original characters. Maria von Helm was a particularly welcome addition, as a close friend of Doom’s mother and a far more empathetic magic user compared to him.)

Verlak is openly married to Dr. Elsa Orloff, a trans woman and neurosurgeon of international renown. Both of them had experienced the Fortunov rule that predated Doom’s, with Orloff even having fled Fortunov’s Latveria when she first come out as transgender, in fear of his tyrannical rule and the dangerously transphobic legislature he enforced called “The Laws of the Person.” It is apparent that Doom exists in obvious juxtaposition to the prior ruler’s bigotry. Beyond the total erasure of all previous discrimination and state-enforced bigotry, he has Verlak appointed in a role of great prominence, gave Orloff the tools she needed to succeed in her field, and even shares an exchange with her where he remarks that he knows her from her publications in the Lancet Neurology and that he appreciates them for their “speculative” approach. In an excellent exchange between Father Zargo and the rebel Prince Fortunov, the priest, who is by far Doom’s number one fan, explains Doom’s mesmerizing hold on the populace and the benefits they reap from his rule, despite it being a despotic one:

“I’ll be explicit, all the same,” said Zargo. “Doom is a sun king, even more fully than Louis XIV ever was. Latveria is a world power. How? Because of Doom and only because of Doom. Latveria’s strength and its wealth come from his inventions. And the beams of his sun touch every citizen. Universal basic income, free healthcare, free schooling, free universities, free training to the highest level of your calling - all of these things flow from Doom.”

“Free?” Fortunov snarled.

“The price is obedience, yes,” said Zargo, “And yes, Doom is feared.” Zargo stopped himself from saying Vladimir was feared and hated. [...] “Even though Doom is feared, he also is Latveria in every sense that matters.”

What I really appreciated was the author’s ability to walk the tightrope of acknowledging how beneficial Doom is for the country and his protectiveness over his domain, whilst also acknowledging Doom’s intense paternalism that ultimately favors his own goals. Doom, as well-read comic fans would know, is heralded as one of Marvel’s master manipulators. It’s a great strength of this novel to see him exerting his willpower and the strength of his personality to manipulate and sometimes, fully overpower that of his subjects. Father Zargo is definitely the most profound victim of this, a man with ties to both the church and the occult. Through the novel, Doom insistently pushes him towards the latter, his priorities made clear in one sentence: “The work was what mattered. Zargo’s soul was not Doom’s concern.” An especially interesting scene occurs later in the novel. Without too much elaboration, Doom performs an experiment where he uses the old Latverian nobility as guinea pigs. This was something I immensely liked, corroborating one of my own personal perceptions of Doom. It’s always made sense to me that Doom would continue to hold a certain amount of disdain for Latverian high society, even after he went from low class Romani boy to monarch himself.

(“The Fantastic Origin of Doctor Doom,” Fantastic Four Annual #2.)

Afterwards his partner, Maria von Helm, muses aloud that she always wondered why Doom let vestiges of the old regime remain, to which Doom responds: “Now you know. The aristocracy has its uses, and the advantages of being disposable.” It’s maybe my favorite example in the book of the exceptions to Doom’s purported benevolence. He does want the country to flourish and for his subjects to prosper, but this intent can be superseded by his innately ambitious nature and his own personal biases. It’s clear at several points in the book that Annandale is obviously well-read on Doom himself, but it was especially in the capturing of this nuance that it really stuck out to me in a big way. (As well as the fun reference to Doom’s brief jaunt in the French Riviera in Supervillain Team-Up!)

Outside of this core aspect of his characterization, I really enjoyed how the novel not only built up Doom’s cult of personality, but emphasized the sheer magnetism of Doom himself, in person. Constantly, characters find themselves buffeted by strength of his will, craving his approval or cowering and scrambling to avoid his displeasure. It’s a great true-to-character depiction of interactions between Doom and Latverian citizens, dynamics that were only touched upon briefly in the periphery of most comics involving Doom. I think, ironically, this is also perhaps the source of one of the novel’s few weaknesses. By keeping the book very Latveria-focused, Annandale does an excellent job of adding world-building on every level, from expounding on Latverian national holidays to the layouts of Doomstadt to the country’s storied history with witches predating Doom and his mother. But the fact that Doom mostly interacts with those beneath him or those who work for him gives the reader a bit of a myopic, overtly flattering perspective of him as almost too certain, too powerful, too unfeeling. I suppose it serves the scope of the novel for Doom to be more an obelisk of a man than fully well-rounded, but I contest that one of the best things about his character is that his indomitable exterior hides a deep well of pain and uncertainty.

(“In The Clutches of Doctor Doom,” Fantastic Four #17.)

(“Oath of Fealty,” Doctor Doom #7.)

The novel obviously perceives Doom as Byronic, there’s even excerpts from Manfred interspersed between chapters that I greatly enjoyed, but I did find the heart of the Byronic character a little lacking here. Where Manfred bares his soul alone in monologue or to others, Doom, for the most part, does not. There are definitely brief allusions to the trials he’s faced, but he seems rarely prone to doubt or vulnerability until the very end. (For example, the central task is the attempt to rescue Cynthia von Doom’s soul, but little time is spent dwelling on this very human connection between mother and son.) Or even self-admitted imperfection! Interestingly, I only ever caught one mention of his scars in the entire novel.

The Harrowing of Doom seems to prescribe to the line of thought that the mask is the only true face of Doom’s that matters, but I think with that philosophy, it stays firmly within the character’s own comfort zone. And his psyche never feels truly challenged, because there’s no worthy challenger. Doom knows without a doubt that he is Fortunov’s superior, so there’s no real interpersonal friction there. It left me keenly interested in seeing how the author would write Doom in the presence of someone like Reed Richards, an opponent who has historically brought out Doom’s baser instincts and invoked his self-doubt, drawing out his flaws and humanity in the process. Hopefully Marvel approves a sequel!

Doubtlessly, it’s still a strong entry into Marvel’s Doom canon and an excellent read for anyone who enjoys the character and is familiar with his history. The novel gives a sprawling, detailed look at Latveria and fleshes out both country and countrymen with aplomb. I took real delight at the indirect peeks at Doom’s personality through other characters’s observations or simple exposition. Some notable examples include Doom’s occult librarian wondering if he had been appointed out of spite of his witch-hunter ancestry, Zargo noting the west wing of Werner Academy was dedicated to clinical research in a nod to Werner von Doom’s work as a healer, and my favorite: the paintings within Castle Doom being impressionistic depictions of Doom’s ancestors, “people long buried, long forgotten, and in their lifetimes ignored or worse.”

The conflict also moves at an engaging, brisk pace and smartly takes advantage of the widely known fact that Doom is preoccupied every Midsummer Night and turns that into an opening to be exploited by Fortunov, who also is well characterized throughout the novel and even experiences his own personal growth.

(“Though Some Call It Magic!”, Astonishing Tales #8)

Essentially, the product is a great novel about Doctor Doom influenced by strong comic lore knowledge, Gothic and Romance literature, horror cinema (According to the author, Doom’s lab is modeled after the lab from The Bride of Frankenstein!), and fantasy. If that sounds like something up your alley, definitely check it out. It gets a wholehearted recommendation from me.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

#victor von doom #doctor doom #media type: book #Marvel #MarvelEnt #aconyte books #review

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