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lightlycareless · 3 months

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Omg the toji threesome fic is just...wtf there's no other worlds to describe it it's wtf in a good way omg what if she gets pregnant? What if it's not naoya's?! WHAT WILL TOJI FJCKING SAY?! GET RID OF IT?! GIVE BIRTH AND GIVE IT TO ME?! WHAT WILL NAOYA DO?! OMGGGGG PLEASE MAKE A FIC ABOUT THE AFTERMATH AHHHH!!!!! if you want baby no pressure <3

Hello! :>

I don't know if you saw my sneak peak, but I ended up writing a sequel to this heheh I'm so glad you liked it!!

Ngl, I wasn't planning on writing more of it, but then I saw this ask and... you know, I just had to do it to 'em.

Anyways I won't say anything more; except for the warnings: mentions of infidelity. mentions of smut (the word cunt is used) angst I believe. it's sad at the end, or I try to make it sad lol. Mentions of pregnancy. Also, I am no expert relating to pregnancy matters so take it with a grain of salt and lots of plot convenience 😅.

Happy reading!!

sequel to this.

Toji’s not to disclose if you or Naoya came back for a repeat of that night’s succession, though he will admit your pregnancy was not surprising.

It’s not like he could run away from it either, for as soon as news graced the elders’ ears, it’s all the estate spoke of.

From enthusiasm to welcome the next generation of Zen’in sorcerers, to the ever-growing hope of recovering their prized cursed technique, which has been absent for hundreds of years…

Expectations for this child were at an all-time high.

But to you and Naoya, all you could care about was the blessing this baby represented.

A family.

The pinnacle of all their yearnings, the fruits of their never-ending efforts finally appearing as the positive pregnancy test you took one morning after feeling particularly nauseous…

Or Toji’s, perhaps.

Toji initially didn’t think much of the “shocking” announcement. Not even after his behavior that night—they were just heat of the moment things, nothing that he meant nor really cared about, simply said to get a rise out of Naoya; and oh, was his reaction satisfying.

In other words, he really, genuinely, couldn’t care less about what the wimpy heir and his ditzy wife were to face from that point forward.

But when their behavior towards him, the engaging conversations, invitations to drink tea, amongst other activities, drastically ceased, to the point of them turning on their heel and going the opposite way when bumping into him…

It didn’t take long for the pieces to fall into place, and when the puzzle was complete, Toji could only laugh.

It’s like an open secret, albeit solely for those involved.

The baby inside you wasn’t Naoya’s.

It was Toji’s.

And this filled him with morbid fascination no other high had been able to provide.

To know that the baby everyone was praising as the future of the Zen’in, a promising sorcerer, as expected of the heir, was the ultimate irony, the exact anti-thesis of all they once declared of Toji.

He was very tempted to let everyone know.

Proudly announce the truth to the world, screaming to the top of his lungs that that baby isn’t Naoya’s, it’s mine.

The scandal this revelation would bring was nothing short of earth-shattering, and more likely than not, the elders wouldn’t even know where to start from. Although your infidelity could be a good reference.

Followed by the fact that no matter how much they try to get rid of him, he’ll always find a way to haunt them—like a ghost shackled to the estate walls, Toji would always remain in the back of their minds, unsettling them whenever they did as much as breathe.

Although for this to work, he’d have to wait until the child was born, officiated as son of Naoya, before he could do any true damage.

To see the kind of face the Zen’in would make upon finding out the truth… is one that makes his prolonged stay all but worthwhile.

As well as knowing your reaction towards the whole ordeal—if you’ve even been able to sleep knowing well that your life was on the line by carrying such a frightening secret in your womb.

Considering the way you frequently sought him out during those lonely nights where your husband would be away for long periods of time, this probably didn’t perturb you as much. After all, what did you expect after receiving his seed as constantly as you did? That nothing would happen? No consequences to be suffered?

You were many things, but he never thought you as delusional.

Or perhaps, you were hoping for this. To have his child. He’d come to believe so after the tight way your cunt squeezed him.

Well, that would only make him the delusional one.

Either way, he suspects that while your secret might’ve prickled the back of your mind from time to time, it didn’t bother you as much as he hoped—not with the way your staff coddled your every move, how the clan would gift you expensive items to celebrate the future head of the clan, per tradition, or how happy you appeared to be with your growing bump, gently caressing it and beaming while confessing oh how much you longed to finally hold your baby.

It irked him.

To see that even through this deceit, you were still blissful.

It was undeserving. Wrong.

At least to the man who has been sentenced to nothing but pain and disgrace since the moment he was born, that’s how it was.

Because it was impossible for him to grasp the innocence of others—To accept that some were just simply… with better luck. Free to live as they desired, and without having to pay for the prejudice of others.

Toji, now more than ever, felt that he was being used. Plucked from his misery, toyed with, and discarded once dried out of his benefits.

Thus, his motivation to ruin your and Naoya’s happiness became as palpable as ever—hastily making his way towards you once catching you by one of the many gardens, intending to remind you of the power he had, how easily it would be for him to plant the seed of doubt amongst the staff, let it flourish up to the elders, and ruin your and Naoya’s life forever.

Unless your anguished face was to stop him.

It was abrupt, happening in less than a second, yet enough for him to understand it wasn’t because you were upset by some redundant folly, but rather, of pain.

With one of your hands rushing up to your stomach while the other to your back, it was as if the weight of your baby had suddenly become too much to handle; you’d then anxiously looked for a chance to sit down, frowning when realizing the only option was the strenuous engawa in front of you…

Before freezing, face quickly void of any color, when seeing Toji abruptly standing by your side, with mysterious intentions you were not interested in finding out.

“Toji, you— You breathe as you do your best to walk away from him, just for him to keep up with you. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Gee, that’s the thanks I get for getting you pregnant?” he sneers. “Never thought you to be as prejudiced as the rest—”

“What—what is wrong with you?!” you condemned, snatching your arm from his grasp. “How dare you?! Don’t you ever say something like ever aga—ah!”

“Y/N.” Toji’s eyes widen when he sees you lean forward, wrapping your arms around your stomach as you hiss and cuss, while tightly closing your eyes in what he recognizes strenuous pain. “What is happening?! Are you—”

No.

Could it be? And so soon?!

”Are you having the baby??”

“What? N—No—!” you whimper, squeezing tears out of the corners of your eyes. “It’s just—it’s just this pain that comes and goes sometimes—I—I need to sit down—”

Toji doesn’t hesitate to help you onto the engawa by firmly, yet gently, holding your arms and lowering you down to the wooden floor. You didn’t plan on accepting his help at first, but when a sharp pain reminds you that you couldn’t really pick and choose in this situation, you end up agreeing.

Once seated, Toji concludes this was much better off in the hands of a staff member, or even a doctor if he could somehow manage to do that, so he quickly stands up and turns towards the hallways—but the moment you see him take as little as a step away from you, your hands fly to grab his sleeve, stopping him on his tracks before looking up to him with the most pitiable look on your face.

“Stay.” You breathe, swallowing. “Please.”

And whether because of your pleading, teary eyes, or because it had been so long since he’d basked in your warm company, Toji obliges, soon taking the spot besides you as your hand now securely gripped his, with such an unprecedented force that has him both amused and concerned by your pain, while offering whatever little comfort he could with his touch.

It’s in these quiet yet tense moments that he finally gets to see the certainty of your situation.

While you expected to happily enjoy your future life as a mother, relish on the compliments of those around you, the praises of your in-laws, and the company and support of your husband…

Reality had been nothing short of deviant from your dreams—starting from the high risk your pregnancy was labeled as…

To the haunting consequences of your past actions.

“Are you sure this is normal?” Toji asks, seeing that your pain was not subsiding. “I think you need help—”

“No shit, Toji!” you gasp, he raises an eyebrow. “I mean—I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, princess. It’s nothing I’m not used to already.”

“… is that—is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“No. Not really.” He snickers, a smile that’s quickly wiped off his mouth when hearing you hiss. “But I’ve seen it work with others, so why not give it a shot?”

“I’m not—I’m not going to do that.” You huffed. “I—I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“But you’d ignore me?”

“If you’re here to scold me, this is not the right time.” You hiss again, feeling a sharp pain attack your lower back, making you press your lips and whine.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to do something? Bring you something to drink—or… something?”

“Yes, but—but it’s not like you can help me anyways.” You confess, he frowns.

“What? Why? How hard is it to get something for you to take?” he scoffs.

“They don’t want me to—they say—they say it might hurt the baby.”

Toji blinks.

“And so, what? They’re just going to leave you to suffer?”

You don’t respond.

He sighs. Toji should’ve known better.

“Where does it hurt?”

“My—my back and stomach” you breathe, another sharp bolt of pain on those places precisely, making you hold his hand even tighter, once again, he’s surprised someone like you could even dent his skin. “And no matter what I do—nothing helps! Not even that stupid warm bath, or the massages Junko-san told me to do—”

The desperation for failed solutions after failed solutions is clear in your voice, a consistency that effectively shows your growing frustration at being reminded again and again that not even when carrying the future of the Zen’in, are you respected as a person.

It’s always the needs of others first, the beliefs of the rest—only this time around it was your baby, although through the twisted words of your in-laws.

“I’m so, so tired of feeling exhausted, I just want to—”

“Let me try.” Toji interrupts, offering a solution that initially catches you by surprise, a part of your mind urging you to decline and get away as far as possible, the dangers his closeness could give are far bigger than you’re willing to put up with—

Yet, another part of you is telling you to allow him, if only for a moment, to help you.

To enjoy his company, something you’ve been unjustifiably deprived of.

Something you should’ve had now more than ever due to your pregnancy, but for many painful reasons, you didn’t.

But just because you wanted it, does it mean you should?

…

It wouldn’t be the first time you succumbed to these desires.

Thus, the decision is made when freeing his hand and gesturing to him to proceed with a nod. Toji then places his hands over your shoulders, firmly pressing his fingertips against them before beginning to ease the tensions and stresses away from your body through circular motions.

Had you known of Toji’s talent, you would’ve asked for massages more than anything else from him—for the way he carefully worked over your knots, starting from your neck and shoulders, down to your spine and to your lower back… it was simply amazing.

And for a moment, it’s like you’ve forgotten the strained relationship you had with him in favor of wondering where he even learned to do something like that.

“Oh my god—” you sigh, shoulders relaxing as Toji continues to massage you. “This is so much better…”

“Well, know you can always count on me to make you feel better, right?” He teases, your satisfaction dwindles for a moment with a frown. “It’s just a joke.”

“It’s not the time for jokes.” You respond. “but at least my back doesn’t hurt anymore….”

“That’s the reason why you’re so tense— it’s because you can’t take a joke.” Toji adds, as if he were finding out how much he could push it before you snapped. So much for his concern… or perhaps it was his way to lighten up your mood?

“Yeah, how horrible of me—it’s not like I’m carrying a baby.” You chided, and once again, his arrogance is smacked out of him.

After a moment of silence and brief repentance, Toji speaks.

“How did Naoya take it?”

“…I don’t want to talk about that.”

It went bad. If not horrible.

Naoya was excited at first, over the moon to know that he was finally to be a father after all their attempts.

But when doubts began to plague his mind, eventually leading to the DNA test… his absence was the clear indication of his feelings.

However, if his reaction hurt you and your marriage so badly, then why did you keep the—

“I always wanted a family.” You say, succumbing to one of the many questions you rightfully assumed Toji to have. “From the moment I married, no, even before that, I knew that’s what I wanted in life. To have a little girl, or boy, that I could endlessly dote and spoil on… And once I got with Naoya, realizing he too shared my dream, I literally felt it was only a matter of weeks before we’d have our own family.

But, when we began to try, and try, and try… what I once felt just by my fingertips was slowly transforming into an impossible dream.

People say that these things happen unexpectedly, just when you need them the most.

… and I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Remain hopeful and believe that the gods had other plans for me in the meantime. But… the two of us knew it. There was something wrong, and we didn’t know what—

Or more like we didn’t want to know.

Naoya couldn’t even consider himself as the possible cause. And I… I also didn’t want to believe I was the obstacle between me and my dreams.

And then, you came along.

I guess it’s the weight of our actions that eventually made Naoya… hesitant for the baby.

We always knew that it was yours, it’s just that maybe… maybe we hoped it wasn’t. We so desperately wanted to believe the baby was his, ours, and not fruit of something we perhaps should’ve never done.”

Feeling both confused and slightly angered, Toji scowls.

“I can understand one thing—I was used. Fine, whatever. Nothing new. But the rest? If it was such a big issue your marriage, then why did you keep the baby? Surely Naoya considered getting an aborti—”

“Because I wanted to keep the baby.” You confess. “I was growing so desperate and lonely—to be married and yet be as isolated as I’ve never felt before, what was I supposed to do?! In a house full of people… do you even know how that feels?!”

“Like you wouldn’t imagine.”

Your eyes widen, and soon, a crushing wave of regret inundates your mind.

“I’m sorry.” You murmur, Toji sighs. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You’re just stressed.” He concludes. “Pregnancy stuff, I guess.”

“…I want my husband, here, with me.” You quietly admit. “I don’t want him to work anymore, spend days and weeks far away. But instead, he’s out there, angry with me and the baby…”

“He’ll come around.” Toji doesn’t know why he said that, only that he had to. You frown.

“How do you even know that? How do you know he won’t divorce me—or worse, cheat on me?”

“Do you hear yourself?” he scoffs, partially holding back his laughter. “Do you actually believe he’d be capable of cheating on you?”

A woman as special as you?

“Everyone else did at one point.” You remind him, he rolls his eyes. “Well, what else am I supposed to think after his absence?! He doesn’t even love me anymore for all I care!”

“That’s stupid.”

“Maybe for you it is.” You cry, tears begin to pool in your eyes. “It’s just a matter of time before he files for divorce and leaves me for someone else! Someone that can give him children of his own! Oh, I should’ve never allowed—"

“Naoya isn’t going to divorce you because I’ve seen how he treats you.” Toji interrupts, hurt by your blatant disregard of him, and yet, something about seeing you so distressed like this, heartbroken, makes him want to console you even more. “He could’ve divorced you the moment he saw the results, but he didn’t. Have you thought about that?”

“Perhaps he’s waiting for the right moment to humiliate me before his family—”

“Naoya loves you.” Toji says, and the words hurt him more than he anticipated. But… why? “I’ve known the kid since he was born—I’ve seen how he treats the people he doesn’t care about. And you’re nothing like that, not even close. So no, he won’t humiliate you.”

“And what makes you think that?”

Toji goes silent.

He’s acting as if he doesn’t know why he’s out here insisting so much on comforting you. And honestly? It made sense, for just a few hours ago he couldn’t care less any for a woman that played with two men and now had to pay the consequences—

But the truth wasn’t as cryptic as he liked to believe. All that he needed to do was dive a little deeper into his own thoughts and he’d soon find out why, as clear as day, he was fighting so hard to make you feel better.

And it all started the moment he accepted one crucial detail:

You were the mother of his child, his firstborn, and so… it unknowingly evoked a sense of protection towards you, deep underneath the layers of his disbelief and mockery…

Or more like further developed.

Since the first night the two spent together without Naoya, or perhaps even before, there was something brewing inside him, slowly, but surely. The first foundations of the feelings that would only flourish the night he had you alone, completely for himself.

In those moments of solitude, Toji liked to imagine that you were his wife; accompanying him underneath the covers, seeking his embrace, his touch, while telling him of your tedious day and how you so desperately looked forward to seeing him again—

And not Naoya.

The possibility of coming home to a warm bed, with a wife that treated him like an actual person, not a stain in the long history of the clan, contrary to the cold, empty room he has been condemned to since birth… is something he didn’t know he wanted, until you stumbled onto his path.

To be able to seek your figure whenever walking across the estate, hoping to catch you just around the corner, gossiping with your ladies about whatever it is that you liked to talk about with them, before you notice him by the corner of your eyes, lifting your gaze and seeing the lovely way your eyes would brighten at his presence—

A wide smile adorning your face, cheeks quickly turning red as you shyly dismiss your staff in favor of receiving him. Running to him to tightly embrace him, subsequently standing on your tip toes to land a kiss on his lips before murmuring the sweetest welcome home and tending to him.

And eventually… getting to hear your moving cries upon learning you’re expecting a baby. After many weeks of trying, both their efforts are finally met with the most beautiful reward life could give, letting your imagination run wild with all the things you wanted to do as a future mother—and yet, you’d still find a way to reassure him that he’d be a good dad.

That the disgrace of the Zen’in, the wretched man no one deemed respectable, less capable of harboring love, was still capable of being a good father. A caring husband.

…

But this was nothing but a silly desire of his, a response to the horrible things he’s endured.

…Perhaps if things had been different, had he been born as literally anyone else but himself… or maybe even met you under different circumstances, his life would’ve been completely different.

One with you, hopefully.

“Toji!” you suddenly gasp, startling him and concernedly looking at you.

“What is it now?” he frowns.

“The baby.” You say, which does nothing to ease his worries. “It’s—”

“It’s what? What’s happening??”

“The baby is kicking.” You reveal, swiftly taking his hand and placing it over your round stomach and onto the area you feel their kicks to be. “I can’t—I can’t believe it, look!”

“What do you mean they’re—”

Toji’s eyes widen.

A kick.

And another. And another one.

You weren’t lying, the baby was kicking.

And unbeknownst to him, this was their first time doing it too.

“Can you feel that?” you say, and all past worries were now replaced with excitement and overwhelming happiness for this special moment. “The baby is finally kicking!”

“I… can.” He demurs, trying his best to comprehend what was happening just beneath his palm, before noting the peculiarity of your sentence. “What do you mean finally?”

“It’s the first time he does it.” You reveal. “It’s supposed to happen around this time, but I didn’t know when, of course. I guess… now’s the day.”

“That means…”

Naoya didn’t get the privilege of feeling the baby’s first kicks.

No.

Not any baby.

His baby.

And now that this truth settled in his mind, it quickly became the sweetest moment he had ever experienced in his life. Something he wishes to preserve for all eternity…

Just after dealing with the enormous sense of guilt and shame settling in his heart.

For how could he ever consider bestowing the same fate as his to this innocent child, just to get a rise of the family that wronged him? Towards someone whom he hasn’t even met… simply because he couldn’t deal with his own emotions?

Just when did he turn so despicable? Embracing the kind of malice as his clan?

He should be ashamed to even be beside you.

“It’s a boy.” You say, abruptly cutting through his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“The baby—it’s a boy.” You repeat. “We’re having a boy.”

Toji doesn’t know why, nor thought it possible, but the news somehow makes him feel even happier.

“A boy.” He repeats. “A son.”

“We haven’t decided a name yet” you confess. “I was thinking something in honor of Naoya, continue the tradition like him and his father.”

“Why not something for you?” Toji suggests instead; his concern might be disguised in favor of your emotions (and partially, he was) but it was mainly the distaste of having Naoya’s, or technically Noabito’s, name anywhere near him.

But he wasn’t going to tell you that, obviously.

“After the way he’s acting, you deserve that much.”

You press your lips together before lightly chuckling, finding some truth behind his words.

“I guess so… but then, which name?” you ponder, frowning as you go deep into thought, yet nothing seems to arise for the occasion, certainly not when you’ve done nothing but consider names with the same kanji as your husband whenever touching the subject.

Thinking you needed more time to consider, or perhaps needing to admit there was nothing else you wanted but honor your husband, you accept defeat with a sigh.

“I don’t know, Toji. Maybe I should just name him after Nao—”

“Megumi.”

“What?”

“Megumi. Blessing.” Toji explains. “I thought it’d be fitting with what you told me.”

“That’s… very straight forward.” You say after a few seconds of quiet consideration, “Unusual, since it’s mostly used as a girl’s name, and I don’t know if the elders would approve—”

“Look, if it’s that much of a problem you don’t have to use—” Never one to happily accept rejection, Toji quickly feels both embarrassed and frustrated by you, which he does not hesitate to let you know.

Only to be surprised yet again.

“But also, very sweet.” You smile, briefly looking up to him before glancing back to your stomach and onto your hand resting on top of his.

He blinks, perplexed by your sudden admittance—and such, all he can do is stare at you while you keep pouring your heart out.

“Even with the things I had to endure to have him here… he’s still my blessing, and I wouldn’t want him any other way.”

At your declaration, Toji is pushed down onto another turmoil of emotions.

It shouldn’t be that hard to conclude this is something he should isolate himself from.

Remember that he isn’t part of this marriage, no matter if he had permission of the other two involved, or how much he tries to convince himself—Understand that his blood means nothing, both inside and outside the clan, and that’s how it’ll always be.

But when your hand gently squeezes his for a moment, thumbs caressing his knuckles as you let him know your pains are slowly disappearing and how grateful you are for his help—all his worries are quickly discarded, allowing him to once again imagine live out this faux reality a bit longer.

A happiness that comes from the notion of being your husband, simply enjoying a quiet afternoon, the refreshing spring breeze, while sitting by the engawa, in front of your favorite garden, trying to make up for all the time he spent away from you.

Time Toji knew he should’ve spent either way by trying to get close to you, see your growth firsthand, check on you from time to time, assist whenever possible— instead of plotting a stupid plan to ensure your and the baby’s downfall.

He reproached himself for having fallen for such an arrogant trap, and convinced himself this was the way to go.

Yet, he didn’t allow that thought to interfere much with the present. He shouldn’t either way—not with the lovely bumps of his son’s kicking against his hand, almost as if he recognized it was his father finally acknowledging him…

And certainly not with your warmth reminding him of what could’ve been.

A moment he’ll preserve in his memories for the rest of his days, because while relishing in your company, he had already made up his mind.

One that fitted with the idea that all good things must come to an end.

Especially those that are simply not meant to be, less for someone as disgraceful as him.

It hurt him to come to this conclusion. To acknowledge what his mind, and existenceconstantly reminded him about.

But he knew he had to do it.

From that point forward, he’ll do everything in his power to keep away from you.

Toji would no longer watch you from afar, nor ask for your whereabouts, whether directly or indirectly.

He’ll simply limit himself to hearing of your wellbeing, or how your relationship began to flourish yet again, through rumors of the staff, if he was ever around the estate to acknowledge them.

He was right when he said Naoya would come along, you know? He might be wrong in some things, or most, but when it comes to judging other’s character, Toji never misses.

It was nothing but obvious that Naoya loved you very much, after all, if he no longer wanted to know anything from you, you wouldn’t have lasted as long as you did.

Naoya kept you at the estate, fed, warm, tended for, because he loved you—to the point of going against his own clan to provide you with the much-needed assistance you required for your oscillating pains.

With such gestures, it shouldn’t come to him as a surprise that you also loved Naoya very much.

And yet, it hurt him to realize such a thing.

But who was he trying to fool?

At the end, he had always knew he had no place in that marriage. No matter how much he tried to convince himself that the reason you kept returning to him was because you wanted something more from him—it was never the truth to begin with:

Your mind was always in Naoya’s wellbeing, and in his love.

He was ultimately a step towards your goals. Whether for pleasure, or for something deeper, it didn’t matter—they all went to the same target.

So, when he hears from the gossiping staff that you’ve named your child Megumi, he doesn’t get his hope ups anymore.

Instead, Toji simply takes it as what it is: a way to thank him for the blessing he’s given you, honor him one last time, before cutting ties with him forever.

Because the moment anyone catches wind of his relationship to your son… everything will collapse, and that is something he is no longer willing to allow.

Thus, he stays away. Keeps his distance from you and Naoya as both continue to tend for their growing family, giving Megumi things he had only dreamed of getting:

A warm, cozy bed to sleep in, where he’d be able to dream about all kinds of things he’d like to do when the following day arrives.

A roof over his head, guarding him from the cold pours of the rain, or the burning rays of the sun, as he watches the world go by.

Food to fill his stomach, every day, whenever and whatever he wanted, ensuring his healthy growth or an occasional craving.

A set future that would reassure him of any misgivings, permitting him to fail and not worry if he’ll have anyone to back him up, or start from zero.

But most importantly—

Love.

To remind him that no matter what happens, whatever he does or doesn’t do, he’ll always have a family to support him just the way he is.

…

Yeah.

It’s clear to him now.

It had always been better this way.

In other words, Toji disappears from your and Naoya's life to ensure your safety. Woaaah. I hope I was able to convey that kind of sad redemption (?)

Also, I was debating whether to actually name the baby Megumi or not, since it's a whole other character—but then I thought, why not? and thus this happened.

I guess we get to the conclusion that if there's one person that's most deprived (and in need) of love, it would be Toji. We all saw how he got after mamaguro died... so I think him doing an 180 to protect the mother of his child and son is 100% accurate and sad omg. jesus, how different from the Toji I portrayed in the previous oneshot.

Anyways, I hope it was to your liking :3 Thank you for sending in this ask, I really enjoyed writing it!

Take care, and hope to see you soon ❤️❤️

#ask #jjk toji #toji x reader #toji fushiguro #toji x you #naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk angst #jjk x you #prompt series: jujutsu kaisen

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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 10 months

Text

Chevalier's Sequel Chapter 11 Spoilers (Information about Tanzanite, Achroite, and Kogyoku princes)

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors.

Chevalier: "First, about Tanzanite. It seems that all their current policies are dictated by the will of their Living God."

Gilbert: "Is the living god Azel Radwan?"

Chevalier: "Yeah. Tanzanite was originally a deeply religious country, but the fervor has been increasing each year due to the man born with the mark of the god."

Chevalier: "Now, the entire population is devout believers, believing in the words of God."

Chevalier: "There's no doubt that Azel has some involvement in this alliance, though the purpose is still unclear."

(What's this? I feel like I know the name Azel even though I shouldn't.)

Gilbert: "I see. And what about Achroite?"

Chevalier: "It was originally a strict rule-of-law state, but recently the prince, a military man, has been actively reforming the laws."

Gilbert: "I know. Matthias Osbrink, right?"

Chevalier: "That's right. He is called the guardian of the law, but his method is said to be a little too meticulous."

Chevalier: "He destroys evil and values justice. That's not necessarily wrong, but there are rumors that some people think he goes too far."

Chevalier: "It's unclear what the connection is to the alliance, but the only unusual thing about Achroite right now is that rumor."

Gilbert: "I see. We can't say much because we don't even know if Matthias is directly involved in the alliance."

Gilbert: "As for Kogyoku, we might have some information, but what about you?"

Chevalier: "As everyone knows, Kogyoku is in a state of disorder, and many forces are struggling day and night for the country's unification."

Chevalier: "Since there is no clear national leader, the focus is on who made the alliance in the first place."

Chevalier: "The forces that have recently gained momentum in Kōgyoku are led by the Second Prince."

Gilbert: "Was it Kagari? I heard he was the second son of the Amagase clan, a royal family in Kōgyoku."

Chevalier: "Yeah. Originally, he belonged to the legitimate royal faction."

Chevalier: "However, for some reason, he defected and is now building his own faction, aiming to unify the country."

Chevalier: "It's possible the royal family formed the alliance to counteract his movement, or the second prince's faction formed it to strengthen their position."

Chevalier: "This is all we know at the moment."

Gilbert: "Fufu, thank you. I learned that the people of Rhodolite are more capable than I thought."

(I heard stories I'd never heard before. I will remember them properly.)

Chevalier: "If we can reach an agreement with you, we will send people not only to those three countries but also to Benitoite and Jade, as they may have some useful information."

Gilbert: "Yeah, it looks like teaming up with you is not a bad idea."

Gilbert clapped his hands with satisfaction and looked at the nobles sitting beside him.

Gilbert: "I want to join forces with Rhodolite, but what about everyone else?"

#ikemen prince #ikepri spoilers #ikepri chevalier #ikepri gilbert #ikepri jp #ikepri #gilbert von obsidian #chevalier michel

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irradiatedsnakes · 6 months

Note

i need to know more about pennybun i have fallen deeply in love

PENNY MY BEST FRIEND PENNY!!!!

(by @/skypiea)

penny is my first tav and i love her. she's a white dragonborn circle of the spores druid. i finished her first playthrough a couple weeks back, and i've started on a second playthrough with her! slightly edited, and now that i understand more about the game and the story i'm refining her character and story. i missed a lot of stuff on that first playthrough!

pennybun's name comes from the mushroom, by the way. i'd decided on that before i knew that there was a mushroom-themed druid circle in this game, i was GOING to choose moon, but, like. it's perfect. penny buns aka porcini aka king bolete aka Boletus edulis are an edible mushroom that symbioses with the roots of pine trees. they're part of my research and they're quite adorable

she's from a circle of druids located in the shelterwood- a dense forest near baldur's gate. she grew up in the city proper- or at least, on the edges of it- before moving out to the woods to pursue life as a druid.

she's solidly good-aligned- as my first playthrough, her story is kind of the best-case-scenario for everything, savescumming the hell out of some fights (good god the last light fight with marcus). everybody gets their good ending, everybody gets saved, that kind of deal.

she had a generally good relationship with everyone in the party, but gale, wyll, and karlach are her best mates for sure. i missed out on romancing karlach the first go around, but we're doing it on penny's second save file. it's happening.

she's also quite close with shadowheart, especially after the events of act ii. her relationship with lae'zel is more tense.. but i'm still working on figuring out that exact trajectory- missing a lot of lae'zel's storyline was one of the biggest mistakes i made in the first go-around. she and astarion never get close, but there's not any malice there, either.

she's good friends with jaheira, the two get along like a house on fire, and she looks up to jaheira a lot. she didn't have a lot of time to get to know minsc and boo, but they were plenty friendly in the short time they crossed paths. halsin, i need to work on, i also kind of fucked up his stuff first go-around by neglecting to fix the shadowlands. to be updated when i reach act ii in Penny The Sequel.

overall, penny's a big ol goody-two-shoes. she wants to help as many people as she possibly can, and feels a massive weight on her shoulders because of it, having been thrust into this leadership role by apparent pure chance.

while i'm still working it out, the central theme of pennybun's story is trust, and who she puts it in. an early decision i made before knowing anything about the story was that penny trusts the Mysterious Dream Guardian completely and totally, which made for some EXTREMELY fun character moments later on- utilizing the tadpoles (her and gale both), becoming partial illithid, and eventually in act 3 losing her trust in and culminating with her turning on the emperor, plus her own ceremorphosis to wield the netherstones against the netherbrain.

gear-wise, she uses the default druid armor for most of the game, switching to the armor of the sporekeeper in act 3. she assembles the mourning frost in the underdark in act 1 and it remains her favored weapon for the rest of the game. she also wears the key of the ancients, and just before the start of the finale gains the nymph cloak.

other assorted Penny Facts:

she keeps a detailed log of every camp dinner the group has. good food is very important

she has a soft spot for parasites. part of why she was receptive to the idea of utilizing the tadpoles, and also part of why she lets astarion take a bite from time to time.

she got her eye poked out by volo

she has a -1 int modifier

she's a lot keener on necromancy than you might expect a druid to be. she views necromancy and the undead (for the most part) as a natural part of the cycle of life- after all, everything will eventually return to the dirt to be eaten by the fungi and the other decomposers, no matter how prolonged it is.

it is imperative that all her friends (karlach excluded for reason of cool hair) wear fun hats. ive posted about The Hat Tax before but everyone in the party gets a funny hat. it's so important.

she's my best friend and i love her

#egg-on-a-legg #bg3 #art #pennybun #tav #bg3 tav

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kamimarroco · 12 days

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First time meeting Ren

Good morning, good afternoon and good night everyone! I brought another BTD fanfic that I worked on for a few days, and I confess that it gave me a bit of work. Anyway, the title gives it all away, and also, it can be considered a sequel to my first story. Enjoy it!

As your eyes felt heavy, the complete darkness of the basement was inviting, your eyelids slowly closing in the face of exhaustion and the pain of freshly inflicted wounds. Usually you weren't one to admit this, but your captor really made you feel the worst possible sensation with this last torture session. Maybe he was too excited about the discovery of your immortality and the possibilities that fact opened up for him. You still remember the smile of genuine euphoria on his face when he saw you returning from the dead, breathing like any other living being. At that point, everything went downhill.

Without anything else to do and with drowsiness already affecting you, you allowed yourself to sleep peacefully in the face of this situation. Even though you were still tied to a pole and the pain from the bruises continued to burn, you just wanted to escape it for a moment. Who knows, maybe you'll wake up in your bed and realize it was all just a terrible nightmare. And then, you would laugh and tell your friends about this madness like it was no big deal. If that weren't the case, then you'd be content to dream about cotton candy or pudding, it doesn't really matter.

These thoughts brought a smile to your face as your consciousness switched off, finally being able to rest from this fucking hell, your breathing becoming regular and deep.

[...]

Because you had nothing to guide you about the time, you didn't know how many hours had passed since you slept. The only thing you were sure of was the sound of soft footsteps coming down the stairs, as if someone wanted to go unnoticed. Well, bad for that person, because you noticed their presence the moment they entered the basement. Even so, you didn't bother opening your eyes to find out who it was.

“So you're that immortal girl he talked about so much? Damn, you look just like any other”, a young, male voice said, making you confused and forcing you to finally open your eyes to satisfy your curiosity. "Hehe, I knew you were awake”

Looking carefully, you noticed that it was a young, short boy with visible red hair. You would have considered him an ordinary boy if it weren't for his fox ears and tail. Goddammit, you had no idea your captor had another prisoner.

“If I'm not wrong, either you are cosplaying or you are a beastkin”, you stated your first observations. “And to be more exact, I'm a grown-ass up woman”, your tone sounded a little irritated.

“For a grown woman, you sure don't have the manners of a lady”, arms crossed, the tail twitched methodically, flat ears on the head and a judgmental look on his face.

You sighed, trying to regain your posture. “Right, sorry. I'm probably just taking my anger out on you”, you hoped your words sounded sincere, wanting to lighten the mood. “You know, can't expect someone to be in a good mood when trapped in a basement”

The beastkin looked to the side, seeming to relax for a moment. “It's alright, I know how it feels"

“Yeah, I kinda figured it out”, you said, referring to the scars and the collar around the boy's neck. Some of the injuries on his body were fresh while others were completely healed. “It seems like you've been experiencing it longer than I have”

“You can say that”, he closed the distance between you and him, crouching down to look at you closely from top to bottom. You hadn't paid attention before, but his amber eyes were very beautiful to look at. “Looks like he didn't bother to take care of your wounds. Do you want me to help you?”

“You are gorgeous”, those words left your lips without a filter, making him blush slightly. “I would be very grateful if you helped me”

“Right…”, still embarrassed by the compliment, the boy got up and started searching for something in the basement cupboards. With his back turned to you, you could see the fox tail more clearly and observe its movements from side to side, your eyes completely mesmerized by the animalistic feature. Come on, it's not every day you come across an almost human being with animal parts, this could be your only chance to see something like this.

“Enjoying the view?”, he asked as he grabbed a medical kit, turning to face you.

You immediately looked away, embarrassed that you had been caught staring for so long. “I wasn't looking at anything…”, you made the cliché move of denying your attitude.

“Let's say I believe it”, he chuckled as he crouched down again to treat your injuries, taking some objects from the medical kit. “This might hurt a little, so be prepared”

“Don't worry about me, go on”, you said in a confident tone. As he cautiously brought his hands closer to your wounds, you couldn't help but eagerly anticipate the touch. And no matter how much you mentally prepared yourself for the moment, the cloth moistened with alcohol still made you groan in pain, the burning sensation making you grind your teeth. Still, this was nothing compared to Strade's playtime, so you tried to do your best to look strong during the process.

You could see a look of admiration on his face as you occasionally glanced at him, your attention more focused on the treatment of the wounds. The striking color of your blood, so beautiful and bright… Was that why Strade got excited so quickly?

Well, whatever, the important thing is that your wounds were finally being disinfected, which would save you from future problems. Being already used to the pain, it didn't take long for him to take care of the rest, making you let out a sigh of relief.

“And it's done”, the beastkin spoke as he finished his work, getting up to put the medical kit back in the cupboard. “You surprised me, I thought you would at least complain about the pain”

“I couldn't make myself vulnerable so easily in front of a boy younger than me”

“Come on, I'm not that young”, he put his hands on his hips, a smirk on his face. “Maybe you're just too old”, he chuckled.

“You know, it's rude to ask a woman her age”, you looked at him with a smile on your face, enjoying the moment the two of you were sharing. “Besides, I've been through worse”, remembering the origin of the bruises sent shivers down your spine.

“I know exactly what you mean”, his eyes stared at the ground, his facial expression changing to a more serious one. “Anyway, I think I stayed here too long. He probably noticed that”, the boy stated as he approached the stairs.

“Wait!”, you called him, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to attract attention. “Thank you for taking care of my bruises, and I'm sorry for being rude earlier”, you said softly while maintaining eye contact. “Can I at least know your name?”

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment, but then began to speak. “It's Ren. You can call me Ren”

Ren... It was a beautiful name to say. “It's a cute name, it suits you”, you stated without hesitation. “You can call me by my legal name”

“Really? And what would it be?”

“It's…”

As you spoke your name, you saw his smile returning to his face, seeing a sparkle in his amber eyes when he heard you, ears twitching along with his tail.

“It's a good name, I think it suits you”, he gave you a compliment before leaving. “Maybe I'll see you again, who knows”

“Yeah, maybe…”, you whispered as you saw the boy going up the stairs, hearing the sound of the door being locked seconds later. Without any more company, you sighed, looking at the blood-stained floor as you waited for something to happen again.

#boyfriend to death #boyfriend to death 2 #btd #btd2 #btd ren #ren hana #fanfic #writing #x reader #reader insert #fem reader #ykmet ren

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justalittlehoneybee · 2 years

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You know what. The Hobbit movie are actually really good. Everyone’s expectations were just too high after The Lord of the Ring and expected The Hobbit to be the exact same. But it’s not. The Hobbit book was meant for children and doesn’t have the same themes of LOTR. So I like how they went with a different aesthetic/feel for the movies. While yes they did over do it with the use of CGI and yes they did go off on plot lines that weren’t that great, it’s still good and the people who worked on it tried very hard to please everyone but in the end they couldn’t. People shit on prequels and sequels because no matter what they won’t hold up to your expectations of the originals. In this essay I will-

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wisecrackingeric-2 · 11 months

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Death Island Spoiler-Free Thoughts post!!!

I JUST finished seeing DI last night (In Aotearoa) and oh my GOD???????? It was S O G O O D????????? It ABSOLUTELY lived up to my expectations!!!!!!!! I’m gonna do a spoiler-free thoughts post first and then I’ll post my spoilers post!!!!!! And if anybody wants any clips of the movie I managed to sneak in, please just ask!!

Ok first off,,, holy FUCK that beginning was S O tense. My friend and I were gripping our seats the entire time and it takes place during a pretty important moment in RE history and I think people are gonna LOVE it

And the villains motivations????? His backstory???????? LITERALLY HEARTBREAKING. It’s ACTUALLY GENUIENLY COMPELLING AND INTERESTING. His backstory is all laid out in that beginning scene and dear GOD it’s SO SAD. I’m trying to keep it Spoiler-Free obviously but I will D I E on the hill that him and his “best friend” were actually gay lovers. You CANNOT convince me otherwise

He was also just genuinely pretty frightening of a villain. He has this one repeated ‘motion’ he does throughout the movie that really makes you tense up, and there’s this one scene with a doctor character that had my friend and I on the edge of our seats

Again, his motivations were actually interesting and made sense!!!!!! And him calling out the main gangs respective organisations (BSAA, DSO, Government, Terrasave, etc etc) for being hypocrites was actually a compelling argument!!!!!!!!! It actually made the characters think!!

I’m trying to word this as best as I can without giving any of the plot away, and @highball66 has talked about this in their posts too, but throughout the movie the main gang are called ‘Pawns’ or ‘The Governments Weapons’ repeatedly quite a lot, and it makes me wonder if that’s gonna come up as an important plot point in a future game or something???? It’s very interesting to think about coupled with the implications of their respective organisations being hypocrites

You’ll all be delighted to know there is SO MUCH shipping content in this movie my GOD. S O many good Chreon moments. So many good Valenfield (for both siblings) and Chamberfield moments (in fact, every scene Rebecca’s in, Claire’s in there too :)) Shippers will have a BLAST

Just as expected, Jill and Leon are the PERFECT duo. They’re SUCH GOOD BESTIES, they work off of each other repeatedly SO WELL. They’re constantly giving each other silly goofy one-liners and saying something sarcastic to make the other one laugh, it’s great

Also, I don’t think Leon has a single serious line in this movie HXNSHDNDHXN everytime he’s on screen he’s ALWAYS saying something goofy or silly or making a pun. It’s GREAT

Also, the characters traumas actually get explored in an interesting and compelling way!!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY Jills!!!! Which makes sense cuz the movies about her, but they all get their moments to talk about how X event effected them etc etc, unfortunately none of it really gets resolved but I’m assuming they’re saving that for a future game

Jill’s kinda does???? She has a Good-For-Her moment with the villain which is fantastic and her and Chris have a good heart to heart at the end

Also, Chris Redfield fans are gonna be delighted with his character exploration in this movie

LOTS of references to Re2 & 3. In fact a BIG plot point/ motivator of the movie all stems from RE2, so Raccoon City fans are gonna have a blast!!!!!

Also, HEAPS of old characters are either mentioned or do actually show up!!!!! Nobody that I think anyone would be screaming to be excited about, but still!!

Unfortunately, Rebecca does get the exact same treatment as she did in Vendetta, but like, in the opposite direction…… she dissapeares for basically the entire movie and randomly shows up to save the day. I can’t complain though cuz seeing her work together with everyone else was FANTASTIC

This truly did feel like the avengers endgame of the RE movies, but there were also PLENTY of hints and open ends to a sequel

Finally, this truly was JILLS movie. When I was told that Jill was gonna be the main character I wasn’t really convinced, but M A N she truly SLAYS in this film. She IS THE MOMENT. This is HER movie and it shows

Aside from Leon’s random goofy one liners, I think my favourite part of this movie was the villain. I WISH I could just spoil his motivations in this post because for resident evil standards they’re SO INTERESTING and AGAIN, his thoughts on the main gangs respective organisations leave a lot to think about when it comes to future instalments!!!!!

10/10 movie, would 10000000% recommend. Truly lives up to my standards. My only negative is that Rebecca was hardly in it for the middle half but that’s it. SO glad we FINALLY got to see everyone working together (Capcom, PLEASE put your characters together like this again!!!!!!)

Forgot to add this, but Jill is cannonically a Jurassic Park fan. In fact, the entire last half of the movie is just a giant Jurassic Park reference

And I can’t PROVE this, but,,,,,, I’m 90% sure there was a Mr Beast reference. You’ll know it when you see it

#resident evil #resident evil death island #re death island #death island #re leon #re leon kennedy #leon s Kennedy #leon kennedy #re chris #chris redfield #re rebecca #rebecca chambers #re jill #jill valentine #re claire #claire redfield #valenfield #chamberfield #chreon

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paimonial-rage · 8 months

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follow the wind ii- kazuha

ship: kazuha x reader

synopsis: in which he finally relents

notes: sequel to follow the wind i; please read the prequel before this fic

Hey First!

It’s been a while! I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m the one that visited with Kazu that one time, Tomo! I was the one that suggested to auntie that she start roasting her seaweed as a snack. Kazu told me you have a penchant for glaring, but man, I thought you were going to burn a hole through me when we first met! I was so sure you hated me that I really didn’t expect you to cry the day we left! Oh, I mean, that something would “fly into your eye” the exact moment we headed out.

Before you start worrying, Kazu is alright. While the Vision Hunt Decree caught us all by surprise, we both have found places to shelter us for the time being. Kazu has been worried about you two, though he’s trying his best not to show it. I kept telling him to visit, but he doesn’t want to put you both at risk.

Speaking of which, can I be honest with you a bit? Back on that trip I first met you on the night Kazu turned in early, you mentioned you didn’t think he cared much about you. That he still saw you as an annoying kid that attended his family’s dojo. I think deep down you know that isn’t true. Kazu may keep his distance (which I told him is stupid), but he cares about you more than you’ll ever know. Everyone in his life comes and goes, but he keeps returning to you. Just think a bit about what that means, okay?

Anyway, how has it been in the city? I’ve heard there’s been much unrest. A few people even lost their lives trying to protect their visions. Are you able to get food? The Tenryou Commission thugs aren’t making things difficult for you two, right? If things get too bad, visit the Yashiro Commission. Give them my name and they’ll take care of you both.

Now you must be wondering why I’ve written you. Well, I may have challenged someone to a foolish duel. If things go south, I will need you to do something for me. If I lose, Kazuha will be in danger. He will be deep within enemy territory. I need someone to lead him out. However, if you help me, you and your mother will be put in danger as well. If that’s too much of a risk, burn this letter now. If not, here’s what I need you to do…

—-

The severed blade clattered to the stone floor of Tenshukaku as the dimming vision of his dear friend rolled to a stop a few feet away. He was too late. The duel was over and the divine punishment was dutifully executed. He should feel fine with it. This is what Tomo wanted. One does not question where the wind leads, but accepts its will with grace. And yet… why did it feel so wrong?

His body reacted before his mind did, and before he knew it, he was fleeing with his friend’s dull vision in hand. Rain whipped through his hair as he raced down the hills surrounding Inazuma City. He had no clue what exactly he was doing or where he was going, though in the back of his mind, he was thankful for the archon’s blessing of an anemo vision. The Shogunate soldiers were at least twenty paces behind him, and if he kept it up, it wouldn’t be long until he was in the clear.

At least that’s what he thought until the thundering boom of the taiko drums reverberated from behind. Each strike was like a heartbeat counting down to his demise. And only to solidify that premonition was the sight of quickly gathering soldiers at the entrance of the city. But when he leapt over the water wheel in an attempt to change course, something rammed him and backwards he fell into the water.

Panic overtook him when arms pulled him under the walkway. His flailing and desperation to reach for his sword only made the culprit’s grip tighter. It was only when the soft shushing over the howling of the wind met his ears. Then came his name once, then twice. The familiarity within it willed his muscles to still before his mind could, and the grip holding him relaxed. But just as he began to calm, another emotion took its place.

He spun around in your grasp to clamp his hands around your shoulders. Your eyes widened in shock at the abruptness of his movements and you looked different than usual, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about those things.

“First, why– what in the world are you doing here!?” He hissed. “How did you even– do you realize how dangerous this is!?”

He couldn’t blame you for simply gaping at him for a few moments. Never before had he snapped at you like this, but it didn’t take you long to push him back, hands shaking in fury.

“Do you!?” You growled back, your hands gripping his collar tightly. “Why did you come back here? Who cares if your friend made some stupid duel before the Shogun, don’t you realize how dangerous Inazuma City is right now? Do you want to be killed too, Kazuha!?”

Your voice cracked as your last sentence left your lips. You turned away, gritting your teeth. So you knew. You knew what happened to Tomo.

“You’re so stupid, the both of you.”

He reached out to you before he could stop himself and drew you close. You were always such a crybaby. You were the only person that would shed tears over someone you only met once.

“I’m sorry,” he replied.

Though you stiffened at his admittance, you soon melted against him as a sob tore itself from your lips. How many times did he do this to you, he wondered. Made you cry? All you ever wanted was to keep the things and people you loved safe, but he couldn’t do that for you. How hard you tried chasing after him, but he refused to let you stay by his side. It was a wonder why you kept trying even after all of these years.

“Did you see where he went? Scope the area!”

You both froze at the sound of voices and footsteps overhead. Pressed against each other, you both didn’t even dare so as to breathe until they left.

You pulled back and clasped your hands over his shoulders.

“You must stay here, okay? Only leave when night falls. Head to the beach outside of Kondo Village. Someone will be waiting for you there.”

He frowned.

“What do you–”

Then he finally noticed it. It wasn’t the reflection of the water, your hair was dyed white. And your clothes. Were they the set of his your mother always kept on hand? But you pulled back before he could think anymore.

“Remember, Kondo Village tonight. They’ll keep you safe.”

With each word, you backed out a step into the opening. But his hand took yours.

“What are you talking about!? You can’t. It’s dangerous.”

But you smiled.

“It’ll be okay. Tomo planned this out. I’ll be fine.”

He shook his head.

“No, I can’t. I can’t let you–”

But you pulled your hand from his.

“No. I will do this for you. You can’t stop me.”

Your fiery eyes pierced through him, freezing him still. He hated them in that moment. You were right. Your heart was set. If he stopped you now, he would dishonor your resolve. He’d ruin any last shred of loyalty you had for him. But…

He looked away, gritting his teeth at the bitter distaste upon his tongue. How long had he tried stopping you from following in his footsteps? How long had he tried to keep you safe? You were the only thing in his life that stayed the same. You were the only thing he could come home to. But the control he had over you held no longer. You were to be risking your life for him whether he wanted you to or not.

Whether he may lose two friends within a single day or not.

He didn’t want to say it.

“Be safe.”

But he had to.

“Please.”

Guilt crawled in his chest at the way your eyes blown wide toward his willingness to relent. How many times did he say no to you that you had it set in your mind his answer would be the same? But the expression that took hold next wasn’t resentment, nor bitterness as he expected. No, for what seemed like the first time in his life, you were smiling.

He saw it in your eyes—the relief, the joy, the giddiness. For the first time in your life, he accepted you to stand at his side. For the first time in your life, he let you be his equal. He wasn’t rejecting you, but relying on you to keep him safe. And your heart couldn’t take it. He always knew it. You loved him so much.

So he couldn’t stop it, not when you stepped close, not when you wrapped your arms around his neck, not when you kissed him so sweetly. You couldn’t get enough, and neither could he. But you both knew you couldn’t delay any longer. So when you finally pulled back and rested your forehead against his, you hugged him close.

“Be safe, okay? I’ll see you again, I promise.”

And then you pulled away and ran off, for the first time, from him.

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #my writing #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha #kazuha x reader #this was only a year in the making don’t mind me #… well over a year but sshhh #this is perhaps the most romantic thing i’ve written so i think i deserve kudos for that

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sofasoap · 1 year

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Interlude : Fracturing heart

Pairing : Din Djarin x f!reader. featuring Grogu.

Summary: sequel to Heartbreak, Wrenching heart and Mending Heart .

Reader’s past is catching up to her. A short interlude.

Slightly AU-ish, Din didn’t get N1 after Razor Crest got blown up.he got something similar.

Warning : Mature theme. strong languages.

English isn’t my first language, so I apologise for any mistakes.

A/N:For my sweet @groguspicklejar and @deakyjoe. sorry.I seriously did not expect this to turn into a multi-part story. Originally it was going to be one-shot.. But every time I get to the end of a chapter my brain goes “ BAH, let’s go for angst end and cliffhanger, so everyone can suffer! ( including myself )”

MASTERLIST for prequel and sequel to the series.

Warm wind, and sea of grass.

You close your eyes and enjoy the wind blowing across your face. You can hear the sound of laughter not far away from you.

Opening your eyes again, you see Grogu and two children with curly brown hair running around amongst the flower field.

“Cyar’ika.” A tenor voice whispered behind you as he pulled you into an embrace. Soft kisses peppering your face. His hand glided down towards your swollen stomach.

“I cannot wait to meet our ik’aad.”

You lean back into his chest.

You feel happiness. Love.

You want to turn around and see him. To see his face. The face of your beloved.

“Ret'urcye mhi”

Your eyes open.

Kriff, you've been having this exact same dream again and again for days, since your reunion with Din. Get over it! You slap yourself on the face. This man really will be the end of you. Is the kriffing Force trying to intervene again and tell you something?

Stop fantasising about him, Better get up and get on with your day. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Dragging yourself out from your cot and doing all your morning routines, you see Peli is already up and about, barking orders at her droids.

“OI! Don’t touch that screw…. Wait, I told you to move that over there yesterday! Oh hey, you are up.” Peli greets as she spots you.

“Sorry I slept in a bit.” putting down your caf on the crate beside the speeder, you start taking the panels apart.

“Bah, you need your rest. Besides, you've been working like mad lately for weeks,a bit of sleep-in doesn’t kill.” Peli paused a bit, putting down her holopad. “ You know I can cope with the workload here by myself right?” Hinting at the excuse you have given to Din not to follow him straight away.

Putting your tools down, you pick up the cup of caf again. “ Peli, THANK YOU for your concern, everyone is trying to push us back together, even the force! But I am not ready yet.” Fiddling around with the cup, sighing. “I may have accepted part of his apology, but I just need time to get my thoughts together. He needs it too.”

Truth to be told, you want to follow him. The tuck between logic and heart, and logic is winning at the moment. Downing the rest of the caf you got back to work.

Rest of the day went quite quickly, you and Peli plus the droid works well as a team, you like working here ( even the sand getting into little cracks of everything you own really annoys you ) You feel like the time back in Coruscant, happy again, doing what you are good at, your dream job.

Peli is a good boss, she is almost like an aunty to you. A loud mouth blunt aunty. But she is caring in her own way.

You heard a little coo sound coming from beside you, looking down you were surprised to see Grogu there. You swear this little green pea must have learnt some stealth ability from Master Luke.

“ OH! Hello little Pea, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon!” You pick him up and give him a kiss on the wrinkly forehead. While scratching his ear, you see Din walking up to you from the corner of your eyes.

Tilting your head, you are confused why he is here already. It's only been over a month since you two have the talk. You did tell him specifically not to come back again for a few more months.

Stopping right in front of you, he opened his palm.

A bounty puck and a tracking fob? is that his latest gift for you?

You look back up at him again, with total confusion.

The tracking fob started beeping like mad, he activated the puck, an image of your younger self, without scar, appeared.

Remembering what Din usually says to his bounty,

“ I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.”

Your blood just ran cold.

Din you stupid ass.

Sorry this is only a short interlude. I feel this is a good place to break the story up and leading to the next bit.

Taglist

@frogtits1, @READINGFAN, @memester-png @jake-g-lockley @novaethecosplayer @foxgirl95 @gloryekaterina

Thank you so much for reading, any likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated! 😀

#din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x you #din djarin x f!reader #grogu #mandalorian x reader #mandalorian x you

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controlvariable · 5 months

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myth's game writeup of 2023

i waited until the new year to finish this in case i managed to beat a game during december. i did not. ANYWAY.

this will contain new games as well as games i only got around to in 2023. light on spoilers but be warned

Octopath Traveler II (2023)

as far as i remember, this was the first new game I played this year, and god did it deliver. I've been a fan of octopath since the first one came out on switch in 2018, counting it as my favorite game of all time, so to have a sequel after all this time was thrilling. it did almost everything octopath 1 did and better. new path actions, day/night system, branching stories, fucking boats?? incredible.

my biggest gripe has to be the new hidden classes. I started with throne so getting inventor 10 minutes after my chapter one did definitely fuck up the progression a little bit. I think I preferred ot1 hidden classes. while the dungeons were underwhelming, the boss battles really make you fight for these secret techniques, something absent in 3 out of the 4 hidden classes of octopath 2.

overall: 4/5 BP.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (2023)

xenoblade 3 as the end of the klaus trilogy really didn't sit well with me, for reasons that don't belong on my review of its dlc, but future redeemed fixed nearly every problem i had with base xc3 — both story and gameplay wise. it ties every xenoblade game and even some of gears and saga into a neat little 40 hour bow, and is truly a love letter to the entire series. I can only think of one problem I still have with it. the fucking menu music.

where do i even fucking start with this one really. relatively speaking, I'm a new xenoblade fan, having started xc1 in march 2022 during a harrowing experience with adhd meds, and since then it had kinda consumed me. I finished it in about a week, went on to watch xenoblade 2 because I had heard the gameplay wasn't great, and got my hands on xenoblade 3 day of release.

overall: 5 dance apples.

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

as someone who was not immune to the hype surrounding botw, I had high hopes for the sequel. hopes that were painfully, slowly, fed into a trash compactor over my playthrough. this is another game I got on release day, lining up outside gamestop in the heat, and lets not forget that it's the only first-party switch game with a price tag of seventy bucks.

the game plays like a tech demo. I have a lot of love in my heart for it. the story was better that botw, the world was more expansive than botw, but the problem here is that everything it does is directly compared to breath of the wild. it doesn't get enough time to shine, because we're in the exact same world as 6 years ago, but instead of pinkish black malice we have blackish pink gloom. i much prefer the runes to the zonai abilities, and the sense of wonder that permeated breath of the wild is replaced by a sense of nostalgia that just doesn't appeal to me much.

all of this isn't to say it's a bad game. I think it's a great game, honestly, but a great game that wasn't meant for me. I've seen the insane shit people do with ultrahand, but it just... isn't my style.

overall: 441/1000 korok seeds

Pikmin 4 (2023)

it's pikmin. i dont have much to say about it. it was a lot of fun, loved that part where i bulborbed all over those guys. im not a gameplay reviewer, at heart i mostly talk about story, and a game like pikmin doesn't have much for me to comment on. good fun. lived up to expectations. probably wouldn't replay.

overall: 7500 sparklium

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood (2017)

oh, stormblood... the rage you still fill my veins with. I'm not going to spend too long on this one because I have better things to do with my life than shit on an expansion everyone already hates, but let me make it clear I actually do have reasons for disliking it.

having ala mhigo built up since the very start of a realm reborn, only to have half of the ala mhigo expansion take place halfway across the star, was very disappointing. the monotony of the three areas in gyr abania compared to the three far east areas was very disappointing. the treatment of the people of the steppe and honestly that entire segment in the main story quest was very disappointing. hien, as a character, in his entirety, was very disappointing.

I will say it had strong parts. the 61-70 quests for several jobs were the strongest in their entire story (see: dark knight). the dungeons started to get more interesting. it gave us the quest Child Labor, which is hilarious and I'll never be finishing it because I want it there forever.

overall: 1/3 WHM Lillies.

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (2019)

ffxiv immediately got better the second 4.0 was over. even the patch quests instantly shot up in quality. it's not even funny. the lead up to shadowbringers was the most fun I had had with the game since a realm reborn, and all of the first was heartbreaking to go through even though I was spoiled on That Character's Identity.

the duty trust system (is that what it was called?) made dungeons much more fun. getting to go through hell with alphinaud alisaie and thancred made everything 10x better, even if it was a lot slower. the story, again, heartbreaking — ryne's arc in particular felt like being stabbed by thousands of little needles while trying to play. in the best way, of course. and amaurot... amaurot. getting to quote our favorite knight in there was my 8th umbral calamity.

shadowbringers also marks when a lot of your job's functionality is really unlocked, so doing the level 80 raid series was genuinely a ton of fun. and again the thousands of little needles. i cried at least 7 times during the main story.

overall: 85/100 kenki gauge.

Katana Zero (2019)

possibly my favorite game this year. the protagonist, zero (or as i like to call him, katana from zero,) ticked all the boxes for a character I'd be absolutely obsessed with. true enough, i fell in love. the fast-paced gameplay, the diegesis of gameplay elements which would typically go unquestioned, and the care that seeps through every dialogue choice all solidify katana zero as one of my favorite game experiences ever. I'll leave it at this, because I encourage everyone to at least give it a try.

overall: Yes, that should work.

Fire Emblem Engage (2023)

this is one of the few 2023 releases on this list that I didn't get on launch, because at the time I had relatively little interest in fire emblem as a series. then I made a lot of friends who enjoy it, and in october, bestie sen decided to buy it for me as an early birthday present. everyone say thank you sen.

considering this is my first fire emblem game, i have absolutely no deeper insight into how it matches up compared to the others, and plenty of people more eloquent than me have already talked about that. what I do know is that the gameplay was surprisingly fun as my first tactical rpg, and the story was passable. all the characters were appealing in one way or another, and I'm still mad I had to choose between marrying kagetsu or fogado. they're both my husbands at heart.

overall: I didn't internalize enough of this game to come up with a clever rating.

Fire Emblem Engage: Fell Xenologue (2023)

I was expecting the dlc to continue the main story, so I put it off until I had finished the base game. in hindsight, I regret it, because I'd love to have brought the winds and twins with me to fight their evil versions and alternate universe dad. the story was... alright. I really liked all the small battle interactions between fell characters and our party members which they would've known. I instantly recognized fogado in chapter 1 because I am in love with him by the way.

overall: i dont know. 1¾ dragonstones

with 2024 upon us, I'll probably be writing reviews for games as I play them. I'm trying to use tumblr more as a social platform instead of just reblogging. we'll see how that plays out. if you like any of these games (yes, even tears of the kingdom) please talk to me about them! that's all for now. look out for my mangled thoughts on SANABI and Nier: Automata next :)

#op #long #octopath traveler 2 #tears of the kingdom #xenoblade chronicles 3 #future redeemed #pikmin 4 #ffxiv #stormblood #shadowbringers #katana zero #fire emblem engage #fell xenologue

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lightlycareless · 4 months

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so, I wasn't planning on writing a continuation to the naoya/yn/toji threesome but an anon sent me an ask and the rest is history. This is a sneak peak of that sequel. 🤭

also, I'm slowly writing the new chapter for my main fic in between requests :') thank you so much for your patience!!! I shall do my best to finish soon. ❤️❤️

warnings: mentions of infidelity. mentions of previous smut activities.

the complete version can be found here.

Toji’s not to disclose if you or Naoya came back for a repeat of that night’s succession, though he will admit your pregnancy was not surprising.

It’s not like he could run away from it either, for as soon as news graced the elders’ ears, it’s all the estate spoke of. From enthusiasm to welcome the next generation of Zen’in sorcerers, to the ever-growing hope of recovering their prized cursed technique, which has been absent for hundreds of years…

Expectations for this child were at an all-time high.

But to you and Naoya, all you could care about was the blessing this baby represented.

A family.

The pinnacle of all their yearnings, the fruits of their never-ending efforts finally appearing on the positive pregnancy test you took one morning after feeling particularly nauseous…

And Toji’s, perhaps.

In other words, he really, genuinely, couldn’t care less about what the wimpy heir and his ditzy wife were to face from that point forward.

But when their behavior towards him, the engaging conversations, invitations to drink tea, amongst other activities, drastically cease, to the point of turning on their heel and going the opposite way when facing him��

It didn’t take long for the pieces to fall into place, and when the puzzle was complete, Toji could only laugh.

It’s like an open secret, albeit solely for those involved.

The baby inside you wasn’t Naoya’s.

It was Toji’s.

And this filled him with morbid fascination no other high had been able to provide.

He was very tempted to let everyone know.

Proudly announce the truth to the world, screaming to the top of his lungs that that baby isn’t Naoya’s, it’s mine.

Although for this to work, he’d have to wait until the child was born, officiated as son of Naoya, before he could do any damage.

To see the kind of face the Zen’in would have upon finding out the truth… is one that makes his prolonged stay all but worthwhile.

As well as to know your reaction for the whole ordeal—if you’ve even been able to sleep knowing well that your life was on the line by carrying such a frightening secret in your womb.

You were many things, but he never thought you as delusional.

Or perhaps, you were hoping for this. To have his child. He’d come to believe so after the tight way your cunt squeezed him.

Well, that would only make him the delusional one.

Either way, he suspects that while your secret might’ve prickled the back of your mind from time to time, it didn’t bother you as much as he hoped—not with the way your staff coddled your every move, how the clan would gift you items to celebrate the future head of the clan, per tradition, or how happy you appeared to be with your growing bump, gently caressing it and beaming oh how much you longed to hold the baby in your arms.

It irked him.

To see that even through this deceit, you were still happy.

It was undeserving. Wrong.

Certainly, for a man who has been sentenced to nothing but pain and disgrace since the moment he was born, it’d be impossible for him to grasp the innocence of others.

To understand some were simply with better luck, free to live as they desired, and without having to pay for the consequences of others.

Toji, now more than ever, felt that he was being used. Plucked from his misery, toyed with, and discarded once dried out.

And because of that, his motivation to ruin your and Naoya’s happiness was present as ever in his mind, heading your way to remind you of the power he had, just how easy it would be for him to plant the seed of doubt amongst the staff, let it flourish up to the elders, and ruin your and Naoya’s life.

Until your anguished face stops him.

#naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x you #toji x you #toji x reader #jjk toji #toji fushiguro

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juliedrawz · 9 months

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Just a quick info for those who'd been asking me when my book will be finished.

Even though I can't give you an exact date, I really strive to finish it by the end of next year [ 2024] That's because I'm not giving myself a timelimit. Also because I travel a lot ✈️ and do some other creative projects.

How will you be able to get the book once it's done?

I will make a post and everyone who will want a copy just needs to write me and then decide if they want the physical hardcover one or the E-book.

What exactly is the book about again?

Well, Coco. Generally speaking. Or better said, it's a veeeerrryyyy very detailed mix of a prequel and a sequel 😂 The very main characters are Héctor and Ernesto, then Imelda and Ceci. Second comes Miguel and a few of my Oc's.

The book beginns where the movie stopped. In the middle you'll get to read a lot about the past of the beloved squad. There are also seperate parts that focus on one or two characters specifically. Ernesto for example.

The second half of my book will have a 3 to 4 years jump into the future. This time Miguel's little sister manages to get herself cursed to the other side and so he and Sara (I already introduced her) follow to get her back. This will also eventually lead us to the big climax of the whole story and the ending. (The ending which won't really be an ending either but much rather a new beginning 😉)

Actually, there is SO much going on in my book, I can't tell everything here. Not to forget it would be a spoiler.

What are the themes/topics targeted in the novel?

Trauma/Ptsd, violence and abuse, human psyche, loss, hurt/grief, healing, romance/Love (soulmates, one true love) friendship, forgiveness, family relationships, faith etc.

(This is basically one of the big WHY'S my book is not for children but for older teens/adults 😅🫴) you will have mild spice here and there, yes, but if you expect detailed stuff, sorry amigo 🫡 that's not my territory.

What will be the litte "addings" ?

Since I was totally free to bring my very own ideas and thoughts into my novel, I spent some good amount of time building up and exploring the world of the Land of the dead and all it's magical possibilities even further🤗 I wanted the movie to feel like the last marveling gaze you take at the glittering ocean and the horizon, and the big breath you take before diving down to the big colorful coral reef with thousands of beautiful fish.

💔⚠️The book isn't for you if:

You don't like the concept of soulmates and one true love.

You don't like exploring deeper topics

You don't like redemption arks

If you're very sensitive to strong topics such as PTSD

You're not a fan of Ernesto

If you expect smut/ premarital sex

Can't accept the fact that I bring my christian faith into the story and writing fantasy fiction my way.

🎉❤️ The book's for you if :

You love slow burn romance

Believe in one true love - soulmates

Love Fluff

Love deeper topics

You can't get enough of Imector 💞

You are in for drama

You can handle teasing of your heartstrings

#pixar coco #coco 2017 #coco fan art #coco hector #héctor rivera #coco fanfiction #ernesto de la cruz #coco imelda #imelda rivera #coco ernesto #coco miguel #pixar coco oc #my novel #frequently asked questions

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practicefortheheart · 5 months

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My year in books!

(not the exact reading order)

The Wall - Marlen Haushofer Loved this book, it's really powerful. But it deals with difficult themes and if you are very sensitive about animals, maybe steer clear. Although it's very important to the story and it would be a shame if that would deter you from this wonderful book. Wat stilte wil - Arthur Japin Read this for my book club - there is only a Dutch version as far as I know. I did not like it, so that's probably for the best. A Restless Truth - Freya Marske Sequel to A Marvellous Light - magic and lesbians on an ocean liner. It's a really fun read! Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune This hit hard with my dad recently passed - it was lovely and soothing, though. Green Creek series - TJ Klune If you want to lose yourself to a new series, this is the one. Not what I was expecting, based on his other books, but in the MOST delightful way. The House in the Cerulean Sea -TJ Klune I love everyone in this bar orphanage The Witch's Heart - Genevieve Gornichec The story of Angrboda, Loki's first wife, the mother of Hel, Fenrir and Jormungandr. I really enjoyed this retelling of Norse mythology. Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston The writing wasn't great, but you know - it was fun. Carrie Soto is back - Taylor Jenkins Reid Loved this - perfect summer read (if you enjoy tennis matches) A Power Unbound - Freya Marske The conclusion of the trilogy. I personally vibed most with the first book, but it was absolutely lovely to see all the charachters together and solve the puzzle! Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen A comfort reread. I've read this so many times I can probably recite it in my sleep. Just a solid book. The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights - Bridget Collins A wonderful collection of creepy stories, really really enjoying this! (I'm past the halfway point and I will finish this within the next few days, so I'm counting it!) Also loved the story by Natasha Pulley that featured Mori, Thaniel and Six! Any books you'd like to read from my list? Recommendations for me for next year? (always room on my to read pile) Feel free to post your list and tag me in it! (please!)

#books #nina reads

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oddygaul · 4 months

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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and also just Scott Pilgrim

-footage from Rebuild of Scott Pilgrim

I watched Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, then realized it had been nearly 15 years since I actually read the comics, so then I re-read all of those. I wish I had just done it in the right order to begin with, because doing it this way really scrambled my thoughts about both works. In my defense, how was I to know Takes Off is actually a sequel? What am I supposed to do, read things?

I was pleased to find that the original Scott Pilgrim honestly holds up pretty well. Takes Off is clearly such a reflective work that I was expecting to find the original story a lot more problematic than I had in high school, but… for the most part, it really knows what it’s doing. Yeah, a lot of the characters are shitbirds, but they’re meant to be shitbirds. The entire point of the book is showing us flawed people who intermittently make shitty decisions, and giving them a chance to grow, reflect, and treat the people around them better.

So generally, I still really liked Scott Pilgrim. All the goofy-ass character art and the surreal, unexplained quasi-fantasy Canada bits that made it tick back then still work. This time around, I really appreciated the writing and dialogue for not only its bevy of solid jokes, but for how fucking weird it is. In the past decade or so, I think a lot of ‘quirky’ humor has homogenized somewhat into a particular tone. Call it Whedonization or globalization or internet brain or whatever you want, but it can sometimes feel like anything aiming to be comedic hits a lot of the same beats.

The Scott Pilgrim comics, however, are a weird time capsule and their own vibe entirely. These fuckers just talk like aliens sometimes. They say random stuff, but it’s not *holds up spork* random, it’s “shit sorry I was kind of half listening but I think the thing I’m about to say is relevant” random. It’s less big swings to try and land a punchline, and more of two people letting loose a stream of consciousness at each other, lending a sense of constant confusion to the proceedings. It’s absolute nonsense sometimes, and I was way into it.

This ties into a slight shift in my read on Scott as a character, too. I always just saw him as a huge asshole - and that led to my biggest issue with the movie, which was that Cera plays him way too meek and doesn’t suck nearly enough. Reading the comics again, though, while Scott absolutely does suck, he’s just so fucking head empty that I warmed up to him a bit more. He’s still an asshole that doesn’t take responsibility for how his actions affect others, absolutely, but also god damn he’s so dumb that it softens the blow sometimes.

There were some little details about characters I’d forgotten that I really love - like the fact that Scott is actually a really good cook, but does it purely through intuition without knowing what anything’s called.

Art-wise, I liked it a lot more than I remembered, too; it definitely starts out a bit rough, but there’s a lot of charm to the characters and their weird gremlin mouths. I also laughed at some of the manga inspiration I didn’t pick up on before; everyone’s got big anime eyes, sure, but the grey screentone Clip Studio pattern fills? The hiring of assistants to do polished background work as the author gets into the later volumes? Ahh, classic.

Takes Off was a lot of fun, too. I gather that a lot of the internet fandom is upset it wasn’t a straight retelling of the original story with killer animation, but man, you gotta let creators create what speaks to them. Bryan Lee O’Malley started Scott Pilgrim twenty years ago. He’s been both married and divorced since then. Surely he’s gone through as much growth and change as we all would in such a timespan - how could you expect someone to just re-tread the exact same ground on such a personal story?

I find it interesting how prevalent this trend has become in the past decade or so - a creator or creative team returning to an old work - seemingly out of necessity, as the IP has become such a juggernaut that it’ll happen with or without them - and refusing to just tell the story again by the numbers. Anno’s Rebuild of Evangelion is the closest spiritually to this, but even recent ‘remakes’/reboots like Final Fantasy VII and God of War 2018 have followed the same path - creators ruminating on the strengths and weaknesses of older work from a more distant lens to create something new. They all seem to have arrived at this methodology independently, too (O’Malley said he only watched the Rebuilds once Takes Off was written and well underway); it’s not about chasing the trend of an altered remake, it seems to just be a natural desire to reckon with the past this way.

Because of this, one of the reasons I really wish I watched the show after re-reading the comics is to have a better sense of the evolution, and the change in tone and message. Due to watching Takes Off while having only a hazy recollection of the original, I made a lot of assumptions about how the original work must have portrayed things, to explain what Takes Off’s themes were a rejection of: that by giving Ramona more agency, she’s less of a damsel in distress/prize to be won, and isn’t defined by her body count… when in fact, neither of those are really the case to begin with. Ramona has plenty of agency in Scott Pilgrim, she fights as much as Scott does, and really is only defined by her body count as narrative framework, not judged in-universe by the other characters* **.

*I think some of these misconceptions may have come from having rewatched the movie more recently than I read the comics, as the movie (if I remember correctly, which this entire blog has established I likely don’t) does tend to treat Ramona as more of an passive object. Her subservience to Gideon in the real world (rather than in her subspace mind prison) comes to mind.

**Also, you could argue that the framework of the story itself being ‘guy fight’s girl’s evil exes in order to earn the right to date her’ is inherently placing importance on Ramona’s body count and someone’s romantic eligibility/desirability being defined by that but like… man that just is clearly not the vibe imo

If anything, I think the real lack that the show was trying to make up for wasn’t Ramona’s lack of agency, exactly, but a lack of screentime. Takes Off simply spends more time inside Ramona’s head, letting us see things from her perspective, and understanding the reasons for why she is the way she is and why she does the things she does. In some volumes of the book, she’s aloof almost to the point of feeling like a trope; it’s clear (especially later on) that there’s a reason for the way she acts, but the story just doesn’t necessarily communicate it very well. In the show, with Scott sidelined, we get to spend a lot of time with Ramona, understanding her thoughts and feelings, which is certainly a welcome change.

Anyway, intentions of the changes aside, I wouldn’t trade Takes Off for a straight remake in a thousand years; the sense of utter surprise I felt while watching the story take a hard left turn was exhilarating***. Plus, if the reason you love a series is the characters you’ve developed a bond with, what could be better than canonized fan fiction written by the original creator, showing your favorite characters interacting in new and novel ways? How could one not be excited to see Gideon and Lucas bro out and watch anime together? How could one not be thrilled to see Wallace Wells enact further chaos upon the whole province? More than righting storytelling wrongs, Takes Off is making space to tell more stories and round out everyone’s favorite supporting characters in a franchise that, due to the inherent density of its plot and setup, simply hasn’t had the real estate to develop all of them and let them breathe.

***Having just played through NieR recently, I almost felt like the show had scanned me, detected I had gotten Scott Pilgrim Ending A before, and was throwing some NG+ bonus content at me lmao

As far as the production goes, I was impressed overall, but thought it did suffer from some awkward timing and pacing issues. It’s stiff competition when your inevitable point of comparison is an Edgar Wright movie - even other live-action movies can seem stiff and slow compared to his frenetic pacing and constant cuts - but it still felt remarkably low energy at times, especially in the back half. Now, this is a problem you see a lot in anime dubs; English and Japanese are two very different languages, with different cadences and construction. Since a cast is typically required to dub over already existing animation, the translated dialogue often ends up being elongated and unnatural when it should be a quick back and forth, or hurried where it should have a little more breathing room. Given, though, that Takes Off was not only recorded in English before Japanese, but actually recorded before animation then animated to the dialogue (exceedingly uncommon), I was surprised the show still had this issue.

Regardless, the boarding in the first 4 episodes or so manages to be bombastic enough that this isn’t a problem; there’s a lot of wild camera angles and perspective shifts that keep things dynamic even when the dialogue itself isn’t moving too quickly. The animation highlight for me personally was the fight in the video store between Ramona and Roxy; great idea, incredible execution.

While Science Saru is the main production studio, I was intrigued to spy a bunch of other studios listed in the credits - WIT, Shaft, Ufotable, Trigger - but upon some further research it looks like they were just doing inbetween work.

Also the music includes slapped - I was jamming hard to Kidnapped by Neptune and Konya wa Hurricane, and then that United States of Whatever drop? unreal.

#will's media thoughts / virtual brain repository #shows #comics #scott pilgrim takes off #scott pilgrim

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