#Akira will always slay

[kurumeuruki]

So I had this random idea since spooky month is coming and all and

PT TEAM MASQUERADE OUTFITS LETS GOOOOOOOOOO

Closeups:

[crazymecjc]

shuake week day 4 - video games | bad ending

[death2you]

just finished yakuza 0…

[bayothemayo]

ORAAAAAA!!!!!!! ⊂( ´ ▽ ` )⊃ GUESS WHOS BACK FOR ROUND 3 BBYYYY HEHEHE ~ ☆ (hope it's okay, if not then SHHH KEEP THIS REQ STASHED SOMEWHERE) but I'd like to req: Akira Kurusu x Motherly!Reader, where they first met cos Reader was worried about him during his time in Shujin, and stuck around him during his first few days there (kind of like Ryuji/Morgana in a way during the first arc of the game (?)). Fun and simple idea of Reader being the mum friend to the whole PTs group after (or when) she finds out about them and their identities, while also being completely oblivious to her own well being IF she ever became part of the group. I'd also like it if the HC starts off Platonic and slowly turns to Romantic? Where Akira realizes his feelings and tries confessing to Reader BUT Reader still viewed him in a platonic way?? branch whatever ideas you can come up with for this idm AND AGAIN TYTTT AND SLAY AS ALWAYSSSS !!!!!!!!! ☆⌒(≧▽​° )

Guardian of the Phantom Thieves (Akira Kurusu x Motherly! Reader)

Even before you met Kurusu and the rest Phantom Thieves, you were respected in the school.

Teachers and students respect you for helping them out and tutoring them.

When Kurusu joined the school you got worried about him, due to people being afraid of him due to his background. You offered to help him with whatever he needed and gave him a tour around the school. You stayed by his side for around a week or two due to his situation.

Kurusu always comes to you if he needs help with his work or advice.

When you are not busy, either it being with helping people out or dealing with homework, you two hang out. It is mostly a chill type of hangout.

It took you some time to find out that your friends were the Phantom Thieves. When you found out, you were mostly worried about them. Yeah, they are THE Phantom Thieves...but you were worried about them. Worried that they can get too hurt or overwork themselves. After they send out a Calling Card, you text them after a little bit (you don't want to stress them out before them doing something big) asking if they are doing okay, if they are seriously injured, if they need any help with something, etc.

Something that you do after they finish a big job is that you make them treats. They have no say in the matter other than what treats they want.

With all these things that you do for Kurusu and the other Phantom Thieves, he appreciates you. A lot. Maybe too much for it to be platonic.

When he realizes that he has developed feelings for you, he starts to think to himself about how this is going to affect you two's relationship. After some hard thinking, and maybe asking for advice from Ann or maybe even Morgana, he decides to confess to you.

If you reject him and want to keep the relationship platonic, he would be heartbroken but he would understand how you feel and is still happy to keep the friendship.

If you accept his confession, he will be over the moon. Once you two become a couple, there is going to be a whole lot of comfort, snuggles, and more tasty treats involved.

~ When You Become A Phantom Thief ~

You most likely be more of a support member of the team like Morgana. Yeah, you have some attacks, but your main skill is the buffs and healing.

You were excited to be in the Phantom Thieves since you get to be more involved and help out more directly.

Since you found out that snacks can heal your teammates, you make some more snacks and find better ingredients for better results.

Sometimes you overwork yourself, you can't help it . Akira notices this and, caringly, scolds you. It took some time but eventually, you got the issue fix. If it didn't it would definitely end up bad in one way or another.

You are a supportive member of the Phantom Thieves and you couldn't be more proud.

But you are more proud of your friends. 😊

[mammonscheeks]

my obey me mc / oc headcanons ₊⊹

✎a/n: these hcs are all based on how MY OWN mc or oc would be! so don't be mad if the specific ones don't apply to you :) my mc's name is akira (she/her) but imma just write mc for these!

₊⊹ knows a surprising amount of biblical mythology lore since she's middle eastern/levantine. --"mc, how did you already know our sins based on our names?"

₊⊹ did NOT believe that she was actually in hell when she first came to the devildom. it took an exasperating week for all the brothers to convince her they weren't just some weirdos cosplaying demons in someone's sweltering ass basement

₊⊹ she and solomon fuck with demons by claiming false things about humans --"mammon, did you know that humans can speak to each other through telepathy? look, I can tell you what solomon is thinking right now!"

₊⊹ she carries around chocolate gold coins and gives them to mammon whenever he's good. he tries to pawn them off to lesser demons as a "luxury human world treasure"

₊⊹ is not as cautious as she should be. literally walks around the devildom at night, alone, no matter how many times the brothers tell her not to. talks back to lucifer with no fear. stands up for herself when lesser demons threaten her.

₊⊹ diavolo invites her for tea once a week to talk extensively about humans so he can learn more. --"mc, please tell me what 'slay' means... and is it true that your intestines are 20 feet long?"

₊⊹ she goes to barbatos's kitchen once a week to bake with him and luke. the three exchange recipes from their own respective realms. the kitchen has only lit on fire once so far!

₊⊹ whenever she has lots of work or assignments to do, she quietly slips into lucifer's room. the two listen to classical music and silently study together. --"I'm glad that my study habits motivate you to do better, mc."

₊⊹ is always the last to hear about pop culture news/does not keep up with celebrities. leviathan is shocked to hear that he knows more about human celebrities than her. --"mc, you're telling me you haven't heard this album yet? this is literally from YOUR realm!"

₊⊹ immediately feels sleepy/tired whenever mammon or simeon walks into the room. this is because they're her favorites and she feels the safest around them, so she lets her guard down when they're near.

₊⊹ begs simeon to take her to the celestial realm so that she can talk to the angels that she has prayed to since she was little. she has a fascination with angels after growing up immersed in religious mythology. --"mc, I promise I'll take you once this exchange program is over."

₊⊹ makes dark jokes with belphie about what he did to her. she's not petty, it's just her humor. --"what are you going to do, belphegor... kill me again over this sushi?"

gonna link some picrews i've made of my mc!

[feroshgirlsims]

Subplot 1.0 - Wolves is Watching

PREV | NEXT

Subplots are just a little peek at what's going on in other corners of the save file (because I am unwell and unhinged and can't stop sharing things about this silly little story I'm playing, lol). You can totally skip them, but when you see these characters in the main story later, you might have some fun insight into their motives.

Don't worry; Akira is definitely getting a POV 😈

Fun tidbit: Justin "JJ" Parks was a sim I had in my game made by the fabulous @florwal. He randomly showed up in Alice and Miko's scene, and I couldn't move him because I was using WW to pose a bunch of other characters. I checked his household, and he was a werewolf (lol, idk how it happened. This game is chaotic sometimes), so I decided to make him part of the story.

(Also, a thousand paragraphs of appreciation for The Crown by @rheya28. I could not have dreamed of a more perfect spot for Jacques Villareal to run)

[TRANSCRIPT]

Jacques: Ah, JJ, the baby wolf. You shouldn’t be here unless we have a problem.

JJ: The witches are—

Jacques: I’m going to stop you right there. That doesn’t sound like a “we” problem.

JJ: It happened on campus. Someone was taking pictures of The Order, and you know how witches are about their kids.

Jacques: Almost as bad as vampires. What crew? It better not be Elmyra; she’s supposed to stay in Oasis Springs. 

JJ: [hesitates]...No crew. It was just other students. 

Jacques: Are you fucking kidding me?

JJ: No! The witches chased them for a little while and then let them go.

Jacques: And you interrupted me for this? What the fuck am I supposed to do with that information?

JJ: [choking] Never slay a witch with a power that might…be…useful…

JJ: That’s what my ma always said. Witches don’t want to lose anymore of their own, so they don’t kill another witch who might have a power they can use. 

Jacques: Good job, wolfy. I’m pleased. Have a drink. Take a load off. Akira!

Jacques: Congratulations. You’re going to college. Pick a major. JJ will show you who to keep an eye on. 

Akira: No.

Jacques: I don’t want any harm to come to them until I know how much they’re worth to the witches.

Akira: I said no.

Jacques: That sounds suspiciously like you are going back on your word. What would your sister say?

Akira: That you’re a piece of shit, and she wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire.

Jacques: You should consider psychology. Might help you improve your negative worldview. 

Akira: Get fucked. 

Jacques: I intend to. Oh, and Akira, no swords. 

[kavalyera]

My top 5 list of the cuntiest most amazing outfits served by John Wick characters(because the costuming team always be serving goddamn). Anyways hear me yap I’m in a party bored out of my mind

spoilers for all movies in the John Wick series, be warned!!

5. Ms. Perkins — John Wick(2014)

Goth as hell, fucking love it. It was SUCH a serve. Everything is black as shit. The leather boots and gloves?? This entire outfit just screams 2014 goth chick and you know what, she slayed it so much. Too bad she doesn’t get quite enough recognition which is utterly heartbreaking💔💔 Those boots are such a slay and that bag too. I remember watching John Wick for the first time and looking at her and going “is that a 2014 tumblr girl.” And knowing the fact it’s canonly set in 2014 just really makes this all so funny and in a way realistic.

4. Marquis de Gramont — John Wick:Chapter 4(2023)

I like to call this outfit the “let them eat cake” fit because he’s French, an aristocrat, and he was eating cake in this scene. They really put Bill “campy horror boyfriend” Skarsgård in high waisted trousers and a slutty waistcoat. The red is so nice in this scene, it really went well with the golden sunlight that the Marquis is often drenched in. And that pocket watch too is just exquisite. His suit is such a breath of fresh air from all the black/dark outfits that stayed constant throughout the movies. Love how all of his suits are literally not tactical at all and just style. Really solidified his character as a spoiled cunt.

3. Akira Shimazu — John Wick Chapter 4(2023)

Rina Sawayama was so good as Akira oh my lord. I was literally lost for words that mother Sawayama came to slay(she could beat the hell out of anyone) and this outfit!!!! I’m such a sucker for tri-color outfits especially when there’s like two colors that are the same/shades and one color that just heavily contrasts it(in a good way). Oh and the battle outfit underneath was also awesome, love how the costuming team also takes into account that almost everyone in the movies are either hitmen or just need to be fighting.

2. Sofia Al-Alzwar — John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum(2019)

First off, I love the Cassablanca Continental, its like the best(in my opinion) out of all Continentals seen so far. I love the entire aesthetic of the place and the fact that Sofia absolutely manages to blend in quite well. She matches the decoration of the Hotel. And that sheer black coat combined with the belt of coins(?). Also, that cute pup<33 I love the embroidery on this, I’m such a sucker for embroidery like on her coat.

1. Gianna D’Antonio — John Wick 2

Holy shit!!!!! Mother Gianna D’Antonio!! Slayed her 10 minutes of screen time fr. That sparkly dress underneath her fur coat. Oh and that coat! I love it so much, I’ve been trying to find like something that resembles it. I am genuinely so in love with Gianna’s outfit in her death scene. Despite the sparkles and sequins, it manages to stay classy which is probably because it’s Claudia Gerini. And seriously, her hair too! Everything about this entire fit just makes it amazing. The sparkling dress makes Gianna eye-catching at the party which is what she probably would have wanted. I am so incredibly salty there wasn’t much else to see from her because I just know that she would’ve had better outfits or a better presence if her brother didn’t send John to kill her.

All in all, the costume teams of all movies managed to make such a good set of clothing for the characters. It gives so much life to their characters and the fact their actors managed to understand their characters too makes this all so beautiful to watch. I’m such a fan of costuming in movies and AHHHHH!!!! I truly do believe that outfits help a lot with audiences getting an idea of a character<333

thank you for reading<3

[leonawriter]

OK, so. I wanted to share some behind the scenes extras on my fic "Your Mission Is A Simple One."

Spoilers for the fic and for (vague-ish) parts of Slay the Princess if you haven't read it or played the game and want to!

CWs for Nov. 20th related stuff, and horror-themed temporary suicide references.

First off, the title itself! It's literally a wordplay on Slay the Princess. The name of the draft is "Your Mission is a Simple One: Kill Joker." I only shortened it because shorter, snappier titles seem to work better, but there was also a bit of how "Kill Joker" only works for the first part.

Next, and carrying on with the Slay the Princess references, is the fact that I wanted from the start for there to be a running thread of "Akechi goes in, shoots Akira, and then the next loop is affected by the previous one" with a potential outcome of all the Akiras he'd encountered having actually (somehow) been the same person, or subsumed into the same person, just like with the Hero encountering the Princess, killing her, and her becoming the Shifting Mound.

Also just like the game, I went with five separate scenarios for Akechi to go through.

The first is canon. Clean and simple. He's allowed to cover up and push down his feelings, numb himself, and get out.

The second time is similar, but the difference being (like how you can't repeat the first "good ending" in StP) he's aware. He knows that he's repeating things. I didn't show this in detail, but I figured that it'd be clearly implied, and since he's aware he's repeating, he's unnerved.

That unnerved state truly starts to show itself in the third run, where he quite literally makes himself look his deeds (Akira) in the eye. He can't move, and there are certain similarities here, where the gun is taken out of his hands, to my vampire fic Hunger For A Life, but unlike in that one the voice isn't inside his head; it's actually meant to be Akira, and it's Akira who takes the gun.

The loops don't reset with Akechi's death, they reset with Akira's, because as we find out later, it's Akechi's mindset that there's "no way out" of killing Akira (or his situation in general) that's keeping him here.

The next, fourth loop, is the first one to truly show that Akechi's choices in the past are affecting his present, with Akira referencing things he shouldn't know about (being disappointed in him for being unable to look him in the eye and do the deed, after everything they'd been through).

It also has one of the more visceral moments, with Akechi shooting Akira in the eye; even though I don't describe it in detail, the visual is given where most other times Akechi simply "shoots." This is a result of him slowly being psychologically unable to deal with killing someone he cares about over and over again, and unable to push his emotions out of the way.

The fifth loop has my second-favourite image from the loops, along with the fact that in order to get to the interrogation room at all the hallway almost literally "goes on forever." Because in Akechi's mind, it doesn't matter how much he doesn't want to do this, and how much he'd like to avoid it - he'll always end up there in the end.

And then he meets an Akira who has an eyepatch, which is the direct consequence of his emotional instability in the previous loop. This time there's no ambiguity like there was in the third loop; Akira taking the gun and taking over the role of who's in charge of his own death is explicitly stated. There's also a fair bit of homoerotic tension with how Akira is described as being "soft" and "tender" as he uses Akechi's hands to do the deed (aka, psychologically harming Akechi, and killing himself) because Akechi is either unable or unwilling to do it. This also hearkens back to Slay the Princess, where if you don't want to kill her, she'll often force your hand into it regardless.

It's at this point we reach the sixth loop, and no, I didn't plan on the Devil being number six. It just happened that way. In some ways, I counted loops one and two as a single loop, because they were basically the same.

Loop six is my favourite moment, because it truly shows who Akira is in this fic. H

He's the devil, he's completely in control, he's sitting on the interrogation room desk like it's his fucking throne! He knows damn well what's about to happen, and he welcomes it, because as Akechi says - Akira is an idea. He's a concept, And you can't kill a concept, because it'll keep coming back. Akechi, at this point, both because of everything before and everything he's feeling in that moment, understands that.

However... this isn't necessarily a good thing, because it also means he's starting to stop fighting against his situation, and is simply accepting his place in things.

Which leads us to Joker saving him at the start of the seventh loop (is it irony that he comes to save Akechi on the lucky, or heavenly, number? who knows!).

By this point Akechi is used to violence, and death, and can't see or understand anything outside of that - not too different from his internal thinking in P5R, and definitely close to his engine room thought process.

I wanted Joker here to feel confusing, and ambiguous - was this actually Joker, or was it another of the ones like Akechi had encountered? How much does he know? Had this all been a palace, or something else?

The fact that he's never referred to as anything other than "Joker" here in spite of Akechi knowing that it's Akira is partly to differentiate him from the many Akiras that got killed, but also to point out that this IS the real Joker, and this is, in fact, the Metaverse, before Joker points it out himself. Because while in the Metaverse, they only refer to each other by their codenames once they have them.

Talking of, Akechi talks often of Joker/Akira's eyes - they're dark, they're hard like flint, but they're also often warm (like hellfire). Usually, he can see them through the mask. His eyes are changeable, and shift with his moods.

Then we get to the fact that Joker knows the way out, which... is something that I've been wanting to play with in a(nother, technically) Akechi Palace fic - the idea that Joker is able and allowed to find a way out, because Akechi sees him as being able to do that.

But here, it's also the fact that he's... either in Akechi's cognition, or in actuality, able to almost shape the part of the cognitive world they're in to his whims. He either creates a door, or he finds one, which is meant to lead into a safe room. I never explicitly have them call it that, but that's what I was referring to when Akechi constantly notices it swirling in front of his eyes - it's the same effect we as the player have when we see the safe room shift between what the palace looks like, and what the room would look like in the real world. Akechi being both aware of that and so disoriented by it is meant to show both his deteriorated mental state, but also that this... is not a normal cognitive space.

For Akechi's breakdown, I have to admit that for the longest time, I wasn't even sure when the fic would be taking place! At one point it was post-canon, and at one point it was before Nov. 20th had even happened yet, so, either on or around Halloween, or in the middle of the month. I ended up choosing what I did - that it was a side-effect of their plan - because that worked best with the characterisation and the timing.

Because of that, though, Akechi hasn't yet reached his realisation that not only can he get out of the cycle, but he's better off out of the cycle, too. Where in canon he faced the Phantom Thieves and faced their sympathy, and then his cognitive self's truth (of Shido's opinion of him), here... in a sense, he's faced with how if he keeps following Shido's path that's laid out for him, he'll keep killing off the ones he loves, and killing parts of himself, too, such as his ability to choose his own path instead of a pre-determined one.

That doesn't mean he's happy about it, or that he'll be grateful, haha.

Joker explaining how things had happened was originally one block of dialogue, which I decided felt far too infodump-y. So I broke it apart, and added more of Akechi's own thoughts and reactions - and by doing so, it also shows that he has a somewhat fragmented mental state, too, as he has a hard time focusing.

Again, Joker is the one who finds Akechi, who gets him out. Oracle had her theories, but it's Joker and Joker alone who arrived. None of the other Phantom Thieves are here.

I want to point out that as an Akechi-centric piece this doesn't really focus on the other PT, but if I ever did do anything else in this world, I'd probably want to focus on them, because this must be fascinating to see from their perspective. Their leader is more and more cagey about certain things, is outright strange at times, and when they're all freaking out that they've "lost" Goro Akechi, Akira - who should still be recovering from the interrogation, mind! - up and disappears one day, only to come back with his erstwhile killer in tow, who seems very traumatised.

As he points out later on - his friends don't know anything he's been going through! They're clueless!

Joker's line of "Honestly, I'd like to see you try [again]" somewhat calls back to how he said something similar in "There's Something About Akira," a fic I did where he's a vampire, and when Akechi shoots him he simply gets back up and feeds from Akechi, stating that he "could have followed the plan, but he wanted to see what Akechi would do." It's that same masochistic thrill seeker tendency showing through. They match each other's freak in a not entirely healthy way. Akechi's "are you mocking me?" is ripped straight from that one Thieves' Den conversation with Sumire, too.

Akechi at this point, tries asking if he's had his heart stolen/changed. Joker dances around the subject, not giving an outright yes or no, because... technically, he has done thievery in Akechi's palace. It's just that there are a lot of things that would count as "ambiguous" here, such as: whether this is Akechi's palace at all, whether his treasure has been stolen, if (assuming this his his palace) it has been messed with... and honestly, I think I'd go with "Yes, technically, his heart was changed, but more in the sense that Futaba's heart was, or more accurately Sae's, since no treasure was removed."

The closest thing to "a treasure being removed" is Joker taking Akechi himself out of there. Arguably, it could even count. Akechi, however, doesn't recognise this, and only sees that Joker isn't carrying anything on him at the time.

This is where what I consider the arc words of the story first show up: Don't look back.

It's funny, but at this point I started thinking of it just as much as an anti-time loop story, in a sense. That in order to stop being trapped in a sense of always doing the same thing, you have to look to the future, focus on good things, and not look back. I was reminded of one particular story that handled this very well right up until it fumbled the end atrociously, and I've always felt that it was badly handled and needs a better ending.

"Don't look back" is also, in a sense, a reference to the song Life Will Change, with the lyric "can't hold on or life won't change." Akechi tries to hold onto his old manner of thinking (how easy it would be to kill Joker here) and all he does is nearly create a new loop for them both, before Joker reminds him to focus on him instead.

Originally I'd meant to have a chapter break here, to separate things out, but in the end I just lumped it all together for simplicity. I think it works better like this anyway, not having to wait to upload a second part, or anything.

I wanted to have Akechi make the connection between the Akira in the sixth loop and Satanael all the way back when I was working on some of the earlier parts. I think I got the loops and a few lines of Joker's dialogue done on my phone straight onto Tumblr, and after that it took more time and effort, which meant a lot of time thinking about later scenes.

"You're the devil, aren't you?" is meant as Akechi having a sense of realising that what he'd been through wasn't just a fever dream or hallucination or simple cognition, but something bigger, which is a big deal for both of them.

It's at the point I started thinking about this (and the start of the next scene) that I made my post about Morgana being Hope, and what that means for how he impacts the narrative in canon, because you'll notice that Morgana is almost entirely absent from the story this far; he isn't present when Akechi is being dragged into despair from the loops, and this current scene has him outright disappear right before Akechi catches Akira, before he can vanish into the crowd and be caught by Sae.

Akira, here, is conflicted; he's just defeated god, but he's shown his "true form" (at least, in one particular way) to the world, and more specifically to his friends. He's lost Morgana, and at a critical moment too, right before Sae comes to take either him or Akechi away. And then Akechi is talking about something Akira doesn't want to admit to, and doesn't really... want to talk about at all. One of the big parts of this is that he doesn't really have the hope that anything positive will happen as a result of Akechi seeing him and knowing him fully like that, so he simply hides.

He's also acting counter to what a wildcard should be. His desire to have Akechi simply turn around and walk away, pretending a nicer lie, isn't just a lead-in to Maruki's ideal reality but also a call back to how in P3 the bad ending was achieved through Minato choosing to allow everyone to forget that the Fall (Death coming for all) would happen, letting them live in blissful ignorance up to their deaths, and how in P4 we have Izanami whose fog of lies gets thicker the more the townspeople prefer to avert their eyes to the truth, choosing an easy story over a complicated reality.

That thread - that Akira himself is afraid and flawed - follows through into the next scene, February 2nd.

Since Akechi is alive, there's no doubt over that since he joined everyone sometime around the end of November/start of December. It would have taken a while for him to recover, but they wouldn't have started Shido's palace yet; part of that is also because without Akechi stating Shido's name in the call, they have less to go on, and with Akechi missing, they're focusing on him.

So, the onus of the tough decision isn't on him, but instead falls on Akira.

In a sense, having Akira be self-conscious to this degree in spite of being an "embodiment of the concept of Change" feels like an oxymoron, but it also makes sense - in the menu screens, one of them has him saying "Don't look at me like that" and there's also the lyrics to Behind The Mask, which talk of how he doesn't want to show his true self to anyone, and that he prefers to hide behind his masks. Akira here is aware that it's not feasible to carry on like this, and is aware that Maruki effectively granted him his "normal humanity" back, and is willing to fight - but until Akechi confronts him, in a sense he's using Maruki's actualisation for his own ends.

It's at this point that the roles are reversed from the start of the story. Whereas in the start it was Akechi who needed to be saved and reminded to look forward, it is now Akechi who is the strong one supporting Akira, who is (at the start of the scene) not Joker at all.

In another idea I've had in mind for a long time now, Akira's a fully artificial life created to be a Trickster. I played with the idea that just like in that idea, he wouldn't have existed before the Game, but ultimately decided to have him as someone who'd been human, and now wasn't. I think it's more powerful for it.

Ironically, in spite of effectively being entirely human here, Akira is still the scariest thing in the world to Akechi, again. Because here it's painfully obvious to him that Akira "isn't damning the world to be normal" but- he's doing a far more far-reaching version of an angel going "Be Not Afraid" just for Akechi.

Pointedly, I'd like to say that Akechi's own wish is to have a more or less normal life with Akira where he can just play games of chess in the attic, but also one where he can exit in the friend group without having caused irrevocable harm to at least two of them, so along with Akira's wish here, they'd end up the same as in the canon bad (ideal) ending if Akira had given in to Maruki.

Goro reminds Akira of their Rank 7 confidant, where he threw out the suggestion of Akira giving up everything he'd built to join him. In the game, you get less points if you suggest that you'd think about doing so (aka, Akechi does not want an accomplice route!). He's reminding Akira of the (canon) phone call after he's back home, where he basically says "I don't want you to change - I want to win over you as you are, the way you are." Here, he's re-confirming that this includes not folding for Akechi's own opinion.

I had Akechi's hand shaking as he's reaching to take off Akira's glasses because as much as he wants Akira the way he truly is, he can't stop being unnerved and scared himself; the difference is that he isn't letting it control him.

I also had Akechi use that phrase, "Show me your true form," because it results in him treating Akira like a Shadow, forcefully removing the mask he's put on and reminding him of who he really is.

"He drops the glasses onto the counter. They wont break - not from this." - that line is meant to note that although he's removing Akira's mask, it doesn't mean that he's breaking it. He's just saying "you can be yourself around me." Akira will be putting those glasses back on as soon as anyone else is around.

Akira collapsing in relief, along with his denial of himself (change) is also meant to be a metaphor of sorts for how he has a certain amount of self-hatred, and how he lacks confidence in himself. With Akechi looking at him in a clearly positive way, he starts to regain some of that self confidence - to quote Atsushi of Bungo Stray Dogs, "People need someone to tell them that it's alright to live." Akira gets that affirmation from the person he needs it from the most, and more than that, he gets affection and love.

I had Akechi awaken here because, well... I had to? Really, though, I couldn't simply brush past it, or say it'd already happened, and I felt that having him help someone else (especially another wildcard) out like this, would be a perfect way to have him awaken Hereward. Especially when in canon, he says how he feels not just "so alive" but also that he'll "sow chaos as far as the eye can see" - which suits how he looks at Satanael!Akira perfectly.

Anyway! If you've read all of this I hope you had fun with it, and you have anything you'd still want to ask about the fic don't hesitate to do so!!

EDIT: man I dunno how I forgot to put this in (I was tired!) but a big fun thing that's simply irrelevant to the fic but is still very true is that Akira, here, is very genderqueer. Like, I can see him at some point after he's seen and looked up on Loki, going "oh, same hat!" and turns up the next opportunity he can in a dress and heels. I mean. He IS an embodiment of Change! That absolutely includes not sticking to one gender expression just because it's expected of him.

[thelemonsabbath]

Gazing in the eyes of a beautiful monster

Miki accidentally backed herself against a tree upon seeing the wild look in Ryo's eyes as he slowly approached her. His blood-stained clothes and knife were just the icing on this terrifying sight the blond was now.  She had known from their very first meeting all those years ago that he was dangerous and had always blamed herself for letting him take Akira away from her that day, and the awful change Ryo had brought out in Akira both scared and excited her. But now Miki knew more than ever that she should've fought harder to keep Akira away from Ryo, especially after having witnessed him brutally slaying that demon, all with that awful and beautiful crazed grin on his face. Despite the fact that demon had been threatening her not too long ago, she almost felt sorry for the beast in the way it had cried out in pain as Ryo relentlessly stabbed it over and over again to death. She had been saved, but for how long she couldn't help wondering.  What if the crazed bloodlust she could see in Ryo's eyes would drive him to coat his knife with human blood as well?

And yet with possible upcoming danger casually strolling towards her, Miki found herself frozen in place, feeling as though she had nowhere to run or hide, not with the demons all around in the forest. Miki couldn't help but flinch when Ryo suddenly slammed his knife, deeply cutting into the tree and dragging the blade down until it was right besides her head. Before she could catch her breath, she felt the the tree trunk start to move and twist against her back, and the sounds of pained agony emanating from it made her heart jump in her chest. 

Ryo curled hand around her wrist tightly, "Ms Makimura, there you are. Now, come with me. Akira would be so happy to know that you are alright." His voice was breathy and as intense as his bright and wild blue eyes, like he was still riding the high that slaying a demon or two had given him.

"Fine, I want to leave this forest as soon as possible too..." Miki replied, as she glared at Ryo, while allowing herself to be pulled close to him. She didn't have much of a choice, she had to stay with this horribly beautiful killer until she could be reunited with Akira again.

Ryo's wild eyes softened slightly as he led her away from the horrors, perhaps the high he had been overwhelmed with was starting to subside. "You know, I had always wondered what Akira saw in you, but now, having seen you in this elegant dress and smiling with him earlier, I think I understand... The whole world really does become brighter when you smile... like its being bathed in the warm rays of your beauty," he said as they were reaching the exit, his tone too smooth as velvet for her liking. And the gentle way he was handling her, it was making her forget what a monster he was. No, more like an attack dog who was now cozying up to its owner after a successful hunt, becoming harmless and affectionate, just like... Akira does...

But Miki couldn't be sure if Ryo was being sincere with this flattery or flirting of his own accord in this moment or not, or merely buttering her up for some reason, and that uncertainty made it hard for her to completely relax around him. And that horrible sense of danger that surrounded Ryo was as compelling to her as it was repulsive... "You're just saying that... Its like you are comparing me to the sun..." she said, hating the way her cheeks heated up. What the hell was wrong with her?

Ryo halted his steps and turned to Miki, smearing blood onto her chin as he cupped her face with his bloodied hand, "Oh, I can assure you I am not just giving you worthless flattery, Ms Makimura, because like the sun, if that light of yours goes out, then we are all lost..." 

Miki was lost for words as she felt a chill run down her spine. Whatever he had meant by that, she deep inside knew he was right, and it had brought out both anger and fear within herself.

"So you should stay with me and Akira. I know we frighten you at times, but it's better to stay with monsters that hunt much worse monsters," Ryo stated as his hand moved up to cup her cheek, making her mirror the bloodiness on his own face.

"I-I suppose I can't disagree with that idea..." Miki swallowed, as she brought her fingers to touch his hand, dirtying herself even more with the blood Ryo had spilled earlier...

Ryo just smiled at her with satisfaction before they both heard Akira's voice call out to them as he ran over to them, leaving Miki wondering how much horror she was about to witness in the name of them protecting her...

Okay, after writing all of that, now I can explain why I made this picture XD first of all I've been playing Law of the Beast from the League of Dreamers app and I've been really enjoying it so far, it's really creepy and intense, and the characters/love interests are really interesting! And there was this one scene in ep 3 where the MC follows this hunter named Casper (he's crazy for sure and yes, a possible LI XD) to see what he was up to and needless to say it's intense confrontation

and when I saw that, I thought it would be fun to redraw this as Miki and Ryo, since one, I adore Ryo's manic expressions in the manga and the ova

and two, I do enjoy giving the ova version of Miki and Ryo a messy af relationship! XD        

Btw if you like what you see and want a commission drop me a direct message on tumblr, instagram, a note on deviantart or artistree https://artistree.io/missn11

[6okuto]

HI THIS IS THE ANON WHO SAID SHE LOVED UR POST AND i just realised u also write for cove holden ilysm do u have any romance visual novel recs?? so far i've only done cove's one & two demo ones (a celtic mythology one whose name i cannot remember & touchstarved the loml)

have the bestest day and thNk u

was the celtic one the good people (na daoine maithe) because i played that one too 👩🏻‍💻🫶 RLLY GOOD in typical nia fashion when my Type type isn't there i'm going 4 keagan and flannan

i saw u say error 143 in ur other ask UR REAL!!! ofc i must recommend blooming panic if u haven't played. xyx and toasty r genuinely just. Funny. i rlly liked toasty's va they did a great job. FIRST TIME I HEARD HIS LAUGH I WAS LIKE WOAH. i rlly liked how nightowl's route went w. Anger. u don't see it a lot and i appreciate it i was like WOWWW? AT ME? he's real. robo has answered a Lot of asks on tumblr so u can get loads of content after u finish!

https://gbpatch.itch.io/our-life-nf ... :) No words. Demo. i will build the audience for the 2nd game myself.

DEMO obscura is also vry good,, i haven't played in a Long time but i keep up w reading tumblr asks abt the LIs LOL. love the art and vibes. he isn't my type but iirc cirrus offers a rlly interesting dark romance route + aftercare/safe word system :)

DEMO online @ the perfect time is just,, i love the vibes and concept so far I LOVE WHEN CHARAS R FUNNY. HAVE MY HUMOR. rlly excited to see where it goes it's quite short so far BUT I WANT PPL TO PAY ATTENTION 4 THE FUTURE. PLEASE!

cryptid coffeehouse IS SOOO CUTE I LOVE ARTEMIS ☹️☹️ queer slowburn coffee shop romance BE SERIOUS no one fucking TALKS ABOUT MY ARTEMIS. WHY. so so many cute moments i was kicking my feet and giggling like WOWW

3 seasons is also VRY vry cute i don't usually play games w an mc visual but ivy is so pretty so IDC!!! u can play all the routes pretty easily they're all lovely like... it isn't super often i come out liking all the LIs pretty much on the same lvl. mamma mia!

....the persona 5 vn. IMCRYING I'm so fucking serious like. the characterization is REAL it's super well made. i'd like to say u could enjoy without playing p5 but um. probably not to the full extent. i played out of principle as a p5 enjoyer and for goro bc he's one of summer's fav charas ever and his route was so awesome actually. Epic Major Spoilers obvi. akira slayed also (my good ending completionist side..☹️)i won't say much abt him bc i'll ramble on and on but summer after finding out i had a crush on him yrs ago was like Yeah that makes a lot of sense he is so loz link.. like man

$30 gilded shadows (free demo) which i need to play again I WAS SUPPOSED TO FINISH ARI'S ROUTE MONTHS AGO rika said he was so my type and i trust them fundamentally. caissa my beloved. like the world building + charas it's just,, well done y'know

$12 when the night comes haven't played but rika rlly likes it so i'm putting it here anyways. LOL

NOT VNs. they are IFs...like there's Literally no visuals. read in browser. but i stand by the night market (1st book finished!) which i've rb'ed a bit + speaker . both fantasy,, love both casts i love everything they're doing i'm genuinely so so excited to see where they go!!! PLEASE!!!

YANDERE DEMOS separated for if they aren't ur thing which is obvi Valid. i erm. went down a bit of a rabbit hole. pls read their warnings! always read game warnings. but like. ok anyways

DEMO 14 days with you yeah. ren. i like when mc notes that smth is Off abt him. lots of asks answered on the tumblr! I can fix him.

DEMO something's wrong with sunny day jack jesus Christ . some of the best vn va work i have ever come across like Genuinely wtf. and the concept is rlly cool. was put off for a long time bc of.. jack's appearance.. sowwy. but wow it is just. really well done.

bitter/sweet blythe orange masc blythe va ?? did such a good job?? like srsly what. sorry wow that's the main thing i just rlly wanted to applaud them a bit. also I LOVE THE PARTIAL OST??? i want it so bad i was humming it for a couple hours after like

DEMO our dollhouse I'm so serious when i say i didn't realize it was for yanjam so when i came to my own realization of Oh Shit He's Sus and checked i was like FUCKCKDJ 😭😭 OBVIOUSLY... but srsly love the art and i'm excited to see how mc figures it out and what happens. did a good job at making a pretty Understandably oblivious(??) mc. like yeah i can see why u wouldn't expect him.

DEMO favor Z Intrigues Me. had to try so hard for the secret ending but now i am more intrigued like OKAYYY WHAT HAPPENED BROTHER 🤨 i like the tail animation also. also when u say u like possession horrors woah hey. hey. pal

[stronkkronk16]

Demon Slayer OC #1: The Demon-Slaying Demon

Name: Kaito Azuma

Name Meaning: ~ Kaito: A combination of 海 (kai), meaning "ocean" or "sea," and 翔 (to), meaning "soar" or "fly". Combined, his name would be "Ocean Soarer" or "Soaring over the Sea". ~ Akuma:  Translates to "Devil" or "Demon". ~ Combined: Demon Who Soars Over the Sea

Age: 17 (physically), 19 (actual age during Final Selection)

Gender: Cis Male

Family: ~ Haruto Akuma (Father, Deceased) ~ Unnamed Mother (Deceased) ~ Akira Kurosawa (Surrogate Mother, Deceased)

Love Interests: ~ Shinobu Kocho (Primary LI) ~ Mitsuri Kanroji (Backup LI) ~ Your OC (if you want)

Religion: Atheistic

Known Languages: Japanese

Breathing Styles: Demon Breathing (initially, self-made), Water Breathing (learned later)

Physical Description: Kaito is a large young man, standing at 5'11 with a toned, muscular build from his days in the forge. Before his transformation, he had pale skin, a stark contrast to his fiery red hair and dark brown eyes. After his transformation, his skin turned a sickly green color, his eyes turned blood-red, and his hair turned bleach white with red tips, although the red is now more akin to blood than fire.

Outfit: Kaito wears the typical Demon Slayer Corp uniform, although he has the kanji 復讐 (Revenge) printed on the back instead of Destroy like most others. His uniform also incorporates parts of his father's samurai armor, and he wears Akira's red haori over it.

Weapon(s): ~ Primary Sword: A nichirin sword made to be a katana with a 30 in (76 cm) blade. The blade is pitch-black with crimson veins, symbolizing his use of Demon Breathing. The kanji 悪魔を受け入れろ (Embrace the Demon) are printed on the blade in sickly green writing. The red handle and black guard are both from the katana that his father used when he was a samurai, and the blue wrapping is actually a scarf that Akira frequently wore. ~ Secondary Sword: Another nichirin sword katana with a 30 in blade. This katana's blade is actually dark blue, symbolizing his eventual use of Water Breathing. The kanji 血よりも (More Than My Blood) are printed on the blade in crimson writing. The white handle, black wrapping, and gold guard are all from the first sword he ever forged under Akira.

Blood Demon Arts: Kaito found that just as normal demons gained more power from eating more humans, he too gained more abilities the more demons he devoured. ~ Raging Inferno: Gained in Season 1, this BDA allows Kaito to ignite his blood in a flame that burns hotter as his anger grows. ~ Infernal Afterimage: Gained in between Mugen Train and the Entertainment District Arc, this BDA allows Kaito to create a photo-negative doppelganger to find alongside him. ~ Sunlight Resistance: Not really a BDA, but at the Swordsmith Village, Kaito gains the ability to survive in sunlight. ~ Ironclad Aegis: Gained during Hashira Training, this BDA allows Kaito to use his blood to create a protective barrier. ~ Blood Dominion: Gained during the Infinity Castle Arc, this BDA allows Kaito to place some of his blood on an object, allowing him to control it. He can also "infect" living creatures with his blood and gain control of their bodies, although he'll have to worry about their will overpowering his.

Personality: Kaito has always been a hot-headed boy with a strong sense of justice. He possesses a fierce hatred toward those who harm others weaker than themselves. This anger and hatred were so strong that they were able to anchor Kaito to his humanity even through his transformation into a demon. Kaito is guarded and distrusting of others, especially other demon slayers, knowing he'd likely be killed if his true nature were discovered. Despite this, if you manage to get his trust, he is fiercely loyal and will defend you to his dying breath.

Backstory: Kaito Akuma was born the son of a former samurai named Haruto Akuma and a mother whose name Kaito never knew - she died of an illness while he was still too young to remember her, leaving him in the care of his father, who swore to protect their son with his life.

Kaito grew up in a small village at the base of a mountain, neighboring the sea. He would frequently get into fights and stand up to authority figures he didn't feel deserved their power. This strong sense of justice guided him throughout his youth until he met one woman: Akira Kurosawa, a famous blacksmith who moved to the village one day. 

Akira quickly warmed up to the Akuma family, getting quite close with Haruto and taking Kaito under her wing as an apprentice at her forge. Under her wing, Kaito grew to become a skilled blacksmith, and the raging fire within him was tempered into a more stable, controlled flame. 

Then, tragedy struck, and his name was Muzan Kibutsuji.

Kaito had been sent to a larger city nearby to get some supplies for Akira's forge. When he returned, he found Kibutsuji slaughtering Haruto and Akira. In a rage, Kaito took up his father's sword and attacked Kibutsuji. He lost.

But sensing potential in the hatred he saw in Kaito's eyes, Kibutsuji gave him a portion of his blood, just enough to begin the transformation. Kaito just barely managed to keep ahold of his humanity through his rage and hatred, but it seemed as if he had died. Disappointed, Kibutsuji moved on.

Then Kaito woke up. He had been reborn.

He was now a demon, just like many before him: an insatiable hunger, an inability to step into the sunlight without burning. But there was one fundamental difference: he did not crave human flesh. No, his tastes were more... exotic. Somehow, his rage had twisted his demonic nature in a way that nobody could have foreseen: he craved the flesh of demons.

For the next two years, Kaito spent his days in the mountains, where the sunlight could not reach him. And he trained with a sword he had forged under Akira. During this time, he also developed and mastered his own breathing style: Demon Breathing, meant to compliment his own wild fighting style. 

A change came when a demon slayer turned up one day, having heard of the demon residing in the mountain. Having now learned of the existence of the Demon Slayer Corp and of an event known as Final Selection, Kaito knocked the man out, took his nichirin sword, and made his way to Final Selection to officially become a demon slayer, hoping that it would aid him in his quest to kill the Demon King and avenge the loss of his loved ones.

Other Info:

~ Although he doesn't realize it, Kaito is actually quite popular with the ladies thanks to his good looks and mysterious persona, but he's so intimidating that nobody ever approaches him.

~ Only Kaito's offhand sword was made by a member of the Swordsmith Village. He'd actually snuck a second piece of ore out of Final Selection and use it to forge his primary sword. During the process of forging this sword, he felt as if he hands were being guided. It was like Akira's spirit was guiding him and helping him forge the sword that he would be using to avenge their deaths and protect people.

~ During the two years that he spent in the mountains, Kaito would sometimes come back down to the village at night and perform maintenance jobs around the village. Some people actually thought that it was his spirit returning to act as their guardian, especially when a few villagers reported seeing him perform those jobs. When he left the village, they took that as meaning his spirit had moved on.

~ Each time he gained a new Blood Demon Art, he also gained a new marking on his skin. Raging Inferno gave him a flame design that ran down his arms and up his neck, Infernal Afterimage gave him markings on his face that resembled an extra pair of eyes and a second mouth, his Sunlight Resistance gave him a mark on his chest that resembled the sun with other markings surrounding it for the sun's rays, Ironclad Aegis gave him markings on his sides, the back of his hands, and the back of his legs to depict him having armor, and Blood Dominion gave him markings that traced the blood vessels throughout his body.

Voice Claim: Johnny Yong Bosch

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 12th ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

Season 1 | Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7 | Ep. 8 | Ep. 9 | Ep. 10 | Ep. 11

I love these two they're so stupid and cute ofc they're fighting about what place they're gonna open akira's ideals vs satoru's flashyness. i like how satoru is the one who dreams big between them while akira is more down to earth and focuses on the things that can make others happy too

ah so this is how they originally got arrested huh? metaphorically and literally stepping on their dreams damn

thats a tone shift damn i hate that this anime made me care for two gay dead people (so much that i accidently wrote a fic for them whoops)

genuinely i wonder what the IVs are for, it has to be important enough for kaibyakumon to hide them in his projections

like theres four of them. what do you need so many iv bags for mdude?

i still think the who will answer my questions is on par with roxas being a looser

like damn chiaro is very gay living on within his totally platonic bro friend who is modeled after the guy his original died with

good for him honestly, radical change very rarely comes from peaceful actions

damn another leader unit song? suckssss was looking forward to a nigumi

ah no fake out

oh heay hifumi got his jacket back and is straight to complementing his bestie

I like how MTC is taking a more leadership role in this since it is more military focused and they are quite literally the military unit

that would have been more poignant if we Saw how much shinjuku meant to him

Amanda squeakkkkkkkk shes best character ever

soccer idiot what a meathead

also i love the fact that jyushi thinks that the ball is jiro's friend

oh look at that thinking, Scuro does have have some brains in there

OH THEM!!!! ITS BEEN A WHILE I MISS SECRET ALIENSSSSSSS Iris being slay as always never flinching from samatoki shes such a badass

oh i do not miss rex www iris is as sassy as ever and i love her

i like how the villains are playing these smart, its good. just as i type that kaibyakumon does something idiotic by hiding in the most obvious place

oh wait there was that shadow in like ep2 or smth. that was him. that was kaibyakumon. H U H

ww i thought only gentaro got in

LETS GO OOOOO SCURO BBY YOU ARE DOING SO WELL OH YOU

suprised that they all survived gett in blown up by a bomb without any injuries wow

HAHAHAHA JYUSHI oh you lovable boy

haha kick like soccer ball

damn sheer dumb luck saved them huh unfortunate but at least best boy was the one to show the way

oh gods this is the chuuni group and i love it i love how gentaro is just playing along

with the power of music and gayness he will prevail!

damn hes doing it by himself no holograms needed! oh im proud of himmm what a strong boy!

i like his rap tbh its very much about unity and experience, everything he as both chiaro, scuro, akira, and satoru together make up who the person is, they will have their just revenge, they have learned from their mistakes and they will fight for what is theirs. its really good

also he refrences spawn camping www their combined version does seem like the toxic type of guy who would

awww the heroes too have the power of gay and music by their side

i find it hilarious how jyushi enunciates his team name www its true tho none of them have an ass to speak of

honestly? this one is better than the 3gumi one

oh he holds the mic to his heart …

damn ripp the artificial gays they were good. i liked them :((( wish they stayed alive D:

oh those eyebagsss they're heavyyy hes haunted by les horreurs!

oh he loves them, he loves his boyssssss hypmi really be burying their gays and letting their father mourn

lmfao did aliens really just knock out the chuuoku girls driving the plane and fuck off to bukuro love that iris is the one driving tho, love that for her

hah, not a bad episode, i didn't hate it but it wasn't great either. I enjoyed the gay things and the Secret Aliens cameo but overall just no much really popped out to me unlike ep 10

also i just noticed that sasara's suit the pattern is just overlayed on top of the suit not drawn on. cute

[rafor]

Chapter 47 - Families - The Glitch

The prophecy unfolded with each passing day, with every change marking a new step in the grand design. I could not see it, but I sensed that everything was preordained. Akira and Fyrenthos never left the kingdom after their arrival. They made it their home and their mission. They became emissaries for our realm and our ally Aura, venturing into the lands of the Hidden Shadows, as they dubbed them. They had a way of finding and infiltrating those dark domains using weapons they had acquired from their previous conquests before they came to us. That was how Akira learned to summon her light sword, a deadly blade that could slay any creature with a dark element, even me. She had used it to kill countless shadow dragons in her crusades. In time, they had a son, born around the same time as our own additions to the family: two twin female dragons named Juno and Luna. They were identical in appearance, almost impossible to tell apart. But as they grew older, their personalities emerged, and they were also alike in that regard: same preferences, same style, same bond. They were inseparable twins who did not care much for Akira and Fyrenthos’ son, whom they called Flynn. He was a half-blooded light fire dragon, the opposite of our twins, who were half-blooded shadow wind dragons. Flynn had red and white scales with markings like his mother’s, while Juno and Luna had dark scales like mine, with white patches on their chests and purple accents on their wings. The underside of their wings resembled mine as well, like a starry night sky. They both bore a moon-shaped mark with a V on their bodies, essentially both mine and Freya's markings together.

Having a son was a mistake for Akira and Fyrenthos. They were too busy with their quests and could not give him the attention he deserved. They asked us to help them raise him, and we reluctantly agreed. We were not babysitters, but we hoped that maybe our daughters would befriend him and make him feel welcome. They had other plans. Zephyrion tried to be a good brother to his sisters, but they often ignored him or mocked him. He was mature enough to not let it bother him too much, and he did his best to cope. We also relied on the caretakers who lived in our palace—the same ones who technically saw me grow after the dark crystal accident. They were like nobles without authority, living comfortably at our expense and waiting for our orders or requests. They also served as tutors for the young ones. Juno, Luna, and Flynn learned how to read and write at an early age, but they did not learn about the elements yet. That was something they would learn later at the academy or by accident, which was more common than one would think.

Flynn often asked us about his parents, wondering where they were, why they were not with him like we were with ours, and what gave him the right to live like royalty when he was not one. We had to invent a story based on what we knew about Akira and Fyrenthos to keep him from worrying too much about them. We made him see his parents as heroic dragons who were doing important work for the greater good and who might return someday. We hoped he would look up to them and maybe follow their example in the future.

Zephyrion had befriended Kari and discovered his talent for creating health crystals. One day, as he was admiring his collection, he accidentally imbued one of them with healing power. Kari was impressed and asked us if he could rely on Zephyrion for the health crystal supplies instead of always asking me to spare five minutes of my time to transform a whole room of elementless crystals into elemental ones. This included the dark crystals, which we had learned to handle with care. We agreed, as long as Zephyrion was willing and cautious. We didn’t want him to suffer the same accident that had befallen me long ago.

We were on our way to see Solara with the kids in tow. We wanted to update her on their progress and remind her more than once that there were two new shadow dragons in the kingdom that she shouldn’t attack. As we walked, Flynn suddenly stopped and stared into space. He seemed to be in a trance, oblivious to his surroundings. Juno and Luna teased him with various jokes, but he didn’t react. Freya looked at me and asked, “What is going on?” I shrugged and said, “I don’t know. He looks like he isn’t with us right now.” He was indeed in another reality, one that only he could see. He started talking to someone and moved on his own, following an invisible guide. We tried to stop him, but he passed through us like a ghost. We couldn’t call for Akira’s help since she was away from the kingdom at that moment.

I stepped in front of him and touched his head with my finger using the light element, which glowed with light. He halted and said, “What? Who is touching my head?” He waited for a response, but none came. I asked, “With whom are you talking?” He heard me and said, “It’s you, King Nox?” I nodded and said, “Yeah, it's me; what are you seeing?” He explained, “There is a very nice dragon just like you who wants to show me something.” I asked, “Do you know his name?” He replied, “He calls himself Zeno.” I recognized the name and said, “Oh, I know him. Can he hear me?” He relayed my question and then said, “No, he can’t. Can you?” I shook my head and said, “No, I’m afraid I can’t. Anyway, could you ask him to bring you back to reality, please?” He repeated my request and then said, “Zeno said he’s happy to hear from you.” That wasn’t the answer I hoped for, so I said, “Please tell him that I’m glad too, but please bring you back to reality.” He conveyed my message again, but then I got another reply: “Zeno asks if you want to join us.”

Freya and my daughters heard that. I looked at them, unsure if I should accept the invitation or not. I asked them, “Maybe I should check this out. Is that okay?” Freya nodded and said, “Just do it. I’ll take care of them while you bring him back.” I thanked her and said to Juno and Luna, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right back.” They wished me good luck and let me go. I turned to Flynn and asked him, “Please ask Zeno how I can reach him.” He did so and then told me, “Use the light element on both of us.” So I did. I turned both of us into glowing white smoke, and in an instant we were there: in another place, in the bright city where Zeno awaited us. I greeted him: “Hi Zeno, it’s been a while.” He smiled and said, “Hi Nox. Sorry for disrupting your day a bit. It's nice to see you.” I waved it off and said, “It’s fine. But next time, you could warn me first. Maybe.” He apologized and said, “It’s not easy to contact you when you’re busy here. Forgive me."

We had a long conversation about Flynn. Zeno had a special gift that I had failed to notice when I first arrived here, but I could hardly blame myself given the chaotic events that had transpired then. Zeno led us deeper into the city until we reached a dazzling light bulb perched on a golden stand, surrounded by guards. They demanded our identities, and Zeno spoke on our behalf. “This is Raphael Nox, the king of the kingdom of the Whispering Wind and a key figure in the greater prophecy. And this young dragon is Flynn, the offspring of the light dragon Akira and the pure fire element Fyrenthos.” The guards nodded respectfully and said, “Welcome, Raphael Nox and Flynn, to the core of the bright city. May it reveal to you the way.” They gestured for us to approach the light bulb, or the core, as they called it. Zeno explained, “This is a device that allows us to communicate with the eternal afterlife and much more. If you touch it, you can converse with those who have departed from this world.” Flynn’s eyes widened in wonder, and he exclaimed, “No way, that sounds so cool. Can I try it?” Zeno smiled and said, “Sure, go ahead.” I felt a pang of apprehension as I watched him move towards the core. It shone like a star, and I feared that it might harm me if I touched it since I was not a pure light dragon. I still remembered the pain of the light sword that had pierced me. Flynn placed his hand on the core and began to glow. He said cheerfully, “Hi, I’m Flynn. Nice to meet you.” We could not hear what the voice on the other side said, but he seemed to be listening attentively. Then he said politely, “I’ll let you rest in peace now, goodbye!” and withdrew his hand from the core. I asked him curiously, “Who did you talk to?” He shrugged and said, “I don’t know, but they were very nice.” Zeno then turned to me and said, “It’s your turn now, Raphael. Come on, give it a try.” I hesitated and asked nervously, “Is it safe?” He assured me, “Of course it is, unless you’re some kind of dark lord, but you’re not, are you?” I shook my head and said uncertainly, “I don’t think so. I hope not.” He encouraged me, saying, “You’ll be fine. Trust me.” So I gathered my courage and did as Flynn had done: I touched the core with my hand, and instantly I saw a vision of a realm beyond reality, populated by all kinds of creatures, not just dragons.

I moved silently between the strangers, feeling like an outsider. None of them acknowledged me or showed any sign of recognition. I was just a lost soul among the crowd. Then my eyes caught a glimpse of a dragon that resembled Freya, and I approached her cautiously. “Hi, I’m Nox. Who are you?” I asked politely.

She turned to face me and said, “I’m a queen, or I was, of a beautiful kingdom.” Her voice was regal and dignified, but also tinged with sadness.

“Are you a wind dragon?” I inquired, noticing her sleek and graceful form.

“I was a wind dragon. What are you instead?” She countered, scanning me with curiosity.

“I believe I’m a multi elemental creature, not only a dragon.” I answered, feeling a bit awkward.

She raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh, and who are you other than a dragon?”

“A human, I guess.” I said hesitantly.

She sighed and said, “Oh, a human. I remember them. Little creatures.”

I was surprised that she knew what a human was, so I asked eagerly, “How? I never saw one. I thought I was the only one.”

“They don’t exist anymore. I’m afraid we made them go extinct for good.” She said solemnly.

“Really? Are you sure we’re talking about the same kind of creature that I mean?” I asked, hoping she was mistaken.

"They were smart living beings that could stand on two feet, hold tools, and make them. They developed technology. And they were quite aggressive. Not all of them, but a good part of them were.” She explained.

“Ok, I think we are talking about the same creatures. I’m sad to hear that. So you were slayers of humans?” I asked, feeling a pang of guilt.

“Personally, no, but my soldiers were. We were often attacked by humans, but we fought them back and eventually won the battle for supremacy in this world.” She said proudly.

“Oh, congrats. I’m glad you did. Anyway, who was your daughter you were talking about?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, my little lovely daughter. Her name was Freya. I think she’s still somewhere out there, maybe.” She said wistfully.

“Oh, I know her. She’s the queen of the kingdom of the Whispering Wind now, and I’m the king. She’s my wife. I hope you're ok with that.” I said happily.

She looked at me with astonishment, then smiled warmly and said, “I’m glad to hear that. I hope you’re happy together.”

“We are, really. And you know what? You’re also technically a grandma.” I said cheerfully.

She laughed and said, “That sounds nice. I hope things are good for you. Now I have to go. Goodbye, Nox.”

I said, “Wait, where?” but she vanished before my eyes. I was stunned by her sudden departure and felt a surge of emotion. What did I say wrong? Why did she leave me in the middle of the conversation? I didn’t know, but Zeno asked me, “So, how was it?”

“Awesome and awful at the same time.” I replied honestly.

He frowned and said, “Sigh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, really. Thank you anyway.” I said gratefully.

He then said, “Ok, we’re done here. If you want to get back, reach again for the portal, just like last time. You should remember the way.”

I thanked him and said, “Yeah, I do. Thank you, and if you get to show us something again, please warn me next time. I don’t want to see a little young dragon like Flynn wandering around, getting lost, and going through buildings. Right Flynn?”

He said sheepishly, “What? I don't understand.”

"You were both here and in the real world, going through buildings and us like a ghost.” I said sternly.

“Oh wow, awesome.” He said excitedly.

“It’s not really awesome. It’s wrong. Come on, it doesn't matter; let’s get back home.” I said firmly.

"Ok Nox. Thank you, Zeno. See you soon.” He said cheerfully.

Zeno gave us a simple and somewhat sad wave, and we went back to the square and entered the portal back to the city. Again, a bright light drew the attention of many, but it was becoming more normal over time.

As soon as we returned, Freya greeted us with a relieved expression. “Great, you’re back, finally.” She sounded impatient.

“Did something happen while we were away?” I inquired, sensing her anxiety.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Everything is fine. Anyway, Juno just learned how to transform into a shadow and back into his original form.” She gestured towards Juno, who was grinning proudly.

I smiled at him. “Oh, but that’s good news. How was it?” I asked.

She exclaimed, “It’s so cool!” and demonstrated his new skill by turning herself into a shadow and jumping on me. I laughed and hugged her. “Glad to see you happy about it. If you want, I could teach you some tricks with it.”

Luna was there too, watching us with envy in her eyes. She wanted to learn the same thing as her sister, but she hadn’t mastered it yet. I tried to reassure her. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You’ll learn it too, sooner or later. You can still take notes while I teach your sister,” I suggested.

She muttered, “Fine, lucky Juno,” and rolled her eyes.

I felt a pang of guilt for not being more attentive to my family. I was still distracted by the events that had transpired earlier. Meeting the core of the bright city was nice and all, but it didn’t reveal much. I didn’t tell Freya about the person I had encountered there. I didn’t want to dwell on it. Her mother was terrified of me. I could see it in her eyes, her body language, and how she avoided meeting my gaze. I wondered if maybe I looked different somehow, and what exactly was frightening her so much. I couldn’t come up with an answer, so I tried to forget about it.

But there was something else that bothered me more. What was that thing about “humans used to exist in this world”? Did they really exist?" I couldn’t find any evidence of them. The books didn’t mention them, and there weren’t any remnants of their civilizations, or at least none that I recognized as such. I felt a strong urge to research this mystery. I wanted to understand what happened to humankind and why it had to be eliminated.

[rebornologist]

no, cause i love dino with my whole heart but why would people choose his wardrobe when it mostly has only basic stuff?? 😭 i have my own t-shirts and pants thank you very much. i just know for sure that mukuro has the most fashionable wardrobe and I'd like to steal some of his pompous and extravagant clothes 🥴

(obviously, it's just a joke and my headcanon~)

HOR YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT I myself had to debate between Mukuro & Gokudera for my own answer (because as much as I love the bfe fantasy of wearing Squalo's coat I just felt like I wanted to go for something that would mesh well with my personal style). Mukuro has absolutely been depicted in some fire fits and I looove his affinity for leather and latex and thigh high boots...

as an aside, I am always so heart eyes @ how akira amano dresses her characters ;w;

We absolutely cannot deny that Dino is the type to toss over yet another loosely fitted t-shirt to you whenever you ask for one (and they're pretty plain but at least they're super soft??). I can so imagine you exclusively wearing his shirts post hookup and never actively seeking them but anywaaay-- With that said, I definitely think that the Dino closet-raiders in chat are going for the comfy and functional look. The sheer number of pockets on this man's outfits is everything. No doubt that he has a selection of tailored eveningwear for special occasions, but his daily wear is so... mammal biologist fieldwork slay, imo.

[akirakirxaa]

27 for music ask game!!

[Music ask prompt instructions here! You too can find out what kind of random stuff I listen to! Keep Reading break due to Endwalker spoilers.]

Are you not sick of playing games? Sick of giving blame? Sick of fucking living like the world has never given you a life-defining day? And I can't relate. - Feel Nothing, The Plot in You

A great many things had happened in the past several months that Akira never would have guessed at transpiring. Not least of which included traveling to the far flung past before Hydaelyn even existed, slaying the very gods of light and darkness, being rescued by her already dead enemy (more than once even), and traveling to the very edge of creation. But despite all of these things, they weren't what caused her the most pause.

It was that, in her moment of need, when she felt she was staring certain death, certain failure, head on, who would come to her rescue but Zenos in the form of Shinryu, having flown across the literal expanse of the universe just for, what, a chance at a rematch?

Had the circumstances been less dire, she may have still been stunned to silence.

And she was absolutely stunned at the amount of comaraderie in that final battle. Had she not known better, she would have sworn that there was no way this was the same man who'd tried to kill her, and those she loved, on so many occasions.

But the moment the Endsinger was defeated and Meteion had left to guide Akira back to the ship, she felt the shift. He knew she could never let him leave alive. She knew he wouldn't let her leave without a fight. And, as he pointed out, did she not wonder who was truly the stronger? Did she not yearn to push her own limits to new heights?

It would always come to blows. But he stood back and gave her the choice to walk away if she wanted. She pensively gazed across the empty expanse that had been the final battlefield against the Endsinger.

If it came to it, it would be a beautiful place to die.

"That, I cannot deny."

It's too late, too late I've buried this and it's evident You won't change, won't change (I feel nothing)

[bunny-hare]

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite tech-oriented characters? And what do you like about them?

The technology they're good with can be very real-world based or complete fiction; it can be digital or mechanical (a hacker or a machinist), electric or nuclear or solar or petroleum or clockwork or steampunk or magic or use futuristic power sources.

They can be of any race/species from any genre of any media (books, movies, shows, games, etc.), too. What matters is that one of their primary skills, roles in the story, and traits as a character is being good with the story's available level of technology.

OH, BOY!

THIS MIGHTBE LONG, LET'S A GO!

YI FROM NINE SOLS BE UPON YE YET AGAIN!

He's a cat- *cough, cough* I mean- Solarian- of many talents. Drinking, martial arts, sass, slaying you with his tongue, and also? TECH! His whole deal on the space kitty council is innovation, and this talent for the new and creation, and science research was how everything started for what would be the game's story.

BULMA BRIEFS FROM DRAGON BALL!

One thing that I always found amusing is how this little, boy-crazy girl was/IS the MOST INTELLIGENT PERSON ON EARTH!  She's a technological genius with multiple talents in so many fields and her understanding of alien technology is crazy! She's THE goat and many of her inventions if not all are very meaningful to the story!

Lucca from Chrono Trigger!

Yet again we have a total genius girlboss on the list designed by Akira Toriyama: Lucca is one of my favourite Chrono Trigger party members, I always loved that SHE HAS A GUN!!!!! Plus she's responsible for the invention of GATO, the mini teleporter, and the key to time manipulation!

Lloyd from Mother 1

He's the sole character that you ACTUALLY need to complete the game. He's also a boy genius and he's completely nuts, the first thing that he does in the game is "You wanna be friends? Fine, prove it by BRINGING ME BOMBS" And of course you do, because homies give explosives to other homies. He also repairs EVE which is genuinely one of the coolest robots ever to me and his character arc is lovely.

Jeff - Mother 2/Earthbound

In Mother 2/EB, Jeff has a pretty similar role to Lloyd, both being the nerdy inventor guys, however, the story is vastly different. Aside this, Jeff's ability to repair broken items is SO COOL, I have a terrible memory, so it's always a surprise to me what broken thing will give me what when he fixes it! Also, his relationship with his friend Tony is lovely.

MILES "TAILS" POWER! - SONIC

Ever since his introduction, he's always been such a lovely character, he's the brains to his friends' brawns and always puts his knowledge to the service of his pals and saving the world!✨

Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles!

Often times there's a lot more to say about Shulk than his tech proeficency, however, I must say that were it not for these set of abilities, perhaps we would have never gotten the story at all not to mention that THAT'S A WHOLE THING FOR HIS WHOLE PERSONA- But that's a big can of worms I wish not to open here.

GLaDOS FROM PORTAL!

She's literally mechanical, her whole shtick is being crazy and running tests with noxious chemicals- She's such a girlboss. I wanna be like her when I'm older.

This is getting long so I might leave it here!

THANKS FOR ASKING!