#I don't know why I didn't consider that

[ayahachitwister]

Now I'm totally considering a Symphonia-style TWEWY AU. I'm not actually going to write that since I already have my huge witch AU still going, but XD'' Thinking about how the TWEWY characters would be used in the Symphonia world is kinda fun~

...though I wasn't thinking when I first placed everyone into roles, so I accidentally made Sho into Neku's dad, whoops.

Anyway, who gets what role under the cut, for those curious~ Just know that with all that said, there will be Tales of Symphonia spoilers, and I highly recommend playing it without spoiling yourself if you can!

So, the roles--and keep in mind, this is just based on where they'd be starting in the world/some of the major plot points around them, 'cause uh... there's not a good 1-to-1 for like any of these.

Neku = Lloyd Shiki = Colette Beat and Rhyme = Raine and Genis Sho (*edit: or Mr. H) = Kratos Shoka = Sheena Rindo = Zelos Nagi = Presea Fret = ...Regal?? (with his dead best friend as Alicia >.>'~) Josh = Mithos

Noishe gets to be the Progfox, and you'll understand why I chose that if you've read my witch AU.

And... I have no idea for past that. >.>'' Like I'm sure Megumi, Konishi, Higashizawa, and Shiba at least could be four of the five Grand Cardinals, but who the heck would be Martel?? And Yuan and Botta?? I almost want to say Kariya and Uzuki for that, but then that would mean... DX'

Also, thinking about it again, maybe Mr. H should be Kratos instead of Sho XD'' But it was still funny to think of Sho in that role :D'' I mostly thought of him first due to NEO.

[bean-spring]

Hot take and not to be a killjoy or the shipping police but people treating Viktor or Jinx's aroace headcanons as if they were canon is not the revolutionary take people think it is.

Headcanons are always all right but we have to acknowledge that they are somehow damaging when they apply to stereotypes. It might not be the case for everyone but most of the time people unconsciously assume that disability/mental illness=asexuality. These headcanons erase the freedom of attraction from people who are already seen as unable to have sexual/romantic experiences/desires, when it's completely untrue and harmful.

You can headcanon Viktor and Jinx as aroace, but I have seen people changing their minds once Viktor is no longer disabled (s2 with all of his other forms) and Jinx is no longer as mentally ill (alternate universe Powder). And it speaks wonders of how people see these characters.

"I never thought about Jinx being able to feel romantic/sexual attraction until s2!" To believe she's actually only capable of that when she's not "damaged" is incredibly disturbing. Especially since Jinx has always had a bit of a flirty personality too.

"I've always seen Viktor as asexual, I don't know why!" That's fine. You can headcanon him as ace. But I believe there is a reason behind it, most of the time, if for some inexplicable reason the "vibes" of the disabled character are making you think he's ace.

I say all of this being aroaspec myself, by the way. Headcanon all you want but going to people's posts commenting how "it's weird for you that they have romantic/sexual plots when they're clearly aroace" is not a win at all. It's a headcanon, after all, and it should be treated as such, and that's fine. But it also is damaging to spread stereotypes like these.

Of course the disabled character is asexual. Of course the mentally ill character is aromantic. It's not as revolutionary as you might think, tbh.

Fandom is not activism and it's all right to have any headcanons you want BUT some of them are filled with damaging stuff and perhaps we should look into ourselves more before treating these assumptions as something canon.

[iamhereinthebg]

Heya Anon!

Tbh I don't really know, Akane is a character who has been dealing with a thousand death flags leading to nothing since his most serious appareance in the manga. And this new timeline is not an exception.

Especially since we know that Kako and Mirai gave him 'You have to try to stay alive' rule as one of his duties

Implying that it is dangerous to altern the past and be the Clock Keeper of the Present, that they have to stay alive to make sure everything goes according to plan.

It also ties to my theory that Akane is the first human clock keeper of the present; Because after all if Kako and Mirai have been asleep since they changed the past in this new timeline, they couldn't have chosen anyone during 1968 and the current events in the manga (2015).

Akane is the only person who is directly coming from a different timeline even compared to Nene and Teru who just remember the stuff from the previous one, being on a time limit before their memories are erased. Akane brought along with him the fact that he is a clock keepers and mystery n°1, something he couldn't be in this new timeline in the first place since both of them don't exist.

But I digress.

Akane has been a little bit different since they came back from the boundary closest to the far shore. It's not that surprising with how much the previous arc must have taken a toll on him. Understanding that Aoi wanted to die, losing her, being impaled, having Teru confirming that he will lose years of his lifespan by turning back human too soon, being beaten up twice by number 6, etc...

Akane is like Kou and Nene on this point, a character who wants to do a lot, but is always a step behind when it comes to supernaturals. And like the other two, it is starting to show in his attitude.

Akane has been shown more unsure of his choices and of his opinions when it's something that never posed him a problem before. He is more scared of Teru (when he knows the exorcist by now) and of being hurt in general,. Something he hasn't showed as much before, liking and enjoying life of course, but never being afraid to be in the first line even if it meant being hurt; Now he acts like he is truly scared of dying.

And he lets things involving Aoi not being his first priority. Refusing to listen to Natsuhiko plan to even try to heal her. Akane has always been showed to be really proactive anyways, that's one of his main character trait. So seeing that he is putting something for a later date and it involves Aoi can be seen as a little bit strange. Akane still loves her deeply and all but he seems to have other plans now, which we learn later in the clock keeper arc. He is not even looking at her directly, having an air of melancholy when he announces he will heal her but not now

That's more of a stretch now, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that Akane has known since a long time what it meant to be the clock keeper of the present, that they had the power to change the timeline. But nothing special has been happening to make the clock keepers take this drastic decision, especially since we know that nothing has been ever changed since the Yugi Twins 4th birthday at least. Which is why he probably never thought about it before. But now that he knows the school mysteries are more important, not just dangerous supernaturals but are protecting the land, and that Hanako has been destroying the yorishiros (which to me, seem to be the seals to keep away the God from the pit/the God Sumire was supposed to marry) he seems to be more aware of this duty in general.

Or if he was made aware of it recently anyways, it's something that the clock keepers must have brought up before the fall festival, being something that even someone as 'Carpe Diem, it is what it is' Aoi Akane may not be able to entirely ignore.

He has been forced A LOT in his role lately too and he clearly doesn't really like it, even if he is good at it.

He finally say 'we' when talking about the clock keepers, and consider even himself as the biggest threat of the school. He doesn't know what to think directly of the supernaturals or seven mysteries now. Knowing that they have an important role to fulfill but still not trusting them at all, knowing of their dangerous tendencies to hurt humans. He can't even look Teru in the eyes when he asks him if the clock keepers are planning to change the timeline over and over again. His feelings for the clock keepers being clearly a difficult case for him to tackle down even if he pretends it's not.

I always said this kinda as a joke, that Akane had the role of a Chosen One but went 'fck no' with it. But I think that it really is this kind of stuff now. Like for Nene who is 'the Kannagi' of the current time and get to make choices and stuff she doesn't want to do. Akane is the same with his role as the clock keeper of the present. Because no matter what he says, he kinda has accepted this fate now, preferring to know what is happening (since he realizes how ignorant he was in the "to the far shore" arc), and having a way to be able to change things. Sacrifying his chance to be 'a normal student'.

But he is not happy with any of it, being the one on the front row to endure all of the supernaturals choices, even knowing that if they don't change back the timeline, he will be the last one to remember. And as said previously, he is now a part of it! He is of course still more human than supernatural but he still acknowledges his role way more than before. Akane hates the way supernaturals work and now what he is doing? Being one of the reason the world is in this state. Of course it's taking a toll on him.

Of course, he doesn't accept everything right away, like Aoi's engagement, it's at first played for jokes but even then, it's understandable with how far their relationship evolved in the previous timeline. He is now thrown into the role of 'the childhood friend who never stood a chance in the first place'. I do think he has a right to be a little bit upset

But after understanding that technically, it's not that much of a big deals in the current events of everything else, since at first most people seems okay, he goes right away to do what the clock keepers asked him to do. Even going to go ask for Teru's help when he knows how much he destroyed his trust.

To finish this long stuff, I think the real big ''death flags' for what is happening right now is of course the fact that he got cursed by the red house (which is a supernatural who has already tried to fool him in the og timeline btw) .

And that there is a chance, like said earlier, that there is only one Akane like him for now, and that he could get stuck here or at least not coming back entirely as the Aoi Akane we knew in the manga (a chance for him to become a full supernatural for example, to be forever now the clock keeper of the present) But for this tbh we don't know a lot it's really more speculation because we know nothing of what could happen to him particulary.

My fav 'suspicious af thing he said' for now in the new timeline is this.

The official translation goes " .. And will love my whole life to the day I die and even beyond that."

When he starts the manga with this.

With the same belief than Hanako that 'death is the end' and now he is considering the After Death, with everything he saw of course, but specifically for him in this case.

Bonus: a thing that is apparently confirmed to be a lie, or he can bend the rules, but he didn't say this in front of Teru and Nene the first time.

And something that I truly think he doesn't know anything about too (my brain truly think Kako and Mirai choose him, and I have some delulu proofs but I digress) Akane do not know sht about the clock keepers and especially doesn't see when people show clear interest in him

[front-facing-pokemon]

[panharmonium]

i am not usually interested in dramatically canon-divergent scenarios because the canon story is what compels me, but i've been obsessed with this moment ever since i re-heard it during my second viewing. from the perspective of someone who already finished the story once and now knows the truth - this was wild.

WHAT IF?

[canisalbus]

I thought I might try my hand at moodboards, too :')

.

[feroluce]

Randomly consumed today by the thought of henghill cuddles, but like from a specific point in their relationship, like after they've only recently started laying in the same bed together.

It's something that takes them a long time to work up to; they both have nightmares, and yeah, Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara and he can heal himself beyond anything Boothill could accidentally do to him, but still. Boothill is made of metal now. He's heavy. It wouldn't take much, just a single flailing limb to cause some damage. He still gets up after Dan Heng falls asleep, and sneaks down into the guest cabin in one of the other cars.

But he'll lay in bed with Dan Heng until then. At first Boothill would always try to situate a blanket between them, because well. Metal isn't exactly pleasant to cuddle. But more and more lately, he's noticed Dan Heng keeps worming his way around their soft barrier and just kind of...rubbing his hand along him? Open palm up the curve of his side, across the planes of his chest, into the star-shape at his solar plexus, down the plates of his abdomen, back to his side again. Fingertips tap soundlessly against metal, or press into dents and divots, or smooth over old scars in the steel.

"Ya don't hav'ta do that, ya know."

"Does it bother you?"

Dan Heng's hand has already stopped, settling somewhere on the futon, neutral ground. Boothill clarifies that no, it doesn't bother him. But he can't feel any of it. He only knows he's doing it because he can see the motion out of the corner of his eye. Dan Heng doesn't need to go through the extra effort to do things for him like he would someone with a normal human body.

And Dan Heng goes quiet, just long enough that Boothill gets curious and turns to look at him over his shoulder. He has the cute little furrow between his brows, like when he's thinking.

And then he opens that pretty mouth of his and says, "That's alright, I think I'm doing it for myself, anyway" and Boothill nearly wheezes because wow, Dan Heng is almost never quite that honest when it comes to himself fdklsajlkd

Boothill cackles in surprise and asks point blank what he means, because what could he be getting out of that? Given the implied permission, Dan Heng's hand starts it's usual route again. Side, chest, solar plexus, abdomen, side. Boothill can practically hear him chewing on his words.

"I like that you're warm," is what he finally says, and Boothill suddenly feels like a bullet has just grazed something vital. "All the processes you run increase your temperature," Dan Heng's hand fans out across a span of steel and he holds it there, like he's soaking up the heat. "And your metal is smooth, it feels pleasant to touch," his fingertips move in circles, slip into a divot perfectly sized, rub back and forth. Boothill silently wills one of his cooling fans threatening to open up to stay closed.

"I like how you feel under my hands. That's all." Headshot! No recovery possible.

"...Suit yerself, then," and Boothill quickly turns back over before Dan Heng can see it in his face, how close he just hit to his heart.

[justalittlebluetiefling]

I am wondering a lot about what happens in the 'ideal' scenario. You know, where Predathos only eats the Primes and the Betrayers and then leaves. Matt made the point about how divine magic was around before then and would be around after, but the source would change. So. What fills that power vacuum? How is there any guarantee that it is going to be better than what they have now? There isn't and Ludnius kind of admitted that, but what drives someone to that point? To the point where they care about the action, completing that action, but they don't care about the result?

[ironcy]

Saw a post on this and can’t get it out of my head. Cue rambling :3

Jayce and Viktor worked together for 7 years. At least 5 were probably spent with only each other seven days a week during all waking hours. I don’t think either of them really have any other friends too. Like I’m close enough with friends I see a few times a week over 4 years. No wonder they’re so codependent.

Thinking about the fact when they get fed up with each other or argue they don’t have other outlets to turn to. Like Jayce has Cait, but Viktor seems to be pretty much on his own.

Do you think the pressure and expectation and emotion of having to get along was part of why things fall apart. Jayce found other people and was stoked about having more balance in his life, whereas Viktor was frustrated by being ‘left behind’ by the one person he considers himself close with.

I feel like it makes it worse when they fight or when viktor’s dying because. They love each other a fuck ton but also have issues. But they might not get a chance to work through those. So theyre stuck in this weird place of needing each other and needing space at the same time.

Do you think they end up in a place where they love each other but don’t like each other :(

They both deffo cry about it in the middle of the night

DUDEEE that's so painful. Them ending up as loving each other but not liking each other - I feel like it's a valid point to make that's kind of where they were at the beginning of season 2. "Our paths diverged long ago. It was affection that held us together."

To me the turning point was Jayce entering politics and going down the same path that put the systemic oppression of Zaun in place, although he comes around in the end and realizes that violence isn't the answer. But Viktor would have felt it, Jayce growing distant and also - here's where I enter theorizing territory - offhanded comments about Zaun. Because he doesn't even think about Viktor being Zaunite, although it's such an integral part of Viktor's identity.

As somebody who grew up as a marginalized minority, most comments aren't even intended malicious, but all of the little remarks start adding up and boy does that breed resentment. When you're reminded you're other every single day.

[loverboybrightsideghost]

one of my favorite clark headcanons that i have (that is completely unsupported by canon) is that he's transgender by kryptonian standards. martha and jon kent raised him as a boy and as he grew up he never had any reason to doubt it at all, he was like yeah i'm a boy, makes sense. and then he gets to the fortress of solitude for the first time and it turns out how Gender works on krypton was just Different enough that clark doesn't really fit the kryptonian standards of whatever he was supposed to be. bonus points because this makes him feel like even more of an outsider as a kryptonian, even if he's the last one left.

[darlenicy]

started to rewatch s2 again. and now I know why season 1 is my favourite season. because the pixies are fkn annoying

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

Hi? Gosh how do I even start with this :'D

I know it's been ages since I've last popped up on here. I've been debating when to post this for a while, but I kept adding to my draft more and more and now it's the end of JULY omgg I felt so guilty disappearing with zero updates but then thought my birthday would be the best day to finally address this considering it'll feel less random? idk but Ive always celebrated my bday with you guys and I'd feel so bad answering your kind asks without me at least explaining why I was gone for months.

Truth be told, I was dealing with a lot of stuff irl. health issues and sudden declining grades that left me stumped and drained for months now- along with technical issues like having to replace some parts of my computer that took a while for me to find to even draw digitally, which I didn't have the time for anyway with how tired and weary I felt every day.

I'm frankly shaken up by a lot of shit rn and I don't know how to be active online with this burden on my chest- Especially as it's been a while since I've even looked at utmv related content and my motivation dwindled. I swear I'd hype myself up to post or reblog something- but I'd see just how much I've missed or the overwhelming amount of posts I'd need to go through and I'd feel so swamped with exhaustion and most importantly guilt, for not clearing the air up sooner to reassure you guys that I'm, y'know, alive, and not dead in a ditch somewhere. And I'd procrastinate cause typing it all out is hard and I'd give up halfway every time and it's just not fair to you all!

I thought I was handling it well when I started going out and socializing more, instead of staying cooped up at home on my computer all day. and in the first draft of this post I made months ago I was gonna detail some of the fun plans I had, for my life and for this blog :D but relaxing my strict study schedule and letting go a bit of my tight routine, thinking it was better than wringing myself dry to keep it up, backfired horribly, to say the least.

I know right?? so silly to be hung up on stupid shit like studies of all things! but this is a very important thing for me considering my career plans and the competitivity encouraged by everyone I'm surrounded by, the pressure of keeping up adding to my already stressful days. I had to fix myself up first and I couldn't handle the strain nor interact with people and thinking of jobs and exams sapped my energy so much it's frankly embarrassing. writing this feels so cheesy too and it frustrates me to know I could've come back a month earlier if it weren't for that, but I also know putting all of this into words then would just sound like incoherent venting (not that this is very different tbf) and I wasn't in the right headspace to address my absence, or anything really- I didn't want everyone to see me return when I couldn't muster up a genuinely positive message, let alone talk to anyone with a shadow of my usual cheer

I feel like a complete mess and It drives me up the wall how depressed I've gotten. I debated deleting this blog so many times 'cause the fear of disappointing my audience and my friends, for lack of a more fitting sentiment, made me feel even shittier. I'm constantly thinking if this wall of text is worth posting, or if it's better not to burden you all with all my sappy troubles as if it's the end of the world. Trust me, I'll be fine. I'm not trying to dramatize this situation, but I don't think I'm up to pretending I'm all sunshine and enthusiasm you're all accustomed to.

So sorry for worrying you all! I'll try to catch up, deliver some missed birthday gifts, and answer some asks while I'm at it! Again, I can't state how much I appreciate your support throughout the years. It's frankly a miracle I kept any of you around with how much I keep popping and leaving at random with no warning. I definitely can't promise for my stay to be without a hitch, and if you don't mind an inconsistent schedule you're free to stay of course, but I'm afraid I can't sustain the pace I had when I first started this blog. I'll keep posting art, but lower my activity in the fandom sphere to reduce the strain on my mental health. so fewer rants and walls of text, more art, and less stress overall. Love you all and thanks for waiting for this long <3

[slayerdurge]

A Deal with God (Post-Ending Durgetash Fanfic)

Summary:

Ever since she first woke up on that Nautiloid with an empty past and an insistent Urge, she had no interest in resisting it. Why would she? She loved the killing even before she knew who her Father was, and after she knew, she longed to reshape the world into endless piles of corpses in his name. Until she reconnected with Enver Gortash, her old partner, the one with whom she’d made all these plans for world domination in the first place, and the one who she felt very keenly had likely had this kind of corrupting influence on her before. He made her crave something more than annihilation. Made her selfish. Made her a heretic. Made her want to rule. And so she found herself behaving in ways she’d never have expected. She resisted Bhaal, resisted anyone else who dared get in their way, and allied with him and him alone to claim the Netherbrain for themselves… until she watched him die in front of her and knew that she’d have fought Bhaal naked with only her teeth and fists if that was what it took to get him back. But what she really needed was something even more daunting—leverage over Bane.

CHAPTER TWO - THE REUNION

[read on ao3]

Enver re-entered his body screaming.

As The Dark Urge listened in transfixed stillness, his screams gradually changed into a strange and discordant mixture of laughter and sobs, and all she could think was that she’d heard that sound before.

But she couldn’t place it until a series of sensuous fragmented memories crashed into her mind—the damp stone walls of an underground dungeon, the thrust of steel as it penetrated flesh, the tantalizing ferrous scent of fresh blood, an influx of saliva pooling in the bottom of her mouth, and the howling keen emanating from the pile of meat in front of her. Then came the feeling of satisfaction. The knife clattered to the floor, and as she wiped her mouth, she heard the sound change.

This was the sound of a torture victim who’d been offered a moment of reprieve, and the only coherent thought she could form in the mangled, macerated caverns of her brain was that that sound should not be coming out of him.

She couldn’t say exactly how long the sound continued, but eventually she became aware that it had stopped, and that his eyes, which had been alternately twitching and rolling backwards into his head, had refocused. He was looking at her.

She became aware of what she must look like, standing stock-still and staring at him in paralyzed silence, but she could rouse herself to neither speech nor movement. 

Slowly, he sat up, supporting his unsteady balance by spreading his hands flat on the rock’s surface. He looked around, taking in the sizeless expanse of the Astral Prism. His gaze seemed to sharpen. “How long?” he asked.

“How long…” She didn’t immediately understand the question. 

“How long was I dead?” he repeated, over-enunciating each word impatiently. 

The twinge of annoyance that caused within her brought her fully back to herself. “Less than a day,” she said. “Maybe slightly more. I lost track of time during the battle.” She glared at him pointedly. “You’re welcome, by the way. For your life.”

He stood, wobbling slightly but catching himself and righting his posture quickly. He walked towards her, stopping when there was only a few feet of distance between them, and met her gaze evenly. “Thank you,” he said, without a trace of sarcasm. “For my life.”

The Dark Urge found it suddenly difficult to maintain eye contact. 

He wasn’t looking at her anymore either. He was staring at the back of his hand, where the purple Netherstone had been affixed to his gauntlet. He touched the empty space left behind with his other hand, rubbing his thumb almost absentmindedly against the metallic surface. “Why don’t you bring me up to speed?” he said. “You mentioned a battle.”

“With the Netherbrain, yes.”

He looked up sharply. “How did you survive our encounter with it?”

“The Emperor saved me,” she explained. “Pulled me into the Astral Prism at the last moment. Along with your corpse.”

“So that left you with all three Netherstones. But how did you get them to work again?”

“Can you see through illusions?” she asked suddenly.

He tilted his head slightly, scrutinizing her more closely. “Not without the proper tools. I can tell you’re disguised now that you’ve mentioned it, but I can’t see your true form.”

She allowed her illusion to flicker momentarily, showed him the true light lavender color of her skin, the exposed bits of brain matter she disguised as scalp and hair, and the tentacles that blossomed from the front of her mouth. She didn’t drop her disguise entirely, and it soon flickered back into stable form. She planned to assume it consistently. It wouldn't do to have the non-tadpoled citizens of Baldur’s Gate thinking their savior was a monster. And if they were superficial enough that a more palatable face prevented them from realizing she was far more monstrous than any ordinary mind flayer, that was entirely to their own detriment. 

“Ah,” he said. “Then it was ceremorphosis that made the difference?” 

She didn’t speak aloud this time, instead projecting her thoughts directly into his mind. “That and I ate the Prince of the Comet.”

She heard his answer aloud in the form of a light burst of laughter, but his words came to her in her mind. “Well, there goes the chance for Githyanki liberation,” he said telepathically.

“They wouldn’t know liberation if it hit them on their upturned noses. They’d just trade one tyrant for another, like everyone else does.”

She felt his agreement more as a sensation than as a verbalized thought. In that moment, their mental states were so closely aligned that the edges between them had unintentionally blurred. 

“You know, I have Orpheus’s memories now,” she mused silently into their shared thoughtspace. “Perhaps I’ll impersonate him. Give the Gith a worthwhile leader to follow for once.”

This time his answer came as both an emotion and a thought. She felt his amused appreciation, after which he said, “I’d like to see that.”

“You’ll see it all,” she promised him. 

She could feel his reaction to that—a moment of unrestrained enthusiasm. Then his mind refocused. “So Orpheus’s power protected you from the Netherbrain long enough to get close to it again. And then what?”

“We fought. For a long time. I had to weaken it to the point where I could safely use the Netherstones again. With Orpheus’s knowledge and power, my own enhanced illithid abilities, and the help of the army of allies I’d been building, it was enough. The Netherbrain is now under my full control.”

“Well done,” he thought emphatically. He grinned at her, and she could feel the wave of emotions that filled his mind—joy, pride, and, most of all, vindication. His assessment of the victory was primarily focused on the fact that, despite everything, their long-shot plan had actually worked in the end. Then she felt him calm himself and fall back into a strategic mindset. “What became of The Emperor?” he asked.  

“He’s still around. He’s under my thrall, but he doesn’t think of it negatively now, of course. None of them do. Still, I make sure to watch him more closely than any of the others. He’s already escaped enslavement twice. That’s quite a remarkable track record.”

“It may actually be best to be proactive on that front,” he suggested. “Now that you have Orpheus’s powers, you can grant selective protection from the Absolute to enthralled individuals and monitor their thoughts through your direct access to the hive mind network, all while retaining the ability to recall their immunity at any moment. Sometimes the best precaution against rebellion is freedom. Within reason, of course.”

“Interesting! That’s certainly worth considering,” she said, excited by the potential possibilities this tactic opened up, and impressed that, even with all her natural illithid cognitive advantages, he’d still come up with it before her. “I knew bringing you back was the right call.”

“Of course it was,” he replied smugly. “That was never under contention.” 

“What did Lord Bane tell you?” she asked, a sudden suspicion crawling in the back of her mind.

He smiled, but no immediate thoughts were incoming. 

“You must’ve spoken before he sent you back,” she insisted. “You know too much. And you wouldn’t have reorientated yourself so quickly otherwise.”

“Wouldn’t I?” he asked, still smiling. She probed at his mind, but he evaded her advances for the moment. 

“I can read your mind at will, Enver,” she reminded him. “You can’t hide from me indefinitely.”

“I don’t need to,” he said, still sounding smug. As he opened the channel of his thoughts again, she saw, to her great irritation and relief, that there wasn’t actually anything he’d been particularly keen to hide. He’d been teasing her. “He told me I’d done well to bring you to him,” he said, “And that I was to grant you the appropriate respect and obedience owed by any Banite to one of their Lord’s Chosen. Which I plan to do, of course. One doesn't become a Chosen of Bane in the first place without a healthy respect for the concept of hierarchy. And you’ll make a fine Banite, Dark Urge. I’ve always thought so.”

Because their minds were linked, she could tell that his words were genuine. His dedication to Bane ran deep, and he'd be her subordinate as long as Bane said he was her subordinate. He would not hold back when it came to helping her bring her plans to fruition. 

Because their minds were linked, she could also sense the unspoken competitive subtone to his words. This mentality was so central to his basic cognitive functioning that there was no need for him to ever verbalize or affirm it, not to her nor anyone else nor even to himself. The unspoken challenge and promise underscored his every thought. This isn’t over. 

Gods, I hope not, she thought, though not to him. I hope this goes on forever.

Another realization came to her, and she felt shocked that she hadn't considered it earlier. “If Bane spoke to you before your resurrection then… that screaming…”

She knew instantly that she was right because he immediately broke out into laughter that she could hear twofold, once in his head and once aloud. She got the other relevant details too. His soul really had been tortured—he’d always known this would be the outcome if he died, and he was no stranger to the experience—but it’d happened earlier, before she’d made her offer to Bane. He’d known that she'd been aware of this fact, guessed how eager she’d been to end his suffering, and decided to have a little fun with her about it. He'd been faking, as a demonstration of how much his pain hurt her too, how much she cared about him. He'd been gloating. And now he was laughing at her, sounding for all the world like a naughty child who’d just seamlessly pulled off a very clever prank. 

“You motherfucker,” she exclaimed vocally, and she lashed out, striking his chest with her fist hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs, but not hard enough to stop his laughter. He was still laughing—choking and coughing at the same time, but still laughing. He grabbed her fist with his left hand, holding it firmly in place against his chest, and wrapped his other arm around her back in a way that made her acutely aware that her robes left her shoulders bare. “I'm going to murder you,” she growled aloud.

“You'd better not,” he warned her, also aloud and interspersed between fits of wheezing. “I'm not sure what you'd have to offer Lord Bane for a second resurrection.” His own joke sent him off into a new peal of laughter.

As she stood there in his arms, glaring at him in anger and disbelief and the most irritating depth of affection she'd ever felt for anyone in her life, she fantasized about all the different ways she could kill him, and she opened her mind to him again so that he could see it too. His laughter finally died down as he paused to watch, drinking in her visions eagerly, hungrily, as she showed him a dozen different ways she could end the life she'd gifted him. It would be easy. He was unarmed, far from his Steel Watch or any allies; he had none of his usual gadgets with him and no intrinsic magical abilities; he didn't even have their god’s favor. She had every advantage. She could take him with a blade or a spell or, if she was feeling ironic, she could command her Netherbrain to end him again like it had the first time. As he watched, she indulged in every vision with such glorious gory detail that she was sure if her Urge were still with her, it would have taken over and brought the visions into reality. But her Urge was gone, and she was in complete control of herself. She kissed him.

She felt his body respond—his mouth opened to welcome her tongue, his arms wrapped tighter around her, pulling her closer into his chest. She felt his mind respond—reeling through a wave of lengthy memories at high speed. She could see him thinking of countless instances when he'd wanted to do this, dozens when he almost had or when he'd thought that perhaps she would, and the handful of rare well-hidden occasions on which they'd actually done this before. The last group was recalled so fondly and in such painstakingly recreated vibrant detail that it was as though she had those memories back now too. She felt his emotions respond—knew his true grief when he thought he'd lost her, his cautious optimism when he thought that he might've gotten her back, and the utter unequivocal sense of triumph he felt in this moment. 

Finally, she pulled back, breathless and dizzy, both from her racing thoughts and from his. She placed her hands on his neck, under the pointed collar of his robes, and leaned her forehead against his. He reached out and stroked her cheek softly with a sharp-tipped gold finger. For the moment, both their minds were still. 

“We really should get back to the city,” he finally said, telepathically once more. “You've got a world to deliver.”

[margindoodles2407]

so here's the deal guys. in the past week i reread my way through prisoner of azkaban, goblet of fire, order of the phoenix, and half-blood prince. i am currently halfway through deathly hallows. and as i was eleven the last time i seriously read harry potter. i forgot that it allows me to unlock secret shrimp emotions that humans aren't normally capable of feeling

[tweltchy]

Hot take, maybe? I think someone's reaction to the existence of Kingdom Hearts can be a good litmus test for whether or not they actually really believe that cringe culture is dead, imo.

[citizenerased77]

belldom because it makes me want to curl up in a ball and giggle and scream and laugh and cry and really just react in such a manner that is unfit in response to two middle aged men simply being gay