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anthemofgvf · 1 year

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Endless Summer: Josh Kiszka x Reader Fanfiction

Part Six

description: you and sammy have been best friends since you were kids, and being around his family was the norm your entire life. when invited to a trip to their family lake house during the summer, you find yourself spending more time with his brother than your best friend. and, one thing has been clear your entire friendship: brothers are off limits.

warnings for this series: alcohol and marijuana usage, explicit content (18+, minors dni), angst, swearing

word count: 8.8k

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There had been a few days that had passed since the movie night, leading into a new week and less time to confess to Sam about you and Josh. You and him had come up with new ways to see each other in private, along with continuing the nightly routine visits and early morning wake-up calls. To say you were a bit relieved you would have to stop sneaking around would only be considered partially true, but hey, it would be nice to let Sam in on your biggest secret yet eventually.

Josh had even stayed in your room once or twice overnight, setting an alarm in the morning to leave you and reside in his quarters. If you never stirred from your sleep when the ringing of the alarm from his phone went off, he would just pepper your face with kisses and let you know that he would be running off to his own bedroom. Although neither of you wanted to separate, you had to for the obvious reasons.

You two were enamored with each other. It was most likely to do with the exciting jitters of a new relationship and exploring one another after years of being unable to do. Even if you had known him for so long, you were still finding new things out that surprised you.

With the past few days, you all found yourself redoing the kayak trip, but you staying in Sam's kayak the entire trip instead of stirring him on about Josh again. You four even went to the local shops and took Josh where you found his mala beads. There were even more there when you all came back, and he ended up buying another pair of them, along with a shirt you told him that you liked on him.

This specific day of the next week was spent lounging at the lake, talking carelessly with the boys about anything that popped into your head.

"Only about two weeks left now, huh?" Sam took a seat next to you on the rocks that lined the lake. You both watched Jake and Josh splash each other like kids, trying to dunk each other under the cool, salty water at least once or twice.

"Two weeks seems like such a long time, but I know it's going to pass by quickly." You whipped over to him with your lips pressed tightly together. "At least that doesn't mean the end of summer."

He nodded at your words with a hum, taking another glance at his brothers before returning his eyes to you. "It also means we have the rest of the summer to do whatever the hell we want. Maybe take that trip to Chicago that you wanted to go on."

An airy laugh exited through your nose as you remembered the night you and Sam spent together that pushed your plans with Josh back to the next day. "You suggested Detroit because Chicago is a 'bit far'."

He shook his head and shrugged with a light smirk. "But you said you wanted to go to Chicago. I'll take you there, but you're gonna have to fork over some gas money." He nudged your arm.

"Fine, but we're going to the art museum." You pointed your finger at him.

"Deal." He nodded satisfactorily.

You two continued watching his brothers scramble in the water, talking and laughing with each other. You rested your head on his shoulder, folding your arms around your legs that pressed to your chest and allowing him to wrap an arm around your shoulders. You took in a deep breath, exhaling it with a pleased sigh that life was where it seemed to be exactly where you wanted it to be. Seemed is the key word, because Sam still hadn't been informed about you and Josh. But you had crossed the long bridge to confirming your feelings with Josh, and so far, that was enough to satisfy you. But as the weeks grew shorter, you began to understand how frustrated you truly were that you had to keep it all a secret.

"Are you excited to go back home, see your family and stuff?" You raised your head from his shoulder.

He met your eyes with his lips twisted as he thought. "I mean, yeah, I miss them, but nothing beats this." He flung his unoccupied hand out to the crashing waters. "Do you say that because you miss your parents?"

"No, I say it because you're always away from your family. Of course, I miss my mom and dad, but I get to see them all the time. Whereas I barely get to see you anymore."

He clicked his tongue and pulled you back into his body that had your head resting back onto his shoulder, rubbing at your arm. "Believe me, I miss you a lot when I'm on tour. But, hey, it's worth it when we get to go do stuff like this. We haven't done a trip in forever together, and we were granted the entire summer just to do whatever we wanted together."

"Who knows, maybe I'll get sick of you by August." You giggled to yourself and felt him squeeze you lightly.

"Rest assured I'm already tired of you. Think I'm going to join my brothers, who I get to see all the time and always annoy me." He patted your arm and left you on the ground as he strode into the water. You laughed with an eyeroll, watching him swim over to his brothers and join them in their madness.

They all called your name, motioning you into the water without telling you what exactly they needed your attention for. You walked into the waters that cooled your sun-kissed skin and swam over to them with a slightly concerned expression.

"Need me to settle some sort of dispute?"

"Quite the contrary, y/n," Josh brought his finger up as he wiggled his eyebrows at you, "we need your participation in a friendly game of chicken."

"Friendly is what you call that game? Sam can barely hold me up and I get dunked into the water every time." You chuckled and flicked your eyes over to Sam, who looked at you with a small, disapproving smile.

"I'm sorry you're not satisfied with your partner. I promise we'll win this time, alright? We can even switch it up a bit and I'll be the one to push you into the water."

To say you we slightly taken aback he would be fine with his brothers holding you on their shoulders was a small understatement, but it was for a "friendly game", so it didn't mean anything to him. That, you were thankful for. And it gave you an opportunity to get a bit close to Josh without causing any sort of suspicion.

"Alright, you're on. Save your strength - you'll need it." You pointed at him.

"Well, I'm not up to bat first." He shook his head with a laugh as he placed his hand over his heart. "Joshua is."

"You should take your own advice, y/n. You'll be eating your words shortly." He gave you a devilish smirk, followed with a wink, and pulled his brother to the shallower end of the lake that you all four would be able to stand in.

"You forget I have a height advantage, Josh." You said as Sam dove under the water to gain you access to throw your legs over his shoulders.

"He'll level the battlefield out for us, don't you worry, 'nervous nelly'." Josh reassured you with a toothy grin as he tapped Jake's shoulders to sink under the water.

Sam rose from the water and had his knees bent a little to keep the heights between you two relatively similar, and you let out an exasperated gasp at the name calling.

"Your first mistake was calling me that." You squealed as Jake gripped onto Josh's legs and holding him tightly on his shoulders whilst walking over to you and Sam.

"Am I making you mad?" He grinned at you.

"Alright, kids, on three." Jake began.

"If your tactic is to get under my skin, it's not working." You shook your head with a downturned smile plastered on your face.

"One." Jake dragged out slowly.

He sucked a breath of air through his teeth. "Seems like it is, y/n."

"Two."

"Not even a little bit, Josh." You glared at him playfully, beginning to raise your arms up in attack-mode.

"Three!" Jake launched himself forward and had Josh landing his hands into yours, both of you forcefully pushing each other back and forth.

You were a giggling mess trying to compose yourself. Sam had helped you fight against his brother, looking up to you and cheering you on.

"Stop going easy on me, come on. Use some of your strength." You teased at Josh.

He mouthed his next sentence to you. "You like force, huh? I'll take that note."

That caught you off guard, reserving to letting go off his hands and shoving his shoulders back. With your hard push, you had Jake stumbling back, but keeping his balance and walking back over to you as he forced Josh to launch his hands forward to land his hands on the sides of your shoulders.

"What was that for?" He struggled with you as you slapped your hands onto his arms and battled for the release of his grasp.

"Shut up." You laughed, teetering on Sam and tightening your grip around his head to lessen his ability to hear.

"What, are you going to make me?" He clicked his tongue and challenged you with a devious smirk.

"Thanks for telling me what you want." You nodded, pushing him back with all of your force and Sam helping you throwing Josh off as he rose to his full height. This had Jake shouting that the whole thing wasn't fair, and Josh falling into the water on his back. Sam tapped at your thighs and jumped lightly, exclaiming at your shared victory.

"Who's eating their words now?" Sam laughed at them. His reaction had Jake rolling his eyes, and Josh popping out of the water as he ran his hands back to smooth his hair.

"I demand a rematch!" Josh shot his finger up to the air. "This time, I'm not going easy on you."

"Alright, Josh." You said and waited for him to resituate himself back onto Jake's shoulders.

"This time, no cheating." He pointed at Sam, and Sam nodded. "On three."

"Hey, she wasn't going to win if-."

"Three!" Jake exclaimed and Josh had clamped his hands onto your shoulders and pushing you back. Sam had barely caught his footing, loosening his grip on you and having you fall into the water.

You sprung up to hear the twin's laughter, giving each other high fives.

"That was cheating." Sam pointed at the both of them with an annoyed grin.

"I didn't say I was going to count to three." Jake shrugged and tilted his body forward to allow Josh to slide off his body.

Josh popped out of the water in front of Sam. "You can take your frustrations out on y/n, though." He shot a glance up to you.

"Hey, I-."

Sam cut you off quickly. "Alright, I'll get onto Jake's shoulders then." He nodded and helped you off of his shoulders smoothly as you slid off from behind him.

You watched as Sam made his way over to Jake and telling him to go under, although Jake told him to give him a few seconds to readjust the muscles in his shoulders.

Josh looked at you with pure amusement. "A bit too easy to get him to allow me any access to you."

You rolled your eyes with a light giggle. "Because this is a friendly game, remember? Not the time to try and get too touchy with me, Joshua."

"Well," he brought his mouth closer to your ears, "it certainly won't be the first time I've been between your thighs."

You pushed his shoulders down, forcing him under the water and waiting for him to turn to give you access to throw your legs upon them. Once he did, he held your thighs tightly, raising up from the water and shaking his hair out of his face. He brought a hand off your plush thigh to wipe the water off his eyes and through his hair.

"What were you two whispering about?" Jake cocked his eyebrows at the both of you. He had kept his sly comments to himself the past few days, but now he chose to make a small one to throw you both off your A-game.

"Strategical tactics, brother. Sam won't last a second, I assure you."

"How much would you like to bet on that?" His lips curled into a smirk.

Sam began to speak. "Can we just-."

"A Jackson." Josh said to him with sheer confidence.

"Twenty? I'm not betting that much on a game. How about ten?"

"Playing it safe because you know Sam will lose, I see." He said, following with a knowing hum. "You got yourself a deal." Josh looked up to you with a wide grin. "Don't lose, alright?"

"Don't think I will." You patted his cheek, looking up to Sam and giving him a challenging look. "You ready?"

"Yeah, ready to shove your ass into the water." He raised his hands up and waited for his brother's countdown.

Once the number three escaped Jake's lips, Josh gripped tightly onto your thighs and pushed you forward with force. You and Sam intertwined your hands with each other, releasing light grunts due to using all the force you had in your body.

You both had fought with each other for quite some time, neither of you being able to overmatch each other's strengths. One of you was bound to give up eventually, but neither of you were prepared to do so.

You then remembered one trait about Sam that was considered a weakness in this situation: ticklish. He always was since you two were kids, especially in his armpits and the sides of his stomach. You began to run your mind through how you would swiftly move your hands to his sides without giving him the upper hand to push you down, so, you locked eyes with him and kept them there for a moment.

"Ready to give up yet?" He said to you with a light grunt.

"Not just yet Samuel." You spoke. He never really appreciated his full name in usage, so when it left your lips, it took him aback. You flew your hands to his sides and began wiggling and digging your fingers into the skin.

"Hey! That's not-." He tried pushing your fingers off of him, but his laughing fit had him unable to do so.

"Push him!" Josh yelled up to you. With a quick reaction, and Josh launching you forward, you pushed Sam's shoulders and had him landing on his back into the water.

Jake pushed your knee, causing Josh to lose his footing just a bit but being able to replant them on the ground in a firm position. Sam swam over to you and Josh and pulled at your ankles.

"I will be expecting my winning money soon." Josh looked over Sam's shoulders and to Jake, who flipped him off in return.

"You're gonna regret that, y/n." Sam looked up at you.

"Are you going to pull me down somehow?" You cocked your head to the side with folded arms.

"I will gladly help you with that." Josh said as his grip ran over his brother's hands and flung you back into the water.

You sprouted up and gave him a hard swat to his chest, only for him to burst into laughter. He just gave you a shrug, and you noticed Sam looking down at you with a light grin.

"You're a piece of shit for that." You pointed at Josh.

"Seemed fair considering you were getting some sort of winning streak. You had to come down one way or another, right?" Sam said from over his brother's shoulder, and your eyes flicked up to him.

"Let's go again then, huh?" You offered, to which you all looked over to Jake.

"Think my shoulders need a bit of a break. Lunch?" He looked between the three of you with his hand clapped at the back of his neck.

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The four of you joined back at the lake for a bit, choosing to relax in each other's presence for the remainder of the time spent outside. Basking in the warm sunlight that kissed your skin, although leaving your cheeks pink, it wasn't something you disliked. It was a reminder of the summertime, especially since your skin was growing tanner than it usually appears.

You all agreed to part ways and take showers to wash off the salty lake water, then join each other in watching the sunset around the fire pit. The usual routine of spending your nights outside became something you grew fond over, especially when it would switch up with a fun game included or Sam taking his turn in playing guitar. And on this night, he did just that.

He strummed the guitar for a bit, playing numerous different riffs that didn't follow a specific song. Just anything that came to his mind he played.

"Think Sam is giving you a run for your money, Jake." You nodded over to him.

He shot his eyes in your direction with a confused expression. "Yeah, he's pretty good, but he can't play guitar behind his head."

Sam scoffed as he stopped his playing. "Alright, well, maybe you can teach me, so we'll be even."

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Jake raised his bottle towards Sam.

Sam leaned in towards you, and said, "I'll learn it one way or another."

You giggled at him, patting his shoulder and edging him on to continue his playing.

The memories you were creating here with them would be unforgettable, whether that be the interesting events that took place every day, becoming closer with Sam and reconnecting after too long of time had passed, or finally being with Josh after years of wishful thinking and doubts.

The fire wasn't lit until an hour had passed in fear of it dying down too quickly. Sam ditched the acoustic and helped Josh get the flames lit ablaze, then both of them taking their usual spots around the pit once more. Jake had even brought marshmallows to roast, along with graham crackers and chocolate to make s'mores. It was like being a kid again, hanging around the fire at night with their family and stuffing your faces of the gooey sandwich.

"S'mores tonight? When'd you come up with that?" You pointed towards the bag that was filled with the squishy, white food.

Jake looked over to you and then to the bag. "When Sam and I were out shopping for groceries. Figured we could eat them while we watch the sunset."

The sun was slowly sinking down the mountainside. It painted the sky with hues of orange and pink while it lowered down into the lake.

Jake had the skewers at his side, standing up and handing two to you and Sam. After doing so, he handed the both of you your own bag of marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey's chocolate that he had stowed behind his seat and out of sight, making a sly joke that he was sure Josh and him would be able to finish their own bags.

You plopped one marshmallow onto the pointy stick, whereas they all followed your motions and began to roast them over the fire.

"So, you guys excited to get back onto the road?" You flicked your eyes between all of them.

Josh hummed for an answer, looking over to Jake as if he expected him to speak for him. Jake noticed his brother's eyes, then forwarded his direction to you. "Think we are all pretty stoked to get back out there. But it's nice to take time off and do whatever we want."

You gave him a small smile, followed with a nod, then whipped your head over to Sam. "You?"

He shrugged his shoulders as his eyes lit up in golden from the fire. "I always love touring, but nothing beats being here. It's like a sense of humanity. You know, feeling normal?"

"You don't feel normal all the time?" You huffed a laugh as you took your marshmallow away from the fire. You blew onto the small flame that overtook the top of it, putting it out and starting to make your s'more.

"Well, I didn't mean it like that," he rolled his eyes with a toothy grin, "meant it like, there's no feeling you can get from anywhere other than home." He turned the handle of the skewer in his hand, before lifting it up and examining his lightly burnt marshmallow. He lowered his voice a bit, flicking his eyes over to his brothers before he turned to you. "And I don't get to hang out with you when I'm gone."

You laughed at his slight change of voice. He was always shy when it came to his feelings, especially speaking them out loudly when his brothers were around. Fear of seeming too soft, seeming too vulnerable.

"Awe, you're getting sentimental with me." You giggled as you brought your s'more to your lips.

"Shut up," he breathed. He smushed his marshmallow between his graham crackers, ditching the chocolate and taking a bite.

You just rolled your eyes off of him and noticed Josh had completely burned his marshmallow to a crisp, taking it off with a satisfactory smile and beginning to make his s'more.

"I think it's still on fire, Josh." You had your fingers over your mouth as you spoke to mask any bits of remanent pieces around your lips.

"Just the way I like it." He gave you a nod, looking over to Jake who just gave him a quiet laugh.

"He likes to burn his mouth." Sam leaned in towards you as he spoke, laughing under his breath.

You exchanged in the laughter and seeing Josh shooting you both a disapproving look. He took a large bite and hummed loud enough for you all to hear, then turning his head over his shoulder to watch what was left of the sun fall down where he could no longer see it.

As the sun began to set, and the stars lit up the sky with the moon, you all went back and forth telling numerous stories from your younger years. Usually, the twins would be the leaders in the stories, but they eventually gave you and Sam the floor.

And there you were again, brought back in time for a moment and forgetting that time passed quicker than you'd like. It was like when you all were in high school, wide awake in their backyard or watching movies in their basement. Time never reminded you that it had taken its course with their lives and leaving you behind in these moments, and you guys aren't who you used to be: four innocent individuals unsure of what the future held.

And those thoughts captivated your mind as you focused your eyes on the fire, beer in hand. You were never much of a beer drinker until Sam and you stole a few from their fridge and drank too many in his backyard after everyone went to sleep. But you still drank it around them because it felt right. Hell, everything felt right when with it was surrounding the three of them.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam tapped your forearm, and you quickly shot your eyes to him with a confused expression.

You quickly gained your consciousness back. "Just, about life. How I'm going to miss the fuck out of you when you leave."

He nodded slowly, clanking his beer bottle with yours and raising his to his lips. "That's my least favorite part about tour."

He knew you were unbelievably proud of them for all that they have accomplished. He knew that you wish them nothing but the best in everything that they do. But he also knew how much you missed him, his presence, your best friend that you would be able to stay awake with for hours on end and fall asleep without realizing it.

He continued. "But hey, we're here together now, right? We've got now to focus on, not the future."

You gave him an understanding nod, taking a small sip from your bottle and relaxing your arm back onto the chair with your hand hanging over the plastic.

There was now another person you were going to miss: Josh. Yeah, of course, you missed him when he was gone before, but things were different. You were going to have to remember how it felt to be wrapped in his arms, to kiss him, longer than you had the chance to. But Sam couldn't know that was plaguing your mind more than him. Because you've gotten comfortable coping with Sam's absence, but not Josh's. Not ever. And now, you were unsure how long that would take.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for inviting me, Sam." You rolled your head over to him. He looked at you with a raised brow, and a smile creeping from the corner of his lips.

"Well, you're welcome." He shot his chin up in your direction. "I'm glad that you decided to come. Reminds me of our trips up here as kids."

"That's what I've been thinking about!" You resituated yourself in your chair to lean closer to him. "It's like being back in time for a moment, except we're all older."

He huffed a laugh, shaking his head and taking another sip of his alcoholic beverage. "That's how time works, y/n."

"That's not," you sighed, "you know what I mean. Like we're reliving past memories."

"Except we're creating new ones - better ones. Unfortunate that they're here to screw it up." He joked, lifting his drink over to his brothers who were caught up in a conversation. They both noticed your eyes lingering on them, so they acknowledged the both of you.

"You guys saying some mean shit about us?" Josh cocked his eyebrow comically at you and Sam.

"No, y/n was just talking about how it feels like we're 'reliving past memories' being here. And she thanked me for inviting her." Sam gave you a quick smile.

"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we're glad you joined us on this trip." Josh gave you a soft smile, keeping his eyes held with yours. Intention and meaning laid behind that look, but only you could decipher it.

"I'm just happy none of you have gotten annoyed with me." You sighed.

"Who said that we haven't yet?" Sam muttered, to which you gave him a back-hand slap on his chest with your free hand.

"Guess that's my cue to get ready for bed then." You said. You had noticed the night had bloomed fully, and you could feel your body becoming glued to the chair. You stood, finishing the last few sips of your beer before saying, "goodnight."

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You had fully gotten yourself ready for bed, laying under your covers and waiting for Josh's arrival. You never needed to ask him to come into your room after everyone went asleep, but you figured you'd shoot him a text.

Hey, waiting up for you. I miss you.

You stared at that text for a few seconds, deciding to delete it and let time be the fate of whether or not he'd come see you. You set your phone down flat onto the nightstand, next to a photo of a family photo of the Kiszka's. It had caught your eye, so you figured you would examine it while you waited.

You heard the door creak, loud enough to forward your attention to the noise, and you saw Josh smiling at you sheepishly, wearing a pair of brown shorts and a bare chest as he creeped into your room with minimal noise.

He turned his back on you two shut the door. Then, he pointed at the picture frame in your hand. "Whatcha looking at?"

You flipped the picture towards him, and he met you at your side and picked it up. A light smile grazed his lips as he began tracing a few of the faces that lied in the photo.

"Sam hated those braces." He chuckled, setting the photo back onto the nightstand and meeting your eyes.

"I remember him complaining about the bullying. I always felt so bad for him."

Josh crawled over you, making himself comfortable under your blankets before pulling you into his side. "I tried sympathizing with him, but he usually just went to his room in frustration."

You had your head rested in the crook of his neck, with one hand placed on his chest and the other tucked between yours and his's bodies. "He was never a fan of showing his emotions."

Josh just shrugged it off, unsure of what to follow it up with. He rubbed the side of your arm, then using his pointer finger to drag it down slowly. He pressed a kiss on the top of your head as he continued his motions. You were truly content with how you were with him, and the thought of Sam wasn't one that you wanted to plague your mind anymore with.

You removed yourself from his embrace and sat on your legs for a brief moment. He gave you a puzzled look, but it immediately wiped off his face once you straddled his waist. You brought the palms of your hands on his chest, running them up and down smoothly as you watched your motions.

Your eyes looked at him through your lids with a coy grin dancing on your lips. You were satisfied with the way his hands fell onto your hips the moment you sat on his hip. Then, he began running them up your sides from underneath your shirt. His hands were cool at first, but immediately melted into your skin once he ran them back down your body.

He leaned up and crashed his lips onto yours. His hand had tangled its way onto the back of your head with your hair looping through his fingers. You had one hand on his shoulder, the other on his face, holding him onto your mouth to keep him from breaking away. Who knew after a short period of time you would miss the way his lips taste?

Peppermint laced his tongue as he met your own, groaning with an open mouth and gripping on your hip harshly. You prayed his fingers would leave prints just as a reminder the next morning that they had grazed your skin.

His lips traveled to your jaw, then your neck, holding you onto his mouth with each kiss. He was sure to not wrap his lips around your neck too deeply and leave any trace of his whereabouts, but deeply enough for you to know he was there in that moment. You had found your nails digging into his shoulder blades, with your mouth hung open and releasing quiet sighs of pleasure. The way his cool lips hit your seemingly burning up skin was a sensational relief, and you began to rock your hips gently against him.

He wrapped his fingers around your chin and brought you back onto his lips hungrily. His hands landed back on your waist to help you steady your pace and feel each motion wherever he could. But you, you could feel him under you, growing harder with each movement of yourself against his shorts.

You found yourself slowing your hips to a halt and pressing your forehead onto Josh's. The question lingered of "should you" and "what if's"? You both seemed to have decided what you wanted, but there was your mind wandering again on worry and safety.

"Hey," Josh looked up at you with his eyebrows pulled towards the bridge of his nose, "everything okay?"

You breathed a laugh through your nose. "Yeah, everything is fine. Just..."

"Sam?" He said, free of emotion.

You gave him a look of disappointment, not towards him, but yourself. You just nodded, bringing your hands to his face and removing your forehead from his. You felt bad that you were still holding back because of your best friend, but that just meant waiting a little longer.

"I'm sorry, Josh. I just-."

He cut you off quickly as he cupped your cheeks. "No, no don't be sorry. Think it's best if we wait, anyways. Builds up more," he shook his shoulders, "tension."

You rolled your eyes, pressing a kiss on his lips with a downturned smile and looking at him with a sigh. "You've got to be the most understanding person I know."

"That's a good thing, right?" He gave you a toothy expression, mouth parted open.

You just gave him another kiss as your answer, then wrapping your arms around his neck while tilting your head to the side.

"Feel a bit bad I'm letting him get in the way of us." You gave him a light shrug. "We both kind of promised each other that he wouldn't."

He resituated himself under you, then wrapped his arms around your back and bringing you into his chest. One of his hands caressed your back, while the other massaged the back of your head.

"You shouldn't," he whispered into your ear, "but I understand where you're coming from. It doesn't upset me; in case you were worried about that - that you're worried about Sam. He's also right next door, so it's best we don't test out limits any more than we have."

"Just can't wait to tell him so I don't feel like a shitty friend for keeping this a secret." You mumbled into his skin.

"Thinking about sitting him down, like an intervention of the sorts, and telling him."

You leaned up and looked at him with your face scrunched up. "That's what you suggest?"

"Would you rather me be casual about it? Just go up to him and tell him like it's no big deal."

"I don't even know what I'd prefer," you shook your head with a short exhale through your nose, "but all I know is that it'll be...interesting."

"Interesting, indeed, my dear." He widened his eyes, then giving you a gentle kiss.

You removed yourself from on top of him and relaxed on the side of him, just like you were moments before you decided to sit on his lap. You sighed with slight relief, but thoughts running through your head of different scenarios of said day that would occur. How would he react? What would he say?

Josh held you close to him as the both of you relaxed with each other. It was going to be the closest thing to you sleeping in the same bed for the time being, and neither of you wanted to break from the moment. So, sitting in silence was comforting enough for the both of you.

You reached your hand out for him, and he intertwined his own with yours. His thumb rubbed the back of your hand as he hummed a soft tune.

"I've always loved your singing." You looked up to him.

He pressed a light kiss on your forehead and gave you a soft smile. "Well, I'm glad you do. Have yet to hear you sing, though."

"You're not going to want to hear my tone-deaf voice, Josh." You chuckled at him.

"Oh, I think I do." He egged on as he squeezed your hand. "A little duet, perhaps?"

"Not tonight, and probably not ever." You gave him a stern look with a quirk of your brow.

"Alright, alright," he sighed, "one of these days I will."

You rolled your eyes and relaxed your head back onto his shoulder. You could feel the usual pull your body had on you when you grew more exhausted, feeling as though you were unable to move from your position. His comfortable heartbeat was practically lulling you to sleep.

"I think I'm going to fall asleep." You groaned, letting your eyes rest shut.

Josh huffed a laugh, placing a light kiss on the top of your forehead. "Then I should probably leave for the night. I'd love to stay for another sleepover, but think I'll just use my bed tonight."

He shuffled himself out of the bed and waited for you at the door. You dragged yourself out from under the covers, coming over to him with your arms ready to be wrapped around his neck and pull him into a kiss.

"See you in the morning, alright?" He said into your lips.

You pulled away and gave him a singular nod. Neither of you liked saying goodbye, rather choosing to say when you two would see each other next. It was an odd sentiment that became some sort of tradition between the two of you. Because, truly, neither of you wanted to leave one another, but it was the unfortunate fate that was given to you both for obvious reasons.

He pressed his lips on yours once more before leaving you, holding your face in his hands with delicacy. The feeling of how soft his lips brushed against yours was one that you always missed, but moments like these were reminders that you’d get to wake up every morning and feel the same sensations all over again.

“What the fuck?” Sam spoke slowly, but annunciated every word from the now open door that you and Josh hadn’t heard creak from its shut state.

You pulled your lips off of Josh’s quickly. You didn’t push him away though, letting him act in his own actions by placing his hands flat on the sides of his legs and looking at his brother in near terror, the same expression you wore.

Your breath grew shaky, and your stomach began to turn and twist into a nauseated feeling. Your mouth was agape as you stared at your best friend witnessing the sight in front of him. Neither of you knew what to say, so you all reserved to silence. Frankly, you felt like you couldn’t move a muscle and were stuck frozen in place. Sam, on the other hand, tightened his grip harder on the door as his jaw tensed up, eyes still blown wide but eyebrows furrowed tightly. This was the most frustrated you’ve ever seen him, and that only made you more fearful of what was to come next.

You were caught doing something you never should have done in the first place, although it wasn’t his right to tell you what you could and couldn’t do. But it was wrong of you to be with his brother in the first place upon his request, and you broke that promise. That promise alone diminished every last ounce of trust he had in you and filled his entire being with disgust. Anger, hurt, disappointment; you name it. All of the negative emotions he could possibly have felt, he did now.

And you, you did as well. You had realized the mistake you made, and seeing how upset your friend was only made the reality of the situation worse. You had hoped that if you just shut your eyes, this would all go away, but that wasn’t how life worked. You had to own up to your mistakes, but you were afraid that if you opened your mouth, vomit would come spewing out.

Josh took in a deep, shaky breath. “Sam-.”

“Don’t say a fucking word to me, Josh.” He hissed; voice shaky as his finger pointed directly to his brother. He kept his eyes squinted at him, as a warning not to speak another word or else he would regret it.

Was he expecting you to say something? Did he want you to speak? If you were supposed to, you had to try and spill some words out of your dry mouth.

You swallowed the knot in your throat in hopes of being able to say something. A sentence. A single word, a sound. But all you could manage to do was stutter for a few moments, locking eyes with Sam as soon as your mouth began to utter sounds.

“I am so, so sorry, Sam. Please, let me-.”

“Let you what? Explain to me whatever the fuck it is I just saw?” He spat at you. His nostrils began to flare as his stare became more intense. “You are not fucking sorry. Don’t you stand there and lie to me, y/n. Unbelievable.” Your eyes began to well up with each word he spat at you. His eyes were already daggers, but his words were like bullets shooting into your heart with each slight raise in his voice.

Your bottom lip began to shake as you let out a choked breath, watching him suddenly stop caring about how you felt. In times where you were like this, he would be the one to console you. But now, that was the last thing he would do for you.

He turned his back on you, and without hesitation you followed him quickly out of your room and tugged at his arm the moment you were able to catch up to him. He whipped his head to meet your welled-up eyes and pull away from your grasp.

“I don't even know what to say to you right now, other than the fact that I'm fucking disappointed.” He stood in front of you, his pointer finger raising up shakily and shooting right into your face. He just watched your eyes become blurry, not even a single hint of sympathy in his face. You knew he wanted to see you hurt, because that’s what he felt. He wanted you to feel as shitty as he did, as horrid as it sounds. But he didn’t care. “And you,” he looked behind you and noticed Josh standing just outside your door, walking over and looking down upon him yet lowering to his level just so he could meet his face properly, “you fucking promised you wouldn't try anything with her. You knew how I would feel, know how I feel about this, but you chose to do it anyways.”

You watched the scene from your locked position, feeling as though you were unable to move. Josh’s eyes began to wrinkle at the sides as his lips pulled tightly into an aggravated look. Now it was his turn to be upset, and you were just a bystander choking on your mournful, regretful tears. “It’s not your fucking choice to make, Sam.”

He was challenging him. He had no fear pent up in his system anymore, instead, a blazing fire that was igniting into fury. And Sam let out an evil laugh, throwing his head back as he shook it. Sam knew that Josh was never one to back down, so this was definitely some game he intended to play until things got messy.

“So, you admit that you don’t give a shit about how I feel then, huh?” He raised his eyebrows loosely. A devilish smirk had coiled onto his lips terrifyingly. He was trying to intimidate his brother, trying to win this game that Josh had begun the moment he shot back at his brother.

But Josh wasn’t usually a fighter He didn't want to start something that would become messy and for you to witness, although you've watched them brawl each other a few times as kids. “I didn’t say that, S-.”

He cut him off quickly with his hands clapped on his shoulders, tugging his brother closer to him. “But you know that’s what you did, right? You disregarded my feelings, my words, everything I ever said to you about how I would despise if this ever happened.” He shook his head in astonishment, with a light scoff breezing out through his nose. He flicked his eyes over to you, seeing how your lips had been pressed tightly together to muffle your cries with a quivering chin. How your eyes were puffy and had begun shedding a few tears down your cheeks and staining them.

Sam turned his attention back to Josh, who rolled his eyes and began to speak calmly. “Can we be civil and talk about this instead of you trying to make me feel shitty about this? I know you’re upset, Sam. But, I think you can grow some common sense and let us talk to you-.”

“No.” He pushed his brother back lightly as he removed his firm grip on his shoulders. He looked at you again, waiting for another tear to fall from your face. “The fuck are you crying for? Surely you’re not because you feel bad about this.”

“I do-.”

“No,” he stomped over to you as he raised his voice, “you obviously don’t! You’re crying because you were too stupid enough to get caught, y/n! You don’t feel bad. If you did, you never would’ve done whatever it is you two have been doing in the first place. Are you happy? Are you satisfied that you did the one fucking thing you promised me you would never do? Congratulations, y/n, you really outdid yourself with this one.”

Your breaths were quiet cries to him, letting your mouth open as your eyes flicked between his own. He had never yelled at you like this, never talked down to you like this. It was the most gut-wrenching thing you could ever experience. You just wanted this all to go away, for this all to be a twisted nightmare that you could wake up from.

“Why are you being so mean to me, Sam?” It was a stupid question you were asking, but it was one you wanted to say out loud. There was the obvious reason why he was upset with you, but how he was dragging you through the dirt only made you feel like you didn’t know him. You never saw this side of him before, and frankly, you didn’t recognize who stood before you. It was mortifying to watch him just stare at you as if he could care less you were very much upset about this. In fact, you could even get the sense he wanted you to cry.

He just laughed at you, leaning his head back as he continued his laughter to himself. “Can’t believe-why am I being mean to you? Are you fucking kidding me?” He brought his hand to his head as he looked around the dim hallway with an evil, toothy smirk plastered on his face with disbelief. “You destroyed the trust I had for you. You think I wouldn’t be upset by this? Is that what you expected?”

You let out a choked cry. “No, Sam-.”

“And yet, you chose to sneak around with my brother. Disgusting.” He spat, pressing his lips tightly together with a light shake of his head. He looked towards Josh, who was breathing deeply by the way his shoulders rose with each inhale of air he took. “Fuck you.”

He walked back to his room without another word to you both and you grappled enough force to move yourself towards him, watching as the door shut loudly in your face. Your legs felt like jelly with each step, eyes barely of any help with how your tears filled your waterline and blocked your vision.

You banged on his door with the sides of your fists, screaming his name as you cried. “Sam, Sam please open the door.”

You continued your actions, calling for him again and again. “Sam, please. Please can we talk about this? Sam!”

You were growing exhausted. You could feel your legs wanting to give out with every harsh knock on his door. You were practically using all of your force. “Sam,” you choked out quietly, “please.”

You sunk your hands down from the door, lowering yourself to the floor as an uncomfortable knot bubbled in your throat. Your entire mouth felt dry, and it had you gasping for air as you fell onto the ground and relaxed your face onto the wood. Your cheeks were burning up - your entire body was with how your waling cries were bouncing off the walls. Your eyes faltered to the floor as your body reminded you of the nausea that sat in the pit of your stomach and tore it from the inside. As if you could feel so empty yet so built up with everything that was happening internally and externally. You felt lost.

Josh came to your side immediately, crouching down and waiting for the right moment to bring you into his body. He wasn’t sure if that was what you wanted, so he just relaxed his elbows on his knees with his hands hanging over the split of his legs. You met his eyes, and although you were utterly embarrassed by how unattractive you felt in this moment, that was the last thing you cared about right now.

“I shouldn’t have let this happen; this is all my fault.” He said in a low whisper, with his face fully in a regretful state. He didn’t regret anything he did with you, no, he regretted breaking the promise that he had everything figured out. That Sam wouldn’t find out this way. That Sam wouldn’t get in between the both of you.

You couldn’t find words to say, you just leaned the side of your head back onto the door and shut your eyes. You begged yourself to wake up, wake up from this. Wake up. Wake up.

You banged your fist against the door again, whether it was in an attempt to call out for Sam, or out of pure agony. You couldn’t pick out exactly how you felt, but you knew it was painful. You weren’t upset with Sam, or Josh, but yourself. It takes two for a relationship to happen, and you could’ve not let it occur. But you instigated the first kiss, telling Josh it was okay and that you didn’t care what Sam thought. It was you that started this. It was you that fell for him first. It was you that betrayed your best friend.

Josh had sat himself on his knees, pulling you into his chest and letting your head fall near his heart. Mucus began to drip from your nose as you choked on your own breath, practically hyperventilating from your cries of dismay. Josh held you tightly in his arms, looking down at you because he didn’t know how else to comfort you. He knew there was nothing to say to make you feel better, because what was there to say? That he was sorry? You knew that. That you two would figure it out? How? How could you believe that when that was all he’s been promising to you for the past weeks and a half?

So, he sat with you mute, listening to your loud cries that should’ve woken up Jake. Hell, it could’ve wakened up anyone in distance of the lake house if they were near. You tried to calm yourself, processing with every ounce of mindful thinking you could forge together to focus on your breathing, but to no avail.

Eventually, he wrapped his arms under your legs and pulled you up with him. A light grunt escaped his throat as he stood to his feet, but he managed to keep you in his grasp and take you back to your room. You didn’t fight it, mainly because there was no energy left in your body to do so, instead reserving all of it to continue your cries.

He rested you into your bed, throwing the covers over your body and stripping his shorts off his body once he reached the opposite side of the bed. Even if you wanted him to leave you alone, which you were sure that you didn’t, he wasn’t going to just walk out on you in your most anguished state. It tore at his heart to see you like this, as he’s only really seen you cry once or twice.

You shuffled yourself into his chest, painting his bare skin with your tears. He just rubbed your back slowly in hopes of relaxing you, and it helped to some extent. You cried to the point of near exhaustion, and as much as you felt the need to let out more upsetting whines, your body was unable to do so. So, you just choked up a bit, sniffling into his chest as you rested your eyes, pressing harshly onto them to release anymore tears your body could produce. But there was none. Your eyes were simply dry, puffy and red. You didn’t know if that would be the end of your sobbing, if you would wake up in the middle of the night and remember that Sam had cut you deep with his words and have you spiraling back to feeling sorrowful. You didn’t want to think about it anymore, because you know you needed sleep. And Josh was helping coax you with each circle he drew on your back, and with each trace down the side of your head he’d bestow upon you.

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

series taglist: @gvfleetwood @sacredjake @aureatopia @myeyehurtz @alexiagx @objectsinspvce @unhappycylinder @spinthehemmo @carbonwritingthroughtime @thecoldwind @ageofsophgvf @fakeplastiqtree @thepritchardscale @gvfpal @light-myluv @raviolilegs @jordierama @alwayskiszka

other tags: @ageofhearingloss @mountain-in-springtime @ignite-my-fire @gvfsstardust @jakesguitarsolo @fallonfatality @gold-mines-melting @digitalcalamity @demolitionndann @lipstickitty @lexii-nv-c @joopsworld @ryrybaby @hellowgoodbye << for all of you new here, welcome to my first series! tagged you in a interesting plot point, so you might want to catch yourself up a bit if you'd like! ;) and, thanks for joining my taglist! will be tagging you all in future works.

-part seven-

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pixies-and-poets · 4 months

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No one knew exactly how long these mangled corpses were stuck there rotting.

They were discovered after many of Paletteville's villagers complained of a unbearable stench that leaked from underneath the bridge. The authorities arrived to investigate with almost everyone crowding around the scene. Some watched from afar, others dared to venture closer only to be stopped and turned back. A few discreetly took pictures on their phones. This morbid spectacle aroused such disturbing tension all throughout the area. It was bad enough already that Palette Prime was infamous for its bad luck, thanks to their poet for a warden, but now...

Words could not describe the sheer horror that was found once the authorities realized that the bodies were stitched together and hung up right underneath the wooden planks of the bridge. Such a sight made the squeamish sick, resulting in many cases of vomiting and fainting spells.

It was later revealed that four victims were identified, despite them being partially skinned, dismembered, and disemboweled. The victims were widely known to Paletteville to the point of adoration. One was a football player, two were beloved socialites, and the last was a judge. Not a single person could figure out why someone would go after such wonderful citizens. The investigation continued. Bloodstained golden cords pierced their flesh and fat and muscle, tying them into this grotesque, meaty banner that stretched from one end to another. Right below this display was a gathering of rocks, all colored in a deep red and positioned into a small circle that was just big enough for one to sit inside.

---

Woodrow woke up in his bathtub, his naked body motionlessly floating in filthy water. His eyes adjusted; his ears rang as his head throbbed. His senses slowly came to him as he lifted his arms up to pull himself up.

Then he froze.

...

It's just a hallucination. It has to be. There's no way any of this is real. He has done this before. They're only temporary. That's it.

Just temporary.

The poet closed his eyes and held in a deep breath. His chest felt like it was about to burst. Chills ran up his spine, intensified by the coolness of the bathwater, and he let out a exhale. Another deep breath in, and another long exhale...

Nothing changed.

Woodrow choked and gasped, finally crawling out of the bathtub and crashing down onto the cold hard tile floor. His breathing was now sporadic with a terror unimaginable, leaving him panicking like a newborn lost in the woods. Tears streamed down his face as he silently wailed in terrible realization. His body curled in a futile attempt to make itself warm.

There was silence.

...

And then the light flickered.

The fur on his back stood straight up. Woodrow shut his eyes.

He suddenly melted as a gentle, loving caress presses against his cheek.

"Please... no more tears. You did exceptionally well, my dearest poet. Soon all shall know what art truly is."

I know it's gonna be good when I open my notifications and see "No one knows how long these mangled corpses..." from you lol

Actually I read this last night and woke up still thinking about it. Your writing gives me chills and sticks in my brain as usual!

This is a less wholesome take on Phantom-possession, I take it? I like how Phandrow can be too extremely corny romantic art-dorks waxing poetic about each other and frolicking gaily through the woods forever, OR it could be a literally tortured artist pushed to his limits, and his supernatural boyfriend who is no stranger to lusting for revenge and could entice him to embrace his darker side and innate capacity for destruction. This ship is everything, mmhmm mhhhmmmmmmm

One thing is true regardless of AU, and the relative horror thereof: that when Phantom touches Woodrow he will forget all his suffering and figuratively turn into a puddle. Doesn't matter how many times it's happened or how long they have been together.

#mario plus rabbids #mario + rabbids #alter answers #phandrow #horror #body horror #tw violence #tw blood

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can-i-see-your-passport-please · 11 months

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A Collection of my Creations in the HLVRAI so far

Heyyy thought I should do this as a new pinned postttt

My asks are, unless they are closed, always open, and I'm always down to hear your thoughts and ideas and shit! If I didn't answer an ask, it's most likely because I didn't have the energy to answer it and it's now just sitting there and I cannot answer it because it would be awkward. But I am cherishing it <3

CHECK OUT MY FRIEND DIMONDS'S STUCK TOGETHER AU WHERE BENREY AND GORDON GET FUSED INTO A SILLY GUY NAMED BERDEY

hehehe anyway

All my HLVRAI fanart and writing in general is here on my art blog!

Here's a vampire AU I made! Twist to this is that Gordon's a vampire, Benrey's human and just weird as fuck. There's no real plot to this (though at the time of writing this post I do plan to write a fic or two), but @/winkyfaceanon has made two really sweet fics for this AU, check em out!

Here's a compilation I made with my friend Dimonds for all my reasons Gordon's a lil bit gay for Benrey, please skip the first 38 seconds I'm begging you. Oh, and if you're gonna leave a comment about how I'm Wrong, or if the video pisses you off, you can do this very simple thing called Just Stop Watching The Video (can you tell i've gotten annoying comments on this video)

Here's an older animatic of the bridge for the song Horror Show! This is what my first designs looked like btw fjndksjnfjknds

Here's three small and silly animatics <3

Here's a Frenrey animatic of the song uwu by Chevy! I still think this one's REALLY cute <3

Here's stuff I've made in Gmod! A lotta Frenrey, as you may expect from me at this point.

MY FANFICTIONS

These are listed in order of when I wrote them, and they take place in different continuities for the most part. Pretty much all of them are Frenrey, so if you don't like Frenrey you mayy not want to read it. Majority of my fics are oneshots, since I have low motivation jnsdkjfnds. I don't write smut (I'm literally sex repulsed asexual and a minor /silly), and don't tend to write hurt no comfort except for once, but I do write pretty heavy angst. Please read the content warnings for a lot of these.

I explicitly forbid any of my creative work from being fed into an AI in any way.

IF YOU SEND ASKS ABOUT MY FICS I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER

unnamed. Takes place post-canon. Benrey at this point has been alone for months, isolating himself after Xen and spiraling really badly. Then he leaves the house once aaand runs into Gordon. Reunion ensues. I didn't name it because I couldn't think of a name and it was my first fic. Read the content warnings.

You're still here, and you're beautiful to me. Takes place post-canon. Benrey respawns after Xen, and none of his injuries are healed. He then finds Gordon, who helps to take care of his injuries. I personally consider this one of my best works. There's things I'd change now, of course, but I still love it a lot. Read the content warnings.

as long as your heart continues to beat. Takes place during canon. Benrey's listening to Gordon's heartbeat after the betrayal. And then it stops. This one isn't beta read and I wrote it in like, a few hours on the fly, so it's not my best, but I like it.

Cuddles are the best cure for depression actually. Takes place post-canon. This is exactly what it says on the tin. Benrey's got depression and can't get out of bed, Gordon cuddles him. Short but sweet.

If ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep. Takes place post-canon. Gordon and Benrey are kinda in a relationship, and Benrey gets a package at the door that he's not letting Gordon see. In the middle of the night, Gordon gets to see what it is. This one's REALLY cute, and I really love it. It's fluffy and it's sweet.

all for the love of you. Saying this straight-up, READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS. Takes place post-canon. Tommy finds a... note from Benrey that he wrote before Xen. I have more complicated feelings towards this fic, I don't personally like it as much in retrospect and think I could've done much better on it, but I'm putting it here since it is still one of my fics. Read the content warnings, for the love of god.

Benrey gets drunk fic. Takes place post-canon. This is just a fluff fic I wrote for the third HLVRAI anniversary where Benrey's drunk and flirting with a very sober and very gay Gordon, who does not know how to cope with this.

do your job and keep them safe. Takes place during canon. This is... well, let's just say it's a reframing of HLVRAI from Benrey's perspective (at least, in align with my headcanons). Only the first thousand or so words are on Ao3, the rest are in Google Docs, as I made... choices that could only be made in Google Docs. I always link my Ao3 because it has the EXTREMELY necessary content warnings, which I couldn't include on the Google Doc. I personally think this is one of my best works, and if you are in a space where you can read it, please do, this over anything. Read the content warnings.

you're alone. and it's all your fucking fault. Benrey has respawned from Xen, in an apartment, and realizes that he is all alone and cannot be near his friends again. This is one of the only hurt no comfort fics I've written, and can serve as a bit of a prequel to that unnamed fic (if you'd like to see it that way). Read the content warnings.

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animehouse-moe · 1 year

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Heavenly Delusion Opening: Innocent Arrogance

Yes yes, I know. Late to the party. But I wasn't really feeling it before and I've been watching it a good bit over the last few days so I figured now or never since I've not got much else going on today. A wonderful opening, incredibly expressive and fluid and ridiculously dense, it centers around a few key aspects and themes. Religion, connection, branching and reaching out. There's a lot to get into with it so I guess I'll just get started.

As soon as the opening starts, the symbolism and story does too. Two birds circling above, one white, one black. It's easy to see the Yin and Yang association as they go around each other, but beneath it we get a character who puts their hand over their eyes to transition to the next scene. You might be able to say that it's saying something about death in that regard, but it's a rather large stretch considering the more apt symbolism that precedes it.

Next up is this incredibly well animated spider's web. While it does set the tone for the overall style of ethereal animation that seems to almost escape you, it also begins to chip away at that theme of connections. A literal spider's web of them, to be exact. Though of course, it doubles up to symbolize the danger of the story, how Kiruko and Maru are prey rather than predator of the world.

Following that up, we have this two step shot of background shifting to foreground. The background objects being pillars of a bridge that survived into the post era of the apocalypse, while the foreground is a cutout of a young boy sporting a similar uniform to the ones that the children wear at the institution. The former image of course making use of the pillars to compare them to Tori gates (based on their shapes), while the cutout is meant to link that religious symbol towards the institution. It's a very quick and aesthetically pleasing one-two punch that leaves viewers with a vague sense of something.

We transfer very smoothly over to a shot of overhead powerlines in the next scene, which flows very well in terms of repetition, as it has a similar appeal as the "tori gate" pillars. What we see with the power lines though is the connections made between them, what brings them into contact with one another. It's a rather fluffy and vague use of the symbolism to liken it to the overall theme, but with follow-up shots it works well in establishing the overall explicit story of the opening.

With the follow-up scenes to this cut, we get a grasp of what this opening is. The journey of Kiruko and Maru. The two are trekking across Japan in search of Heaven in this opening. Not exactly a revelation, but it serves to be a great way to tie together the vague and sometimes loose pieces within.

Also, I love the approach to line art within the opening, which you can really see in scenes like this. The characters don't have that hard outline, they're not well defined in the slightest. Incredibly fluid and open, it's a really unique and beautiful style that they make full use of through all sorts of pieces. Even take the pieces of paper fluttering in the wind, they're rather transparent and don't feel incredibly well defined.

After this, we get a breakdown that matches the timing of the song. There's not really much to say? It's almost sort of self-explanatory. An explosion of creativity at almost random, with a strong line on literal "misdirection". Maps and signs that twist and turn and become undecipherable. It's cool, though maybe a bit out of touch compared to other sequences, but gets the point across about how difficult and winding and confusing the path of the story is. All the foreshadowing and mishaps and challenges that occur, they're all summed up in one messy billboard.

What's really impressive is how much is going on. There's scenes and layouts you'll completely miss if you're not playing the opening back over and over again and slowing things down and pausing in the right spots. Ridiculous how densely animated and detailed this opening is.

Now, for the keen eyed anime-onlies I'll leave a single hint within this sequence: order of events. Have fun haha.

Now, one last blink and you'll miss it bit, this one. The text says "welcome to hell!", as the sun shines above and countless hands make a peace sign at the bottom. Interestingly enough, a dog or some other similar animal paw appears at the top of the screen. What's most interesting here is the sun, which I think viewers of episode 3 will associate with a certain scene.

So, following that we get the title card and some scenes of the pair wandering around on their journey. Very well animated, very well expressed. Lovely little bits that add to it. But, we get some nice foreshadowing. Some yet to come, others that have appeared. Obviously, I'll only talk about the latter. First though, this frame of Maru kicking a can. The direction does wonders in these literal scenes to stay true to Hirotaka's vision of a more voyeuristic and outside-looking-in style.

Anyways, onto the first foreshadowing/symbolism: Maru's ability. It's a very strong sequence that speaks to a lot about what anime viewers suspect and understand about Hiruko. His ability starts as a flower that blossoms into a technological branch that reaches out, before transforming into an actual one. The best I can describe it is almost something like "human intervention". Something natural is intervened with, changed, altered by humanity, before returning to a natural state.

Following that we've got this breathtaking sequence for Kiruko. I was stunned when I first saw it in episode 2, knowing where the anime was headed for the third episode. Incredible work to show the separation between mind and body as Kiruko's outline lags behind their actual body. And then there's the whole out of focus piece that blurs the lines between Kiruko's outline and their actual body to even further the symbolism. Really, really incredible work for such an important detail in the opening that ties in with the early foreshadowing of the reveal.

And that's about where the opening ends. It's very intense, and has an incredibly strong vision that brings it all together. The opening is a story of Kiruko and Maru, but runs deeper and wider than just their journey to Heaven. It's stippled by references to religion and restriction, expression and evolution, and confusion and misdirection. It branches out and changes shape and form to find the perfect ways to tell its stories, to show viewers what lies ahead and what's to come, dropping subtle and not-so-subtle hints and bits of foreshadowing.

Just all around incredible work that essentially puts it neck and neck with MAD's OP for this season. I can, and have, picked a favorite between them just because of expectations placed upon both, but from an objective viewpoint there's no way you can call either "better" than the other. It's just incredible work that sets the bar painfully high for the rest of the year. Endlessly impressive that between this and MAD we're looking at not only the OPs of the season, but damn near shoe-ins for the year at large. Beautiful, beautiful work done on them.

#heavenly delusion #tengoku daimakyou #天国大魔境 #production i.g #mori hirotaka #weilin zhang #kiruko #maru #anime recommendation #anime review #anime and manga #anime #horror anime

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elliemarchetti · 7 months

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Habit Rouge

If I recall well, this is my first Halloween themed fic. Not that spooky, I know, but I suppose some of you might enjoy.

Plot: Nesta finds the perfect dress for a last-minute party with her best friend.

Words: 2325

Gwyn's invitation had come unexpectedly, just a couple of days earlier.

Would you like to come to a Halloween party with me?

A simple message, straight to the point, exactly like the young witch she took under her wing some decades ago. It had been years since Nesta had real friends. She had a few lovers, a couple acquaintances with whom she liked to spend her time, but after Claire’s death she’d preferred to keep her distance, scared she would suffer again because of the mortality that wasn’t granted to her. Not that she’d expected the enormous powers she’d acquired since being initiated into the path of sorcery to come without offering anything in return.

She was born in 1837, in a now forgotten village that would currently have been in Poland. Her mother was a stern woman, and her absent father a wealthy merchant, who barely remembered he had three daughters at home. When his wife died of influenza, together with his mother-in-law, the girls were left in the lurch, but what really took a toll was the loss of their fortune. Gambling, drinking and a nasty spending habit nearly threw them on the streets, and since Nesta was the oldest, she felt the need to do something.

The woman in the woods, a middle-aged lady who lived in a stone hut surrounded by trees and shrubs of all sorts, had seemed a solution as good as any other. It mattered little that many feared her, and that her name sounded like it came from times now forgotten. Nesta had knocked on her door when the moon shone bright in the sky, and had returned home the next morning as something different, no longer just a desperate girl, but the pupil of one of the most powerful witches in Europe.

It hadn’t taken long for the student to outdo the teacher, and so Nesta had taken her place, initiated her sisters, and begun to age so slowly that staying in the village, even though the hunt for her kind was long over, became dangerous. She’d said the only goodbye worth saying on a dreary winter evening, Claire wrapped in a heavy shawl, her now grey hair tied in a bun at the base of her neck. She received a letter the following year from her daughter.

Mom passed away peacefully, please don't come back.

Few words, but they made her understand how little she was welcome in the place she once called home. Within a couple of minutes, the paper had become a pile of crunching ash in the fireplace, all evidence of hatred destroyed before her sisters could see it. For nearly fifty years it had been only the three of them, but over time they’d understood that a bond as strong as theirs didn’t require constant closeness, so each had taken their own path. The first to leave was Elain, although, to be fair, it was Nesta and Feyre who left her behind. Their warnings had been of no avail: she had chosen to marry a human, and it mattered little if after about ten years, fifteen at most, she would be forced to leave him, she loved the guy and wanted to be his dutiful wife. They were in Provence at the time, and the wedding had been so lovely that Nesta had almost managed to ignore the burning sensation she felt at being in a church. Feyre had been the second to meet who she thought was the love of her life, the head sorcerer of a French coven located on the northern border with Spain. Nesta let her go reluctantly, but the liaison didn’t last long, and in 1940, shortly before the outbreak of the war, they all fled to America.

New York had been Feyre’s favourite place. Despite the dark period, it was teeming with art, with new and experimental painting techniques the youngest of them couldn’t wait to try. Elain was the one who had struggled the most the adapt, so Nesta was left to act as a bridge between them, even though what she would’ve most wanted was to go somewhere warm and read the novels of her era, those she’d set aside in favour of grimoires and religious dissertations. She’d never worried much about what would be of her soul, but she feared for those of her sisters, so she’d tried to understand if Catholicism and the Bible were really to be taken so literally. After the end of the war, she told herself that if a God existed, he couldn’t be so benevolent.

From the 50s onwards, change had been so rapid that Nesta had struggled to keep up with it. Technology and globalization made slow life and superstitions die, but at least they allowed her to move freely from place to place without too many questions being asked.

She had already resided in half the states of America when she met Eris Vanserra, and for a brief moment, she thought Massachusetts was a place where she could grow roots and finally rest. She was in Boston, doing some research on the actual existence of the Túatha Dé Danann, to whom Feyre's new boyfriend seemed to be related, when she decided to take an evening walk in the Public Garden. Somehow, the place exuded magic, so she wasn’t surprised when a vampire tried to seduce her, probably in an attempt to drink her blood and then throw her body into the Atlantic. Being a witch, Nesta hadn’t fallen prey of his spell and he’d begun to court her with flowers, jewels, and hard-to-find editions of her favourite books. When she finally gave in, long games of chess and slow dances in the moonlight became the norm, until he told her le loved her. It was 1968, just after the preview of Promises, Promises at the Colonial Theatre. Truth be told, he said he loved her laugh, but something had shone in his eyes, so Nesta run away the next morning, leaving behind most of her things and a short apology note. Feyre had hosted her in New York for a while, and there she’d met Cassian, a werewolf who’d made her forget the way her heart fluttered when she was in Eris’s arms, at least for a dozen years. Upon hearing the news of their reunion, Elain also returned to New York, but after a brief fling with a friend of Rhysand and Cassian, she left again to join a traveling circus as a seer. Nesta had attended one of their shows, but one of the acrobats had reminded her too much of her immortal lover to bear the entire performance.

She met Gwyn on that occasion, the skinny girl struggling in a vain attempt to escape the grasp of a guy twice her size. He’d dragged her in the darkness behind the colourful circus tent, convinced that his wickedness would go unpunished if he’d chosen a novice as his victim. Nesta had made him change his mind, and Gwyneth Berdara had abandoned her pious life to learn how to defend herself with the most unorthodox means she could find. Her powers had proved less destructive than Nesta’s, more based on life than death, but for the duration of the 80’s they’d formed a duo worthy of a couple of newspaper articles. They’d told themselves they’d made the world a better place, for what little they could, and it was on the day they met Emerie they received the long-awaited confirmation. She was a werewolf, young enough she managed to survive alone after she left her pack to look for the witches who killed her father. Nesta never thought she would receive gratitude for the murder of a relative, and although she was relieved, from that moment on they’d dedicated themselves to helping the victims rather than prosecuting the perpetrators.

The Valkyries, the association they’d opened with proceeds obtained in a not entirely legal way, helped women who no longer wanted to hide what the violence of patriarchy had done to them to find a voice and a support system. Emerie had found her calling in running it, and although she once used to transform often to stay young, she no longer did so. Last time she saw her, her once perfect skin had begun to shrivel and her joints started to ache as well as her back. Nesta, who had faced that kind of suffering before, had stuck around to help however she could, but Gwyn, who had only endured the consequences of mortality when she was mortal herself, had walked away, choosing to travel for a while further north. She hadn’t notified anyone of her return, nor did Nesta knew how to take her invitation. Had she continued to practice magic like her or had she aged like Elain did in Provence? Would they still look almost the same age, or would Nesta have to hide her face with a mask?

I don’t know if I have anything suitable to wear, she replied, casting a wary glance at her immense wardrobe. Thirty years of fashion and memories, plus some memorabilia she wouldn’t have worn to a costume party even if someone threatened to torture her, were all she had left.

No problem, Gwyn had replied, so quickly that Nesta wondered if she hadn't been glued to the phone the whole time, waiting for her attentions, we can always go shopping!

So Nesta found herself in a thrift store more similar to an antique shop, surrounded by old oil lamps and countless replicas of the most disparate items.

“Were you alive when they used these things?” asked Gwyn, who hadn’t changed a bit, waving some obsolete electric hair rollers under her nose. A smile spread across Nesta’s face, and although she was very amused that her friend didn’t seem to have the slightest idea of how different things were when she was born, she simply nodded. In all honesty, she had never styled her hair much, preferring the thick braids of the Polish tradition to frizzy bangs and ringlets, but Elain loved them and was the first to try a perm when it boomed.

It was one of the things she liked most about her sisters, how each of them had their own personality, well-defined interest, and unmistakable sense of style, yet they still supported each other no matter what. If someone spending so much time together could lead outsiders to not understand where one person began and the other ended, the differences between them were so clear there was no doubt even whether a dress belong to one of the other. Maybe that was why Nesta recognized the gown as soon as she saw it, because nobody else would’ve liked it as much as she did. The velvet was a little dusty, and the golden chain on the back had been removed, but the design, the draped bodice, and the flowy gown, were still the same. It was one of the few lavish things she’d managed to bring with her from Europe, a piece that earned her many compliments in the twenties for how it accentuated her straight shoulders and slim figure.

“I think it will suit you,” Gwyn said, once she reached her at the end of the aisle. “Maybe it needs a bit of readjustments, but you’d make a great entrance.”

Nesta knew for a fact that the dress would fit her perfectly, but since she wasn’t ready to share its story, she didn’t contradict her and asked the owner how much he charged for it.

“When I got it they told me it was a one-of-a-kind piece, but from that day on no one gave it a second glance,” the old man admitted, and although Nesta was sure he was right, after all it was custom made, she still gave him less than a hundred dollars. Being a witch undoubtedly had its benefits, but she wasn’t able to make money appear from thin air, and as long as she didn’t turn to theft, or decided to abandon the Valkyries to find a real job, she couldn’t splurge.

“You should add a pair of fake canines,” joked Gwyn on their way home, but Nesta had put the idea aside, determined to relive one of the balls Eris used to bring her to.

A quick glance at the fabric neatly folded inside the unassuming paper bag made her relive a sea of moments she had relegated in the depths of her mind. Feyre’s laughter as she dragged her to on the French dance floors, the chatter with Elain as they ran arm in arm through the narrow streets of Paris, and Eris’s long, thin fingers, caressing her bare skin in the privacy of their apartment.

“You still haven’t told me why you care so much about this party,” she teased, if only to chase away the melancholy. It was normal to stumble when you’ve lived so long, yet Nesta was determined to compartmentalize and not let the mistakes of the past ruin her present. Boston was an error, she knew it now and probably already knew back then, but life went on, and judging by where she’d found one of the dresses she’d left there after her hasty departure, Eris did it too.

“I made a few friends on my road trip,” Gwyn replied, vague enough to spark her curiosity. ��I would go alone, really, but I thought that after all this time among humans, a celebration open only to supernatural beings might be stimulating for you too.” “You had a wonderful idea,” Nesta lied, forcing a smile as she took her friend’s arm. Under no circumstances she intended to disappoint the lively redhead, but between witches, vampires, and werewolves there must’ve been at most a hundred of them in the entire United States, and if her sixth sense wasn’t deceiving her, she would soon see many faces she would rather forget.

#halloween themed fic #neris #nesta archeron #eris vanserra #gwyneth berdara #emerie of illyria #cassian #feyre archeron #elain archeron #witch!nesta #vampire!eris

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voluptuarian · 11 months

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I've been thinking about werewolf designs recently, which has basically turned into analyzing my least favorite trends in modern werewolf media

pack focus - with a few exceptions, I find a pack of werewolves a huge downgrade from traditional singular ones (not you, Hotel Transylvania wolfman family-- you're angels and and we're thrilled you're here). How is a guy supposed to feel like a properly cursed and outcast abomination while hanging out with his 2 dozen friends who are exactly like him? "Packs" made up of lone lycanthropes who've adopted each other (for good or ill) is alright I guess, and if a whole family gets cursed The Quarry style, that's interesting at least. But I think getting back to solitary menace or lonely outcast werewolves is best.

too wolf-like - a lot of early werewolf accounts have people just turning into straightforward wolves. Some have a transformation into large, predatory creatures, more or less wolf-like depending on the region and the culture, but with features that differentiated them from wolves-- hybrid anatomy, missing tails, human eyes or other features. In others it's just "a creature," without an explicit lupine connection, or even just literally some guy but Powered Up and eating people. So there's no hard and fast "canon" folklore werewolf. Early monster movies (which established a lot of modern werewolf lore and the modern definition of a werewolf) gave us a creature that simply looks like a furry, monstrous humanoid, and nothing really like a wolf. What I'm saying is there's a lot of room for customization and new ideas. But instead I see very little experimentation or creativity, and a lot of Balto-meets-Van Helsing wolf-head-furry-body-man-pants thing (or worse, mangy pitbull rat hybrids) and a commitment to quasi-lupine traits and behaviors. BORING. If you're not married to literal-wolf werewolves, let's see some creativity! Be adventurous! Get inspired by old school werewolves, or do something completely new! Please!

not wolflike enough - if you are committed to generic wolf -based werewolves or anthropomorphic streetsharks-style man-wolves, at least be accurate about it! Wolves in the wild do not have true alpha-omega hierarchies (a pack in the wild is a family unit-- the parents are leaders, the rest of the pack are usually their children). Nor do wolves bite their mates to "mark" them (in fact, I went and looked into it, and didn't find any species that does, so now I'm curious where this whole idea even came from). ALSO it's kind of petty, but so many werewolf designs seem to look more like dogs than real wolves-- narrow nose bridges, too-close-together ears, etc. Basically, so much werewolf content is committed to this generic idea of werewolves that's not accurate to real wolves, frequently unconnected to any werewolf lore, originated in the last 10 or 15 years, and isn't even interesting for all that (with different versions of "generic" depending on genre)-- ditch it, and do something new, or at least accurate!

ugly = scary/boring = sexy - the two big splits of "generic" werewolves I'm seeing are in horror (movies mostly) and romance. Current horror werewolves seem to be stuck with this ugly, disheveled look-- mangy, molting-looking fur, extremely wrinkly, raw-looking face skin, beady eyes, no tails, skinny, bony-looking bodies, huge feet etc (honestly I think the Underworld designs are the progenitors of this); meanwhile romance werewolves are usually big and brawny, with lush fur and swishy tails and a very cartoony balance of human and wolf characteristics (I think this design is indebted to animated movies and furry art, but also think it was very influenced by Van Helsing's werewolves as well). Basically, I'd like some interesting, potentially scary looking werewolves! A scary design is not going to kill the sexiness! At the same time, a design does not have to be purposely ugly in order to be scary! (Case in point, it's not a werewolf, and much more feline, but I adore Angela Barret's design for the beast in Beauty and the Beast-- unique, bestial and potentially frightening, but also sleek and elegant.)

exclusively abo - I get it, I get it. But like, 90% of werewolf romance stuff is the "claimed as the alpha's mate" variety-- I would enjoy some diversity. Also, if it's heat you're into, that's in no way exclusive to either false real-world alpha hierarchies, or invented fictional ones.

#I have Thoughts and Feelings about this subject #and 90% of what's out there is Unsatisfactory #lore and more #werewolf

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arduousfanfare · 5 months

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Thesis Statement: Blizzard wrote itself into a corner with Diablo 4 and are now trying to reconnect the dots to past games/lore.

Spoilers For: Diablo, Daiblo 2, Diablo 3, Diablo Immortal, Diablo 4. Pedantically discussing the larger pieces.

On a personal level what isn't considered spoilers, to me, is facts that are instantly found on any wiki, general lore in the basic of searches. Including game information, art, etc.

For Context: In Diablo 4: Season 3, Season of the Construct is led by Zoltun Kulle. Diablo 4 takes place 50 years after the DLC of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Diablo Immortal is supposed to put the gap between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. Between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 it's 20 years. Between Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 it's 2 years.

The Focus: Game World Maps, expanding the world created in December 1996 with every iteration except Diablo 4 can be both good and bad.

The Problem: How each game ends, tying into the world "transformation" but poorly in the sense as with each iteration creates more disconnect.

And now without further ado...

In the beginning there was a town. It was cursed. The NPCS are few and far between but all serve specific purposes as you descend down into the darkness of the blighted church.

The roots heavily inspired by a table top game, Dungeons & Dragons. A lone hero fighitng to defeat the evil that has poisoned them. As the years go on this basic format warps significantly. There is no world map at this point. There is 3 character classes without limitations on what items and skills they can develop. The player can choose what points to invest in their basic stats and skills to invest in as well as some items will provide their own skills.

In Diablo 2 you are in a hodgepodge camp with other survivors. Two look familiar but not exactly. If you do look it up from Diablo 1 the Warrior, Rogue, Sorcerer are Prince Aiden [Becomes the Dark Wonderer and brings the blight of Diablo to the rest of the world], Jazreth [Becomes Diablo 2 Villain the Summoner], and Moreina [Becomes Blood Raven formerly of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye]. The town of Tristram has fallen a second time and a familiar face joins the journey through the lands through an ACT structure. That is the only way to orient the world. The world if Procedurally Generated while the Camps is what orient and grounds the player.

The player can choose between multiple classes this go around with more unique basses, skill trees, basic backstories. All NPCs proceed to comment on whatever you choose. Continuing to give purpose in every step as to why the player is here.

Each ACT has a completely different Tileset, with different color enemies of similar statures mixed with new ones to continue to test your mettle against. As you progress it does feel like you are traveling the world.

Lore Point:

The End of Diablo 2: The World Stone is destroyed and exposes Sanctuary more to Heaven and Hell. Wrapping up key stories like the Barbarian Tribes being scattered without purpose after losing the stone.

Everything serves a significant purpose and is extremely detailed.

These trappings are what forms a style that people continue to enjoy today in other games based on this format of using a town to ground the player in the world. Path of Exile taking advantage of this format.

In Diablo 3 you choose your class, you are a traveler who make their way to New Tristram, talk to a Familiar NPC, meet the real Protagonist of the game, retread old enemies and plot points. You do Travel the World, you do have an ACT structure tied to the World Map. You see Sanctuary for what it is. A super continent.

You do get to visit Islands and Heaven/Hell through portals. It all comes together in an established thing.

Lore Point:

Diablo Immortal: Uses the same map and locations as Diablo 3. Continuing to bridge the game between 2 and 3.

The End of Diablo 3: You kill Diablo, trapping him with the other Evils into the Black Soulstone.

The End of Diablo 3; Reaper of Souls: Malthael shatters the Black Soulstone, the 7 Evils are released into the world, the final prophecy of Adria comes true.

Your Player Character is now a retconned child of the Nephalem, you do have a background but again it doesn't play into any significant story beat as you are not the Hero of this story. You are more of a witness.

With all that being said, laid out, established...

[On one hand, this could've been the reset that this franchise needed. This could've been a great leap forward with deepening every piece in a new but familiar space. This could've been Diablo's WoW moment. It hasn't been. This is Diablo Casual.]

In Diablo 4 you are a lost person who tries to weather the storm only to stumble into the cult of Lilith and start the journey to understand her reawakening. Only to find out you're not the Hero of this Story either and you can skip the campaign by making 1 character, get past the cutscene and forget about it. You don't have to play it at all. Which means you can get right into killing demons and getting that sweet loot.

Arguably the actual Campaign is so poorly written and with how it "ends" on a cliffhanger of the real Main Character sailing away... Its mind numbing when the entire game world has been this one significant space and islands dotting around it. Heaven/Hell accessed by Portals but Heaven is silent. Hell is developed a little more interestingly but its not enough.

The Main Antagonist of the game Lilith is devolved into a cartoon villain. There was an opportunity to present these legendary characters into a more moral grey light, possibly adding real rpg components and pushing the story forward in a significant way. None of this happens.

The map is a super continent. Each significant town is a main hub with smaller places spread out. None of the previous locations are mentioned. The character classes are back to basics with only 5 without a knight type. There are distinct tile sets but the enemies are reused/recolored like Diablo 2. There are some enemies who represent classes from Diablo 3, like cultish Zakarum and the monks. But there is no grounding. There is no roots. There is no reason.

Overall the disconnect is surreal. Even more so with "story themes" [in the clinical loosest meaning] being put into Seasons and Zoltun Kulle being hunted for in season 3. It feels out of left field. It could've been tied in better with previous game mentioned Horadrim, deepening how this continent has deep dark roots to previous games. That just like trying to renovate an old house the bones will remember what was lurking there. People have in ancient times rebuilt cities on top of the same points like the city of Troy. Each iteration pancaked on top the next to do in theory better. Building its history.

I understand this is a new game in an established franchise. I understand they wanted to go back to darker, gritty roots that feel more reminiscent of Diablo 1. I understand they took almost every axed feature of Diablo 3 and put it into Diablo 4. Dedicated PvP areas, Paragon Boards, deeper but simpler character creation with builds. Wanting to provide an easier point of entry into this. I understand not everyone really cares about Lore. I understand the first two games were made by essentially the same people/team and then the next two/three games by different people. I understand that even if the original creators had stayed on it wouldn't have made any difference and its just mental conjecture.

I don't understand the why. I can't even figure out if its the execution of these ideas that's bothering me the most or whoever is allowed to write it hasn't put in the work about it. I'm not saying we need the original team back on this because that's a boring argument. I'm saying there is no cohesive structure. No one seemingly at the wheel making these decisions in a significant way that would further the story of this particular game.

It all feels out of left field. Not disappointment. Just disconnected.

Is asking more from a Billion Dollar AAA company too much? Some would say yes. I wouldn't say so. Expectations is a loaded word. Everyone has their own biases and I wouldn't mind a Diablo MMO. But perhaps Blizzard has been clouded too long with WoW. There is so much potential but it continues to feel wasted.

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ga-yuu · 1 year

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Chronicles - Benkei Part 1

It was sometime after Benkei had sworn allegiance to Yoshitsune.

One day, when they were practicing martial arts together, Yoshitsune suddenly asked...

Yoshitsune: "Benkei. Do you remember when we first met?"

Benkei: "Our first meeting? Of course."

Benkei: "How can I forget that?"

Remembering himself at the time when he pointed his sword at Yoshitsune, Benkei let out a wry smile.

But the opposing Yoshitsune smiled slightly.

Yoshitsune: "It was that coincidental meeting that made us what we are today."

Yoshitsune: "It may be a bitter memory for Benkei, but for me it's irreplaceable."

Benkei: "Yoshitsune-sama..."

Benkei: "Right. How about we take a break from training for a bit and reminisce."

The memories of a bygone era come back to Benkei's mind as he smiles back.

It is the story of the meeting of two men who would later become the heart of the Rebel force.

-----FLASHBACK-----

Man 1: "Hey, have you heard? That rumor. I heard it's out again."

Man 2: "Yeah I did. The sword hunter, right?"

The men whispered to each other as they hurry past the empty night streets.

Man 2: "It's scary isn't it? A man comes out of nowhere and tells you to leave your sword behind?"

Man 1: "Ah, they say you'll be challenged to a duel. If you lose and you don't give up your sword, some people say he'll cut you down in cold blood"

Man 1: ".....I heard that 1000 people have already been killed."

Man 2: "1000? Woah....that guy must be a monster then?"

The two men trembled.

Benkei:"........."

A man watches them with cold eyes from the back of an alley.

Man 1: "Then again, maybe the sword hunter might come to us too...at this place."

Man 1: "Tonight might be the perfect night, with the moon hidden by the clouds."

Man 2: "Don't scare me, idiot....but then again, we don't have swords."

Dry laughter echoed as the men left.

Benkei: "There's quite a rumor going around.....but you're wrong about one thing."

The man laughed sarcastically.

Benkei: "One more to go...to reach 1000."

As if in response to this murmur, the sword Benkei wears at his waist makes a chattering sound.

..............

When he closed his eyes, a faint voice echoed from deep within his heart.

Voice: "-------"

It seems as if tens of thousands of people are speaking at the same time in a buzz, and it is impossible to hear exactly what they are saying.

But all were horrifying, cold, malevolent voices.

Benkei: ".....We're almost there."

Benkei: "We're almost done."

................

Benkei: "Now I have collected 999 swords. Time for the last one."

The voice of someone or something echoing from within, driving hatred, pushed his back.

Benkei walks through the night in search of his last prey.

.............

Shanao: "............."

When Benkei stepped to the foot of the bridge as if lured by something...

The clouds in the sky are clear and the moonlight quickly illuminates the area.

There stood a man named Shanao, who later came to be known as Yoshitsune.

Benkei: "....?"

Benkei is momentarily taken aback by the beauty that was so ethereal.

But as soon as he sees a sword hanging on his waist, Benkei's eyes twinkled with joy.

Benkei: "Hey, give me that."

Benkei places his hand on his sword while gazing at the man.

Benkei: "Your sword will make it 1000."

Shanao: "......."

Benkei: "I now challenge you to a duel."

Shanao: "....Duel? What for?"

His voice, uttered for the first time, was reminiscent of the surface of a quiet lake.

Benkei: "It's simple. I want your sword, so leave it here and go away. Or else fight me and win."

Shanao: "----I see. So you're the person who hunts for swords in Kyoto."

Shanao: "I wasn't ordered to take you down, but maybe there's a reason we met like this."

Benkei: "I can cut off this fate here and now."

Shanao: "I doubt it. .....But since I've been challenged, I'll do my best."

Shanao slowly pulled out his sword.

Benkei noticed a change in the air around Shanao and readied his sword as well.

Benkei: "....n.."

Voices inside his head: "..D-D..Disaster..."

At that moment, another grunt of vindictiveness from who-knows-what swirls in the back of his head, and Benkei's face contorts in anguish for a moment.

Shanao: "......."

Perhaps noticing this, Shanao stares at Benkei without blinking.

His gaze was strangely annoyed, and Benkei gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.

I feel as if some kind of distorted force is rising from my grip.

Benkei: "......this power.."

As he muttered to himself, a childhood memory came back to his mind.

-----FLASHBACK-----

Man: "Terrifying... he's just a little boy, but what is that power?"

Woman: "It's a demon child. You saw it too, didn't you? He heals pretty fast. Faster than normal humans."

Woman: "Disgusting."

Man: "Monster."

Woman: "Demon."

Man: "Kill this demon child. Kill him!"

----FLASHBACK ENDS----

Benkei: "....Tch, for fuck sake, these people still mess up with my head...."

Clicking his tongue, Benkei gritted his teeth so hard they creaked and looked up again.

In his hand, the sword is momentarily red and has a faintly bewitching light.

Shanao: "...That sword."

Benkei: "Sorry for the wait...here we go."

Benkei barked briefly and kicked at the ground.

Part 2

#ikemen series #ikemen genjiden #ikemen genjiden benkei #ikemen genjiden yoshitsune #otome #cybird #cybird ikemen #cybird otome

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incarnateirony · 2 years

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It takes only a few minutes of research to see that Ariane Marder does the marketing for the Bridge Initiative, which is right up Misha’s alley of interest. Art + the environment + doing good? Uh, yeah, that sounds like something Misha would definitely be intrigued by. This may shock a lot of people but he does have interests outside of being an actor/SPN so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they run in similar social circles and had planned to work together via RA and GISH at some point. They could even be friends, men and women are allowed to do that lmao

How the other anon went from that to being in a relationship to Ariane is Alma idek. Yeah she’s written articles about sexual health and other such things but being a writer doesn’t automatically equal being a poet.

Their “proof” is flimsy and coincidental at best imo.

I saw the cap. I've been staring at it. The cap does in fact exist, but just doesn't prove what their giant leaps of logic sent them to for the reasons you listed. I'm still open to it being Ari, because with what I'm looking at, it's either Misha or Ari according to this cap. I'm going to have to look at it again when I don't have a headache, has to do with potential signs of forwarding.

Like oh no. not another person being dated by a poly person. Everyone fall down dramatically so they get bored and leave.

if nothing else I can with those two candidates know exactly why the fuck that account is leaky.

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lizardgimpking · 1 year

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Book Review: Dead Ground (M.W. Craven)

Before reviewing this book, I suppose I should point out that this is the fourth installment in an ongoing detective series. I picked up the original, ‘The Puppet Show’, on a whim at a second hand shop back in late 2020, and I’ve very quickly picked up each following installment since then (I recently purchased the newest release, ‘The Botanist’ to read after my next book). I’ve not really got into a lot of book series’ since my post-COVID rekindled love of reading, preferring instead to jump around, trying new authors, styles and genres. But these Washington Poe (The main character) novels have become very entertaining in-between reads to some of the longer books I’ve picked up over recent years. They’re just about the right length, they’re very easy reads and offer the wonderfully pulpy crime/mystery vibes of something like BBC’s ‘Luther’, which is a show I love very much. In a lot of ways these books feel made in much the same image as that show, they prioritise thrills, tension and creative set-ups over procedural realism, which is very much my lane for crime fiction. They aren’t “high art”, but they’re exactly the kinda thing I enjoy reading.

So yeah, here we arrive at the fourth entry in the series, ‘Dead Ground’, which sees lead detective Washington Poe and his techie analyst partner Tilly Bradshaw embroiled in a seemingly random murder case that has gained the focus of MI5. This ultimately results in a very twisty turny conspiracy thriller involving the armed forces and international cover-ups. Oh, and a heist featuring James Bond masks. It’s a weird one.

I must say that this is probably my least favourite of the series so far. I noticed that the author himself (M.W Craven) ranks this as his personal favourite, and a story he’d wanted to tell for a while. I can understand why, as the writer, that this conspiracy/politically charged narrative might be a fun creative pursuit, and it’s at least admirable that the series has managed to find multiple sub-genres to put its lead characters through. But I felt that, as the main conceit of the case was set broadly in the past, it meant there wasn’t a lot of high stakes or potential for ‘action’ in the book itself. There’s a pretty strong final conflict, but, especially compared to the dramatic and shocking nature of the previous book ‘The Curator’, this one sadly felt a little dry. All that said, despite it being the weakest of the novels, it still features many of the plus points that have made me a fan of the series from the start. The writing is very punchy and easy to binge your way through, and the core characters (Poe and Tilly) continue to make for a great double act, in the same way that the lead pairings from crime shows such as ‘The Bridge’ also did. They give the story so much personality and humour, and mean that, even if you aren’t as enamored with the case they’re on as in previous installments, you’re still engaged with the novel because of your rapport with its cast. There are a lot of ongoing elements to the wider story across each novel, that have become engaging in of themselves at this point. So as long as the writing continues to be sharp and engrossing, then I suppose it doesn’t matter how strong the cases are themselves. Of course, it helps when they’re good as well.

And I mean, the case isn’t BAD by any means. It just feels a little dull compared to prior entries. It’s fair to say that you can’t put the lead characters in peril, or at the center of the case in EVERY novel, but without any major dangers, it can feel a bit sedate by comparison. Political conspiracies obviously have the potential to be quite high-stakes for those investigating them, so I’m not sure you can purely blame the shift in genre either. Also, a little pet peeve, but I do feel the chapters have increasingly relied on “And then it all came together” closing sentences FAR too often at this point. It happened in the other novels, but not nearly to this extent, I swear. Especially given most of the “And then it all made sense” chapter closers in this book actually aren’t accurate, it got a bit silly when about 40% of the chapters ended that way. Hopefully the next entry will dial that down a tad.

So yeah, despite it being the weakest entry so far, I still really enjoyed this fourth installment of the Poe series. There’s just something about the tone, the humour and the writing that make these so addictive to read. It’s the perfect easy and fun blockbuster of a novel to check out between other, headier/older reads. I could probably blast through an M.W. Craven novel in a few hours if I didn’t pace myself in installments. It’s perfect for holiday reading, that’s for sure. Maybe one day I’ll actually go on holiday and take one. For now, I’ll just enjoy them in the comfort of my own home.

Read it or Leave it : Read It.

Reading Next (The Living Dead by Daniel Kraus & George Romero)

#The Stickman #Novels #Reading #Books #Washington Poe #Tilly Bradshaw #Crime #Detective #Review #m.w. craven

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whereonearthismarian · 2 years

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06/03/2022

The morning started off with the entire group grabbing breakfast together, without our advisors. I always enjoy spending time with them outside of a professional or scholarly setting since it’s just a lot more fun. As much as we like our advisors, it’s healthy to have this separation when abroad.

While we were eating I got a little sad. I knew my time with them in England was coming to a close. I remember just looking around the table and being so grateful that these were the people I got to experience all of this with. I might not be able to verbally get those words out of my mouth but I hope they know this.

Our first destination of the day was the Churchill War Rooms. During WWII, these basement offices were the secret underground headquarters that Prime Minister Winston Churchill worked and lived in. I still don’t think that my mind has processed the fact that I was roaming around a portion of history that served as the center of the war effort seen from Britain.

Although I was excited to visit this historical site, I was extremely eager for our second destination of the day: The National Gallery. I remember looking at the exterior of this building when we first traveled to London almost two weeks ago and just wanting to step inside already. It wasn’t in our itinerary until the end of our program so every time we made trips into London I was tempted to peek inside.

I was in denial the entire time I was there. I couldn’t, and still can’t, believe that I was seeing famous pieces of arts. Pieces of arts that I had only seen in photos or videos or talked about in light conversation.

As I was walking through each room, I realized that the noise of the people around me was getting louder and louder. I came to the realization that I had reached the point of the museum where I would be entering the room that housed paintings from Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. When I walked in I was shocked to see Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s Chair in my complete line of vision. To my luck, I arrived at both of these paintings when they weren’t being bombarded by other people. Despite only being able to look at them for less than 30 seconds by myself before people made their way over, it was a moment I won’t forget.

As I shifted to the work displayed behind me, I was greeted by paintings from Claude Monet. The Beach at Trouville has always been a piece that has provided comfort to me. I would explain why but that would turn into a 20 page paper. All you need to know is that I love classic novels and I can vividly see “Little Women” in Monet’s painting so to feel two things that I love bridged together through my own interpretation is something special to me. We’ll just leave it at that.

We ended the night in a place I seriously did not expect; inside the same jazz bar that Amy Winehouse got her start at. Anyone who knows me understands how grand my love for Amy Winehouse is. There was a phase in my life where her music was the only thing I listened to. At one point I was no longer passed the aux cord when I was in the car with anyone because they knew exactly what I would play. It was insane to think that Amy Winehouse performed on the same floor I was spending my Friday night at.

A lot of the places I was able to step foot in while staying in England had a story behind it. It’s amazing to see the history that this country holds. Whether it’s in regards to war, music, film, religion or art, England is rich in its culture. It really has been a privilege to have been able to visit so many locations. It’s bittersweet to be leaving but I promise you this isn’t the last I’ve seen of England.

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absolutepokemontrash · 3 years

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Kid!MC/Teen!MC Needs someone to go to Parent Teacher Interviews for Them and Guess Who’s Available?

Masterlist

The brothers being bad babysitters/dad figures is something I love very much, I bet you all could already tell that considering the Fic/Headcanon series I have going on. I would just like you all to know that Asmo’s section is based on a true story. Anyhoo~ onto the Headcanons!

Why? Why Him? (Lucifer)

Is MC really dumb, or are they just a kid? No one knows.

Obviously MC asked Lucifer, the only competent one in the house, the most professional, hard-working, controlled-

MC got their things together and gave Lucifer the run down on their teacher(s) before Lucifer got too absorbed in extolling his own virtues in an intense internal monologue.

News flash Lucifer, this isn’t a Shakespeare play, you can’t have a dramatic monologue or soliloquy about how great you think you are

At the actual meeting, if MC is in there, no, MC is not actually in there. Lucifer will speak to the teacher as if MC isn’t there. As someone whose not a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down kind of person, Lucifer expects the teacher to behave the same and not spare MC’s feelings.

Feelings do not deserve to be spared if MC is being a nuisance. No fake-kid/little sibling of his gets to be the class idiot!

If MC’s doing very well academically, he expects to be pointed at projects or tests they’ve done and the grade on it. It really makes him proud to see MC doing well.

Even if they’re not the best academically, if they’re not failing and they’re doing well in other aspects of school, he’s proud.

If MC really struggles in a school environment and just hates it there but they’re still keeping their head above water, they get a head pat of approval.

On the drive home, if MC came with him to the parent teacher interviews and everything went well, he just happens to turn onto the street that has a Baskin Robin’s or something of that caliber.

If they didn’t go, he picks something up on the way back.

No fun treats if MC is being a disruptive little heathen in class, no kid under Lucifer’s care is going to be the class Mammon. Not on his watch.

MC was busily stuffed their face with the treats that were gifted to them. Lucifer had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes at the kid’s blatant disregard for basic table manners when it came to sweets.

“Is everything the teacher said true?” Lucifer asked, MC looked up at him with a smile.

“Yep!”

“Good, good.” Lucifer held out his hand and patted them on the head. “You’re doing well. Keep it up.”

“Geez,” MC mumbled as they continued to stuff their face. “Can you get anymore affectionate?”

“Don’t be sarcastic, MC. It’s uncouth.” Lucifer said sternly. “Besides, I’ll have you know that many people enjoy my headpats. I’m quite affectionate.”

“Really now? Name one person.”

Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He and MC stared each other down, one pair of eyes much more nervous than the other. Spoiler, MC was still calmly eating their treat as they maintained eye contact.

“…Cerberus.”

“If you’re reaching for Cerberus, you’ve already lost.”

…his pride was under attack. Right in front of his desert…

“You’re grounded.”

“Worth it.”

*Rides by on a Skateboard* School is for NERDS (Mammon)

Pff! Stupid human! He’s not goin’ to some lame parent teacher conference-

Wait! What’s with that face?! Ugh… fine. MC’s gone and forced his hand with those damn puppy dog eyes…

Mammon does not dress up for this event, he dresses like he would every day, maybe throw on some designer stuff to let all the parents and teachers know he’s hot shit.

If MC goes with him, he pulls up in his beloved car and takes up two parking spaces (pure evil.). Every parent present already hates him, but at least the other kids there are impressed with MC’s sweet ride. MC would have gained some street cred if Mammon hadn’t managed to trip up the stairs to the classroom in front of everyone.

He’ll act way to casual with the teacher, turning the parent chair backwards and sitting down so he can lean on the seat.

Mammon gets bored crazy quickly while the teacher lists and explains all the stuff the class is learning, so his eyes begin to wander to any and all displays in the classroom. Projects, annoying posters, class pet, anything is more interesting than this teacher’s explanation.

When MC finally becomes the main topic of the interview, he’s all ears. MC’s doing great in school academically? Ha! Nerd! Maybe giving MC a playful noogie and interrupting the whole interview wasn’t a good idea, but whatever.

If MC’s failing anything, or just isn’t that gifted when it comes to grades, it’s very much a “Aw man me too” from Mammon.

This teacher is speaking with the Great Mammon, the first demon in RAD’s history to fail three semesters in a row. If this teacher thinks bad grades will phase him, they’re dead wrong.

Grades don’t mean anythin’ about smarts anyway! I mean, look at him! He’s a fuckin’ genius but he can’t get through a history test without sobbing even though he LIVED THROUGH MOST OF IT.

MC gets treats no matter what’s up in class. Though, if MC didn’t go with him, he’s likely to forget and just order something for the two of them when he gets back home.

“Goddamn teachers and their rambling!” Mammon whined, grabbing a slice of pizza from the open box on his coffee table. “You owe me, MC! Ya really do!”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” MC said, they leaned over and rolled a pizza slice into a pizza-scroll then proceeded to eat it like a veggie roll. “How do you think I feel, listening to them every day? You know how long it takes to get to the actual class material?”

“Five years?”

“Ugh! Five years if I’m lucky! I swear, I know more about my teacher’s grievances with like… five of my classmates than I do about trigonometry, and guess which one’s on the test next week?”

Mammon winced in sympathy, then remembered he was supposed to be whining and went back to it. “School’s shit and a waste of money, ya should drop out as soon as you can and help me run my new business.”

“You mean your pyramid scheme?”

“It’s not a pyramid scheme, MC! It’s legit! It’s a multi-tiered marketing-”

“It’s a pyramid scheme.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SOCIAL INTERACTION (Leviathan)

Everyone else must have been sick or something for MC to have asked Levi. He’d flat out refuse to go otherwise.

So, Levi couldn’t exactly go to the interview in his usual “I haven’t left my room or changed clothes in eight weeks” look. With the help of MC, he was able to find his military uniform at the back of his closet.

Asmo nearly fainted when he saw Levi in the uniform, not because “oooo, a man in uniform~”, it was because the outfit was so crumpled and wrinkled that it made it physically painful to look at. No time to iron and wash, the conference was in an hour!

Levi (and MC if they went with) rolled up to the school in a less than impressive ride, but one look at the uniform and all the other people present went “yep, time to be respectful (tm)”

For the first time in his life Levi was more intimidating than Lucifer! And he wasn’t even trying!

When the teacher starts explaining the course material, Levi spaces off in horror as he realizes he remembers literally nothing from school (AND HE’S STILL IN SCHOOL!) all that’s running through his head is “A squared + B squared = C squared” and “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”.

The actual interview was the least interesting part of the trip, the real stuff happened when Levi passed by some art on display in the hallway and something caught his eye-

Those colours… that hair… that adorable smile..!

IT WAS HER! LEVI’S PRECIOUS RURI-CHAN IN ALL HER GLORY!

Levi immediately started fawning over the art class fanart and by sheer coincidence, one of the kids walking through the hallway happened to notice.

The kid asked MC if their… parent and or guardian liked anime. MC responded with “obviously.” Levi then asked the kid if they drew his adorable Ruri-chan. The kid said no, and that they drew the My Hero Academia fanart a few rows down.

Levi was absolutely floored that there were two anime fans in one class, then his entire world shattered when MC explained there was more anime art inside the art room and other classrooms.

H-hang on… did that mean that… a lot of people here… liked anime..?

Levi needed a while to process. No snacks on the way home…

Levi and MC were sat in the back of their Uber, Levi, the Avatar of Envy himself, was having his entire sense of reality warped. S-so much anime fanart… in a school of all places..! What did this mean for the future of anime?!

“Levi. Stop.” MC sighed. “If this were an anime, the camera angle would be doing that thing where it’s right on the bridge of your nose and dramatic music plays in the background.”

“S-so many kids in your class like a-anime huh..?” Levi stuttered, weakly trying to smile. “Must be nice..?”

“Oh, that’s just my class. The other classes and grades have their fans too.”

“Oh… really?”

“Levi,” MC stopped looking out the window and looked at the otaku that was having a full scale silent mental breakdown. “Anime isn’t even a niche interest anymore. It’s a pretty casual thing to watch now. At least a third of my class watches- Levi?”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH! ANIME! A THIRD OF THE CLASS?! ANIME… HIS PRECIOUS ANIME… WAS BECOMING A NORMIE INTEREST! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

“Levi?” MC waved their hand in front of their spaced out demon’s face. “Leviiiii? Okay he’s dead.”

The Know it All (Satan)

Ah, a smart choice, MC. Satan would be glad to help further their education. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure that the human’s brain is fed all that sweet sweet knowledge.

Satan can’t dress himself normally, MC had to coax him into a suit jacket, but he still only wore one sleeve.

MC was coming along to the interviews whether they wanted to or not, it’s important to hear what they need to improve on from the teacher themselves after all.

The two arrived pretty early, so Satan asked MC for a tour of the school. It was pretty tame until they reached the library. Satan was horrified at the state of some of the books…

Their spines lined with duct tape… pages missing and torn… someone apparently used a taco as a book mark…

The first thing Satan does when it’s time for his interview is demand the teacher take better care of the library, even though they’re not the librarian. MC tries to explain this, but Satan is too distraught to listen to reason.

He enjoyed hearing about the course material, but he made it known if MC thinks the assignments are too easy that they need to be given more challenging work. THEIR BRAIN NEEDS TO BE STIMULATED DAMN IT.

It was up to MC to either agree with Satan and nod to the teacher, or make frantic eye contact with them to try and communicate “NO DON’T PLEASE”.

Similar to (ugh) Lucifer, as long as MC is doing their best, he’s happy for them.

…but if they are in any way in the running for valedictorian he is HELPING THEM WIN.

He decided to stop at a cafe or bookstore to let MC pick out a “congrats on surviving your pitiful school” present after the interviews.

MC gleefully perused the shelves of the bookstore, there were so many books too look at…

“I’ll buy you as many books as you’d like, MC, just,” Satan shuddered slightly. “Promise me you won’t treat them like those poor library books…”

MC put their hand over their heart. “I swear on the duct taped book spines that I will never treat a book like that.”

“Good… good…” Satan breathed a sigh of relief and went back to looking at his book about cats.

“Are you… reading a Warrior Cats book..?” MC asked tentatively.

“Yes, why?”

“Satan, put that back.”

“I Will Seduce the Teacher For the Sake of Your Grades, Don’t Worry.” (Asmodeus)

Oh MC dear! He’d be delighted to go! Just let him get ready~

Asmo may not be the best choice, but he was at least going to be the best dressed person at that conference. (And MC just had to come too so all the other parents could be jealous of how well coordinated their outfits are)

He teased MC a little by saying he was going to flirt with their teacher to make sure they passed the class, but he was just kidding! …but he made sure to ask if their teacher was cute, he needed to know!

While waiting for his turn, Asmo flirts with some of the single parents, if he doesn’t see a wedding ring, they’re fair game.

Once his time slot arrived, MC realized that Asmo is one of those “my child has done and will do nothing wrong ever” types. This may have ended up working in MC’s favour if they were a class nuisance.

If MC is doing very well in sports, clubs, grades, anything, Asmo is fawning over them and gushing to the teacher about how great, smart and adorable they are.

Asmo surprisingly does not exactly flirt with the teacher, he was just teasing MC after all. But um… if MC’s teacher just happens to be cute and young, he may turn up the charm, just a little. Enough to make the teacher giggle and make MC cover their face in embarrassment.

After the interviews Asmo will probably schedule a nice day out for the two of them, shopping, a movie, mani pedis, something fun!

The real weird stuff happens in the months after the interviews… if Asmo did lightly flirt with the teacher, MC gets quite a few questions about their guardian. Questions that ask if Asmo is single in not as many words…

Oh lord, MC’s teacher developed a crush on Asmo.

Nail painting night was supposed to be a fun occasion, but MC was hopping mad and embarrassed. Asmo didn’t seem to notice as he continued to paint the little human’s nails.

“And then I told Phenex to get lost. The nerve of that little monster, right MC?” When MC didn’t reply, Asmo looked up and tilted his head. “MC?”

MC’s angry face would have been much more threatening if they weren’t just so adorable, but it was getting the message across.

“MC..?”

“Asmo.” MC’s glare deepened. “My teacher wants to know if you’re single.”

Asmo blinked a few times, before he hit his tongue to keep from laughing. “Really now~. I knew they’d be madly in love with me-”

“WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIIIIIIIIIIIS?!”

Oh My Demon King is That a BAKE SALE?! (Beel)

Of course Beel said yes! He’d gladly go to MC’s parent teacher interview!

He even put on a nice outfit :D he ended up looking a bit like a secret serviceman guarding MC, the tiny president.

Beel stopped for McDonald’s on the way there, all the other kids were so jealous of MC when they stepped out of the car eating fries.

But a little something something caught Beel’s eye when he and MC walked into the school… was that a… bake sale?

MC quickly explained that the bake sale was fundraiser for their class trip that year and the snacks weren’t complimentary. He had to pay.

And pay Beel did. He cleared out the entire table. MC’s grade’s overnight trip was going to be decadent as hell. That was no longer a crowd funded thing, that trip was privately funded by a tall buff ginger secret service member and this tiny in comparison child.

Kids are incredibly blunt, just like Beel, so when a random kindergarten kid wandered over, looked up at Beel, and very knowingly said “you’re very tall”. Beel was like “yeah”. The kid then said “what’s it like being that tall?”

Beel’s response to this kid’s question was to pick them up and hold them for a few seconds before placing them back down. For just a few moments this kid knew what it like to be over 6’4. Of course, more kids swarmed in and asked to be picked up.

Sure it was cute, but Beel now has an army of kids ranging from kindergarteners to third graders.

Finally, the conference actually began. Beel snacked the entire time and dutifully listened to everything the teacher had to say.

After the interviews are over, he checks with MC to make sure everything the teacher said was true and that they weren’t lying. If all was well, the two made their exit.

They stopped at Wendy’s on the way home.

“I’m so full…” MC groaned, Beel held up a massive cookie.

“So I can eat this?”

“No. Gimme that.” MC took a very defeated bite out of it. “My stomach says no but my mouth says yes…”

“I don’t want you to get a stomachache, MC,” Beel said worriedly. “No more snacks.”

“It’s a little late for that. It’s past nine and I’m still eating, there’s no way I’m getting to sleep at a reasonable hour.”

“Oh…” Beel mumbled. “I may have not completely thought this through.”

“*Snore* Huh? Wha? MC’s Grades? Uh… Fuck…” (Belphie)

MC must be failing a class or something because why on earth would they pick Belphie otherwise.

They ask him to go while he’s delirious from just waking up from a nap, he sort of half nods and mumbles some gibberish before going back to sleep.

MC had to basically carry his ass to the school. Belphie drooled all over them in the waiting room, and when it was their time to go into the interview, Belphie had to be manually put into the chair and slapped awake.

He barely listens, he just sits and nods along with whatever the teacher is saying. The teacher could say MC brought an alligator to school and he’d just go “uh huh…” “mmmph… yep…” “really now?” then yawn.

The only thing that could possibly get Belphie to be interested is if MC is studying space. If they are, than boy howdy is Belphie suddenly interested in their education.

Other than that? *snore*

If MC is in fact failing or doing poorly, MC’s teacher asks to see another one of MC’s guardians at a later date. Their plan failed miserably.

MC drags Belphie out of the school and yells at him for not helping them. Belphie, still sleep delirious, tries to press the snooze button. MC does not have a snooze button.

“Belphie!” MC shouted, shaking the Avatar of Sloth awake. The House of Lamentation’s resident bastard was somehow sleeping standing up outside. “HOW COULD YOU?!”

“Eh?” Belphie half-snorted and looked around confused. “What’d I do? Where are we?”

“At my school! You said that you’d go to my parent teacher interviews!”

“…MC I don’t think I’d pass well for you.”

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GO AS MY GUARDIAN!”

“Sheesh,” Belphie murmured while he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes. “You humans are so noisy.”

MC looked up at their dearest demon friend, and gave him their best glare. “I’m going to take all your fancy temperature changing pillows and switch them with normal pillows you traitorous bastard.”

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dejwrites · 3 years

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𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄. chapter three ( &. nanami kento x black!female reader — warnings: mentions of sex, infidelity,gore, profanity, chapter jump from past to present, gojo & geto being the funny ones in the group. college au/artist nanami au)

➣ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: [y/n] seems to always have unexpected visitors popping up at her work place. — PRESENT

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: @nanaminshousewife @wavyyl0sr @dearmrsuh @gemimaya @thenerdyrebel @maydayaisha @thatonerandomchick1 @gabzlovesu @bnuyy

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆. 𝑆𝐸𝑅𝐼𝐸𝑆 𝑇𝐴𝐺

YOU SHUFFLED AROUND YOUR OFFICE flipping through folders trying to find a past pattern for a dress. A customer wanted a replica of this design and you had about two weeks to create it, which you didn't mind since you could see a dress together with a quickness. But you couldn't do that without the pattern. You would flip through another folder and you heard your office door ring. You picked it up hearing your assistant Mariah on the other end, "Um, Ms. [L/N] a man is wanting to speak to you. His name is Nanami Kento."

"Tell him, I'm busy. I can't talk right now," That wasn't particularly a lie, but at the same time, you didn't want to talk to him because it wasn't anything else to talk about it.

"He said you would say something like that and he isn't leaving until he talks to you," Mariah answered.

You felt yourself pitching the bridge of your nose. "Mariah, tell him I don't want to fucking talk to him."

"Say it just like that?" Mariah questioned as she was asking to say a curse word to Nanami.

"Yes."

You could hear Mariah repeat your words exactly how you said them to him and then you could hear the dial tone. You would hope he got the memo. Hanging up your phone and continuing to find the pattern for the dress. You finally found it and would place it on your desk, nearly jumping hearing someone burst into your office. You saw Nanami at the door and your assistant not too far behind. The younger girl would huff, "I tried to stop him, should I call security?" She asked.

You would shake your head annoyed. "No, he can stay." You said in defeat. "Could you go to the fabric floor and get these fabrics for me though?" You asked as you wrote down the fabrics you needed and handed her the post-it note.

Mariah would nod, as she was leaving she glared at Nanami. You chuckled at just how protective the younger woman was towards you, you sat in your seat at your desk. "Well, how can I help you Nanami? Shouldn't you be wedding planning or something?"

"Oh come on [Y/N], don't be like that," Nanami responded.

"I told you. I'm cutting ties with you Nanami, we can't be around each other," You firmly said staring at him.

Nanami took in your features as he sat in front of you. He took in how nicely you looked in the comfort of your own office. Your cream-colored blouse had a couple of buttons undone, your legs crossed over one another in your tight black pencil skirt that hugged your bottom half perfectly.

"We're in the same friend group, you can't just avoid me," Nanami pointed out.

"I'll just not be around when you're around," You answered.

Now that felt like a dagger in his heart. He couldn't believe you would say something like considering how close the group was. "So you're just not going to show up to Geto's grand opening to his new tattoo shop next week...all because I'm going to be there?" Nanami questioned.

You were quiet, you hated how messy this was getting. "Probably have something on my schedule during that day anyway, Geto would understand," you responded staring him in his eyes. After all, you only showed up to his art auction because your schedules cleared up last minute.

Nanami found himself throwing his hands up in frustration. He couldn't believe what was happening now, but he couldn't help but blame himself. Their relationship has always been complicated, all because they never put a label on it and he never made an effort to do so. All because of a stupid pre-arrangement made by his parents.

"Nanami, you're an engaged man. We were closed practically insufferable from each other. We can't just go back to how it was," You said. "Especially because you cheated on your fiancé with me and I'm positive she knows."

"She doesn't know."

"She wouldn't have tried to sell that portrait if she didn't," You said.

"Listen [Y/N], she doesn't know. She was somewhere in Paris during that weekend," Nanami said. "Positive of that because she did some big spending while she was over there." He said staring at you.

"So where do we go from here?" You questioned. "Your fiancé doesn't even want me around, so answer me."

"I don't know, I just don't think we should throw away a friendship like this," Nanami responded.

"Was it just a friendship though? I know we didn't put a label on what we were because we were young and just careless, but we can't just go back to just friends." You found yourself explaining.

Nanami knew you had a point. But for some reason, he just felt so attached to you. Could it have been the memories from college hitting him all at once or the fact that he was about to lose you as a close friend? Or could it have been both?

"Associates then?" Nanami questioned.

"We'll have to be dealing with a business for that to even be considered," You responded, you were quite confused about where he was heading with this. "And I take my business very seriously."

"I wouldn't have thrown that out there without a business collaboration between us two."

You would lean forward, you were interested in what he had to say. You were fully aware that this could just be a ploy for you to still be in his life frequently. However, you were a woman with goals, before you retire, pop out some kids, you wanted your fashion brand to be international. You wanted to be just as big as Versace, Prada, and the list goes on. You wanted your name to be in fashion history books in the future. So, who were you to turn down a possible business move that could elevate your career even more?

"How about we host an art and fashion exhibit?" Nanami suggested, he found himself pulling out his phone to check his schedule.

"What exactly are we going to display? Your art as my models walk the runway?" You questioned.

But then you got an idea, "What if we combined your art and my fashion?" You questioned.

You would grab your iPad typing in something quickly and showed Nanami the picture of Ariana Grande at the 2018 Met Gala. You remembered how mesmerized you were seeing that Vera Wang gown.

"That's possible?" Nanami asked.

"Well obviously if Vera Wang did it, we can screen-print images on clothes," You found yourself explaining. "They manage to do it with Michelangelo's iconic fresco, The Last Judgement, which adorns the sanctuary wall of the Sistine Chapel." You added.

Nanami would nod, he notices just how much your face lit up when you talked about fashion. You heard a knock and Mariah peaked her head in which you would motion her in the office.

"After I finish this dress Mariah, I'll be working with Mr. Nanami Kento here," You motioned to Nanami.

Mariah would place the fabric on your desk. "I've heard about his artwork, actually had to use it to create something in college for an assignment." She said as she was waiting to be dismissed.

"Great, he's going to be here a lot as we're planning and creating. So, I don't want you to worry or feel overwhelmed." You commented.

"Would I be assisting him also?" Mariah asked.

"Uh no, I would hope he already has his own assistant," You said as you looked at him. "Do you have your own assistant?"

"No, Serena fired her," Nanami answered rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

You rolled your eyes before Mariah spoke up, "I can both of you guys assistant for the time being."

"That's only if you want to, obviously he's going to pay you also," You said. "And he will pay my lovely assistant very well." You gave Nanami a forced smile.

"I will. Of course, give me a price and it's done."

Mariah's lips formed a smile. She not only was helping a well-known black designer but an international artist also. Her resume was going to be top tier as soon as she walks across her university stage for graduation. "So, should I start setting up meetings?" She questioned.

"Not yet, maybe in about two weeks. That gives both Nanami and I time to see how our schedules are," You commented.

Mariah would nod before you eventually dismissed her. You would turn your attention to Nanami, "I can't believe you don't have an assistant? How can you handle your lifestyle without one?"

Your life could get quite hectic and it was Mariah who helped balance it out. When you had press conferences, she reminded you. When you had an interview and photoshoot, Mariah made sure you were there. You saw your younger self in Mariah and you had to make sure you gave her as many opportunities as possible. Especially considering that you didn't have that many opportunities as a black woman in college.

"I just go with the flow," Nanami said. "A one-man show."

"With your annoying fiancé," You mumbled but you were sure Nanami heard you. You would stand up putting files away and pull out a brand new sketchbook for you to draft some designs. You also grabbed the fabric that Mariah brought you and neatly placed it in your Marc Jacobs Tote bag. Once you got home, you were going to start the dress you had to make.

"You still stay at that penthouse?" You questioned Nanami.

If you recalled, you remember when you stepped in the penthouse with a half-empty bottle of champagne drunk out your mind with Nanami, the place looked like people were just moving into it. Little did you know, he was moving into it with his fiancé. You were never the one to advocate stepping out on your relationship, but Serena did rub you the wrong way so your guilt didn't eat you up that much.

"Yes. Settled in it nicely, Serena hates it though," Nanami explained.

"Hates it? It's one of the highest-selling penthouses in this city. It has a pool. Hell, if you didn't buy it...I would have," You said.

"She wants something bigger, which I think it's pointless considering we're hardly at home or have kids," Nanami pointed out.

"Oh yeah, you're going to want to get a bigger spot once kids are in the picture. Especially considering that you want how many? Three?" You tried to remember the number he told you when you guys were in college. "Unless that number change." You added.

"Nope, still the same," Nanami chuckles. He couldn't believe you still remembered that.

"I still remember the name you said you'll name your first daughter," You mentioned.

His eyebrows raised, he didn't even remember that.

"Nanno." You said chuckling to yourself. You would turn your eyes to your computer in front of you. "I think we should host the fashion show in a museum, you know how Beyonce and Jay-Z like rented out that whole museum for their music video." You found yourself changing the subject.

Which was somewhat on purpose, the man said that you guys were going to be associates at most and you wanted to keep it that way. The chatter about memory lane could only open up more wounds that didn't need to be opened up at all.

"What if we rent out the same museum? I'm sure they'll let us considering who we are," Nanami explained.

"Do you think we're on the Beyonce and her husband level?" You asked jokingly. "The Beyonce!?"

"I mean, we shouldn't lowball ourselves," Nanami responded.

"Fair point." You said as you went to email the museum.

You would send the email asking if you and Nanami could come to view the place in about two weeks. You had written it on a post-it note to remind yourself of it, which as you were writing, you could feel Nanami staring at you. Your eyes traveled up from the note you were writing and met his gaze.

He was giving the same gaze he would give you when you were in college. The same gaze he gave you before you found out he was engaged. You opened your mouth to speak, but Mariah interrupted what words were going to tumble out your mouth. The gaze Nanami had on you turned to look at Mariah.

"Mr. Kento, it's a woman on the phone asking about you? Should I tell her you're busy? She seemed quite agitated," Mariah explained.

Your mouth gasped open, Serena better not have been calling up your workplace like a crazy person. Nanami would glance at his phone, seeing the several missed calls and text messages asking him bizarre questions. He forgot that the two have their location shared with each other, which was her idea. It was a bit controlling, but anything to get the woman to stop nagging him. The blonde-haired man had silenced his phone and now he was regretting that.

"No, tell her I'm about to call her." He answered and Mariah nods before exiting the office.

"I'm so sorry." Nanami apologized as he would go to call Serena.

You found yourself steaming with anger, but instead of making a rude comment about the woman you just went back to writing your notes.

This situation with Nanami was above you at this point. He was engaged and the brunette woman had him on a tight leash. There was nothing you or your feelings could do.

WHEN NANAMI LEFT YOUR OFFICE, it was six o'clock at night, you sent Mariah home early since you didn't have anything else to do. Nanami had got a call from Serena asking about his whereabouts, which he tried to lie. But she saw right through his lie with quickness, you could hear her distraught squeaks through the phone as you sat trying to stay quiet. You didn't want to laugh at her, but you couldn't help it. She acted like a child to you, but you understood why her jealousy radar would spike constantly. Nanami was rich and attractive. He was a walking bachelor. You said your farewells to the blonde-haired man, he went in for a hug even which you stopped him, reminding him that his fiancé would probably sniff his clothes for any scent of a woman.

You tugged your cream-colored pea coat on your body and grabbed your black leather Birkin bag, plus your Marc Jacobs tote bag that had the fabric for the dress you had to make in it and made your way down to the lobby of the building. You gave your driver a day off, which you usually didn't mind using an Uber, as you stood in the lobby going to request an Uber, you could hear someone calling your name. You looked up from your phone glancing around and when your eyes glossed over to the person calling your name, your lips formed a large smile as you begin.

"Toji."

"Long time no see huh? Princess."

"Don't call me that, I'm not twenty anymore," you said playfully rolling your eyes, playful pushing his arm.

You took in his looks and you weren't afraid to admit that he aged wonderfully. You've read about him now owning a sports team and even having a son, you just didn't have the time to stay in contact with him. Even though you guys didn't end on a bad foot, you just drifted apart. Or the fact that he knew about your feelings about Nanami. You felt guilty not checking up on him, especially given that you followed him on Instagram and found yourself liking pictures of his.

"What are you doing here?" You questioned as you looked at him. The heels you wore gave you some form of height, so compared to when you were in college, it didn't feel like the black-haired man was towering over you.

"Was in town due to the draft event and just wanted to catch up," He responded.

"If you saw how good I looked on Instagram, you could have just said that," You joked as you playfully nudged him.

"Oh don't tempt me like that [Y/N], but are you free for tonight?" He questioned. "Would love to catch up,"

You had to start this dress for this client. "Actually, I am. I have to start this dress for this client," you responded holding up your tote bag filled with supplies. "But if you would like, you can come over. We can have some drinks, possibly order some takeout, and catch up." You suggested.

"Of course," He said as he stepped closer, you felt like your heart skipped a beat as he closed the gap that was in between you two. His hands reach down to grab your tote bag to carry it for you. "Did you drive here?" He questioned.

"No, and I gave my driver the day off. Usually just Uber home," You answered.

It was no response from Toji as the building valet person saw him exit the building with you and sooner went to fetch Toji's car. When his luxury car pulled out, you went to open the door, but Toji was much quicker than you to open it for you. You gave him a smile before getting into the passenger seat. He closed the door for you. He was still the gentlemen he was when you were in college.

You watched the passing buildings as Toji drove to your place after you put it into the GPS, your eyes glanced over at Toji as he was driving. You took in his matured looks, he was attractive in college and seemed to get even more attractive as years went on. His eyes focus on the road ahead of him, you went back looking outside the passenger window so he won't feel you admiring him.

When you arrived at your place, you would give Toji a mini-tour of your high-rise apartment. You had settled for one of the biggest units in the building, even though it was only you in the apartment. You two ordered food and you would search for a bottle of wine and glasses. Which eventually you found and spent five minutes trying to open it without a wine opener.

"Nanami hated my guts," Toji said as you two were currently in your spacious living room going down memory lane.

"He was just being his jealous self," You responded as you were on the floor cutting up fabric.

"Still can't believe you two never dated, it sure seemed like it," Toji said as he would take a sip of his scotch.

"Tell me about it," You huffed. "Now he's engaged," you answered. You tucked one of your coils out your face as you leaned down to make any smaller adjustments to the cuttings of fabric you had.

"And you are?" Toji questioned, his voice trailing off searching for your answer.

"Single as can be, but at least I'm living in luxury. So I can't really complain. Thinking about getting a puppy though," You honestly responded. You would pin the fabric together before glancing at him. "I would ask you, but you practically living life wonderfully. You own a sports team, have a kid..." your voice trailed off also.

"Oh don't say it like he's a baby, that boy has practically grown into a young adult," Toji said as he thought about his son Megumi.

You chuckled at his statement as you glanced up and caught his gaze. He was staring at you so hard, which cause you to question why exactly was he here. Well, obviously he mentioned a sports draft event happening in the city, but if you recalled the ride over here he said the event isn't until three weeks. He just arrived in the city early to enjoy some time off.

"Why are you here Toji?" You questioned.

You two didn't work out during your college years, was it because of Nanami, definitely? But you always had a soft spot for Toji back in college, he added some form of excitement to your life back then when Nanami left you shattered to pieces.

"Friends can't just check up on friends," He responded.

"I mean obviously we can, but you know we have history." You rested your head on your hand as you were sitting on the floor.

"I wouldn't say history, more like unfinished business," Toji responded honestly.

"Unfinished business?" You questioned, you met Toji's hard gaze at you and it felt just like in college.

When he stared at you, you felt like he was undressing you with his eyes, which you weren't complaining about. It actually quite turned you on. "When you say it like that, you make it seem like we're enemies." You joked.

"Well, I hope I'm not the villain in your story. But since Kento is out of the picture now, I figured I can swoop in and save you once again." Toji alluded.

You would stand up grabbing the scraps of fabric that you cut up. Placing them on the table, considering that you had a feeling where this conversation was going to lead, you knew you weren't going to get any work done.

What was it? A gorgeous man interrupts [Y/N] from doing her workday?

You plopped down next to Toji, your lips curly in an innocent smile. Nanami was technically out of the picture now due to his strict engagement. However, you did feel like he only offered the business idea to keep a close eye on your life.

"Or is he still in the picture without his fiancé knowledge?" Toji asked, your silence to his previous comment caused him to gain even more curiosity. It baffled him how tied up you were with Nanami, especially considering that he never gave you an actual official relationship title.

"No, he isn't." You admitted quickly, you fiddled with the ends of your skirt. Adjusting yourself in your seat uncomfortably. "Nanami and I really haven't seen each other in so long, I recently just saw him and found out about the engagement." You somewhat lied

"You know, when we were in college, you pointed out that I paid attention to you," Toji says. "Which, you should know by now I can tell when you're lying."

You let out an annoyed sigh, "And if something did happen between Nanami and me before me knowing about the engagement..why does it matter to you? Are you going tell her or something?" You asked.

"No, it's none of my business. Frankly, you don't owe that woman loyalty...that artist does," He rolled his eyes. "But I hate to see a beautiful woman waste her time being stuck on a man who after toying with her feelings, he goes living his happy white picket fence life with the wife....but that's just my opinion."

"Are you trying to make me hate Nanami or something? I really could care less about the guy or his life or his fiancé." You responded.

Toji glanced at the time on the silver Rolex watch that he wore. "I don't believe that, but whatever floats your boat, Princess."

"Stop calling me that Toji!" You now found yourself standing up, Toji doing the same as he itched closer to you.

"You used to love it though," Toji pouted.

"I told you, I'm not the same girl in college," You told him, your eyes stared up at him and you had just noticed just how close you two were.

"Still love-struck over Nanami, so that's hard to tell."

Your mouth gasped open at his comment. "Oh screw you, you asshole!"

"Did I tug a couple of strings Princess? It's the truth."

"No, it's not. I'm over him." You poked at his muscular chest in annoyance. "I can prove it."

"Prove it?" Toji questioned.

Your hand grabbed the back of his neck pulling him into a kiss. It took the older guy by shock to realize what just happened. But the feeling of your full lips on his, caused his body to relax. He deepened the kiss, his large arms snaking around your waist to bring your body closer to his.

You surely proved it for sure.

#nanami kento x reader #jjk x reader #nanami kento x black reader #anime x reader #black reader #jjk x black reader #char: nanami kento #it’s a series tag cause frankly im too lazy to create a masterlist #i'll do it in the future #i promise lmfao #series: muse

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