#i don't know what would have happened... lots of options... hm

[ofekma]

Okay but what does Ralsei know? (part 3)

So, Ralsei is not the only one to know about the soul and game mechanics, and is not the only one who knows parts of the prophecy, but IS the only one we know knows all of it.

And the prophecy includes really small details in it

So...

Does Ralsei know Everything?

Nope!

The most obvious example here is how the weird route throws him off

But honestly, you can surprise Ralsei from the moment you first meet him.

And we can continue to choose options that confuse him later on.

It seems that regardless of how specific the prophecy is, it doesn't include individual choices, which makes sense since it's a video game that allows us choice in the first place, even if not as much as we'd want.

Ralsei seems to expect us to choose and encourage our choices, so it seems that whatever we end up doing is still on the path of the prophecy.

But the person whose choices REALLY catch Ralsei off guard is Susie.

Time and time again, from rejecting her role as a hero, to joining Lancer, to learning how to ACT on her own, to smashing the end of the prophecy and insisting it wouldn't happen,

Susie challenged Ralsei's perceptions about the world again and again and again, and even his perceptions about himself.

So whatever Ralsei knows, it's far from everything that's going to happen.

But he still knows what will happen in important key events that can't be changed, including the ending, doesn't he?

Well, the final cut scene of chapter 4 is different depending on if you did a weird route or not

But let's talk about standard playthrough for now.

In chapter one, the inevitability of everything feels crushing, the king gets defeated no matter what you do, and the darkners get recruited to castle town even if you weren't nice to them (tho they're not happy about it).

But King goes down differently.

That along is proof that some key events won't be exactly the same depending on our choices, even if we don't do the coerce-Noelle-to-kill-people thing. So whatever the prophecy states, the specifics of every event mentioned in it are up to us.

But hey, it's inconsequential in the long run, so let's move to chapter 2.

Ever since this chapter, Darkners can choose if they want to come with us to Castle Town or not depending on our actions, which has consequences in the long run, like if Lancer gets adopted by Queen or not.

So we know that we can impact the lives of darkners a lot, but hey, it's not like we can choose if they live or die without completely breaking the game via the weird route.

Huh.

But hey, Darkners are basically objects, right? Surely we can't do something that would result in very different outcomes in a Lightner's life, right?

Hm.

So it seems like either:

Ralsei's knowledge (aka the prophecy) is not including Everything that's going to happen and thus not very reliable, because multiple VERY different scenarios can happen while still staying 'true to the prophecy'.

Ralsei's knowledge is unreliable because the prophecy can be changed.

Regardless, we reach the same conclusion:

Everything Ralsei knows should be taken with a grain of salt.

And with that in mind, we should start looking at his words and ask ourselves what of the things he told us wasn't exactly right.

Ralsei knew Kris and Susie's names before they even introduced themselves, and wasn't surprised to see them in his kingdom, which is a point in favor of the 'Kris and Susie really are the heroes of the prophecy', but as we just established, his knowledge is far from absolute, and note his wording here: he deeply believes that Kris and Susie are the HEROES of the LEGEND.

But 'believes' and 'knows' are two very different things.

Regardless of that, we already saw that events in this game can go in multiple different ways depending on people's choices, so despite whoever the heroes of the legend were 'supposed' to be, they're Kris, Susie and Ralsei now.

And their fate is in their hands (and ours).

Though I do still have to wonder, what other things has Ralsei said that weren't true and we overlooked?

[animation-is-my-jam]

What are the chances of kerdly actually being canon? Lol

(Deltarune asks yessss) thank you@!@# um deltarune spoilers obv.

God, probably like 5 to 0 percent 😔. LOOK, I believe in the agenda, but unless Toby actually wants to have a comfimed end romance for any main characters (that isn't just obviously Susie and Noelle), then I don't think it could happen :(

vvvv

I believe an ambiguous Krusie, Kralsei, or even Krusielle route would be more likely than kerdly from the way that it's probably HOW we influence certain things as Kris it might affect like some status or affection with those characters, and yeah I mainly see that possibility because Noelle is literally so important and is on equal length to being one of the trio. But remember that apparently we get one ending (or if we can actually get multiple ones by the end by Gerson'ing up the prophecy). But even the idea of a Kris focused romantic route/interest by the end to make anything canon is very uncertain. And so where does that leave Kerdly? Some people call it nothing more than a meme ship or that we're not supposed to take it seriously. And WELL, THERE NOT WRONG IN A WAY. I think by how the story frames their relationship in chapter 3 and 4 that the idea is supposed to be laughable or even detestable to the average player. Some see it as the ultimate example of how we make Kris choose things they don't want, because why would Kris go to the festival with him? He's the annoying npc that we can literally put into a coma in another route. And well....hm I don't think that's the case entirely on why suddenly kerdly became more prominent in the game.

Of course, I would say that, being a fan of kerdly ever since the spamton sweepstakes dropped, but Idk. Kris doesn't hate Berdly. Like, I think that's obvious. We know they game together, and Kris has to get a kick out of pissing Berdly off by the way they interact in a chapter 2 normal route. Kris probably sees him as nothing more than a dork they can just ragebait. And from the vibes I got in chapter 4 with Noelle... maybe in a way, they're resentful to him for effectively taking their spot as her childhood friend after the Dess stuff. So there's baggage. But downright hatred is not correct. In snowgrave its clear they absolutely did not want to freeze Berdly and see everything as a mistake. On their own, they carry him to the hospital and can have the choice to warm him up (yes, I know that's something we can do but interesting that even just touching the heater, it doesn't give you a yes or no to do it Kris just does it). Actually, it's funny because people thought pre 3&4 that Kris would have just hid his body in the librarby closest jgjffgf. So, good, Kris doesn't hate him, but that doesn't exactly translate to romantic interest. But I will say that in the options of Berdly and the festival (when talking to ralsei or in the phone call with him), it's funny how Kris can just...not allow us to say them? We know if they really don't want us to say something, they will do what they can to stop us, and yeah, that probably takes them a lot of power to do so but still...if they really didn't want to imply anything with Berdly and the festival they could have just twisted their responses, for us not to get our way. They've done it before. So what does that mean? Well, I guess if you want to join us in our kerdly delusion, then maybe there's a chance Kris wouldn't outright hate the idea of genuinely going with Berdly, but...I don't know. Kris is getting more frustrated with the soul and their life, I don't think they want to focus on anything romantic for the time being, especially with the shit they're getting up to. So even if Kris had some secret fondness for Berdly, its probably not something they want to care about during the game or want the soul to interfere with. Because imagine them, if they actually did like Berdly how fucking angry would they be where they can't even have control over how they can interact with him. Where it's still that takeaway of agency and time.

But yeah again its still a long shot if that was the reading and analysis on them. Who knows if Kris can even go to the festival with Berdly, or if they do, it won't give the kerdly flock something wholesome. Like at most, I can see a comedic scene where Berdly finally gets a clue that susie and noelle wanted to go together, and he tries to then accept kris, but he's been terrible during his dumb lover competition that nope he'll get a comeuppance about it. Or maybe the ordeal with Berdly is something that unless you like Berdly it'll be a endurance to hang out with him so he won't try and ruin the suselle date (chapter 2 foreshadowing after the ferris wheel ride). Either way, the idea that we'll actually some #realkerdlymomemts is unlikely to me. Or hey, maybe I'm wrong. Tag me to tell me when I'm wrong when chapter 5 drops. Egg on my face if we get some actual development with those two.

[thechekhov]

Dungeon Meshi Quick Reacts

CH.30 (Good Medicine)

I kind of assumed that things would get worse from here...

...yeah, there's no 'but' to that. Getting Falin back so quick was too good to be true.

Aren't those the ghosts Falin talked to? They could be friendly.

"ee gads! a hairless little man!" I'd be frightened too if Chillchuck was suddenly behind a door I'd just opened.

Chillchuck, buddy, less than 24 hours ago you threw a knife directly into a dragon's eye. You can take care of some worgs, right?

Senshi's a card carrying member of the smells-okay-to-me-chief club.

Orcs be like 'oh, dragon's gone? Hm. Curious' and then just carry on. Wouldn't you be worried that something took out the dragon? Could be even more dangerous than the dragon itself.

I feel like at this point Falin might be just that.

MOUTH TO MOUTH RESUSCITATION!

Marcille, I don't think you have a lot of options.

......just realized those moose antlers are holding up her rack. Talk about a pushup bra. Damn. Respect.

Wait go back to that "create monsters to do their bidding" thing again. Was that the little mini dragons or does that include larger monsters like the dragon itself?!

OR something that was IN the dragon, controlling its actions and make it act irrationally? Is that why the Sorcerer wasn't surprised to see Falin as a separate thing outside the dragon? Was the assumption that whatever THING it was had escaped and become Falin?

And for all we know... it kinda had. It had merged with her spirit....

Or maybe I'm way off.

Congrats on the larger story plot! :D You're now in even more danger! Hoorah!

Chillchuck, a normal person would just go 'I'm leaving, pay me'. You're giving yourself away, worrying for them.

I can't hate him for the reasoning here. The deeper you go, the less likely you are to be found. The only person who cares enough about Marcille and Laios and Chillchuck to find their bodies are.... each other. So if they're dead here, they're likely dead-dead.

I want to nestle into her bosom and live there as a little creature.

Moreso than when she was literally in the gullet of a red dragon?! Come on, be reasonable. At least she's alive now. And remembers who she is.

Ooooh friendly ghosts. Makes sense why Falin was so chill about them.

All the more reason to believe there's something to be done!

Love the doggo yawning behind Chillchuck.

He's a coward, but being afraid isn't necessarily a sign of weakness. It's a sign that you realize how dangerous a situation is. Cowardice isn't stupidity, no more than ignorance of danger is bravery.. I think the orc leader is maybe realizing he's not doing it for completely selfish reasons. Mad respect to her though.

It WAS Falin, wasn't it? It wasn't as if it was a thing pretending to be her. She was there, and she was revived successfully, and then the soul confusion thing happened.

......damn. What a small holiday they got, before the next horrible thing happened...

hey, Marcille is not dumb! She's got loads of braincells! they're just all focused on doing evil stuff and being gay.

🎯

That's right! It's just like you, Chillchuck!

Was that... there before?

Oh, okay, no, it was. Hm.......

This stupid man is about to full a Falin and jump out a window to go look for her, isn't he.

Gods, this sucks for him so much. For all of them. Because they.... they WERE successful! They rescued Falin! They brought her back from the head! They DID that!

But now, instead of getting the reward of it, she's just gone. Is it better, because she's alive?

Or worse, because the threat is even more nebulous?

If they all died, would it be worth it?

who's the coward...? he's ready to go back.

For Falin, they went down there. They risked themselves.

For them, after talking to him only a bit, the orc leader went from 'hey, nice snack for my dog' to 'we're helping you get that girl back'.

It's about the CONNECTION!!! IT'S ABOUT HELPING EACH OTHER AFTER LEARNING TO UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER!!!

[dreamwritesimagines]

headcanons about The Morning After because I can't stop thinking about those two 😭❤️

Bucky woke up earlier but being the obsessed guy he is, stared at her (with lovesick eyes, obv) until she started rousing too. he was just staring and memorising her face from up close, running his fingers up and down her arms/backs/wherever he could reach

she snuggled closer to him and groaned lightly to delay waking up. he hugged her tighter to his chest

FOREHEAD KISSES! LOTS OF THEM!!!!!!

Alpine made an appearance in their bedroom but I think she won't be surprised at seeing Birdie there. she would probably be Happy 😋

she was surprised she actually slept more than three hours (I'm guessing 7-8 maybe?) and was horrified when she remembered she hasn't checked her phone in over 10hours! Bucky knows a losing fight so he lets her check it after they brush and wash their faces

doesn't let her work because "it's a sunday" and she gives in when he kisses her deeply to distract her (in my head he's gonna use that a lot to get her off work lmao)

HONEY OMG YOU'VE MADE MY DAY WITH THIS YOU'RE AMAZING?!!?🥰

I have so many ideas, I'm so inspired! 🩷

So I also think that Bucky definitely woke up first! Because like, he doesn't get tired 😏 and they were up all night so Birdie was veeeery tired😏

he hugged her tighter to his chest YOU ARE RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT! 🩷

I feel like that will be how they sleep all the time, like, Bucky needs to feel her even when they're asleep so he will be holding her tight 🥰

Forehead kisses yes! 🥰 Birdie will be melting! 😈

Asdfghjkl I'm dying at Alpine coming into the room, she would so do that! 🩷 And like, Bucky would be kissing Birdie and Alpine would literally jump on the bed to curl up on Birdie, and she would be giggling like,

"Oh my God, hi!"

"Are you serious?"

"I don't think she's gonna answer you, Bucky."

"Mrow?"

"I stand corrected."

"Alpine, out."

"She missed us last night! Right Alpine?"

"She can miss us a little more. Alpine, I said out."

Omg she would be shocked that she was away from her phone that long! 😂 And once she has it, she'd be like,

"I have like one thousand notifs."

"Nothing too important happened."

"How do you know?"

"Because we would have heard."

"Caleb is freaking out."

"Why?"

"Reasons. I might have to call him- actually I need to send like ten emails-"

"You know Sarah calls you an Ipad baby?"

"What? That's not true!"

"You're literally holding your phone right now."

"That doesn't prove anything."

Oh he's soooooo gonna kiss her to distract her from work! 😈 And like, Birdie will be trying sooo so hard to focus and go like,

"And we need to go over those pages for the veteran bill-"

"Mm hm."

"And then we're gonna-um...what was I saying?"

"That we shouldn't work today."

"Bucky!"

"Hm?"

"We're supposed to work at least just a little."

"Nope."

"You're a terrible boss."

"I disagree, I think I'm a great boss. I don't want you to overwork."

"Uh huh. And we can't go out..."

"We really can't."

"And we're not gonna work, so I think we have a secret third option?"

[stellasvault]

Hello!!!! Can I req hobie x innocent fem reader where hobie is spending the night at her place and and the reader randomly gets up in the middle of the night at like 3am and just literally leaves and goes to the store 😭 and hobie doesn't even know so he has a whole heart attack looking for her and when he eventually finds her he's like all mad and angry since she pulled a "stunt" and maybe he even makes her cry...but eventually makes her feel better....(sorry I just love torturing myself with sad things). Well if you do write this could it be like...hm i don't know how to explain this but things were "normal" then to angst and then to fluff or comfort idrk. I really look forward to reading stuff from you!! Very excited :) have a nice night.

stop this is actually so cute 😭 also i get the whole “torturing myself with sad things” so dw! hope u enjoy <3

❣️ don’t ever do that shit again!

parings: hobie brown x innocent!fem!reader

warnings: angst to comfort, sfw, hobie is a little mean in the middle lmao

—————————————————————————

you heard hobie hum in his sleep, a deep, soothing tone.

hobie couldn’t spend time without you. it was just as simple as that. so, what better way to keep you all to himself than stay the night at your place?

hobie was sprawled out on the queen-sized bed, his lips parted. his chest lifted with every relaxed breath, a steady rhythm.

you were simply observing him before you left to pick up some things from the 24/7 store. i mean, who doesn’t get midnight cravings? you were just going out for a few minutes, nothing to worry about.

you got out of your temporarily shared bed to put on a sweatshirt over your tank top, you knew to expect the rush of cold air when you went outside. leaving your bedroom, you reached for your apartment keys, knowing the store was just around the corner.

you laughed to yourself when you remembered what happened last time you went to the corner store. hobie had stole borrowed some blueberry jam, thinking it was your favorite spread, but returned it the second you found out your favorite spread was nutella. you bit your lip to keep from waking up your boyfriend, remembering the shock and regret on his face when you had said the news.

the door clicked as you locked it as down the stairs you went, on your way to the store to get some late-night snacks.

you had no idea the panic that would set in soon after.

—————————————————————————

hobie tossed and turned on his stomach in his half-awaken form, expecting a body to stop him from rolling off the bed.

his body instead fully rolled over, as he found himself now on his back, dumbfounded.

he immediately shot up, his ears ringing. what happened? did someone kidnap you and he was to busy sleeping to notice?

all the worst possibilities and situations ran through his head, each one getting even worse and more gruesome. he finally threw the bed covers of his body, only wearing a dark blue crop top and his boxers. he jumped off his side of the bed, frantic.

he briefly put on a random pair of sweatpants he found on the floor, not sure if it was yours or his. but at moment it didn’t matter, all that mattered in his mind was you.

“bloody fuckin’ hell..” he muttered to himself in fear, thinking about where on earth you could’ve disappeared to. he finally decided on running around town, every single corner of it. he didn’t even think of calling you on your cell. after all, you probably didn’t even have access to it since you randomly disappeared during the dead of night, right?

he was 100% false.

while hobie was running around the neighborhood looking like a lunatic, you were humming a tune to yourself as you browsed through different chips on the store shelf. so maybe you had spend a while looking at snacks, so what? there were a lot of options!

a sudden ding! sound rang in your ears, signaling another customer had entered the shop. this didn’t concern you in the slightest, as you resumed humming, oblivious to the fact that hobie was next to the snacks and chips aisle, making his way towards you.

“oh fuck, there you are!” his voice louder with each word, walking quickly towards you.

“hobie, what are you-“ you were cut off with an angry outburst.

“what were you even thinking? he whispered through his teeth, his hand gripping your forearm.

“oh, i was just hungry!” you explained happily, showing off your snacks.

he sighed as his grip on your forearm tightened, pulling you toward the front of the store to pay.

“go on.” hobie nodded almost silently. you paid for the food quietly, saying a ‘thank you’ to the employee before hobie pulled you away outside and letting you having.

“i can’t believe you?! are you fucking serious? do you know how dangerous it is at night? i was worried SICK.” he shouted angrily, moving his hands around frantically. “you really don’t realize how careless you can be, do you?”

you went silent, shocked at his sudden outburst. “i’m sorry..” was all you could let out. you could feel the tears stinging your eyes. a lump formed in your throat as you tried to hold back the sob that was beckoning forward. you knew if you didn’t walk away soon you would burst into tears, deciding to briskly walk past hobie in the direction towards your apartment.

hobie stiffened as you walked away. “hey! where d’ya think you’re going?” he shouted to you, but you stayed silent. if you even let one sound out, you were going to let all hell break loose.

hobie sighed before he swiftly walked back to you. “look, love. i was just upset, i swear i didn’t mean none of tha’” he explained with an almost silent voice.

you shook your head. “i get it. i shouldn’t have went out without telling you.” you looked over at him to see his face illuminated by the moonlight. you noticed you had arrived at the apartment.

“no.” hobie simply said, putting both hands on either one of your shoulders. you turned your head up to look at him, his expression filled with sincerity. “you know i didn’t mean a single word i said, right?” he asked, his voice in a higher pitch than usual. he couldn’t lose you. he wouldn’t lose you.

you stayed silent, unable to answer. you simply had nothing good to say. you had thought he meant every word, but his apology had made you doubt your thoughts.

“you’re amazing, love. don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise, yeah?” he tilted your chin up to look at him, his voice dripping with guilt. “load of shit, what i said. you’re perfect.” he smiled at the last word before planting a long kiss on your forehead, his lip ring cooling your skin.

you chuckled lightly before giving him a small smile, looking up at him.

“i think you’re pretty perfect too, hobie,” you giggled, “now let’s head to bed, i’m finished.”

—————————————————————————

this isn’t my best work i’m so sorry 😭 but i had a lot of fun writing the angst, i’ve never really wrote it at all :)

thanks for reading!! ⭐️

•🍡🍡🍡

[scrubbinn]

In Stars and Systems: Myriad thinking

Prev - Chapter select - Next

Odile 42 days after the King’s defeat (Loop 7)

“And you’re sure that’s everything?”

Siffrin- no not Siffrin, Mal du Pays nods to you. You have it resting on your bed right now. It's content for now, but still tired and traumatized. You sigh and rub your forehead, its writing was difficult to parse, and it refuses to talk. You had to read out everything that happened in all the previous loops, occasionally stopping to confirm a poorly written sentence, or missing piece of information. Teaching Mal du Pays sign language could prove useful. No that's not what's important right now. 

Organize your thoughts. What do we know? Siffrin, or in this case, Mal Du Pays, is currently unable to move due to craft fatigue. It's unknown if it can loop on such low energy.

The innkeeper, Halley, is currently trying to kill you and everyone else. Worse yet, they seem to follow Siffrin between loops. They're transfixed on hurting Siffrin, but it's clear they don’t care who they target. All that matters to them is fulfilling the revenge fantasy. They must be losing their mind from madness and exhaustion.

Lastly, Siffrin has been hiding a dissociative disorder from everyone for over a month now. You're lucky you thought to take that medical journal with you from the house.

It's also being vague with certain points. That final death was completely glossed over in particular. Whether it's memory loss or hiding something, you can't say right now.

With that all in mind, the first talking point should be…

“So…. What exactly are we planning to do about Halley?”

Isabeau is as curt as ever. If it were up to you, you'd strike them in the back of the head and leave them for dead, but there's a few issues with that. Most importantly…

“We can't deal with Halley without stopping the bomb they have access to. Though it’s difficult to parse exactly what it is.”

“Well, I didn't understand a lot of what Sif was talking, er writing about, but it sounds like they're using flour to make a dust explosion.”

You raise an eyebrow. Siffrin told you about a loop where Isabeau knew how to build a bomb. Did he train to be some kind of demolition expert?

“If you have a lot of flour dust in the air, it'll cause a fire from just a spark! Something about trapping a lot of air in the dust. I took a field trip to a flour mill at school once, they have to be extremely careful about a fire starting. We watched a demonstration and it was pretty loud. My ears were ringing for hours after that.”

“And how would one go about disarming it?”

“Well in this case, we'd have to clear the air. Either blowing out the dust or soaking the room.”

“Hm. I suppose we could lure them out of the kitchen, we have the open phrase. But baiting them out will be difficult.”

It would be simple actually. You already have the perfect bait. Halley would hunt down Siffrin after enough time has passed. You and Isabeau could take them out after arriving, but they'd need only one clean hit on Mal du Pays to trigger another loop. Then again you aren't sure if it even has enough energy to loop. Even if they did, it’s still not an option. Over your dead body will you let anyone here get hurt.

“I'd like to solve the issue of poison next. There’s an apothecary in town. Mirabelle and I can ask if there's a potential antidote for whatever this poison is. Meanwhile you can stay here and protect Boniface and Mal du Pays.”

Isabeau nods… but seems a little confused. It's clear as crystal what they want to say. Gems, how did Siffrin never notice his feelings with a face even more telling than an open book.

“Is there something you want to ask, Isabeau? We're all in grave danger, but if you need to get something off your chest, I’ll allow it this time.”

“Well. No. It's not that big of a deal. It's just… we don't need to-

You glare daggers into him.

“AH! IT'S JUST… You keep calling Siffrin, Mal du Pays, but that's like… a mask right? Or like sif changing himself into a new person, like me!... right?”

Mal du Pays tucks itself further in your bed. It pulls the blanket closer to hide itself and stares at him in anger. It won't explain anything as long as it refuses to talk. You'll have to be the one to talk for it. Gems Alive, you are not prepared for this. Who you wouldn't kill for a cup of coffee right now.

To your surprise, Mal du Pays speaks. No, not Mal du Pays. There's some subtle differences in posture and facial expression. Interesting.

“Um, sorry... Mal had to leave... It's Siffrin now.”

“Sif?”

Isabeau looks cheerful, but still confused. The look Siffrin is giving… It's haunting.

“Is… that how you felt… when you met Loop… Isa?”

“Huh? I- sorry! I can’t really tell you what past me was thinking, or what the situation was like. I guess I'm not getting it, huh?"

“How are you feeling right now Siffrin? Do you need anything?”

Siffrin can only whine in pain and wraps the blanket around themself tighter. His chronic pain must be worse than what Mal du Pays described. Looks like you'll have to lead the conversation after all.

“I suppose we have some time to have a quick conversation on D.I.D.”

They both look at you with confusion. Of course. Your search has proven that Vaugarde holds very little information on the topic. You'd be in the dark too if not for the Ka Buan journal you found. 

“Dissociative identity disorder. A condition that can form in the mind of a young individual. Manifesting in the form of multiple different identities or inner voices. The current theory is that it forms sometime in childhood, and typically due to trauma. It will often hide itself from those around them, or even to those with the disorder.”

Siffrin speaks to you though pained breaths. “...no. that… can't be what I have… sure, Mal is… a part of me. but Loop is a real person… they're here because I wished for it.”

“You mean wish craft? A possibility, sure, but I doubt it. From what Loop explained, and my own research, wish craft merely gives you the tools to achieve a goal. It can't grant the wish on its own. You mentioned trying to use wish craft before Isabeau found you passed out, correct?”

“yeah… I thought I didn't finish it… but Loop showed up anyway… I just wanted… to see them again… It worked… right?”

“I don’t want to come off as ignorant, but I don’t think that’s what happened. Wish craft shouldn’t function like that. For instance, let's say your wish had succeeded. It's more likely the wish would grant you something like an expert ability to track people. Or a radar sense that’d always tell you when Loop is near. It'd be strange if the solution was to place Loop directly into your brain.”

“…So why are they in my brain?”

“The book mentioned something called… hm, the translation is difficult. Typically, a new identity forms its own shape, name, and personality to fit a called upon role. But sometimes, that process can pull from a fictional or factual identity instead. Loop helped you throughout your entire journey to escape your wish, correct? It's possible your mind couldn't handle the sudden loss and created a copy to continue helping you. Bear in mind, this is just a theory, I'm by no means an expert on the subject. 

“...So you think Loop's... not even a real person?”

“Whether it's actually the same star or not, is I think, irrelevant. We should still treat them and any other inner voice of yours with the respect you would for any unique person. That goes for the both of you.”

“Yes, M'dame.”

“Siffrin?”

“Ok…”

“Any other questions in the meantime?”

���Mind if I see the book you mentioned? I wanna read it so I can get a better idea of what this sort of thing is like. I'm sure Sif wouldn't mind reading it too.”

“Can either of you read Ka Buan?”

They both shake their heads.

“I know a little bit. We get taught basic phrases as part of defender training. But definitely not enough to call myself fluent, much less literate.” 

“The medical journal I found in Dormant's house was written entirely in Ka Buan”

“Was the translated copy already checked out? Usually a house has both the original text and a copy in vaugardian.” 

“An excellent question Isabeau. But the answer is no. There was no translated copy of this text. Mind you this wasn't a recent donation either. A healer purchased the book a few months before the King attacked, looking for any new medical developments found in Ka Bua. It seems they found nothing worth documenting.”

“Huh? That's weird. Why would they think that?”

“That's what I asked the head librarian. They mentioned that most of the information was already documented in other medical texts within the house. And the rest, being what our dear Siffrin is facing, was deemed unnecessary.”

Siffrin looks like they're about to cry. Feeling isolated with issues no one can help with. It must be reopening the fresh wounds of the loops. Isabeau seems confused. Understandable, it must feel odd that Dormont, and possibly all of Vaugarde, wouldn't care about this.

“I have a theory on why actually. Specifically, why this condition seems so confusing to you Isabeau, and why Dormont wouldn't feel the need for documenting it. In my travels through Vaugarde. The thing that always stuck me was the willingness to change. It is the largest belief in the country. You all have multiple names. There's constant encouragement to change oneself multiple times throughout a life. One such way is changing your personality. I doubt there's any malicious intent on silencing people like Siffrin. But in an environment and culture like this... it would be seen as so normal that to call it a disorder would be heretical. It’s the sort of thing that could end up completely invisible.”

“Is it a rare thing? Like there's a lot of diseases and super rare issues that sometimes even healers don't know about.”

“Well the journal mentions it affects about 1 in 100 people.”

“Of Ka Buan citizens?”

“Of the world population.”

“ONE PERCENT OF THE WHOLE WORLD?!?!!!”

“Isabeau! Be quiet! Or do you plan to wake up our killer early?” 

“Sorry, sorry. But, that can't be right! Something that common would have to be more well known!”

“As I said before, it's an easy disorder to hide from others and even the one affected by it. I'm sure other countries also have a difficult time identifying it; no culture is perfect. But the problem is that besides a few chapters of a book, we'll be completely in the dark on how to handle this new side of Siffrin.”

Siffrin shifts back. He's trying to make himself as small as possible. You'd like to ask how he's doing but, you've never learned the right words for this sort of thing. 

“So I'm going to be stuck like this forever? Is there some kind of cure?”

“...Do you want to cure it, Siffrin?”

“No… But I ended up hurting everyone again. And…and…” 

Tears well up in Siffrin's good eye. They hide their face with a pillow. This must be a lot for them. Having to share a body, knowing that sometimes you will not always be you. Thoughts and actions that you now realize aren’t your own, and that whatever is happening isn’t something you can just easily fix. Add every other diagnosis the house gave… You can’t even begin to imagine what it might be like. If only you could understand how he thought sometimes. 

You all stand around for a while, none of you know how to help Siffrin... You should probably leave and talk with Mirabelle, but to your surprise, Isabeau steps next to the bed. He waits for Siffrin to lower the tear stained pillow, his puffy eyes look down on the ground. The only thing for you to do is hand him a tissue box and wait.

“Sif. Pal. Buddy… Look. I still don't understand everything. But I know for a fact you don't have to change if it's something you don't want to do. If you're comfortable with this, then we can work through this together. I'm here for you, and so is everyone else!"

"And hey! Based on what you- The other you wrote, Loop and I got along great! I'm excited to meet everyone else! Honest!”

Siffrin can only sit back in bed. It's clear how much he doesn't want to cry in front of others. At least they can form a small smile after Isabeau's pep talk. But the best thing you can do right now is leave. You have other places to be after all. Siffrin will have to go through this all over again when they can finally explain themself to the others. At least now with Isabeau, he'll be more prepared. 

What about the other identities? Loop is an unknown, and Mal du Pays ended up attacking you earlier in the night. No, that's not really the problem though, is it? There's three of them, for now. You didn't mention it because it'd only stress Siffrin out even more. But if this is D.I.D, then their brain has already grown accustomed to creating new personas in order to deal with traumatic incidents. There's a likely possibility for more identities to appear alongside your journey. That sort of thought could send them spiraling. No, best to keep it secret for now, you can explain it better once you've dealt with the current situation.

“Alright, Isabeau. I'll be sending Boniface here for you to protect. Do not open this door unless you hear their or my voice and we knock specifically six times. If you smell smoke or expressions forbid, the bomb goes off. You will find a way to climb out the window with everyone. Understood?”

“Will do M'dame. You have my word; I'll protect everyone. But what about you?”

“As I mentioned before. Mirabelle and I will look into an antidote for the poison, and after that we can deal with the dust explosion too. Stay safe in the meantime. Please.”

“We will. I can promise you that.”

You'd like to stay here, feet planted on the ground. Every single part of you wants to stay; Making sure everyone in front of you is safe, happy… Ha. You really are getting old aren't you. You can tend to them later. For now, you have to put your trust into them.

The door clasps softly behind you as you cross the hallway. Mirabelle and Boniface’s room is only a few steps away, yet those five footsteps feel as though they take forever. You did your best to seem in control but reality is much too cruel. There’s still so many variables that could go wrong at any moment. Who knows what Halley could be thinking. While all of you are resetting and predictable, Halley will only grow stronger with each loop. There's nothing stopping them from detonating this inn over and over. They have no reason not to kill any of you. 

Calm yourself Sachiko, you have to stay strong. But the dark dusty hallway don't give you any confidence. Heh, it reminds you of the haunted manor you, Mirabelle, and Isabeau had to travel through for the third orb. Isabeau was so scared of every cobweb. Meanwhile, you couldn’t care less about the variety of spiders living within its walls. How the tables have turned. The second the danger becomes anything serious, Isabeau transforms into someone braver than anyone you've ever met. And you… It’s not like you’re too scared to do anything. But you can’t stop worrying about the others, especially poor Boniface. You've been lucky with keeping them away from the dangers of saving the world. But how much longer can you keep them safe? No. Not the time to worry about that, focus on the task at hand. Don't let stray thoughts distract you.

You softly turn the unlocked door handle. Knocking could alert them, you can’t risk any noise right now, but the door frame still squeaks loudly no matter how gently you push. Inside the room, Boniface is pretending to sleep while Mirabelle is resting with a fearful expression. She seems to be having a nightmare. You pat them both awake.

“Madam Odile? What… what's going on?”

“Shh. Mirabelle, I'd like you to accompany me to an apothecary. Boniface, I need to stay in my room for a while with Siffrin and Isabeau.”

“Huh? Why do I gotta stay there?”

“...Siffrin is feeling sick. I need you and Isabeau to keep him company. Think you’re up to the task, little one?”

“Huh? Yeah! Course!” 

They seem happy with the idea that this is some important mission only they can do. Mirabelle is still confused, but you need to keep her in the dark as much as possible. At least until to make it out of the inn first, then you can explain everything.

After some time, Boniface has entered your room, making sure to knock six times. It takes a while longer for Mira to finish dressing for the cold. 

“So will you tell me what’s going on now?”

“Only when we’ve left. Please trust me on this.”

“...This is something serious isn't it? Something to do with Siffrin… Ok, I'll trust you, Madam.”

The stairs groan and creak as you make your way down to the front entrance. Please, you're so close… the door behind the counter unlatches. Of course this couldn't be so easy. Best to prepare yourself for the worst. They block your path at the bottom of the stairs. Even when you're two steps above them they still match you in height. You scowl at them, no need to change that, it's how you greet anyone being obstructive.

“Can I help you with something, Mx.Halley?” Unlike Mal du Pays, you actually read the plaque on the front desk.

“I'm just curious where you two are going at this time of night. I'm currently out taking care of some chores before more potential guests arrive tomorrow.” 

How much can you give away? No, it's not how much you can say. It's if you say anything at all. They're testing you, seeing if Mal du Pays spilled the secret cat and mouse game happening right under your nose. If you slip up once, they'll set off the dust explosion and everything will be over. Starting a battle is too risky, not while you're so close to the kitchen… You decide to stay silent.

“Well, Madam Odile said Siffrin was feeling under the weather. So we're traveling to an apothecary to get something for them.”

“Oh no. That's tragic. You know I might have something for them. What sort of condition are they in?”

This is disgusting. You're stuck staring at the dimples forming under their cheeks. They can't even stop themself from smiling. You do your best to give off an emotion of confusion and slight discomfort. Nothing too obvious… Hm? As you try to look anywhere other than their face, you notice their hair is short, it looks recently cut. It reminds you of the old Ka Buan tradition of cutting tied hair. A symbol of becoming a different person. The idea that they would defile such an ancient practice with their homicide is... You're taking too long. Answer them and move on.

“Siffrin's chronic pain. It's not something he likes to talk about with others, so we'd appreciate it if you didn’t pry. Besides, we're looking for a large amount we can take with us for traveling.”

Mira looks at you in confusion. She hasn't heard about Siffrin experiencing anything like that, at least not this loop. To be fair to her, you had to grill Mal du Pays to write about it when you noticed a few gaps in the story it wrote.

“Alright, You don't have to worry. I won't pry. The apothecary is just outside of town, close to the woods. It's pretty much northwest from the door. Oh before you go though. Would either of you like a cup of coffee? I already have some brewed.”

You almost refuse immediately but you stop yourself. You asked for coffee last time. What would you have said on that loop? The circumstances must be different enough for you to refuse now. You can always use Siffrin's pain as an excuse to leave, time is of the essence. But the fact you've talked with Siffrin at all might already make them paranoid enough to… No, that's not what this is about. The logical and consistent answer isn't what they're looking for. They're looking for whatever answer makes them feel safe. You aren't sure what they might do if you upset that safety. Risk the others, or placate your killer…

“No thanks, I'll be going back to bed after this. What about you Madam?”

“A cup of coffee would be lovely.” 

You smile at them. The choice was obvious. You'd drink poison a hundred times as long as it kept everyone safe. But you aren't like Siffrin, you don't plan on dying. You'll only need to reach the apothecary as fast as possible.

It doesn't take them long to return with the scythe pressed against your neck. The cup looks fine. You take it, thank them, and down it in an instant. The taste is just alright, but it's unfiltered. Vaugardian pressed coffee always tasted off to you. The grounds constantly making their way into the bottom of the cup. Isabeau mentioned that you're not supposed to drink the last sip. Another fascinating difference in culture. But also irrelevant right now.

“Thank you for the cup, but we must be going. We don't want to keep Siffrin waiting for too long.”

“Of course! Stay safe!”

You do your best to remain calm despite the circumstances. Even as the inn fades into the snowy distance, you keep an even pace. It's only until Mirabelle tries to speak that you let down your mask and force yourself gag. 

“Excuse me, Ma- MADAM ODILE!? ARE YOU OK?!”

She casts healing craft on you while you can only stare down at the melting hole in the snow. You can see blood mixed in with the other liquids. 

“Let's keep moving Mirabelle, I don’t know how stable I’ll be in the next few minutes, we need to reach the apothecary quickly.”

The road is barely paved, not that you could tell with all the snow freezing your legs. It's getting harder and harder to focus with each minute that passes. Your attempts to purge the poison might have bought you time, but whatever this stuff is, it clings to your insides. It’s getting harder to think and move your body. Legs keep pressing on, but it feels like you’re wading through hardening glue. The paralysis reminds you of the inn floorboards, creaking and groaning. Thoughts are swimming around your head; it’s impossible to hold them all back. You don’t even notice the smoke of a nearby house until Mirabelle grabs your arm and drags you towards it.

You're surprised Halley would give you correct instructions on reaching your destination. Though it isn't like you trusted them in the first place. You'd already memorized the location in case Siffrin or Mirabelle needed to refill any medication. Now's not the time to thank your fortune yet.

You bang on the door. Mirabelle has been asking you a hundred different questions but it's hard to understand her. You focus is locked solely on what you'll say when that door opens. From a window you see a light flicker on, you feel your stomach soothe a bit more as Mirabelle heals you some more. You take a deep breath as the door opens.

His beard was well groomed, that was your first strained thought seeing him. A short bearded man about your age. He looks like he couldn't hurt a fly. Wait, come on focus! What's he saying to you?

“Criminy crackers! Do you know what time-

“I've been poisoned by something in my coffee, purging my stomach contents seems to have only slowed the effects, it's tasteless and powdery, and causes bleeding. I believe it's made from a small plant.”

Gems, you forgot to ask Mal du Pays for details on the plant. But the look the healer gives tells you it was enough.

“Hurry! Hurry! Both of you come inside. I'll get the antidote straight away!”

The interior is cozy. Dried herbs and box gardens hang from every inch of the ceiling, except near the fireplace. You didn't realize how cold you were until you started feeling your finger tips again. Mirabelle walks you to a soft chair by the fire. There's a child staring at you from behind a far off door frame. You'd rather not scare them, best to choose your words carefully, after all, now you can focus on Mirabelle.

“Ok! Madam! What the crab is going on!”

“Apologies, I didn't mean to keep you in the dark for so long. To make a very long story short, it would seem the innkeeper has been targeting us repeatedly. They have a deep grudge with us, and especially against Siffrin.”

“.......How many times. How many more times has Siffrin suffered?”

“This would be Siffrin's sixth loop? They seemed unsure about the exact number.”

The healer returns with a glass of water and a tablet. You swallow both of them in one smooth motion. The water tastes vile, something must be mixed into it. But your stomach isn't in pain anymore so who are you to complain. You decide to take a moment to… rest. It feels like you haven't had the chance to do that for months. Maybe ever since you arrived in Vauguarde. Always something to worry about. Which reminds you of what might be happening at the inn. Rest will have to wait. 

“Thank you healer, you wouldn't happen to have more of that antidote, would you? It's important.”

“Of course, I need to keep as much of it stocked up as possible.”

“Really? Would you mind telling me about the plant I was poisoned with?” 

“It's a strange flower that's for sure. Grave tenders is what the other villagers tend to call it. I call it a nasty weed. They grow everywhere, end up killing small critters who chew on their leaves, and turning the corpses into fertilizer. A long time ago the people of Voiralters used a tiny amount of the toxin as a sleep aid, but too much of it can paralyze you and cause the stomach to bleed. It's a nasty drug. We have better alternatives now, so the only things grave tenders do now is get eaten by pets and kids who need to go back to bed!” he looks at the child who quickly shuts the door to what is probably a bedroom.

“Seems dangerous to leave such a dangerous plant around? Is it hard to get rid of?”

“I cull most of it as part of my job, but removing all of it could potentially damage the ecosystem. We make sure kids know not to eat it… Recently though... I overheard you mention something about Halley the innkeeper?”

“Yes, do you know something about them?”

“Good person, that Halley. I've never met someone with such a balance of kindness and sadness in their heart. They've been having sleeping problems since we were unfrozen in time. The normal sleep aids weren't cutting it. So I showed them the steps to making the grave tender powder. He seemed to get better. Told me about some funny dreams they had from it. Although if I'm being honest, it gave me a headache. But, like all poisons, the body builds up an immunity eventually, and it stopped working. I was careful in warning them to never ever take too much. You should only ever consume a little powder, never a whole leaf or change forbid the whole plant. Did some get spilled in your drink?”

“Something like that.”

“I'll have to keep them from the forest then. Even if it's an accident, you nearly died from it. Can't trust them anymore with it if they're going to be so careless. Can I get you anything for the trouble? A cup of tea perhaps?”

Mirabelle speaks up. That reminds you, you should thank her later. Without her healing, you wouldn't have made it all this way.

“Thank you but we need to get back to the inn. Although if you have any pain medication for chronic pain, it would be helpful too.”

“I'll mix up something for you to pick up tomorrow evening. But for now, I'll get some more of that antidote.”

As soon as he left, Mirabelle continued the conversation.

“Please tell me everything Madam. Will the others be ok?”

Gems, where do you start? Do you keep out Siffrin's multiple personalities? What do you even say…

“We can talk on the way back, Mirabelle. It’s going to be a very long story.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prev - Chapter select - Next

AAAAAAAAAAAAA You have no idea how slow this week has felt! I've wanted to post this so much! I finished this when Chapter 7 was posted! Sif has already finished Chapter 9! I really just want to start working on Act 2 already but I know we should stick to a weekly schedule because we'll get so burnt out if we don't take breaks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next week!

Also fun fact. If you've never heard of a dust explosion before. Look up "the great mill disaster"

-💗Mayday

[archivalofsins]

What do you think a Trial 1 Innocent Mahiru would be like?

I know this is going to be short but if anyone wants to know what a trial one innocent Mahiru would look like they just have to look at Mu. I was discussing this in a server I'm in but there are three choices when it comes to the prisoners verdicts,

Say nothing (Don't engage. Leave them be.) Guilty/Don't Forgive (Reject, Restrict, Restrain.) Innocent/Forgive (Accept, Affirm, Allow.)

Due to the ways in which the audience choose to engage with Milgram there are a lot of possible paths that are for lack of a better term lost to us now. For instance we never got to find out what would happen if Es just shut the hell up and didn't give a judgment on certain prisoners as they were told to do by many prisoners.

I think that we will be seeing the aftermath of enabling certain characters behavior twice in a row more clearly once the commencement notice drops.

Since as we saw trial one the Innocent/Forgive verdict doesn't just give the character leniency and show mercy too them but validates if not outright states to them that the behavior that led to that predicament is okay.

We saw this with Haruka,

"It is. I felt uneasy about it this whole time… Someone as worthless as me having killed someone to gain attention, and a person who surely had more worth and more of a future than me, at that…" … "But it turns out that I did nothing wrong after all! It wasn't wrong of me to kill her! There was never anything for me to worry about…!"

Mu,

"…um… um, by the way Warden-san! I don't know about this, but…" What? "You forgave me because I'd only given the bullies their just desserts, right?" … Well… I guess so. "What was it called again… Revenge… Revenge? That means revenge is an acceptable motive, right? So if you don't forgive me this time, that'd mean that it isn't." … "Leaving behind all that stuff you said about me possibly having been a bully myself- not that any of that's true, of course!" Sure. "So, if I'd gotten payback for how my bullies treated me, then that'd count as revenge, right? And if you believe that was my only option, then don't you have to forgive me?" …uh… I'm not really sure what you're trying to say… "You see~, if you think that me bullying someone back after being bullied is the natural course of action, then wouldn't it be bad to bully me back in return?" … "But if you were like, "I won't forgive you Muu! Revenge is bad!" then wouldn't that imply that it's also bad for me to bully someone back after they bullied me?"

Mu you said it was okay for me to bully people who bullied me when you voted me innocent first trial. If you had said you didn't forgive me then you'd have said that revenge is bad. Yet, the fact is you forgave me so revenge is good so it's acceptable for me to bully people who have bullied me. You're verdict said that is the correct course of action so if you bully me now then you'll deserve exactly what happens after that right?

"If you want to betray from jealousy- You know what’s gonna happen ON YOU."/ "Is this fun for you? Tying me up, bullying me, watching me suffer. You’re just like the others, getting mad because I was lucky in life and thinking you can treat me however you want."

and Kotoko through her attacks on the prisoners.

However in the case of Yuno, Shidou, and Kazui their responses to their verdicts were treated as vague. In Shidou's case his response to his verdict wasn't really that vague. He just did what he said he'd do if he was forgiven continue what he was doing regardless of how meaningless it was.

Kotoko's attacks allowed Shidou to showcase how he hadn't changed one bit as he weighed lives against each other. Deciding who was salvageable and who was a lost cause,

It's been a while, Shidou. "Orbital floor fracture on the right." Hm? "Traumatic retinal detachment. Bruising. Lacerations. Partial fracture of the thorax." ... "This is Kajiyama-kun's present condition." Futa's...

"“Throw down”, someone’s value cannot be the same as another. “Throw down” should choose between superiority or inferiority."

23/10/24 (Shidou’s Birthday)

Mahiru: You have a family right, Shidou-san……? How does it feel, being married, having kids……? Shidou: ……yeah, it’s a wonderful thing. Children…… yeah. They really are hope for the future. When you have your own, suddenly it becomes fun growing old. Since as you grow older, you get to see them grow up. Mahiru: Ah…… how lovely. It was always my dream to become a bride. Though maybe that seems a bit out-dated. I wish it could’ve come true…… Shidou: It isn’t too late. I’m going to make sure you live. So let’s get out of here, and you make your wish come true. ……you still have so much to live for.

"You don’t even know yet, and yet... Killing, extracting, I still won’t see them again I need to be tagged as RED."

Shidou's Aesculapius

Shiina-kun's is even worse. Head lacerations. Bruising all over her body. A sprained neck. Fractured ribs. Further fracturing to the left arm. And furthermore... This may be outside my profession, but her mental health is deteriorating as well."

"So this is unpleasant, so this makes me sick- What do you mean INNOCENT"

"If this is my punishment. Now I see, this world is cruel and merciless."

"“Throw down” it’s ok, that’s enough Can’t stay away Please don’t forgive me. That’s why I want this to end."

"I’m still guilty even if the morning comes."/"No thank you, it’s none of your concern."

"[Cackling] Not dead... yeah she's definitely not dead... I finally understand the value of what I've been robbing people of."

"To keep you alive, you are still living."/ "Killing, extracting, I still won’t see them again."

"Lying, replacing with hope."/ "The correct answer, I don’t yet know, but there are lives that need safeguarding."

noun 1a : pass, safe-conduct b: convoy, escort 2a: a precautionary measure, stipulation, or device b: a technical contrivance to prevent accident safeguard verb safeguarded; safeguarding; safeguards transitive verb 1: to provide a safeguard for 2: to make safe : protect

24/09/02 (Yuno’s Birthday)

Shidou: Thank you for your assistance with Shiina-kun’s treatment. It’s been a big help having you here. Both for her and for me. It’s good to know that even if something happens to me, you’ll still be around. Yuno: No way. I can’t do anything on my own. All I’m doing is helping with whatever you’re doing. It’s just like playing pretend as a nurse. Shidou: No, you’ve got a good sense for things like this. You’re quick to notice things, calm, and fearless. If you haven’t decided what you want to be in the future, maybe you should consider becoming a doctor yourself. Yuno: You think so? ……haha, stop it. I don’t want to be thinking about the future right now. And for someone like me to have other people’s lives in my hands…… that’s no laughing matter.

Honestly the audience is lucky they only managed to recreate three of the prisoners crimes. We could've gone ten for ten-

23/05/15 (Interrogation Start: Shidou and Mahiru)

Jackalope: Prisoner 05, Shidou Prisoner 06, Mahiru. The interrogations for these two will now be held. Just leave your questions in the comments here. Ask whatever you want to know. This is where you show off your skills as a prison guard. ……hmmm. These two have now totally slipped into the roles of doctor and patient huh. It probably isn’t a good time to be getting interrogated for them…… but, well, it’s the rule.

Let's give the guy in here for malpractice another patient he definitely wouldn't do the same thing again,

"“Throw down” it’s ok, that’s enough. Can’t stay away."

He definitely would not take advantage of another person having a medical emergency. He did not have a documented history of doing anything like that to other people's family. Definitely not.

"Hey, you remember what it feels like? The feeling to take away in order to give."

Shidou began focusing all his energy into recreating the dynamic of doctor and patient that led to the crimes he committed to be here in the first place.

Once again over tending to his plants until they died,

Smothering them with care the same exact way the prisoner paired with him smothered others with her affection. Showing no regard for how her feelings and the way she expressed them impacted those around her,

"My emotions are out of control, that’s inconvenient? I don’t care! Tell me, oh tell me why, won’t you just accept me?"

Somehow creating what could possibly be most the fitting end for both of these characters their interaction leading to their mutual destruction.

Though that's just what I believe happened. Hell maybe he had nothing to do with it. I have no attachment to any of these characters leaving here with a stellar reputation regardless of how they leave if at all. But what does this have to do with Mahiru being innocent trial one?

I'm building a bit of a case study on how the innocent verdicts have impacted the prisoners in order to attempt t to deduce what trial one innocent would look like for Mahiru.

Given the hints from Mahiru's first voice drama and the focus on reciprocity. I've stated in that same server that she would have more than likely become more open about her behavior in order to reciprocate Es' kindness. She says it herself in This Is How To Be In Love With You,

"I’m going to start relying on you if you’re kind to me, so please forgive me, thanks!”

In her second voice drama Mahiru would have more than likely begun venting to Es about her relationships. We would have heard contradictory factors about the person she's been with. This would have alluded to what This Is How To Be In Love With You and I Love You alludes to that Mahiru was seeing multiple people.

This is alluded to in This Is How To Be In Love With You through her myriad of outfit changes, the changes in the interests of the people she's going to see, the fact that out of all those pictures we only see this guy once and it's his arm.

These statements,

Q.03 Have you ever cheated on someone? Mahiru: Of course not! How could you ever cheat on someone!? Right!? Q.05 Who do you dislike most out of the other prisoners? Mahiru: Futa-kun is a bully, so definitely out! Also Mikoto is pretty flippant, he kinda seems like the type who’d cheat~

There is no reason for anyone to bring up cheating this often or for these questions to be chosen if they didn't show tell us something about the characters being asked the question. Then in I Love You,

"Saying I love you but doing what I did, I know I have no right, crossed and covered in sin."

We'd probably get to see when she began to have relationships like that. She'd start trying to give Es love advice, tips on how to better communicate with the other prisoners, start asking if their was anyone they'd fallen in love with yet. Probably assume it was Mu since she was innocent.

Her second trial song would have probably focused on finally getting the acceptance she felt she deserved and finding understanding. The stalker thing would still be mentioned and she would possibly be confused or brush it off like well of course you want to know everything about the people you're with it's the same as how you are with all of us right. You want to know us in and out because you care about all of us right that's love too?

Ultimately Mahiru as a character embodies the states of love. So, we'd probably shift to another form of love like with agape, eros, storge, philia as she would try to teach Es the concept in hopes of them better understanding and accepting her. Due to being rejected she cranked things up to a hundred jumping straight into saying I love you to get her point across. Because those three words can have a bit of stun effect especially when said out of nowhere and so much like that.

She ultimately used the phrase so much it lost its meaning. Well it still had its meaning but it became really doubtful that Mahiru understood what it was. Because of that she was mostly labelled as too delusional to understand what she had done was wrong despite blatantly admitting she was informed by the person that her behavior was making them uncomfortable multiple times.

"I know it's not the type of question you want to be asked I can’t help myself because I want to see your cute confused face, I’m sorry."

Mahiru's response to being rejected is to pursue harder. Is to come on stronger until the other party gives in. Her response to being accepted seems to be to lose interest. To back off, stay leveled, and look for other things that would be more exciting than the monotony of a regular relationship. Including just sewing chaos in the relationship she currently has just to do it. So much so that she notes it's a pattern to the extent of being considered a ritual by her,

"Even when I test you, even the times we do the breakup ritual- Is because I love you."

Ultimately she would have ended up guilty trial two because she would have blamed everything on others in her life for not being accepting enough. Or not,

"Do you really think you know what love is?"

Really knowing what love was like she does. She would become the resident love expert and start pursuing the object of her affection heavily which is implied to be Kazui,

20/06/19

Kazui: By the way…… thanks, Shina-chan. You keep going around and talking to people to make sure the mood never gets too sour, right? It’s a big help. We’re all in here together, after all. If a fight broke out the whole group could fall apart. Mahiru: ……eh? Huh~? Ah, no, I’m just talking to people because I personally want to talk. All the kids are so cute, so I can’t help but want to fuss over them! A fight, huh… But if that ever happened, then you’ll definitely be a big help, right~? Since you’re so big! And buff! Kazui: Ahh, no. I mean, I’ll do what I can. Based on appearance, as long as nobody has a weapon, I think I can probably get everyone under control…… No, we should just hope that nothing like that ever happens. Mahiru: You know, I quite like watching martial arts, actually. I don’t really get it, but it looks super cool. Hi-yah! Hi-yah!

Day. 5

point: watch Left: Today I started talking to him by chance, and he told me that his hobby is running. Without thinking I took a chance where I saw it and told him “I’m interested too!” so now we’re going to go running together. Even though I’m really bad at exercise…… I’ve never run so much in my life. Totally exhausted. Don’t lose focus even when exercising! The pastel tones mean not only do you look ready to go but also give off a cute oneesan appeal. Hoodie, T-shirt, shorts, leggings, cap, sneakers, wristwatch ／ All personal possessions

20/08/02

Mahiru: Yeah, I’m asking for what you like in the opposite sex! I mean, with a lifestyle like this we have a lot of free time, right? So earlier when I was talking with all the other girls we got onto the topic! It’s not often you get a chance like this to live with a mix of men and women together, so I thought it might be nice to use the chance to talk about stuff like this in preparation for when we leave. Kazui: Ah…… Haha, I understand. I can see that’d be the sort of thing girls your age would be interested in, huh. How peaceful. What I like in the opposite sex… I don’t know if what I say will really be a good reference for you…… Ah, you know, since I’m at this age. I like a girl who can just smile free of worries. Seeing that’d make my old, tired heart feel young again. Yuno: Uh-huh, I see, I see. ……that’s a total lie, right? Kazui: Haha…… Give me a break here. You sure don’t make things easy for people, Kashiki-chan.

Q.05 Who do you dislike most out of the other prisoners?

"Futa-kun is a bully, so definitely out! Also Mikoto is pretty flippant, he kinda seems like the type who’d cheat~"

20/06/08

Mahiru: Shidou-san…… you’re really good-looking. Personally I think you’d be better if you ate a bit more, but you’re slim and tall, and well put together to boot…… You must’ve been super popular up until now, right? Shidou: ……yeah, that’s true…… I did my share of fooling around in the past. Mahiru: Oh~? That’s not the sort of answer I’d expect from you. I’ve got it! Somebody told you that if you replied like that people wouldn’t resent you so much, right? Shidou: Haha, I’m surprised you guessed. ……it seems that no matter what guise I put on, it’s meaningless against a woman’s insight.

Q.20 What do you think about smoking?

Mahiru: I’ve never smoked myself- But if the person I like did, then I might start to be like them.

21/08/05   (Kazui’s Birthday)

Kazui: Oh, Shina-chan? How scandalous, coming to a man’s room in the middle of the night like this. Well, not that it’s really a room, just a cell. ……just kidding, since you brought some drinks with you, I’m assuming you’ve come to wish me a happy birthday, right? Thank you. Mahiru: Yep! Happy birthday Kazui-san~ Clap clap clap! But as well as that~ ……I also just maybe wanted to use it as an excuse so I could ask you for some advice over drinks, I suppose? Kazui: Advice, huh. Well, you’re more than welcome, but I don’t really know what advice an old man like me could give you. I haven’t got the first clue about what love is like for a young girl nowadays. Mahiru: Ahaha…… Don’t worry, much as I’d love to talk about that too, um…… er, Kazui-san. You know, recently I’ve been having the same dream every day. Lots of people were denying my actions…… Denying my thoughts…… that sort of dream.

"Ring ring, I’m calling you in the middle of the night."/ "

Q.05  If you went to an amusement park, what ride would you choose to go on? Kazui: Not gonna lie, I kinda want to go on the merry-go-round.

With Shidou, Mahiru and Kazui all innocent round one I feel like Mahiru would start smoking as an excuse to get closer to Kazui. Then that would in turn bring her closer to Shidou who was already showing an interest in Mahiru due to the many ways she resembles his wife. Being good at cooking, cleaning, communication, and with kids like Amane.

This would open up the love triangle route. Where Mahiru is interested in Kazui, Kazui is annoyed or put off by her advances (not really interested in anyone), Shidou is interested in Mahiru and worried about how the verdict has been impacting her because she just started smoking seems to be changing a great deal and in a very insignificant amount of time at that.

She'd basically start annoying Kazui the same way that Mu began annoying Yuno. She'd then be more guilty trial two for getting in the of a lot of people's favorite ships. People would react worse to Mahiru even trying to fuck Kazui then they did to Mu and Haruka's relationship where no one was fucking. There wasn't even much inclination that was going on with them and both their fans wanted to burn the other character at the stake for daring to be near their precious child.

People would be calling for Mahiru to be killed out of jealousy. Because she dared to even make one advance at Kazui. Not me though girl you pursue your dreams.

Shidou was like there's still time you can get out of here and do that while Mahiru was laid up and bed like yeah out of here and do it. Kazui off patrolling the prison as this woman is sat in bed with two attendants. Kazui and Mahiru were stopped from doing the funniest thing due to those first trial verdicts.

It would have been amazing to see her pursue that harder. Because she was pursuing it. She never asked any other man what their type was. That was a Kazui specific question. We didn't see that conversation with the girls she was talking about. Plus we know the other girls here who the fuck was really asking that question at that time?

Mu was afraid and requesting deserts. Kotoko is Kotoko. Do you think she asked. Yuno is there and could have corroborated her story but instead was like let me point out how this man is lying.

Just him and she quickly dismissed any other man here as not good enough for arbitrary reasons or just based of vibes.

She knew she is twenty-three she navigated that well but she knew. Her coming in their trial two and being like thanks to Milgram I found my true love and Kazui coming in trial two like you need to do something about this woman before I do. While Shidou is over here getting Mahiru's help tending to Amane after she inevitably gets wounded because Kotoko would then attack in this order,

Futa

Amane

Mikoto- (intervenes)

This would be wild. It would logically be what would happen. Like it's logistically Kotoko's best bet to attack the most people. However it going this way relies on the idea that Kazui would still intervene during the attack with Futa which would leave Amane tto get really messed up by Kotoko's attack.

Now hear me out.

In this circumstance Futa might get fucked up more and Kazui would have probably intervened with Amane instead. Because in the first attack he choose the younger of the two prisoners Kotoko attempted to attack to step in on. So in this scenario he may do that again.

Protecting the kids like Mahiru asked him to.

This of course only makes Mahiru want him more. He's a protector she thinks. He's so strong and did the best he could she says. She just wants to be a little more like him it's not weird to want to be like the person you like Es and she can stop smoking any time. She started and she can quit!

Mahiru on that Gilbert Nightray behavior if you know then you know. I love how I said this was short but I actually have so many thoughts on this because it's a hilarious setup. Man it would have been hilarious if she was innocent trial one because the staff didn't expect her to be guilty. So her innocent scenario must have been so much worse.

Like there are a lot of ways it could have went if she was innocent trial one but given statements within canon this is something I see as being incredibly likely. Yeah so that's all I've got on that sorry for like accidentally posting the answer before it was complete and hope you can see this.

[songmingisthighs]

Wanbelyn

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

<< previous | m.list | next >>

ch. xxii - that's so gay

neurosurgeon!hongjoong × reader

buy me coffee ?

where love and peace is held, i never expected for this to happen. i planned and i planned, i expected, and i hoped, but it was never you. you held what i wanted hostage to make room for you, the thing that i needed but has no means of acceptance. deny me, live your best life.

From the moment you and Kijoong stepped into the gym, Kijoong immediately tried to run away from you to try one of the gym equipments. You had to wrangle the boy into your arms as you gave the front desk your information and told him that you had an appointment with the owner's son. It didn't help that the front desk dudebro was staring at you like a piece of meat.

A gym rat milf enthusiast. Original.

"Hi!"

You turned your head to the source of the voice and was met with a guy in black t-shirt and sweatpants that looked like he just stepped off a calvin klein photoshoot. Honestly, it made you blush a little but you did your best to not appear flustered, standing up with Kijoong in your arms with a smile on your face. "Hi, you must be Stan!" You said, making San crack a grin and chuckle slightly, "Actually, it's San," bending down slightly, he locked eyes with Kijoong who was looking at him curiously, "And you must be Kijoong! Uncle Wooyoung told me a lot about you!" Hearing the familiar name, Kijoong straightened up, "You know Woo?" He asked in squeak, "Of course I do! He told me your nanny here wanted you to try some classes, huh? Why don't we go check them out, does that sound good?"

Kijoong looked between San and you, unsure how to answer. But you shrugged, "It's up to you bud," you encouraged. "Well maybe you don't know what classes we have. Currently for kids, we have classes in gymnastics, tumbling, and a couple of martial arts classes," San explained, trying to offer options to aid the boy in his dilemma. You cringed at the first two ideas though, "Yeah, he's already hyper as it is, we don't wanna turn running around in the house into catapulting his body onto the wall with precision." San couldn't help but laugh at your joke, finding it amusing that you were effortlessly funny. "Of course," he said after his laughter died down but letting the smile on his face remain, "Well let's have Kijoong try some classes, hm? Our kiddy Karate class is going on right now and let's see how he likes it."

While Kijoong joined the Karate class, you and San sat at the back, watching the class progressed but mostly having a nice chat.

"I have something to admit," San's voice broke your concentration from seeing Kijoong looking at you like he wanted you to hold him, "I actually recognize you. Wooyoung talks a lot about you," San said sheepishly. Your eyes widened but almost immediately it furrowed, "Wait, how much is 'a lot'? It can't be that much, right?" San took a moment to think of an answer that allows you an insight as to how often Wooyoung talks about you. "Well, I know you both met because he got into an argument with your cousin, Jongho when Jongho moved into his dorm complex in college his second year and you had dragged them out of their stupid, petty feud literally to the lobby and force them to apologize to each other in public," San answered after contemplating. You couldn't help but feel a little impressed at his knowledge but also confused as to why Wooyoung would share about you and your cousin. "Okay that means he talks about me quite a lot," you chuckled.

Conversation with San flowed rather smoothly and you found yourself talking about choice of career path and even telling him about how you ended up being Kijoong's nanny all the while making sure the boy was still listening to the instructor up front. The conversation started with your college days and his and he talked about how he ended up managing the gym with his dad which he was against of initially because he didn't want his love for exercising and taekwondo to be diminished to numbers and maintaining a brand. You were rather impressed with how he pitched the kiddy classes to his dad and had to convince him for 3 months straight before he said yes and not a year later they expanded and moved to the current building. He has tenacity, potential, personality, and passion. You kind of saw why Wooyoung befriends him and even became roomates.

It was about fifteen minutes into the class when Kijoong came trodding with a deep pout, climbing on your lap and burrying his face on your shoulder. "I'on like this class," he whined, arms tightening and face nuzzling deep. You scoffed and tried pulling the boy back but he was clinging onto you for dear life, "Kijoong, buddy, you're not even giving this class a chance, you've been looking back at me this whole time! You can't say you don't like something when you haven't put in the effort which includes concentration like the other boys here," you sighed. Hearing your words, Kijoong pulled back and batted his eyelash at you, trying to melt your resolve but unfortunately you were not about to fall victim to his manipulation. The same can't be said about San who was wracking his brain trying to think of ways to engage the child. "You gotta try, buddy," you pointed out unwaveringly which furrowed Kijoong's eyebrows as he side-eyed San who was trying his best to not grab the boy and give him some candy. "He's a boy, why does he get to stay here and talk to you?" He scowled.

You were about to scold Kijoong when San answered without missing a beat, "Because I don't do Karate, I'm a Taekwondo athlete. Well, former." That piqued Kijoong's interest as seen from his twinkling eyes, "My uncle Bumjoong knows Taekwondo!" He exclaimed, loosening his grip on you to turn towards San, "How do you do Taekwondo?" He asked, head tilting to the side in intrigue. "Why don't I show you? My kiddy Taekwondo class is over but we can check out the classroom and try things out," he smiled at Kijoong who immediately tried to make a dash through the door but you knew better and wrap your arms around his torso. "Are you sure you can give him a private trial like that?" You weren't really worried about access as much as being a bother because he's the owner's son and he was going out of his way to show things himself. Kijoong, on the other hand, didn't care as he dangled in your arms while still trying to make his escape to check out the Taekwondo class.

San waved his hand and stood up, "Nah, I need to make sure we have enough tiles for next week's mid class practice which is for kids ages 12-16. May I?" San opened his hands in front of Kijoong, hinting that he wanted to take the boy out of your grip. You would be hesitant or even reluctant had it not been for the fact that Kijoong was trying to claw his way into San's arms and when you let go of the boy, instead of having San carry him, Kijoong grabbed San's hands and tried pulling him towards the door. TRIED being the operative word since San didn't even move an inch, only staring at the boy with amusement in his eyes.

Just as you thought they would walk out first, San (unbothered with Kijoong's attempt to drag him away) turned around and offered you a hand to help you get up which made you blush because it wasn't like you had any issue. His gentlemanly manners shone as he opened the door for you even when Kijoong was whining for him to hurry up (which earned him a light scolding for being rude) and had moved to dangling off of San's strong arm. You all but stare at how San wasn't affected at all by Kijoong's constant attempt to move him. Once again, you found yourself amused and impressed by San and you couldn't help but pat yourself on the back, feeling sure that this was going to be a good thing for him. And maybe for you.

network :

@cultofdionysusnet @sandsofire @kflixnet

taglist :

@yunho-mp3 @strawberry-yeo @luvt0kki @allisonleannn @dinossaurz @khjcs @blackb3ll @aloverga @at1nys-blog @itsbeeble @senpai-of-doom @axo-l0tl @green-thots @intancollins @galaxypox @fire-and-flame @maddiebabyxoxo @alyssajavenss @mirror-juliet @gxlden-bxbyy @charreddonuts @dreamlesswonder86 @mayonnaisehoeshit @kodzukein @teenyfinds @dear-dreamie @mitchloveswriting @soobiverse @satsuri3su @phenomenalgirl9 @guess-monst3r @dimeb29 @ka-ni-ma @yayaistime @angelicyeo @kyume02 @thedistractedwriter @surveilenceysystem @ateezourstars @mismatchfluffysocks @puppyminnnie @nycol-ie @aursmrt

[midnight-mourning]

DCA Promptober Day 13: Night

This, was a lot of fun. I told the moon lovers they'd get their juice, and I held up my promise. So, come get y'alls juice. Also MAN did this get long, didn't realize it until I went to check it for errors

Word count: 1003

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Something's been watching you at night. 

You had assumed it was the neighbor's cat. Usually, that seemed to be the case. But even when Bojangles would come up to you, having scaled your garden wall, and then pitter-pattered his way across your roof-you spent a lot of time out here now-there still felt like something spying on you, from beyond your line of sight. 

The back of your property borders the woods, it's expected that there's something out there. You just don't know why it's all of the sudden started watching you. As opposed to say, normal animal things. 

It's been a few months now. And you wouldn't necessarily say it's bothering you, rather, you're just curious as to why this is happening. Thought you can't deny, it's a bit unnerving. 

You'd been sitting out on your roof like this, pretty much since you lost your old job. Though, really it was more that your place of work burnt to the ground and thus, you were left without a job as a result. 

It wasn't just the job you'd lost, a bitter and wounded part of you whispers. It'd been a lot more, than just some stupid job.

"Which do you think is better?" You ask, showcasing the two different glow in the dark clip-on earrings you were wearing.

Moon's faceplate spins in thought, "Why not both?"

"Hm, I suppose that's an option. Your opinion has been duly noted."

He chuckles, "You're taking this very seriously aren't you?"

"Of course!" You go back to digging through your box of supplies, pulling out more decorations, "A kid asking for a glow in the dark birthday party? With you? Everything has to be perfect."

You feel a presence hovering over you. Glancing up you see the red-eyed bot staring down at you. Before he can react, you slap a glowing sticker on his chest.

He looks down at it, then back up to you. 

You tip your chin up, "Personally, I don't think you're taking it seriously enough."

"Oh?" He bends down, "Is that what you think?"

"It is. I mean, this is so exciting! And yet, here you are, as low energy as ever. Course you're always low energy so I suppose I can't-"

Moon's arms wrap around you, pressing his forehead to yours, "I'll admit, I'm a bit distracted at the moment. Perhaps you could remedy that?"

You frown, "Now Moon, you wouldn't be pretending to be uninvolved as a tactic for affection, would you?"

"Never," He rasps.

You give a kiss to his smile, "I didn't think so."

The memory is interrupted by a noise out in the woods. You wipe your eyes with a sniffle, watching, looking to see if there's anything different this time compared to all the others. 

There is. 

Out, past your wall, just beyond the edge of the tree line, where the light of the moon can't quite reach, there's a figure.

You feel a sense of alarm at this. And when you realize just how tall they are, your sense of dread grows.

You can't make yourself move, it's like you're frozen by their gaze. Your heart starts to race in your chest as you quickly run out of rationality regarding what is out there watching you.

A bump to your right arm and small mewl breaks your free. 

Looking down, you find Bojangles rubbing up against you, desiring pets. You find it in you to huff a quiet laugh, smiling slightly as you reach down and pet him. It helps you gain the nerve to look back at the figure again.

They're gone.

Thump.

You jump, and Bojangles quickly scurries away from you, across the roof in the opposite direction of the noise. Slowly, you turn to face is yourself, somehow already knowing what awaits you. 

A giant figure casts a shadow over your roof. The moonlight behind them causes any/all of their features to be indistinguishable. The only thought that comes to your mind is mechanical. Ragged and mechanical.

There's a few clicks that emit from their body as they tilt their head. That, and the sound of…

Bells?

A step closer. You twist to fully face them, unsure what to do. Another step. There's all sorts of noises coming from this machine's? broken body. Creaks and groans, clicks and whirls, and of course, bells. They sound, wrong. Hollow. 

Lonely. 

Your eyes dart to your open window, to the ground, back to the figure again. Your time is running out, better make a choice before-

You recognize that ruby red glow. You know that star-filled night cap. And you definitely know how that sticker got on his chest.

"Moon?" You ask. 

The figure stops. Now only several feet from you. His faceplate twists again. 

You reach a hand out, only to retract it, "I, I don't understand. They said, they said nothing survived the fire. How did you make it out?"

No answer. His fingers tap against his torn pants. Which, looking closer you can see some of them have lost their casing, only the metal endoskeleton remains.

"You know what, it doesn't matter," You shake your head, tears welling up again as you start to smile, "We'll get this figured out. I'm just so glad that you're okay."

Moon takes another step. For some reason, you no longer feel at ease. You watch as that broken hand taps its fingers against itself. Clinking against each other. Seeing how they glint in the low light you realize just how sharp they are.

He comes to a stop in front of you, you can only make out his eyes still. You don't move.

"Moon-man?" You ask again, a bit softer this time.

"It's past your bedtime."

You no longer feel relief. 

You no longer feel safe.

But still, you try. You swallow, "You um, you know it's me, right?"

His eyes crinkle as he chuckles. It's not the laugh you remember. It's, downright sinister.

Too little too late you watch that clawed hand raise.

"Nighty-night~"

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

I think Bojangles is a really good cat name. Yeah, pretty sure that's all I have to say. My promptober masterlist is here, thanks for reading!

[petitelepus]

Can I have a reverse isekai ask involving Kyojuro, Giyu, and Sanemi please? Basically Giyu and Sanemi would be teleported to the modern world after the end of the series (for Kyojuro, it would be the end of mugen train). How would the reader (who’s in college) react if she saw them appear in her dorm/apartment? It can be three different scenarios or the same one, whichever you’d like. Sorry if this seems a bit self indulgent but thank you for doing these asks since there’s hardly any reverse isekai for demon slayer out there.

PART 1 - PART 2

"R- Rengoku?" Sanemi and Giyu couldn't believe their eyes. It was the Flamer Hashira standing there in front of them, well and... Alive?

The last time they heard of him was when the crows had let them know about their fellow Hashira's demise against a Demon, but here he was, standing in front of them, alive and well.

"Hm? Why, if it isn't Tomioka and Shinazugawa!" Kyojuro nodded with that wide smile of his, "You look like you saw a ghost!"

"That's..." They were speechless. If Kyojuro was here then... Were they dead?

"Excuse me...?" Came a small voice and the three men turned to see you staring at them, with what appeared to be shopping bags fallen next to your feet.

"Who are you guys and how the fuck you got in my home!?"

The three men blinked, stunned, and quickly bowed their heads to you.

"Please excuse us!" The three of them shouted and then looked at you, "But could you perhaps tell us where we are?"

You told them and they looked at each other in confusion.

"Hm! I can't recall a place with this name," Kyojuro thought out loud and Sanemi frowned, "Rengoku... What is your last memory?"

"Mine? Well, I was against a strong Demon and-!" The man fell quiet as his eyes widened in realization, "And I died...?"

"That's... What happened, yes," Giyu nodded and the three men all frowned.

Meanwhile, you were tempted to call the police, but you could tell that these men fit scarily well into this Genre you enjoyed a lot.

"Are you guys perhaps...?" You frowned, "From another world?"

"No!" Sanemi snapped, "We're from Japan!"

"Uh hu..." You nodded. You spoke Japan, but not that well that you could hold a long conversation like the ones they were having.

"And what's this talk about Demons?"

"They aren't your concern..." Giyu shook his head, "If you can show us the way out and the closest way to Butterfly Mansion, we will leave you be..."

"Yeah, I don't know..." You shook your head, "I think you guys might be far away from home...?"

"What do you mean, young lady?" Kyojuro asked and you sighed as you grabbed your bags and dragged them to the kitchen, "Sit down on the couches and I'll make us some tea."

The men did as you told them to and as you served them some tea, you told them about the concept of isekai...

And they didn't really believe you at first, but you walked to the window and opened the curtains so they got a good look at the modern world.

"Shit...!" Sanemi cursed as he looked out to see the modern cars and people wearing totally different clothes, "We... We really aren't in Japan anymore?"

"Or in your timeline," You nodded as you told them that it was already the year 20XX.

"It looks like we all got transported here after we died..." Giyu thought out loud and you nodded, "It's a pretty basic isekai move, but it looks like you got reverse isekai'd to my world from yours."

"What makes it reverse?" Kyojuro asked and you were about to explain when you realized that this world of yours was pretty new to them, "Never mind."

"What the Hell are we going to do!?" Sanemi snapped, looking around your apartment like he was a tiger in a small cage. You frowned as you thought your options and you came to conclusion that there weren't many of those.

"You guys could stay here?" You asked and they all turned to look at you and you blushed lightly, "I mean, at least until you guys decide what you want to do?"

"That is a generous offer, young lady!" Kyojuro nodded, "But we can't burden you with our presence-!"

"It's okay!" You said louder than you intended, "I mean... My parents are pretty loaded so they got me this huge apartment with extra rooms so they could visit me but they never do...?"

"Are you certain you want us to stay?" Giyu frowned, "We can't offer you anything?"

"Well..." There were some things they could do, "You could keep me company and keep the house up and running while I'm in college, or when I have homework or thesis to write?"

"We are Hashiras!" Sanemi snapped, "We hunt Demons! Not do housework!"

"Hm! That's a good point Shinazugawa, but it appears that we don't have use for our abilities here since there are no Demons!" Kyojuro smiled as he looked at you, "If you will have us, then we will do our best to pay our debt to you!"

"It's okay..." You blushed a little as you nervously played with your fingers, "It's... It's my pleasure to have you here."

"The pleasure and honor are all ours, young Lady," Giyu said as he bowed his head to you and you blushed harder.

"Ah, I got you tea but no cookies!" You yelped as you quickly went to get a packet from the kitchen, but as you returned you noticed that Kyojuro was looking serious.

"Now..." The Flame Hashira turned to look at the Wind and Water Hashiras, "What happened after I died?"

The two men shared glances and then proceeded to tell how they were able to defeat Demon King with someone called Tanjiro and... The smile on Kyojuro's face, it was something you had never seen before. A genuine pride and happiness.

"Ha ha, I knew young Kamado had what it took to defeat Muzan!" He laughed out loud, "I'm glad I died and not him!"

"D- Don't say that!" You snapped and the men turned to look at you and you blushed, "I'm sorry, but... While it's good that the Demon King was beaten... B- But I think that no matter what, there were people who missed you also dearly?"

There was a small silence and you panicked, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!"

"Hm!" Kyojuro nodded, "Don't apologize! You are right, young lady!"

"No one forgot you Rengoku," Sanemi said, "That boy Kamado even used your sword's hilt."

"He did?" The man's smile just grew, "That makes me happy!"

You smiled a little as you set the plate full of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table between the couches and the men, "It sounds like this Kamado was a great young man?"

"He had potential, good friends, a sister, and a golden heart!" Kyojuro nodded happily as he reached for a cookie and you smiled gladly, but just as you were about to say something-!

"Tasty!" Kyojuro shouted suddenly and you nearly jumped out of your skin," Wh- What?"

"Please don't mind him," Giyu nodded as he reached for a cookie, "That's his habit."

"Oh, I see," You nodded, still a little confused but you smiled as your new roommates enjoyed the cookies.

"Shit, these are almost as good as Ohagi..." Sanemi muttered with his mouth half-full and Giyu smiled, "I never got to offer you that Ohagi I promised."

"I don't want your Ohagi!"

"You guys must be really good friends?" You smiled and the glare Sanemi shot you made you yelp, "We are not friends...!"

"We aren't?" Giyu looked shocked and you couldn't help but smile, "Only true friends bicker like that!"

"We aren't friends!"

"Young lady, if you don't mind, could you perhaps teach us how to live in this world?" Kyojuro asked and you nodded, "I'd be happy to!"

And so began Kyojuro's, Giyu's, and Sanemi's new lives with you and it was exciting to all four of you.

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2024-08-15 continued #2

(Previous post - current page 631)

I should keep it at three liveblog posts at most per day for pacing purposes, so however long this post ends up being (which could still be pretty long, image limit forgiving!), this'll be where I stop it for the day whatever happens so I don't push my mental energy reserves too hard. Now let's see exactly what the fuck Jane was referring to here.

(==>)

JANE: I'm referring to his death. DIRK: (Oh, what the fuck.) JANE: Not saying it's all your fault. DIRK: (Wow.)

Oh that's all SORTS of messed up for her to think.

JANE: Dirk just never *got* you. JANE: He thought he could figure you out, make all the right moves, and you'd be happy. JANE: But people have to want themselves to be happy. JANE: And the only thing you've ever consistently wanted was to be absolved. JANE: I understand that now.

She's not ENTIRELY wrong about Jake's insecurities here, but there were people constantly KNOCKING HIM DOWN by BLAMING HIM FOR THINGS that he then helplessly thought DESERVED his absolution when they were NEVER HIS FAULT, and this couldn't be a more obvious example. Which Jake might fucking recognize and snap the fuck at.

JAKE: ... And? JANE: And I accept you, Jake! JANE: That's why I have confidence our union will endure forever. JANE: You release me of all my doubts. And I can't be disappointed by you. JAKE: Huh... DIRK: (Hm.)

I think Jake isn't coming around to Jane here, really, but actually coming around to HOW FUCKED UP she is, and more importantly, HOW SHE FUCKED HIM UP. The idea that Jane Crocker, never once, actually BELIEVED in him other than believing that he would be OBLIGATED to come back to her, even if she wasn't offering really anything in return in their relationship. He finally got it through his thick head that she was always taking him for granted, isn't he? That even her deepest, most "caring" feelings left for him are pity for someone she's viewed for the longest time as incorrigibly pathetic and not useful for anything except coming back to her?

JANE: I... JANE: Oh, fucking... pixie sticks. JANE: I have to leave for the bridge. JANE: The enemy is moving into position as we speak. JAKE: Do you... JAKE: Do you still need that water tested? JANE: Haha, no. JANE: I drank it all in my hysterics without even noticing. JAKE: And youre okay? JANE: Completely fine! It really was just... water. JAKE: I had hoped! JANE: Hoo hoo, thank you. :B JANE: ...

I don't know if Jake is really feeling sympathy or negative revelation about her, here... or possibly a combination of the two.

JANE: Listen, Jake. JANE: I won't be able to really talk for some time once this whole final battle shebang kicks off, but I need you to know. JANE: I am sorry. JANE: For a lot of things. JANE: I promise. JANE: I just need you to believe in me a little while longer. JAKE: Of course janey... of course. JAKE: I... love you. JANE: I know, J. JANE: I know.

No... you finally proved to him that you're not WORTH BELIEVING IN.

That's what I think he's about to discuss with himself (and BGD).

(Jake: Calmly assess the situation.)

PFFFFF OMG AFTER THAT LINK TITLE XD

JAKE: Fuck!!! JAKE: Why did she have to go and build a moon laser!!! JAKE: Why did she have to go and JAKE: And SAY all that!!!

Hearing her open up with heartfelt feelings, towards HIM, for the first time in what feels like forever, likely has him so conflicted now even though he KNOWS what has to happen.

DIRK: It's not over. DIRK: That moon laser doesn't mean shit. JAKE: ...if theres no one to press the button? DIRK: Boom. DIRK: Or, you know. DIRK: No boom. JAKE: Her guard is down... DIRK: And you have a gun. JAKE: I have TWO guns. DIRK: Let's be real, this wouldn't even be the first time you've thought of it. JAKE: Its... an option.

He hasn't thought of going after the laser ITSELF yet, but he needs to remember he's a God-Tier Hero of Hope and that destroying a moon laser is a whole lot easier than destroying the woman he still feels something for. He'll come around in this conversation, likely.

DIRK: Or. DIRK: You help her win the battle. DIRK: Avoid baptizing the Earth with laser-fire. DIRK: And she uses The Point, and the world doesn't end. DIRK: Probably. DIRK: Who the fuck knows. JAKE: What should i do? DIRK: I'm not gonna tell you.

Even though he's talking to Dirk, he's also still in a sense only talking to himself.

JAKE: I already know youll want me to do whats heroic. JAKE: But you wouldnt want me to kill jane either. JAKE: Would you? DIRK: Stop staring at me like I'm gonna tongue-kiss the answer into you, dude. DIRK: You know what you need to do. JAKE: But jane was right about me! JAKE: I cant be trusted. JAKE: I dont even like 99% of people. DIRK: Then do it for one person. DIRK: Aren't you tired of spreading yourself thin trying to believe in everything? DIRK: Because it's looking pretty fuckin' likely that the future where Tavvy is happy and the future where Jane is alive don't coincide. DIRK: You have to kill one for the other to survive.

Now THIS is Rage talk from Dirk here. This isn't HOPE talk. Jake is going to realize that there's hope for BOTH people he cares about to survive... and all he has to do is think of flying into space and destroying a freakin' moon laser. The Page of Hope come into his role is going to be someone who can find a path of possibility that saves what they care about without Dirk's brand of brutal compromise.

JAKE: It sounds like youre gunning for her. DIRK: It sounds like *you're* gunning for her. DIRK: Say what you will about Dirk, but he always wanted you to be your best self. DIRK: He pushed you hoping if he did it hard enough, you'd push back. DIRK: That's a far cry from whatever neutered domestic purgatory Jane's offering you. DIRK: Wasn't it nice to be believed in, man? JAKE: Ugh.

Dirk was never good for him either, and didn't know the right way TO help Jake become his best self other than inflicting cuts to his soul that only delayed and decreased his capacity to believe in himself.

JAKE: Can i make an honest query? JAKE: Did i really kill him? DIRK: Hm. JAKE: I did, didnt i? DIRK: Common sense says no. JAKE: Cant you swing that one by your esoteric telepathic dirk connection? DIRK: That's a tricky fuckin' wicket, man. JAKE: Its "sticky wicket". DIRK: It's nothing, because that's a stupid fucking phrase cooked up by fake people about a fake sport from a dead planet. DIRK: Anyway, it's tricky because there's not really all that much of anything left of the big man. DIRK: Not here, anyway. JAKE: Oh, baloney! JAKE: Thats not how this works. Youre the supernatural tsaheylu of our combined "steezes". JAKE: This isnt my first ride in the rodeo, mister, I KNOW THE RHYTHM OF THIS BUCKING BRONCO. JAKE: HES STILL HERE, DAMMIT! DIRK: I'm sorry.

Given what we saw with alt!Calliope / AL splitting and reforming, it's indeed likely that he ISN'T still here, that he's practically fully consolidated himself into Ultimate Dirk aside from this leftover memory Jake is keeping just barely alive. But we also know that thanks to his narrative powers, and his immediate response in the bonus material to Yiffy's sudden existence in the (Candy) plot, that part of him is at least AWARE of that plotline and some of what's happening outside of Canon, even if he's too far away to influence it.

This is also likely about Jake accepting Dirk's death and moving on, though. Because Dirk's eliminationist "one or the other, but not both" advice and insistence on sacrifice isn't what he needs right now.

Maybe it's time for Brain Ghost Dirk to disappear?

(==>)

DIRK: He's gone, dude.

Oh damn, the eyes. It's exactly as he said: This Candy timeline's Brain Ghost Dirk was always just a part of Jake. Just the memory of his friend alive within him, him talking to himself.

Jake has to accept his friend's death to move past his brand of advice, the advice he counted on of a friend who was in ways toxic to him and couldn't lead him to true Hope.

JAKE: OH FUCK OFF. JAKE: YOU CHARLATAN. DIRK: Yeah. JAKE: HORSES ASS. DIRK: Get it all out, man. JAKE: YOU MALEVOLENT MASCULINE MALFEASANT. DIRK: I know a crisp glass of personal culpability isn't what you ordered, but hey. DIRK: It's better than relapsing.

You did pick a hell of a time to show him this, but you probably picked the right time, at least.

DIRK: It'd be the only reasonable excuse you'd have for nipping this uncomfortable epiphany in the bud so you could slink back to following orders from Dirk. JAKE: ... JAKE: Gods hooks, i backflipped right into my old ways! DIRK: Don't beat yourself up about it. It's a running theme with literally everybody we know. DIRK: You all get caught up in these feeling jams, hugging it out in self-realizational bliss. DIRK: Then, bam. DIRK: Premature ejaculation. DIRK: That passionate growth grind ends before it builds to anything actually satisfying. JAKE: :(

Jake needs to stop imagining there's someone telling him what to do anymore, and decide for himself, saying goodbye to his ghostly imaginary guide he made for himself with his powers. (Also Dirk's metaphors are always gonna Dirk, even when Jake's just imitating them.)

DIRK: You're fully dressed Jake now. DIRK: Sitting on the sticky floor of a custodial closet, hidden away from anything certain and good in this world. DIRK: Alone. JAKE: This is scary! I dont like this. DIRK: Fuck yeah it is. This is sweaty, achey, burning transformation, brother. JAKE: I want to go back! I want to be the other guy again. DIRK: You can't be the other guy anymore, Jake. DIRK: We're sending him upstate to live on a beautiful farm, where they're gonna immediately drag him out back and put him out of his fucking misery. DIRK: Remember when you told Egbert you wanted someone to hold you accountable? JAKE: No. DIRK: Well. JAKE: Nooooooo. DIRK: "Here's Johnny!" JAKE: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! JAKE: Oh... JAKE: *sniff* JAKE: Oh, dirk...

Finally accepting his friend's death AND his need to act for himself instead of being told what to do isn't an easy thing to do all at once.

JAKE: Cripes, if there really is no magical component to all of this, JAKE: if youre really gone, JAKE: then i am simply a forty year old man... being led by the nose... by an imaginary friend. JAKE: That is not cute. DIRK: It's kind of cute. JAKE: No! JAKE: Its mental illness! DIRK: It can be both.

And you DO have literal godly magic powers helping you do it, if you've forgotten, Jake.

DIRK: Look. DIRK: What you need to do is stop sobbing into your own fucking arms and make a decision. DIRK: Spying for the rebellion, running away... these were steps in the right direction, but they also had, y'know. JAKE: Plausible deniability. DIRK: They were deflections. DIRK: And at the end of the day, that's what choosing Jane would be, too. JAKE: Its odd, but... JAKE: Shucks, i dont want to cut her down right before she makes this big turnaround. JAKE: If shed decided to keep her promise... JAKE: thatd be bitter fucking berries to live with. DIRK: But? JAKE: But she probably wont change, will she? DIRK: Why in the fuck would she? DIRK: She'll have won.

But that also doesn't mean you NEED to kill her. There's a path to Hope that you haven't seen yet and that Dirk can't help you see. (Destroy the space laser destroy the space laser destroy the space laser. FIGURE IT OUT)

(==>)

JAKE: But... i dont think she was meant to be this way. Do you? DIRK: Like, was she born to be a wildly racist dictatorial cake boss? JAKE: Ok, when you put it that way it sounds a bit bonkers. JAKE: What i mean is... JAKE: Take me, for example. JAKE: I know its not my fault janey got a bit rough and tumble with our relationship. That fundamentally, i didnt deserve it. JAKE: But that doesnt exactly make me a mensch by default, does it? JAKE: In fact i worry there might be more of me thats, well... inherently bad than not. JAKE: And thats why everything tends to get so furiously fucked all the time! JAKE: Everyone is waiting around for this better version of me to pop up, but thats never going to happen. JAKE: Because if it did, it wouldn't be me anymore. DIRK: So, are you trapped being Mr. Pissy Pantyloos Loser Man no matter what? JAKE: Sort of. JAKE: What do you think? DIRK: I don't know. DIRK: Maybe? JAKE: Oh...

You have a bit too much trauma that you haven't had any opportunity to heal from to TRULY come into your FULL potential as a Page of Hope, but that doesn't mean you still don't have a lot of power and potential you're still sitting on, only trapped by yourself and your past. All you need to think of is that one key hopeful idea and have the will to use your power for something serious, right now.

DIRK: Here's what we do know: when you face our friends tomorrow, they're gonna be none-the-wiser about the insane masturbatory matrix bullet time battles you've been having with yourself in your own head. DIRK: What will be real to them is what you DID. DIRK: That's it. DIRK: Show them you're trying. DIRK: Or don't, and get left behind. JAKE: Good god... JAKE: This is the worst pep talk... ever. DIRK: It's you, dude, what did you expect? JAKE: True.

It's not all that bad a pep talk, to be honest.

DIRK: Do you want to be left behind? JAKE: No! JAKE: I want to see tavvy grow up! JAKE: I want to choose him! JAKE: But i want to believe in jane too... DIRK: Sigh. JAKE: Listen. JAKE: I never really understood all that much of the "doomed timeline" hoopla you cerebral types tend to gab on about. JAKE: But... its nice to think that there might be countless janes somewhere out there who never stopped being happy. JAKE: Baking, getting up to all manner of lighthearted mischiefs... true blue all around. JAKE: When i think of her, thats whats real to me. JAKE: What she is now, what these rotten unenviable circumstances have made of her, its all just... DIRK: Happenstance. JAKE: Is that stupid? DIRK: Probably, but you're a god of Hope. DIRK: You're a poster-child for making stupid shit feasible. DIRK: And no one has the power to say what's true for every Jane. DIRK: I'm sure if you asked a couple of them how they feel about labor camps and domestic violences, they'd hit you with a "Woah there, buster jones." JAKE: "Thats not for me!" DIRK: "No siree!" JAKE: Hehehe. JAKE: Exactly.

I'm so glad that in some of the bonus material, Jasprosesprite^2 is playing the capricious fantasy psychologist and was on the path last i left off to helping Jane realize that there was a better answer than ruling over the planet herself-- leaving the Agency of Earth C in the hands of the children they'd raised to take it over, because Earth C is something they helped make together but not something they OWN or should command, or would be the best suited to govern.

JAKE: If i can believe in those janes, JAKE: i think i can let this one go. DIRK: Extravagant hoops to stumble through just to keep believing, man. DIRK: It's sneaky. I like it.

Oh, COME ON, can't you just fly into space and kill the Moon Laser instead? It's obvious!!! Still, big move of you (and I agree that this Jane is almost certainly too far gone).

(==>)

JAKE: Its decided then? DIRK: Seems so. DIRK: You can finally leave the closet. JAKE: Har, har.

OH COME ON DON'T JUST FLASH OVER THERE I WANT TO SEE WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH YIFFY!!!!!!!!!

Also it looks like Yiffy might NOT have been setting things on fire, and that the red flashing may just have been the battle alert they received, plus Vrissy's reaction at seeing Yiffy for the first time.

JAKE: Goofs aside, old buddy... JAKE: I get the strange sense i wont be speaking with you again. DIRK: You won't. Why would you? DIRK: You're normal now. JAKE: But- DIRK: You don't need him. JAKE: It feels good to pretend, though. JAKE: To hold on a little while longer. DIRK: Don't. JAKE: Fine! Fine... JAKE: Hope is the crummiest aspect of the lot, huh. JAKE: I swear the only time its worth a lick more than delusions and hot air JAKE: is if it really fucking hurts. DIRK: Welcome to being a person, Jake English.

Hope is incredibly important if you can find a path through that nobody else can, instead of letting the breadth of possibility paralyze you with indecision. (STOP THE MOON LASER INSTEAD OF ATTACKING JANE YOU WON'T WIN THAT WAY)

(Page of Hope: Rise up.)

What a hilariously yet perfectly understated panel for that title!

(John and Vriska: Touch down.)

JOHN: whew! JOHN: that was quite the race. VRISKA: Race? VRISKA: C'mon. VRISKA: That was 8arely a warm-up! JOHN: jeez. JOHN: i guess i'm out of shape. JOHN: i didn't even know you could BE out of shape with magical floating powers... VRISKA: Well, that's what sitting around like a depressing 8oring loser for sweeps gets you! VRISKA: You'll just have to get 8ack IN shape. JOHN: man, i guess so.

If he really turned on the Windy Thing powers he probably could have blown through them and outraced her, but he'd need to believe in himself a little harder and be a bit more confident for that, and he's not QUITE there yet-- not as far gone as Jake was though.

JOHN: hey, now that i've got you here, why did you lead us directly to the meteor? JOHN: we did both kind of mutually mention that there was a transportalizer pretty much directly to the lab in roxy's house, right? VRISKA: Sure. And? JOHN: well i just think maybe it might've been a little less risky to go that way, instead of weaving through battle ships and cross fire and all that war junk. VRISKA: Less risky, may8e, 8ut also wayyyyyyyy less fun. VRISKA: C'mon, wasn't it a pretty sweet joyride? VRISKA: It's nice to give the ol' wings a stretch! JOHN: hehe, that's true.

Being like an action movie star really DOES feel fun to John, doesn't it? Makes him feel like a useful hero.

JOHN: but i think now that we're here, we should probably get inside before someone notices us. JOHN: roxy taught me a secret knock to use in times like these, she'll reco-

Wait who's going to interrupt?

(==>)

VRISKA: *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* VRISKA: OPEN UP!!!!!!!!

SNERK

Ah, and also they're back to being displayed like the once-children THEY viewed themselves to be, because we aren't looking up at them from one of the children's perspective.

(==>)

SOLLUX: damn dude, to0k you l0ng enough, i'm hungry as hell. SOLLUX: what'd y0u br-

SOLLUX YOU ARE BREAKING SECURITY PROTOCOL YOU ARE A HACKER YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER YOU LAZY ASS XD

(==>)

...You can't even see her, can you? Are those glasses like techno-sight thingies?

(==>)

Him too. How do you know where to look? I half swear you're hiding robot eyes.

(==>)

SOLLUX: nah.

HAHAHAHAAHAHAH

he doesn't wanna deal with Vriska and John's shit XD

(HOW IS HE SEEING THEM)

Okay time for Vriska to kick down the door (or John to Turn To Wind thing them straight through it, few doors are barriers to him if he has his God-Tier powers in mind).

(==>)

*Shared look of questioning exasperation.*

(==>)

GOSH ROXY IS THE BEST NO MATTER WHAT EXPRESSION SHE'S DRAWN WITH

ROXY: hey you 2! ROXY: sorry abt him his manners are fuckin atroche JOHN: for real. ROXY: anyway hustle up and get in before someone sees ya ROXY: also john wtf happened to the secret knock VRISKA: Yeah, John! VRISKA: What the hell! JOHN: i- ROXY: move it buster!!

Hahahahahah.

Wait, this next link-- that's right we saw THE SHIP above the meteor in an earlier frame I didn't post, this all means that the kids are ALREADY HERE!@!! (Edit from below: nope I looked again it wasn't, why did I imagine it up in the sky)

(John and Roxy: Co-parent.)

This frame isn't important and I still love it in so many different ways.

ROXY: oh the kids are safe btw JOHN: that's good! JOHN: wait, they were in danger? ROXY: yeah numbnuts in case u forgor theres a whole ass conflict goin on with kids gettin kidnapped n houses gettin targeted n shit! ROXY: our house bein one of those hice! JOHN: you never told me our house was one of those hice!

What the FUCK is a "hice"?! \*looks up...\*

"Noun. hice. (chiefly humorous, nonstandard) plural of house."

Are you fuckin serious XD

JOHN: you told me to go get vriska, which i did. VRISKA: Actually, I pretty much got myself. JOHN: fair. JOHN: but i collected her! JOHN: you didn't really say anything about harry or the other kids at all. ROXY: oh man ROXY: i guess i kinda didnt huh ROXY: ... ROXY: aw jeez JOHN: hey! JOHN: i'm sorry roxy, don't worry about it, you've got em now. ROXY: what ROXY: no i dont got em JOHN: wait, what? JOHN: then who has them!!! ROXY: rosenaya and jade picked em up while they were ROXY: um ROXY: runnin around outside unsupervised JOHN: oh. JOHN: well... that's good! ROXY: ... JOHN: ... VRISKA: Haha! You guys are terri8le guardians. ROXY: hey stfu

Okay, so (*checks*) the ship WASN'T here yet, my bad. I guess Vriska is going to engage the Plot Point device before they even get here, potentially.

JOHN: yeah, you're one to talk! JOHN: you left your own clone on her own in a dungeon! VRISKA: It wasn't a "dungeon" John, it was a high-security 8lack site! JOHN: that's basically the same thing. JOHN: if anything it sounds a lot worse! VRISKA: She could handle it. VRISKA: Unlike your lame-ass offspring who need to 8e gru8sat by an entourage of armed guards, I can tell that she's got that patented Serket panache. JOHN: technically she's a maryam-lalonde. VRISKA: Sure, whatever. VRISKA: The point is, she's a Vriska. ROXY: whatever is right VRISKA: Hurry up and walk faster!

Vriska heard the Plot Point was a superweapon and she can't wait to get some shit done with it.

(==>)

You can practically SMELL Vriska drooling at the shrouded appearance of the most plot-significant thing she's seen in this entire timeline, and she think it's a "superweapon" designed just for HER.

CALLIOPE: hello! CALLIOPE: i'm so glad yoU all made it back alright. ROXY: oh it werent no thang baby i was just answerin the door CALLIOPE: not yoU, silly! ROXY: hehe VRISKA: Ew. JOHN: (a little, right?)

SHUT THE FUCK UP they're adorable together!!! Let them be sweet on each other! D:

CALLIOPE: salUtations, vriska! CALLIOPE: i mUst say it's a pleasUre to finally make yoUr acqUaintance! VRISKA: What the hell is that thing? CALLIOPE: hee hee, gracioUs. CALLIOPE: yoU're as rUde as i imagined yoU'd be. VRISKA: Not you. I know who you are. VRISKA: *That* thing! CALLIOPE: oh! CALLIOPE: yes, that'd make sense.

Pfff.

OKAY IT'S TIME TO SEE THE DEVICE, I'M EXCITED

(==>)

SHE'S fucking adorable too! GOSH I LOVE HS^2'S ART SO MUCH.

CALLIOPE: that, my narratively significant friend, is the reason we've called yoU here!

Time for the reveal--!

(==>)

CALLIOPE: allow me to introdUce...

PULL IT BACK

The Plot Point.

THAT'S SO FUCKING COOL LOOKING

CALLIOPE: The Plot Point.

What's with the colors on the left and right though? The spirals on the dragons? It's...

OH! The left spiral is in Roxy Lalonde's God-Tier Void outfit colors and the right spiral is in Calliope style. The combination of their talents and engineering. An infinity-like sideways hourglass up top. The Rogue of Void and the Muse of Space once again combining their talents to create a miracle. I love this.

(==>)

CALLIOPE: er, technically, the machine stabilizing The Plot Point. CALLIOPE: the actUal Point is that ominoUs looking bit in the middle! VRISKA: That's it? CALLIOPE: that's it! VRISKA: It looks sort of small and shitty. CALLIOPE: it's actUally anything but! CALLIOPE: it is paradoxically massive, and incomprehensibly powerfUl! CALLIOPE: so mUch so that the fact that anybody was able to contain it at all is a miracle in and of itself. CALLIOPE: bUt as mUch as i'd like to sit here and congratUlate myself on the achievement of its stabilization, more miracUloUs still is what we intend to achieve with it.

Is it the remnants of the hole alt!Calliope / AL tore open to escape the Black Hole, is it the center OF the singularity itself, or is it an encapsulation of Paradox Space? Or multiple of the above?

CALLIOPE: and yoU, vriska, are going to be instrUmental to the sUccess of this endeavor! VRISKA: No shit! VRISKA: That's kind of my whole thing. CALLIOPE: yoU're more correct than yoU know! ^u^ CALLIOPE: as we've already explained to john, this world is cUrrently mired in a state of, well... let's call it dUbious pertinence. CALLIOPE: a- VRISKA: I fucking KNEW it!!!!!!!! VRISKA: John, didn't I tell you? VRISKA: I totally did tell him. VRISKA: I've 8een saying that this world is complete 8ogus for ages now, and no8ody's 8een listening! VRISKA: Yet here I am, right again. VRISKA: Shocker! VRISKA: You should listen to Calliope, John. VRISKA: They may have pretty weird taste in fashion, 8ut they o8viously know what they're talking about where the shitty fake shitness of this joke of a timeline is concerned. VRISKA: Clearly we need to do something. CALLIOPE: Um. CALLIOPE: that was perhaps a tad redUctive, and sort of rUde, bUt yoU're certainly correct in yoUr assessment that something has to be done aboUt this!

Pretty much!

CALLIOPE: i'll keep this short. CALLIOPE: i know john's already heard a good deal of this explanation previoUsly, and yoU seem to be catching on quick! CALLIOPE: so! CALLIOPE: earlier, yoU mentioned that yoU've had a keen sense from the beginning that something was amiss here. CALLIOPE: althoUgh oUr world isn't necessarily "bogUs" and it certainly isn't "fake", per se, we are in effect completely cUt off from the wider canon of reality, to borrow a phrase from a slightly earlier me. CALLIOPE: we're kept qUarantined here by means of existing within a massive black hole, from which escape seems essentially impossible. CALLIOPE: that's where yoU come in! CALLIOPE: yoU see, we're hoping to leverage yoUr Unique hyperrelevancy here to- CALLIOPE: oops, let me back Up.

Back up to what?

CALLIOPE: the reason we broUght yoU *here*, specifically, is becaUse The Plot Point over there corresponds to the singUlarity at the exact center of oUr aforementioned plot prison! CALLIOPE: important bit of info, that! CALLIOPE: now, to reiterate, we want to escape that prison. CALLIOPE: and not jUst as individUals, either; no, the hope is that we'll be able to emancipate oUr entire world from this narrative pUrgatory and retake oUr place in the limelight!

Oh it was the SECOND THING-- the singularity itself, the normally-inescapable mass concentrating this entire timeline and all other fan-timelines in a prison nothing can normally escape, but that a Thief of Light as incessantly relevant as Vriska -- possibly with the help of an Heir of Breath, the aspect of freedom and escape -- to help them escape the black hole, and perhaps live outside Paradox Space still but still RELEVANT outside its influence, because Paradox Space itself is an entirely different sort of prison, of plot and canon that they would only want to tie themselves to enough to maintain coherence and escape the black hole garbage bin of irrelevance, I imagine.

CALLIOPE: to do this, we aim to become Uncontainable, and to do *that* we're going to Use yoU, a potent plot player if ever there was one, to crack the black hole wide open by, well... CALLIOPE: by interacting with the singUlarity! CALLIOPE: by reaching The Plot Point. CALLIOPE: now there are qUite a few ways this coUld practically shake oUt, and more than a few methodologies we coUld have yoU try. VRISKA: (...) CALLIOPE: the first thoUght was just to have yoU "make something happen" here, something significant, mind. CALLIOPE: bUt what woUld that really entail? CALLIOPE: contriving an entire scenario for yoU to play a pivotal role in, here at the center of all things? CALLIOPE: i did consider it, bUt it felt... CALLIOPE: well, inorganic. inaUthentic. CALLIOPE: and if we're going to make it oUt of here, inaUthenticity is the exact opposite of what we need to achieve! VRISKA: (........) CALLIOPE: which broUght me to wondering how someone like yoU might Utilize The Point itself, as a tool rather than a locale. CALLIOPE: how yoU might wield it!

I guess Roxy and Calliope (or at least, THIS Roxy and Calliope) haven't quite worked out the plan for exactly what they should do now that they've gotten to this point. But the way Vriska is acting, I think she's thinking of something. No matter who may or may not agree with her.

CALLIOPE: perhaps it's a portal, and we'd send yoU throUgh it? CALLIOPE: or maybe we'd have yoU ferry Us all throUgh it? CALLIOPE: thoUgh how woUld that work? CALLIOPE: alternatively, maybe it'd be as simple as having yoU attempt to destroy it! CALLIOPE: and-

I have a feeling that Vriska wants to do something that might let her PERSONALLY escape this timeline and return to the "real" canon one, to a realm of relevance herself... possibly forcibly dragging John along with her if she feels like it, but likely all on her own. And I'm not sure, but I think she wants to see Terezi again. And there's only one place she can find her.

I have a feeling whatever is about to happen isn't exactly what I or anyone else expects, though.

How is she going to steal enough relevance back from Canon to infuse this place with promise? *IS* she going to, or will she try to do her own thing and only accidentally do so, or end up fucking up and needing to be freed by John, or even have John himself be responsible for allowing them to escape the prison instead of Vriska?

(==>)

VRISKA: ALR8GHTY! VRISKA: Just... shoosh, lemme stop you right there. CALLIOPE: :u VRISKA: I don't have all day to sit around listening to a frumpy exposition creature.

*snert* exposition creature

JOHN: but you said t- VRISKA: 8up 8up 8up! VRISKA: You too. VRISKA: Here's the story. VRISKA: It's o8vious to anyone with half a pan that this whole shindig is pretty much cosmically clusterfucked, top to 8ottom. VRISKA: Equally o8vious is that I'm gonna 8e the one to fix it, 8ecause when am I not? VRISKA: And what's 8ecoming even MORE o8vious to me is that none of you actually have any REAL idea of what it is I need to 8e doing here! VRISKA: Theories, may8e. VRISKA: 8ut nothing solid.

That much is true.

VRISKA: So while I'd love to sit around listening to more academic conjecture on the ifs ands or 8uts of what EXACTLY this thing's deal is and what we should or shouldn't may8e do with it, I actually wouldn't love that at all, and am not going to do it, 8ecause it'd be a waste of my time. VRISKA: And no offense to this whole plane of existence, 8ut I've had just a8out as much as I can handle of wasting my time in here. VRISKA: It's time to kick off the training wheels and do what I do 8est: VRISKA: Figure shit out myself. VRISKA: So sit tight and leave the rest of this to me! VRISKA: You can thank me when I get 8ack.

I guess even though she's going it alone for herself, this all might work out after all? Vriska's gonna Vriska, but maybe that's not so bad here.

OH AN [S] PAGE OOOOOO

[S] (Vriska: Figure shit out yourself.)

Whoa that animation was cool as SHIT. And what was with the spinning hourglass...

VRISKA: You're welcooooOOOOH SHIIIIIIIIT-

PFFF

(==>)

That hourglass do be doing a REAL SPINNY STILL.

ROXY: wow JOHN: yeah, she's... JOHN: well, just as much of a card as i remember! ROXY: just as much of a jerk maybe CALLIOPE: she definitely was not very polite. CALLIOPE: bUt... CALLIOPE: i guess she did more or less end Up doing something! CALLIOPE: so i sUppose we shoUld chalk that Up as a win and a job well done? JOHN: i don't know... JOHN: i was kind of expecting something a bit more... JOHN: more plot significant? JOHN: i guess?

You don't quite know what she's going to DO in there though... or how important it's going to end up having made Vriska's experiences in this timeline, because whatever she ends up pulling off has to make (Candy) more important than a doomed timeline in sealing its need ineffably in the course of events of the future, present, or past of all Canon.

ROXY: callie CALLIOPE: yes dear? ROXY: is vriska right CALLIOPE: right aboUt what, dear? ROXY: about the fact that u dont actually know wtf we were supposed to be gettin up to here CALLIOPE: well... CALLIOPE: Um, more or less, yes. ROXY: bb are you srs CALLIOPE: oh dear. CALLIOPE: did i neglect to mention that i only really had a solid grasp on the inaUgural steps of this whole Undertaking? ROXY: um ROXY: YEAH CALLIOPE: oops! ^u^; ROXY: shit yeah callie that is kind of a fuckin oops!

Again... especially with the PRECISION with which this machine is made, I believe Roxy and Calliope are perhaps unknowingly collaborating with the OTHER Roxy and Calliope who are helping write the (Candy) storyline altogether.

ROXY: you said you were being compelled by like hella visions n premonishes n mysterious psychic spatiotemporal intuitions n i kinda figured that meant you had this shit all ttly comprehended! CALLIOPE: i'm sorry, roxy! CALLIOPE: it absolUtely wasn't my intention to mislead yoU or to overrepresent my level of Understanding of the process. CALLIOPE: it's jUst that, well... CALLIOPE: yoU remember how we got so wrapped Up in the initial excitement of finding the singUlarity and the rUined jUjU arch, and sUbseqUently stabilizing it with oUr sUper cool cherUbic-lalondian tech... ROXY: its true our tech really is so fkn cool...

EX-FUCKING-SCUSE ME DID YOU SAY RUINED JUJU ARCH!?!?!?? Who the fuck was responsible for THAT?!? For ALL of these devices!? I still have to play Hiveswap Chapter 2 but I feel like that won't give me answers yet either if I had to guess!!!

CALLIOPE: and then, well... it felt like we were on sUch a roll when we came to the conclUsion that we needed to leverage vriska's hyperrelevance to scUrry oUt of here... ROXY: we did have a whole bunch of high fives about that... CALLIOPE: it was an exhilarating breakthroUgh! CALLIOPE: and an eqUally exhilarating high-five session! CALLIOPE: bUt then the conflict began to ramp Up, and yoUr son got into all those shenanigans, and i wanted yoU to feel like i had everything Under control down here so yoU could attend to it! CALLIOPE: and all that notwithstanding, we really DID need to hUrry Up and do SOMETHING. CALLIOPE: i worried that perhaps yoU'd be a bit relUctant to pUll the trigger on this if it felt like all the details weren't lined Up. CALLIOPE: and so i... CALLIOPE: well, i sUppose i might have implied a more complete knowledge of the a to zed of all this then i actUally... possessed. CALLIOPE: and continUe to possess. JOHN: well, but you don't possess it. CALLIOPE: no, i'm afraid not. CALLIOPE: u_u ROXY: urgh callie i gotta say this feels sorta less than ideal ROXY: but i guess wcyd

Yeah, it was only a slightly dick move and the Rogue of Void is going to forgive this sort of white lie easily enough in their relationship. It makes sense.

JOHN: wow. JOHN: feels kinda nice not being the one getting chastised, for a change! ROXY: john shut ur insensitive blabhole or im gonna chastise the shit out of u JOHN: jeez!

Yeah butt out Egbert!

JOHN: just trying to think solution here, but is there something *we* should do? JOHN: should we maybe, i don't know... follow her? CALLIOPE: oh, i woUldn't recommend that. CALLIOPE: whatever's going on in there is likely to be extremely dangeroUs, and scarily... CALLIOPE: specific. JOHN: it's dangerous and you let her jump right into it? CALLIOPE: well she didn't exactly give me mUch of a golden window of opportUnity to try and talk her oUt of it, now did she! CALLIOPE: besides, what exactly was i sUpposed to say? CALLIOPE: "hello vriska, lovely to make yoUr acqUaintance, so glad yoU coUld make it to oUr little soiree, woUld yoU mind doing something of particUlar significance next to, bUt not within, that crackling narrative nexUs of swirling spacetime? by the by, i'm not actUally sUre as to what, and in addition to that the forces at play here coUld qUite easily rip yoU or perhaps even all of Us along with oUr entire plane of existence to pieces if yoU're not exceedingly carefUl so do take a second or two to think aboUt it?" ROXY: i mean mb that woulda helped ROXY: but rly it sorta seems like she woulda just jumped right tf in anyway JOHN: yeah.

Is John going to have to save Vriska from a Black Hole with his powers like I long falsely theory-foretold back in the original run of Homestuck? Once she's done her thing? John is pretty much the only possible person who could pull her back out of there. It'd be the complete embodiment of his God-Tier Heir of Breath role.

JOHN: ... JOHN: well, it doesn't *feel* like we're all being ripped to pieces. ROXY: ya im feelin pretty structurally intact, hbu callie CALLIOPE: whole and one! SOLLUX: yeah i'm all go0d. ROXY: oh damn dude, when did u get in here- ROXY: wait tf ROXY: are those my chips SOLLUX: i guess they were.

Pfff

banter banter banter...

SOLLUX: anyway what's going 0n in here? JOHN: hmmmmmmmm. JOHN: i wonder what IS going on in there.

Oh I love the next link title (but why is she grumpy though, is this AL/alt!Calliope we're cutting to?)--

Grumpy Exposition Creature: Exposit.

let’s have a look, then. as ever, faced with the desperate scrabbling of those who would overstep their bounds, it falls to me to clear things up. unfortunately, what’s been started here is now beyond my ability to curtail. what i can do, however, is show you all the consequences of the actions of those who would leap before they looked, and at the very least offer you a reprieve from tiresome conjecture in favor of equally tiresome deus ex machina.

Oh god, that's ominous as fuck. Alt!Calliope / AL is definitely pissed that the (Candy) folks besides the chosen few she brought along had the cheek to interfere and make the Canon timeline even more sprawlingly complicated without the ability to loop to a neat close.

Oh look at those brackets to represent the inside of the Plot Point, those are new? Have I finally almost caught up? ((NOO I WANTED TO SEE MORE YIFFY!)) I sniffed a glimpse of a 3D-or-game-like-looking something somewhere on tumblr or twitter or Patreon or the like in the midst of my efforts to immediately look away from anything close to a spoiler, so I sort of am expecting that I might be about to be shown something that would otherwise be surprisingly interactive and three dimensional soon...

[S] {Vriska: Come to.}

That was an ORANGE Sburb house like Dirk's color in the loading, or perhaps orange for Light colored?!

It's her old home... but in a white void with black clouds... ominously surrounded by horses...

{==>}

Home again, like the so distant past. Complete with the shitty "doomsday device" Eridan helped her build that never worked.

{==>}

She walks up her old stairs. Alt!Calliope/AL narrates...

they sent the thief here in search of power; the power to escape the containment i so painstakingly set up for them. she may well find it, though once again at no small cost to the integrity of this narrative, to say nothing of their tragically crumbling world. in fact, they’re quite lucky their meddling hasn’t immediately engendered the exact sort of catastrophic collapse my vibrant counterpart so flippantly theorized could occur. they must have friends in high places.

Friends in high places? Like the readers, or Andrew Hussie, or perhaps (Meat) Callie, who likely helped write this outcome?

If I had to guess, Alt!Callie thought this prison, this CONTAINMENT, would be a blessing... that perhaps the influence of non-Canon on Canon should be minimized even if non-Canon were to decompose into chaos and irrelevance. She believes this to hold nothing but danger and regret for them all. I think she's going to be proven wrong... but why is she so certain she's right about it? Quite ominous indeed...

Is it the remains of the collapsed Green Sun? Something Vriska would have the power to steal, something that might be powering the very existence of the (Candy) timeline though not sufficiently enough to keep it going for much longer without "crumbling" anyway?

{==>}

Whoaaaa.

when all is said and done, however, they’ll find the reward for their transgressions ill recompense for the price they paid to receive it. the black hole could only ever shelter them for so long, and in their haste to shrug off my protection they have opened the door to something far, far hungrier.

What... fandom demands? :?

{==>}

Vriska's old room...

this is not the salvation they are hoping for.

{==>}

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < meow! VRISKA: AAAAAAAAH! VRISKA: What the fuck are you doing here, Nepeta!

AhahAHAHAH!!! HAHAH! They live! :D

They couldn't be what AL was alluding to, could they? Time powers and fanfiction-love condensed into an oddly gender-euphoric-seeming fusion that loves themselves and knows the meaning and importance of Heart just as well or better than the Prince of Heart?

Vriska didn't meet this one for long, right, or ever? Hence confusing them for Nepeta?

{==>}

THAT'S WHERE ALL YOU OTHER MISSING SPRITES HAVE BEEN BESIDES JASPROSE

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < davepeta actually DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < but i gotta say its pretty refurreshing getting hit with nepeta instead of dave fur once! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < everynyans always dave dave daving me and its like um YEAH maybe i AM half walker texas rapper with a sick pair of shades and some pretty funky ideas about what is or isnt funny and for what reasons DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < but i am also half straight up mewjoshi with a super clean trenchcoat and very obvious kitty ear horn things! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < so thank you fur that DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < its very validating

Multigendered plural fusions need their validation just as much or more than everyone else, really. :D

VRISKA: Okay, well. VRISKA: What the fuck are you doing here, *Davepeta*. VRISKA: What the fuck am *I* doing here! VRISKA: What in the FUCK are you, me, and all the rest of these multichromatic circus freak rejects doing in my hive?! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < just kinda hangin out!

Is this like... a prison for everyone deemed too inconvenient to serve in the plot of even (Candy)?

{==>}

ERISOLSPRITE: wwe'vve been here for liike a miilliion fuckiin 2wweep2. DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < actually we just got here DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < this place didnt even exist until she popped in ERISOLSPRITE: gue22 ii'll fuck my2elf. DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < sprites go where guidance is essential!

Hmmmmm.

Friends in high places... Perhaps all of Skaia and/or the Horrorterrors combined wills also sanctioned this plan in the end? Because when they were created, or WILL BE created in Meat's timeline potentially, they'll eventually see and know something very important about what's possible here and how essential it is?

VRISKA: Ooooooooh, are you going to lead me to the weapon? VRISKA: Is it one of my doomsday devices? VRISKA: It totally is, isn't it. ERISOLSPRITE: 2et iit off, free u2.

Oh, hahah, Erisolsprite! You're so hilarious, wanting to unalive yourself all the time. Hahahah! Hah. :x

VRISKA: God, causality is so o8sessed with irony, even though it's such a useless joke for o8scene tools. DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < the only weapon in here is curled up snoozing all dormant and cute in your bloodpusher! VRISKA: Really? That's stupid.

It's not! Vriska is the Thief of Light.

If she really understood what that meant, then redistributing relevance is the exact and ultimate weapon needed for this situation. Even Callie and Roxy guessed THAT much, though Vriska perhaps still doesn't know enough about her potential to understand what she can actually do.

Also "in your bloodpusher" could indicate in your Heart, the ability for Vriska to interact with her broader Soul back in Paradox Space...

...Hopefully we don't need her to become an Ultimate Self version of herself? Because creating Ultimate Vriska would ABSOLUTELY open the door to "something far, far hungrier" in a way that might be dangerous to absolutely everyone.

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < *vriska stalks menacingly but ill informedly all up in here like "ummmmmmmm where am i what are you doing in my hive is the jank ass rube goldberg machine i built as a six sw33p old gonna fix everything?" because apparently thats so much less stupid* DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < just spaying DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < actually yuck i dont like that

Yeah that's a step too far a pun, and also probably not how Davepeta wants to roll.

VRISKA: If it's just me, then why the hell are all you guys here? DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < we rolled through so we could shepurrd our little eight legged sh33p to some helpfur self reflection

Yep... the biggest weapon is potentially Vriska performing some self-discovery and learning more about her title and aspect than she was willing to before-- learning about the real power she commands, which is so SO much more than just "luck".

VRISKA: I came here to save the world! VRISKA: In case you haven't noticed, the only thing showing up in MY reflection is a perfectly adjusted 8adass. DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < s33 that f33ls to me like an insane thing to say DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < does that not sound insane to you fefeta? FEFETASPRITE: 3833 < 383 DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < not very adjusted at all VRISKA: I need to adjust my way out of here. DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < tough kitties! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < s33 you just bapped the nail on the head DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < this is exactly why youre here DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < you gotta work on your shit vriska serket!

I really like this. I really like seeing ALL of these characters sorting out the worst of some of their unresolved issues. And this childhood room and Vriska's childhood fantasies are at the heart (Heart!!!) of a lot of her desperation and neediness, and inability to look past HERSELF to find who and what she can truly be if she tries. These sprites are together to help speedrun her through a whole successful Sburb session's worth of growing up.

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < *gears up to lay the fuckin smackdown on you all wrestler style but maybe also rapper style but the rapper is also a therapist who doesnt take shit from anybody and beats their clients the fuck up EMEOWTIONALLY but i guess in a productive way!!!* DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < you meow a big game about doing shit that matters and saving the world and being right all the time and making tough calls or whatever the fuck DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < but more often than not youre just tearing through life taking a big dump in its litter box and kicking your collitteral all ofur the place! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < fluff that! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < you wanna save the world so bad? DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < youre gonna have to save yourself first

Let's gooooo! :D

(I wonder if any of the transfem Vriska toblerone stuff is going to play into this incidentally, while we're this far in her past, or if as i hear that was only possibly hinted at mainly in Pesterquest or something else I haven't played.)

{==>}

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < and were all gonna help you! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < whether you like it or not

Are those ghosts from the Ghost Rain back in (Candy) that I haven't heard about since, when all the dream bubbles fell into the black hole?

{==>}

the fuck am i looking at XD

Okay, THIS is the 3D page I think I saw hinted at coming up, deliberately misleading link title and all:

{S} Begin Session.

Oh, "welcome to hell" and it's page 666, too, hah.

There was a prompt for a CHAPTER SELECT at the beginning so there's likely to be too much content here for me to screenshot much of, nor text I can highlight and paste properly, so I'm just going to comment on what I'm seeing when it's relevant as I play through this little game thing and paraphrase instead of using whole quotes unless something's so important I can't convey it with a screenshot alone.

We're first revisiting the cliff that Vriska threw Tavros off of. Vriska needs to confront why she fucking did that and that she ought not to have, but what exactly pushed her into it besides Doc Scratch. All the pressures she grew up with, and why she gave into them, and that she was... well, raised wrong and made wrong decisions that she needs to psychologically unpack to find herself. Her real self beneath all the bluster and arrogance and wrecking of shit.

--Ooh wait, the menu has a "Download Log" function, I'll use that if I need to to copy-paste text if needed (but I'll mostly focus on getting through this and commenting)!

*click*

Weird music. Egyptian out of nowhere. Have we crossed Charon's river?-- no wait that's greek. Oh jazz too.

VRISKA: wow, hell was right.

Again I'll try not to quote everything and just allude or paraphrase. I wonder if this beat is implied to be something Davepetasprite^2 would have mixed together.

Vriska thinks she's faced with the "ghosts of her past" and needs to "sort it out", hm. A shallow approach but we'll get to her depths soon enough.

Wait I tried the Download Log option to try and get the transcript to quote Vriska's "speedrun enlightenment" (lol good luck) line, but instead it was just the game's debug log. And the other menu... SKIP UNSEEN TEXT AND AFTER-CHOICES?

Oh man, this is an adventure potentially with CHOICES where we keep skipping back to figure out how to best get through a situation isn't it and see her go through each of the options??? :D (Or is at least built on an engine that does that?) Fucking sick! It even SAVES AND LOADS. Is it big enough to NEED that?!

I'm just gonna dive into this and comment lightly so I can get through it myself if you don't mind.

Continuing Tavros's segment...

We're replaying a point in her past where Tavros is near that cliff, and Vriska hasn't killed OR disabled him yet...

I feel fine about killing Tavros, and he's certainly ok with it now. The situation's sorted!

BULLSHIT IT IS. Let's see you being forced to introspect here, I can't wait.

It could have 8een any number of things. I did a lot of things wrong.

Yeah, BUT WHY? You haven't fucking confronted it yet.

Oh now she's pulling out the thing Rose just did with "It all worked out in the end so it was the right thing to do", fuck that. Fuck that. Learn.

{Hours Later, but not many.}

WHAT IS THAT ANIMATED LIP QUIVER SHE'S GOT TO BE FAKING IT

VRISKA: ...I'm sorry I said your lusus "smelled like tears".

So she's thinking that apologizing for everything she ever did is going to help, here... she might even be working herself up about it, making herself genuinely emotional if I don't get psyched out on the next click. But apology isn't enough here... she needs to learn about HERSELF, and why she did what she did, and what she would RATHER HAVE DONE if it came down to it, rather have done FOR HERSELF and not just for everyone else's.

And perhaps, words aren't at all what matters here. It's hard for a Light player to figure out, but words don't mean much. Only actions.

Clicking forward... yep, it's not progressing. And she's being "sincere a8out at least 80% of these", hahahah.

((Also I forgot that the infinity symbol on her eyepatch lines up with the sideways hourglass on the plot point machine and would be the perfect accoutrement to her becoming her Ultimate Self, too.))

Whoa.

Hold on.

I know it's a common phrase in Homestuck. SO common a phrase that I never... fuck... how could I be... the fucking person who wrote that Ultimate Riddle post and not make this connection?

The game keeps asking her, keeps asking and asking her the exact same question:

"What will you do?"

A phrase repeated dozens and dozens and dozens of times throughout all of Homestuck. And idiot that I am I never ONCE thought to REARRANGE THE WORDS.

Because the answer to the Ultimate Riddle is theoretically:

Do What You Will

THE ULTIMATE RIDDLE POST IS LITERALLY ELEVEN YEARS OLD HOW DID I NOT ONCE MAKE THIS FUCKING CONNECTION

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

(Okay calm the fuck down, focus. Back to the game.)

Is that the lesson she's finally going to learn, here???

Let's keep going and see.

...(more clicking)

"What will you do?"

Huh... Vriska thinks Tavros ought to want revenge against her for what she did to him. That's one of the biggest things she has to unlearn.

VRISKA: It's like I'm always saying, words are meaningless. VRISKA: What we need is action.

Nice callback but no you don't always say that asshole! I mean, you've been saying it lately... but also running from your problems with it.

VRISKA: The reason I'm stuck here is 8ecause I don't owe you plac8ing apologies VRISKA: I owe you revenge. It's just that easy!

None of this is EASY. That's been your issue. You haven't even admitted when it's been hard except for fleeting moments of pure anger and frustration.

VRISKA: You have to throw me off this cliff.

Pffffff

TAVROS: vRISKA I DON'T WANT TO DO A REVENGE ON YOU

Thank you, Tavros, but it's not going to be that easy to get it through her thick skull.

VRISKA: [live out the rest of your life] Here on Alternia. VRISKA: Before everything goes wrong. VRISKA: You can kill me now. VRISKA: 8efore I screw your life up.

Tavros didn't want Vriska to just disappear. Not back then, and not for a long time now.

Oh and now she's literally REPEATING the crime of trying to FORCE HIM TO KILL HER that she did on the quest bed. She has to reckon with THAT too.

Hm-- it's only giving me one choice, huh? I wonder if more will open up if/when we come back to this scene?

{Thief: Do the right thing.}

Manipulating him, stealing his will to FORCE him to kill her. Just another crime for the pile, really, not a solution.

{It's really for the 8est.}

VRISKA: Good luck.

Wishing luck to someone ELSE instead of herself, huh.

{Adios, Toreador.}

The music fading off...

SHING

She's literally GRINNING to be dead.

{==>}

Only to wind back up on that same beach she started the Plot Point in.

YEAR 2

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

OKAY MAYBE THIS IS GOING TO TAKE HER A WHILE!!!!

I guess that while the other folks in the Candy timeilne grew up around her, she's still younger... still has LITERAL growing up to do to match up with them. So that hourglass wasn't a joke, this is almost like a TEMPORAL SINGULARITY, a hyperbolic feelings jam time chamber.

Fascinating. (Click.)

Davepeta roleplaying, heheh. Always happy to see it.

Oh, Vriska has a tank top and her hair tied back. She's going to grow up, steadily and slowly, through all this.

"the breaking of cycles, dissolution of the self, whatever other philosophical rhetoric bill murray said in that one meowvie", huh? I do feel more like we're aiming for her to reach her Ultimate Self here, perhaps...

Yeah no shit Vriska's going to be depressed after two years trapped here with her past problems, unable to even die to escape them.

Asking Davepeta to please tell her, HER, what to do, and not in a flighty spritey roundabout way. Hmm. Let's see if they answer, and let's see if she's finally ready to listen.

You think "sweeps of my life are 8eing w8sted here", huh? Your immortal life, you mean? And you don't know that there's time compression going on in here yet, perhaps.

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < trust me i'm trying!!

D'aww, they look so bashful about failing to help, here.

Hahahhaah, that IS an issue isn't it! ...Huh. I wonder who WOULD be able to relate to her enough for her to listen to, that she would actually be able to take the advice of. Aradia? But is any version of her or ghostly imitation even here?

I know I'm wasting the image limit a little here but THAT'S WAY TOO CUTE, seriously I love how happy Davepetasprite^2 is with BEING themselves all the time.

Ooh, if you don't watch the groundhog movie you're gonna have an even harder time of this. Two whole years and you didn't watch Groundhog Day for a hint to get out and solve your psychological problems?

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: *the fearsome gender neutral lionesster pins down its prey but instead of getting down to business growls out how the prey deserves this for being a big disappointing pussy*

Fuck I love that, "gender neutral lionesster" complete with that portmanteau at the end, that's valid as heck. Validation of ANY sort breathes life into my lungs.

Whoa... five choices, three of them grayed out, and "Check back later!" at the bottom. No wonder there's save slots, so this is going to be periodically updated?!?

Flarp manuals will bring us back to Tavros for sure... Let's see if that's something new and doesn't bring us back. (Click!)

VRISKA (angry): "I've apologized, I've killed you, you've killed me, you've paralyzed me, disfigured me, we traveled the world together." VRISKA: "We 8uilt you an army, had several revolutions, you got to do your little dance a thousand times over."

Oh she even replayed her LATER adventures with ghost Tavros?

Sure, but what did she LEARN from any of this, about HERSELF? What is she WILLING to learn about herself?

Oh.

Oh my god.

Oh my god this whole time she's never asked him to "participate in activity of his own choosing". SHE'S NEVER ASKED HIM WHAT HE WANTED TO DO THIS ENTIRE TIME.

SHE'S FINALLY LEARNING ABOUT WILL! ABOUT THE BALANCE TO FIND WITH ALLOWING OTHERS AGENCY!!!!?!

Let's see... yep, he wants to play a game.

Because he used to play games all the time with the likes of Vriska... and he enjoyed himself, until she betrayed him and threw him off a cliff. For the first time EVER in her life, Vriska is trying to see what Tavros actually wants without deciding it for him.

{Play game.}

Vriska is baffled that even though she won, Tavros is still happy to have played the game. Even when Tavros was losing, he was STILL ENJOYING playing games with her. He always had.

He doesn't CARE that much about losing. She's never understood, been able to relate, to that. To her, losing was like death.

To him, losing in a new and different way is an adventure.

I'm loving all of this so much.

VRISKA: Damn. VRISKA: That is quite possibly the gayest thing I have ever heard someone say, Nitram.

PFFF I DID A SPITTAKE ALMOST

TAVROS: wHAT DOES THAT WORD, EVEN MEAN VRISKA: I don't know! It's a human word Dave would repeat all the time 8efore I started using it against him.

OUCH, on the meteor trip? Ouch ouch ouch! XD

VRISKA: It's 8asically what you tell people when you think they're 8eing inane and need them to shut up. TAVROS :wELL THEN, vRISKA, i THINK YOU, aRE gAY TOO,

BAAHAHAHAAHAH PREACH

TAVROS: yOU AND I, aRE BOTH STUPID GAY, TAVROS: nOW BASED OFF THE RULES OF GAY, wE HAVE TO SHUT UP AND GAME, VRISKA: I'm not gay, stop saying I'm gaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!

I'M FUCKIN DYING XD

Tavros is right: If someone didn't lose, following all these game rules wouldn't be fun. If you can't love losing at least a little, you can't truly love playing games.

PFFFHAHAHAH he remembered something for a split second to make a point and then went back to not and Vriska is losing her shit.

She's remembering why she hated him so much... how she HAD to hate this attitude of his. I'm guessing in part it's because thanks to her lusus, SHE NEVER HAD THE LUXURY OF LOSING, THAT WAS DEATH TO HER. Possibly LITERALLY death, to not win and feed others to her mother.

OHOHO SHE ACCIDENTALLY REVEALED HER OWN FEELINGS!!!

VRISKA: I think if a certain uppity human was here, she'd call it "projecting."

SHE'S FINALLY FUCKING LEARNING

Tavros laying it down that he always REMINDED HER OF ALL OF HER FEARS. THAT'S why she always hated him.

TAVROS (eyebrowsing): i LOVE NOW KNOWING, tHAT YOU HAVE PROBLEMS,

Oh that's gonna get to her. XD

They could both be projects for each other. Oh gosh it's actually showing how they could have had a HEALTHY rivalry or relationship in some other quadrant where they improved each OTHER, and Tavros showed her how to be comfortable losing and not always having to concern herself with survival.

Aw he's feeling "inspired" (Breath)!

...whoa. Tavros laying out some alternative gender fantasies here? The nice and soft bronze fairy, and she will be super nice and awesome because everyone likes her?

VRISKA: Let's play some games for girls.

Yeah!!!!!!!!

Oh my god Tavros really DID have a character sheet for a female Bronze Fairy character that was a Tavros-like mirror to Vriska's Blue Fairy and he's embarrassed to say it. This is pretty incredible, I love how much Gender they are stuffing into all of these updates.

And yeah Vriska, it's the first time you've really listened to him. Really, ACTUALLY been not terrified to listen to him, and tried to understand how he feels without your defenses all the way up to just drive over him whenever he made you uncomfortable, or literally ever.

VRISKA: This whole time I thought I was supposed to 8e pushing you. VRISKA: It's soooooooo o8vious now, that was pretty fucking stupid of me. There was nothing I could have done to change your mind, huh? ARADIABOT: exactly

AAAAA aradiabot jumpscare! Right at her important psychological revelation! D:

ARADIABOT: y0ure finally starting t0 get it

And I'm so glad of it.

{==>}

Vriska's finally taken a step forward after all these years trapped here, and she's flabbergasted.

LoMaT and Aradiabot, now.

VRISKA: Are you... aware of the situation? Does this mean I finally cleared Tavros and you're the next level of helltier?

Well, yeah I think so pretty much.

ARADIABOT: i w0uldnt say that ARADIABOT: m0re acurately this is the b0ss fight t0 drive the p0int h0me

Oh?

Yeah, Vriska still thinks this purgatory is about punishment, or atonement, instead of LEARNING. About herself, about her friends, about GROWING as a person.

VRISKA: It's not........?

Two years slow on the pickup! WOW that's a thick layer of problems for Vriska to work through all at once.

Oh what a callout... good point Aradiabot, telling it straight to her that VRISKA was the only one satisfied by Aradiabot giving her the smackdown and killing her. That she wanted to be hated, judged, and that was the thing that she couldn't stand about Aradiabot the most.

ARADIABOT: what i meant was that y0u got what y0u always wanted ARADIABOT: y0u were ex0nerated vriska thats what its always been ab0ut

Yeah, she's always wanted someone to make her pay.

VRISKA: I never once asked to 8e f8rgiven for free, I always paid the price!

No, you believed in the false power of redemptive violence. You never confronted why you did what you did in the first place, you just used exoneration as an excuse to not work on the problem at all in yourself.

ARADIABOT: wh0 can aff0rd t0 care when they kn0w y0ure g0ing t0 hurt them again?

FUCKING PREACH.

No, Vriska, getting beaten and bruised and mutil8ed and h8ing yourself doesn't fix the problem. Redemptive violence is a myth. You have to confront why you did what you did inside YOURSELF and cure yourself of the root cause.

Oh wow, "What will you do" growing on the screen like this...

Yeah, Vriska's not going to manipul8 aradiabot into caring. That wouldn't accomplish anything, and she's moved past really, truly, being willing to try that anyway.

ARADIABOT: y0ure n0t here t0 be redeemed vriska y0ure here t0 grow up

Exactly. ...And kind of fun that Pupa Pan Tavros was her first and hardest test, in that light.

--Vriska doesn't even understand what that MEANS yet, being asked to grow up! She doesn't know what growing up REALLY MEANS having only interpreted it in the cruel Alternian context she internalized while being raised!

ARADIABOT: d0 y0u even want t0 be that b0ssy br0ad?

YES CUT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER. That Vriska doesn't actually enjoy BEING this thing she thinks she has to be. That the badass bossy broad she's convinced she SHOULD be, and plays the part of, was never what would truly make her happy and was NEVER going to avoid hurting everyone else. And deep down, she hates that she hurts people. But she's convinced herself she never had a choice.

...Yeah, Aradiabot, preach it. Paraphrasing her, even at her "most useless self", there's a place for Vriska in the world and people in it that want to share a life with her if she'd let them.

Pfff, Aradiabot's "0o0" face at her asking "am I the problem?"

ARADIABOT: i am g0ing t0 expl0de again

LOL

People have been telling you that your entire life, Vriska. You've just never listened. <3

ARADIABOT: 0f course! ARADIABOT: y0u already have

EXACTLY-- both before and even in this very sequence, ESPECIALLY in this sequence with Tavros, quite significantly!

--pff she's shocked and confused that Aradiabot thinks so

Yeah, she's grown steadily throughout all this, she's not the same as she was as a kid-- and she still has MUCH more to grow to TRULY grow up, and has taken an enormous step just now with Tavros's memory whether she realizes it or not.

ARADIABOT: "that aligns with y0ur aspect" ARADIABOT: "light players define themselves by their direct acti0ns and understanding"

Agency and Information, yeah! (Though that sort of goes somewhat against how I was saying earlier to Sollux's ominous portent how the Life/Doom axis was better about defining oneself by their actions; perhaps not by their actions but by... hm. Light players concern themselves more about agency (the ability to act) and then the MEANING of those actions, whereas Life players just DO and don't consider the meaning behind what they do as closely, don't LET IT DEFINE themselves as much, perhaps. Is that close to how I've described it before? I need to remember I'm learning from what the story is telling me, not JUST trying to fit it into my preconceived notions, as tempting as that is.

And yeah, a Time player gets to understand how these cycles of growth and then stagnation loops keep happening, the picture of Vriska as a person growing a bit but getting complacent and comfortable and slipping back into bad habits.

Vriska is barely but still willing to accept that there is "some8ody out there still w8ing for me, even after all my fum8ling". (SPOILERS VRISKA, IT'S TEREZI, YOU DUNKASS!)

Vriska says she's wondering whether she and Aradia, despite everything that happened, could have ever been friends.

ARADIABOT: y0u mean if y0u had put in the time and w0rked 0n wh0 y0u are and bec0me ultimately the best versi0n of y0urself? ARADIABOT: hmm ARADIABOT: n0 VRISKA: !!!!!!!! VRISKA: C-can I 8sk why???????? VRISKA: D8 you h8 me that much? ARADIABOT: i d0nt hate you ARADIABOT: but i d0nt want to spend my time 0n y0u either VRISKA: 8ut!!!!!!!! ARADIABOT: v.v VRISKA: ........ VRISKA: ........ ok. VRISKA: Ok.

Vriska was always SO DESPERATE for Aradia to feel SOMETHING towards her. Even hatred. And she was always denied. But not everything is meant to be. And even if she can become a better person, you're not always going to gel with everyone.

This is all so wonderful.

{Vriska: Take Aradia's hand.}

The quest recuperacoon where she ascended...

This is the last image I can put in this post and it made me teary-eyed the instant I saw it and it's still making me teary-eyed. Wow. Fucking... wow, this... this entire trapped-in-a-time-singularity psychological confrontation and growth experience Vriska is undergoing... this is better than anything I could have asked for, for her and from this story. I love this all so much. So fucking much.

VRISKA: 8ut I am actually sorry. For everything. TAVROS: yOURE RIGHT, iT'S DEFINITELY POINTLESS TO SAY, bUT, iT IS AN APPRECI8TED GESTURE };)

{==>}

VRISKA: And, it's not going to 8e the same again. VRISKA: I'll stick with it this time. I promise. ARADIA: we kn0w ARADIA: y0u have t0 ARADIA: n0 0ne else is g0ing t0 save y0u n0w VRISKA: 8ecause it's just me left? ARADIA: yes ARADIA: its just y0u ARADIA: g00d luck vriska ARADIA: i h0pe y0u get better s00n

Even the infinity symbol on her eyepatch has broken just a little bit, like a broken cycle. That got a couple actual tears out of me. This is incredible.

{Level Complete!}

...She's reached the "8OUNDARY RESPECTER" level on her weird new hell/perdition-themed solitary-candle-in-the-darkness echeladder.

Wow. That was just... incredible.

Mindfang's journal is next, but I've hit the image limit, and it's a miracle I've had the energy to push through and liveblog morning to night like this today... but it was all so amazing I couldn't stop, and for now I HAVE to take that image limit excuse to pace myself and not complete that final sequence that's currently out, just yet. I'll probably liveblog that tomorrow... and if I have energy, maybe even check out some of the commentary, unless that's pushing it. Gosh I love this webcomic so much, everyone. This is better than anything I could have possibly expected to happen when she used the Plot Point.

Oh my god... it's called {S} Begin Session because it's an extended THERAPY SESSION. :DDD

Thanks for being on this journey with you guys later, and I'll be caught up soon! There's no way I'm going to be able to get through ALL of the Patreon/bonus commentary I've missed since HS2 resumed in one day, and I can't guarantee I'll even start on it, but by sometime tomorrow I'll be caught up on Homestuck^2, posted, finally and waiting for the next part of this game on Page 666 with bated breath like everyone else, ready to liveblog it within a day or two of each new upd8 while I gradually crawl through whatever bonus material I haven't covered. :D

[fisheito]

*rings the service bell* hi um i was wondering.. if there's any yakumo temperature play in here? sounds silly but i only realised after i circled the building a few times... that i haven't seen it at all. Seems to be common practice, actually- to not have it. i've visited several other buildings and there's been no sight of it.

which is... strange? if i think about it, it's surprising that i haven't encountered it yet! it sort of makes sense to have them together, you know? considering that temperature is so vital to a snake's perception of the world. and how sensitive reptiles are to temperature fluctuations.

so there's a lot of control to be had here. can you imagine controlling someone's energy level just by adjusting the thermostat? er- well, i guess we already do that. but imagine you put yakumo in an ice bath and he immediately falls asleep. brumation happens instantly now, sorry. and the only way to snap him out of it is to stick a flaming dildo up his ass

what?. no, i mean, restore his regular energy level with a soft warm-up. a heated blanket and a gentle steam. hahaha.

people plunge themselves into ice water before jumping into hot tubs and vice versa- for fun! they do this recreationally!! they call it a "spa treatment" and pay a premium for it! what's wrong with giving yakumo a spa treatment? who are we to deprive him of such sensory luxury?

i'm JUST SAYING that since he naturally gravitates toward heat, you could put him in a hurt AND comfort scenario he could be naked and cold, banished to the distant corner of the room.. but when you offer him a source of warmth, whether that be a hot rock or a warm hand or 20 lit candles suspended above him dripping wax on him at random intervals,,, wouldn't he have a tough time turning down your generosity?

i mean, he certainly would if he was tied up.

see, here's the other thing i cannot quite comprehend-- it's that--- how has a snake yokai not featured bondage scenes yet? i guess there was that one time with the.. hm. no, we shan't talk about the cellar. besides, ONLY ONE TIME is unacceptable for a sentient rope!! although yakumo would love to wrap up his prey and squeeze the cum out of em, i feel like we're missing out on a lot by not OutSnaking the Snake. tie up and restrain the Restrainer. it's just a liiiiittle step farther than putting him in a pillowcase! so mild!!!!

here's a guy who is always worried about losing control/// about being free to wreak havoc on his loved ones, despite his best intentions. so how about we give him a moment of peace? a moment where he believes he's subdued and unable to cause harm? just tie him up! keep him under TIGHT lock and key. (or some nice soft cloths for his sensitive skin, if we're being nice.) honestly, his brain will do the rest of the work. even if he's not truly incapacitated, his desire to BE So can fill the gaps in any questionable knotwork.

while he's half in the prison of his mind and half in the confines you've created for him, take some time to squeeze some whimpers out of him. although it pains me to cover up those soggy eyes, a blindfold may be an intriguing option. is yakumo the type of snake to rely on heat vision? WHY NOT FIND OUT! (if he's not terrified at his loss of sight, then i guess his pit organs are functioning . in which case, the blindfold doesn't really need to stay on. if he IS terrified and feels the loss of visuals acutely, this would be an excellent opportunity to soak in his panic. just for a bit though. we're not so cruel. guide him back with a warm touch. see? playing with fire temperature contrasts can bring such relief!)

maybe i'm getting ahead of myself. i don't expect yakumo temperature play to show up WITH bondage , why- that would be asking a lot, right?

but the basics are simple enough, yes? give the wretched creature the comforting warmth he wants, then perhaps inch closer to something bordering uncomfortable? Too Much? have him seek out what he craves, only to be burned (metaphorically and/or literally) if he indulges himself too much? oops! someone's become a slave to their senses!

i'm just saying that the sensory perception of yokai vs kink is (relatively) unknown territory. if temperature play already messes with humans, what could it possibly do to yakumo? he could experience it in facets unknown to others.-=- to levels others are incapable of appreciating---- like someone with synesthesia who can experience music with another layer of enjoyment.

if you give a snake ice cream, followed by a hot piece of meat [unknown origin], it'll really make him aware of the contrast, hmm??????

anyway. sorry about that. i'm not super clear on the specifics of it all. i just thought it peculiar that i haven't seen the yaku-hot-cold-sensitivity-finagling. out there, in here, nowhere as far as i've seen..

...or is it located in a part of the building i overlooked? if so, could you direct me there? i would really appreciate it.

if you don't have it after all, that's ok. i'll keep a careful watch now that i know what i'm looking for. maybe it's one of those things where, once i actively search for it, i'll notice it everywhere! wouldn't that be delightful!

with that, i guess i'll be on my way. thanks for your patience. yeah, i hope i find it too. have a good one!!

[retrocesosdestacion]

HOLLOW-HEARTED PHASES | daniëlle van de donk.

daniëlle van de donk x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: 🤷‍♀️

notes: written for this request.

SUMMARY: Danielle finds herself in frustration after a match. You are the only answer for her.

In a way, you are poetry material; You are full of cloudy subtleties I am willing to spend a lifetime figuring out. Words burst in your essence and you carry their dust in the pores of your ethereal individuality.

kafka.

❝ Will you tell me what happened? ❞ You don't expect Daan to be comprehensible right now. Yet it's worth a try.

❝ Nothing. It was just an misfortune. ❞ She answer in a not-so-assertive tone. It was kind of obvious how difficult it was for the Dutch woman to lie to you.

❝ It wasn't just this, you got a really bad yellow card, Liefde. ❞

Van de Donk and accident in the same situation was something common, relying on the point of view. And a lot of those times, it was funny.

She was tired, you were too; Sweating and ravenous, you too; Danielle was completely worn out from the match, and so were you. Mutually in post games, that was what made you two so close.

Playing alongside the midfielder every week managed to be entertaining, mainly due to each unusual circumstance that Danielle brought to you.

Settling such complications was your job. And at this moment was not different.

❝ At least explain it to me, please! ❞ You beg, pulling the first stool you could get and sat down in front of your partner; implying you wouldn't be leaving anytime soon until you resolved this.

❝ Do you think bumping into someone is so reckless as to get a yellow card? ❞ She started. ❝ Nowadays they are accepting anyone as a referee! ❞

She gestured every second, her dutch accent made the whole situation even funnier.

The only reaction you could have was to laugh at it all. ❝ It contigent on the intensity, actually. ❞ You say amidst giggling. ❝ And well, I know you. ❞

❝ I didn't do anything wrong! ❞ Danielle sounded like she wanted to prove a point. ❝ It’s not my fault if she unexpectedly appeared near me... ❞

❝ Okay, I take your word for it. ❞ In fact, your lips were a little erroneous, you saw how the midfielder purposely pushed the rival player at that time and could uncertainly defend Daan.

She raised her eyebrows involuntarily and jiggle her face, not hiding the evidence that she didn't fall for your fallacious chit-chat.

You gradually reached for the dutch woman's hands, probing each of her fingers; then caressing them.

Suddenly Van de Donk was equal to a carefree sea; a pelago that had just experienced a storm. The midfielder's eyes were devoted to yours, glinting more and more with each passing second.

Even though Danielle always left in a temper after incidents like this, you had the unparalleled ability to alleviate her. Whether just with your presence or caresses.

❝ How about… Next time you bump into someone more carefully, hm? ❞ You muttered, bringing your face inches closer to the midfielder. ❝ Or better yet, not bumping into the person is also a great option! ❞

Your thumbs slowly slid over the skin of other woman’s fingers, trying to comfort her while at the same time considering a clarification for all of this.

❝ In conclusion, not retaliating to a provocation is what you're telling me. ❞ Danielle articulated calmly.

❝ ...Yeah, almost that. ❞ You replied, withdrawn from your previous speech. ❝And also, you’ve been a lot… ❞

❝ Stressed? ❞ She concluded by cutting off your words, even though she was aware that such emotion was not true.

❝ I wasn't going to say that. ❞

❝ Yes, you would. ❞

You took a while to answer, since deep down it was more of a truth.

❝ No… I was going to say that you have been very frustrated and nervous lately. ❞

❝ It's the same thing. ❞ Daan had a silly smile on her face, clear how she was enjoying a game with you.

Your lips locked before commenting something, daring extra time to think of words to please her.

The palm of your left hand was the first touch to the dutch woman's face after disregarding her fingers, now giving light gentle taps. ❝ Who knows, maybe behind your little face it’s all the same! ❞

Van de Donk's fortunate laugh was delightful to hear, like a pleasant sound you rarely find amidst the chaos of an urban city; like your girlfriend.

The dutch girl got a enjoyable laugh out of your face whenever she could, and you got the occasional warm fervor. It was a cycle, and you had everything to do with it.

❝ I'll take that as a compliment. ❞ Daan articulated happily, slowly pressing her own fingers over yours; those who were snuggled against the dutch woman's face.

❝ Better now? ❞ You ask, wondering how Danielle was calmer than before.

❝ Possibly yes. ❞ She reply, inhibited by previous actions.

The shorter woman looked down demurely. But honestly, anyone gets irritated, especially by situations like this. Daan had every right to be upset about this, after all, you would be there.

Your fingers, from both of your hands, placed themselves on the other woman's face. You compress lightly so that you could move the other person's face closer to you.

Danielle had her typical confused look, but also aware of the affectionate attitude. A short beam shines on your face, accompanied by a pleasant chuckle before your lips touch the other person's skin.

You placed a short peck on the tip of the dutch woman's nose, immediately going to her lips, giving her another peck. Centimeters away from the other person's face, being able to even feel de Donk's warm and agitated breath.

❝ If that's okay, how about we get together with the girls, then we go out for drinks and find something to eat. ❞ You murmur after the affectionate act.

❝ If you say so… We can. ❞ Daan answer, sounding like she's still trying to recover from the affection; with the silly smile printed on her face. ❝ To be honest, I'm hungry. ❞

One or twenty years can pass, the dutch woman always becomes the silliest person in the world when she receives your affection.

❝ How about that new restaurant that just opened? ❞ You make a suggestion. ❝ Vanessa felt like eating pasta these days! ❞

Despite Van de Donk being a difficult woman to deal with on the pitch, off there and for you, it was like an easy puzzle to put together.

Danielle could stress a thousand times, but you would always get her back no matter what.

❝ Sounds fun! ❞ She responds one last time before gradually rising from the bench where she was sitting.

The midfielder pulled your hands, so she could help you when you got up. It didn't take long for you to act and do the same, even though you were extremely tired.

Daan still had her index fingers intertwined with yours, her eyes needed to make minimal effort when looking up, where she could look affectionately at you.

She took a while to say something, and honestly, Danielle's eyes darted to your face and without saying anything made you a little nervous.

You gave a confused grin.

❝ Thank you for that. ❞ Van de Donk mutters.

❝ …For what, exactly? ❞

❝ For being with me, by my side. I don't know how I would react to things without you. ❞ She articulates through the small laughs she lets out.

Without realizing it, your confused smile became happy, small compliments coming from your girlfriend were a relief; a victory.

Your silly smirk that burned your cheeks didn't allow you to answer, but made you act embarrassed. Your lefty raised up, so you could try to camouflage this stupid smile.

❝ Why are you smiling so much?! ❞ Daan chortled, tilting her head confusedly to the side.

❝ Nothing, nothing. ❞

ᅠ

[bibibbon]

Ok a question center about Izu, in a way. Hm, ok let me gather my thought:

Mirio is either stupid or naive? I ask this bc well nighteye was a miserable bitch against Izu for no reason but petty. Is Mirio aware Nighteye is a creep or ...nighteye fake around mirio?

Now to Izu...I think I'm the only one who can see this but...Izu getting the quirk, ofa, is now a mean spirit joke. "Huh?what you mean?"

Mirio is the perfect candidate for ofa. He has a good grasp on his quirk, he knows how to act and is a mini am. He could fill the gap right away and AM was in a hurray.

Why pick Izu?

"he saved PoS" which ok...but is that enough to grant him a special quirk? No discussing or get to know Izu? Am doesn't know this kid...for all he knows Izu could have used ofa for evil.

To me, the way I see it. Izu got the quirk bc am is stubborn and nighteye was a mega creep.

Like Mirio was a perfect option for ofa. Why Izu? Not asking this to shit on him (I'm not Hori) but while Izu does work to make this quirk his...AM was putting pressure...he needs Izu to be the symbol of peace in a second.

Mirio already was a symbol or coming closer. Why not him?

What makes Izu special of ofa? It's bc am picked him and it's a good reason if we saw why am picked him. Am picked him way too quick.

One good and frankly suicidal mission was enough to make him his heir. Why? We will never know.

Again, not shitting on Izu. I wanted to see a reason as why Izu is worthy of ofa. But we don't. The relationship of am and Izu is ...no. Existent. Really make me think he picked Izu too quick and if nighteye wasn't himself...the ofa would go to Mirio.

Hi @mikeellee 👋 sorry for not answering this sooner!

Hmm interesting I would say mirio is naive with a dash of biases. Let me explain, what I mean is that Mirio believes that nighteye wouldn't do such a thing especially if it's towards someone he thinks is a friend. Mirio and nighteyes relationship is what I like to describe what nighteye wanted his relationship to be with all might in a way.

I don't think that Mirio is aware of nighteye's creepy behaviour as canon never alludes or implies it at all and Mirio someone who has a strong sense of righteousness and would probably be very irked if he found out about nighteye.

My theory is that due to all mights and nighteye's strained relationship all might didn't trust nighteye's input or decision so he may of left Mirio getting OFA as a last resort type of thing. However, you are right Mirio is basically perfect for the role especially if they wanted another mini all might in a hugely short span of time but I think the message was supposed to be that with society changing that another all might may actually harm society a lot more than do good for it. Now I think that if horikoshi actually allowed Izuku's character to go through proper development that izuku would be perfect in delivering that message however this idea doesn't hold much weight after Izuku's fight with shigaraki that parallels all mights kamino fight.

Also maybe Izuku reminded all might of himself so that's why he picked him. In reality how would all might really know that though??!?! All might and izuku bonding time is basically non existent in the manga or anime their relationship is also non existent. All might doesn't know much about izuku and neither does izuku. All might is a bad mentor and it's never brought up or used as a point to develop him and his relationship with Izuku.

Iam not sure what's so special about izuku for all might to pick him or why all might never picked Mirio. I remember a few years ago I saw a video talking about how in the overhaul arc we never actually got proof as to why izuku is the better candidate for OFA and i have to actually agree. Izuku never ended up differentiating himself from Mirio and frankly we don't even have any logical reasoning from all might as to why it was izuku himself. Or it's how he broke the bystander effect and wanted to help bakugo even though he couldn't do anything that maybe inspired him to help this kids dream of becoming a hero become a reality but oh well I guess we will never know the true answer.

[wellprompted]

WARFRAME — THE HEX ( CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE HEX QUEST ) some lines modified for ease of rp use, tweak as needed when sending them to people :) some lines are suggestive.

"So, what you tryin' to do after this?"

"Look, don't try to speech me. Just tell me what ya want, and I'll tell ya what I'm askin'."

"[name]: got a job for you. Shelters need deliveries. Get your game face on."

"You need some threads, unless you want to look like your Mum dressed you?"

"Stasis is death, yeah. Change? Is life. Law of nature. Law of style. Fundamental."

"I dress for who I am, right? And who I am starts where comparison ends."

"Yeah. [sender] all 'bout takin' what's fine 'bout all of this? And weaponizin' it."

"[name] asks any questions, you found that, read me?"

"Alright, now get outta here before someone sees us."

"Took a lot of trouble to get that. Take good care of it."

"Yeah babes - let's go. You n' me, time to make everyone jealous."

"Look what you do to me, comin' round lookin' like that. S'a crime how you make me feel."

"What is this beauty I see before me? How you doin', babe? You got somethin' for me?"

"Y'know me. All about moments. Make this one last a little longer."

"Promise I won't leave no holes in the bricks here."

"I see you, and I know you see me."

"How's a man supposed to focus? With you giving me those looks."

"Since you're such a quick learner, I'm wondering if I can teach you a thing or two over here."

"Mind if I move some books in? A couple of favs would look good right there."

"You can be quite the little songbird, can't you."

"Run along, if I catch you, hm, well let's say you won't get much done today will you?"

"Let's not forget to practice proper weapon discipline? Grip steady and firm, take a deep breath."

"Storybooks. Been going through 'em since day one at school. Never felt that I'd be thinking about them now, but I'm reminding myself of that prince who did get his happy ending."

No judgement, but I do think some of those suits would look better on me. Or on the floor."

"I got a bullet with his name on it. I'm holding on to it though. Maybe it'll be the last bullet I ever fire, then what, we can just be somewhere else. Someone else."

"My favorite little trigger to squeeze. Not too tightly wound today, are you? Since we have this, all this, maybe you need an inspection? Promise to keep it proper."

"Don't need my scope to see how right this all is. Sure, people might get the idea that I have a weakness now, that being you, but ha, who could take us?"

"Hmm.. Just glad, hm? Not "scared you can't keep up with me" or "worried you'll have trouble walking tomorrow"?"

"Still can't believe, out of all your options in the universe… I haven't managed to cock this up yet. But I always know how to make it right."

"Look at this then, us. This is my reward for being such a good boy, then?"

"A moment of peace. Trust me there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect this peace."

"You don't know me. Never see what darkens your rooftops. Inevitable, like the rain. Handing out consolations in a transient connection. Boom. Smoke. And ghost."

"This feels proper wrong. Probably why I like it."

"Gonna need to polish my rifle after this. Take that how you like."

"Situation isn't ideal but confidence is high. I'll take it."

"We're making a difference. That's a rare feeling in this line of work."

"We're saving lives here. No matter how rough it gets, remember that."

"Be careful out there. If you got killed I'd never forgive you."

"Oh, and if you happen to come across a bottle anywhere? I'm cooking."

"The only thing this place is missing is a nice, big open fireplace. Oh, and a rug. Something furry, for ... wrestling on."

"Little reminder. Your weapons need to be stripped down and cleaned regularly. Including me. Do we need to make this a disciplinary matter?"

"What we do… is up to us. I could cook us a meal. We could even get drunk! [deity of choice]... I've missed feeling safe enough to let my guard down."

"Look at you, prowling around your lair. Like you're protecting what's yours."

"Just be glad I'm not taking you home to meet my parents. One warzone is enough."

"I'm not saying it's on the cards, I'm not saying it's even going to happen, but: if [name] gave me a tattoo, would you laugh?"

"I could still taste you on my lips this morning. Buggered up my concentration completely. You are a liability, you are."

"You will tell me if the stubble gets too much, won't you? Don't we want you to feel like a tramp's moved in."

"Just thinking, I'd make a shit father, but a really great uncle. The sort who takes you to the woods to blow things up."

"Just how 'glad' are you, hm? Do I get to send you on your next mission looking all disheveled and breathless?"

"You've given me a reason to be scared of dying, and that much more to live for."

"Here you come, all rough-and-tumble."

"You have an eye for the uncanny. What do you think?"

"Idle hands, darling."

"What do you say? A touch of the macabre?"

"Do you feel that? The way it nestles into you? You've made a friend this day."

"Fortune favors the bold, sunshine."

"What you do still betters what is done."

"Has [name] been in here? There's little sword holes in the floor."

"I didn't tidy up. Sorry. I have the housekeeping instincts of a feral cat. And a few others."

"I can close my eyes and feel this city breathing. All her roughest stones are stained with lives and stories."

"I would like to have the kind of fun with you that nobody has even imagined before, except maybe a medieval peasant on a bad mushroom trip."

"Do you ever wonder how many laws we're breaking just by being together? Government laws, religious laws, laws of physics… I love you."

"I used to love the old myths about mortals getting it on with Gods and monsters. Now I get to live out my very own. Oh, for a bard to write it all down for us."

"I was this close to taking holy orders a few years ago."

"Well, why don't you get comfortable, and we can show our appreciation for one another properly?"

"To be fully known. Accepted. Embraced. Desired. What more could I ever want?"

"I felt the living heat of you rising like incense, like the first fires ever to warm the Earth. "

"Girlfriend tax: one kiss. Pay up."

"I hope it's not bothering you that I leave some lights on at night, it's - it's just a thing I've always done, and…"

"It's not too bad, is it? Being here like this?"

"That gold is real. I checked. Maybe I could, hm, make some handcuffs?"

"We're lucky that couch is strong, aren't we."

"I know it's embarrassing, but I have to ask if you think I'm a good kisser. I just feel like I never want to stop, but I - I don't want to overwhelm you. Is that okay?"

"My teeth are feeling a bit sharper, I think, I'm not sure if it's in my head. If I end up like [name], can I bite you?"

"Oh lovely bed, oh downy bed, with a spot for my head. How I long for your pillow, which feels like a big marshmallow. But it doesn't taste like one."

"Ever wake up with a migraine, in a stranger's underwear, there's an exotic bird in the chandelier and you have no idea where you are? Me neither."

"We are cute aren't we? I'm okay with cute. Because we are the cutest… I checked."

"If you ever wonder why you're in a situation like this, then you've forgotten just how contagious cruelty is."

"Hm? You're either very drunk or very brave."

"All limbs intact? No extra holes? Good. Nobody gets to see you break a sweat except me."

"Ay, would it kill you to get a comfy place to sit in here, sunshine?"

"Hey. Tonight, when you're done… you and me. I have an itch to scratch, and I don't want you being nice about it."

"Today's a good day. Nobody's screaming. Nobody's bleeding. … Yet."

"Mmm. Who'd knew you'd be a sucker for punishment, huh? Can't say I'm complaining."

"A strange family - a strange life. I don't know if this is the heaven [deity of choice] planned for me, sunshine - but it's one I'm happy with."

"Man, do you know how distracting you are? How hard it is not to just grab you by the wrist and - Finish your work. Find me later. Show me how happy you really are to be with me, yeah?"

"Man, I've been awake so long the spiders in my head have all gone to sleep."

[crossdressingdeath]

Davrin: So who will it be? 1. Harding leads the distraction. 2. Davrin leads the distraction.

Hm, yes, who do I want to send on this discreet mission to get behind enemy lines and distract our opponents while my team moves in? The trained scout who I know from DAI has been taking on tasks that require her to get behind enemy lines without getting caught for over a decade, or the Warden who every darkspawn in the place will immediately be able to sense and whose only justification for why he should go is "there will probably be darkspawn" (there will be darkspawn no matter which team he goes with)? Why the fuck would I send Davrin.

No seriously, I didn't know whoever I sent would die at this point (I knew something bad would happen but I managed to stay spoiler-free enough that I didn't know about the sacrifice), I wasn't choosing based on "who do you want to sacrifice" reasoning. Based purely on in-universe knowledge Harding is the better choice by a pretty significant margin. And that's not a knock against Davrin, to be clear! He's great at what he does! But stealth is Harding's forte in a way it really isn't Davrin's; basically this is a job for a rogue, not a warrior, and him being a Warden doesn't make up for that. If he's going to get sensed by any darkspawn present either way I'd much rather have him with me so I have a Warden at my back fighting Ghilan'nain; if I wanted to avoid him getting sensed by darkspawn entirely (which... I mean I kind of do, but his skills are more valuable than the team's ability to move undetected and it's not like Rook's team is particularly subtle once they get going anyway) I would've left him at the Lighthouse. Sending Harding as the distraction is just the smarter play.

Also Harding dying is more narratively satisfying to me, her arc and general demeanour suits that sacrifice way more than the "I choose to live" vibe of Davrin's arc and especially if you also sacrifice Neve Rook going into that final conflict having lost everyone who started this mission with them is delicious. It's wild to me that Davrin is even an option (he shouldn't be, and aside from any race-related reasoning I suspect part of the reason he is is that they wanted to kill a companion off but didn't want it to always be the same one—if only so that there wasn't one romance where the LI always dies, which would piss off anyone romancing them—and most of the others wouldn't be suited for the distraction mission at all or have nothing in their arc suggesting noble self-sacrifice, while Davrin at least has the Warden viewpoint pointing him towards that), but I really don't think the game is encouraging you to kill him like I've seen some people argue; I think it's very much encouraging you to kill Harding. She makes more sense to send as the distraction, her arc and dialogue bring up that "whatever it takes" motif way more than Davrin's do (Davrin's kind of has a strongly opposing theme of living and moving forward when you survive what should've been your final sacrifice; having him use this second lease on life to sacrifice himself again is just weak), the narrative impact of losing your first companion—the one you started this whole quest with! The only other person who travelled with Varric for any length of time!—is stronger than losing your fourth (fifth if you count Varric, but either way Davrin is very much middle of the pack in terms of order of acquisition), and Assan is a consideration; he absolutely isn't and shouldn't be the only reason to spare Davrin, but the fact remains that people really don't like seeing cute animals die even in fiction so knowing that Assan will die with Davrin will be an incentive to sacrifice Harding over him for a lot of people. Basically sorry Harding but I'm probably going to sacrifice you in every run where I don't romance you. It's just a stronger story.