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acapelladitty · 1 month

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NSFW Alphabet: Cooper Howard

Summary: A full NSFW alphabet for Cooper Howard/The Ghoul from Fallout (2024).

Fic Masterlist

Link to AO3

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Pretends that he's not needing anything after sex but actually loves it when his partner wraps themselves around him like a second skin. Won't ever admit to it, but the way his arm snakes around to pull them even closer is hint enough to his real desires.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Likes his hands because they're quick and dexterous, and can justbas easily gut a gulper as they can seek out and tease a clit. Not much pride in his own appearance aside from that. He's also a tit man and the pillowy softness of them is so opposed to his own body that he only enjoys them more, usually with his mouth as much as his hands.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Sterile as all fuck, he can do what he wants with his cum and it makes no difference. Enjoys the taste and likes oral because of it. He does love for his partner to hold onto his cum though, either by swallowing or by pushing it back up their holes with his fingers. They earned it so they're going to keep it.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Has experimented with his new abilities as a Ghoul in some interesting and intense ways. Usually pushing the edge of pleasure and pain as he tests his own limits. His leathered skin is less sensitive than most so he's spent some of his more boring nights doing things to himself that would have a normal man in fucking hysterics.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He knows his way around a hole that's for sure. He slept with one or two folks before Barb but he was pretty monogamous after that despite the sleaze of his acting career. He and Barb did share a very healthy, vibrant sex life and he was eager to experience new things with her but nothing too outside of the 'vanilla' realm.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Seated with his partner riding his lap like any good cowgirl should. The close skin-to-skin contact, plus the easy access to their chest, makes it a firm favourite as he's generous with his tongue and teeth. Plus, it lets him enjoy their facial expressions and hold some eye contact as he drinks in their pleasure.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Never 'goofy' is a daft sense but isn't above using filthy talk and double entendres while cracking a wicked smirk. Lots of word play around his status as both a cowboy and a monster and he likes to remind his partner of BOTH of those facets of his personality.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Look at the poor cunt 😭 he's a great big baldy bastard with nary a pube on him. The only hair he has are the follicles that fall off the folk he occasionally scalps.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Surprisingly romantic given how gruff and generally detached he is, but only with a romantic partner. A random fuck gets a casual pump and dump while sex with a partner has some meaning for him and he likes to feel his partner close and ensure that they have a good time with him.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Not at the top of his priority list in the grand scheme of things. If he's feeling horny then he'll deal with it and leave the mess splattered on the ground where it fell.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Roleplay is a kink of his and he would be at his happiest role-playing a very traditional "cowboy saves a damsel and she's looking to repay the favour" type scene. His most 'out there' kinks include a mild touch of erotic cannibalism, ropework, and dom/sub dynamics relating to discipline and cnc.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Strong enough to make any vertical surface a viable spot for a fuck, there are very few areas that Cooper can't turn into a good spot for sex. His preference is for a bed though because he can be a lazy fucker when it suits him but that's an indulgence he's very rarely afforded.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Very easily motivated if he can sense his partner is down for a rough tumble in the sheets. All he needs is a WHIFF of a chance of hole and he'll be rubbing himself across you like a cat in heat. Hand straight to the groin like it was magnetic.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Sharing his partner? Oh no. He'd fucking kill any third party before they could do anything too untoward. He's jealous as hell and volatile with it as he claims so little in the shithole that is the wastelands. Will threaten to tie his partner up and leave them for the raiders and beasts but that's just a horny threat.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

One leftover from his previous life is his love of giving oral. His wife loved it and he loved receiving it in equal measure. However, with things as they are, he'd rather get his rocks off in warm hole when the opportunity and time arose.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Normally? Fast and rough. However, in the quieter moments when the sun hangs low and he feels relaxed enough to enjoy some time with his partner, he takes great pleasure in some slow and sensual sex.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Due to his circumstances, quickies are often the only option for some hole so if he and his partner are frisky then it's as and when the potential arises.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

I think choosing to fuck someone in the wastelands automatically qualifies as a considerable risk. But, yes. He's fond of risk and it's something that he'll continue to push and push until he's satisfied.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Ridiculous stamina. The kind of stamina that will have smoke pouring from your hole if he's not careful lol. As a ghoul, his skin is slightly desensitised so he can go for longer but usually only lasts one good round.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Not really a big fan of toys (finds his cock and mouth MORE than capable thank you VERY much) but will use easy-to-access objects like his lasso and knife for some kinky play.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Only teases when it's a game he's playing. Most of the time, he's looking for some quick, rough action that he and his partner can enjoy in their limited, quieter moments. In terms of vocal teasing? He's very quick to spout off with some sleazy promises and demands.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Tries to be very controlled but does have a tendency to grunt and growl a lot which makes him more animalistic than vocal in terms of his speech when he's fucking someone.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Cooper would like to eat a little bit of his partner if they were willing and had the bit going spare. Most of his meals are a necessity but to have a willing offering would be quite erotic and a big deal for him.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His cock is the same shade as the rest of his skin but with a slightly deeper tone in his cockhead. Very average length but on the girthier side with a slight lean to the right when he's fully erect. No pubes, obviously.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Makes a lot of inappropriate comments and touches which would have you believing that he's constantly looking for some tail. That's only true because he tends to be hornier in high-stress situations which, unfortunately, is most of the time.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He doesn't sleep much and there's something possessive in him that makes him happier watching over his fucked-out partner as they sleep rather than sleeping himself.

#top shagger lads lmaoooo #cooper howard #fallout #fallout 2024 #fallout amazon #cooper howard x reader #the ghoul #fallout ghoul #ghoul x reader #walton goggins

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lydscare · 1 year

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Hi! Could you make a preferences/hc of the pro/hoo characters how they cuddle and/or sleep with there s/o?

cuddling hcs with pjo/hoo characters

a/n: these kinda went into general pda hcs, but hopefully it's still good tho

warnings: possible hints of angst + trama, cause who dosen't have it :')

reader tends to be gender-neutral // my masterlist

annabeth

i feel like when cuddling w/ annabeth that there's not really a big spoon or little spoon posistion

it's mainly just your arms wrapped around each other, just a tangle of arms and limbs

dosen't really hug you too much in public but always needs a goodbye hug from you before you go somewhere

she also likes acting out as your pillow with you head on her chest/lap (she probably reads you a book too :))

bianca

her hugs are really comforting and warm

she always knows when you need one

she can just tell

she's memorized your body language to a t

might whisper some comforting words here and there

could make any surface feel soft when her arms are wrapped around you

calypso

i think she likes to be held more than to hold someone

she can hold you tho, and she's great at comforting you

likes to hum or sing you little songs and melodies

she likes when you play with her braid too

overall good experience

clarisse

i feel like she gives good bear hugs

she has some meatystrong arms so her hugs are kinda firm, like she's reminding you that she's there and no one can hurt you

her hugs are also surprisingly warm so they're extra comforting

connor

connor's hugs are a little more firm then travis's but still all the more comforting

he likes taking his time with hugging and cuddling

he likes spinning you around too when he gets excited

travis

travis hugs are very playful and warm

likes to come up from behind and give you a surprise hug

also moves around a bit when cuddling but it's fine, he just wants to get in a comfy position :))

also loves spinning you around

ethan

i kinda feel like he's a side hugger

so not too big on cuddling

he's not exactly avoidant of pda but he's not looking for it

might put his arm around you every once in a while

when cuddling he likes to be the big spoon, he finally feels like he can be of use and protect you from the cruel world :')

frank

gives the best bear hugs (both literally and metamorphically)

at first he's pretty awkward w/ hugging but grows to love it

he can shapeshift into just about any animal to have a different cuddling arrangement

one day you're being snuggled by a dragon, who's wrapped protectively around you, and the next you're holding a cute lil labrador puppy in your hands

needless to say it's an overall wholesome expierence :)

grover

the first time you hugged him, poor goat bby didn't know what to do

like where is he supposed to put his hands??

but after a while gets used to them

not to big of a hugger but enjoys it

has to get over the awkwardness of it at first tho

but afterwards enjoys it

just never sneak up on him

hazel

i don't know how else to describe her hugs other than sweet

her hugs are super comforting and grounding

just sneak up on her and give her a surprise back hug

she lets out the cutest giggle whenever you do it :')

even though she probably heard you coming

always wants to make sure you're comforting when cuddling, she dosen't want to overstep any boundaries of yours so

jason

not exactly looking for cuddles or pda in general, but he's not going to hate affections either

he'll most likely be wanting cudddles after a long day of praetor duties, helping at chb, or school

he won't want anything else, just to be held by you for a few good long minutes

with that being said however, he is more of a big spoon type of guy

leo

he's like a human furnace

always super hot warm

very comforting and cozy

he loves snuggling

in general he's a very touchy person so a arm's usually always around you

loves holding you

after a long day of working on little trinkets and fixing up things he likes to be held by you (arms around your waist, face on your shoulder)

play w/ his hair pleaseee it's very soothing

luke

sturdy?

he has some pretty strong arms so his hugs are a bit firmer than he'd honestly prefer

likes to put his hands around your waist with your hands placed over his

also he likes when you just play with his fingers or stroke his arms lovingly

((also has a really good grip

nico

he isn't much of a hugger, to other people anyways

but with you, he practically craves your touch

it always has to be in a closed off space tho

he's not the biggest fan of pda, but alone with you,,

he practically clings onto you like a lil koala bear

loves wrapping his arms around your waist and burrying his face in your neck

he just needs someone to touch every once in a while to keep him grounded :')

side note: he is pretty cold, like ALL the time so ye

percy

percy the pillow jkjk

fr tho, he likes just placing his head on your chest as his arms around your waist when cuddling

also is a fan of getting his hair played with

he goes back n forth between lil spoon and big spoon

he also just finds your presence itself very comforting

and your smell

goes to sleep with the biggest grin on his face

piper

another hummer

she likes it when you braid her hair

she also like brushing her nails through your hair and scratching at your scalp

she likes holding you more than being held

can be very comforting

a quick hug from her also brings a great feeling

rachel

appreciates signs of pda in general

enjoys holding you and playing w/ your hair

can just walk up to you, give you a hug and walk away randomly

she is moreover a quality time person sooo

reyna

not really a hugger tbh

she has lots of walls built up sooo

she's also not much of a physical person

but she might be good with a hug or two after a long day

if she were to cuddle she'd be pretty stiff at first and need to ease her way into it

thalia

likes wrapping her arms around your neck and just looking at you with so much adoration in her eyes

she really likes being held from behind when sharing a bed

also likes to play with your fingers

will

his hugs are so warm and comforting (obvs)

i feel like he'd be the type to just be gossiping w/ you while you two are tangled together, he's playing with your fingers and all but still has your undivided attention

probably majority of the time os the big spoon but would like being the little spoon on especially hard and stressful days

zoë

as much as i looove zoë, i don't think she is much of a hugger :'(

she's very stiff at first bc she isn't really used to soft touches or touching in general

but then eventually relaxes and will end up not wanting you to leave her

she likes when you play with her hair

she can give good back rubs

she proably will end up being the little spoon on most days tho

also gets tired and ends up wanting cuddles

it helps give her a space of calmness after a long day out hunting

it's soothing

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whiteheartlight · 27 days

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thinking more about my idea where Artakha has mini versions of the Toa Mata made (Matoran-esque) for personality and neurological testing. they won't remember any of it when they're Toa but it's a test run for him to check some things

little Kopaka hates having any kind of testing done on him and is always aware of experiments. he keeps purposefully skewing results and acting against his impulses whenever Artakha tries to test him in a situation. Artakha takes this to mean that he's perfect

the Matoran on Artakha have gotten very used to peace and quiet and certain mini Toa Mata (one in particular) keep disrupting them... but then reminding them how to throw better parties

balancing Tahu's temper between the lines of "soft-hearted" and "insensibly filled with rage" takes SO many models. when Artakha settles on his final personality Kopaka looks at him like he's lost his mind

Gali gets annoyed with Artakha one day and just surfs out to the edge of the realm and won't come back in. it starts storming and she won't get off her board all day no matter what he tells her. on a similar note, Onua has been found digging straight down Minecraft style and getting himself stuck very contentedly miles below the surface

Pohatu loves living in Artakha and starts picking up every hobby the incredibly skilled craftsmen who live there will teach him

Karzahni hasn't quite lost it completely at this point in time, but when he comes to visit his brother, he's intensely jealous of the little life forms he has running around. he wants Artakha to make a Toa Mata for him too. the mini Mata are generally uncomfortable around him, but Pohatu makes an effort to befriend his uncle, which is when Artakha starts to feel that his creations are not safe around his brother. Karzahni is much too eager to have some company

Artakha tries the marshmallow test where you give a kid a treat and tell them that they can eat it now or wait and have another one later. Lewa and Tahu can't wait for a second one, Onua and Gali can. Kopaka, to Artakha's surprise, eats his immediately, and when Artakha asks if he couldn't be patient, Kopaka tells him he has much more important things to do. When Pohatu gets his second marshmallow, he offers it to Artakha

Artakha designs them carefully to balance each other out, and is very focused on the synthesis of the Kaita. Pohatu should energize Onua and Tahu, Tahu should call Onua and Pohatu to action, Onua should direct them both with a little more wisdom. Kopaka should be Wairuha's cold intellect, Gali should be their stability, and Lewa should be their verve and joy.

there is a point where he makes the Kaita too different from each other, and suddenly he's noticing Tahu sprinting across the hall to get away from Kopaka and Gali because they started prophesying at him while speaking at the same time again and he HATES that. Artakha brings them back down to earth a little

there's also a point where Onua studies and understands Artahka's plans and notes so thoroughly that he figures out exactly what his destiny will be. Artakha looks at him for a second and just goes "I'm going to turn you off now, Onua" and ok that's fair

it's very different for Artakha to have new creations running around, breaking things, causing fights, and getting into trouble when he's been used to nothing but Great Spirits and perfect Matoran for so long. he finds he doesn't mind it too much. when Lewa paints poorly over the masterpieces in the dining hall, Tahu and Gali break ancient weapons while "playing," and Onua gets mud all over the floors, Artakha leaves things messy.

#bionicle #artakha

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marvel-starwarsfangirl · 3 months

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Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

Ok, I saw the movie yesterday and I have some thoughts. I think the film is good, but no where near the level of the first two. It's more like the third tonally. But tbf, nothing can top the second film in my opinion. KFP 2 really stepped up in its depth both in terms of its villain and message. The fourth film is very much the opposite. It's also very predictable and you can easily figure out what was gonna happen pretty early on.

What I liked: the animation is still gorgeous. Seriously, there were some very visually pleasing shots. The character models all looked great and I thought it was cool how the villain still has scales when she transforms. The music is also really nice and fun to listen to. The voice acting was also good and I thought Awkafina did a good job (major step up from Scuttle).

Po's dads were also really fun when on screen. It's nice to see them bond over Po and they do work well off of each other. They were the best part of the film, animation aside. The villain is also pretty cool with her abilities. We will talk about her more in a bit. And I did like Zhen and I'm looking forward to see what they do with her in the future. She's energetic and I did like her design.

What I didn't like: too. much. comedy. Ok look, I know this is an animated film for kids, but what made the first three films (particularly the second one) so good is that the balanced the jokes with depth. This film does have some messages, but it's intercut with so many jokes during dialogue that it takes away from it. They really needed to let this film breathe and have more serious moments to just talk and let things sink in. The villain brought back the old villains and stole their abilities (this was in trailer so not really spoiler). Why don't they do more with that? There is so much untapped potential here.

And that's my other big issue with the film: so much potential. Some of the ideas in this film are really, really good, but they only scratch the surface with it. I wanted to know more about the villain. I wanted to see our fave villains interact more. I wanted to see the villain use her powers more. But we don't get that; we only get the bare minimum. In simpler terms, there's no big "wow!" moment that the other films had.

Spoilers below (tread carefully)

Why did they bring the villains back if they were going to do almost nothing with them? The climax of the film was the Chameleon stealing the villains' abilities and fighting Po but we pretty much saw that in the trailer. Tai Lung gets to do some stuff, but I wanted more. Half of his lines were jokes anyway and I didn't vibe with it. Why did they bring him back if he was just gonna comment on things? I don't remember our favorite snow leopard being this comical. He did quip, but there was still a hardened edge to him. Idk. Maybe he got therapy in the spirit realm. Shen and Kai get crumbs, but again, they could've done so much more. And wasn't Kai destroyed completely?

With Shen and Tai Lung, I would've wanted to see more. I'm glad Tai Lung did finally come to respect Po and it does make sense. But Shen? The last time we saw him he rejected Po's help. Unless he too got the same spirit realm therapy Tai Lung did, him bowing to Po does feel very OOC. Nitpicking further, why was Shen brought back anyway? The Chameleon presumably doesn't know who Po is and Shen isn't a kung fu master. With the exception of the fanservice route, this choice only makes sense if the Chameleon was aware of Shen's actions in Gongmen and thought his level of evil would fit her vibe.

Nitpicking aside, there was so much opportunity for Po to confront his villains again and have a deep, serious moment with them. Whether either side likes it or not, they're reunited for a short amount of time. Why not capitalize on this great opportunity?

Speaking of the villain, so much untapped potential. Her design is great, her abilities are really cool, and Viola Davis does a good job voicing her. So why doesn't she get to do more? Imagine a really cool fight sequence where Po confronts her, but she shifts so much that it begins to mess with his head. Or she transforms into the older villains and Po is caught off guard? Instead, we get half the climax spoiled for us in the trailer. What was really cool about the other three was that we got multiple fight scenes with them to showcase their abilities. Thus, the final battle dialed it up to an 11 and we got a truly epic finale. Here, it feels like there should've been more, but there wasn't. Even her backstory feels lacking. It's there... but only surface level. Even Shen, arguably the cruelest of them all, had nuance and depth.

Also, why couldn't we get more of the Furious Five outside of a glorified cameo? Tigress and Po friendship is truly amazing.

As much as the jokes miss, there are some good bits. Shifu trying to deal with Po's shenanigans always crack me up. I also like the bit where Po tries to meditate and his thoughts get in the way. Because hey guess what, that's what my head is like and it's really freaking hard to quiet it down. So, there's that. I just wish the writers didn't feel like they had to insert jokes in almost every line of dialogue, you know? Li and Ping dad adventures are great except half the lines are jokes about how worried they are for Po or how not tough they are. Why not have a deeper conversation? I think it would make everything feel more natural.

I also wish Po himself was a tad more mature. I'm not expecting Shifu or Tigress levels of seriousness, but I felt that he kinda was a bit too childish. Po is one of those characters who loves to have fun, but knows when he has to be serious. However, he also likes to lighten things up with comedy. In this movie, it felt like he only really leaned into the comedy side of things. He had his moments, but I'll be honest, I really missed the "the only thing that matters is what you choose to be now" levels of dialogue. The proverb joke got old real fast, ok?

Grace Randolph from Beyond the Trailer described this movie as episodic and I can see it. The story bits are very segmented between the villain, heroes, and Po's dads. The flow and pacing of this film really needed to be upgraded.

Ok, that's all I got for now. I'm sure I'll think of something else to say (aside from encouraging everyone to rewatch KFP 2 because I'll never get enough of that film).

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kung fu panda 4 spoilers #po #zhen #tai lung #lord shen #kai the collector #the chameleon #master shifu #mr ping #li shan

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luimagines · 1 month

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Hear me out...

Reader who knows about the "someone will die" from the Sheikah Slate.

Reader who ran the numbers, and realized Legend and Warriors were the only ones who had nothing left to guarantee, or even hint that they survived, unlike Time, who has to have Twilight, Wild who has TotK, Sky and Wind who both have to found Hyrule.

Reader who also knows about the grey area, the ones that should survive this journey, but only based on flimsy evidence or who will meet a terrible fate soon enough. Hyrule, and only his game guide stating he is destined to become a great king, Four and the Palace of the Four Sword.

Whether they know this through playing the games, reading the comic and being isekaied, or having some sort of gift of prophecy, they know about this.

And they're determined not to let it happen.

If the heroes die, game over. Reader isn't the protagonist. They're a sidekick with all the death flags raised.

A Reader who is determined to take the place of whoever will die on this journey, because they can't let it be any of the boys. The world is better off if it's them, and not the boys, right?

And if they were isekaied as a human, a Chain of Links blaming themselves. For not seeing the courage hidden in a human. For not having the wisdom to see beyond the surface. For not having the power to stop this. For allowing their prejudices to get in the way of seeing the signs.

And on top of that, a Reader who plays into the prejudices. Who acts like a "big, scary, greedy, traitorous human", because maybe they can soften the blow of grief if they make themselves somebody nobody would grieve over. Reader whose words will conflict with their actions, saying "I don't like kids", then raging at a monster for going near one. Maybe Reader wasn't even ready to die. They're still scared to the end, but so determined. They still have family back home, they still had plans for the future. But, they're probably assumed dead anyway. What does changing a false into a truth even do? They notice these thoughts, and go through sleepiness nights so their brain won't even have the energy to think them...

Anyway, remember to get 8 hours of sleep and drink some water as well, dehydration is bad for you.

I've actually thought of that idea before of a character with the "nothing to lose if I die" attitude because if the the Hero dies, it's game over.

However, I think that Link (any of them would do) would be able to see through their act because they're perceptive power combined would be too high for Reader to hide all their intentions and lies.

And I had to say one thing, I think Reader would still pay attention with Time as well. Because it's heavily implied that he died young and we know that he died with regrets. The fact that Twilight exists isn't necessarily enough to stop that. In fact, it might be the very thing that could cause it.

Meaning, Reader has to do double the effort to not only keep the Old Man alive, but to also focus on any of the other boy's blind spots as well.

#pinky replies #human! reader

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matan4il · 3 months

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Man Suang review

Spoilers! (obviously. Also, this was written after watching the movie just once, to give my opinion as "raw" as possible)

This may seem like a weird spot to start, but I feel like I really can't review this movie properly, without pointing out that it's Moulin Rouge, except set in another country AND another genre. The latter gives it a very different feel (to a great degree, due to tone as well, MS is a serious movie, while MR, even while it does want you to care, doesn't take itself too seriously), but the basic structure of the two movies is too similar, so I have to start there.

In both cases, the movie revolves around (and gets its title from) an entertainment center, which is beautiful and alluring, but also serves as a stage for some of the uglier sides of human urges. This entertainment institution houses performers of low social status, who often also must prostitute themselves to the rich and powerful people who frequent the place. And while the whoring is pretty much built in, and no one bats an eye at it, this setting also allows for some murderous intents to surface. The plot is centered around an exceptionally beautiful and talented, lowborn entertainer, who must sell their body to get by, having aspirations to get a better life through this, and the seemingly simple guy, who is a part of their social circle at this entertainment place, who has his own aspirations, and is not as lowly, which is why he doesn't have to stoop as low as prostitution, and can offer something different. Despite the connection between them, they're both trapped in plots bigger than them, set into motion before they even met, and they have to struggle to find their way amidst all this intrigue, which moves them almost like they were pawns. By the end of the movie, there will be betrayal between the two, but also repentance, and an act of choosing each other over their initial ideal, allowing them to make decisions that are "righter" than they would have, had they not met, and ones that give them more freedom than had they simply served the initial goal they were supposed to. Through that, they gain more freedom and agency. Yet despite that, they don't end the movie being together.

Now, why do I bring this comparison up? Because while MR doesn't take itself seriously, like I said, it does want the viewer to care, and it achieves this by recognizing that they can make a mess of genres, of reality vs hallucination (hello Kylie Minogue as the Green Fairy), of time periods (soundtrack and props that have nothing to do with the year 1900), be as camp and over the top as they wanna be, but if the characters and love story are compelling, we'll all still be riveted.

And that's generally true for every movie. At the end of the day, whatever the genre, we watch first and foremost because someone made us care in some way about at least one of the characters or relationships featured in the film. My fave action movie ever works so well, not because its climax scene is so full of fists (in the middle of a lake at night in total darkness, with the very real threat of the good guy being drowned by the bad one), it hits home because this fight will actually be decided by whether the cold-blooded CIA handler, who had to train the good guy, has come to care enough about him, to be able to tell the two men apart even under these circumstances, and shoot the right person (meaning, the bad guy), saving the protagonist and countless others along the way. It's this test of their (BTW, fully platonic) relationship, that makes up the film's real climax.

So, probably my biggest issue with MS is that it seems to lose sight of that too often. It's so focused on telling us this political mystery, that it forgets at the end of the day, we're here for people and how they feel about and react to each other. The heart of the movie is the relationship between Khem (played by Apo), the entertainer forced to whore himself out, and Chat, the one guy who sees him dancing, but doesn't want just Khem's body. The parts that let their relationship breathe and develop are the best in the movie, they're the ones that feel the most authentic, interesting and impactful. They're the emotional anchor of the whole thing, and even though the movie too often neglects them, and doesn't give them enough time, they just work thanks to Mile and Apo's excellent acting, and their outstanding chemistry. Truly, it's once again a testament of how well these two fit as a team, that they're able to achieve so much, when they're giving too little breathing space for the relationship that is, at the end of the day, the very heart of the film.

The cinematography is great, though I'll admit that I was not that into the colors, I usually like vivid colors, but here they were oversaturated in a way that added a certain sense of heaviness and suffocation to my viewing experience. In a sense, it fits. Man Suang is both beautiful and ugly, alluring and repulsive. Still, I think it would have been a better choice to add the unnatural oversaturation as the ugliness unfolds. First let the viewers be seduced by the beautiful imagery and colors, only then hit them with the ugliness that all of the glitter hides. But then, the movie actually hits us with the ugly bits, with prostitution and murder, in the exposition already. Which makes me think the whole movie could have benefited from a more gradual unfolding of those parts of the entertainment world we're introduced to. Still, I will say that the parts where Khem and Chat get to know each other better, in the market, flying a kite in the field and chatting while climbed up on a tree, they don't have that oversaturation, they get to enjoy more natural lighting, and it gives these scenes a lighter feeling, which does fit. They do seem less burdened in those moments than throughout most of the film. And then the issue with this goes back to... there's just not enough of these scenes, to really give this contrast its own gravitas.

There are scenes which are redundant, they should have been cut out, like when we learn how Tubtim prefers being a whore at Man Suang than outside it. Not that her short monologue isn't touching, but let's be honest, she's not an actual character. She's a plot device, this short scene is only included to set up her change of heart, when she decides to tell Khem the truth, instead of lying. But since this doesn't give her enough depth or her own agency to become a character in her own right, and since she explains her decision to Khem anyway, it's just a waste of time, and it comes at the expense of developing the more emotionally crucial parts of the movie.

And it's not like the movie doesn't know where its emotional weight is. For example, the film's emotional climax, the moment where tensions run highest, is without a doubt the confrontation between Khem and Chat, when they accuse each other of choosing themselves and being willing to sacrifice the other one to do it. It's an effective moment, but I think it would have been so much more powerful, if we got to spend more time seeing Chat and Khem becoming increasingly more important to each other.

For that matter, the real resolution in the movie isn't to the supposed mystery of who has the secret documents and how to get them. It's the resolution of what to do with them, which is where Chat and Khem had clashed. Chat needs the documents destroyed so he and his family won't be punished (possibly killed) for his father's crime. Khem needs the documents delivered to the authorities so that he and his friend won't be punished (possibly killed) for a murder they were framed for. The real resolution of the story is when Khem chooses to burn the documents, so Chat and his family will be safe, and after he leaves, Chat saves them from the flames, and has them delivered, securing Khem's life and reward.

I really liked this part, and again, it felt lighter than the rest of the movie, giving a real sense of relief (visually as well, as there's less oversaturation, and both guys change into nicer outfits, with brighter patches of color). I also enjoyed the more complex POV they offer by the end. They both didn't want the life they were born into. Khem didn't like being of a low socio-economic status, being dependent on the good will of others. Chat didn't want to be a civil servant like his dad. As the movie ends, Khem chooses to stay at Man Suang, turning down the social mobility reward Chat was able to secure for him, while Chatra accepts a position serving his country. Seemingly, they both had to accept their predestined fate. But the fact that they get to choose it now, makes a difference. They see the good they can do, and they're not deprived of humanizing agency. The delivery of this in their dialogues is also quite lovely, with Khem talking about how each type of boat is made for very specific conditions that it must sail, while Chat brings up the fact that now, there are new types of ship, which can defy expectations, and sail in any conditions. They're both right, and they complete each other in describing the place that they ended up in. And the mutual parting, as they both "entrust" something to the care of the other, does reflect their bond.

Still, all of this would have been even more poignant, if this relationship had been given more space. As is, I feel like I even have to guess to a degree why they do care about each other, and why they do end up choosing the other's best interest over their own.

It's a bit clearer with Khem. We see him being exploited for sex, because of his beauty and grace, instead of being seen and appreciated for his talent and hard work. Chat is different. He helps Khem more than once without asking for anything in return, and Chatra also compliments him on his performance. Other than him, there's only one person who seems not to want anything from Khem, his long time friend Wan, but even he ends up betraying and being willing to kill Khem, when Wan doesn't get what he wants from his friend (revenge against all Chinese people). Once more, Chat is different. Yes, he points his revolver at Khem, but he doesn't pull the trigger, he doesn't use the leverage he has in order to force Khem to do what benefits Chat. Instead, he puts down the revolver, and tries to explain himself and his attempt to save his family.

What makes Chat like Khem? I find that a bit harder to answer, though there's a clear and real interest there, which goes beyond Chat's secret mission with the documents. He saves Khem from being discovered during their first meeting, and doesn't ask for anything in return. Chat pays attention to Khem at rehearsals, to his dancing, to his tendency of getting into trouble when not backing down at the face of bullying or injustice... So we can assume Chatra likes all of that. And then he does explicitly express his interest, when he admits to Khem he wanted them to spend that time together at the market.

Which I guess brings me to the question of... okay, so is this a love story? Their relationship is obviously vital to the story, but is it a romantic one? The movie seems to wanna leave it open to interpretation. Maybe it's my hopeless romantic streak, I do wanna see it as a love story. I think there are some hints for that. The mutual interest and liking, even at the stage when they've barely spoken to each other, the way they end up choosing each other even at the possible cost of their own life, the explicit admission from Chat that he was looking to spend time with Khem at the market even when it didn't appear to have anything to do with his secret mission, the way Chat's admission seems to not only make Khem happy, he looks shaken up, there's the kite flying scene, which is played for laughs (flying a kite is apparently Thai slang for jerking off), but still, it's a choice that the movie made, to add a layer of sexual tension there. And then there's the scene where they're trying to figure out who's the woman in red if no one was wearing red on the night they're investigating. Chat steps into the spot where the woman had been, his shirt white, and red light is projected over him. Khem stands in front of him, and they stare at each other for a moment. To me, it serves a double purpose. One is that Khem realizes Chat just handed him the solution to that part of the mystery. The other is that films often illuminate characters in red to show lust and even love. So this might also be a moment when it hits Khem that his feelings for Chat, who's been helping him, who he trusts, run deeper than he realized.

I do think Man Suang would have been braver and better if it had openly gone with the romantic interpretation. It's not just me being an incurable romantic. I also think that, much like in MR, the relationship that changes the course of the two main characters has to be a really strong one, enough for one to decide to give up his life for the other. I'm not sure that friendship quite cuts it, especially when this relationship didn't have that much time to develop (def not enough screen time, but also not enough in-story time). Was love between two men back then a simple thing to admit to? Of course not. But men did fall in love, and even acted on it. I'm not talking here full blown sex. But enough that the audience would know for sure what they feel for each other. On a local TV show, I was reminded that when the small fingers of two people, who are forbidden from any physical connect, do touch, even briefly... something that small and fleeting can still be a confession of deep love and yearning.

Another thing I wish they'd done is make more use of the unspoken tension created by one man dancing to the beat struck by another one. This was so present and delicious in the first teaser released for Mileapo's movie (before it even had a name and a script), I wish they had retained that. It's somewhat present (Khem says he danced so well, thanks to the beat Chat set for him, and then in the scene exposing Tiang, it's Chat's change in drumming that sets the stage for Khem revealing the treason through dance and song), but could have been used so much more. The play between real life and art, the connectedness or contrast between the two men when they're on the same page versus when they're not... There's so much potential for non-verbal drama, and they captured it beautifully in that teaser, so why is it almost non-existent in the film?

I also... I know that the movie is set in the 19th century, and I don't expect 21st century tolerance to be projected back onto it, but I find it hard to ignore that we have one character spew homophobic shit, Khem denying having had sex with another man, basically agreeing it's wrong, and at the same time, men exploiting other men sexually is not looked away from, it's very explicit and built into Khem's story. Each one of these things can be true in its way (there was homophobia, people did have to go with it, there was male on male exploitation alongside this homophobia), but when every explicit thing in this context is negative, while the one positive (the possible love story between Chat and Khem) remains implicit and optional at best, it feels like it unintentionally leans into the homophobic narrative. Take Brokeback Mountain for example. The environment in that movie is highly homophobic, prejudiced, rude and even violent about it. And while Jack and Ennis had a lifelong love story, they couldn't actually live it out in the open because of said homophobia. Ennis in particular would rather punch a guy, than admit Jack was the love of his life. And still, we got to see their love, we got to see that even with all of the societal hardships, it brought them warmth and comfort, and was a reason to risk a lot, even for Ennis, who was so acutely aware of the threat to their lives. I like that BBM was honest in depicting Ennis and Jack having sex, but at the end of it, even without those scenes, the love between them was enough of a counterweight, that it never felt like the movie unintentionally reinforced a negative view of what two men can have together. With MS, I feel like a homophobic casual viewer, who won't get that Chat and Khem saved each other through something that might be more than just friendship, could easily have their negative view reaffirmed.

All in all, I enjoyed MS. I loved seeing Mile and Apo acting together again, I missed that, and their chemistry is just as superb as ever. I'm not sure the movie, getting as distracted from the main relationship as it did, would have worked without their unique addition of beautiful acting and chemistry. So, I would recommend it to friends, but I guess I would also really love to see a better paced, edited and re-focused version of it. Shine, Mileapo's show that will follow in the footsteps of MS, might deliver that. I can't wait to see! ^u^

(if you're curious about any of my other Mileapo/Kinnporsche posts, you can find them here)

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snowmist-hashira · 11 months

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Yoww Skye omgg HAHAHAHAA betchu know already how much I became a sucker for your Condemned Love oneshot, hence I am writing this request since there's a bunch of us asking for it already! XD

Mui and Y/N still continue with their secret relationship, some of the Hashiras know it already and ppl like Tengen, Mitsuri, Tanjiro and even Oyakata-sama are happy it about it but they're worried it might suffocate and hinder alot like how he once was amnesiac. They only want what's best for him and his lover. Mui acknowledges this but he's taking his time how to strategize this and eventually attempt to win the heart of Y/N's mother. Little did he know that Y/N's mother set his lover up with a guy for an arranged marriage (oh shit). So Y/N has no choice but to acknowledge her mother's wishes. When Mui and her met, she mentions this after Mui expresses he had plans to win her, this shocks the Hashira to the core. Ofc, he understand the mother so he tried to comply first and they assured each other they'll think of a plan to win their love in the end. Just then, Y/N's mother finds them both in their usual place and was shocked to see a demon slayer with her daughter. The couple had no choice but to introduce themselves as "friends" only. Her mother says it's fine with her but she openly told them that they cannot fall in love and Y/N is already engaged with someone, much to the couple's dismay.

Now that Y/N's mother know him, Muichiro openly visits her from time to time now, but this time the other guy is now in the picture cause he also visits her too. Both Mui and Y/N tries to bare with this (Mui steals a kiss on a cheek or when they are beside each other and no one is looking Y/N slips her pinky around Mui's), they just want to reveal the world how much they are really in love. As time goes by, Mui's jealousy towards the other guy grew because he began kissing Y/N's hand and openly expresses his love for her when it should be him. It's also painful for Y/N because she sees Mui in the background watching, so it kills both of them deep inside. One day when the other guy finally proposes to Y/N, Mui's heart already reached its limit, so he left quietly but ofc his lover instantly notices this.

Mui sped into the woods, his heart in great sorrow now that he let his lover slowly slip away from his fingers now that someone was in the way now. Suddenly, Y/N follows him crying and sobbing telling him that she cannot do this anymore and keep pretending they're nothing. She rejected the guy and told her mother that she loves someone else and left. As Mui's heart overflowed with the effort his lover brought, her mother instantly caught them in the act and she was horrified. Despite that they now told her that they have been in love for a long time now, Y/N's mother harshly rejects this and told Y/N they'll leave town for good, now that the guy she was engaged to was left embarrassed. It shattered Y/n and Mui's hearts because of this. They tried to fight for their love but Y/N's mother has her final word.

On the night of their departure, Y/N and her mother's carriage had been attacked by a strong demon that killed the man handling the carriage and their horse 😭😭 All the mother's fear eventually surfaced and she tries to protect her only treasure which is her daughter. In the flick of a hand, Muichiro instantly appears in the scene and inflicts harm to the demon. (He even taunts the demon to not hurt the one he loves and her mother). The demon was reckless and fails to recognize he's actually a Hashira, so he was eventaully slain by Muichiro's mist breathing. It brought flashbacks to Y/N's mother of how she first met Y/N's father and how it felt like love at first sight for the both of them. After Muichiro gracefully lands on his feet and unsheathes his sword, Y/N towards him and they hugged tightly, while Mui asks if she was hurt anywhere. This brought tears to her mother, and she was deeply reminded her and Y/n's father's love. Finally, Mui declares how much he loves Y/N. They're both aware of the risks, but they both finally understand how much this love they share is worth fighting for, so they wont give up. Eventually, Y/N's mother was very grateful that Y/n finds someone who deeply loves her and was also a demon slayer, so she remembers how it felt like. In the end, her mother finally apologizes to the both of them and finally recognizes their relationship. Ahhkk!! :">

[Chapter title: Shattered Constraints]

[Requested] Muichiro Tokitou x Reader

Wattpad:(One shots) Tokito Muichiro x Reader Archive:Kimetsu No Yaiba: Tokitou Muichiro x Reader Master list:♠ Information ♠ Word count: 3,906

Artist: 四月一日 Link: Pixiv

I am open to requests for Muichiro x Reader content, and I also enjoy engaging in roleplays. If you're interested in either, please feel free to check out my pinned post for more information. ~ ♠

Oh man, strap your seatbelts on cause this is going to be a long one HAHA! This is the continuation of "Condemned Love," but you don't need to read the first part to understand this one. I apologize if my proofreading wasn't thorough enough. My eyes were dying and @aeolia18 enjoyed inputting the details, (I love it girl~) I also had a great time describing the scenes. Nonetheless, this experience was enjoyable. Hopefully, this story brings you guys some satisfaction and closure~ (Scheduled)

Muichiro was found seated on the porch of Oyakata-sama's estate, lost in his thoughts, his posture conveyed a sense of introspection and contemplation. With one foot dangling off the edge of the wooden floor and the other raised, his elbow resting on his knee, Muichiro's chin was cradled in his palm as he stared up at the sky. It was evident that something weighed heavily on his mind, causing his gaze to wander and his thoughts to wander with it.

Mitsuri and Tanjiro cautiously peered from the corner, their curiosity getting the better of them, they observed Muichiro engrossed in his contemplation. Their heads tilted, they watched as he remained completely absorbed in his thoughts, unaware of their presence.

It was only when Mitsuri accidentally stumbled over a small pebble that Muichiro's attention was drawn away from his musings. He turned his head, his gaze meeting Mitsuri and Tanjiro, his expression shifting from deep contemplation to mild surprise, as he wondered how long they had been there.

"Tokito-kun, are you okay? You look like you have a lot on your mind right now." Tanjiro approached Muichiro, his concern evident in his voice, he addressed him with a gentle tone.

"Ah..." Muichiro, feeling the weight of his thoughts, lowered his gaze, his expression mirroring a mixture of sadness and contemplation. A soft sigh escaped his lips, releasing some of the tension that had accumulated within him.

"Ah... I was just... thinking of Y/n," he finally admitted the cause of his preoccupation with a touch of vulnerability in his mint-colored eyes.

Tanjiro and Mitsuri exchanged a knowing glance, understanding the depth of Muichiro's feelings for Y/n. They were among the few who were aware of the secret relationship between Muichiro and Y/n, along with Uzui, Oyakata-sama, and themselves. While they hadn't intervened, they couldn't help but feel concerned and worried about the well-being of both Muichiro and Y/n.

The circumstances surrounding their relationship posed challenges and potential risks, which weighed on their minds. As caring comrades, they understood the complexities and dangers of being involved in a forbidden connection, especially in their line of work as Demon Slayers.

The mist pillar’s demeanor shifted, his body slouching further as he planted both feet firmly on the ground, surrounded by pebbles. The weight of his thoughts seemed to pull him down, evident in his posture. With his arms resting on his knees, a visible frown etched onto his brows, he expressed his concerns openly.

"I've been contemplating how to gain Y/n's mother's favor," Muichiro admitted, his voice laced with a hint of determination. The significance of Y/n's mother's approval loomed large in his mind, reflecting his desire to establish a positive relationship with her.

“But I’m not sure what to do…” He trailed off, sighing deeply, feeling the weight of his predicament as he clasped his hands together, his forehead resting against them. It was evident that he was grappling with a lack of clarity on how to proceed.

Tanjiro's empathetic gaze rested upon Muichiro, his heart going out to his friend. The frustration etched on the mist pillar’s face spoke volumes about the depth of his love for Y/n. Witnessing Muichiro's struggle and the difficulties they faced as a couple, Tanjiro couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness for their situation.

"You can take it easy, Tokito-kun," Tanjiro advised, his tone gentle. "Try to establish your presence in her family. Y/n's mother may not approve of you right away, but with constant efforts, there's a chance that her perception might change."

Muichiro's gaze shifted towards Tanjiro, momentarily making eye contact before lowering his gaze once more absorbing his friend's advice. However, his solemn expression revealed that he had already considered this approach, and he was well aware of the resistance he faced.

With a tinge of sadness in his voice, Muichiro shared his knowledge based on Y/n's explanations. "Her mother seems persistent in not allowing her daughter to be with a demon slayer," he revealed.

Despite knowing the obstacles, he still yearned for a solution that would bring them closer and overcome the obstacles they faced.

“But it wouldn’t hurt to try…” Muichiro muttered. It was worth making an effort to win Y/n's mother's favor. He closed his eyes, with a deep breath, as if gathering his thoughts and summoning strength from within.

Determined to express his thoughts and intentions, he looked forward to their next meeting. However, little did Muichiro know that Y/n had her own surprise in store for him, albeit not a good one.

Their usual spot was beside a sakura tree, where Y/n had found solace and a sense of peace in gazing at the clouds. The familiarity of the location brought a sense of comfort, yet he couldn't help but notice a subtle change in Y/n's expression as he drew nearer.

As he laid eyes on her, sitting gracefully on the grass in her customary kimono, his heart skipped a beat. However, he quickly recognized the glint of pain and frustration reflected in her eyes, accompanied by a slight furrowing of her brows. It was a departure from the usual tranquility that characterized their shared moments under the sky.

Concern washed over Muichiro as he approached Y/n, sensing that something was amiss. He couldn't help but wonder what had transpired to evoke such emotions in her.

"Y/n." The mist pillar's voice cut through the air, calling her out with mix of concern and care. Startled, Y/n flinched, taken aback by his sudden presence. However, her initial surprise transformed into relief, her shoulders visibly relaxed.

The tension in her expression eased, and a warm smile graced her face upon seeing Muichiro. The sight of Y/n's smile brought a sense of comfort and reassurance to his heart.

“I didn’t see you there.” Y/n held her hand out, to which Muichiro accepted, a small smile forming on his lips as he gently intertwined their fingers.

He settled down beside her on the grass, as the minutes passed in a comfortable silence, allowing them to find solace in each other's company.

He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to express himself fully.

"Y/n... I've been thinking," Muichiro began, his words gentle yet resolute. "What if we were to be open about our relationship with your mother?"

He continued, his voice laced with hope and a hint of uncertainty. “Maybe she’ll come to accept it over time.”

Y/n's gaze met Muichiro's, there was a fleeting moment of hesitation before she averted her eyes, a frown forming on her brows. Muichiro's concern deepened as he observed her reaction, realizing that his suggestion might not be met with the optimism he had hoped for.

Sensing her inner turmoil, Muichiro instinctively reached out, gently cupping her cheek in his hand.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Muichiro's voice was filled with genuine concern, reflecting his desire to alleviate Y/n's distress. His orbs searched her face, silently urging her to share her thoughts and feelings with him.

"We can't be open about it," Y/n spoke with a tinge of frustration and pain evident on her face. Before Muichiro could inquire about the reason, she continued, revealing a distressing truth. "My mother has already arranged a marriage for me..."

Muichiro's eyes widened in disbelief and anguish as Y/n revealed the truth that lay hidden within her heart. The weight of her words hung heavily in the air, causing his breath to catch in his throat, it struck him with a profound sense of loss and helplessness.

His grip on her cheek tightened involuntarily, his touch now a mixture of comfort and desperation. The reality of their situation crashed down upon them, threatening to shatter the dreams they had shared.

It was as if the world had conspired against them, presenting an insurmountable obstacle that threatened to tear them apart.

His mind raced, desperately searching for a solution, but the weight of the situation seemed almost unbearable. The thought of losing Y/n to an arranged marriage filled him with a sense of dread and despair.

Muichiro's frustration mingled with understanding as he processed the reason behind Y/n's mother's protectiveness and the arrangement of the marriage. He recognized that her mother's actions were driven by a desire to shield her daughter from potential grief and ensure her well-being.

However, even with that understanding, Muichiro couldn't help but feel the weight of his own frustration. The circumstances seemed unfair, as their love was being overshadowed by the expectations that governed Y/n's life.

Despite all of that, his love for Y/n was unyielding, and he refused to let it be extinguished even if it meant defying societal norms and risking everything.

"We will find a way, Y/n. I promise." He whispered with a mixture of pain and determination in his voice.

While the couple was immersed in the weight of their shared dilemma, a voice abruptly broke the tense atmosphere. Instinctively, Muichiro withdrew his hand from Y/n's cheek, both of them turning their attention to the source of the voice. To their surprise and unease, it was Y/n's mother standing before them.

Y/n's mother stood with a stern expression, her gaze shifting between her daughter and Muichiro. The air seemed to thicken as silence enveloped the trio, each person grappling with their own emotions and the sudden intrusion of reality.

“Y/n, what’s this?” Her mother asked, face contorted with a mixture of shock and anger. The strict prohibition against any romantic involvement with a demon slayer had been made clear, and her mother's expectations had been firmly set.

Y/n's breath hitched, her eyes darting nervously between her mother and Muichiro. She felt caught in a web of conflicting emotions, torn between her love for Muichiro and the desire to honor her mother's wishes. The weight of her mother's disapproval bore down upon her, leaving her struggling to find the right words.

"I..." Y/n stammered, struggling to find the right words. Seeing her struggle, Muichiro made a difficult decision, one that pained his heart deeply.

Muichiro's heart sank as he spoke, but he believed it might be the best course of action for the time being. The words hung heavy in the air, the weight of their unspoken love lingering between them.

"I'm..." Muichiro trailed, his voice tinged with a mixture of sorrow and resignation. "I'm Y/n's... friend."

The words felt like a betrayal to his own heart, but he knew that it might offer temporary reprieve.

Y/n looked at Muichiro, her eyes reflecting a blend of surprise and heartache. She understood the sacrifice he was making, the pain he was enduring to protect her from potential repercussions.

Y/n's mother observed them silently, her expression inscrutable. Muichiro's declaration seemed to have momentarily diffused the tension, but the underlying complexity of their relationship lingered in the air.

"That's fine, I suppose," Y/n's mother said, crossing her arms and gazing firmly at Muichiro. "Y/n is already destined for an arranged marriage, regardless."

His heart sank further, and his frustration intensified as he felt like getting hit with a devastating blow. Y/n's mother's words hung heavy in the air, her stern gaze adding to the weight of the situation. The reality of Y/n's predetermined fate weighed heavily on Muichiro's mind, leaving him feeling helpless and desperate.

The thought of losing Y/n to someone else, to be separated from the one he loved, was a tormenting prospect he couldn't bear.

Much to their concealed dismay, Y/n's mother was well aware of Muichiro's presence which made Muichiro's visits to Y/n's house became more frequent and open, as they no longer needed to meet in secret. However, to their dismay, the man whom Y/n's mother had arranged for her was also always present there.

The situation became increasingly complex as both Muichiro and the arranged suitor started openly visiting Y/n's house. Muichiro couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and competition whenever they were in each other's presence.

Despite their own hidden feelings, Muichiro continued to visit Y/n openly, maintaining a friendly and supportive demeanor. He cherished the moments they spent together, even though it pained him to see Y/n potentially growing closer to someone else.

It was evident that both of them were attempting to endure the situation, finding solace in small, subtle gestures that conveyed their affection amidst the presence of the suitor. When the suitor was not looking or absent from the room, they seized those moments to express their hidden feelings.

Muichiro would steal quick kisses on Y/n's cheeks, his actions filled with tenderness and longing. The soft touch of his lips against her skin spoke volumes about the depth of his love for her, even if it remained unspoken.

In return, Y/n would discreetly slip her pinky finger into Muichiro's, a subtle gesture. It was their secret code, a symbol of their intertwined hearts that they shared amidst the constraints imposed by Y/n's mother.

These small acts of affection brought comfort and reassurance to both Muichiro and Y/n. They served as a reminder that their love was real, even if it had to remain hidden for the time being.

They longed for the day when they could openly express their love without fear or reservations.

As time passed, Muichiro's jealousy towards the suitor intensified. Witnessing the suitor openly displaying his affection for Y/n, kissing her hand and openly declaring his love for her, stirred a mix of frustration, insecurity, and longing within the mist pillar’s heart. Each public display of affection felt like a sharp pang, reminding him of his own hidden desires and the limitations placed on their relationship.

He couldn't help but yearn for the opportunity to be the one expressing his love openly, to hold Y/n's hand without reservation, and to proclaim his affection for her with pride.

Y/n's pain was no less intense, while she tried to maintain composure and stay committed to the arrangement set by her mother, the sight of Muichiro watching from the background, his jealousy palpable, pierced her heart with a profound ache. She could sense his longing, his hidden emotions, and it mirrored her own inner turmoil.

Y/n's heart ached for Muichiro, knowing that he yearned to be the one to openly express his love for her. She felt the weight of his frustration that their relationship had to be kept in the shadows. It tore at her soul to see him suffer silently, knowing that she couldn't offer him the public love and validation he deserved.

One day, when the suitor finally gathered the courage to propose to Y/n, Muichiro's heart couldn't bear the sight any longer. The scene unfolded before him, the man kneeling with a ring in hand, ready to declare his love. The pain and ache within Muichiro's heart reached its limit, overwhelming him with a mix of emotions.

Unable to witness the moment that should have been his, Muichiro quietly turned away, his footsteps leading him towards the solace of the forest. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting feelings—frustration, heartbreak, and a deep sense of loss.

It felt as if the world was crumbling around him, threatening to suffocate him.

His steps through the woods were heavy with sorrow, each stride mirroring the weight on his heart. Lost in his own thoughts, he was taken aback when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned to find Y/n, her tear-stained face and trembling form reflecting the same anguish he felt.

“I-I can’t pretend anymore…” She reached him, her voice choked with sobs, she confessed her own struggle with the charade they had been forced to maintain.

“What are you doing here-…”

“I rejected that guy; I left him with mother… I don’t want to pretend like we’re nothing…”

The sight of her tears and the raw vulnerability in her voice ached her lover's heart. Muichiro reached out to hold her, pulling her into a tight embrace, allowing her tears to fall against his shoulder.

Y/n's mother stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock and horror as she caught them in the act. The revelation of their love, spoken with such conviction and vulnerability, pierced through her heart like a thousand needles.

“Y/n! What’s the meaning of this?!”

"I refuse to live a life dictated by someone else's choices," Y/n's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and determination as she spoke, her words echoing through the tense air. "My heart belongs to Muichiro, and I won't let an arranged marriage tear us apart."

Her mother's eyes widened in disbelief and anger, unable to comprehend her daughter's defiance.

"You will do as I say," she hissed, her voice laced with authority. "This is for your own good. I will not allow you to ruin your life by throwing it away for a demon slayer."

Tears streamed down Y/n's face, a testament to the internal struggle she faced. Her mother's disapproval weighed heavily on her, but she couldn't deny her own feelings

Muichiro, standing beside Y/n, held her tightly, locking eyes with Y/n's mother, "I love your daughter, and I will do everything in my power to make her happy."

“Nonsense! We’re leaving the town, Y/n.” In a voice laced with disappointment and rejection, Y/n's mother harshly rejected their claims, refusing to accept that her daughter could be in love with a demon slayer. Her heart, clouded by fear and prejudice, could not fathom the depth of their connection and the sincerity of their feelings.

It was a devastating blow to both Y/n and Muichiro, their dreams of a future together torn asunder. The weight of the decision pressed heavily upon their shoulders, threatening to extinguish the flame of their love.

Their hearts shattered, they fought against the walls that had been erected, hoping to break through the barrier of and find a way to make her understand. But Y/n's mother remained resolute, her final word cutting through the air like a blade.

The realization that her mother may never fully comprehend or accept her decision weighed heavily on Y/n's shoulders. She couldn't shake the frustration and sadness that came with the strained relationship between them, longing for the unconditional love and support a mother should provide.

She had hoped that her mother would see beyond her own fears and recognize the love and happiness she had found with Muichiro.

On the evening of their departure, the silence within the carriage was suffocating, filled with unspoken words and unshed tears. Y/n's fingers traced the edges of her dress as she struggled to find the right words to express her pain and frustration. She wanted to scream, to beg her mother to reconsider.

But instead, she found herself on a journey away from everything she knew, away from the life she had built and the person who held her heart.

“Y/n, I’m only doing this for your own good…” She knew her mother believed she was acting out of love and concern, but it didn't alleviate the pain of being forced to leave everything behind.

Y/n remained silent, her eyes fixed on the hem of her kimono, her fists clenched tightly. She refused to meet her mother's gaze, which only made her sigh in frustration.

Suddenly the carriage abruptly came to a halt to which made Y/n's head snapped up, her orbs widening in surprise, she gazed at her mother who seemed equally taken aback by the unexpected interruption. The sound of rustling leaves and twigs reached their ears, followed by the eerie hushed whispers of voices outside.

Curiosity mingled with apprehension as Y/n's mother cautiously opened the carriage door to investigate. Y/n watched as her mother's expression transformed from surprise to horror.

A demon had attacked their carriage, they witnessed the horrifying sight of it devouring the coachman, its jaws dripping with blood.

The realization dawned upon them; fear gripped their hearts. Y/n's mother, driven by her maternal instinct to protect her daughter, stepped forward with a trembling determination. Her eyes, filled with a mix of terror and love, locked onto Y/n's.

"Run, Y/n!" she exclaimed, her voice quivering. "Save yourself!"

The claws of the demon loomed over them, threatening to strike, but before they could make contact, a swift cut sliced through the air. Y/n looked up and immediately recognized the familiar figure standing before them.

Standing before them was Muichiro, his Nichirin Blade gleaming in the moonlight as he stood in a defensive stance. His eyes, filled with determination and resolve, locked onto the demon.

"Touch her, and you'll regret it," Muichiro warned, his voice laced with a fierce resolve. "I won't let anyone harm the one I love."

“M-Mui…”

"Stay behind me," Muichiro softly said, turning to Y/n, shielding both of them with his body. His grip on the sword tightened as he prepared to face the demon, his mind focusing solely on protecting them.

Muichiro easily vanquished the demon. He stood there, before turning his attention to Y/n, he offered her a gentle smile, his mint-colored eyes filled with affection and concern.

"Are you alright, Y/n?" he asked, stepping closer to her, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek. "I won't let anyone harm you. I promise."

“Thank you…” Y/n leaned in to his touch, gently grasping his hand.

As the demon was defeated, Y/n's mother stood there, the memories of her own love story, of how she had met Y/n's father and the deep connection they had shared, flooded her mind. She couldn't help but draw parallels between her own past and the present situation.

Her eyes filled with tears as she watched Muichiro, the Mist Hashira, standing tall and victorious. The realization of his strength and devotion, his unwavering protection of her daughter, struck a chord within her heart.

She saw in him the same passion and love that had once ignited between her and Y/n's father.

Y/n's mother's stern expression softened, a mixture of emotions playing across her face. She approached Y/n and Muichiro, her steps hesitant yet filled with a newfound understanding.

"I... I see now. Your love... It reminds me of the love I once shared. Perhaps... Perhaps I have been too blind in my fears and protectiveness." She spoke with a quivering voice, her words laced with both sorrow and acceptance.

The weight of her words hung in the air as their meaning started sinking in, Y/n and Muichiro exchanged surprised glances, their hearts filled with hope. Y/n's mother continued, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

"I don't want to see you both suffer, to deny the love that blossoms between you. If... if you can promise me that you will protect each other and find happiness together, then... I will no longer stand in your way."

"I... I apologize for not understanding sooner. I am grateful that Y/n has found someone who loves her so deeply."

Tears welled up in Y/n's eyes as she looked at her mother, feeling a mix of relief and overwhelming gratitude. She reached out and hugged her tightly, her voice filled with sincerity.

"Thank you, mother. We promise to cherish and protect each other. We'll find our happiness together."

Muichiro, too, approached Y/n's mother, his expression soft and filled with gratitude. He spoke with sincerity and respect.

"Thank you for your understanding, ma'am. I will do everything in my power to make Y/n happy and protect her with my life."

Under the gentle glow of the moon, the moonlight bathed their surroundings in a soft, ethereal glow, as if to signify the start of a new journey together.

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demeterdefence · 9 days

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you know, for a comic that claims to be a "feminist retelling," it is incredible how meaningless and vapid the actual "feminism" tends to be

just using the latest update, where ouranos is verbally trying to tear rhea down and metis just kind of ... does this? and let's be clear, i don't expect metis to break into some kind of longwinded speech, considering the moment, but it doesn't like ... do anything.

is there even any reason to say rhea and metis knew each other? beyond just being fertility goddesses, have they ever actually met? metis reaching for rhea would have a lot more power if we knew of their relationship prior; because we don't know if there was one (and there very likely wasn't, rhea mentions metis to zeus while she's dying in his arms and tells him to use metis like ouranos used her) the casual aspect of this interaction falls flat on its face.

it's great to have girl boss moments and "fuck yeah" scenes, and those can be great as a feminist aspect, but feminism and women solidarity is more than that. it's something rachel has tried to do numerous times but can never actually stick the landing on. the concept of all the fertility goddesses working together could be empowering, but thus far, we haven't seen them connecting - they're just posing in their met gala reject dresses, framed in such a way that we see their breasts over and over. wouldn't this moment have been better if metis and the other fertility goddesses had put their hands on rhea's shoulders, or shown that they were together beyond ouranos? there wouldn't even need to be text; showing the three of them surrounding her, showing her love that she couldn't find with kronos, showing her that she wasn't alone.

if rachel wanted to prove that rhea was too badass to be affected by ouranos, then metis reaching for her just serves as pointless space filler. there's no point to her repeating "no, no, no" because it defeats the whole purpose of rhea being strong. it makes it seem like rhea is as fragile and timid as ouranos is trying to claim. again, we don't even know if metis and rhea know each other, and we have to remember that in previous chapters, rhea is the one who told zeus to consume her, and that metis slept with zeus when he was very much underage. we don't exactly have positive links between the two, so having metis act as some kind of comfort just feels. obligatory. like, throw in some surface level girl comfort.

visuals can be so powerful, and just seeing all the fertility goddesses rallying together facing ouranos, rather than separately posing, could have been so phenomenal. isn't that the whole point of this narrative? isn't the whole point that love goes both ways, that strength comes from connection and love (not just romantic, but maternal, friendship, allyship?)

unrelated, i don't think it's a coincidence that both persephone and rhea have been bashed by their father-in-laws in The Big Showdown, or that the bashing follows the same line of taunting. both have been called useless and weak, and it just seems to drive the point home that rhea and persephone are more or less twins. this is the most persephone-looking rhea has ever appeared, which is gross for a lot of reasons, but i digress.

showing, not telling, goes a long way, and it would be nice if we could see the actions of women supporting each other, rather than being told it's happening.

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #i have no idea if this makes sense it's been on my mind for days #also apologies for the bad quality i screenshot from my laptop and had to zoom way out #mainly in the reverse of how rachel does her comic panels ZING

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gillyweedgrl · 5 months

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You should be watching Pit Babe! - A Brief Review

Saddens me to think how many people are missing out on a great show because they think it’s not worth more than a trash watch, if that.

I mean, realistically, is it the most amazing cinematic work of all time? No, not unless pretty-boy power bottoms with daddy issues are your thing, which in my case they are, so let's talk about Pit Babe!

Note: I've tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum, they're mainly in the tags and links so follow them at your own risk, you've been warned.

Honestly, Pit Babe is a pretty damn good show, especially if you A) pretend the Omegaverse factor doesn’t exist and take the show for what it is and B) you don't mind not knowing what's going on half the time, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Overall, Pit Babe has got a good production value, a slightly absurd yet entertaining plot, a great choice of cast with amazing chemistry and pretty decent acting skills amongst the mix of seasoned actors and newbies.

For a totally biased fair and balanced review: There are some details that are left vague instead of being explained in depth or at all (yet), but that’s to be expected when you adapt a novel into a movie or series. It would get boring for the audience if the pace was interrupted to explain all those little details that we’re likely to find out along the way anyways (shout out to those who've watched the latest episode; finally!).

There are also some scenes that feel like they’re not as necessary and some background/plot devices that made a little more sense in the novel but I personally don’t feel like they detract too much from my viewing experience.

Babe (played by Pavel) and Charlie (played by Pooh) as the main leads do a really good job at shouldering a large percentage of screen time. Charlie comes across as happy-go-lucky, a bit clumsy/goofy, entirely fearless and a little naive, which is mostly true, but there's clearly more to him than that. Right from the start Babe is clearly someone guarded, detirmined and skilled at what he does (racing cars and having sex) and he has a very tight cirlce of people he trusts. There's a winning combo right there, quite tsundere/sunshine from the outside but definitely more breath the surface that gets exploded as they go.

Way (played by Nut) is Babe's best friend and racing companion, they've been racing together at Team X-Hunter for years but there's clearly more than friendship on the mind for Way, though the feelings appear to be one sided.

Alan (played by Sailub) is the owner of Team X-Hunter and an all-round cool Uncle (which the whole team call's him (despite barely being in his mid 30's). He's kind but firm, he cares for his team like they’re his family and it does seem as though they’re his only family.

And the rest of the cast consists primarily of:

Team X-Hunter:

Dean (played by Lee); a junior racer with slight douche vibes

North and Sonic (played by Michael and TopTen); everyone’s babies, they’re junior racers and content creators

Jeff (played by Pon); the newest member of the team, he’s a part time mechanic and full time conspicuous

Pete (played by Ping); the money guy Alan brings on board to sponsor the team

Team Red Racing (the rival team):

Winner (played by Pop); the guy who never seems to win against Babe

Kim (played by Benz); the new racer they hired to beat Babe

Tony (played by S Vorarit); Red Racing's newest benefactor and *shock horror* Babe's former foster father (try saying that ten times fast)

Kenta (played by Garfield); Tony's right hand man

Then, there’s the 🌶🔥🤯

I, personally, enjoy a little spice/heat in my shows. It’s not necessary for every show, of course, but I do think that when it serves a purpose to the story and it’s done well then it can be quite enjoyable and this cast/production team is doing it really well.

As I said, the chemistry between the cast really is amazing (both on and off the screen, if you're interested in that kind of thing) and although the spicy scenes aren’t nearly as abundant as they are in the novel, there are some really good ones. I decided to bite the bullet and binge read the novel over the past couple of weeks, I blame @pharawee’s breakdown posts for those sleepless nights, and it was worth it for me but not necessary for watching the series.

Lastly (as if this post isn't long winded enough as it is) there are a handful of things in this series that we don't see too often in BL's and make it worth watching even more:

It's got race cars, murder attempts, mafia influence and supernatural powers (at least half the characters have one).

There's no evil ex-lover out to get revenge or get back together with one of the mains (thank the BL gods).

It's got a Soft Top/Dominant Bottom dynamic where the title character is both super masc and a pretty princess.

And we can't forget, it is technically an Omegaverse series (or rather, it's Omegaverse-lite) which none of us saw coming!

Anywho, to conclude; yes, you should be watching Pit Babe. No, you don't have to read the novel to understand what's going on because none of us understand what the hell is going on at any given time. Charlie and Babe are fucking around and finding out, the rest of us are just long for the ride, Alan and Jeff are having a whole ass rom-com-drama in the corner, the babies are making their content and having a blast and the others aren't quite on the map yet (or are they? *wink, wink*), but I sure hope they will be soon!

If you made it this far, thank you and are you okay? Do you need to have your brain checked?

#pit babe #pit babe the series #pit babe meta #watch pit babe #please #do it for my mental health #hell do it for your mental health #charlie x babe #babe x charlie #alan x jeff #pete x way #north x sonic #kenta x kim #winner x dean #this took way too long #but I kinda loved it #seriously. if you read all of that you're a legend #that was a lot. even for me

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misscammiedawn · 1 year

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50 Days of HypnoKink - Day 49: Hypno in Media

My heavens... we made it to the finish line. Tomorrow is the final day.

I wanted to save an obvious one for the end because I do so enjoy MC in fiction so very much. So much, in fact, that I made a Twitter thread with 110 recommendations and never even came close to emptying my resources.

I know so many of these scenes, both that Twitter thread and this page are skimming the surface.

I'll be using some of those recommendations here but let's divide by category:

Film

So let's get the obvious out of the way. You have

Trance

A Danny Boyle thriller with a terrible plot and Rosario Dawson as a hypnotherapist trying to get hidden information from James McAvoy's mind. Silly movie but one that doesn't get brought up a lot. Dawson learned hypnosis to get into the role.

Candyman

Horror movie in which the director literally hypnotized the actress so any time she was being stalked by the titular killer she looked completely entranced. Link above is an interview discussing this.

Hypnotic

HORRIBLE movie on Netflix but Sleepyhead and I have hosted a number of watch parties and let me tell you, this is the PERFECT movie to watch with a bunch of rowdy hypnokinksters. The therapist is unethical to a laughable degree and his office looks like it's inside of the Death Star. He's a living breathing red flag. The movie does have a really hot freeze scene, a good ragdoll and the dollification sequence. It's just enjoyable because it's terrible. Check CWs first though, this movie has a bunch of things that can make it an uncomfortable viewing experience.

The Great Hypnotist

This is a Not For Daja movie. A Chinese movie that doesn't get brought up a lot. Like Trance above it is a thriller with some twists and turns that I don't really want to spoil.

Stir of Echoes

A visualization of a dissociation induction designed to make a person view events on a screen so they are separate from the memory. It's a remarkably well done scene.

Now You See Me 1/2

The hypnosis in these movies is STUPID and I love it. The first movie has a punchline that every time Mark Rufallo's character makes a frustrated comment people who Woody Harrelson has hypnotized will start acting as if they're in an orchestra. Second movie has a twin Woody Harrelson as an evil hypnotist and he uses a pizza box as an evil induction. It's amazing.

Sherlock Holmes Woman in Green

This induction is one of the coolest I've seen in a film and I try my hardest to channel the energy of this when I am doing a relaxation focused scene.

Charlies Angels

This is bar none my favorite hypnosis scene in any fiction. The typewriter induction is amazing, the hypnotist has such a smooth voice, the entranced gazes are lovely. It's just perfect. Heck, the link above is "hypnosis scenes" from the episode and is 26 minutes long. From a single episode of television.

Doctor Who

Sarah Jane gets hypnotized so often that I could make a list purely from her.

Legion

youtube

I just wanna link this one as it's one of those scenes that works so much better without context and the aesthetics are incredible. Plus who doesn't like Aubrey Plaza?

Quick Bonus Animation Round

Carmen Sandiego (Neflix) has a ton of mind control including the bad end to the interactive movie.

Totally Spies is a meme for a reason

And this one is a reason many of us are here <3

Comics

DC vs Vampires

I think the page speaks for itself. "Hypnosis isn't lying, Diana. It's speaking to your vulnerability."

Korra

This sequence of Asami, brainwashed to hate the avatar, being deprogrammed is so good that someone on AO3 did an incredible fan-fiction which may well be one of my favorite hypnokink stories of all time.

Super Mario Comic

I bring this one up as it was one of my earliest moments of "...oh... this is kind of making me feel some kind of way."

Video Games

A note that a full directory of video games featuring Mind Control can be found at mindcontrol.fun the MC Games Wiki, run by @soveryverytired

Nyx Gaming (Featured game: Enthralled)

Nyx do incredible games which are designed to hypnotize the viewer and their consent practices are wonderful. They recently teamed up with Secret Subject to release a vampire enthrallment game and let me tell you, there is not a single word in that synopsis that doesn't make me happy.

Mind Melting Massaging Machine

The best tool for VR hypnosis. Upload custom files and program spirals, subliminals and chose between static spiral or headtracking. I have had so much fun with this over the years. There's a desktop version too but VR is optimal for this experience.

Spiral Clicker

It's such a simple concept. Click on the character and watch their will go away. Spiral Clicker is backed with a fun little universe, fun characters both original and community sourced, amazing art and a clever little gameplay loop that is quite addictive. Careful, the game features a constant spiral, you may find yourself falling in to trance. Don't worry. The game will wake you up. You can even ask the game to include suggestions for you :)

The sequel is being worked upon now and I cannot wait <3

Music Videos

Anna Soares - Hypnodoll (NSFW)

youtube

Straight up just a song and music video about hypnokink. If you click anything in this thread, click this one.

Little Big - Hypnodancer:

youtube

Silly antics but a fun music video.

Pharrell Williams - Hypnotize U

youtube

It's just Pharrell hanging out in a mansion with his hypnotized harem.

Grimes - We Appreciate Power

youtube

It's dronekink baby.

Andamiro - Hypnotize

youtube

Maid hypnotizes their employer.

I could do so many more in all areas. But the point is, media is hypnohorny. I never went over advertisements (UK ones especially), books, musicals (Phantom and Next To Normal for instance), anime (Sailor Moon) or manga.

But I write about a bunch more in my Twitter thread.

---

Day 48: Stealth Inductions

FULL SCHEDULE MASTER POST

FINAL Day 50: Presentation

#dawn posting #hypnosis #hypnokink #50 days of fetishes #Youtube #hypnomedia

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perpetuelledaydreaming · 2 years

Note

Hey hey, can you write a story with billy x yn? I think about something like, yn is related to somebody of the kids and he and billy know each other since childhood. She is a loud girl and bratty. Billy puts her in her place very often but he is very patient with her. He protects her from everything and everyone. When they're drunk sometimes they have no control and make out. One day when they are at a party again she gets too naughty billy can't help it and shows her who's in charge. The next day she ignores him because she thought he only did it because of the alcohol. But then he confesses his feelings to her

so I changed some things because I just like puke this out in two days but I really hope that you enjoooy <3.

Nonsense | billy hargrove

billy hargrove masterlist

playlists: how hot you feel | how good billy feels.

words: 3.8k

summary: Honestly, it's not your fault that Billy's an ass and that you have to try to forget about a certain kiss. Not that Billy's going to let you go out of that bathroom without making it very clear that you're his.

warnings: raw smuttt, i think it's the dirtiest thing I've wrote for billy lol. 18+. unprotected sex (sorry didn't have it in me to add the condom move)

“What the fuck are you doing?” Billy growled at you as he slammed shut the door to the bathroom. His electric blue eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared up, and his breath harsh as you glared at him.

To be fair, you’d warned Billy about letting loose that night.

You’d been so exhausted from final exams that you really just wanted to throw it all away. You’d been locked up in your room studying for about a month, which you knew you had to do since you wanted to leave High School on a good note. Now, you were ready to move to California with Billy, your best friend. At least, that was what you considered him for a while, although he would probably deny that you were best friends since he acted like he couldn’t stand you.

See, Billy and you had a complicated relationship. Billy had been in your life since you could remember, his mother and yours were actually best friends which meant that you’d had pictures with him together on the beach since you were one year old. His mother always told you that you were destined to fall in love but both of you always refused the notion; even to the point where you had promised the other that you’d never fall in love with the other.

And yet, you broke it sometime around your thirteen birthday.

Billy grew resentful and angry when he grew up, which only got worse when his mother left. Thankfully, your father had become friends with Neil to the point that you weren’t cut off from Billy’s life, it also meant that your father wasn’t a great person. In those times, after Billy would appear with a black eye at school, you would chase him around trying to see if he needed the help but he would often yell at you when other boys and some girls surrounded him. You would fight him, calling him out on how he was treating you -one thing with you was that you would never go down quiet-, curse him out as he called you a brat and then run away.

Just like you were doing right now.

“Nobody asked you to ruin my chances of getting laid tonight!” you screamed at him, jabbing at his chest. For a moment you saw his expression falter, a look of hurt flashed across his features but then they returned to the same vexed expression.

“Well, you were acting like a fucking slut,” he spat cruelly.

His words would always sting, no matter how used you were about them and no matter that you’d known that Billy didn’t mean them. You didn’t try to mind them though, but you did wonder how the hell did they still affect you after all those years.

“Fuck you,” you challenged.

Although the hurt only surfaced for a moment before you manage to conceal it again, you see how he immediately regrets it as you tried to move towards the door, reaching for you.

He always reached for you, he was always there for you.

After your fights, Billy would sneak into your room and he would curl up with you without your parents knowing on your bed. He would read to you and you would play with his curls until he felt safe enough to tell you what happen, sometimes he would cry and you would hold him.

Then, after he left on those nights, you would never talk about it but there was clearly a shift in your relationship after the first night.

And then Billy got into a fight with someone, which only validated your theories that something had changed

You admitted that some might consider you a brat but you couldn’t care less about what they thought. It was usually your way or the highway, you wondered if it was because of how you grew up in a household where you didn’t feel able to make your own choices or speak your mind because of your father but you decided to not follow that pattern outside of the jail, as you often referred to.

Therefore, you weren’t quiet and you would get what you wanted, even if it was quite dangerous. Some asshole, who you flirted with at a party had been spreading the rumor about how you’d open your legs for him at a party, he’d called you a slut at lunch. You’d managed to get a good slap before he pushed you and you fell on the floor, all of the sudden, Billy had almost cracked the guy's nose with about two punches. The purplish and red bruises on his knuckles were the first thing you noticed as he helped you stand up from the floor.

After that, Billy was always there. He’d still act annoyed about how loud, flirty and bratty you were and you would still call him out on why he would act like such a dick and be an asshole to everyone. Screaming at each other and putting the other in their place wasn’t new in your relationship, some people like Max would tell you that they didn’t understand why you would keep up with the other but he would be there to hold you when you were hurt and you would be there when he cried.

“y/n,” he stated as he reached for your hand but you pulled it away.

“You are an asshole,” you said, spinning around and jabbing a finger into his chest. “You think I cannot fuck whoever I want because you said so?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Billy seethed as he glared at you, towering over your frame.“Wait, are you seriously trying to fuck Patrick McKinney?”

“Why do you care!?” you screamed, angry hot tears threatening to fall from your eyes as you glared at him.

The truth was, you weren’t angry that Billy had pulled you out of the party and locked you in the bathroom. You weren’t angry that he had ruined any chances with Patrick. You were angry because he had done so, even after he’d faltered to say anything about your kiss a month prior.

After your mother passed away, your father opted for moving to Hawkins reasoning that raising a teenager your age was way too difficult in such a sin-filled state like California but the truth was that he couldn’t hold down a job and it was easier to go back to the place where he’d grown up, to his brother so he could get a job.

You hated it, the most important thing that you hated was that you would leave Billy behind. But surprisingly, your father’s departure and fake reasoning moved something in Neil’s heart and he decided to help you move out to Hawkins, where you would be staying with your side of the family the Wheelers. Neil stayed for a week and a couple of days after he left you received an angry call from Billy, Neil had decided to move to Hawkins too. Move everyone to Hawkins.

You felt guilty for a while, although Billy just stayed mad at you for approximately the moment he was told the news, and fifteen seconds after you welcomed him to the awfully small town with a big hug. Both of your arrival at Hawkins High had a ripple effect, your sun-kissed skin and attitudes made you guys instantly popular, not that you and Billy ever spent too much time dwelling on it, you just took its advantage. Which for you included being given flowers and multiple requests for dates all the time, while Billy focused on flirting and taking out girls. You couldn’t lie that it hurt you when a girl in your friend group would bring up that she and Billy had been dry-humping all night or that they finally had sex. It made you irrationally angry when it happened though, but you tried to forget about it. Instead, you focused on your conquests and dates, you only had sex with one other guy which was Steve Harrington, although you just ended up as friends.

That’s what you’d been talking about last week, the fact that you hadn’t had sex with just Steve while you were at Hawkins. The wine that you’d stolen from your uncle's place made you dizzy as you lay on the floor of your bed while Billy smiled at you as he sat next to you. The insecurity and its weight on your words made Billy laugh as he repeated that you were perfectly good and not damaged, that it was better to have sex only with the people you truly cared about. You’d smiled and offered that if that was true, you would’ve slept together by now.

It was an innocent comment, at least that’s what you thought. Billy didn’t see it like that though.

He leaned down before you could protest or realize, Billy had claimed your lips. He cupped your face in his hands and pressed his lips against yours, you didn’t move for a second thanks to the shock but then you immediately kissed him back, practically melting into him as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. His kisses were hot and feverishly, they were desperate as if he’d die if he didn’t continue to kiss you. You whimpered as you tangled your fingers into his hair, attempting to bring him closer.

And then you heard your dad entering the house.

Billy pulled away as you both snapped your heads towards the door, your father would kill you if he saw the wine or that you had Billy in your room while you were just on a flimsy shirt and some extremely short shorts. Billy got the cue and quickly hauled ass out of your room. After that, life seemed to get in the way but also Billy never brought it up, he never dared to stay anything and he continued to go out on dates.

You hated it.

And so you’d decided to let loose that night and find someone, anyone, that could erase Billy from your thoughts.

“You know I do!” Billy screamed as your back hit the door.

“Sure, you do,” you snarled at him, pushing him on his chest but he didn’t really move. “You kissed me and then you went on to fuck Tina,”

“What?” Bully asked in a husky tone.“I thought,” but his voice died down. Billy’s anger faltered for a second time and you wanted to smile because he couldn’t keep up with being angry at you for too long, he was already breaking.

Nonetheless, his features didn’t convey softness, he was confused.

“You and your amazing brain didn’t figure I would be hurt?” you sneered while glaring at him.

“You’re jealous?” Billy asked, moving closer to you, his breathing harsh and shallow as he glared at you, though it wasn’t his normal fire, it was a heated gaze of another sort.

“You were too!” you snapped, stepping even closer to him defiantly.

Both of you fell silent, breathings harsh and shallow as you glared at the other but all of a sudden Billy cupped your face with his hands again, you felt hot, your body prickling and goosebumps rising on your skin from the look Billy was giving you.

Then his eyes flickered down to your lips.

“What are you?”

“Shut up,” Billy growled as he grabbed your waist, arms looping around your body and pushing you against him.

That was all it took.

Billy lurched forward as he pinned you to the door with his body, grabbing the back of your neck and kissing you hard. You reached up and draped your arms over his back, matching his fervent kisses as he shifted you with one arm, lifting you off the ground, perfectly settling his hips between your spread legs.

You were angry at yourself for a moment as you whimpered softly as Billy’s tongue slipped past your lips, tangling with yours as the intensity of the kiss grew. It was not fair that you’d waited this long for him. The kiss was all fire, it was feverishly, it was longing, it was desperate.

Your head spun suddenly as Billy grounded against you and your legs hooked around his waist to their own accord. You moaned loudly as you felt Billy’s bulge pushing persistently against you in those tight jeans, the friction feeling delicious against your clothed core.

Billy smirked and you could feel it as he pressed harder against you, suddenly pulling back to kiss your neck. He ravage it, sucking and biting your skin as you tried to move your hips as best as you could to find release. It was wild, it was pure heat and fire as your back arched sharply as he hit just the right spot while you cling to him. You can feel exactly how hard he is and how desperate he grounds against you.

“Come here,” Billy growled, pulling you from the door and settling you down in the sink before he quickly started to kiss his way down your body.

His lips worked down your throat and then along your chest, leaving bite marks on the skin that he could find, marking you as his. You moaned softly as he caressed your breast with one hand that had managed to make its way under the shirt you’d chosen and you’d never been happier of going without a bra to a party.

You leaned back on your palms as he reached your navel as your heartbeat rose in anticipation you glanced at Billy for a second while he looked up at you, his electric blue eyes tingling in anticipation as he fell to his knees as began to part your legs for him. A Cheshire cat smile grew instantly as his fingers run between your fold and you couldn’t back the whimper back.

“You’ve always wanted so fucking bad, don’t you?” Billy’s voice is low as he watches you from your position and you couldn’t help but whimper as he presses two fingers into you without a warning. “Come on, baby girl,” he growls as he suddenly bites your inner thigh, making you scream. “I want to hear you say it, I want to hear you say that you're mine,”

“Please, Billy, I'm yours,” you practically cry out. It’s pathetic honestly, the way your voice isn’t too determined and harsh as it always is but now you just can whine and your pussy clenches around his fingers just by the way he chuckled.

“You like that?” he asks while he raised an eyebrow. “You like to beg, don’t you?”

You cry out again when you feel his fingers curling inside of you. It sounds like music to his ears as he moves his fingers in and out of you in an enticing rhythm but you don’t want only his fingers inside of you, you want his mouth. Billy brushes the knuckle of his middle finger over your clit, just barely grazing it and you know he’s punishing you for not answering him.

“Please, please Billy,” you whimpered as you tried to move towards his face.

“Atta’ girl,”

Billy quickly moves his mouth between your legs, his fingers moving in and out of you, glistening from your excitement as he flickers his tongue on your clit. You whine, jutting his hips out toward him as he starts to suck your clit harshly which coaxed a desperate moan from your lips as you feel your orgasm coming. Your fingers raked through his golden curls, eyes closed as your head falls back into the mirror, moaning loudly as the knot on your stomach only got together. You’re pretty sure that your brain is short-circuiting the second that he replaces his fingers with his tongue, fucking you as soft gasps escape your lips.

“Don’t stop, don't stop,” you whimper, failing to keep your voice down but honestly you don’t care if anyone hears you as Billy devours your pussy like a mad that has been starved. You clench your thighs around his head and you curse silently as you listen to a muffle goddamn, the vibrations of his voice sending you over the edge.

Billy can’t even pretend that he isn’t pleased with himself by the way that he made you cum already and if this any other moment when you weren’t so desperate for him, you might’ve tried to wipe that cocky grin from his face but you don’t have it in yourself. Billy quickly brushes your hair off your face as he admires your comedown glow.

“I’ve always wanted to see that,” he murmurs as he kisses your lips softly, you taste yourself in his tongue, and you whimper. “You are fucking gorgeous,”

Since you feel like your tongue and your brain aren’t connected by the way that he’d just made you come, you simply grab the back of his neck and kiss him hard, moaning softly, hoping that he can get the memo, hoping that the way that you just forcibly slipped your tongue pass his lips was a clear enough Billy, just fuck me. He takes the hint when you’re finally fumbling with his belt and then pushing fast on the waistbands of his jeans. Thankfully, his lips never leave your mouth.

It’s almost a blur; you shove his pants down, freeing him from the confide of his jeans and boxers, before you take his aching cock and guide him between your legs, dragging his tip between your folds. Billy’s jaw clenches as he feels you, so wet, so perfect for him.

“All for you,” you whisper, kissing him lazily and you almost gasp at the way he suddenly grasps your hips. There is no doubt in your mind that you’re going to have bruises tomorrow but you don’t find yourself caring as he pushed slowly into you. You both gasp softly, lips inches apart until Billy’s finally buried fully into you. He’s big, he might be bigger than what you’d anticipated but soon the sting dies down.

Suddenly, your eyes meet.

Everything stood still. As if the music had turned down outside as if the people had stopped talking as if time had stopped. His electric blue eyes stared at you in such a warm and perfectly wonderful way that you wondered when did his blue eyes turn into the same as the ocean in California. How either of you had seen it, had seen that you were perfect for the other, that you wanted him since you could remember.

“Okay?” he whispered.

“Yeah,” you mutter, nose brushing against his.

“I love you,” he replied, not an inch of doubt in his voice but you don’t get to answer as he starts thrusting into you roughly.

You grab at his shoulder desperately as his cock drives deeper into you. Your eyes flutter shut as you moan against his earlobe and Billy’s sure he’ll be replaying that sound in his mind forever. He bucks his hips forward, feeling your walls clench at the sudden move while your nails bite into his shoulders.

His face suddenly buried in the crook of your neck as he holds you in place while you squeak in pleasure and began to roll your hips to match his thrusts. It’s wild and frantic, and both of you are lost in the sensation of each other. Though Billy’s touching you tenderly, he isn’t just fucking you by the way he holds onto you. You, on the other hand, can only cling to him, fingers digging from his shoulder into his back as he finds a steady pace while your moans and soft breaths fill the room with his harsh grunts.

But suddenly, he pulls out of you and you whimper softly at the loss of warmth and the empty feeling before Billy pulls you down and flips you over, your hands find the edge of the sink before your eyes meet you, in the mirror. Pinks cheek, doe-eyed, cock drunk for sure, clothes in disarray and then there was Billy, holding you in place.

“Look, how fucking beautiful you are,” Billy grunts and you inhale sharply as he suddenly pushes into you without warning. Your knees half buckle and he has to slip his arm around your waist to keep you upright against him.

It’s honestly dirty, the sight of Billy with his pants down, driving into you as wet noises fill the room and you can see your arousal dripping from your legs. Nonetheless, you can’t see it too much, your eyes shut tight when you feel Billy hitting that spot and he brushes his thumb over your nipple under the shirt. He’s rocking back and forth, roughly and you cry out his name.

“Feels so good,” you whimpered as you open your eyes again and see his eyes raking over the reflected image before you.

Before you know it, Billy’s hand snakes to your throat and pulls you back against him. Your back completely flushed against his chest as he continues to drive deeper and deeper into you as if it were possible while he leaves open-mouthed kisses in your throat. You suddenly, grab Billy’s hand and make him press softly on the side of your throat. Billy catches it quickly, immediately curling his hand around your throat and pressing as he fucks into you.

It’s too much, your eyes roll to the back of your head, pleasure burning through you as you feel dizzy. You’re so close and Billy knows it, he feels how your pussy clench around his walls, he moves you again, tilting his hips and thrusting again. Hard. Perfect.

And you scream, you scream so fucking hard that there’s no way that you can talk after that and that screams it’s what sends you over the edge. Fucking ecstasy. A rush of fire burns through your body while Billy continues to fuck you through your orgasms.

“Good girl,” he grunts at the way that your walls are pulsing around him, milking him for every last drop of his. “y/n,” his breath burns into the side of your neck, your name perfect on his lips.

“Fuck, you're mine” he pants, hips stuttering as he pushes deeper into you, as deep as he can, and spills inside of you. He holds you tightly as you continue to tremble from the force of your orgasms and you seem like you are aware of nothing but where you’re touching him.

All you feel is Billy and all you want to feel is Billy.

It takes a long time for both of you to stop shaking, for the room to stop spinning but soon, Billy’s pushing out of you and flipping you around, holding you tight against his chest for a moment. There’s nowhere in the world where you’d rather be but there, in his arms, in the arms of the boy you’d always love.

“I love you,” he says again.

***

author’s note: please, as always, let me know if you liked this, your thoughts, etc. request are always open and any feedback is super appreciated!

thANK YOU!!

***

feedback is always welcomed!!

donate: help me with my computer??

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ultfan · 18 days

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MY DESPAIR DR3 IDEAS LFG

firstly, i just wanna say that i am basing everything here based of info we get in dr1, dr2 and dr0. i'm just wiping the actual anime itself from my brain. so anime exclusive editions are just gonna be scrubbed. i may be able to fit them in somewhere, but they're not my focus. this is origin story centric.

kick off during the first year of the dr2 cast. i think rather than showing how unified the group is it would actually make more sense if everyone was kinda struggling. obviously some people would form their close bonds, like nekomaru and akane, gundham and sonia, etc. but i don't think it makes sense for the cast to have as close a bond as they do in dr3.

hajime and chiaki were huge pieces when it came to keeping the peace/unity between the members of the dr2 cast during the game. they would not be present in class 77-B. because hajime is in the reserve course and chiaki is an ai.

if their first year of school was all sunshine and rainbows i don't see why they would erase memories of ALL of their time at hope's peak academy.

narratively it makes the most sense for their first year to be setup as to why these people would fall for junko. they shouldn't be having a great time at hope's peak. fuyuhiko's sister is killed, sato is killed, people have health complications, people are dealing with family troubles... even if they try to keep together there is a lot boiling under the surface.

nagito, as a known troublemaker, would 100% fucking make the problems they are facing worse. because on god you know komaeda would tell fuyuhiko to his face that his sister's death was a "stepping stone" and he could overcome it. — he is definitely a disrupter of unity, even if he's not trying to be.

hajime's deal is likely a seemingly disconnected b-plot until the izuru stuff happens (at least if you're watching without any danganronpa context... which would be stupid... but narratively that's how it would look). ——— he's separated from the rest of the cast, probably often witnessing things form the sidelines. the focus on hajime should be on his worsening mental health, going from being excited to be going to hope's peak to learning what it really means to be in the reserve course.

he strikes me as someone who would at least TRY to get involved with the main course students. i think it'd be interesting to see him all hopeful and trying to make ultimate friends or act like he's on the same level as them. only to get completely shut down and rejected by the people he does end up reaching out to.

really use him to show just how poorly reserve course students are treated by the school. the disparity between the two kinds of students — the fact that the reserve course are ONLY there to give hope's peak more funding and nothing else.

highlight how badly he wants to be part of that world. how desperate he is. how he'd be willing to do anything to feel "special." like he's worth something.

yasuke has to be important as the ultimate neurologist. he helped with the memory shit, he's implied to have helped on the kamakura project, and he is also said to have his research used in the neo world program. not including him in all of this would honestly just be a crime. he ties everything together in a neat bow.

given that they're both entering the school in the same year, and nagito got his diagnosis this year too, there is no way he wouldn't see this as fate. he is going to hope's peak at the same time as the ultimate neruologist! that has to be a sign. i can easily see nagito offering up himself to yasuke so he could study his illness and monitor his brain activity. yasuke, who has a past with this kind of disease, would probably be more than willing to as well.

in the middle of the year the school, being impressed with his work, yasuke is reached out in private to assist in the kamakura project. he accepts and gets on it ——— in the background hajime is scouted and accepts to participate out of desperation, not entirely aware of what he's getting into.

enter class 78 — and junko and mukuro — who, thanks to yasuke, are able to easily integrate themselves into the plot and where they need to be.

junko's relationship with yasuke allows her to learn about the kamakura project early on into the school year. she learns about it's progress, it's purpose, and where izuru is being kept (for future reference).

by coincidence — or perhaps thanks to bad luck — she is able to meet nagito through yasuke. this is a guy who's brain doesn't function normally. simply put, he is an incredibly difficult guy to predict/truly understand. i imagine he would interest junko — and his hope fanaticism would be something of note that can be taken advantage of. it is via nagito that junko is able to get an interest in class 77-B and learn about the misfortune they faced last year (when she wasn't here). this will eventually domino into her turning them into ultimate despair. this makes a lot more sense then randomly running into a guy and deciding he's important to the plot, imho.

izuru would get "rescued" by the despair sisters. with a combination of the information they got from yasuke, mukuro's skills as the ultimate soldier, and junko's ultimate analyst ability they are able to avoid trouble and smoothly get to him. this is the real start of her plan.

in dr2 it is said that junko "broke izuru's spirit" — which implied he had a spirit to break. in dr3 he was already dead inside, but i feel like it would make sense if the scientists really tried to make him incredibly loyal to hope's peak and the idea of hope. you know — actually attempt to make the ultimate hope. make that his entire identity.

izuru, incapable of remembering anything that has ever been told to the contrary, is given an entirely different view of the world through junko. izuru, given his little reaction to being on the boat (his excitement at the rocking) strikes me as someone who is surprisingly ignorant and impressionable. which makes sense. they took away all his memories/feelings/personality. and so, when junko gives her philosophy to him, he asks for her to prove it.

he doesn't initially believe her, thanks to how he was created, but then the idea of the first mutual killing game comes up. izuru participates out of sheer curiosity to see where junko is coming from — to see if there is anything at all to this. and given that is the incident that leads to the inevitable fall of hope's peak... it seems to izuru that there is. THAT is what breaks his spirit.

izuru learns that everything he went through, that everything he thought he knew, was a lie. and that the concept that he is meant to embody and put forth into the world isn't... really... anything. "hope" — what is that? it's such a vague idea and it's different for literally every person. it's just an empty promise. there's no hope for someone like him. and there's no hope for this school — or this world. not really.

the events of dr0 happen. most people actually know that ryoko is junko and that she lost her memories (at least class 78 and people who knew her beforehand were aware) — and we know the school is also covering shit up too. izuru goes into hiding. the reserve course students start rioting. kyoko goes to investigate the killings of the student council and is eventually told to stop by her dad (because if she got any further she'd learn about things the school couldn't risk getting out). mukuro tests out her junko disguise here and there, but probably not in public often (mostly just with ryoko). and yasuke is killed, his death covered up by the school.

if kyoko is able to investigate, i think it is logical that nagito also investigates. i mean, his beloved symbols of hope are dying! he is pretty close to kyoko's levels of deduction in dr2, often having solved the cases before everyone else and just watching things progress as he drip feeds hints. i have no doubt kyoko would've been able to uncover everything if she wasn't stopped, but nagito also has an advantage: knowing yasuke.

he would know yasuke wouldn't suddenly drop out and stop their research — he's the ultimate neurologist, after all. it's also likely that he knew he was treating junko (ryoko) for a while. and if he were to investigate his lab/dorm he could be able to find the research papers on memory that were stolen by the despair sisters for their future plans.

with this knowledge, as well as seeing that junko SUDDENLY regained her memories after yasuke's disappearance, i think it's reasonable for him to confront them and figure out what they're doing.

junko takes advantage of the kind of person nagito is. we know from monokuma's behavior in dr2 that it seems he really trusts nagito to go above and beyond when given the opportunity to challenge his symbols of hope. monokuma was supportive of komaeda in the first killing and even actively helped him a little bit when it came to setting things up for the investigation (hajime even mentioned it seemed like nagito had trained monokuma). and i've already talked about how the final dead room's highest difficult setting was likely made specifically with komaeda in mind — knowing he would do something extreme upon finding out about their identities of ultimate despiar.

what takes place is a proposed battle against hope and despair. junko would know enough about nagito from yasuke to know about his love of hope, as well as his abberant behavior. and, with mukuro around, she's not in danger if she spills some stuff to nagito. if he threatens to spill things before they're ready to be spilled, he'd get killed. luckily, nagito is 100% the kind of person to side with his enemies.

this school and the ultimates here are basically komaeda's coping mechanism. he believes that hope can overcome any despiar. and so he fully believes junko's plans will fall flat and that the symbols of hope will easily overcome her despair and be stronger for it. junko is able to egg him on — get him to prove it — and he agrees to help her spread her despair just to prove her wrong. he doesn't believe his assistance will do much. because he believes himself inconsequential and irrelevant.

it is through nagito that junko is able to learn more personal details of class 77-B, and through him that she is able to manipulate them directly and indirectly. she is able to break each of them down one by one — really dig in and target them in ways that would break them specifically. and eventually brainwash them (in the culty sense, not the mind control sense) into accepting her despair mindset.

junko works a lot like a cult leader in my mind. she is able to perfectly analyze and predict others, and has great charisma. after breaking them down she could easily offer them despair to give them some "meaning" back into their life. and we know from mikan and nagito that "just despair" isn't always the reason for the members of ult despair to do what they do. mikan was doing it out of love and devotion for junko, for example.

as nagito sees each of his classmates fall over to junko's side and begin to add fuel to the fire of the tragedy, he starts getting a little nervous. but he managed to convince himself that they were just surprisingly weak in the end, and holds onto hope that the school itself and the majority of students would be fine. unfortunately, that's not the case.

the new members of ultimate despair manage to push the reserve course students over the edge — and start pushing the world towards the edge as well — leading to the mass suicide and the complete collapse of hope's peak. class 78 being "coincidentally" the only class to survive. this would end up getting nagito fully despair-pilled, even if he is still fighting for hope. and it would end with all members of ultimate despair (aside from mukuro and junko, who agree to be locked up in the remains of hope's peak) going somewhat into hiding to spread despair from the shadows (i say in hiding because we know that they didn't know the identities of the remnants, and didn't even know there were 15 other survivors).

i imagine part of junko's motivation for getting all these extra members into ultimate despair was to ensure that things wouldn't die down in the outside world without her directly involved. and, of course, to get help with the things she needed help with (building monokuma, for example).

EXTRA STUFF I WAS VAGUE ABOUT

how junko would get each individual member of ult despair is up in the air. i have nagito and izuru clear in my mind because i think it makes the sense for them to be the most directly involved in the plot, given their overall significance in the series. but i do have some ideas:

she probably preyed on maihiru's guilt involving the twliight syndrome murder case.

mikan is obvious — she preyed on her need for love/acceptance and gave it to her.

fuyuhiko and peko were probably targeted together, preying on the death of his sister and peko's role as a tool.

took advantage of ibuki's loneliness after leaving her girlband.

etc etc etc.

however she did do it for each of them, i believe it was a matter of ensuring they got to their lowest point (probably even with nagito's help, given his skills of manipulation and complete willingness to be a fall guy), and then swooping them in and being the person that they need in that moment. her true colors probably only really being seen/felt by the time they were all despair-pilled and it was too late for them.

at some point treating each other horribly is part being ultimate despair, yeah? like... kind words aren't used between them. it's similar to mukuro in danganronpa if ——— when she realized junko is cutting her off because she's being super kind and speaking about how much she loves her. for ultimate despair verbal abuse becomes a love language, it feels. hence why i think junko was pretty mean to the remaining remnants in the last dr2 trial. that's just how they interact! they make fun of each other, they're mean, they're abusive. so they can feel despair. because that's all they have at that point.

#anyway uhhh this is how i think it should've been handled #thanks for coming to my ted talk #i'll talk about servant later #this rotted my brain for the day #this is basically my personal canon LMAO #♡₊˚ 🍀・₊✧ » ic : study ─ 𝘏𝘖𝘗𝘌 𝘚𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚 𝘌𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘕𝘈𝘓 𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘏𝘜𝘔𝘈𝘕 𝘉𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘛. ❞

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chubbyheadquarters · 2 years

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TYSM FOR RESPONDING AJSHUDUD ♡♡♡,, i usually don't interact in tumblr so as you may notice i am very much excited !! <3<3<3

aNYWAYS, may i request headcanons for a mermaid!reader x sun wukong, mk and macaque? (separate!) of course, it's okay if you don't want to !! ♡♡♡, i hope you're having a great day / night 💞

It's all good! I'm always open to talk in asks! I hope you have a great day yourself! 💞💞

Genre: Romantic

Pronouns: Gender-Neutral

TW/CW: None

Characters: Sun Wukong-Monkey King, Macaque-Liu Er Mihou and MK

☀️SUN WUKONG☀️

My boy was starstruck when he first saw you. All the miscellaneous accessories that adorned you and the pieces of cloth that hugged your voluptuous figure. The way your hair framed your round face, those beautiful, curious eyes. Literally has you on his mind everyday/all day.

He definitely tells you about his adventures, always going into detail and will absolutely exaggerate things- But he can't help it! The cute expressions you make when he does makes his heart burst with joy. And in turn, he listens to all the adventures you've had, and is surprised with a lot of them.

If you ever wish to see something from the city, then he'll take you and show you at night when he knows that no one's around. He doesn't want others to see your beauty. It sounds selfish, but he thinks you're too beautiful for the world to see. A simp, if you will.

You definitely teach him how to swim. It's a bit rough at first, but he eventually loosens up. He trusts you not to do anything mean, and though he still doesn't vibe with water, at least he knows how to swim.

His monkey friends absolutely love you. You bring little gifts for them and you're always nice! They always get sad when you have to leave. You're their mermaid mom! They don't mind getting wet if it means getting hugs!

🐵MK🐵

He's so fucking stoked! He's asking all sorts of questions, like if aquamarine came from mermaid tears? Do you live forever? Can a kiss give him gills? Does your tail color change according to your mood? You explain with great detail about what's false and true, and he's jotting it down in his notes.

He always has swimwear with him should he ever feel the need to jump in the water and be next to you. Which is a lot of times. At a certain point, he just started wearing them underneath his clothes. His friends find it a bit funny, but they're just happy that MK has someone like you in his life.

He's thinks you're an absolute goddess. Literally thinks you're the most beautiful being in the world. He's always thinking about you and what you're doing while he's off doing hero stuff or work. But once he's done, he rushes to your side and you both talk for hours. He's thankful that you're in his life.

He's really thankful when you help him get to FFM with safe yet fast tides. Nowadays, he gets a mini boat and talks with you as you get him there. If you want to watch him train, he'll buy one of those small, foldable bathtubs and take you up the mountain with him.

When you wanna hang out with the others or check something out, he gets the foldable bathtub and carries you around. He wants you to be able to see the world he's experienced and do more things with you. Take you on cute little dates and share his culture with you.

🌙MACAQUE🌙

He's cautious when he first meets you. He's heard things about both mermaids and sirens, and he's yet to see either, only hearing stuff from all sorts of people. So he's on guard, trying to act all cool and stuff. But your curious and kind demeanor has him putty in your hands.

You're absolutely gorgeous to him. Even when he's seen you surface from the water over a hundred times, he's still entranced when he sees the moonlight cascade on you, like it's his first time. And seeing you so happy to see him makes his heart skip a beat everytime.

He's always stealing getting you sea themed accessories, like pearl earring, sea shell necklaces, bracelets, even little headbands and tiaras. Sometimes, he'll even make them himself! Those are the ones you cherish the most and constantly wear it.

He's not gonna lie when he says that he thinks that it's hot when you use your powers and don't even have to lift a finger, especially on your enemies. Seeing the quick change from your kind, happy expression to angry, hate filled makes him happy that he's not your enemy.

Should you ever want to go somewhere new, he'll be happy to take you. He doesn't have a foldable tub for you, so he'll hold you in his arms. Doesn't mind it one bit though, since he'll get to touch you and tease you about it. He definitely considers your little outings as dates.

Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors!

#chubby reader #x chubby reader #lmk x chubby reader #lmk x reader #lmk x y/n #lego monkie kid #lmk #wukong x chubby reader #sun wukong x reader #wukong x reader #sun wukong x chubby reader #macaque x chubby reader #macaque x reader #mk x chubby reader #mk x reader

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galactic-glamour-girl-posts · 9 months

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In celebration of Animaniacs' 30th Anniversary...

I'm gonna list some of my favourite segments/episodes from the franchise and explain why they're my favourites! The segments/episodes will be listed in order of their debut in their respective series.

I'll start with my favourite episodes from the original Animaniacs:

Taming of the Screwy

I see this episode as the turning point of Warners' and Scratchy's relationship. Before they'd drive him crazy and he'd want nothing to do with them, but because of his job he's forced to deal with them. This episode was the start of Scratchansniff realizing that the Warners' aren't all bad, which eventually leads to them to getting along a bit better later on. The Warners still mess with Scratchy a lot because, as they say in this episode, it's their way of showing affection, but he genuinely tries to tolerate them (key word being "try"), and they even help him a bit ("La La Law"), until eventually he starts acting somewhat like a guardian to them and he's even willingly choosing to hang out with them (like in "I'm Mad", "Fake", "The Party", etc).

This episode also puts the Warners' characters in a new perspective, being the first that tries to get the audience to genuinely sympathize with them. We knew about them being locked in the water tower, but that wasn't taken too seriously and (because of how "Newsreel of the Stars" presented their origin) you could argue the studio's treatment of the Warners was just a reaction to the Warners' antics. Here the Warners kept their end of the deal and were well behaved, yet were betrayed anyway. They had gone up against a "special friend" before this episode, but this episode was pretty much the first to firmly establish that the Warners are capable of behaving if treated fairly (although they'd rather mess about, not out of maliciousness, but because they just wanna have fun), but if not they're not afraid to fight back and wreak havoc.

A big reason why I like the Warners so much is that they seem like simple characters on the surface, but there is nuance to how they act, and this episode is a good example of that ("The Sound of Warners" also being a good example). It would've been easy to write the Warners as one-dimensional characters who all act the same, are completely incapable and/or unwilling to behave and do nothing but make anyone and everyone's lives worse for no reason, especially since it's a variety show, but they didn't and I appreciate that. I also think the way they're drawn in this episode is adorable! They don't look how they usually do when animated by TMS, but I still like it.

The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special

This episode gives a more detailed retelling of the Warners' origin story. This time it is presented as a "live" TV special, which is a unique premise for this show that helps this episode stand out. I like how "Newsreel of the Stars" tries to make the studio look as good and reasonable as possible, only for that to be flipped on its head in this episode which makes it clear that really the problem was that Memlo and Plotz were the unreasonable ones. The Warners' backstory itself expertly manages to be both comedic yet sad at the same time in a way that doesn't feel tonally inconsistent at all. I still find it hilarious that they took an actual Looney Tunes character and made them into a twist villain just because they were unpopular in real life (let it be known that Animaniacs did that joke before the 2002 Scooby Doo movie did). Combine all that with some fun cameos and beautiful TMS animation, and you've got one of the show's best episodes.

Episode 92

Yup-the whole episode. This episodes is a great summary of Animaniacs' strengths, because each segment is a perfect example of an aspect (or multiple) of Animaniacs that the show does expertly well. "It" has some of the best animation in the whole show, "Dot-The Macadamia Nut" is one of the best parody songs in the show, and "Bully for Skippy" provides some of the best meta humour, political satire, slapstick, and irreverent humour in the show. It's one of my favourite Slappy segments, and although I think the message isn't supposed to be taken seriously...I legitimately think it's a good moral? After seeing other shows/movies/etc (particularly since the 2010's) have their protagonists easily talk down and redeem multiple incredibly vile villains, or sometimes just outright let the villain get away for the sake of keeping them passive/non-violent, this episode's conclusion was incredibly satisfying.

Children's media will often tell kids to just ignore bullies or to constantly try to "get through to them" no matter what, because if they don't that makes them "just as bad" and I'm sorry but that's not something we should be teaching kids, and I'd argue they're not just bad but straight up dangerous messages. Ignoring bullies doesn't work most of the time, it just makes them try harder to get your attention, which often means acting more aggressive and malicious. I do think teaching kids to try and make peace with people non-violently is very important, but if the bully keeps harassing them, at some point you have to draw the line and stand up for yourself. Sometimes you have to yell. Sometimes you have to fight. It sucks but that's life...so anyway, back to Animaniacs. Duke seemingly does learn his lesson in the end, because he's seen helping Slappy, but only after getting his butt kicked, and it's not like him and Skippy are BFFs or anything.

I think this is one of the most well-balanced non-singular story episode of the show, quality wise that is. Most Animaniacs episodes with multiple segments have at least one that is mediocre or straight up bad in comparison to the other(s), but that's not the case here. They're all great.

Honourable Mentions: The Sound of Warners, La La Law, Meatballs or Consequences, A Christmas Plotz, Super Strong Warner Siblings, Morning Malaise, Season 3's Finale (Episode 82), Win Big, Puppet Rulers, Bubba Bo Bob Brain, Yes, Always, Bumbie's Mom, ...And Justice for Slappy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock, Critical Condition, Woodstock Slappy, When Rita Met Runt, Smitten With Kittens, Phranken-Runt

Best Songs: Yakko's World, Wakko's America, I'm Cute, Yakko's Universe, The Ballad of Magellan, Variety Speak, I'm Nobody's Mama, Let's Try for Two, Humans Ain't What They Seem to Be, A Quake! A Quake!, The Senses Song, There's Only One of You

Now on to Pinky and the Brain:

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas

Yeah, yeah. I'm just gonna get this one out of the way now. You love it, I love it, and we all know why...but I'll explain anyway!

For one, this is the only episode TMS animated for the spin off, and it looks gorgeous. The writing's as good as ever. I'd like to point out the Donner Party joke for being clever; but Bill Clinton being unable to open the window is the joke that gets me to chuckle when I think about it. Although let's be honest, people mostly like this episode because of the ending. I get it though, it's touching! It shows just how much Pinky loves Brain and how selfless he can be, dedicating what was supposed to be his Christmas list to Brain. Then the smashing, the keychain, the credits, blah blah blah we know how it goes.

I mean if you're reading this then chances are I don't need to convince you; it's the show's most well-known episode, and it's really good.

Welcome to the Jungle

This episodes flipped Pinky and Brain's dynamic on it's head. Brain was out of his element, meanwhile Pinky took charge. This is the main reason it's one of the most memorable episodes of the show, although another is that Snowball makes his grand return in this episode, and is even more antagonistic this time by trying to get Pinky and the Brain killed, whereas last time he was really only trying to one-up Brain. I find it interesting that Brain’s more sympathetic towards Snowball this time around, insisting that he needs help and attempting to save his life. Perhaps he always missed Snowball as a friend (and still cares about him deep down), perhaps being so out of his element softened him, maybe both? And when Brain defeated Snowball towards the end, after what he went through in the episode that genuinely felt triumphant and deserved.

This episode really shows off how Pinky and the Brain is distinct from Animaniacs. The Warners don't take serious situations seriously, they're always on top of things and are ultimately winners. Pinky and the Brain are kind of the inverse; mice wanting to take over the world is ridiculous, but they take it completely seriously, and fail every time. Though it is exactly that that allows the protagonists to be vulnerable and struggle more often, hence allowing the characters and their stories to often times be slightly less zany and a bit more sincere.

Star Warners

This episode was just fun, what more can I say? It was nice to see many of the Animaniacs characters again, especially the Warners and Slappy, but we even got to see the more obscure characters like Pip, Zalgar, the aliens from “Space-Probed”, Sid the Squid and Beanie the Braindead Bison. Some Looney Tunes characters and Freakazoid appear too. I also like a lot of the "castings": in particular Yakko as Han, Wakko as Luke and Dot as Leia are perfect choices.

There's more to this episode than cameos though, like the interactions between characters who pretty much never interact. Dot and Brain, Wakko and Mindy, etc. My absolute favourite aspect of this episode is that the Warners, Pinky, Brain and Slappy all got to star alongside each other throughout the episode! The Warners have interacted with Slappy a few times, they've also interacted with Pinky and the Brain too, as has Slappy (very briefly in "Spell-Bound"), but they've never all interacted as a group for an extended period of time. I haven't kept it a secret they're my favourite Animaniacs characters (and also have pretty much the only segments I truly care about aside from maybe also Rita and Runt), so to see them interact as a group was great!

Also, the final credits gag was “Nympholepsy - To have a desire for an unattainable idea”. That's a perfect Brain’s Word to end the show on, and this episode was a pretty good way to end the show. Sure, something with higher stakes that takes place in the main setting of PatB (as in an episode where Pinky and the Brain live in Acme Labs in the modern day) like the "Brainwashed" trilogy would've made for a good finale too, but honestly having the final episode of the show essentially be a crossover between it and its parent series is cute. In fact it's probably...eh screw it, it IS the best Animaniacs-related series finale there is.

Honourable Mentions: TV or not TV, Snowball, The Pink Candidate, Pinky and the Brain…and Larry, This Old Mouse, A Pinky and the Brain Halloween, You’ll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again, The Family That Poits Together, Narfs Together

Best Songs: Brainstem, Cheese Roll Call, Just Say Narf!, A Meticulous Analysis of History

And now, because I haven't seen "Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain" and don't plan to, the Animaniacs reboot:

Fear and Laughter in Burbank

I love that the Warners' Halloween costumes were the Marx brothers, it's a cute reference to the fact that Yakko and Wakko were partially inspired by Groucho and Harpo respectfully. That and I really like segments where the Warners torment some evil supernatural being. The fact that these literal children can not only hold their own against but outright best beings like a soul-sucking clown, the Devil or even Death himself is both hilarious and admirable. They're not just pests, they're powerful pests.

It's pretty interesting that Yakko is the only one of the siblings who falls victim to Nickelwise, before being narrowly saved by Dot. His encounter with Nickelwise reveals a few things about him: that he hates being alone, fears losing his voice, and is at least a little insecure about his comedic skills whilst seeking validation via comedy. It also implies that despite the fact that he acts as the most mature, experienced and the de facto leader, he may be the most anxious and have the most self-worth issues of the three. This would make sense since he's the eldest, and therefore presumably has a lot more worries on his mind than Wakko and Dot. I do like this segment overall, but this moment is what made it one of my favourites. It provides depth to Yakko's character like never before, which I appreciate given that he's my favourite.

Rome Sweet Rome

This segment had a lot of good gags, solid satire, a fun song, and each Warner shows off their skillset pretty well: Yakko using his words and not his fists in a fight, Dot weaponizes cuteness to blindside an opponent, Wakko has an endless appetite and is really destructive. Titmouse animated this one so of course the animation was great. Pretty much everything I like about the Warners' segments is here and in top form. Not much more to say other than that, it's just...really good!

The Island of Dr. Warneau

Titmouse animated so once again there's great animation (Jurgen's lab was wonderfully creepy), and I really liked how the Warners were written in this one. I like that Yakko has a picture of Scratchy in his wallet (I'll take all the "Scratchansniff is their dad" crumbs that I can get), the clones are adorable, and of course the comedy was as good as ever ("You're living beings, not unpaid interns!" in particular got me).

Jürgen seems to be depiction of what an abusive family member might act like (although obviously exaggerated, since this show is a zany cartoon and all). In addition to forcing them to do whatever he wants whilst giving no love in return, Jürgen makes the clones call him "brother" to condition them into thinking he's family so they'll feel obligated to associate with him, has convinced them that he's their "protector" so they'll feel helpless without him (unfortunately that worked because Ratto straight up says they're helpless in his first line), and when the clones finally do stand up for themselves he tries to bribe Ditto towards the end by offering her a strawberry, whilst claiming she was always the "sensible one". The ending was very satisfying, with Ditto refusing to call Jürgen "brother" anymore and switching to using his first name (basically disowning him) and calling the Warners her real family. The six of them hug and just before things get a bit too cute-Jürgen gets eaten by a whale. The ending, like the whole segment really, is a perfect mix of both wholesomeness and dark humour.

This segment essentially emphasizes the importance of who the Warners are as characters. It explored the idea of what the Warners would be like if instead of being chaotic and rebellious, they were meek and well behaved, essentially the opposite of themselves, and it made for an interesting watch! It shows the importance of being assertive, and why being "perfectly behaved" and "obedient" isn't always a good thing. In hindsight, had Scratchansniff actually managed to successfully "de-zanitize" the Warners, it might've been the worst thing to have happened to them.

The Warners aren't perfectly behaved. They're snarky. They're chaotic. They're insane(-y). They're a lot of things, BUT when they see something wrong they don't stand aside, they fight back and make it right, just in a comedic way (they're like the embodiment of karma). Their backbone is one of their biggest redeeming qualities, and although people in-universe give them a hard time over their chaotic and irreverent nature, they'll always be better than the corrupt authority figures (like Jürgen, or many of their "special friends") they tend to take down.

Honourable Mentions: Suspended Animation Part 1, Ralph Cam, That's Not the Issue, Future Brain, Roadent Trip, Yakko Amakko, Christopher Columbusted, Reichenbrain Falls, 23 and WB, Planet Warner, Talladega Mice: The Ballad of Pinky Brainy, Fantasy, Teeniacs, Animaliens, Global Warnering, Slappy's Return

Best Songs: Suffragette Song, The Cutening, Be Like Me, A Zit!, I Am The Very Model of an Ancient Roman Emperor, Yakko's Big Idea (Yakko's Big Song), Magna Cartoon, Warner's Ark, D.I.WHY?, Here Comes the Sea!, Some of Humanity's Wins

Before Animaniacs, many syndicated cartoons (specifically ones from the 60's to the 80's) had either a) good writing but cheap animation or b) more expensive and impressive looking animation but were essentially over glorified toy commercials. Animaniacs had both witty, intelligent writing and downright beautiful animation (seriously, the segments animated by TMS are some of the best hand drawn animation I've ever seen in a TV show). This wasn't unheard of by the early 90's, but only a handful of other cartoons could claim the same at the time. It's higher budget compared to a lot of other contemporary cartoons also meant it could afford a 25-to-40-piece orchestra, and that (along with the extremely talented staff) allowed Animaniacs to have one of the best soundtracks from any cartoon ever. Not to mention it was one of the first TV shows to garner an interactive online audience. Animaniacs was one of the first examples of internet fandom culture. Think about that. That is huge.

The Warners, Pinky and the Brain and Slappy are unironically some of my favourite characters of all time. I love that that the Warners are chaotic, nigh-omnipotent beings who can do anything, but also non-conforming outcasts who look out for each other because no one else will, but also well-meaning rebels, but also cute silly little children all at the same time. And that's just what they have in common, that's not even getting into their individual personalities. To put it very briefly (because I literally already wrote an essay about Dot so if you've read that you know how long I can go on about them but this post is long enough already and I'm still not done) I admire Yakko's wit, Wakko's optimism, and Dot's confidence.

I love that Pinky and The Brain are complete opposites in every sense of the word yet still manage to have an unbreakable bond. I love Slappy's unapologetically violent but never too meanspirited sense of humour (even though she's only one in-universe I genuinely think she makes for a better female Looney Tunes character than most of the actual female Looney Tunes characters) and how despite how bitter and cranky she is, she never lets that get in the way of her bond with Skippy.

Both the original Animaniacs and the reboot are some of my favourite shows of all time. I love their sense of humour, I love the main characters, I love that they never hold back and go places/accomplish things that a lot of other kids shows wouldn't even dare to. Not only was Animaniacs heavily influenced by Looney Tunes but it (and a series of Looney Tunes television spin-offs) helped bring Looney Tunes back from a period of stagnation by popularising its sense of humour (particularly its type of snark, wordplay, slapstick and visual gags). I feel like not enough people talk about just how influential the original show was; not only did it have more pop culture references and social commentary than pretty much any children's cartoon had before it, it played a big part in popularising those two things as well as sharp satire, cynical irony, meta humour, self awareness, and just witty humour in general being in children's cartoons, if not TV as a whole.

And above all else...it was fun. It was a fun show that just wanted to make you laugh above all else. It knew what it wanted to do and was good at it, and sometimes that's all you need for success.

I love this franchise, and I can't wait to see what it does next.

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whiskeyswifty · 1 month

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What’s your favorite thing about folklore?

oh my god what a question. I'm just gonna riff off the dome here because if i try to go at this in any kind of organized way, i'll write a deranged thesis paper. (this is about the album proper, sorry to the lakes. too bad she never released it and we'll never know what it sounded like)

Gut reaction to this question is just how complete it is. It's an idea and concept, a writing prompt if you will, compiled neatly and cohesively in a way that's the perfect digestible length for it's form (music/an album) and also all killer, no filler. All the vignettes are not a "story" (save for the love triangle which i largely ignore because it's shoehorned) but come off like an anthology; that is to say that they're a series of emotional vignettes across a range of life experiences, but explored through the motifs and styles of one writer. I cannot jump around with folklore, i must press play on the 1, which has never happened before with a taylor album. It has no skips, every single one flowing smoothly but efficiently with the ebb and flow pacing of a babbling brook. (i do skip mad woman occasionally cuz its not what i wanna hear at the moment or epiphany cuz it's too heavy and too soon to go back to that mental place, but they're both excellent and fit perfectly within the album when i'm casually listening)

The sound is also just so perfectly aligned with my tastes. I contain multitudes, but unfortunately one of those is being a sad indie white girl lol. I love soft rubber bridge guitars, and whining violins and piano and minimal but expertly layered textures. atmospheric ones that carry the mood and the fill the space like fog but let you feel close to the artist, as i've said once before, as if she were sitting next to you and talking directly to you. There's a lushness to live instruments played softly and as pieces of a whole, and it makes any additions from a moog softened and supplementary. It just, for me anyway, really helps to hear the tactile nature of the instruments and mistakes and the breaths and the pedals on the piano and all the rest. it's the perfect mix of what i love musically from that genre, akin to Sujfan or Lucy/Phoebe or imogen heap or the xx or lana at times. even as way back and like dashboard, which shows my age a bit. you know the vibes. And i love how jack leaned into his more orchestral side, which he doesn't often do with taylor, still to this day. august in particular is just outstanding and he's great at stuff like that and i wish they would do more like that together!

I think its the PERFECT use of her voice. it's not blasphemous to say of all her artistic talents, she does not have a voice that can stack up against her peers vocally. But, as i've also said a million times before so sorry to bring it up again, she has a very emotive voice when it comes to the tiniest and most nuanced of emotions. maybe because she's less focused on vocal runs or hitting notes, but this album has her voice really shine. it's textured and rough and soft and smooth at the same time, fully bringing you whatever raw emotion is on the page. its the voice of a scribbled journal entry if that makes sense, off the cuff, unpracticed (even though i'm sure it is), and so intimate. you can hear her smile and hear when her throat is thick, it's just a showcase of her voice like nothing else. the pared down sound really lets all those tiny moments rise to the surface.

visually, i mean what can i say. her second best album cover ever. Fully removing herself from the center of it, diminishing herself with the trees for scale. Trees that have existed before her and will outlive her, as if to say this, the act of making art and ultimately the art itself, is so much bigger than me. my life and my problems. but everything is bigger than me, and it's important to not lose sight of that. which, if you were an adult at that time, particularly of a similar age to her at least, you commiserate with that sentiment. the black and white isn't actually black, but more of a warm gray, which i also love. i also know it was mainly out of necessity, but embracing how dressed down and simple her styling was. wrinkled dresses and limp, unruly hair. really suited the look of someone who's going to spin you a tale. NO TEXT TOO LIKE YEAHHHHHHHH god it's perfect and so well designed.

rapid fire now, lets see. i love that peace was done in one take, and you can tell, in a good way! and it's her HEARTBEAT???? i'm a sucker for that, no matter how played out that trick is, and imo it's justified because they disguise it with a dissonant tone of sorts. i love the PERFECT knee jerk answer opening of "i'm doing good" and then proceeding to delve into some of her darkest emotions she'd explored thus far (and in some ways since). i love that illicit affairs is missing it's final chorus, a song that is structurally unfinished and just peters out, the way doomed affairs always do. the way she never mentions the location or even the event, but the soundscape and the lyrics of my tears ricochet paint a perfectly clear church and funeral in your mind!! i love the word ricochet and i love how easy it is to spew it with vitriol. as corny as it is in the context of the rest of this more subtle album lyrically, i love the swiftian turn in the bridge of tlgad like.... damnit it's always so delicious. that harmonica in betty is just like a glass of sweet tea on a muggy summer night, it's SO bright and fun and puts a smile on my face every time!

But all that to say I think my favorite thing is seven. seven is a perfect song. her best song. the best version of a taylor swift song. a song so emotionally poignant and transcendent it wins over, however begrudgingly, even the biggest haters of her and indie music as it pokes at that one spot that will always be soft, and it's blank space's spiritual successor and therefore foil in that way. incredible feat to use the motif of your childhood self and not come off trite, like most other attempts by other artists can be. the most opaque she's ever been lyrically, which is a huge risk to take. small in scale but massive in it's implications and intentions. a song where the meaning and gravity exist in your reaction to it and not the song itself. perfect art. an opus of a song on an opus of an album.

#it's after midnight so my brain is turning into a pumpkin so sorry if this got mushy and nonsensical but #don't ask me about folklore and expect brevity #it's just EXCEPTIONAL #my silly little essays

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