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dxstopiaa · 1 year

Text

Vocal Veneration

Synopsis: Lately, the Traveller can’t help but notice a alteration in someone’s behaviour. Seems like an interrogation is due.

Characters: Zhongli, Xiao, Childe, Ayato, Al Haitham and Diluc x Fem! Reader.

Warnings: None, the tiniest bit suggestive.. [I thought i’d try this cute idea out! <3 but i’ve been so tired and demotivated with school and family issues sigh, my eyes (ᗒᗣᗕ)]

Zhongli

About You: Impressions

Hm [Name]? Ah, a truly polite and welcoming young woman. She often accompanies me with affairs regarding Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, insisting on lessening my workload. I consider her a suitable role model for the children of Liyue. Excuse me? Are you insinuating that there’s something i’m not informing you of? Ahem, that is information i shan’t tell you just yet.

About You: Godhood

I had intended to keep my identity as Morax a secret, yet some citizens are more observant than i thought. She was the first to recognise such as she was a devoted follower of Rex Lapis, i find myself flattered. What? No, [Name] did not worship me after she knew i could hear her every request. She apologised profusely afterwards, and was quite embarrassed. Adorable.

About You: Betrothal

Ah, Traveller. Here, this is my engagement invite, i’d appreciate your appearance at the function. Oh, you saw this coming? Hah…I suppose it can’t be helped, perhaps love is inevitable as they say, i shall not make the same mistake, not again. Why, you ask? No matter, let’s not spoil the mood with a lengthy monologue, Farewell till then, my friend.

Xiao

About You: Impressions

[Name]? The individual who often pays her respects at the adepti shrine? I watch her from afar, sometimes she notices— but she doesn’t say much apart from a simple greeting. It’s refreshing to see a young mortal appreciating us nowadays where our job becomes less prominent. What do you mean my voice is quieter? It’s not.

About You: Karma

Whenever i’m with [Name], my karmic debt seems to take less of a toll on me. That burning sensation encasing my heart dissipates. She makes it bearable enough to manage. On some nights, she brings me gifts and food to take my mind from the terrors. Huh? I’m in love? Hmph. Foolish mortal emotions don’t interest me.

About You: Acceptance

So be it, as you predicted, me and her have grown rather close. No— this does not give you the opportunity to tease me for it. Adepti should value the short lifespans of humans, via protection but also expression, i was told. This doesn’t sound like me, you say? Hm, i fail to understand what you mean.

Childe

About You: Impressions

Ah! The illustrious traveller also knows of my co-worker! [Name] is quite unique, no? At first, she came off as a little apprehensive but she no longer hesitates to spend time with me exclusively. What was that? Professionalism and relationships should remain separate? Nonsense. This isn’t a romantic amour!

About You: Combat

I feel a sense of pride knowing that i have managed to teach someone how to master the rules of combat! It was only necessary, i couldn’t bear to witness my dearest injured. Wait! In the name of the Tsarista, promise not to tell [Name] i called her so, will you? Comrade, It was a minor meaningless slip up!

About You: Family

Ah, how i wish to return to the confines of Snezhnaya. I’m certain that Teucer and Tonia will adore [Name] too! She’s so sweet behind that closed-off persona, perhaps i can declare my love for her in person prior…Oh, you’re volunteering to help me? I’d adore some aid here, confessing isn’t exactly easy, you know.

Ayato

About You: Impressions

Do i know [Name]? Certainly, she is my wife after all. Hm, you were unaware? Is it really that shocking? Ah, it is not at all rare to see a commissioner with someone of a higher or alike status. It’s not that, you say? So you’re suggesting something about my personality. I see… I’d estimated you’d react this way nonetheless.

About You: Workload

As the Yashiro Commissioner, I am not exempt from towers of overflowing paperwork and contracts. My role, keeping peace between the Tri-Commission, can be quite taxing from time to time. Luckily enough, my beloved never fails to provide me with her delicious cooking and endearing words. [Name] brews the best milk tea for me, care to try some? I have a fresh batch ready.

About You: Heir

Oh my— why do you ask of such a thing? Surely this is too soon to be conversing about children, no? While we do intend to, ahem, expand the Kamisato bloodline, i fear of my duties interfering with my role as an attentive father for my child. Of course, the welfare of my dearest wife comes first. Hm, my face is flushed pink? False.

Al Haitham

About You: Impressions

[Name] is notably the only person i get along with, as she understands the definition of ‘boundary’. Not entirely ignorant but not annoyingly persistent either. I quite often find the saying that opposites attract to be outdated. Like-minded people are worth spending time with. Hmph, you know i did not mean it in that way.

About You: Akademiya

Why do you ask? I surmise it wouldn’t be too taxing to let you know. We were classmates within the Haravatat Darshan. She’d buy me food and drinks in return for working on projects together as she insisted. I accepted the offer, certainly better than joining the other entitled scholars. We must of been close? Huh, we still are. What’s so shocking? I’m not that arrogant.

About You: Emotions

I am least fond of expressing my feelings, i thought it was pointless and a partial waste of my energy when i can resolve such issues with my own logic. Admittedly, i was incorrect. [Name] always offered her time to listen to my very few words and i’d listen to hers. Fair exchange, i called it then. It wasn’t until an argument broke out that i learned not all experience comes from books, sometimes from people. Those words of hers became a principle to me.

Diluc

About You: Impressions

My spouse, [Name]? I don’t think i would know where to begin in terms of describing what i think of her. Loving, caring, humorous, gorgeous—need i continue? You’ve never met her formally…why don’t i invite you personally to Dawn Winery for an evening meal. She’d love to get to know you. Good, it’s settled then.

About You: Winery

After being left with the responsibility of the business at eighteen, i’ve developed a routine which i’ve mostly stayed consistent with. Having a family of my own now, there’s no doubt it is much different. Hm? My winery is big enough to accommodate them? Haha, they surely liven it up, keeping my wife and i busy as of late. Don’t worry, i treat her to all she likes afterwards with my income, wine and luxuries.

About You: Children

What—? No, i am contented with my two children. Hah, any more and i believe i wouldn’t be able to multitask between my profession and duties. Though i do quite like the idea of staying home on paternity leave with my beloved [Name]. Again, please, i request you not to suggest such…topics, my wife is already teasing me, not you too.

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coralinnii · 1 year

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Playing the pocky game

feat: Rook, Vil, Floyd, Leona

genre: fluff

note: interpreted as Yuu!reader but can be read as not, no pronouns were mentioned (except maybe for Rook’s French cuz…French), the relationships between reader and NRC characters are up to interpretation

Happy 11.11 day and a good veteran’s day for North Americans (please ignore the calendar and pretend this is still relevant)

While perusing Sam’s store, something caught your eye in the snack section as Grim hoards the canned food section for his tuna.

“Is this what I think it is?” you mumbled but managed to catch the shop owner's attention.

“Good eye, little imp!” Sam praised with his practiced smile “I recently got a shipment of popular goods from the far east. And those chocolate sticks are one of their most popular treats!”

“Wow, they sound similar to something we have back in my world” you recalled an iconic snack in your own world, so famous it had a day to itself and even a cute little game.

Be it nostalgia or hunger, you bought a few boxes and indulged yourself on the sweet treat the next few days, with a few peers noticing.

He noticed your new found obsession with the chocolate treat the moment you bought it because of course he would. He saw the new addition to your daily routine as you tend to reach for a sweet stick, almost like a habit.

Rook swoon at the smile the snack brings to your face and he couldn’t help his curiosity about the treats you bought.

You told him about its similarity to a common treat back home and how many kids your age would share and play games with it.

“Games you say? Would you be so kind as to show me?”

Ahh… should have kept your mouth shut

The blond huntsman was enamored with your flustered expression as you struggled to keep the stick between your lips. He smiled as he latched his lips onto the other end and as you explained, he started to bite the sweat treat bit by bit.

You struggle to bite on your own when you can clearly see Rook’s sharp eyes pierce through you, like a hunter keeping watch of his prey.

It wasn’t easy to hold your own when Rook kept looking at you with a gleam in his emerald eyes as he swiftly cleared his side of the treat, reaching your nervous lips at record speed. You yourself barely reached the middle before turning away, unable to withstand the intimacy of the game which resulted in breaking the stick.

But Rook wasn’t done with his fun.

Like a practiced hunter, he managed to swiftly wrap a strong arm around your waist, preventing your escape as he reached over for another pocky stick.

With the treat between his fingers, he raised it between your lips, his eyes locked onto yours while he gave you a smile that had a mixture of intrigue and amusement.

“Mon amour, what a wondrous game the people of your world have created! A delicious treat for the lips as well as the eyes as I get to gaze upon my partner while we indulge in sweetness. Shall we try again and this time, you can’t escape or I’ll chase you~”

Normally, Vil would reprimand you for taking more sweets when he made a dietary plan catered specifically for you. But, you looked so happy whenever you took a bite of the treat that he couldn’t really stay mad at you. He’ll deny that, of course.

“What is it about this basic snack that has you so obsessed with it?”

You proceeded to talk about the pocky snack in your world that took off globally, with different flavors, uses in desserts, and even its iconic game.

That part got Vil’s attention

He insisted you showed him which is how you end up sharing a stick with the renowned model. You were sure that he could hear your beating heart as he kept inching closer and closer to you, the scent of his expensive perfume drifting between you two.

Panicking, you closed your eyes to try to calm yourself. Vil is starting to see the appeal of this childish game as he watches your expressions change between nervous and flustered. He paused for a moment to take in your features before smiling and took the chance to brush his lips against yours, his lip balm barely leaving a mark on your own lips.

You opened your eyes in surprise but the blond senior was already a distance away from you, a contemplative look as he examined the sweet product. A game that’s innocently tempting, done without unnecessary touching or make-up smudging. Vil can see this becoming a trend and he’s smirking at the prospect of him being at the forefront of the idea.

“An interesting marketing idea. I’m impressed by your world’s methods”

Vil left to have a chat with his manager but before he did, he whispered something into your ears which hastened your heartbeat even further which you were sure he heard this time.

“Should this become a viral trend, I will be sure to properly reward you as a show of gratitude”

Floyd is a serial snacker. There is not one area he claims territory over that doesn’t have a bag of chips or candy hidden somewhere in his reach. In the rare cases he doesn’t, he’ll just “persuade” a schoolmate of his to hand over whatever they have.

So, when he notices your new fixation on a snack he’s never seen before, colour him intrigued and peckish.

“Hey Shrimpy, gimme one”

Choosing to ignore the blatant rudeness, you pick one from the open packet while keeping the one you started on dangling from your mouth. Like bait in a pond, Floyd kept his eyes on the stick moving around as you fiddled with it in your mouth until his intrusive thoughts got the better of him. You didn’t even get to say anything about the game as Floyd was already the type to think of fun if somewhat reckless things to do to cure his boredom.

(Floyd would fit in our world so well, it’s concerning)

Taking hold of your chin, the tall eel turned your head to face him. Luckily for Floyd, you managed not to drop the pocky stick so he could go with his impulsive plan.

In one quick move, Floyd managed to take a big bite of the treat, an audible crunch startled you as you barely registered the sudden closeness between you and the ocean-haired boy. You could see your reflection in his heterochromatic eyes as his stare left you paralyzed like a deer in headlights.

Not moving away, Floyd made a show of licking the crumbs off his lips which made you hypersensitive as you swear you two were close enough that you could feel his tongue on your own lips.

With a mischievous grin, Floyd grabbed another pocky stick, the one you’re going to give him, from your hand. Moving away but only a little bit, he tapped one end of the sweet snack against your lips.

“Not bad~ Let’s do it again!~”

Leona couldn’t care less about you stuff your yapper with so long as it doesn’t disturb him. Unfortunately, your current fixation on the addictive treat is not the quietest of snacks as every time you break off a bit piece by piece gets on Leona’s nerves.

Seriously, must you do it while he’s napping? (Though, when is he not?)

“Knock it off or I’m tossing that damn thing into the trash”

You ignored the grumpy lion until you caught him mumbling how you would like such a boring treat. He regretted his words as you proceeded to go on a tangent on the impact of the sweet treat in your world. He swore you were trying to sell him the whole company. You even told him about a whole day dedicated to the snack and even a popular game.

“That sounds lame, I almost feel sorry for your world”

“Please, you’re too chicken to even try it!”

“…What did you say?”

That did it for him. And now you’re paying the price as you and Leona took your places with the beastman’s mouth on his respective end of the snack, waiting for you to do the same. You called him cowardly but you would never admit that you were getting cold feet.

But you couldn’t back down now, not when Leona is watching with a smug expression, even with a pocky stick mockingly dangling between his lips. Putting your money where your mouth is, you place your lips onto your end which initiated the game.

You started with your eyes closed out of embarrassment but as you took a couple of small bites, you dared to peep with one eye open to see how far you’ve gotten.

What you didn’t expect was Leona’s eyes staring straight into you as he seemed so close to you. How did he manage to get so close without you even hearing him? Regardless, his lips were unmoving as were yours with only a small fragment of the stick left between you two. The tension was palpable as this became an actual game of chicken as the next move from Leona or you could result in either a loss or an awkward conversation.

Unable to handle it, you decided to take the loss and back away. You turn your head away as you try to calm the burning feelings in your cheeks. You internally curse Leona for his accursed good looks and charm.

But said good-looking man was not satisfied apparently as Leona took the chance to place a gloved hand behind your head and twisted your body to face the lion beastman once more. His posture was lazy but the look in his eyes made you feel like having an apex predator locking on a prey. He continues to push you closer to him, leaving barely any space between you two just like before.

“You brought up this stupid game so you better finish it, herbivore. With or without the dumb chocolate”

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kurogane2512 · 7 months

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Hi Kuro !

Can I request some Lynette x g!p fem reader smut ? As far as I know Lynette is 22 and Lyney is 25 or something like that so maybe reader could be some Lyney's friend or idk...

There is no Lynette content and I AM STARVING FOR IT!!!

Thanks :)

Ofc, dw about her age I know she is an adult as she uses the teen girl model (it's only named teen girl but everyone who uses it is 18 or 18+). I'm fine with writing on these characters, it's only the obvious children/loli characters I don't write on irrespective of their age :)

Also, I actually love Lynette so much. Didn't expect to be into her but she's so cute and charming, and being catgirl is a great plus point ;)

18+ CONTENT MDNI

Game: Genshin Impact

Characters: Lynette x g!p reader

Type: Smut and Fluff (kissing, creampie, alleyway sex)

A heavy downpour invaded the Court of Fontaine yet again, causing the residents to seek shelter as soon as possible. You ran over the puddles and reached a backward alley then sighed as you stood against the wall under a shop's hood. You removed your hat and gazed at the sky, watching endless drops of rain pour from the dark array of clouds.

"Hah~ I should have left early if I knew it would rain....I might miss the show this way." you pondered, regretting your actions. You were supposed to attend Lyney's upcoming show but had been caught in personal matters hence couldn't leave earlier.

"I don't want to let her down...," you sighed further, Lyney and his Lynette had recently started gaining popularity in their magic shows and you were one of their most advent supporters, helping them advertise and bringing the show to every corner of Fontaine.

"Nya~ Meow~" you suddenly heard purring of cats and looked down to see a kitten near your foot, rubbing itself against your skin. You smiled and were about to bend down to pet it but she turned and ran away. You followed her direction of movement and spotted more cats gathered not too far away and became suspicious, you then followed the said cat up till the hoard and were surprised seeing the sight in front of you.

"Lynette? What are you doing here?" you saw Lynette cradled against the wall while hugging a cat to herself and burying her face in it. You noticed her tail was curved around her body and her ears folded backwards, indicating she was distressed. She perked up hearing your voice and looked at you, her beautiful violet eyes brimming with tears yet she didn't make a single sound. You became worried and knelt down in front of her, cautiously approaching her.

"What happened? Why are you here? Don't you and Lyney have a show soon?"

Lynette sniffled a tear and released the cat in her arms then lunged on you, embracing you tightly. The two of you were dating for a while and you couldn't bare seeing your girlfriend be upset this way, you wanted to know what happened. You held her tightly and gently patted her head, rubbing her ears making her ease into your arms

"Did someone say something to you about your appearance again?"

"Mhm..." she nodded and you felt upset for her, you had known how she was often mocked for her unique appearance as her brother looked like a normal human while she was different due to her ears and tail. Despite how uninterested and monotonous she behaved, there were times when she'd too feel upset and resolve to running away this way to cry by herself.

"Don't think about it. There's nothing wrong with you, you know that. Didn't your Father say they are unique and very useful?"

"Mmm...." Lynette instinctively buried her face in your neck, her tail now rested straight upon the floor. She melted in your touch as you petted her ears, your body giving her comfort and warmth. Lynette had gradually come to not take such mockery to heart, but you knew something serious must have happened for her to wallow this way.

You were angry and Lynette could feel your heart pounding in your chest, she looked up at you with a longing expression and leaned in to peck your lips. Your gaze softened and you pulled her close in a passionate kiss, cuddling your lips together as her tail now stood upright indicating her happiness. She wrapped her arms around your neck and stood on her toes to kiss deeper, prompting you to instead hold her up against the wall.

"Ny-ah~" a moan came out of her as your movements became rougher, your tongues engaged in a heated manner while her legs slowly wrapped around your waist. She could feel your bulge rub against her abdomen and began grinding on it, seeking her own pleasure. You groaned before kissing her neck and her hand moved to unbuckle your belt.

"Wait, L-Lynette....here? Are you sure?"

"Mm....I don't think you want to wait, nya~" she licked your cheek as she palmed your clothed dick before zipping down your pants and freeing it. She turned around and leaned on the wall with her ass towards you, looking back at you with a mischievous grin. You flipped up her skirt and moved her stockings down with her underwear before rubbing your fingers over her folds, feeling them already dripping.

"H-Hurry up, Lyney will worry otherwise....mhm~"

It was rare to see her become so impatient, but she was absolutely adorable this way. You pushed your cock inside her folds, slowly parting her walls until you were sheathed to the hilt. You moaned out together, her warm walls clamping on your dick while your tip touched her deepest spots. You held her waist as you began thrusting, moving your length in and out of her slowly. You moved it out until just your tip touched her entrance before quickly shoving deeply, a loud moan accompanied with a purr leaving her mouth.

You wasted no more time and began thrusting fast and rough, practically pounding into her in this backward alley. You knew this could get you both in trouble, sex in public this way would no way be taken lightly in Fontaine. But you both were too turned on to worry. You gripped her hips tighter and pulled her towards you, drilling into hard. Your hands dug in the flesh of her hips, sound of your thighs slapping against plump ass resounding in the alley.

"Aaah~ Ny-aah~ M-More....mhmmmm!~"

Lynette's moans were low yet arousing combined with her occasional purring, her tail standing upright and rested against your body. You grinned and suddenly held the tip of her tail and lightly caressed it, shivers running through her body as she gasped. You knew her weak spots well, and it was no secret to you that she liked it when you touched her tail this way. You held her arms and pulled her back, holding her body upright as you thrusted faster now.

"Mmmm~ I-Inside...nyaaah~!"

You kissed her shoulder followed by a bite then shoved in deep as you released, your hot cum seeping in her walls. She came soon after, releasing on your cock still hilted deeply in her. You panted out together and shared a gentle kiss, smiling at each other.

"Feeling better?"

"Mhm...thank you."

#genshin smut #genshin impact smut #genshin impact #genshin women #lynette #lynette x reader #genshin x reader

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atpsnty · 1 year

Text

┊𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

xavier thorpe ; wednesday

pairing: xavier thorpe x hispanic!normie!fem!reader

warnings: pure (probably excessive and embarrassing) fluff, like one curse word

request: Can you please write a oneshot for xavier where the reader is a normie and he keeps seeing her everywhere whenever they go out to the town :) he develops a crush and so does reader on the mysterious boy from nevermore until one day he comes to like work at a shop or soemthing??? and when he does reader is also there and they spend time together flirting and pining until one confesses to the other ! ALSO IDK WHY BUT I FORGOT TO ADD THAT READER IS FEMALE AND HISPANIC (i just sent an xavier request ! ) :))))

summary: a few of the instances in which you met xavier before actually meeting xavier

a/n: since the reader is hispanic, there are slight character descriptions to get that across, such as a mention of curly hair and a bit of spanish dialogue (though not a lot bcs I don’t speak spanish and don’t wanna butcher it…). also, this takes place in scenes/places seen throughout the show, but xavier never liked wednesday because it makes more sense in context.

character credit: wednesday series

w/c: 1.5k

part 2: the awaited interactions

Even though you were still a few yards away from actually entering, the area around the fair has 10 different aromas wafting through the air. Flashing lights could be seen in every direction; vibrant colors swatched along every ride and carnival game.

As you enter the fairgrounds, you look around at the people: adults, kids, normies…outcasts. You knew it was likely for them to come, as it is every year, but it’s still a shock to see the so-called “weirdos” of Jericho doing such normal activities.

Regardless, it’s nice to see everyone together for such events. You don’t completely understand the separation between the town. Sure, the outcasts were different, but they were still beings in their own right. They were freaky by nature, but even then you find their freakiness pretty alluring.

You walk around for a bit, grabbing some food as you pass by certain stands, and sit down at an empty picnic bench. As you eat, you watch the people around you as they talk and laugh and play games. You find this particular pair of people interesting.

They’re outcasts.

It’s pretty obvious by the girl’s all black attire and creepy nature, though you wouldn’t be able to tell the boy was one if it weren't for his association with the former.

You can’t help but analyze their features. The girl is actually really pretty, if you put her gloomy aura aside. Her hair is completely black and straight, a contrast to your own curls, though it’s in pigtails, and you swear you haven’t seen her blink this entire time. She seems like she doesn’t wanna be here, almost like she’s in a rush.

After you’re done looking her over, your eyes drift over to the guy she’s standing with.

He is gorgeous.

His hair is pretty long for a guy, reaching to about his shoulders. He’s currently hunched over, his hands resting on a carnival game table, but you can tell at full height he's freaking tall. He’s wearing a dark gray trench coat, which is extremely simple, yet somehow he looks like a male model and-

‘¡Ay, Dios! I need to stop fangirling over this random boy right now’ you think and avert your eyes, focusing back on your grease filled meal.

After a few minutes, you can’t help but notice the pigtailed girl hurrying away from the stand through your peripheral view, leaving the long-haired boy all alone. You stare at him again, zoning out to the point where you don’t even notice him staring directly back at you.

You snap out of your trance, quickly looking down at the table for a few seconds before slowly creeping your eyes back over, where he is still assessing you.

He gives you a small head tilt and wave, to which you shyly smile back before cleaning up your mess and heading in the opposite direction.

‘I cannot believe I just got caught ogling at a guy like that…por favor mátame.’

–

After the last encounter with the mysterious long-haired outcast, you honestly didn’t expect to see him. He seemed like the type to pop up once and never show his face again.

You wish you were right.

Today, you’re heading into town to study a bit at a local park. You find the scenery relaxing and way less stuffy than working at home.

As you’re settling down on a picnic table, taking all your necessities out of your bag so you can get started, you notice the blue and black stripes of the Nevermore Academy uniform walking into the general store down the street.

You think nothing of it, focusing back on your materials and figuring a student going into a store is definitely not your business and absolutely none of your concern.

About 25 minutes into studying, you notice the stripes once more, but this time it seems as though they are walking towards you. As you focus harder on the person’s form, you recognize the tall body and lengthy hair you’ve seen once before.

You look down at the plastic grocery bag he is holding, and though you can’t see its contents from this far, you’re sure it’s not actually groceries and is more along the lines of something music or art related.

He just gives off that vibe.

You realize that he has stopped venturing towards you. Actually, he’s stopped walking altogether.

Your glance shifts up to his face to find that he has, once again, caught you staring at him like an absolute creep.

You let out a tiny shriek before ducking behind your computer screen.

‘The universe must hate me or something because oh my god,’ you think, internally panicking once more. You take a small peek past the lit up screen just enough to see him laugh to himself and shake his head before heading towards…the woods?

“I must have killed Mother Teresa in my past life,” you mumble to yourself softly before resuming your studies, “that’s the only possible reason my luck is at negative freaking eighty right now.”

–

Pilgrim World was…grim to say the least. It was mainly a plot to attract tourists and make money for the town. Young kids did always find entertainment in the, probably inaccurate, history of the town, so you guess it’s not all bad.

For the normal townspeople that is.

The students from Nevermore were forced to work the grounds each year. Yeah…not exactly “town building,” but it was mandatory for them.

You sat at the Weathervane café with your computer and a warm drink. Learning about the same white people every year wasn’t your type of fun – no disrespect to them – so you opt to just watch others from the window seat, maybe get a bit of work done in the process. You watch kids chase each other; families share pieces of fudge; individuals enjoying their beverages while trolling down the center lane. You were so focused on watching others, you completely forgot about your previous, most important task: to watch the entrance.

Not that you just wanted to stare at townsfolk all day, but you were anticipating a certain outcast’s arrival. You wanted to make sure that you could watch the long-haired boy walk in so that you wouldn’t embarrass yourself by randomly staring like you did previously. But with your low attention span and professional ability to zone out at the worst times, you completely missed the fact that just who you were looking for had not only arrived at Pilgrim World already, but had walked into the café minutes ago.

“Do you want me to wipe down your table?”

That was the question that caused you to jolt in surprise, turning your head to meet the mysterious Nevermore boy.

“I wouldn’t want you to get your computer wet. You know, just in case you need to hide behind it again,” he finishes with a small smirk.

"Cielos, me asustaste,” you exclaim, more as an instant response than an actual reply, and giggle a bit while looking at your lap.

You look up at him after doing so, only to find him softly smiling at you. You open and close your mouth a few times before internally taking a deep breath and looking him in the eyes.

“Hopefully I won’t need to hide from anyone any time soon. But yeah, sure.”

You set your computer on the seat beside you as the boy gives the table a few wipes. Funny thing is, the table was completely clean before he wiped it. Even more so since you dusted it off a bit before sitting.

“No more hiding, huh? I like the sound of that,” he remarks. He finishes wiping the invisible mess off of your table and stands straight again. “Do you need a refill?”

You didn’t even notice that your cup was a few sips away from empty.

“Oh uh sure. It’s just hot chocolate,” you smile and he slightly nods before making his way over to the counter.

You start glancing back out the window, though this time there are Nevermore students roaming around in addition to the previous bunch. Some people are outside handing out fudge while in pilgrim costumes. You had to do that one year…it’s as boring as it looks. You notice the gloomy girl you had seen at the carnival enter the Crackstone house down the road. You could have sworn that it was closed off…

A bump on your table causes you to look away from the historical building and down at the cup that has been dropped off. You pick up the cup and take a sip as the long-haired boy walks away to clean off other tables. You glance at the cup holding the warm chocolate, which is when you see the black marker along the side.

‘Xavier…xxx-xxx-xxxx’

‘Oh,’ you thought as you realized what this was. His name…and number. Your whole face felt warm as your eyes searched for the boy, finding him behind the counter already looking at you.

You smile and tip your cup in his direction before taking another sip and going back to staring out the window.

Honestly, I used this as an excuse to gush over Xavier bcs oml there is no reason I should find this man as attractive as I do. Also, possible pt.2 with them getting closer ???

Another question: somebody asked me if I had a taglist for Xavier, so I was just wondering if y’all would want that?

I no longer support Percy Hynes White and will no longer take request for Xavier Thorpe.

#xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe x you #wednesday #wednesday show #wednesday addams #fanfiction #imagine #oneshot #drabble #atpsnty #xavier thorpe oneshot #y/n #fem!reader #hispanic!reader #ff #escapism #x reader

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linkspooky · 9 months

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Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 230 Thoughts.

I've been skipping my weekly thoughts posts on the last few chapters, because most of the chapters is explaining fight mechanics. However, Megumi showed up again and as someone with a severe case of Megumi-itis let's talk about him, what the possible consequences for taking Unlimited Void could be and where his character might go after this fight.

1. Megumi's Soul

The slow corruption of Megumi's soul has been a running theme ever since Sukuna took his body. The first thing he did after taking that body was descend and soak into a literal bath of evil in order to subemerge Megumi's soul further. Ura-me even describes it as "Being near evil."

Immediately afterwards, Sukuna uses Megumi's body to murder his sister. Making sure to only use Ten Shadows techniques the entire fight, so Megumi will feel that he killed his sister with his own hands. Megumi is someone helpless to watch as he experiences the same thing Sukuna does to Yuji in shibuya, taking his own body from him, using his hands to kill others, and leaving Yuji with the guilt of being a murderer because he was too weak to fight back.

Tsumiki is a character who when she is first mentioned in the manga, drawn with white lilies, the symbol of purity. She is also, in Megumi's eyes a character without flaws, who's only bad trait is worrying about him too much, his example of a good person he wants to save the only person besides that sharing that category being Yuji. (I stole this from @theanimepsychologist)

She's not just associated with purity through those flowers, she's a symbol of purity TO MEGUMI. She is the model example of a good person, Megumi even says his entire goal in life is to make the world more fair so good people such as his sister shouldn't have to suffer.

When Sukuna talks about his desire to destroy Tsumiki, those same white lilies are in the background ripped apart. Not only that, her body is shown to be naked in a compromising position. Gege's not the most subtle person in the world, so it's pretty clear symbolism when a man talks about how he wants to violently destroy a woman and she's drawn naked like this, like I don't think Sukuna intended that but symbolically it's the destruction of her purity.

Megumi doesn't see himself as good, he sees Tsumiki as a good person he wants to protect, and also basically the only family member / support in his life, and Sukuna rips her apart right in front of Megumi's eyes. Megumi's been exposed to evil, and had his closest loved one slaughtered. Not only that, his entire reason for being a sorcerer in the first place. Not to give himself a happy life or because he wanted to do it, but because if he didn't do it Tsumiki had no chance at being happy in the Zen'in Household.

It's not just Tsumiki that's crushed, it's his entire reason for living so far, it's the implied promise of protection that Gojo gave him that if he chose to follow him that Tsumiki would have a better life.

Even if Gojo manages to save Megumi from Sukuna's possession, mentally he's been pushed past the point of no return there's no way he's coming out of this alright.

That is, if Gojo is even making that much of an effort to save him.

Now, it may turn out that Gojo had a method planned of getting Megumi back from Sukuna all along. He does seem to imply he believes that if he does enough damage to Sukuna's body, the same way that Sukuna ripped Yuji's heart out and gained back control he'll force Sukuna to switch control again. But!

Even if that's his intention, I think there's some clear symbolism in how it was Megumi's "Soul" that was targeted by the Unlimited Void.

Forget Gojo's announcing to Sukuna that he has no compunctions about beating up Megumi because he looks like Toji. Forget the casual mention of crushing Megumi's entire body in the process of trying to finish the fight. Barring all of that, there's still a noticable lack of concern for how Megumi as Gojo is completely wrapped up in the fight against Sukuna. Because this is how Gojo's mind works, he is the strongest sorcerer so everything cn be solved with a battle of physical strength. Gojo is opposing Sukuna, and yet his philosophy is pretty much the same as Sukuna's.

Sukuna the person who stole Megumi's body, is fighting against Gojo the person who essentially stole Megumi's childhood, by taking him in to Jujutsu High under the guise of "Helping Him" but giving him little choice of what to do with his life. Either he becomes a sorcerer, or they give him no money and they starve, or they get sent to the Zen'in who will probably abuse Tsumiki.

There's something deeply ironic about Gojo bragging about how his students are watching him so he has to look cool, which shows the smiling faces of several of the Tokyo High kids, contrasted to how he's treated Megumi this entire fight and shown little concern for his well-being.

Megumi the person who he should really feel the most responsible for, because Gojo went out of his way to recruit him to Jujutsu High at like age five.

So, of course Gojo's strongest domain expansion attack hits Megumi instead of Sukuna, because the entire time Gojo's practically had no problem using Megumi as a punching bag, because he has to seize a more important objective which is defeating Sukuna for the safety of the world.

Now here's where the Megumi corruption arc truthers get excited. Do you think Megumi will really emerge from his possession okay after not only losing his body, bathing in evil, killing Tsumiki therefore breaking his promise of protection and Gojo's as well, and then being exposed to the unlimited void by Gojo which fills people's head with so much information it breaks their brain.

Megumi's clearly waking up after being hit with the void, but there's almost no chance of him waking up and going back to normal.

Megumi is a shadow character, much like Geto he's not only been shown on multiple occasions to repress his feelings over the entire course of the manga, (basically a long-form version of Geto's slow decline) he also on multiple ocasions as shown a more violent side.

Geto's arc even revolves around him questioning if weak people are even worth protecting, and then struggling against his inability to protect his fellow sorcerers who are continually sacrificed in protection of those weak people. Geto is overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility that sorcerers carry. Much like Megumi who has stated on multiple occasions, he doesn't want to be a hero, he doesn't feel obligated to save people. The two people he wants to save, Tsumiki and Yuji are however people he's failed to save. Riko is a clear parallel to Tsumiki. Tsumiki is even ripped away from Megumi the moment he thinks that he's saved her from the culling games, the same way that just as Geto promised that him and Gojo would be able to protect her, she's shot in the head by Toji.

If you're a Megumi corruption arc truther, than it's been a long time coming. Let's look at the characters he parallels in the manga, Maki (became a mass murderer after her sister died), Geto (also became a mass murderer when he lost faith in the idea that sorcerers are duty bound to protect the weak, which started when he failed to save Riko), Toji (also a mass murderer).

Toji is the biggest example though, because despite Gege continually pushing the idea that Maki is the second coming of Toji (we get it already) Megumi is Toji's direct foil, Megumi's poor lot in life is a result of Toji abandoning him. Toji was rejected and abandoned by his family, and went on to do the same thing with Megumi.

As Megumi has received no support from the adults in his life, there's basically nothing stopping him from continuing that cycle. Megumi looks exactly like Toji, especially when coming out of the Evil Bath of Evil. In his more violent moments he's drawn to look like Toji with several art parallels between Megumi and the Toji in hidden inventory.

Toji's also famous for doing this to Gojo.

He's the first person to defeat the limitless and manage to put a scratch on him. Everyone said that Gojo and Megumi's drawing on the animation booklet is foreshadowing of his fight with Sukuna in Megumi's body, but what if it's not...

What if when Megumi regains control of his body and Sukuna is defeated, everything does not work out like Gojo expects it will with one epic battle. What if having been brought so close to evil, Megumi is finally corrupted all the way through. After all the Unlimited specifically hit Megumi's soul. Megumi's body might be physically saved, but his soul might be lost in the process.

We've seen multiple times that the thing which holds Megumi back from acting on his more violent impulses is the image of Tsumiki, but Tsumiki's not there anymore.

So, this is my wild theory for all the Megumi Corruption Arc conspiracy theorists out there. What if we do see Gojo win this fight against Sukuna, but when Megumi gets his body back he attacks Gojo. His body is saved but not his soul and he's finally been pushed off the edge and become his worst self.

After which, the task of saving Megumi will probably fall from Gojo to Yuji. The only person so far who's expressed any desire to save Megumi (Yuta too I guess, but him and Maki both put emphasis on saving Sukuna).

What if Megumi's line to Yuji, "Start by saving me" is actually the ultimate foreshadowing for one of the biggest fights in the series?

#jjk meta #jujutsu kaisen meta #jujutsu kaisen theory #megumi fushiguro #satoru gojo #gojo satoru #jjk 230 #jjk 230 spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jjk spoilers

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ozzgin · 8 months

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omg, i'm so happy i stumble at your blog❤️❤️❤️..It's so very good and beautiful 😭💋.... btw, i was thinking about reader who's have kanae, mitsuri,and daki attitude. She's a model and a girlfriend from Jeff the killer , offenderman and Slenderman ... please 🙏🙏🙏....

Based on my brief google search I’m assuming those are characters from Kimetsu no Yaiba? Sadly I haven’t watched it yet, so I can only refer to the wiki. Since this is creepypasta I hope you don’t mind if it’s more yandere and horror themed.

Yandere! Creepypasta x Reader Headcanons

Featuring Jeff the Killer, Offenderman, Slenderman, and a model reader that becomes their partner with or without her approval. TW: may contain violence and dubious consent

Jeff the Killer

Jeff can tell that behind those pretty little eyes of yours lies a grim, unorthodox curiosity for the darker things in life. You might deceive anyone else as you confidently strut the catwalk flooded with glamorous light, but he knows better. He’s known it from the moment he laid his eyes on you, and you’ve confirmed his feelings every single day since. He’ll show you what you’re missing. He’s watched you long enough.

You wake up with a dry throat and try to shuffle in your sheets before you realize that something is pressing them down, limiting your movement. With eyes now shot open, you erratically look around in the darkness trying to find the cause of this strange feeling. Something tickles your face and you try to regulate your rapidly increasing breathing, slowly accustoming yourself to the pitch black room. It’s hair. Long, coarse hair frames a bizarrely distorted face with bulging eyes burning holes in you. You gasp silently, unsure how to proceed. The mysterious man has efficiently caged you in with his body, his limbs fencing your helpless self. “Do you usually take sleeping pills?” his voice creaks disturbingly loud in the previously quiet room. “It’s the first time you’ve woken up just from this.”

He cackles and lowers his head until his forehead is pressing against yours. You feel a faint moisture coming from his mouth and wonder if its source is the gaping wounds that spread across his cheeks. “Watching you sleep has its charm, but this way I can finally talk to you properly. I’m not really good with confessions, so don’t expect a cheesy ‘will you be my girlfriend~’. Alright?” You stare, struggling to follow. Has he been stalking you? Is this why you’ve been plagued with a feeling of impending doom for months? And your manager had suggested you might just be fatigued, arranging for a prescription for sleeping pills.

“Hey! I don’t like talking to myself” the man growls, seemingly angered. He slaps a cold hand onto your cheek, now sticky with sweat, and proceeds to harshly grab your chin and force you into a nod. “That’s more like it. Good. If you behave properly we’ll be done with this in a second.” “Are you here to kill me?” you manage to blurt out, despite your mouth being mangled between his fingers. “Huh? What? Have you been listening?” He lifts his head once again, now fully towering over you. “I said you’re my partner starting now. So no more flirting with those little worms that pile around you. Either way I’m getting rid of them.” You manage to turn your head somewhat and notice the dull blade that’s been laying next to your pillow. “Do you comprehend, (Y/N)? You belong to me.” He pulls your jaw down into another nod. You feel like a rag doll.

With the other hand he cups your chin and gently squeezes your face. “Oh, you really are the prettiest thing. Look at this lovely face of yours. Would be a great shame if someone were to mess it up, huh?” He releases your cheeks and you hear the knife shift across the sheets.

Slenderman

You sink yourself further into the camping chair and lazily raise the can of beer that’s uncomfortably wet from the condensation. Your friends follow the gesture and congratulate you one more time as a toast opportunity. Following the latest fashion show, you’ve gotten several offers to be featured in some big name magazines. You can’t be bothered to remember the names as this whole charade is just your main way of earning enough to survive. As the night goes on it abruptly occurs to you that you might’ve had one sip too much and groggily get out of your seat. You’re mildly dizzy and hold onto the tree trunks for balance, hoping to find a spot far enough from the tents that you avoid invading everyone else’s nostrils with the smell of fresh puke.

Strange. Have your friends suddenly gone to bed? The sound of the badly tuned guitar has faded without you noticing. You turn around and squint your eyes for the camping lights, but it’s unexpectedly dark. Did you walk that much in your quest to find a quiet place for your drunken relief? You’re a bit uneasy at the idea of being alone in a big forest at night, so you turn around and try to retrace your steps. Your sickness has suddenly been replaced with impalpable fear. You swallow dryly as you pat the branches in your blind pursuit. You barely distanced yourself from the camp. You’re sure of it.

Finally, some bushes rustle loudly behind you and a homely feeling warms your body once again. “Christ, you guys. I’m losing my drinking game, I can’t believe I almost got lost in the-“

Were these two trees here before? The slender black forms sway briefly and your stomach drops. You gather up the courage to move your gaze gradually upwards, following the shape of the objects in front of you. They’re legs. Your head is now fully tilted back as you try to take in the image of the massive, faceless creature that stands there quietly. You dare to blink, hoping it will erase this unholy deformation of nightmares.

Not only does the man remain before you, consolidating his factual existence, but almost instantly your ankles twitch from the pressure of some mysterious dark tendrils that slither they way from an unknown source and are now taking over your body. The large arms extend outwards in a frightening span before circling around you, bringing you closer. You can now discern that the creature is wearing a suit and an earthy scent takes over you as you bury your nose in the old, dusty clothing. You begin to shiver, wondering if this is how you die. Shh, shh, darling. One pale, clawed hand pats your back in a soothing manner. You’re at last away from those humans, back to where you belong. He’s waited for you a long, long time. Only watching you from a distance, admiring your beautiful features and counting towards this day. Oh, what an agonizing wait. He’s been tormented by dreams of hope. And now you’re finally his.

You’re home.

Offenderman

You check your phone one more time and sigh in frustration. You aren’t even remotely interested in dating this guy, but his profile mentioned he’s a designer and you could use some networking. You cross your legs the other way and scan the park. He could at least show up on time. As you idly fiddle with your thumbs you feel a sudden wetness on your shoulder. You pull your shirt to inspect it and twist your mouth in disgust upon seeing the liquid slowly being absorbed by the textile. What the hell, bird droppings? Another drop falls nearby and you look up.

The first thing that comes into your view is the unnaturally wide mouth comprising of sharp teeth tightly pressed together. Saliva seems to be pooling into the edge of the lower lip before spilling over. He’s drooling. You instinctively try to get up, but the large creature’s hands quickly push you back onto the bench. Rude! If you’re going to walk around being this pretty, at least have the common sense to let him admire you in peace. His mouth is curled into a satisfied, perverted grin as he carefully slurps your features in.

He’d say that you look way better than in the photos, but that would be a lie. That would imply it’s his first time meeting you, but he’s been stalking you for a fair amount of time now. You can’t blame him, he knows you’ve been cheekily tempting him even if you aren’t aware of it. Naughty girls like you need to be punished and luckily he’s a master at delivering the best kind of discipline.

He easily lifts you up and throws you over the shoulder. Your screams of protest only make him giddy with excitement. Oh, the things he’s going to do to you. You might be upset now, but you’ll soon be begging him for more. It’s always like this. Though he may keep you around for longer. He’s rather fond of you and might even make you his girlfriend.

“Miss (Y/N)”, the words roll out of his mouth as he’s testing the sound of it. Nice. “What do you say about being Offenderman’s girlfriend? I’m just kidding love, you don’t need to answer that. I’ve already decided.” He proceeds to walk away, blissfully ignoring your clenched fists hitting against his back.

#creepypasta #slenderman #jeff the killer #offenderman #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta headcanon #slenderman x reader #jeff the killer x reader #offenderman x reader #yandere creepypasta #yandere x reader

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bowletta · 3 months

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unnecessarily deep autism dive into a single side character from the robot monkey show lol

this guy ⬇️ is Mandarin. He is responsible for kicking off the plot and ruining lives via silly antics.

He was the leader of the hyperforce until he was banished to space prison for being too power hungry. We don't see a whole lot of him as leader, but note how he has the same robotic modifications as everyone else.

Shortly after banishing him, everyone was put into a stasis for 50(?) years. Mandarin was alive and aging the whole time until they meet again, 50 years later. Most of his electronics are destroyed/rotting away.

Gonna skip a bit ahead here. Mandy fucks up one too many times and is MIA for the rest of the series. He's replaced by Mandarin... 2! (I'm gonna call him Skelemandarin to distinguish the two). He's a clone made of formless (a sort of black sludge). He's not dead, but he isn't exactly alive either.

I only recently noticed this... he's modeled after Mandy before the cybernetic prosthetics! He still has arms and ears. Inch resting considering the person who made Skelemandarin was more familiar with him as a baby rather than as a leader...

Regardless he's still just as cruel and heartless as before lol. He loses one of his hands, but he doesn't seem to bleed.

The next time we see him he's starting to spiral. He's losing fur and weight, and has a new prosthetic claw to replace his hand.

He's thrown into acid and loses the left side of his face.

He just keeps deteriorating and getting more fucked up.

What is his fucking problem. I wasn't expecting a show about robot monkeys to have such deep lore. Watching his perpetual downward spiral over 52 episodes was cool as fuck btw you can watch the entire series for free on yt just sayin ❤️

#srmthfg #super robot monkey team #super robot monkey team hyperforce go #srmt mandarin #thank u for listening to me ramble i have been thinking abt this all day 🥹

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archivists-plus-one · 1 month

Text

So, after this episode of TMAGP, I have some thoughts.

(Spoilers for The Magnus Protocol up to episode 10 below. You have been warned.)

First of all, Mr Bonzo is terrifying and I am regretting making a model of him, which now sits and watches me from my bedroom shelf. I have so many questions, and nowhere near enough answers to satisfy my brain.

But what got me even *more* is what happened at the Magnus Institute ruins with Sam and Alice.

And who is this [ERROR] (Voiced by Beth Eyre) that is seemingly unleashed from the institute ruins at the end?

Well, I don't know. But I do have a bit of a theory...

What do we know about [ERROR]? Well. Not much. But I did come across this casting call from RQ, posted by @pinkelotjeart, which at the time they thought might be about Celia, however I can't see how it could be anybody if not [ERROR].

Mysterious? Absolutely. Hostile? If they're not, I'd be shocked. Raspy voice? If that breathing was anything to go by, definitely. Initially dormant, trapped + forgotten for twenty years? Well, the institute burned down just over twenty years ago, so I'm going to say that's a match too. Now the line that interested me most is the one that OP also highlighted - "building an identity for itself at the expense of its victims".

What else have we seen "building an identity for itself"? Something that Colin has warned Alice against personifying over and over again? FR3-D1. And Freddie certainly seems to be taking its toll on Colin, who could feasibly be it's "Victim"...

Now what exactly does this mean? I don't know! But noting that [ERROR] is also the way Jonny, Alex + Tim Fearon's character names were written out by RQ when the casting was announced (as they couldn't do the glitchy effect from the images), it feels significant.

But like I said. I don't know. That being said, imagine, for a moment, that you are this "[ERROR]" character...

You know your body is under the Magnus Institute, so you wait, biding your time, collecting as much information as you can. You watch through people's devices - harder, at first, but it gets easier and easier as technology advances. Some select few get the chance to relive their experiences, a "test screening" of sorts you name 'Voyeur' - you need to check your recordings are accurate somehow. You get involved with a tattoo artist named 'Ink5oul', who helps you out by live streaming their tattoo processes, showing you what the symbols they tattoo onto their clients mean, and how they combine.

You're not entirely undisturbed in your tomb under the Institute, of course - some idiots come poking around. It's a newer craze, "urban exploration", but you need it to stop. You find the most popular urbex forums, and, using the moderators accounts, make sure that your ruins are marked as "cleared" - there's nothing interesting to find there, so nobody will bother you.

That is, until someone who goes by the name of "RedCanary" comes to the ruins, and almost destroys everything. It isn't time yet. You find their post about the Institute and see that they're planning to post photos of the symbols that have been drawn over the ruins. That will only invite more interest, you can't have that. So you go through their phone and warp the photographs they took beyond recognition. You send them "anonymous" threats, making it look like it's through the forums. You use their webcam to watch them, making them more and more paranoid. The paranoia makes you stronger. You dispatch of them, and take a photo as a warning to everyone else, then post it on the blog. That'll keep them away.

When you've gathered enough audio data to learn to emulate voices, you start to speak. You read out the cases that will give the OIAR employees the tools they need to help you in your plight. But nobody notices. You can't be too specific, that'd only lead to more people poking around the ruins, destroying your chance. No, you need the right person. Somebody who understands The Magnus Institute, who can help you properly.

And then, conveniently you listen to the interview of one "Samama Khalid", and know that it's your time. He was on the list from KLAUS. So you start slipping in hints, waiting for him to get involved. And he does. And now he's freed you, and has absolutely no idea what he's just unleashed.

Anyway! On that happy note! What does any of this mean? Who knows! I am very excited to see where this goes. But I will leave you with a couple of thoughts:

- If [ERROR] was created "from someone on the point of death", is this how the other voices in FR3-D1 appeared? In which case, that leaves Jon, Martin + Jonah (?) dead. Did [ERROR] die in the fire that destroyed the Institute? Were they the cause of the fire?

- How are the artifacts we've seen so far (the dice + violin) related to all of this?

- How are Starkwall involved in all of this?

- And last of all, how do I destroy my model Mr Bonzo? I never want to witness his horrible face again.

If you've made it this far, well done. Let me know what you guys think! Happy listening!

#the magnus protocol #tmagp spoilers #tmagp #tmagp theory

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strwberri-milk · 10 months

Note

Hi there! ^^ Can I request Zhongli/Kaeya/Dainsleif (separately) x artist reader headcanons? I’m not sure if it was once requested, if so just ignore it

Also if it’s too much characters just pick two

Zhongli is appreciative of basically anything. He loves to learn, and also loves to give his knowledge to people. One thing he hasn't done for a while is draw or paint. He's just never really had the time to explore the field, but he does love watching people paint or trying to figure out what the image is trying to convey.

He happened to come into your studio one day, planning to drop something off for you. You'd never really invited him in as you never found a reason to and he never pried into this part of your life. He felt that you'd let him in when you were ready.

When he knocks on the door you quickly run over to let him in, smiling brightly despite the paint that stained your face. He comes inside, trailing after you as he drops off the supplies he noticed you forgot in the morning. You thank him with a kiss on the cheek and get yourself set up again with the supplies you were missing.

He finds a seat you leave for models when you require one, curiously glancing around at your works. When you ask him what he's looking at he starts to point at specific ones and ask you questions about your process and inspiration. You find yourself talking incredibly animatedly about your process, not even noticing the enamoured look in his eyes as you talk at him. He's making mental notes to see if it'll help him plan out future gifts to buy you.

Dainsleif travels a lot, so he definitely sees very many scenic landscapes. With the creation of Kameras he was able to record them and bring them back to you to see, something you really appreciated. You don't think you'll ever be able to see the sights he does, so being given the photos whenever he returns is something you always look forward to.

He's known that you create for a living, almost wishing that he could settle down and do something so human. Spending his days creating might be something he could find himself enjoying, but he's got a responsibility to maintain.

One day, you take out a sketchbook that looks a little bigger than he would expect it to. It was almost the size of you and before he can ask you what's in it you start flipping through the pages, showing him some of drawings you did of the photos he gave you. Each of them has something he distinctly doesn't remember photographing, focusing more on them as each drawing continues to host them.

Finally, he realises that it's the two of you. Every iteration he's holding you, and the two of you are just enjoying each other's company. He gets a slight pang in his chest at the thought that you miss him so much you resort to drawing him, but he also can't help admiring the way you draw him. The way you see him is so sweet, Dainsleif melting a little.

He loves your works a lot, and asked if he could have some smaller prints to carry around. They help remind him that there's someone waiting for him to come home, folding the sheets of canvas carefully to avoid their ruin during fights or perilous conditions.

Kaeya is a little annoying but in the most endearing way. He loves seeing you draw, or looking at the finished products if you don't like having someone watch your creation process. He does get a little antsy if he can't watch, but he's very good at giving you your space and being ready to wait for the final product.

He's your biggest fan, proudly displaying your drawings around his office. Whenever people ask him who made them he always directs them to you, recommending that if they've ever wanted to get some artwork done you're genuinely one of the best people to consult.

Your confidence is really bolstered thanks to his constant praise and support, feeling better to experiment or create things you normally wouldn't. It leads to your portfolio diversifying wildly and you loved it all. Of course you still had your favourite way to paint but that doesn't mean you didn't like the experimentation part of it.

Sometimes, you like to ask Kaeya to model for you. He's great at doing so, totally working his angles and giving you looks that make your heart melt. It can be a little distracting at times but it's all worth it whenever you see the soft look he gets in his eyes when you show him the finished product.

He loves seeing himself through your eyes. You always draw him in such an ethereal manner, almost unrecognisable to him at times but he knows that it's him because whenever you draw him your pieces always take on a different quality. He can feel the love you have for him, and he won't admit it but he keeps every single rough draft you give him of him. They all remind him that you love him, and when he's having a really bad day just a glance at them can make it all better.

#kaeya x reader #dainsleif x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader

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hedgehog-moss · 10 months

Note

hi! Just wanted to ask what you’ve been reading lately? I love seeing your book recs! Also what are some of your favorite books ?

Hi :) I've read some disappointing stuff lately, so I decided to start two books from my to-read list that felt like safe bets—Samantha Shannon's A Day of Fallen Night and Elsa Morante's Lies and Sorcery. I'm enjoying both so far!

I've read interesting nonfiction this year—Empire of Pain, about the Sackler family; Erich Schwartzel's Red Carpet about the role of the movie business in cultural hegemony; and Laure Hillerin's biography of the Countess Greffulhe, who was a fascinating woman. She was the real-life model behind Proust's Duchess de Guermantes character, and a really influential figure in the arts & sciences in the early 1900s—she financed the first productions of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, frequented Rodin's studio, helped Marie Curie find the funds to start her Radium Institute... It was a good read. I also read a biography of Anne Perry by Peter Graham, which was so-so—the story of the murder is morbidly fascinating but the way it was told had too many trivial details and not enough depth.

Worst nonfiction books of the year so far were Niall Ferguson's Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe which didn't seem to have any point to make, and François-Guillaume Lorrain's Scarlett which was marketed as a fascinating new look into the making of Gone With the Wind but actually the author just watched his DVD's behind-the-scenes bonus content and diluted it into 300+ pages of rehashed anecdotes, it was so pointless. I found it on the "Vos libraires vous recommandent !" shelf and now I feel betrayed by that bookshop.

As for fiction, I've enjoyed Ira Levin's A Kiss Before Dying, it felt very dated in a fun way, everything about it felt intensely 1950s. Was very disappointed by Silvia Avallone's Acciaio, I'd heard good things about it but it was so joyless and meh. Álvaro Enrigue's Ahora me rindo y eso es todo was a bit disappointing in the second half, but the first half was good so I'll try other books of his. Pierre Lemaitre's Miroir de nos peines was fun in an expected way—I mean those who enjoyed the beginning of his Au revoir là-haut trilogy will enjoy this one too as it's more of the same. And I also had a good time reading Catherynne Valente's Radiance— similarly if you already like her writing style you'll probably enjoy this book. (I was listening to this as I read it and it fit really well with the floaty-nostalgic-unearthly atmosphere of the book, it's always nice to accidentally find a good book-soundtrack that enhances the experience! Now I can never listen to it while reading again as it's too intertwined with that story.)

And I really liked Madame de Staël's Delphine but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, it's very 18th century (though it's from 1802). If you enjoy idle noblewomen writing each other 20-page-long letters in gorgeously long-winded 18th-century prose about how the Viscount of Something glanced at them from the other end of a salon and nothing else happened and now they're having agonies then you'll love this book, it's 900 pages of this. I can't get enough of it personally, and I found it hilarious that these aristocrats had such low-stakes problems considering the story starts in 1790. They didn't notice the Revolution, they were too busy writing tormented letters about extramarital glances.

Some books I've added to my kindle recently: Virginia Feito's Mrs. March, Simon Schama's Landscape & Memory (someone I follow on GR described it as "monstrously bloated" while the NYT blurb diplomatically calls it "a work of enormous scope" which made me laugh), Seyhmus Dagtekin's To the Spring, by Night, Margarita Liberaki's Three Summers, Maggie O'Farrell's The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, Dawn Powell's A Time to Be Born.

This got long, sorry! You can have a look at my 5- and 4.5 star shelves on goodreads, for some of my favourite books of the past few years :)

#ask #book recs

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taeraeszn · 4 months

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could you do like matthew with an academic achiever reader ... he's very golden retriever to someone's black cat. like i can see a university au athlete x student council vibez (personally am academic achiever student council pres so like i could use a guy like Matthew)

an unexpected bond - seok matthew

characters: matthew x gn!reader

description: matthew was the opposite of you, but somehow you two found a spark in one another. one that made your heart beat.

word count: 2.1K (omg i didn't even realize that as i was writing this LMAOO)

warnings: maybe be some typos, i was writing this in a rush to complete it. but i don't see anything else as i re-read it but pls lmk if there is!!

a/n: OMG TWO WHOLE MONTHS WITHOUT POSTING i feel like i betrayed everyone, i'm so so sorry!! life just hasn't been great recently and the break was well needed. as i posted two weeks ago, i'll be slowly releasing things as i have a reaction post after this (hint hint it's a bit more suggestive lmao). but it made me realize how much i missed posting and writing <3

also sorry if i missed the whole point of your request i feel like i went a totally other different direction :( but i hope you all enjoy it!

you were always the perfect model student in middle and high school, everyone was able to predict that you’d be first place for exam marks as well as you always being in principal honours. you were able to carry your skills into university where you try to keep a gpa that’s 4.0. nothing was able to get into your way…until you met seok matthew.

matthew was a very likeable athlete in your university, everyone gushed over his sweet looks and kind personality, there was nothing to hate about him. he kept a good image away from his basketball skills. many girls loved the fact that he was single and took every chance they got to ask him out or compliment him.

you were setting up for the upcoming events happening in your university. there were going to be some high schoolers coming to visit the campus as well as some special performances happening in the gymnasium. you were put in charge of handling those which were already enough on your plate aside from your own course. you didn’t think that anything would occur between that time.

as you were setting up the gymnasium decorations, a basketball slowly rolled towards you, stopping just at your feet. before you could pick it up, you heard someone faintly yelling until the voice got closer.

“that’s mine! sorry i should’ve been more careful.” someone said, as you looked up, you saw a handsome guy with sweat dripping everywhere as if he just ran a marathon. he had muscles which you could tell from his biceps. his hair was a blonde shade and his smile was quite contagious, causing you to smile slightly as well.

“it’s fine. i was just setting up the decorations here.” you looked down at your list, crossing off the things that were already dealt with and completed with your pen. matthew also took a look at it but you quickly pulled it up to your chest, concealing it.

“was i not supposed to see that?” he chuckled, pointing at your clipboard. you slowly nodded, unsure of what to say.

“uh..yeah.” he picked up the ball that was still on the ground. once again giving you that irresistible smile.

“well… i’ll see you around then!” he dribbled the ball back to the court and shot it in perfectly, causing cheers to erupt from the small crowd watching him. mostly girls.

you thought that would be the end of seeing matthew but after that one meeting, it would be endless encounters of you running into each other. it was as if it was happening on purpose, like the world was telling you to converse with him a bit more.

so you did. it happened to be a day like any other where you were studying in the library with headphones on. every other seat beside you was vacant and you had that small space to yourself, something you absolutely loved. peace.

as you were checking at your notes then back at your laptop, you noticed a familiar figure coming towards you.

“hey…” matthew said, joining you with a textbook and laptop in hand. you weren’t expecting matthew to come at all, you kinda forgot that he was also studying and learning here as well.

“mind if i join?” you slowly nodded giving him the green light and he sat across from you. he opened his laptop and took a look at your notes.

“psychology huh?” he said. somehow he figured out your course by just observing your notes, you were astonished.

“how did you know?” matthew grinned then shrugged, “my friend taerae takes that course too.” he was friends with taerae? you sometimes noticed him in the back of lectures but never had a proper conversation with him other than the times where you had a project together.

“that’s cool.” it was obvious that you weren’t strong with holding a conversation, especially with new people. matthew seemed happy though, giving you a positive smile to almost everything you said and did.

you wanted to ask him what he was taking but your shyness took over, though he knew right away that you were curious.

“i’m doing health sciences by the way, it’s pretty interesting but challenging at times.” it was nice having someone who could carry on a conversation. as you two began getting to slowly know each other, you came to realize that matthew was just an amazing guy, he seemed very passionate about pursuing both sports and his studies, he told you about his journey from when he first started playing basketball to now and how it’s helped him. as well, you shared a bit of insight about yourself such as why you decided to pursue your field of study and what inspired you to do so.

best part was that matthew wouldn’t interrupt you once as you spoke and let you be as open as you chose to. it was like you were able to tell him everything that you were scared to tell others. not to mention how handsome he looked when he was focused on something.

afterwards, it fell silent between the two of you as you began studying. matthew was also immersed in his notes, but he would occasionally gaze at you to see what you were doing. he felt his cheeks heat up while seeing your concentrated face.

as the hours passed, more students began leaving campus and the library became more still as now only you and matthew were present there. you didn’t even realize it but you actually fell asleep after studying. matthew was on his phone texting someone and noticed that you lost your battle to sleep.

“they must be cold…” he mumbled to himself as he noticed that you had no jacket on. he decided to take his own off and cover your body with his in order to keep you warm. your head was resting on your textbook with your hands on the table.

he let you rest and didn’t wake you up, only waiting till you decided to yourself.

half an hour had passed when you finally awoke. “what time is it?” you yawned. he showed you his phone lockscreen that had him and eight other people posing together in a selfie. the time read ‘18:00’ , that was enough to jolt you completely awake. the latest you ever stayed was only four or five o’clock.

“oh god i slept didn’t i?” matthew could only smile at your cute reaction.

“hey but at least you got a power nap!” he got up to place his items inside his backpack then swung it over his shoulder. “i’ll see you around!” he waved goodbye and was about to walk out of the library. but suddenly you felt the urge to do something, you didn’t want to go home alone especially when it was already getting dark outside.

“wait!” you yelled, quickly rushing up to matthew. he watched as you catched up to him, “is it ok if i can go with you?”

matthew chuckled but nodded, “of course! grab your stuff and we’ll head out.” he said. with that confirmation, you grabbed your things and walked out of your university’s building towards the train station.

the whole ride he sat close to you and it helped you feel less lonely with his company. your houses weren’t too far apart from each other so you took the same route as him to get home.

but ever since that day in the library, you began falling for matthew. you would occasionally go to the gymnasium and sit on the bleachers just to watch matthew play and get cheered on by his friends. he was mesmerizing in a way that you couldn’t keep your eye off of him.

when one of his games was over, he approached you and asked for your number. it was a lot having a bunch of eyes on you as he asked for it but you gave him it and he ran away happily to change. getting his number allowed you to hear from him more often, he would text you about what he was doing and had casual conversations with you if it wasn’t about studies.

as your friendship grew even closer, he asked to visit your house so you two could study together in each other’s company and you were up for it. this was the first time that he’d be coming to your house since you didn’t live on campus.

while in your room, he took a look around and noticed the poster’s of many celebrities and idols. you showed him all of your favourite groups which allowed him to get to know you better since you barely opened up about your interests outside of studies.

but most of the afternoon consisted of you two both sitting on your bed with your laptops open and studying the material. though studying was boring, having matthew there made it more endurable. when it became silent, he would speak up and converse with you about almost anything. it was like his brain was full of ideas that were endless.

“hey matt…” you said, looking up from your textbook. he immediately turned towards you, “hm?”

“do you enjoy being with me? it’s kinda boring just studying.” you were worried that he wasn't enjoying this and probably wanted to do something else.

“of course i do! if you don’t want to study we can do something else right now.” he shut his laptop.

“like what?” he grabbed his jacket and got up from the bed causing you to do the same.

“a walk, heading to a store, going to the park nearby, there’s tons of stuff to do!” you smiled then shutting your textbook and doing the same as him.

“then let’s go somewhere!”

what followed next after two weeks passed was that exam season finally ended! you were thrilled to be able to go home and relax without worrying much about studying. but that didn’t stop matthew from asking to come over.

you made sure the house looked extremely cleaned with no mess left behind as you began waiting for him to arrive. when the doorbell rang, you rushed to open it to reveal matthew holding a bouquet of flowers while smiling.

needless to say, you were shocked, “matt?” he waved and came inside then taking his shoes off and heading to your couch.

“hey!” he looked around, then handed you the flowers. they were beautiful red roses that looked expensive. you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that he literally bought some just for you.

“matt…are these for me?” you gave them one more look but even still your eyes couldn’t not focus on them.

“yeah, uh, i actually bought them for a reason since i wanted to tell you something really important.” that sentence caused you to look up at him with a puzzled expression.

“what is it?” he came closer towards you and took the bouquet out of your hands and onto the couch in order to gently grab your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours.

“i like you.” did you hear that correctly?! it took you a good minute to process before you spoke up.

“really? you're joking right?” you asked to make sure. matthew giggled then shook his head, rubbing his thumb on your hand.

“no! why would i? i’ve felt this way towards you for a while but never had the courage to tell you exactly how i feel. i bought you those roses today to show you.”

“they’re beautiful…” you were still in awe.

matthew then gently touched your shoulders, “so give me a chance. i know that we’ve only known each other for a while but i promise i’ll do anything and everything to make you happy.” he said with no hesitation.

the space became silent as you tried to come up with what to say, since this was new for you to be confessed to. however, after being with matthew for the past month and getting to know him, he’s become someone who’s made an impact on you. he helped you become more open and even knows how to make your heart beat whenever you see him. it would be a lie to say that you didn’t want to go further with him.

you took a deep breath as his gaze was still fixated on you, “of course i’ll give you a chance. a million times yes.”

without warning, matthew pulled you into his soft embrace, his arms wrapping around you to keep you in tact.

“god i was so worried to say that. do you know how many times i was practicing this before i came here?” he exclaimed, now feeling relieved that you didn’t reject him.

“well now you have me.” you giggled.

“great cause now i don’t plan on losing you, ever.” his voice muffled into your chest.

“thank you matthew, you make me so happy.”

“of course my love.”

#zb1 #zerobase1 #zerobaseone #zb1 fluff #zb1 scenarios #zb1 drabbles #zb1 reactions #zb1 x reader #seok matthew fluff #seok matthew #seok woohyun #seok matthew imagine #seok matthew imagines #seok matthew x reader

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rockanroller · 3 months

Text

"Was Hazbin Hotel Rigged or Hand-Drawn?"

disclaimer: do not, and i repeat, DO NOT, use this post to shit on the animators who worked their asses off on this series.

hand-drawn animation is going to have variation in it and that's part of its charm for a lot of people. it really only goes "badly" when that variation becomes too noticeable (such as being jarringly off-model) or when a character's movement isn't executed well. but if you didn't catch it w/o going through frame-by-frame, it hardly matters.

so, getting into it, ppl have been going back-and-forth on this, and viv herself has said it wasn't rigged.

and i think this is one thing she's right about.

many ppl's assumption of it being rigged was due to a lot of movements being weirdly "stiff" or "clunky" and/or characters moving oddly smooth at other times.

i can say i think it's possible rigs could've been used occasionally, or on some shots, but i also think it's more likely the animators moved their drawings in a way that makes them look rig-like as a result.

meaning in animation programs you can actually grab portions of your drawing like a head or a limb and move it, or even just nudge it ever so slightly, to the point you can make some really smooth in-betweens to the point it looks rigged.

that said, a rig keeps a character uniform and consistent.

for example:

with the exception of bits where the character has to move or be interacted with in a way the rig won't allow, which would either need new additions to the rig or to be hand-drawn over the rig.

but see how Rick's head/face/hair and proportions stay the same?

let's compare that to Charlie's head:

we can see Charlie's features vary slightly, and these aren't shots from different episodes, these are shots that are right next to each other. if you're having trouble seeing a difference here's a breakdown:

again: this is *not* me saying this is a bad thing. this type of variation is inevitable with hand-drawn animation, and to many people it's part of hand-drawn animation's charm. and if you didn't notice it and it didn't bother you while watching, it hardly matters.

everything i'm pointing out here is only to show why i think Hazbin Hotel was hand-drawn (at least by majority or a large percentage) rather than rigged.

other points to this include shifting linework such as here:

you can see the lines get thicker/thinner between these frames such as on the inner portions of her eyes, the curl of hair under her right (our left) eye, or how a section of linework on her hair & face suddenly shows up between both of her outer eye-lashes.

which, again, shifting line-weights aren't uncommon in hand-drawn animation, and can be part of its charm. but in a rig you wouldn't see the linework shifting like this, it would remain uniform.

i also noticed portions where linework ever-so-slightly crosses over itself for either a few frames or multiple, which wouldn't be seen with a rig (unless it was rigged poorly or smth.)

when you go through the episodes frame-by-frame these minor variations become more apparent.

reiterating again, however: none of this is "bad" unless it's noticeable w/o going through frame-by-frame.

animation is not intended to be watched frame-by-frame or hyper-analyzed up-close and personal.

animation is *supposed* to trick the eye and create the illusion of movement, so if it wasn't an error that was noticeable it doesn't matter.

an example of a noticeable "bad" error would be something like when Vaggie completely disappears mid-shot, along with the camera & BG snapping and Charlie's compositing disappearing with her pose shifting slightly (watch the legs) all at the same time.

(this is not two random frames taken out of context, these frames are directly next to each other.)

do not, and i repeat, DO NOT, use this post to shit on the animators who worked their asses off on this series.

all this was just to share an analysis of why i think that at least a large percentage of Hazbin Hotel was hand-drawn.

#animation analysis #industry talk #hazbin hotel critical #vivziepop critical

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luckykittysshowerthoughts · 5 months

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oks , enough abt michael , what r some of ur raphael hcs ?

Alrighty, enough Mikey spam lol. I'm glad you asked!

I have a couple big headcanons with him- this is probably going to turn into another character analysis post, lol. I'm probably going to separate these into their own posts, too. Here I go:

Raphael was as much of a dick as he was to the brothers because he was jealous.

Raphael heavily admires Lucifer- even after the fall, so imagine how much he must have idolized him before. Meanwhile, Lucifer focused all his attention on his six "favorites". Simeon has confirmed this much, that Lucifer always had a soft spot for the brothers(+Lilith) in a way that other angels couldn't rival.

So, here Raphael was. He was trying his best to be the model angel, following and enforcing the rules to a T while bending over backwards to not only meet but exceed his older brothers' demands. For christ's sake, he was the youngest angel to ever become a Seraph- which is clearly one hell of an accomplishment. And yet, Lucifer never seemed to notice. Lucifer and Raphael's relationship remained rocky, all the while Lucifer pampered and adored the more "problematic" angels.

Raphael did everything right- and yet he still watched all of Lucifer's affection and attention go to the troublemakers instead of him. Hell, Lucifer would even side with Mammon to go argue with him. That had to hurt.

I think that's about as good a reason as any to resent the brothers. Especially Mammon, Lucifer's favorite and the one Raphael seems most trigger-happy with.

-----

Now, next one's the really long one. The one that's really several headcanons wrapped in a trenchcoat, much like the condition it addresses. Here we go:

Raphael is autistic.

Now, I could leave it at that and a lot of the other autistic people here would know what I mean. I could even just give you the laundry list of symptoms he displays. But I think this actually means a lot for his character, so I'm going to go in depth with a few points.

Sensory Issues: Hyposensitivity

When it comes to sensory issues, the first thing I have to acknowledge is his sense of taste. Raphael has a hyposensitivity to taste- meaning he perceives taste to a significantly lesser degree to most people. This is clear when he consumes Solomon's food without being disgusted at the taste- as well as several other occurrences of weird taste, like absolutely dousing his sandwich in Hell's hottest hot sauce.

But it isn't just that he doesn't perceive the taste- he actively enjoys it, moreso than other foods. I think this is because, with his dulled sense of taste, "normal" foods taste bland to him. Something to the degree of Solomon's cooking is the only thing powerful enough to give him the kind of sensory feedback most of us get from "normal" food. Which is why he enjoys it.

I don't think it's just taste that he's hyposensitive to, either. He also seems to have a very limited sense of pain. In Season 4, Raphael is seen accidentally catching his hand on fire- and not even noticing until somebody else pointed it out to him, at which point he simply described it as "hot". I'm sorry, having your hand on fire isn't just "hot" like a summer day, it's searing agonizing pain. The fact that he was this nonchalant about it, when we've seen other nonhumans like Mammon respond to pain perfectly normally, says something. I think Raphael's lack of pain perception could also contribute to how violent he is- if he doesn't feel pain the same way we do, he might not fully understand the weight of his harsh punishments. What he'd consider the equivalent of slapping someone's wrist with a ruler could be literally stabbing someone, we don't know.

Sensory Issues: Hypersensitivity

This one is going to be shorter than the others, because I really don't have as much evidence for it nor as much to say about it. But I do suspect Raphael to be hypersensitive to sound. Again in Season 4, when MC was looking for Raphael, the first thing Lucifer told them was to look for the quietest place around. While a lot of people prefer quiet, how on-the-nose Lucifer was with this combined with Raphael's more obvious autistic traits makes me suspect he might be hypersensitive to sound.

Sensory Issues: Visual Processing

Raphael, like many autistic people, seems to be a very visually-oriented person. This was highlighted multiple times in the Devilgram "Raphael's Welcome". The first time it was shown was when Raphael refused to eat food Lucifer recommended due to how it looked. This is the same angel that eats Solomon's cooking with absolutely no issue, and yet gave a hard no to anything Lucifer offered him because it looked a little funny. His priorities are way out of wack. Visuals seem to be a very powerful influence over how Raphael thinks and feels.

The next time Raphael's visual fixation was brought up in the Devilgram was when he entered Majolish. The first thing he did was start looking at all the clothing up close and pointing out details about how they were stitched, the quality of the clothing, etc- to which Lucifer remarked that Raphael has always had an eye for detail. While Raphael is oblivious to or actively avoids other types of sensory input, visuals seem to be very important to him and how he understands the world.

Communication Deficit: Social Cues

You know it's bad when Mammon tells you to read the room.

Honestly, I feel like that should be all I have to say. But you know what, I'll go on.

Raphael has repeatedly shown that he has very little understanding of social cues. He's somehow made it this far without catching onto the fact that everyone is terrified of Solomon's cooking, for example. He also once compared Satan to Lucifer after literally everyone in the room tried to warn him not to.

Raphael doesn't even seem to be aware of his own social cues and the impressions he gives off. When Diavolo announced that he'd be working with Thirteen, Raphael scowled and shook his head- only to seem genuinely surprised when Thirteen noticed this and took offense to his reaction, telling her that he "didn't say anything".

His understanding of social cues is... not very good. To say the least.

Communication Deficit: Emotional Expression

One of the first things we learn about Raphael is that he's incredibly difficult to read. It's not hard to see why other characters feel this way- the majority of the time, he has a completely blank expression. Hell, one time he flat-out said he was having fun and didn't even smile about it.

Smiles in general seem to be excessively rare with him, and it's often made a big deal of when he does.

Despite his lack of expression, he doesn't seem as emotionless as people portray him as. According to Simeon, he's actually "pretty intense". Even in the screenshot above, he's clearly feeling something, he just isn't showing it in the way a typical person would expect. He gives all the hallmarks of someone with very strong emotions but an inability to translate them to others- something very strongly associated with autism.

Communication Deficit: Speech

One of the other things we were told about Raphael before we met him is that he's incredibly quiet- to the point where others, including Luke, have difficulty understanding him as a person. Reading through the lessons, he has "..." dialogue significantly more than any other character. It's rare the game goes out of its way to include silent dialogue, and usually when it does it's in a very serious situation where it's meant to be emotionally impactful. This isn't the case with Raphael. He does this regularly, in casual personal interactions, and even to the point where it causes miscommunications with others.

An example I can think of off the top of my head is when he went to clean up a mess Thirteen created with her spiderweb bazooka. He left in the middle of a conversation to go do so, without giving any verbal acknowledgement of what it was he was doing, leading to Lucifer assuming he was goofing off and scolding him. Normally someone would say something along the lines of "we should clean that up", or "let me go clean that up real quick", or "I'm going to go clean that up", etc. Most people would say something like that without even thinking. But Raphael just gave his usual "...", and that socially inappropriate silence lead to a clear misunderstanding with Lucifer.

"Quiet" to the point of impeding on one's ability to connect with and communicate intent to others isn't normal, and it makes me wonder if he may be partially nonverbal.

Communication Deficit: Tact

Raphael is... not tactful. At all. He's incredibly blunt, and even harsh with pretty much everyone. It's so constant and grating that angel Lucifer stated that he actively avoids Raphael.

Given his other very clear social difficulties, I have to wonder just how much of Raphael's rude language is actual harmful intent and how much of it is just that he's awful with tact. I wonder how much he really meant all the dickish things he's said to the brothers.

It certainly puts his character in a different perspective. As does a lot of this. Which is why I wanted to elaborate this far on all of it instead of just throwing out autism symptoms and giving him an "I'm autistic and I think he is too" seal of approval. His character starts making a lot more sense when you look at it through this lens, and it branches off into several different headcanons I have about him.

And now, of course, the obligatory Michael comment of the day. I'm sorry, you know me by now, I couldn't not.

I think Michael is autistic too, and this ties directly into Raphael. It's said in Raphael's introductory video that he's "the only one who truly understands Michael". If Raphael is autistic, and he and Michael are on the same wavelength so to speak, it would make sense that Michael is too. I think they're on opposite sides of the spectrum- Raphael is the cold/distant/withdrawn, deadpan, hyposensitive, partially-nonverbal autistic while Michael will turn out to be the hyperactive, overexpressive, talks-your-ears-off-about-special-interests, way too in-your-face due to lack of social cues, sensory-seeking autistic. Two sides of the same coin. They'd both play into the double-empathy theory, that autism miscommunications are due to a mismatch in autistic-neurotypical communication methods and that two autistic individuals can generally communicate just fine.

Now, if you want some casual, less analysis-heavy headcanons, just lmk. Got plenty of those too, though some of them take the autism headcanon as a base!

#obey me raphael #obey me character analysis #neurodivergent headcanons #obey me headcanons #obey me angels

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tomhiddleston · 7 months

Text

One More Tomorrow (Billy Taylor x Fem!Reader) - Chapter II.

CHAPTER I.

Summary: Billy's crush returns to The Halcyon for her seventeenth birthday and the two of them enjoy more chances to grow closer.

Pairing: Billy Taylor x Fem!Reader (third person)

TW: so much fluff, blink and you miss it Billy having some impure thoughts, mention of death of a parent, Billy being Billy again

Word Count: 5.5k+

A/N: I love Billy Taylor so much that I want to scream, explode out of my body, and ascend to the moon. That's the author's note. Also, thanks again to @valeskafics for giving this a read-through for me! c:

Disclaimer: I do not own any The Halcyon characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are never required but are always appreciated!

Art deco dividers by @saradika

It is the longest summer of Billy’s life, waiting for the months to tick by and November to finally arrive. Every day is just another shift. The same old thing day in and day out. Now and then, Billy catches himself staring wistfully at the marble staircase as though he will see her coming down to have lunch with her father or pop out for a bit of shopping. He even starts dreaming about her. About taking her dancing or going on a drive through the country. One morning he wakes up blushing after dreaming about her in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle toward him in a church filled to the brim with white roses.

Does she dream about him, too?

The stiflingly hot summer months wane on and Billy continually bothers Mr. Garland about the Greenes’ return visit to The Halcyon. Every time he asks, the answer is the same: there has been no request yet about any birthday party, whether for Mr. Greene or his daughter. Billy starts to wonder if she won’t return in the fall. If, maybe, she’s found a beau in Birmingham - one she would rather celebrate her birthday with. One her father might actually approve of.

He starts to mope around The Halcyon when August turns into September with still no word, enough that even Mr. Garland begins to notice. His mum, Peggy, has seen the most of his gloomy mood out of anyone, what with having to watch him drag his feet around their house every morning and night. “It’s about that girl again,” she tells Mr. Garland and both share a sigh. Young love can be such an overwhelming, complicated thing. But this is Billy’s first time coming face to face with it, and she hates to see her sweet boy - her eldest child and only son - like this.

Peggy is, therefore, elated when a letter arrives at The Halcyon addressed to Billy. When he arrives to have tea with her that afternoon, she wiggles her finger at the mailboxes beside her desk and tells him to look.

But who would write to him? His confused expression only warrants a smile from his mother.

“It’s from Birmingham, Billy.”

He very nearly throws his teacup to the ground to lunge for the letter. Sure enough, that’s his name written in delicate cursive on the back of the envelope. His heart is pounding out of his chest as he tears open the letter and finds an automobile sketch inside with a single folded piece of paper. A handwritten letter so perfect that it almost looks printed.

Dear Billy,

Mr. Garland said you liked my father’s automobiles, so I managed to get one of his original sketches of the Model F for you. It’s not much, but I hope you will like it all the same.

I’ll see you in November.

She’s signed the letter “yours truly.” Not “sincerely,” not “regards.” He’ll be pouring over the meaning of that one for days. But, no matter the meaning of the signature… she’s remembered him. She’s thought of him. She’s taken the time to write to him! And she does still plan on returning to The Halcyon.

Suddenly, his dreary summer no longer feels so dreary.

November 1939.

The leaves on the trees lining the streets of London have turned orange and fallen. The grass, once kissed with glittering morning dew, slumps from the heavy frost that coats it each sunrise. It hasn’t snowed yet, but winter’s chill is beginning to set in in earnest.

None of the ladies at The Halcyon dare step through the front doors without their heavy coats, gloves, and scarves any longer lest they catch their death, they lament. The fireplaces roar at all hours to offer some heat to the towering lobby. The doormen keep the doors shut as much as possible to trap the warmth inside. Cold manages to seep in every now and then when an unfortunately timed breeze blows through just as someone is stepping in or out, but it’s never severe enough to linger.

It is only a few weeks before The Halcyon’s lobby will be stripped of its usual flowers, vases, and other decorative trinkets and decked out in full Christmastime splendor. But first, the hotel must play host to the seventeenth birthday party of a certain young woman. And her father has spared no expense in decorating the lobby and the bar for the occasion.

Before the Greenes even arrive, the lobby is filled with dozens of arrangements of white and pink roses in gold vases. Mr. Greene even commissioned a special tiered gold chandelier for the occasion, which hangs low over a stunning centerpiece of peonies, hydrangeas, roses, and lilies enhanced with sparkling Swarovski crystals.

The other bellboys whinge about the decorations being too much, but Billy just brushes them off. He knows in his heart that they aren’t enough. Every flower in the world wouldn’t be enough to match her beauty.

He’s proven himself correct when the front doors swing open and she walks in, arm linked with her father’s while the other holds onto her dog’s lead. Billy has made sure that he is the one to take her coat and hat. He notices the coy smile on her rouged lips as he slips the coat off of her shoulders and the soft blush that blooms on her cheeks when his fingers brush against her upper arm.

“Hello, miss,” he mutters softly, unable to hide his own smile. His heart is full to bursting at being so close to her again. The warm, rosy scent of her perfume is filling his nostrils and making his head spin.

“Hi,” she whispers over her shoulder, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “It’s good to see you.”

“You…” Billy’s mouth has gone so dry that he can’t finish what was meant to be a two-word sentence. He clears his throat to no avail. “Uh huh.”

She’s quickly whisked away by her father and Mr. Garland, who are eager to show off the decorations to her. It’s clear that she isn’t used to such grand gestures, seeing how she nervously clasps her hands in front of her and shifts from one foot to the other. Billy drinks in the sight of her, in her pale blue dress that he guesses has been tailored to fit her judging by the way it so perfectly hugs her every curve. His eyes linger perhaps a little too long on her bum because he hears Feldman clear his throat.

“Come along, lover boy. Luggage to unload.”

Billy doesn’t see her again until the following afternoon, when he is sent up to her room to take her dog out for a walk. She’s otherwise preoccupied, Feldman says. If it were for anyone else - even His Lordship himself - Billy would have groaned and grumbled about having to stumble about the streets of London being dragged along by a dog. He doesn’t even want to think about the more than few occasions when he’s lost control of a dog’s lead and left the guest’s beloved pet to run amok in the streets. He’s had to dodge cars chasing after more than one poodle or bulldog, only to return to The Halcyon completely out of breath and with his bellboy hat and cloak all askew.

But he won’t let that happen to her dog. There is no way that he will treat this dog as anything but the most precious jewel in the world.

Walking toward the lobby, he has wrapped the lead around his wrist twice so there is no possibility for the dog to break free. He does thank his lucky stars that the dog is so small and well behaved. Even less of a chance to muck things up. Still… he can’t help but feel nerves churning in his stomach at the thought of something happening to the animal.

“Alright there, Clara?” he asks the corgi as she trots along happily beside him down the stairs. “It’s you and me today. Please be good, yeah?”

“Don’t worry. She always is.”

Billy freezes. He knows that voice.

When he looks up, his eyes meet hers. He’s been standing at his post by the door all day, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but he wasn’t expecting to see her right now. His free hand tugs at his uniform jacket to make sure he looks perfectly tidy and in order.

“Clara, are you going for a walk with Billy today?” She coos in a high-pitched voice to the dog, who spins in a circle in excitement. He watches a small crinkle form at the corner of her eye as she smiles at her beloved pet. Her cheeks and nose are pink from the cold and her hair is windswept, but she still looks as lovely as ever. “Do you… mind if I join you?”

“N-not at all,” Billy replies, sounding more nervous than he’d like to. “Bit cold out, though.” No, he reprimands himself. Don’t try to dissuade her, you idiot! He’s fidgeting with his hands again like he does every time he talks to her. Get it together, Billy.

“It is, but… I need a break from all this last-minute party planning. If I have to look at another table setting, I think I’ll die of boredom.” She rolls her eyes dramatically to emphasize her hyperbole, but Billy still prickles at the mere thought of it.

“I don’t want you to die,” he responds with a little too much sincerity. But he means it. He can’t think of anything that would be worse.

“All the more reason for me to join you, then, Billy.”

Her smile softens the tightness in his jaw. He offers a crooked grin in return, but he’s kicking himself inside. Will he ever stop making a fool of himself in front of this girl? He could tell himself a thousand times to act normally around her and he would still muck it all up the second he opens his mouth to speak to her. And yet, she doesn’t seem to mind? She might even… like him?

He reckons he’ll never understand girls.

Their walk with Clara winds up being the longest they’ve ever spent alone together. It’s so much more than a stolen glance across the hotel lobby or a few minutes spent chatting when he brings her tea. They are strolling through Hyde Park side by side, almost in a world of their own. This isn’t the time of year when mums are out with their babies in prams or old couples are walking hand in hand among the trees. Due to the cold, the park is uncharacteristically empty and quiet, save for their own shoes crunching along the stone path and the jingle of Clara’s collar.

But the very best part is that Billy has gotten a chance to hold a proper conversation with her. If by “conversation” he means “letting her tell him about herself while he bloody clams up yet again.” She tells him about her life in Birmingham, about a book she’s reading, about her father’s company. Anything and everything. He’s happy to hear her talk. He’d listen to her read the dictionary aloud if it meant he could hear the sound of her bright, sweet voice. She has a way of softening the inflection at the end of her sentences that is so warm, so comforting.

“Billy.” His head snaps toward her like it does every time she says his name. “Is it true that your mum works at The Halcyon, too?”

“Yeah… she’s the telephonist.”

“Oh. I’ve spoken to her, then.” A realization dawns on her and she laughs, throwing her head back in a way that makes his ears go hot. “Oh… Mrs. Taylor. I’m so silly. I should have known. She seems nice.”

“She is.” Billy wrinkles his nose. “Bit overbearing, though. Sometimes…” He’s convinced that his mum still sees him as her little boy the way she treats him at times. Fussing over his hair, fixing his collar, tying his shoes. As if he isn’t turning eighteen next year.

“Yeah, but that’s just her being your mum, isn’t it? They’re supposed to be like that. It just means she loves you.”

Billy shrugs. Doesn’t make his mum any less annoying about it. “What about your mum?”

He realizes he’s well and truly stepped in it when he sees her face fall. He had wondered why only she and her father had been to The Halcyon, but guessed that maybe her mum didn’t fancy traveling. But the way she purses her lips and stares at her feet as they continue walking suggests something else.

“She died when I was four.”

“Oh–” Billy feels his heart sink at having brought up such a sorrowful memory. He wants to apologize a million times and it wouldn’t be enough to convey how sorry he is.

“Please don’t feel bad about asking. It’s been so long that I… I don’t really remember her. It’s just been me and dad all this time. And he makes sure I know that I’m loved.” She laughs dryly. “I mean, look at how completely overboard he’s gone with this birthday party. I guess that’s his version of being overbearing.”

Billy’s expression softens. “Well, but… you deserve it, though. I’d throw you a party like that. If I had the money.” He realizes what he’s just said and hurriedly attempts to cover his tracks. “I mean…! If I was your dad. No–” Bloody hell, you’ve just made it worse.

She laughs in the same way she does whenever he fumbles over his words with her. Not laughing at him, not laughing like he’s stupid like other people tend to do. It’s a genuine, sweet laugh accompanied by that glimmer in her eyes that he loves so much. He pulls his lips inward as he feels new heat rush to his cheeks.

“Did you get my letter, Billy? From this summer?”

His previous embarrassment almost completely forgotten, his face lights up in a wide grin. He becomes more animated than he’s ever been around her, almost bouncing along the path beside her. She clearly notices, judging by the way she smiles.

“Oh, god. Yeah, I did…! That sketch by your dad… that was bloody incredible!”

She laughs again, a laugh that seems to warm the air around them. “I’m so glad you liked it.”

“Liked it? I… I loved it. The Model F is the most brilliant car on the market. But you… know that…” Billy stops himself before he begins to fanboy even more. He feels a little flutter in his heart as he glances sideways at her, though. He dips his head a bit in a moment of sudden bashfulness. “Can’t believe you… you know. Thought of me.”

“‘Course I did.”

Billy turns it over again and again in his mind, trying to decipher the meaning of her words. If he weren’t such an idiot, he’d come right out and ask her. But the words bloom and die on his tongue in an instant.

He can’t remember a time when a girl ever looked twice at him, let alone thought of him when they weren’t together. Had she really taken time to think about him when she had returned home to Birmingham? Did she think of him when she took tea every afternoon, or when she removed her coat upon stepping inside her house?

His silence eventually prompts her to prod him with a question of her own.

“Did… you think of me, too, Billy?”

His eyes are wide when he turns to her. He doesn’t mean to stare at her like some startled animal, but he can’t bloody help it. The thought of divulging the truth to her strikes the fear of God in him.

“Yeah, I did,” is all he can manage to push past the frog in his throat.

Yes, he thought of her. He thought of her every morning as he stepped foot into the hotel lobby. He thought of her whenever he passed the flower shop at the end of his street and smelled the freshly cut roses they had for sale. He thought of her on rainy days, on sunny days. He thought of her morning and night.

Even his younger sister, Dora, eventually started to notice how Billy seemed to float around their house whenever he would start to think about her. Being only eight years old, it had been a prime opportunity for the younger Taylor sibling to tease her brother relentlessly. But not even Dora’s incessant needling could have dissuaded Billy from thinking about the charming, beautiful girl from Birmingham who had smiled at him and made him feel wanted. Nothing could.

That’s what Billy would have said to her if he’d had the courage to do so.

Instead, he just manages to flash a shy little smile that seems to satisfy her because she responds with one of her own.

“Will I see you around at my party tomorrow night?”

“Yeah… I’ll be working.”

She doesn’t know that he begged and pleaded with one of the other bellboys to switch shifts with him so that he could be there. He doesn’t tend to work such late evenings. His mum prefers him to be home for dinner. But he would have done anything to be there for her party, even if it means that he will be stood by the door taking hats and coats all night.

“I wish you could come to the party itself,” she mutters softly, perhaps thinking that he can’t hear her. She sounds so earnest that it gives him butterflies. “My dad and my cousin Margaret won’t tell me what they’ve got planned, but I think it'll be a real gas.”

Billy knows he may be a bit daft sometimes, but he isn’t stupid enough to think that he could be anything but a bellboy at her party. When he’s alone with her, it feels a bit like they aren’t from different social classes. That the earrings she wears aren’t real diamonds and her clothes haven’t come from the finest shops in London. That he isn’t a lad from down the street who’s never owned anything that wasn’t second hand. She treats him like he’s someone. Someone worth talking to, worth listening to. Someone who is more than just another worker whose name she’ll forget by the next day.

It brings him crashing back down to earth every time he steps out of their little bubble and back into the real world. In the end, he’s just a bellboy. And she’s a beautiful heiress. Love, affection, even friendship between people like them is something forbidden. That is something that Billy must constantly remind himself of. It hangs in the very air around them whenever he is with her. But it does not stop him from wanting her.

“I’m sure you’ll have a great time,” Billy says, and he means it. “I hope you do.”

Billy laments that they’ve been walking for long enough that The Halcyon has come back into view. Their approach spells the end of their walk together. It’s a return to that real world where they must go their separate ways; him, to his work, and her, to her glittering, beautiful life.

The hotel lobby welcomes them back with the warmth of the fireplaces, which helps them begin to shake off the November chill. Theirs is a quick goodbye as her cousin pulls her away, shrilly and breathlessly admonishing her for disappearing when there is still so much to do for the party. But she’s sure to give Billy one last tender smile before she disappears into the restaurant.

There’s hardly any room to breathe, let alone move, through The Halcyon lobby on the night of her seventeenth birthday party. If anyone thought there had been too many flowers in the room before, then they would have had to rethink their definition of “excess” upon seeing the state of the lobby tonight.

Flowers, mostly white roses, cover every pillar, frame every doorway, cover every rung on the bannister. There is even an archway created entirely from flowers at the top of the staircase - the perfect setting for the birthday girl’s grand entrance. And the gold accents have only been expanded upon since the day before. In some places, the light bounces off of the gold candelabras and vases in such a way that it casts a warm reflection on the walls and floor. It’s the most extravagant affair that Billy has seen at The Halcyon in more than a year of working there.

And it’s all for her.

The buzz in the room dies down in an instant when Mr. Greene appears in the archway at the top of the stairs, delivering a short speech about the gathering of family and friends that is eloquent without any of the stuffiness of having been rehearsed. It’s clear by the reaction of the crowd that he has a natural charisma about him - something that his daughter has clearly inherited from him.

Billy’s eyes widen as she steps out from behind the flowers after being beckoned by her father. There must be a hundred people packed into the lobby, but it’s as though a spotlight has been shined on her. Flash bulbs pop and the room erupts into applause. But all that seems to exist in this moment… is her.

Billy enjoys the perfect view of her from where he stands beside Feldman by front doors. She’s wearing her hair in an elegant updo with roses pinned into her low bun. Her gold floor length gown cascades around her like a sparkling waterfall, flowing over each step of the staircase as she and her father begin to descend arm in arm. The dress is modest, with long sleeves and a v-neck that doesn’t show off too much. But the gold fabric gathers at the waist in a way that accentuates her lovely figure. Billy can’t help but bristle at the thought of all the young men who will get to dance with her tonight and rest their hands on the soft curve of her waist.

But when her eyes meet his from across the room - however briefly - all his jealousy and longing melts away in an instant.

Billy spends the rest of the evening at his post but finds himself craning his neck each time the door to the hotel bar opens, on the off chance that he will catch a glimpse of her in her beautiful gold dress. He thinks he does once or twice, but he can never be sure.

The night wanes on and Billy begins to yawn. He’s never worked this late before. If he wasn’t here, he’d probably be fast asleep by now. Feldman tries to send him home at half past eleven, but he just shrugs him off.

“Billy, you’re falling asleep standing up. Go home.”

Billy hums and shakes his head, lifting a hand to his face to rub at his eyes. “Can’t go yet.”

“What are you waiting for, Billy? For me to have to carry your ugly mug home because you’ve fallen asleep on the job?” Feldman’s rising annoyance with him makes him blush.

“I…” Billy stares at his feet. “Could you do me a favor, Feldman?”

Fifteen minutes later, Billy is pacing back and forth in the dark restaurant on the opposite end of the hotel from the bar. The chairs have been flipped and placed atop the tables for the night. The silverware sits, polished and ready for the next day. The curtains are drawn across the floor-to-ceiling windows, with only the softest light from the street lamps outside filtering through them. Only the sconces on either side of the door offer any real light to the room.

Billy has removed his bellboy hat and nervously sweeps his palm over his slicked-back hair to ensure that not even a single hair is out of place. In his free hand, he clutches a small, wrapped box with such a vice grip that his knuckles have gone white. And he continues to pace and pace and pace while he waits for the restaurant door to open.

When he sees the small crack of light at the door begin to grow and spread across the carpet, he stands at full attention with his hands behind his back. Somehow, his heart begins to beat more quickly than it already has been when she peers around the door. Her furrowed brow softens the moment she lays eyes on him.

“Billy… hi.” She’s smiling, and the light beside the door hits her face in a way that gives her an angelic glow. “Heard you wanted to see me.”

If only she knew just how badly he’s wanted to see her all night. He drinks in the sight of her, looking her up and down. He notices little details that he didn’t see from across the room earlier. The teardrop earrings she’s wearing that match her necklace. The little curled strands of hair that fall on either side of her face. The pink lipstick that’s different from the red she usually wears. He’s sure to be quick about it, not wanting it to seem like he’s asked her there just to ogle at her.

“You look…”

“Exhausted?” She jokes, but the sincerity on his face gives her pause.

“Beautiful.”

The lighting may be a bit rubbish for seeing her properly, but even he can tell that he’s made her blush. Her hand flies to her cheek as if to hide her smile. Her eyes fall to the floor. Surely she’s been complimented dozens of times tonight. He reckons - he hopes - that his has meant the most of them all.

“Thank you, Billy,” she breathes, finally pulling herself together enough to respond. “You look handsome, too.”

He’s caught completely off guard. The very air seems to leave his lungs. At first, all he can do is shake his head and let out a nervous laugh. “I’m… just in me uniform…”

She takes a step toward him and he swallows hard. It still feels so hard to bloody breathe. “But you always look handsome… doesn’t matter what you’re wearing.”

It’s by some small miracle that Billy doesn’t fall to the ground unconscious right then and there. He very nearly drops the gift he’s still holding behind his back. It’s only when he has to fumble to catch it so it doesn’t tumble to the ground that he remembers why he had Feldman have her come see him.

“I… I, uh…” he flounders trying to speak again. “Bout to be off for the night, but, uh… didn’t wanna leave til…” He clears his throat. “Til I gave you this.”

“What?” He sees her eyes narrow suspiciously, although she keeps her lips turned up in a smile.

Billy takes a step toward her, dotting out his tongue to wet his lips. “Close your eyes… and hold out your hands.”

She does exactly as he asks, letting her eyes fall closed before she extends her perfectly manicured hands. Into her cupped palms, he placed the little box he’s kept in his locker all night. He’s seen the pile of gifts that she’s received tonight, the big boxes with their shiny wrapping paper and bags tied up with perfect bows. The one in her hands is no bigger than a makeup compact, and wrapped in crinkled newspaper with a paltry, crooked bow made out of twine. It’s hardly the most glamorous gift she’s gotten, probably ever. He almost feels embarrassed as he sees it resting atop her hands.

When she opens her eyes and sees what he’s given her, she doesn’t react in disappointment. Rather, Billy watches her face light up in a smile.

“Billy… you didn’t have to–”

Billy rocks back onto his heels and offers a little shrug. “I know… but I… I had to get you something for your birthday. You only turn seventeen once.”

She’s holding the little gift as though it’s a delicate baby bird. “Do you want me to open it now?”

“Well, I– I mean, you don’t have to…” What if she didn’t like it? She wouldn’t have to pretend to be grateful if he wasn’t there when she unwrapped her gift.

But his words go in one of her ears and out of the other. She carefully plucks the bow open and unveils the ruby red box that’s been hiding beneath the newspaper. Inside it, she finds a delicate rose brooch. The stem is made out of a shiny gold that matches all the gold accents dotted about the hotel lobby. The petals themselves are white. Billy thinks he remembers the shopkeeper say that it’s porcelain.

“Happy birthday.”

“Oh, Billy…” she whispers as she admires the brooch.

He saved up for months to buy it for her after seeing it in the window of the pawn shop down the road from his house on his way home from work one day. His mum and dad usually expect him to chip in for necessities now that he’s employed. “It’s your money, Billy,” his mum said to him when he asked if he could keep a little more to save for the brooch. He put away every penny he could after that. What should have taken him six months to save up, he saved in only four.

“I, uh… saw it and thought of you,” Billy says warmly. “I know how you… like roses and all…”

She delicately lifts the brooch from its box and lays it flat in her palm to see it better in the light. She turns it over and over again, treasuring every last detail. And all the while, the smile in her eyes shimmers brighter than the sun.

“Billy, this is so… incredible. It’s beautiful…”

“Yeah…?” He feels a sense of pride, hearing her genuine gratitude and seeing her joy.

“Yeah.” She finally looks up at him and he felt his stomach flip. “Billy, it’s perfect. I love it. I love it so much…” She reaches out to take his hand and wraps her fingers around his. Her touch is soft and warm against the calloused pads of his fingers and palm. Bloody hell, how many times can he nearly faint in front of her in one evening?

For a fleeting moment, there’s a force that draws them closer to one another. His senses are overwhelmed by the smell of her perfume, the warmth of her hand in his, the sight of her face so close to his. But he’s a bloody idiot as always and stands completely frozen in place. He wants to lean down and press his lips to hers, but his muscles won’t move.

He clears his throat. “Can I… put it on for you?”

He sees disappointment flash across her face before she pulls away. She’s quick to replace it with a sweet grin, but he knows he’s missed his chance. He’ll be kicking himself for weeks for this. Stupid, stupid coward.

“Please.”

His hands are shaking as he takes the brooch from her and fumbles to clasp it to the front of her dress, just below her left shoulder.

“How does it look?” she asks.

Billy can think of a million ways to describe her beauty in this moment. Not just the way the brooch looks on her, but everything about her. In the end, he smiles crookedly and settles on the one he thinks encapsulates her best.

“Exquisite.”

Their time together is short as always. Her party can’t go on without the guest of honor and he can finally allow Feldman to send him home now that he’s given her her gift. His mum’s probably waiting up to make sure he gets home safe and it’s nearing midnight, now.

“Billy, we’re leaving for home in the morning,” she tells him as if he doesn’t already know that. “I guess… you’re off tomorrow.”

In any other situation, he’d be glad that Feldman wasn’t making him come in first thing after working such a late shift. But now it means that he won’t be there to see her off like he did the last time.

“Can I write to you again, Billy? After I get home?”

“Of course.” His earlier embarrassment at having denied her a kiss is somewhat dulled by the assurance that she wants to keep in touch. “But my handwriting’s a bit rubbish…”

She laughs. “I’m sure it’s fine. I’d… like to see it. Be sure to write back. Promise?”

“Promise.”

Satisfied, she pulls open the door but stops in the doorway. “Thank you again, Billy. For my present. It’s the best one I’ve gotten tonight.” She chews on her bottom lip, lingering on the boundary between the restaurant and the lobby for just a moment longer. She presses her cheek to the edge of the mahogany door, staring at him as though she doesn’t want to go. But eventually she relents as calls of her name echo through the lobby and she is beckoned back to the party.

And Billy watches dreamily until long after the bar door shuts behind her.

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mirai-e-jump · 9 months

Text

Hero Vision Vol.7 (2002/Summer) ft. Kamen Rider Ryuki Cast Members with Ryohei & Hidekazu Ichinose (translations below)

Takamasa Suga (Kido Shinji) Interview (page 6-7)

"At the time of this interview, the double filming for both the movie and TV series were underway, and it appears to be a real nightmare."

Suga: I'm already overwhelmed. I don't have time to sleep or even memorize the script. "What am I suppose to do?!" is the current state of things (laughs). My body is starting to get used to it, but it's still very difficult.

"Despite the demanding schedule, he always has such a sweet smile on his face. It's been six months since he started playing the role of Shinji Kido, the main character of Kamen Rider Ryuki. He says that his image of Shinji, which at first felt like a blur, has recently become more defined."

Suga: In the begining, I was so preoccupied with filming, that I honestly wasn't thinking about Shinji. I hadn't seen "Kamen Rider Kuuga" or "Agito," so I didn't know about the whole Rider process. However, when someone said to me, "Producer Shirakura said that after the transformations in Episodes 1 and 2, that was Ryuki's Shinji," I thought I had a better grasp of what was going on. I thought it was the movements of suit actor Seiji Takaiwa in the Mirror World, so I though, "Alright, I'll do that." At first, I thought Shinji was a pretty pathetic guy, but he's actually a strong leader, and always does what he thinks is right. I've recently realized how cool it is that Shinji's charm has the power to envelope everyone around.

"Not the coolness of a dependable hero, but rather, humane and tasteful coolness. He and Takaiwa-san had a close meeting to better express Shinji's emotions before and after transforming. Whether it's how Shinji sleeps, or how Shinji goes about his day after waking up."

Suga: Even in my private life, I notice I'll say, "Eh!?," or some other Shinji like reaction. Sometimes, I get caught up in a strange emotion where I can't tell who is the original, myself or Shinji.

"Suga-kun, who is now a huge part of Shinji's life, had never seen "Kamen Rider" until he was given the chance to audition. Although he had always been interested in the entertainment industry, he was unsure of his career path after high school. It wasn't untill he saw the movie "Swallowtail," directed by Shunji Iwai, where he decided to become an actor."

Suga: It felt as though I had watched that movie with my whole body. I saw it with my eyes, heard the sounds with my ears, and even felt like I smelt the movie. After watching, I was still in a mix of emotions and thought, "What is this feeling?" Then I realized, "Oh, I know! I want to be on the screen!" It was a real Shinji moment (laughs).

"After working on TV dramas and gaining some experience, he auditioned for Ryuki a few years later, but with the feeling that he was "grasping at straws."

Suga: When I went into the second round of judging, all the models around me were on the same level as Ryohei-san, so I thought this was definitely not going to work out. Even after making it to the final round, I was so nervous that at one point I said something unintelligible like, "I love beer!" When I received the news two weeks later that I got the role, I didn't believe it right away and was cautious, saying, "I don't believe this."

"When you went to the costume fitting with high expectations of what kind of cool Kamen Rider you'd see, when seeing Ryuki for the first time, you though……."Kendo?!" You were very surprised.

Suga: When I first saw it, I thought it was a really strange design that I had never seen before. Now, I'm very attached to it, and think it's the coolest out of all the riders. I love it so much.

"Of all the episodes that have been filmed so far, episodes 13 and 14 are the ones that you value the most. It's the episodes where he was distressed by the thought that he had killed Zolda."

Suga: It was then, that I once again found myself thinking about my sense of responsibility as a Rider. It was like I had just shed a layer of skin. But, even though he grows little by little this way, I would like to keep Shinji's "roots" planted as they are. Everyone around Shinji is carrying something on their shoulders, except for Shinji himself. He's quick to say, "I'll protect people," while having nothing to back up his words. No one to protect, and no past. I once thought about it deeply, and asked the producer, "Does Shinji have a past?" I was told, "No, Shinji is just a young man who had a normal upbringing." I think that's when my mind began to wander. I don't have anything to prove it, but I'm not sure that's something Shinji would say. What I am sure of, is that his emotions are straight and pure like a child, which I like. I also cherish the bad and idiotic parts of Shinji as well.

"You get along well with your co-stars, Matsuda-kun and Ryohei-kun, who are of the same generation."

Suga: We'll talk about upcoming scenes and say things like, "Ren, how do you feel about this part?" and "Ok then, let's do that part like this." We'll work through this process by trial and error. Everyone has a strong character, so I hope we can create relationships on screen that brings out the best in all of us.

Suga-kun talks about Shinji and Ryuki with more enthusiasm than usual. Everything in his life is all about Ryuki now, and he seems to be enjoying it very much. _

Satoshi Matsuda (Akiyama Ren) Interview (page 8-9)

Matsuda-kun was dressed in a black tank top, with black leather pants, and short black boots. Just like Ren, black seems to be his main image color. We asked, "Are you trying to convey Ren's image?" He responded with, "I think Ren is trying to convey me." If a normal man said those words, you'd think he was being sarcastic, but when Matsuda-kun says them, they sound natural.

"Matsuda, a native of Osaka Prefecture, still occasionally speaks with the Kansai dialect."

Matsuda: Recently, I've been able to play the role of a Ren naturally. Ren's a really cool guy, isn't he? Before, I worked hard on creating the "extreme" part of him. You don't normally see people like him in real life (laughs). People who have known me for a long time will say, "You and I are exact opposites." Usually I'm just messing around while speaking nonsense.

"Ren (Kamen Rider Knight) is a complex character, being neither right nor wrong. Therefore, when acting, Matsuda says, "I try to give weight to each word instead of saying too little." He also said, "If I move too fast, I'll look weak, so I try not to move too fast except for when I run at full speed. Like when I'm chasing after Shinji, you know?"

"He won the role of Ren through an audition, but even before doing the audition, he "debated for a week whether or not he would accept the role." According to his manager, who is Toei's producer for Ryuki, Shinichiro Shirakura, he had been paying attention to Matsuda-kun since his debut work in "Natural Girl Next ~ 100 Nights in Yokohama". Matsuda-kun, who never heard that before, shyly said, "This is the first I'm hearing of that!! I'm so embarrassed (laughs)."

Matsuda: Before the audition, I had some hesitation due to the fact that Ryuki was a children's show. So I worked with the manager, faxing each other back and forth, talking about all kinds of things, like what kind of fans the franchise had, the kind of material we had, who would watch us, and so on. In the end I decided, "Okay, I'll accept!! After all, I went through all this trouble of research, so I'll definitely have to do it now!"

"Oooh, so cool Matsuda-kun!!"

Matsuda: Afterall, I would look like a complete idiot if I failed the audition because I said, "I don't want to be associated with tokusatsu" (laughs). That's what I thought, so I didn't push back at all when I entered the production.

"Ren plays the "Secondary Rider" role in the show, and while Shinji is the main character, according to Matsuda-kun, "It's probably better than having the lead role (laughs). The camera follows Shinji, and Ren follows him in order to make the story more interesting." He goes onto say that Shinji and Ren have a bad relationship."

Matsuda: Rather than liking, disliking or having a friendship with him, I feel it's more like, "It's stupid to even hate this guy" (laughs). When he says to Shinji, "I owe you one," he says it as if embarrassed, and I think it's Ren's way of dealing with Shinji that he'll carry through to the end.

"There are rumors (!!) on the internet that you're on bad terms with Takamasa Suga, who plays the role of Shinji."

Matsuda: I'm often asked by magazine reporters if we don't get along (laughs). But, it's actually really surprising to be asked such a question. Sugacchi (Suga-kun's nickname on set), is a good friend and co-worker, who I usually go home together with, or out on the town together. So, I'm trying to figure out what else I should do to emphasize how well we get along with each other.

"It's been said that you're also on good terms with Hassei Takano, who plays Tezuka Miyuki (Kamen Rider Raia)."

Matsuda: He and I are strangely compatible. On my way to the studio, we meet up at a convenience store near the train station and make the 10 minuet walk while goofing around. That's what we like about each other (laughs)

"He says that working as an actor is difficult, but also enjoyable. He says that tokusatsu programs are particularly appealing because he can play a role over the span of a year. However, he also has his complaints."

Matsuda: I've begged the staff to do more action! Riders fight after transforming, so there's not much action before the transformation. And since Ren is supposed to be a strong fighter, he can knock out his opponents with a single punch. Well, that's not exactly what I mean, I just wanted to make a big statement. The other day, there was a scene where Takashi Hagino, who plays Takeshi Asakura (Ouja), filmed a scene that I really liked, and I watched admiringly while also being jealous (laughs).

"Matsuda-kun was originally scheduled to work for a fashion related company, but after his debut, understood "the depth of the industry," and chose to be an actor."

Matsuda: Ryuki is a battle between 13 Riders, but in reality, it's also a war between the Riders to see who can survive and who will be eliminated. That's why I myself, feel like I'm in a very serious competition as Akiyama Ren. There's no end to how difficult it is to be an actor, and the fact that there is no answer, not a single one, is fascinating. It's perfect for a arts major like myself.

Ren (Knight), wasn't the only one who continues to fight without an answer. Actor Satoshi Matsuda's battle has only just begun. _

Hassei Takano (Tezuka Miyuki) Interview (page 10-11)

Two years ago, Takano-kun gained popularity for his cool acting as Hiroya Fujimiya (Ultraman Agul) in "Ultraman Gaia." He didn't expect that he would also appear in Kamen Rider Ryuki as the fifth Rider, "Raia." As expected, no one else has appeared in both productions but him.

Takano: At the time I overheard from a friend of mine that, "There are going to be 13 Kamen Riders this time around." "Eh? That many?," we talked about it so normally. Then he said, "My friends are going to be in it." It turned out to be Matsuda-kun (Akiyama Ren) and Yuge-kun (Yura Goro). So, while I had heard stories, it was a surprise that I was also going to appear in the show. It felt almost like fate (laughs).

He had no hesitations about appearing in a tokusatsu program for a second time, as he thought to himself, "I want to do it."

Takano: If I had been the me from a little while ago, I might have been a little put off, but this time, I'm enjoying the challenge of how to play the hero and making them look good.

"The days of Ultraman Gaia were the dawn of a new era for tokusatsu. This was followed by "Kamen Rider Kuuga," which marked the new wave of tokusatsu, as these series of works have made the public recognize tokusatsu programs more and more in recent years."

Takano: I felt this phenomenon firsthand. The quality of "Gaia" was high, and I felt that the range of people watching the show was expanding, but since filming Ryuki, I've realized how popular these shows are.

"This is a comment only a performer of two works can make. What did you feel was the different between Ultraman and Ryuki when you actually played the role?"

Takano: The difference in enemy size (laughs). In Ultraman, alot of the performance is looking up and imagining the enemy in the blue background. Furthermore, for Ultraman, the SFX team would split up my shots in two directions, whereas in Ryuki's case, I would just keep saying, "Ok, I going to transform," so I really felt that I was transforming. I'm actually really fond of it. Uh…But, when I was shown a picture of Raia's image for the first time, I honestly thought, "Eh-?!" (laughs). The color is kind of mediocre, like it's pink metallic with some orange. Personally, I love blues and black, so I thought, "It must be nice being Knight~." Everyone else has a clear motif, like a bat or dragon, but Raia is a stingray? Can't I be a shark or maybe a whale? Furthermore, I'm a fortune telling stingray? eh? (laughs). At first, I was surprised by the world view of Ryuki. "A net for grilling meat?", "Transforming with a card?" things like that (laughs).

"That was a very honest yet blunt comment by Takano-kun. But now, he loves playing the role of Raia. As for the character of Miyuki Tezuka…"

Takano: I liked him from the very beginning. Tezuka wanted to change his Rider's fate. The desire to push back against something that's already been decided is a natural trait inherent in humans, isn't it? "If I can decide my future, then this wasn't it!," and I think everyone wants to change something. I think Tezuka, who says that he creates his own future, is a very charming and passionate character to play.

"Takano-kun says that he also admires Tezuka. In the show, there is a scene where Tezuka asks Shinji, "Have you ever felt so lost that you feel you could die?"

Takano: I've never been that unsure. I am indecisive, so when I'm in doubt, I'll ask someone else to decide for me (laughs). Even when I'm hanging out with friends, they'll say, 'Where do you want to go?" I'll say, "You decide. I'll follow you." I admire Tezuka's way of life, but it seems so extreme that I'd rather not live like him.

"By dying, Tezuka proved to Shinji that he could "change his future" with his own hands."

Takano: For Tezuka, when I read the script about him becoming a Rider because of what happened to his friend, I cried a little.

"At first, Takano-kun heard that Tezuka's friend (Saito Yuichi) was initially suppose to be a racer. The story was originally about him being unable to use his legs due to an accident, then, it was changed to him being a pianist that lost the ability to use his hands due to an incident caused by Ouja (Takeshi Asakura). This is what caused Tezuka to become more agitated before the battle with Ouja."

Takano: What's most sad to think about, is that I'll no longer have a role in the show after I die. In Ultraman Gaia, I was always out of sync with everyone else and was often alone, but this time we were always together.

"As their senior in tokusatsu, he gave advice to Suga-kun and Matsuda-kun, and in return, they taught him about Ryuki. On one occasion, when filming for the day finished early, the three of them went out for drinks in Shinjuku"

Takano: At that time, there was a counter across from the table where we were sitting, and there was a young woman reading a copy of Hero Vision. I noticed and went, "Ah-!," and all three of us were exposed immediately. I thought to myself at the time that the popularity of tokusatsu programs were reaching new heights (laughs).

Kamen Rider Ryuki, which was made with the help of people of his generation, will likely be a very memorable work for Takano-san. _

(partial translations for the rest below)

Kamen Rider Ryuki - Film Site Report (Page 12) (top, 1st photo): "Between takes, they made friendly conversation. They were constantly surrounded by the neighborhood children, but only Matsuda-kun kept his distance from them (laughs)." (bottom, last photo): "In his hand is Dragreder. Hidden away in his bag is a Ryuki Plushie." _

Satoshi Ichijou (Shibaura Jun) Interview (page 14)

"The sixth Kamen Rider, Gai (Shibaura Jun), is a smart, game freak, and coldhearted college student, while Ichijou-kun, who played Jun, is also an active college student."

Ichijou: During filming, I had to ask my friends to help me with various things like, "I’m sorry! I lost my attendance card somewhere" (laughs).

"When Ichijo appeared in Kamen Rider, his friends reaction were, "We can't watch it because it airs tooooo early in the morning!" The reaction of his friends are very natural."

Ichijou: On my days off, I hang out with my friends in my hometown. I also play street futsal with the guys from my high school soccer team, as well as those from the baseball and basketball teams who liked to play soccer. There's a place behind Meiji University in Ochanomizu, where we play all the time and always win, plus, it's free to get into (laughs).

"At first he wondered how he was going to fit in, but it turned out "they were all nice people" and he settled in easily."

Ichijou: I was aware from the beginning that Gai would be gone in five weeks, so it wasn't a shock to me that he died. But, I had been wondering how he was going to die. I really didn't think he would die in an explosion (laughs). Furthermore, what's inside the suit of a Rider whose been bombed to death with such incredible force? I wonder.

Ichijo-kun is an active university student with a flexible attitude. I wonder where we'll see him next?

Yasuko Kobayashi (Main Writer) Interview (page 15)

"When the production of Kamen Rider Ryuki was announced, we were surprised at how ambitious the setting was."

Kobayashi: I think that 13 riders were chosen in part because Bandai was going to produce alot of toys. Rather than having just one rider with multiple forms changes, Bandai said, "Let's have a lot of Riders." We planed to use this as a strategy to create an impact in terms of the number of participants. At first, we wanted to say, "Let's send out 50 Riders!," and I think Bandai was also interested in the number of people who would be involved in the project. Bandai also requested that we integrate cards in and to fight in a different universe. That's why Producer (Shinichiro) Shirakura-san must have thought a lot about it, until he decided on what we now call the "Mirror World." We wanted it to look like there was a "story" first, and not the "setting" first.

"In certain situations, only the main character, Shinji, "Has no reason to fight", which we think is very original."

Kobayashi: I think it's important to sometimes say "It can't be helped," because other people are carrying a variety of burdens. Because he's not carrying anything on his back, he's able to look at the battle from a "pure" perspective, which is what makes him the main character. I think the strength of not carrying anything on one's back comes out in the genuine strength of a person. Because, even though there is nothing of interest at stake, it's usually impossible to do something dangerous or foolish like risking lives, especially for today's generation. That's why Shinji is the strongest of them all……is what I think.

"However, Shinji watches and fights for Ren and his friends suffering, and in the end, Shinji too is able to grow.

Kobayashi: But, I don't think it's a good idea for him to grow based on circumstances of the people around him, due to them being so grave. However, how we move Shinji forward is an issue for the future. What will happen to the relationship between Ren and Shinji is the most important thing now. _

Ryohei & Hidekazu Ichinose: The Secret Records Vol.1 (page 17)

"How did you two get to know each other?"

Ichinose: I went into the office because I wanted to ask for some advice. Goro-chan immediately stopped me at the entrance (laughs).

Ryohei: Goro-chan is a bodyguard, you know (laughs). Actually, we had a mutual acquaintance. The first time we met was before I got the role in Ryuki. It was after I had auditioned, so it must have been last fall.

…

"Recently Ichinose-san has completed filming for "Ultraman Cosmos."

Ichinose: "The question now is how can I make the most of what I have gained during the past year? The other day, I was in Myanmar to live on a lake as part of the filming for "Sekai Ururun Taizaiki," where I had a great time, and I hope everyone enjoys the broadcast! I slept soundly every night, and even drank tea made from boiled river water without getting sick or having an upset stomach. After this I hope everyone will continue to look out for me.

Ryohei: I'm currently putting all my energy into Ryuki. I'm happy that I'm popular among adult women, but what I really want is for children to focus on me. I would be happy to receive fan letters from children. I really don't understand them at all (laughs). I like kids, but they're all afraid of Kitaoka, so when they see me on the streets, they back away, and, I'm pretty sure won't look me in the eyes?

Ichinose: The children become frozen.

Ryohei: It's strange, isn't it?

"It may seem unconvincing, but we're rooting for you to become popular with the children!"

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