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donaweasley · 15 days ago

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A Home With You

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Plot:

It had become a quiet routine for Bucky to crash at your place whenever he felt like he needed it. You didn't mind at all, of course! But eventually, you find yourself being pulled in the whirlpool of something stronger. And Bucky? Well, you wouldn't know until you ask him, right?

Genre: Fluff, domestic, friends-to-lovers

Warnings: None

Read time: ~16 mins

You tried to dedicate at least one weekend a month to rearranging your wardrobe. After many failed attempts at not missing these deadlines, you had finally accepted that organising wardrobes just wasn’t your thing. Most days you’d simply stand there, staring at the crumpled, slumping stacks of fabric inside, mentally organising them, before shutting the doors with a dramatic huff and a defeated acceptance of “That’s too much work! Next week!”

But today was not that day. Today you were determined to see neat stacks by sundown, no matter what came in the way!

Bucky had returned from a mission late last night and, though he insisted on being the cook for the day, you had managed to nudge him into tending the plants instead, if he really needed something to busy his hands.

Food was scheduled to be at your doorstep in around two hours, and an old album, playing from a Bluetooth speaker in the living room, filled the house with rhythm and nostalgia. Everything was sorted, except for your wardrobe.

As you pulled out the first two bundles of semi-neatly folded clothes, you paused. Around half of the occupants there were not even yours. They were Bucky’s. You took one shirt, unfolded it, and pressed it to your nose, inhaling the soft scent of fresh laundry, tinged with something distinctly him. The long sleeves draped over your shoulders loosely, as though hinting at a shadow of an embrace that its owner was yet to give you.

With a lazy smile now hanging on your lips, you carefully placed the garment alongside the rest of the clothes, and took out the next stack. This one revealed two of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts that he wore to bed when he stayed over. Well, on the makeshift bed in your apartment that had slowly, almost shyly, become his.

It suddenly dawned on you how every little piece in your apartment had his signature on it. Not loud, not overshadowing your essence, but seamlessly stitched into your space, like a second thread running alongside your own.

Your mind slowly drifted back to the first day that Bucky had crashed at your place.

It was past midnight. You remembered getting startled when the doorbell rang. The little peephole had revealed a worn-out Bucky in a hoodie. His long hair, drenched with the weight of the rain outside, shadowed his eyes as he hung his head and stared at your threshold. You had opened the door in panic, fearing the worst. What other reason would Bucky Barnes have to appear at your doorstep, in the middle of the night, wearing a fatigue that you had rarely seen on him ever since he had been friends with Sam!

“Can I …” A long exhale had punctuated his words. “Can I stay here for the night?”

That simple question - raw and pleading - had left you breathless. He had been your friend, alright, but never had you imagined him seeking you out for comfort when the weight of the world had become too much to bear alone.

And then, eventually, it became a routine. Every time he was upset beyond repair, every time he returned from a complex mission, every time he needed someone to lean on, Bucky would appear at your doorstep. And you? You would always welcome him with all the warmth and cosiness that you could offer as a friend, until your place had started feeling like a home to him.

Now, almost a year later, your place is painted with little strokes of Bucky. After three to four months of finding the large man trying to awkwardly fit into your couch, you had ultimately exchanged it for a sofa-bed. The furniture was well beyond its good days anyway, so why not replace it with something more useful? Just a practical choice, nothing else, you had reasoned.

With Bucky coming over to your place more often each week, some of his clothes had found their place in between your ones.

“It’s more convenient this way,” he had told you, avoiding your amused eyes.

Your sink needed fixing? Bucky was your man. You weren’t feeling strong enough to carry on through the day? Bucky would make you your favourite meal, and then be the shoulder to lean on as you distracted yourself with movies and shows.

His favourite brand of tea lived on your kitchen shelf, not far from a box of his favourite cookies. A seashell that he had once found on the beach sat on a side table in your living room.

“It looks better in your apartment,” he had argued. “Besides, I’m sort of careless with these things.”

Hell, he even had a spare toothbrush in your bathroom!

A smile crept up on your dazed face when you remembered the night you had run your fingers through the tousled hair of a sleeping Bucky, and had kissed his forehead while whispering, “You can stay here for as long as you like.” You had always wondered later if he had really been asleep at that moment.

Your mind even had the audacity to bring up the memory of the first time you had seen Bucky in your oversized t-shirt and a pair of really old shorts, freshly showered, hair sprinkled with droplets of water, smelling of your shower gel and shampoo, with your towel hanging around his neck. It was a thrilling sight to behold, to say the least, surprising as well but also calming and … intimate? Like there was something so beautifully domestic about it. You were busy fixing his bed on the old couch when your brain had stopped functioning. It was only when a cushion had slipped out of your numb fingers, drawing Bucky’s attention, that you realised the embarrassing situation you had put yourself in. Back then, you had dismissed the feeling as “a passing phase”. But now, thinking back, your cheeks burned when you realised that falling for James Buchanan Barnes wasn’t a recent event. You had started admiring the man long before you had realised it.

As the reel of memories slowly unfolded in your mind, you realised that Bucky had quietly built a home in your house. Quietly. Softly. Whether he realised it or not was a different chapter but the domestic life that you both shared - even though only twice or thrice a week - was actually the secret to your newfound happiness.

The super soldier smiled more, his nightmares had almost disappeared, his shoulders were more relaxed. Your loneliness had vanished, you were more active than ever, you were finally inspired to pursue your hobbies, and your place glowed with laughter, warmth and peace - those little feelings that suspiciously felt like love. And you realised that maybe - just maybe, because even though all signs were clearly screaming delightfully, you were still afraid to hope - that this entire unsaid, unofficial, semi-roommate arrangement that you had between yourselves was a lot more than what it looked like.

You screamed into his t-shirt in frustration because you knew absolutely well that you were already neck-deep in love with him, and it utterly terrified you - how quietly it had happened, how completely it had taken over! There was no single moment to point to, no grand confession, no accidental brush of hands that set your heart spinning. Just … the slow blooming of comfort. The way his laughter now lived in the walls of your apartment. The way he knew where you kept every little thing in your kitchen; in fact, he sometimes knew them better than you did. The way your name sounded different when he pronounced it - softer, like a prayer he liked to whisper. Indeed, you now recalled, you had once drunkenly confessed to him that your name sounded the best on his mouth. As though, he knew the perfect way to say it!

You pressed the t-shirt tighter to your face, as if the cotton fabric could muffle the rising storm in your chest. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was your friend - your safe place, your shared coffee, your companion on quiet Sunday afternoons. And yet, somehow, he had become the pulse of your home, and the echo of his footsteps down your living room now felt more like belonging than any words ever could.

Clutching his garment in hand, you quietly tiptoed to the balcony where Bucky had been working all morning. A new warmth bloomed in your chest at the sight of the freshly shined and trimmed monstera, the newly repotted line of succulents, and the peace lilies that flowered like they had just experienced the best Spring of their lives! Eventually, your line of sight led you to the man behind all these toil.

He sat with his back towards you, quietly humming the song currently reverberating through the house while carefully coaxing a stubborn vine of pothos into staying in its trellis. His hair was shorter now, cropped tight at the sides, giving you a better view of his beautiful face. Sunlight painted his shoulders and back in amber, and left the back of his head looking like a canvas woven out of gold.

You padded closer, your fingers closing around the t-shirt like a vice. Bucky was either too engrossed in his work to notice you - which you seriously doubted, given his enhanced reflexes - or he was too comfortable with being around you to find your presence startling.

“We need another wardrobe,” you announced in an almost confident and nonchalant manner. Almost. Because your nerves twisted your pitch into being higher than you had intended, making you flinch at your own voice.

“Yeah?” His eyes were still fixed on the vine that was on the verge of giving in to his attempts. “Okay, tell me when you’d like to-”

His movements stilled. You knew that he had realised. Your hands were almost wringing the t-shirt now.

“We”.

The word had echoed back to him a second later.

He turned halfway toward you, brows pinched slightly, lips pressed together tightly as if trying to make sure he had heard it right. His eyes flicked to yours, searching, reading, hesitating.

Your focus suddenly seemed to shift to the cloth in your hand. “There-there’s not enough room for our stuff.” You shifted awkwardly on your feet. “I mean, you know I’m a shopper and a keeper! So… And you do have some of your stuff in here as well, and I won’t really mind if you were to bring more of them. I mean, that would be … uhh … that would be great! Really, I … Would you?”

You were a rambling mess! But the anticipation bursting in your entire being finally made you look at him. You swallowed, heat rising to your cheeks.

Silence stretched between you - soft yet pulsating. The song from the speaker now seemed like background music floating from somewhere far away.

Bucky’s mouth parted slightly, his voice caught somewhere between disbelief and the beginnings of a smile, “Yeah, I’d love to. You … you sure?”

The t-shirt, now creased in your grip, seemed to call for your attention again. You were almost speaking to it instead of the man before you when you said, “Of course! You could bring all your stuff here.” You had just realised what you said, and your throat went dry. “If you want,” you added meekly.

Bucky stared at you for a few seconds. Slowly, he stood up, removed the gloves from his hands, and dusted off the remnants of soil from his palms and wrists. Had you been able to look at him, you’d have chuckled at his rather comical attempts at forbidding his lethal smirk from making its way to his face.

“What exactly are you suggesting, doll?”

“Doll”.

Just when you thought that you had become acquainted with the strange feeling that this word always seeped into you, it started sounding different. Heavier, this time, laced with an adoration that you had never noticed before.

“Well,” you cleared your throat and looked into his eyes, “this place already knows you. Won’t harm if it knows you better.”

Bucky pressed his lips tight again and shook his head as though not understanding your words, although his eyes clearly shone with mischief.

“Good God, Bucky!” The cocktail of emotions brewing within you finally burst. “Stop being an arse! You want to hear it aloud? Fine! Move in with me. I want you to move in with me.”

He laughed, quiet and stunned, like the sound had crept out of him without permission. “God, doll! Thought you’d never ask!”

A wave of relief washed over you at his words! Although you were jumping and screaming inside, on the outside, you could only manage a small, shy smile, like the onset of Spring - tentative yet hopeful. He looked at you like he didn’t dare blink, as though one wrong movement might shatter the spell.

“C’mere,” he said softly. His flesh hand stretched towards you, as though inviting you to a new adventure.

You stepped forward, heart stammering, and he took the t-shirt from your hands - his t-shirt - and set it gently over the back of the nearby chair like it was something he did everyday. His fingers, calloused and steady, brushed yours in the process, just briefly. Just enough to make your breath catch.

“I’ve been leaving pieces of myself here for months,” he murmured. “Thought - well, hoped - that one day you’d understand why. Had never planned on it but…this place now feels more like a home than any other place has ever felt to me.” His blue eyes shone with joy. His hands searched for yours, and you instinctively surrendered.

“I really like having these pieces around,” you responded quietly, afraid that speaking any louder might disrupt the moment. “And I want more of them around. Everyday. I had been wanting more of you around for a long time now … probably. … But never realised it … until now.”

“Took you pretty long to realise,” that familiar lop-sided smile played at his lips, and those hooded eyes traced your face reverently, like it was something sacred.

It stunned you breathless. Your words came out in whispers, “Well, I’m allowed to be stupid sometimes. But why didn’t you say anything?”

He sighed, his own voice dropping to a hushed note, thick with emotion, “I didn’t want to scare you away.”

“Scare me away?” You raised your brows, incredulous. “Do you really think that you could scare me away? You overestimate yourself, Sergeant!”

Bucky chuckled, “Well, yeah, I’m allowed to be stupid sometimes.” And his soft laughter echoed in your throat.

He stood there in front of you - the same old friend who had always been your second nature - but bathed in a new light. Your pulse raced when you became aware of the softness with which he looked at you, of the warm smile that was meant only for you, of the trust and love that he had for you.

A canopy of comfortable silence covered you both. Your fingers entwined with each other a little more, thumbs soothingly circled over the backs of your hands a little more, sparks flew around you more than you could care to hold back.

“Bucky?” Your voice was almost shy, and your face unveiled of all pretence. There was only an array of unbridled emotions. “I mean, this may be too sudden, and I do want to take it slow. Not rush into it. But I just… I can’t… I really want to… God!! Can I-”

“Yes! Please!” Bucky understood your question before you had to word it out.

His flesh hand delicately cupped your face while his metal fingers gently moved a strand of hair that had been clinging to the corner of your lips for a while now, They caressed your cheek with their back while descending your jawline. Bucky looked into your eyes one last time before surrendering himself to the ocean of your combined feelings.

His lips touched your softly, almost like a prayer. In response, he found yours caressing him with assurance, with purpose. That was all he needed. Bidding goodbye to his insecurities and doubts, he cradled your face in both hands, and kissed you like you were the last angel in the Universe, like you held the pitcher to the lips of his thirsty soul, like this was the first and the last time that he was allowed to love.

It gradually deepened - the kiss that had answers to every bit of longing you both had experienced all this time. Bucky took his time cherishing the feeling of your tongue on his. His arms had locked you in a tight embrace. His hands mapped your structure from the head to the waist. You gripped his shirt like it was the only thing tethering you to this plane. Your other hand wove into his hair, and gently tugged on them, eliciting sweet sounds from the supersoldier.

Breaths mingling, panting, both of you finally pulled apart only to rest your foreheads against each other. Without warning, you wrapped yourself tightly around him, anchoring him home. And Bucky could not help but close his eyes at the pang of emotions that swelled in his chest.

“I was an idiot,” you mumbled into his neck, “to not see this sooner. But now I do, I love you. You know, not as friends but … I-want-to-make-a-home-with-you kind.”

A wide smile broke across Bucky’s face. “I know,” he replied softly while gently kissing your neck. “I love you, too. In that I-want-to-live-the-rest-of-my-life-permanently-crashing-at-your-place kind”.

The giggle that erupted from you as you pulled away just enough to look at him, sounded like Christmas bells in his ears.

“So, how do we begin our new journey?” Bucky asked, softly tracing your face with a warm hand.

“Right now. In my room.” Bucky’s brows arched at your words and his lips parted in disbelief. “By helping me clean up the mess called my wardrobe. I mean … our wardrobe,” you corrected with a smirk.

Laughter spilled into the apartment, bouncing off the walls like sunlight.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The low baritone, the intensity in his eyes and something about the way he called you “ma’am” sent electricity shooting down your body. You tried to push the feeling down by shifting your visual focus from Bucky to the plants outside. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

“So, do I still have to sleep on that sofa-bed?” He asked as you both sauntered towards your room.

Heat rose to your cheeks. You knew he saw it. And yet, you had the audacity of feigning annoyance at his question. “One step at a time, Sergeant! One step at a time.”

Bucky laughed and picked you up like his bride, despite your shrieks, stealing another kiss from your squealing mouth as he did, before covering the short distance to your room in a few strides.

***

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love-byers · 3 months ago

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i've been obsessed with the s4 epilogue for the last few days and i need to talk about this

the camerawork is CRAZY. the amount of tricks they use here is just not necessary for them simply looking through the car window. and remember this is the EPILOGUE. in stranger things the epilogues are packed full with foreshadowing, especially in s4. there is no dialogue, only the voiceover of the new reporter.

these are the first two shots we see, back to back. mike and el are fully visible together on screen, while will is fully by himself. the camera isn't moving much at first

then there are some shots of the destruction in hawkins and families packing up to leave.

then there's this shot of will, possible referencing the phineas gage analogy used in s2. mike and el's heads are barely visible in the back.

then there's another shot of families packing to leave hawkins.

then, there's this:

it's interesting how el is at first hidden behind mike and slowly revealed.

then there's a shot of the high school.

then:

this is the first shot of willelmike from inside the van, not outside the window looking in. el is not visible at all, only will and mike. and the focus is shifting from will to mike.

(i will also note that the music noticeably swells here. seriously go watch it gets very loud and even more emotional when the focus shifts from will to mike)

the next time we see the characters is this:

mike is not visible at all, only will and el.

then:

we see mike and el again, but not at the same time. they are distinctly separated and obscured. we only see one at a time.

this is the last we see in the van. mike, again, is obscured. we still can't see mike and el as a unit like they were being shown as in the beginning. i can't stress enough how important it is that they were originally being shown together. this is also the first time we are seeing through el's pov, looking through her side of the van instead of mike's.

only after the shot that shifts from will to mike, we can no longer see mike and el on screen at the same time. only after the shot of mike and will. and it's only after the shot where mike and el are distinctly separated that we see el independent, looking through her own window instead of mike's while mike is the one obscured in the background, and we get a close up on her face.

we progressively see more of mike and will on screen together.

while every time we see mike and el, we see less of them.

this is storytelling through camerawork, quite obviously. don't forget that this is what we see immediately in the epilogue. mere moments before this, we saw el reviving max, where we hear many quotes such as:

"Not Hopper, not Mike, you."

"See? What'd I tell you? There's more to life than stupid boys!"

"Against the rules?" "We make our own rules."

maybe TWO MINUTES before these shots in the van.

and i'm not trying to get testy cause i know people get sensitive about this, but they chose to show us the love triangle looking on at the destruction and devastation in hawkins. the same love triangle who are inexplicably tied to the monologue, aka a massive act of forced conformity.

"It's forced conforming. That's what's killing the kids."

will mike and el were all struggling with this. el was deeply insecure and felt like a monster, and relationship with mike did nothing but fuel it. she pretended to be someone she wasn't in front of him and EXTENSIVELY lied to him. mike feels like a useless nerd loser who is also likely dealing with internalized homophobia, and his relationship with did nothing but fuel it. he felt like he had to pretend to be someone else in lenora, because his true self isn't enough. the only person to soothe these insecurities of mike's is will byers, who is also deeply in love with mike. will byers, who because of mike pushing him away in an attempt to be 'normal', thinks mike will never ever feel the same and thinks mike loves el. the one person who brings out mike's true self and naturally makes mike feel like his true self is enough, is also the one who pushed mike into saying i love you to el in the end. that's why they failed, and that's why they're the ones with an extended compilation looking on at the destruction. we needed to see them observe the damage that they inadvertently caused.

let me be clear, i'm not blaming them or calling them bad people or stupid or anything. it's all about the narrative and storytelling and themes of the show.

this gets even more interesting when you consider that mike will and el are the leads of season s5. this is how they're portraying the leads of s4 in the final foreshadowing portion of s4.

#byler #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #byler endgame #byler analysis #byler cinematography #byler blocking #anti milkvan #stranger things 4 #milkvan is bones #stranger things cinematography

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ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral · 8 months ago

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Hello everyone! I'm back with another Merlin au! This one is a horror-themed au for spooky season! Enjoy!

This au is Inspired by the story of King Pedro I of Portugal and Ines de Castro (which is a heartbreaking story that deserves to have more people talking about it), and it's set in a world where Merlin and Arthur are already together in season 3. After a magic reveal gone wrong, Merlin's magic was revealed while Uther was still alive, leading to Uther ordering Merlin's execution while Arthur was away on a hunting trip. When Arthur returns, he's met with the news of Merin's death, but he refuses to believe such horrible news until he rushes into Gaius's chambers, screaming for Merlin, only to find Gaius and Gwen sobbing over Merlin's body.

Arthur is overcome by grief and, after a few hours sitting in Gaius's chambers staring at Merlin's unnaturally still form with tears streaming down his face, Arthur marches off to face his father, to make him pay for his crimes. Uther is, of course, furious over Arthur getting so worked up over a treacherous sorcerer, but Arthur fights him like a madman, fueled by grief and rage.

In the end, Arthur wins the duel, and while the shocked lords and knights watching the whole ordeal were expecting Arthur to run his father through with is blade, Arthur does something that no one expects. He uses his blade to carve open Uther's chest, cutting out his heart, saying that Uther had been so heartless as to take Arthur's love from him, this ought to be his fate.

While the lords and knights were all shocked and horrified at the display, there was little they could do besides acknowledge the prince as their new ruler. Within a couple days, Uther's funeral and Arthur's coronation were organized, but Arthur still felt numb, even as the crown was placed on his head. He could almost feel the empty consort's throne next to him, where Merlin was always supposed to be, mocking him viciously.

But then, an idea formed in Arthur's not-quite-sane-anymore mind. Merlin had always deserved to sit at his side, to be honored as any consort to a king should be. Arthur had to see this through, to ensure that Merlin received the honors that he was denied during life.

Arthur ordered the servants to, under Gaius's supervision, collect Merlin's body, dress him in royal robes, and have him carried to the throne room. There was no way to make any of this right again, no way to make Arthur feel whole once more, but there was a way to make sure that Merlin's memory and all that he meant to Arthur lived on.

When the doors to the throne room finally opened, shocked and horrified gasps rose up from the assembled court at the sight that awaited them. There, being carried in on a stone slab, lay Merlin's pale, prone body, dressed in royal finery from Arthur's own wardrobe. His colorless pallor against the rich red robes created a striking and distinctly disturbing contrast, which was only heightened by the colorful jewelry that accompanied the outfit.

Arthur imagined what a magnificent sight Merlin would have made if he were alive and yearned for such a vision with all of his heart. But the reality of the situation was as grim as the expressions of the knights carrying Merlin's body. Merlin was gone, taking Arthur heart and all of his joy with him, and all that was left for Arthur to feel was somber determination to make at least one thing right: Merlin would be honored and remembered as a king.

The crowd's shocked whispering didn't cease as the procession passed them and made its way towards the thrones, reverently placing the slab in front of the steps to the throne, but they were shocked into silence as Arthur picked up Merlin's body and cradled him gently before carrying him over to the consort's throne and placing him on it with the greatest care.

The court was silenced at the disturbing sight of a limp body sitting in the queen's throne, but horrified gasps shot up from the crowd as the king suddenly turned around to face them, his eyes bloodshot and glaring at them all.

"You, all of you, stood by and let my father do this! And now, you will show your respect to the man you had forsaken. Merlin was everything to me, and I never had any intention to rule without him by my side. Living or dead, if I am king, then so is he."

Arthur slowly made his way back to his own throne and sat down, a picture of royal power. His eyes darted over to Merlin for a second, before shifting back over the crowd. Still, was it just Arthur's desperate imagination, or was there now a slight flush in Merlin's skin that wasn't there earlier?

"Just as you all knelt before me and took an oath of fealty, you will do the same for him. You will give him all of the honor he deserved in life."

At first, the lords in attendance just looked at him in utter disbelief, but the fierce glare Arthur sent them confirmed that the king was being entirely serious. Slowly, each of the lords knelt before the consort's throne, not daring to look up at the disturbing sight before them, and recited their oaths of fealty, feeling the king's burning gaze on them all the while.

Finally, after all of the lords had taken their oaths, a pale Geoffrey presented Arthur with the consort's crown, a treasure that had not been seen by anyone since Ygraine's passing. Arthur gingerly lifted the crown and made his way over to Merlin.

As he stepped closer, Arthur wanted to weep. Perhaps it was some cruel trick his mind was playing on him, put it looked like Merlin's color had returned to him, making him appear like he was only sleeping, like he would wake up and everything would be fine again.

Taking a steadying breath to hold his tears at bay, Arthur finally stepped right in front of Merlin, holding the crown over his motionless head. It wasn't fair, Arthur decided. It wasn't fair that Arthur had finally become king, was finally in a place where he could openly profess his love for Merlin, but Merlin wasn't here by his side to see it!

Still, he could let everyone else see his love for Merlin. Slowly, he lowered the crown onto Merlin's head, letting rest on his limp head. Arthur took a shaking step back, trembling with rage and grief as he looked at Merlin, bedecked in royal robes and wearing the crown that Arthur had always longest to give him. Arthur's own mind still mocked him, making Merlin look almost alive again, like he was only sleeping, when Arthur when that Merlin was gone, and all that was left of him was this pale, empty shell and a terrible hollowness in Arthur's chest where his heart was supposed to be.

Arthur tenderly gasped Merlin's chin, tilting his head up to face him. This was goodbye, Arthur knew it. After this, Merlin would be laid to rest with all the honors of a king, and Arthur would be left ruling over his kingdom alone and heartbroken for the rest of his days. With tears flowing freely down his face, Arthur leaned down and pressed a kiss onto Merlin's lips. Once again, Arthur's mind took pity on him, as he could swear that Merlin's lips were warm with life under his own.

Arthur drew back, gazing at his love's face for what might be the last time, attempting to commit every minute detail to memory, such that Merlin's likeness would never fade from his mind even as the years went by. As Arthur eyes scanned over Merlin's face, however, there was one thing that struck him as odd before his mind caught up to what he was seeing and his heart, which had felt cold and frozen fir days, started beating at a frantic rhythm.

Because Merlin's eyes were open.

(Yes, Merlin was immortal the whole time, but his magic was just taking a while to heal him lol!)

And that's all for now! I hope you all enjoyed this au! Let me know if you'd like to see a continuation!

And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D

#merlin #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin au #arthur pendragon #merthur #merlin prompts

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greenfiend · 7 months ago

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Mike and Will’s love will save Hawkins

Everything, and I mean everything has been leading up to this point.

Let me explain how the power of gay love will save the day…

#doorgate or #gategate

🚪🍑❤️ + 🔑🍆⚡️

TW: mentions of sex and brief mention of CSA

If you’d like to read this with a soundtrack:

So it’s been a while since I made posts about Lover’s Lake… and to be honest I thought aspects of my theory were kind of silly (but of course who cares this is just for fun). But now I’m back and more confident than ever that Lover’s Lake will be an incredibly important location for ST5, especially for Mike and Will.

To begin, let’s start with the physics set up within the show. Why physics you say? We are talking about the love of two gay nerds afterall (one of them named after a famous theoretical physicist)… of course physics is involved!

Way back in season 1, Mr. Clarke helpfully taught us how to create a doorway between two worlds. This doorway would require a massive amount of energy… “more than humans are currently capable of creating”. I appreciate the subtle hint of a possibility that one day humans could create that level of energy.

In season 2 we have Steve helpfully explain to us this alternate electricity exists. He also related it to a storm and then distinguished it from a regular electromagnetic field.

Now, interestingly enough within the book titled The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time (the conspiracy which inspired Stranger Things so much that it was originally titled Montauk), there is a mention of this type of energy as well:

“Reich was known in part for his discovery of “orgone” energy, which is orgasmic or life energy. His experiments revealed orgone energy to be distinctly different from ordinary electromagnetic energy.”

So to sum it up so far, we have learned:

1. In order to create a doorway, a massive amount of energy is required.

2. There’s an alternate form of energy known as “orgone” energy “like a sexual electricity”.

Okay. Now unto season 3…

So, season 3 had the Russians attempt to “open the gate”/door once again after it was closed back in season 2.

Back in 1984, the Russians manage to get the door slightly open but it keeps closing. The Russian working on the project begs for “more time”, shortly after (like right after the opening credits) we hear the line “just a little more time could open closing doors” from the song playing while shown a picture of Mike. Later on, we have Will claim he’s “not going to fall in love” and then the song plays “love that is new to you, you open up the door”.

We also get this association for Mike. Mike is the one who could open closing doors, in other words he is "the key".

Okay wait lets go back to the science here!

The Russians have "the key" which is said to "emit a great energy" so much so that it can "open a doorway between worlds". Alexei also mentions how the location of where the key goes matters, it is "half of the equation". They chose Hawkins because, the gate has already opened there. (I talk more about the implications of that here). In case you haven't figured it out yet, Mike is "the key", and Hawkins = Will (remember, Hawkins is not the same without him).

Mr. Clarke is back again with some more science! In this scene, he actually associates an Electromagnetic Field with two people! Implying that two people can create their own Electromagnetic Field. But of course Clarke-Byers' field is stable because there is no sexual electricity between them.

So…

We have Mike referred to as "the key". The key can create a doorway with the right location. Hawkins is the right location and Will is implied to be “Hawkins”.

Two people can create their own Electromagnetic Field.

Okay wow, are you guys still with me here?

These friends are indeed electric…

The very first one was way back in season 2. Mike placed his hand on top of Will’s and right after we cut to Will’s drawing. Look closely… there’s lightning! ⚡️ It’s “sexual electricity”!

In season 3, the electricity only grew between but simultaneously so did the subtlety of it all. They held hands in the movie theatre. Yes yes they did! That’s why we are shown a movie playing with hands popping out! This is what “triggered” Will (manifesting as a reminder of the shadow monster…). But most importantly… this is how the power went back on in Hawkins.

In season 4, it’s arguably even more subtle… but the clues are still present! Mike and Will lock eyes while the electricity flickers. Then we have the final scene which shows us a cloud resembling a heart above them with lightning! Heart with lightning… keep this in mind for later. We also have a very tiny “Live Mike” poster on Mike’s bulletin board… the association with Mike and lightning/electricity is clear…

Even in the marketing, the lightning is very much present. Notice specifically the lightning with the heart in the first picture…

Doors that keep closing…

The show constantly makes references to closing/opening doors. The gates opening are an aspect of this too! I have good reason to believe that this all leads back to Will.

I go over the door symbolism in this post but I’ll give a brief summary:

So far each time the gates have opened within the show, they have opened without Will’s consent. Now, I mean this on multiple levels. I mean this as the closet door- as people keep opening it by insinuating his sexuality. I also mean this in a more deeply tragic way. Child sexual abuse… to be blunt. This is why he’s desperate to keep all the doors and gates shut… even if it kills him. It’s a reality that forever haunts him, worse than any monster imaginable.

Will has such deep trauma that it manifests as monsters within the show. This is why I believe Will has been struggling far more than we are shown explicitly. In case you’re unaware, during the 80s and prior, there was a deeply homophobic belief perpetrated by society that gay people (specifically gay men) were predators. As a victim, Will is terrified of becoming a predator… becoming “the monster”. He’s frightened of himself.

I believe that… Will has been “pushing [Mike] away” far more than we know. He is desperately in love with Mike, yes, but the hatred he has for himself is far greater at this point in the show.

He needs to learn to love and accept himself despite all that he has been through. He needs to know that he is not a monster, and that his love and sexuality can be a beautiful thing. He needs to do this independently of Mike. Mike will be the key to his door when he’s ready.

To sum up everything thus far: doorways/gates require A LOT of energy, sexual electricity is a form of energy, and Will is associated with doors and Mike with keys. Got it?

The Russian Code

You may have already seen my post on this but it’s *very* relevant here so I’ll summarize (read the post for more depth):

The week is long because Mike and Will will be separated. Emotions affect time afterall.

The silver cat feeds the “silver cat” is a gate/doorway. Mike and Will are both associated with being a “snack” because they feed it sexual electricity thus causing it to open!

When blue meets yellow in the west. Mike will be stuck in the “East”/the UD, then return to the “West”/right side up to meet Will.

A trip to China sounds nice, if you tread lightly. “China” is on the other side of the “silver cat” doorway. Mike and Will will reach a new world through this doorway.

Again, if you think I’m reaching, please check out this post as I outline the clues in much more depth.

Opening multiple doors

As mentioned earlier, Mike is the key to opening Will’s door. This has multiple meanings:

Figuratively: Will’s closet door. Mike is struggling with his sexuality as well, but he will likely accept himself first, and inspire Will to follow.

Sexually: Will will open himself up sexually to Mike. They will have an intimate scene. I’m positive of this now.

Supernaturally: A portal door/gate to another world.

He’s truly the key to his heart…

What I theorize will happen…

So based on all the clues I’ve outlined (plus more) I will break down how everything will likely happen (leading up to the climax):

Mike confronts Will about the painting. Now, I truly believe Mike already knows that the painting and speech was all Will. He knows Will well. Will downplays the significance of the painting though making us (the audience) believe that he’s not actually still in love with Mike. (This could be why Noah now views Will’s love for Mike as a spoiler 🤔).

Will continues to push Mike away but more explicitly. Mike is frustrated. Tensions are high! Mike is “banished” to the UD, as well as nearly half of our main cast. They reunite with Max.

Will is devastated that Mike is gone. Will then faces severe homophobia and cruel accusations made his way (likely connected to those who went missing). Without Mike, he falls apart. The insecurities around his sexuality reach a boiling point for him. This will be represented by the US military closing off all the gates, separating half of our main characters from each other.

Will finds a letter from Mike. We (the audience) will realize (if we are paying attention) that Mike loves Will through the reveal of the “Love, Mike” written at the end. Will will not realize/believe it, but he is given the courage to fight on.

Will spends time with his mother and friends who express to him how much they love him unconditionally. As he starts to slowly accept himself, the gates slowly show signs of opening up.

After a long week of separation, on one fateful stormy night, Mike finds a way to escape the UD through watergate and Will is there to retrieve him. Will is likely not alone, he’s with the “right side up” crew on a boat trying to save those in the UD. Only Mike is able to get through the gate… (possibly through radio communication with Will, they create enough electricity for the gate to open).

Mike and Will are soaking wet and Mike is injured, thus he and Will make their way to Reefer Rick’s Lakeside House. They have to remove their shirts, and the sexual tension is through the roof. Will tends to his wounds and sparks fly. Mike reveals just how deeply in love he is with Will and how much it pains him that Will has been so closed off. Will turns away- not wanting to hear it at first, thinking he doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve Mike’s love.

Tears start pouring down Mike’s face as he continues to tell Will that he’s done with hiding, and he’s done with pretending that he isn’t in love with Will. Will stops, finally starting to believe Mike’s words. Mike, thinking that his words still aren’t getting through to Will, turns and starts walking away. Will calls Mike’s name, Mike swiftly turns his head. He says “I love you too” while in tears, walking towards Mike. He then kisses him ever so passionately! Mike is taken aback with wide eyes for a brief moment then is quick to shut his eyes, grab onto Will for dear life and reciprocates the kiss very enthusiastically. They go horizontal on the bed, Mike on top.

While they are making love enough sexual energy is created for thunder to erupt and lightning. One giant lightning strike hits right in the centre of Lover’s Lake into watergate and opening it up completely! The (heart shaped) lake is literally a broken heart resuscitated by electricity. The water from the lake is parted right in the middle (think Moses parting the sea… or perhaps… like a surfer boy?) making it possible for everyone to walk out easily from the gate. It opens it up SO much that everyone trapped there escapes. They’re all freed!

The sun rises, the storm clears, and of course- there’s a giant rainbow. Will and Mike wake up and smile more brightly than ever as they recall the events of the night prior. They walk out hand in hand and head towards the end of the rainbow. They find a new gate hidden behind watergate and descent into it together. It’s fairyland. They then agree to start their own party, just the two of them.

Fairyland/Feywild

Credit to @byler-alarmist and their post for bringing my attention to this very likely possibility.

The Feywild was a place of unrestrained and awe-inspiring natural beauty. The plane is always bathed in twilight of the setting (or perhaps rising) sun, with lanterns and fireflies providing additional, haunting lights. Visitors to the plane found that all sensations, both sensory and emotional, were heightened. Smells were stronger, colors were more vivid, and sounds were clearer, but at the same time shadows were darker and impulses were harder to control. x

Feywild is a location in DnD just like Shadowfell (which likely represents the UD).

What better way to represent love and acceptance than a beautiful green realm full of light? I assume that it will resemble the real world, just like the UD. I’m also guessing that Mike and Will will find the remnants of the old Creel house and rebuild it as their own castle/fortress. (Credit to @thestrangestthing89 for this beautiful idea.)

Rewriting History

After WWII, the alliance between the East (USSR) and West (US, England etc) dissolved and then began The Cold War. Leading to Russia and the US essentially becoming enemies. They viewed each other as a major threat to their safety. They also were in major competition with each other, specifically regarding space exploration. Each nation wanting to be the first to reach the Moon.

Germany was a nation that ended up being “split” into the East and West. The Berlin Wall divided the two sections. The song “Heroes” by David Bowie is about lovers separated by the Berlin Wall. In 1989, the wall fell and Germany was no longer divided.

Where am I getting at with this? Well, I believe that Stranger Things is both majorly referencing this conflict, and rewriting history. Let me explain. I think that the scenes with the Russians are representative of Mike’s struggles. He feels as though he has no choice but to conform- not unlike those who live under communism. We see he is slowly escaping this mindset, however, as we watch some of the Russian characters rebel against their government.

Yes that means- the US government represents Will’s struggles. They view El as a monster that needs to be contained/removed. This is exactly how they viewed gay people during the AIDS crisis. We see resistance there as well though… through Owens.

In Stranger Things, the gates are the Berlin Wall. Once they open up again (properly… with Will’s consent), the division between the nations will cease. The war will come to an end.

Instead of one nation “winning” the space race, Stranger Things will end with both “Russia” and “America” reaching a new world together- as Mike and Will.

All you need is love

This is the whole message of the show. So many times we let fear and hatred take over us but we must always remember… we can choose love. In a world full of division, we can choose inclusion. We can choose to extend understanding and patience to others who are different or who may hold differing beliefs. It’s all up to you. You hold the power. It’s your choice. Choose wisely.

#let my love open the door 🚪🔑#it’s looooooooooong #everything is connected #I hope I’m making sense #my god this took a while #byler #stranger things #stranger things theory #stranger things 5 #byler theory #Gategate #doorgate #Mike wheeler #Will Byers #Spotify

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youthereader · 20 days ago

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Echoes in the Dark part 4.

PAIRING: joel miller (the last of us) x fem!reader

SUMMARY: 1.7k words. Every morning you wake up and remember two things. Firstly, that your son is dead, and secondly, that Joel Miller is your patient. A fix-it fic. Reader is Joel’s carer as he recovers from Abby’s attempt on his life.

RATING: E. blowjob and vaginal fingering. age gap (reader is in their 30s, Joel is in his 60s). heavy angst, grief and loss of a child, graphic violence.

A/N: Sexy interlude. Or, porn with a sprinkle of plot. I didn't intend to write yet another filthy chapter, but it just HAPPENED. Help.

PART 3.

The memories of last night take a couple minutes to come back to you when you wake the next morning. You flush, rolling over in bed, stretching. You remember the gasps, the groans and moans that came from him. You remember the taste of his come on your tongue as you make your first coffee of the day.

Instead of going indoors the second you reach Joel’s place, you go to the wood chopping spot out the front. Each slam of the axe calms you as you build a small pile. You kick aside another piece when the front door opens wide, revealing Joel fully dressed, hands on his wheels. The front door thunks against the wall and you pause, before reaching for another log to cut.

“Morning,” he says, and you feel his voice go straight through you.

You take a deep breath, then slam the axe down, splitting the log in two.

“Morning,” you reply. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah,” he says, and you smirk, looking away. “Best sleep I’ve had in a while.”

“Wonder why,” you tease.

Your eyes meet again, and his gaze dips distinctly at your body. As he drinks you in, you kick aside the wood, slamming the axe down on the chopping block a beat later. You scoop up some firewood and walk up the steps.

He doesn’t move, blocking the doorway.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he says, and he could be talking about anything, until you realize he means the wood, not the handjob.

“Sure I did,” you murmur. “Can I put these down?”

He wordlessly moves back, watching you as you slip past him and walk to the fireplace inside, kneeling to place the wood next to it. You feed the embers from last night, blowing on them to build a flame. You settle back on your heels, Joel remaining at the doorway.

“I got word the foal came,” he says, and you smile.

“What’s it’s name?”

“Clover,” he replies. He looks down at his hands for a second, something ticking over. “Do you wanna go see it?”

“Sure,” you say.

The walk to the stables is quiet, but not awkward. You don’t talk about last night, and you decide you don’t have to. There’s not much to say, you’re not going to ask him what you are now. He’s still a guy you’re looking after, and you’re still more than happy to it, as long as he is.

He doesn’t give the impression that he has any regrets by how he doesn’t shrink away from you, and openly smiles when he says your name to Tommy.

“Yeah, I remember her,” his brother says. He looks at you. “At least you’ve still got him in the chair. The less he moves the better for your sanity.”

“Of course,” you retort.

Several people are already visiting the stables that morning, including Tommy and Maria. You wonder how obvious it is to other people that you and Joel are closer than this time yesterday. Maria is quieter than the last time you saw her, distracted.

“Things are fine,” you add, somewhat pointed. “He’s behaving.”

You, on the other hand, are definitely not. You and Joel have already shared secret glances that morning, and at one point he grabbed the cuff of your jacket, just to hold it between his fingers. This secret, however small, feels tender to you, almost precious. You know wholeheartedly that you don’t ever want to go back to the way things were before.

Clover resembles her mother, a deep mahogany with a white stripe down her nose. You move on, feeling Maria’s eyes on yours. Walking back to Joel’s street, he brings it up in a diplomatic way.

“She hasn’t always been my biggest fan.”

“I think she’s seen how picking me has kinda backfired,” you add. “She’s nice enough, but…”

“You’re not super friendly with her, though,” he says.

You snort, dropping your face close to his head as you still push him. “Pot, kettle… black…”

When you reach the front door, his hand slips into yours and he hoists himself up with a grunt.

“I’m the expert when it comes to keeping folks away,” he says. “Or, I used to be. So I know what I’m talking about, is what I’m saying.”

You nod, knowing he’s watching your reactions. You being touch-starved is partly why last night was so thrilling, and being alone has only served you well over the last few years. Joel complicates this, holds a mirror to you.

“She doesn’t have to worry about my character,” you say, walking him into his living room.

He settles on the couch and you walk back to get the wheelchair. He doesn’t speak until you’re by his side again, your feet beside his as you stand over him.

“I know she doesn’t,” he murmurs. “You’re loyal, which is rare in this world. And kind.”

“I’m not that-”

You’re about to brush him off but he reaches for your hand again, threading his fingers through yours. He squeezes, brow lifting.

“You are.”

Ordinarily, when people like Maria or other fellow Jackson residents praise you, it feels inherently false. None of these people knew you before, and so you know their impression of you is shallow at best. Hearing Joel say this feels different. You know he doesn’t appear this way to others that often.

“Okay,” is all you can say, and he rubs the back of your hand with his thumb.

His touch warms you all over, your skin breaking out in goosebumps. His hand slips up to your arm, and then your elbow. He pulls you in, and you land on your knees between his, your hands settling on his thighs.

“We never actually kissed,” you whisper.

“I know,” he says. He takes hold of your face with both hands. “It’s a fucking shame.”

You shuffle forward and he kisses you. He is molten and thorough, lingering and torturous. It’s the best kiss of your life and you moan into his open mouth, his tongue meeting yours. His head tilts and your nails dig into him, while you take everything. You could do this for hours, until you’re dizzy and overwhelmed, until your numb… He pulls back, a wet smack of lips, and kisses your cheek, your eyelid, the tip of your nose.

There’s that intimacy again, the tenderness that refuses to leave you. You slide your hands further down to meet his hips, and he hisses against the side of your face.

“How hard are you right now for me?” you whisper, and he attacks your throat, hands roaming your back, your waist, down to your ass.

If he could, he’d put you in his lap, you know this by how he almost bucks into you, kisses landing wherever he can reach skin. Your jacket is shoved away and he pulls down your shirt to your elbows. You shiver, nipples pebbling as his huge palms slip into your bra to cup your breasts. You gasp into his mouth, hips rocking.

If he’s hard, you’re soaking through your underwear, you swear your life on this. You rock together, a mindlessness to it, tongues tangling. Your hands scramble to his waistband.

“I want to taste you again,” you whisper to him, and he moans, mouth missing yours for the first time. “Please?”

You pull him out, his hands slipping away from you, and he allows you to dive down, taking him in your mouth. He gasps like you did, hand immediately going to the back of your head, your hair tangling in his grip.

“Fuck me,” he says, a little louder than you expect. “Shitshitshit…”

He tastes of soap, and precome, and you pull off him to the sensitive tip, circling it with your tongue. For an older guy, he’s got no issues getting hard fast. You plunge back down, taking him to the root, coughing at the strain. He’s at the back of your throat and you want him to bruise, to leave you something to remember him by. Another secret thing you can treasure when you’re alone once more.

“God, you’re perfect…”

He sounds drunk. He’s delirious because you’re giving him head. You double your efforts, losing air over him, twisting him on the downstroke. He lasts only a few minutes until he’s trying to pull away, but you shake your head, pulling off. You stroke him with a slick fist, eyes meeting his.

“Come in my mouth.”

He stares at you, then begins to nod. His fingers tighten on your scalp and you clench on nothing. He starts to come, quietly and then louder, groaning. It’s warm down your throat, like a comfort, like a reward. You lick it away, as he pants, sweat on his hairline. You give a yelp as he pulls you up by your elbows, shoving you into the seat beside him.

“You’ve given me two now, how is that fair?” he whispers, and you remember your tits still being out when he cups one, nipping at the swell of the other.

You give a helpless little sound, and though it’s a tricky manouver given he can’t move his lower half that well, he manages to half turn and undo your jeans.

“Can I fuck you like this?” he whispers, and you nod.

God, yes. Anything. Fucking anything.

He looks surprised when his hand reaches inside your underwear, his fingers brushing your soaked folds. Then he smiles up at you, and he’s blushing.

“Jesus.”

He kisses you again, softer, and you rock, wanting more. He slips one finger and then another inside you with ease. Your cunt makes an almost mortifying sucking sound as he begins to move. You’ve never been more turned on in your life. You know you’re not long for this world when his thumb presses against your clit.

“If it weren’t for my leg, I’d have you bent over this couch,” he whispers.

“Good motivation for you to get better, then,” you pant, clenching on his fingers.

His hand speeds up, your toes beginning to curl. Your hand falls down between you and you grip his wrist.

“Joel,” you pant. You chant his name over and over, until it becomes all you know, your hips lifting–

You come hard, back bowing, Joel’s head bending down for his mouth to latch onto your neck. He claims you then, pinning you to the couch, drenching him down to his wrist.

The world spins and for a little while, it’s all you know, it’s all there is.

And you’re at peace.

I truly cannot get enough of this old man. Seriously, I think it's diagnosable at this point. Anyhoooooo, let me know what you think!

tag list: @littledebbieinabigworld

PART 5

#echoes in the dark #joel miller x you #joel miller #joel miller tlou #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfiction

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dandylovesturtles · 2 years ago

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listen ok I know shit is dire in CAS land (by @somerandomdudelmao) but I had this stupid idea and it's a slow day at work and I type fast so here you go I didn't proofread this at all

I'm sorry I made it silly

Massive spoilers if you haven't read the new CAS update

...

"I can fix it," is a much easier thing to say than to do. Casey's thinking that as he takes long, quick strides through the lair, turning the problem over in his head as fast as he can. He hopes Uncle Tello can't hear the parts of his thoughts that are in a panic, but based on their conversation before he probably can.

Uncle Tello doesn't say anything about it, and Casey kind of wishes he would, just for the reassurance that he's still there.

He's so absorbed in his thoughts he doesn't notice Donnie (the younger Donnie, the physical Donnie) standing in front of him until it's too late and he's already collided with his back. Coffee spills everywhere, though thankfully it only splashes his plastron where he can't get burned.

Younger Donnie whirls, something distinctly murderous in his eye that feels so weird and wrong directed at Casey. It cools only slightly when Donnie processes it wasn't one of his brothers bumping into him, and somehow that feels just as weird, that Donnie has to readjust his feelings to accommodate the unfamiliarity. (He's not family, not to this Donnie.)

"Is something chasing you?" Donnie snaps.

"Uh... no-"

"Is there a fire?"

"No, but-"

"Do you need glasses?"

"I don't... think so?"

"Then watch where you're going!"

He spins on his heel and marches off, toward the kitchen to get more coffee, Casey assumes. For a moment he's left too off kilter and dumbfounded to remember what he was doing.

Then Uncle Tello's voice in his head startles him out of it. What just happened?

Oh, uh... I ran into the other version of you.

Ran into?

Literally. I spilled his coffee.

Ah, and he didn't take it well.

And Casey knows he shouldn't stop for this. Casey knows they may be on limited time and he has to fix this and Uncle Tello shouldn't have to listen to his whining about things that don't matter.

But he's been holding in so many feelings for so long and even if it's just in his head, hearing his uncle's (dad's) voice makes it rush out of him before he can stop it.

I don't think he likes me very much. I touched his shell the other day and he snapped at me. I got mad at him when he touched your tech and that made him mad, too. I don't know how to talk to him.

He doesn't really know how to talk to any of them, is the thing. It used to be the easiest thing in the world, and now it's a wall he hasn't yet learned how to scale.

He can feel his thoughts spiraling against his will. He doesn't have time for this, but the grief and the lack of sleep and the lack of easy affection are all mixing together with the weirdness of it all into a dangerous Molotov cocktail of emotions and he's not sure what will light the fuse.

Casey Jr, says Uncle Tello's voice.

Uncle Tello?

Do you want to see something really funny?

Casey can't help but make a strangled noise at the back of his throat, one that isn't a laugh but isn't a cry either. Something funny?

Yeah. Trust me, it'll be hilarious. Go to my lab.

Casey hesitates. He doesn't let me in there without him...

I feel confident I outrank him. Wait, how old is he?

Sixteen.

Ahhh, that explains it. I know I'm an absolute delight now, but at that age I could be a real pill.

It startles an actual laugh out of Casey. Without arguing further, he rushes to Donnie's lab, quick before he can finish brewing his coffee.

How do I get in?

Is this the subway?

Yeah.

Okay, there's a manual override for the voice lock hidden in one of the wall panels, should be... three to the left, middle of the door. Give that a good knock. Shave and a haircut~

Casey does as directed, and the panel slides back, revealing a flat, glossy keypad.

What's the access code? he asks, feeling like they're on some secret mission now. Maybe it doesn't fall into what people in this time consider normal, but to Casey this is standard stuff. He falls into the rhythm of it like a well loved song.

Oh one one four twenty one twenty seven, says Uncle Tello.

Casey punches it in and the door slides open. He slips inside and hits the button to close and lock the door behind him. Donnie still hasn't returned; the mission is proceeding as planned.

Wasn't that the code for one of the weapons lockers in the old- at base?

Yes, it was. Poor security protocol to reuse codes, I know, but I'm partial to that one.

What is it?

Atomic Lass's birth date. Uncle Tello pauses, then adds, Has he shown you any of the old Atomic Lass episodes of Jupiter Jim?

Uh, no...

Ah, continuing to fail my already low expectations, Teen Tello. Never mind, we'll worry about that later on.

Later on. Right, they shouldn't be doing this, they should be trying to fix Uncle Tello, they should be-

To my computer, Casey Jr! I can't type so you'll have to do it for me.

Uncle Tello's voice pulls him out of his reverie, and he hurries to do as he's told.

Uncle Tello walks him through passwords and then through navigating the OS. It's old and out of date compared to what they had in the future (Donatello's custom OS, better than the hacks at Apple and Microsoft, or so he said), but when Casey had called it old and out of date Donnie had gotten mad about that, too.

Ada Lovelace, this is old, says Uncle Tello's voice now, and incredibly Casey laughs again.

But they find what he's looking for and then input a series of commands into the command line. Casey isn't familiar with all of them, but if he had to guess, they just sent a video from late 2019 to every device in the lair.

Alright, mission accomplished, time to retreat, says Uncle Tello's voice, and he hurries out of the lab, just in time to hear a ping from the phone in his pocket.

He pulls it out and watches the video. It's Donnie, only slightly younger than the teen Casey now lives with, adjusting the camera before grinning and posing in front of it. He's in his lab, though a different one than the one here in the subway. He looks cocky.

He moves further back from the camera so his entire body is framed in its lens, then steps onto a skateboard. He glides in a circle for a moment, then jumps to try and do some kind of trick. Casey doesn't know the name of it, but what he does know is that Donnie's feet get caught in his board, and he ends up tumbling to the floor, crashing in an undignified heap, arms splayed out and face smooshed against the concrete.

It shouldn't be funny.

(It's pretty funny.)

It seems the others echo this sentiment, because suddenly Casey can hear laughter erupting from elsewhere in the lair.

"OMIGOSH! Barry, you gotta watch this!"

"HAHAHAHA BRO ATE SHIT!"

"Hah... Don't worry Donnie, I'm sure you'll get it next ti-hahahahaha!"

There's the sound of scurrying feet, and then Donnie slides into the hall, glaring at Casey who forgot he should be moving away from the crime scene.

"YOU!" he screeches.

Casey freezes. What is he supposed to say? What excuse does he have? The you in my head told me to do it? Yeah right.

Casey does the only sensible thing and turns to run.

Casey Jr?

Uncle Tello!?

What's happening now?

The other you is after me!

Oh. Well. Better run fast.

Casey turns on the speed, sprinting down the corridor and toward the only exit he knows, Donnie hot on his trail.

Why is every younger version of you so scary!?

Oh please, there's no way that scrawny, barely pubescent mess is scary. Have you ever heard his voice crack?

...Well, yeah...

See? Hilarious. And we didn't even have to pull up my browser history.

Okay, but none of this helped us fix anything.

Ah well. One problem at a time.

#dandy fanfiction #rottmnt #cass apocalyptic series #future casey #casey jones jr #future donatello #rise donatello #I'm sorry #I said this was silly but there's angst in here too but it's mainly silly #idk how cass will actually have them be #but in my head future donatello and present donatello exist to antagonize each other

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bitterbutblue · 8 months ago

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himeko angst..

we're scattered pieces in the universe ☆ himeko x reader

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~ HI GUYS SORRY FOR DYING i was focused on that series but it will not be updated until next week but i wanna keep yall fed so here is a short himeko one shot because i want himeko to have more attention i love himeko so much

song: stardust love song - JIHYO ~

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Can we talk?

The three words still send shivers down her spine, despite it being over a year since they were last said to her. It had been over a year since you called her and asked her to talk. It had been over a year since you suddenly started acting different one day. It had been over a year since you left.

She finds herself lost in her thoughts over a cup of coffee. As the express continues its journey upwards, she finds herself spiralling downwards. The song that plays softly over the stereo was a song you once waltzed to with her, and she still sees the sparkle in your eyes as you kissed her hand- soft lips brushing against her silk glove, warmth blooming from her chest as you look back up at her again. She doesn't turn the song off, rather basking in feeling of a dull blade cutting and carving into her heart.

To keep the Astral Express running was already enough, but to have to deal with the aftermaths of losing you was worse. Welt saw Himeko through it all, the days where she couldn't leave her room or even get out of bed. Welt had to watch Himeko pick herself back up from torn pieces, rebuilding herself from a person who loved too much to a person who regretted loving.

"It was my fault."

He remembers the conversation distinctly. A starry galaxy in front of them as he pours her another cup of coffee. The emptiness of what lies ahead of them is daunting, but at the same time the emptiness is fuller than they could've ever imagined.

"It... it was a simple mistake that could've been avoided if I had just talked to her-"

The cup trembled in her tight grip as she takes a shaky breath in.

"Was it my fault?"

Welt mused over that for a while, the two basking in silence.

"I think we all make mistakes." He said softly "We can't grow if we don't."

"I could've kept loving her if I had just-"

"But there's no point in thinking about all that." Welt looked over at Himeko, placing a hand on her knee to stop it from bouncing up and down "It has already unfolded, and you need to take the next steps forwards- not backwards. Going backwards would only make you feel worse."

She put the cup down, unshed tears finally falling but she didn't sob. She just let the tears fall, one by one, as Welt held her hand tightly.

"I don't want to talk, or be friends anymore."

The text message was like taking a dull knife to an already beaten and bruised body, and stabbing it repeatedly until all that's left is a mangled corpse. She broke down in her cabin, loud enough for Welt to hear, loud enough for Dan Heng to grow worried. She tried to send you a text only for it to not go through, and when she refreshed the chat your profile picture was gone.

She pulled herself together after a minute or two, a panging feeling in her chest.

You don't deserve to feel upset about this.

So she holds it in. She refused to let herself cry and she never thought about that evening ever again. But you can't build a puzzle if some of the pieces are still missing- and her missing pieces are still with you. To not process it, she finds herself to be still holding on to you. The guilt that eats her up every time she sees something that reminds her of you, the wave of sadness that briefly washes over her when she wants to show you something because she knows you'd love it only to realise you're simply not there. She still holds onto every trace despite telling herself she's over it.

When she lies in bed next to a stranger, having revealed her most intimate, she still finds herself thinking that stranger is you. She still finds herself believing that the one who she holds in her arms isn't a drunk woman she talked to at a bar, but that it was you. But it would never be. When she wakes up the next day, she sees a stranger and a shadow.

As the song on the stereo comes to an end, she puts the now-empty cup down. She wonders how you're doing still, and she wonders if you hate her for what she did.

But you don't hate her, you never could. Yet you knew you would never talk to her again.

#honkai star rail #hsr #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail fanfic #hsr fanfic #himeko #himeko hsr #himeko x reader #himeko murata

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queer-n-here · 1 year ago

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Y'all thank you for your responses! So here is: Large and in charge reader, who's only nice to their on true love: OSAMU DAZAI!

(And yes, as you can see, I voted on my own poll. And yes, I voted for Tanizaki. I'm a simp for him broooooo)

Also, bruv, I dunno why but I got so carried away and this got really angsty. Like... I never do angst. NEVER. Yet here we are. I wonder if I'm okay. Well whatever.

Contents: Dazai getting drunk with reader.

Warnings: No smut, kinda angst, I totally digressed from the original plot line I had planned, and now I want nothing more than to give Osamu Dazai a big fat hug.

Dazai had found himself a new hobby: watching people's reactions as you talked to him.

I mean, most would think, really, how interesting can THAT be? But being the sort of person you were, all mean and menacing at one look but really soft and gentle on the inside, it was rare for you to really hold a conversation without coming off as intimidating. So when people saw you smiling softly at Dazai's jokes, and watching him fondly as he chatted away, they were generally more than surprised.

Dazai remembered distinctly the day you'd met. Fukuzawa had found you fighting solo against three of the Port Mafia's best ability-users, and known with one glance that you were stronger than even you knew. It hadn't taken him long to convince you to join the Armed Detective Agency; with painfully dead parents and a burned down house, you didn't really have anywhere else to go.

You passed their little entrance test, even though after they revealed that it was just an entrance test you couldn't help but be slightly annoyed. All that hard work to try and save that girl only for the whole scenario to be fake. Should've just ignored it.

It had been two years since then. And even though you wouldn't really say it out loud, you were happy that Fukuzawa had taken you under his wing.

How else would you have met Dazai? Or any of the others, who you did secretly like, even though you were unsure about expressing it.

One day, Fukuzawa sent you and Dazai to investigate a letter that the detective agency had received. The sender threatened to blow up the Gundam Factory in Yokohama, which was a popular entertainment place for tourists. Fukuzawa did contact the owner, but since the area covered by the Factory was quite large, and the number of people who were already there was also ginormous, the owner asked for them to investigate the culprit before the bombs could go off.

It was an easy job, and you two had it finished before 3 in the afternoon. All that was left now was some measly paperwork, which you would have to take care of alone because Dazai despised that part of work with a burning passion.

And so Dazai decided to fool around a little.

He took you to a bar, somewhere in a deserted alley in the middle of nowhere, walking with his hands on the back of his head and making nasty comments about everything he could lay his eyes on. You followed silently.

"Say," He yanked open the door of Lupin. "What about you, though? Where do you generally spend after-mission free time?"

Dazai led you into the bar, plopping down on a barstool in front of the counter.

"I sleep," You said, sitting down next to him.

"Huh?" He made a weird face. "That's it?"

A bartender appeared behind the counter.

"Mn," You nodded, looking at the bartender.

Dazai ordered 'his usual', and you decided to have the same as him. It wasn't bad, frankly, sitting there next to him on adjacent barstools and hearing him ramble on about everything and somehow nothing at the same time. He drank and drank and drank and drank, till he was telling you about Ango, about Odasaku and the days they spent together. He drank till his pale cheeks were flushed red, till his neck didn't have the strength to hold his head anymore, till his head was pressed into your chest and his shoulders were shaking with silent sobs.

You stroked the back of Dazai's head. Sober, he was a goof, running around pretending that everything was jokes and comedy. Drunk, he was much more grim, face set firm even as more tears splashed down it, eyes miserable in a way that made your heart ache.

"What's making you sad?" You asked him, desperate to take away at least some part of his sorrow.

But he didn't answer, shaking his head and clenching the fabric of your shirt so desperately it felt like he was hanging on for dear life.

You let him, wrapping your arms around him slowly, pulling him closer. You couldn't do anything but that, and the mere thought of it made you feel like the most useless being on the planet.

You paid for the drinks and heaved Dazai up on your shoulder, letting him stain a different part of your coat with tears as you walked away from the bar.

You took him to the agency dormitory, but once you were in front of his door you couldn't go any further.

"Dazai," You said, your voice gentle as you slowly put him down, and he wobbled on his feet. "Do you have your keys?"

The man couldn't even stand, and had to lean against the door for balance to look up at you. "Hmm..."

He began fumbling through his coat, hands slowly and thick with the weight of the alcohol in his veins. Finally, he produced a key, holding it up and pressing it into your chest. His tears had finally stopped.

You wiped the remnants off his cheek with your thumb. "Let me open the door, hmm?"

Dazai moved to lean against you instead of the door, and you placed an arm around his waist to support him as your free hand opened the door. You led him into the room, sitting him down on the floor near the doorway so you could take off his shoes. When you looked up, however, he had laid back on the floor, glossy eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"Say, [Name]," His voice was thick, his words were slurred. "Some people believe that right and wrong are relative... That there's no black and white... D'you think that's true?"

You looked at him. He was regretful, you could tell. But the fact that you couldn't help him, that you couldn't snatch all that pain away from him and swallow it was enough to make you bodily ache.

"I don't think I have a definite answer for that," You said, wishing you had, wishing you knew how to comfort him. "Why do you ask?"

Dazai's hands rose, clutching at the lapel of your jacket and pulling you closer to his face, making you hover over him on the floor. "D'you think... In a world like ours... We can ever do 'the right thing'?"

You shifted your weight to one hand, raising the other to caress his cheeks softly. "If you try hard enough, yeah. Even if no one's a hundred percent good, ever, if you try hard enough... I think that's all that matters."

"And..." Dazai's brow furrowed, and he looked adorably confused. "How hard is hard enough?"

You couldn't help but think of how, in any other situation, Dazai would've made a sexual pun out of those words.

"Hmm..." You thought of it, wanting to give him an answer that would satiate him. "Your best."

It was a simple answer, and yet Dazai's eyes widened, as if you'd solved the biggest mystery of the universe. "Just that?"

You nodded. "Just that. That's more than enough, Dazai."

And he nodded back, wrapping his heavy arms around your shoulders and pulling you closer, burying his head in your chest again. He fell asleep like that, holding you like a child.

You took him into the room later, taking off his coat and sweater and untucking his shirt before placing him on the futon and covering him with the quilt.

The next day when you saw him at the agency, he was back to his clownery, but something about the way he looked at you had changed.

#dom male reader #top male reader #dom reader #sub bsd x you #bsd x you #bungou stray dogs #sub bsd #sub bungou stray dog x you #sub bungou stray dogs #sub dazai #sub dazai x you #sub osamu dazai #sub osamu dazai x you

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aziraphales-library · 3 months ago

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Lost Fic #227

1. Hello! I seem to have lost a fic and want to kindly ask for your help. What I remember is: Aziraphale and Crowley have sex, then Aziraphale tells Crowley they can keep doing the casual sex thing, because he doesn’t think Crowley as a demon would want anything involving feelings, and Crowley tells him “that won’t work for me”, because obviously he loves Aziraphale and can’t bear to just do casual, but Aziraphale thinks this means Crowley just doesn’t want him. Ring any bells? Thanks in advance! - anon

2. Hello! First, thank you for all your hard work and I'm sorry to add to it if you ever get to my message. I was looking for this one fic that features Aziraphale and Crowley I think rescuing each other through the ages. I distinctly remember one scene where Crowley finds Aziraphale desperately praying in the ruins of Sodom and Gammorah and stops him from cursing all of heaven and being smited by knocking him out and dragging him away. Thanks again! - @clevervoidland

3. It came up in my Tumblr feed on 9/3/24. It’s an AU with Crowley and Aziraphale as uni students in the early 20th century. Aziraphale is an artist and Crowley is in his English Lit class. I had just gotten to the part where he’s drawing Crowley and I closed the Tumblr app. Of course, I can’t find it and can’t recall the title. It was a short fic—maybe 15,000 words? - @tigerowltattoos

4. Hello! Thank you for your blog I love it! I’ve lost a fic and hoping you can help - it was a fix it set after season 2 finished. Aziraphale was communicating with Crowley through a shared playlist. I’m pretty sure one of the songs was Yellow - anon

5. Hi! I'm looking for a fic I lost where human Aziraphale summons demon Crowley. It was something like human Aziraphale had accidently summoned Crowley at some point and through the course of that meeting it was revealed that Crowley was kind of trapped working for Hell and Aziraphale was gonna try to find a way to set him free of it. There was something about Crowley only being able to visit Aziraphale on earth for 1 day of the year. So Aziraphale searches for years, only seeing Crowley once a year and the fic starts with Aziraphale summoning Crowley and telling him that he's found a way to free him. He does a ritual that ends up somehow revealing that Crowley and Aziraphale are in love with each other and Crowley is freed from Hell to join Aziraphale on earth and I'm pretty sure they kiss at the end It was on ao3, it was a short one-shot, I don't remember any other characters being in it, and there's no smut I'd be super excited if y'all could find it, thanks! - @multifan113

If you know any of these fics please include the number in your reply! Thank you :)

- Mod D

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #ineffable husbands #lost fic #mod d

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austerity-audacity-asceticism · 8 months ago

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Degrees of Prayer, according to St. Teresa of Avila

Teresa of Ávila, OCD was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Sh was born in 1515 at the brink of the Reformation in Ávila, Spain. The first female Doctor of the Church, she has had a significant impact on how we currently understand contemplative prayer, what it means to have a personal relationship with God, and how we can continue the spiritual practices of monastic life even though we work and live in a secular society.

Her writings demonstrate not only rigorous discipline and contemplative prayer, but also a dry wit. She should also be the patron saint of the audacity, because I remember distinctly reading the Interior Castle for the first time and coming across her writing to her fellow Carmelites, "From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!"

We celebrate her feast day today, October 15. In honor of the first female doctor of the Church, this is a brief rundown of St. Teresa's Degrees of Prayer, with explanations that are not meant to be exhaustive, but to encourage you to read more of her writings, as I pale in comparison to the lucidity of her writing.

Meditation: Drawing Water from the Well

According to St. Teresa, this degree consists of prayer through active meditation. This requires focused effort and withdrawing from the world for a bit, so that we may not be distracted by the concerns and anxieties that plague our minds on a day to day basis. These beginners should aim to be be happy and free and confident. They should attempt great things in the pursuit of active meditation.

Reference: the Life of Teresa of Jesus, chapter 11 and chapter 12 and chapter 13

2. The Prayer of Quiet: The Waterwheel

After a soul has become accustomed to active meditation, St. Teresa encourages moving towards the prayer of quiet. She writes, "Here the soul begins to be recollected and comes upon something supernatural because in no way can it acquire this prayer through any efforts it may make." The fruits of this degree is the movement of the soul away from earthly delights, and into a sense of peace. The efforts of prayer ease, while the activity does not. This degree of prayer reveals grace to us more clearly, and fills us with a deep inner satisfaction. When a soul experiences the Prayer of Quiet, it seems that no greater blessing is possible. Because of this, while many people are given to the prayer of quiet, few people think to go beyond it.

Reference: the Life of Teresa of Jesus, chapter 14 and chapter 15

3. Union: Water Flowing from a Stream

In this stage of prayer, St. Teresa reflects that it now seems that its fruits are all a product of God's work, while one's faculties seem to be asleep. The stream of divine water flows freely into the garden of one's soul; this may happy whether one is in a state of contemplation, or active charity. The inner work and relationship of prayer seems to be continuing beneath the conscious surface. One's faculties fall asleep, and the soul becomes absorbed in union.

Reference: the Life of Teresa of Jesus, chapter 16 and chapter 17

4. Rapture: Heavenly Rain

St. Teresa describes this degree as the prayer of union, using the image of "heavenly rain that saturates the whole garden in abundance." She writes these experiences as short-lived and scarce, but the goodness received as incomprehensible. St. Teresa had other words for this degree: elevation, flight of the spirit, transport, ecstasy.

Reference: the Life of Teresa of Jesus, chapter 18 and chapter 19 and chapter 20 and chapter 21

"My chief aim is to cause souls to covet so sublime a blessing." - St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Jesus, pray for us.

Links to additional resources:

St. Teresa of Ávila – Who St. Teresa of Ávila Was, Her Feast Day, Carmelite Spirituality, Prayers & Quotes

Four stages of Mystical Prayer in Teresa of Avila

Summary of the Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila - The Life of by Herself

The Interior Castle or The Mansions

#catholic #catholicism #theology #catholic saints #spirituality #literature #saints #teresa of avila #St. Teresa of Avila #doctors of the church #prayer #contemplation #meditation

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 18 days ago

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THE HUNDRED LINE: LAST DEFENSE ACADEMY - Journal #6: Route 0 Days 67-80. [MASSIVE SPOILERS]

//Yeah, I wanted to play as much of this game as fucking possible. Pumped as hell because I'm for sure at the home stretch now.

//I distinctly remember some people who read my previous journals didn't give much away, but they were telling me that I was really gonna enjoy this next portion of gameplay.

//And you guys were definitely right about that. The Moko chapter of this route and the horrific imagery we saw of that definitely got my heart racing, but this was an emotional pummeling of its own.

//It interests me that the more we go along and the closer we get to Day 100, the worse things seem to get for us.

//One of my biggest highlights of this section is that it actually reprimanded a lot of the problems I had with the Tsukumo Twins and their initial character arc in the story, even though Ima, for reasons we covered at the end of the last journal, is mostly absent for this one.

//But I digress. We've got some shit to cover, so let's just get into it, and as always...

DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED/SEEN THE HUNDRED LINE: LAST DEFENSE ACADEMY. I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT VERY SPECIFIC PLOT POINTS AND MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE GAME.

//So let's get started:

DAY 67:

//To give a quick recap as to where we left off, things have kind of brutally hit the fan.

//The group is reeling after the devastating loss of Moko, only for things to get worse the next morning. The captured Invader escapes under suspicious circumstances.

//The crisis deepens when the Tsukumo Twins go missing. Kako returns alone, injured, revealing that the Invader escaped with Ima, a new team member who had just begun fitting in.

//Worse yet, the group is trapped inside the school by surrounding flames, with broken fire extinguishers and no way to escape or resupply.

//For now, it's up to Tsubasa to prepare the Fire Extinguishers so we can go after Ima and potentially save him, but again, I wasn't holding my breath. This game has clearly shown that it's more than willing to kill off its main characters with reckless abandon. If Ima came out the other side of this as a corpse, I wouldn't even be surprised.

//Leave it to Kodaka to cut character arcs short, hahahaaaa...

//Anyway, today was another day of just Free Time, so not much really happened. However, I was curious whether or not the Report Card had changed now that we had confirmation that Moko was dead. Because she did appear in the file once she joined the group.

//Turns out I was right, because Moko's character sprite in the Report Card is darkened. Which...yeah, she's basically never coming back I guess...

//Interestingly, Hiruko still isn't blacked out, which suggests that MAYBE she could return? But it's been two months now since she went missing. I'm not holding out for a hero.

DAY 68:

//So Darumi gained the ability to read minds and see through the fourth wall!

//In other news, as expected, Kako is depressed over losing her brother, so she won't leave her room. Tsubasa is still trying to fix the extinguishers, but it's pretty challenging work, even for her.

//However, on top of all that crap, we now have another NOTHER problem! As Nozomi comes into the cafeteria and...collapses.

//Now, I kind of saw this coming, because Nozomi has been working herself to death trying to take care of "Moko" and now she should be winding down, but curiously, she mutters that her condition has something to do with "rejection symptoms."

//Takumi, Kyoshika, and Kurara take her to her room, and she's gonna be bedridden for a while. And unfortunately, these two clowns STILL for some reason think Takumi wants to have his way with her, so they're guarding her, and he can't ask her for any follow up questions.

//Nozomi already let her guard down enough to tell Takumi that the circumstances on which she joined this war are a bit different from the rest of us, so of all people, he's the one she's most likely to choose to open up to. But so long as Takumi is being cockblocked by these two, it'll be a while before we get our next Nozomi Lore DumpTM.

//So yeah, more Free Time ensues.

//I actually got a little miffed with this one, because right now, I've been trying to focus on leveling up my social stats/grades so that I could get it to a high enough level and upgrade my equipment. Like my traps and potions and stuff, because I'd like to have some of these in a higher quality.

//However, while getting the stats is simple enough, I don't currently have enough resources to craft/upgrade them. Which means I need to go on another search mission to get what I need.

//But on top of Nozomi being indisposed, meaning I can't as readily go out and get the materials I need, since my healer isn't here to keep the party spick and span like usual, but even if she was here, I can't go out anyway because the EXTINGUISHERS ARE BROKEN!

//The ONE TIME I actually WANT to go on one of these missions, I can't! GREAAAAT!

//It's especially bad when upgrading the thing I REALLY want to boost, which is the Spring Traps.

//No, not THAT ONE!

//Spring Traps, since I haven't brought it up yet, are craftable devices you can use in battles that let your characters bounce to distant areas on the battlefield with no movement cost. Really useful if you need to get someone around, however they are very limited in supply and need to be upgraded to get more, just like every other special equipment.

//But these one's are SO EXPENSIVE! Not only are they resource heavy, but you have to have Level 3 in Social Studies, Gym, AND Linguistics in order to raise them to a level higher than 2!

//WHY!? And why those three stats in particular!?

//Eh whatever...this sucks...I must be turning into Gaku because I have the worst luck in the world.

//Anyway, we end the night with another Karua scene and...this is the last one we have for what feels like a WHILE. The game even points out that this is the last one we see.

//And we actually don't get much from this one. We just see Karua taking care of a stubborn Takumi who is sick in bed. Apparently, so is his mother.

//Most of Karua's scenes in the game tend to hint towards situations that happen to Takumi in subsequent days of the story. For example, the first one was of Takumi finding Karua after she got lost, and then the very next day, needs to employ those same skills to rescue Eito from a difficult predicament.

//And then we have the scene of them at the fast food place, where Karua asks Takumi what he'd do if she woke up one day and didn't know who he was. Subsequently leading to Takumi meeting Nozomi for the first time, who seems to be Karua with amnesia.

//This one's a little different because this time, it's NOZOMI who's sick, not Takumi. So the connection is not too clear this time.

DAY 69:

youtube

//THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY YOU MADE A SPECIAL UNIQUE MORNING ANNOUNCEMENT TO CELEBRATE DAY 69!!!??

//This is normally the part where everyone (myself included) would make a really unfunny joke and say "nice" or some bullshit! But these jokes write themselves!

//Sirei's English Voice Actor in these scenes sounds like he's struggling to read these lines with a straight face, and is even laughing in the middle of it. I don't see why else he would let out those sudden breaths like that. But hey, the man does his job right.

//And hilariously, as Sirei says in this clip, for today and TODAY ONLY, the background music that you hear every day in this game is replaced by a rock and roll cover of it.

//AWESOME! lmao!

//At the same time though, is this an implication that the BGM, at least when we're inside the school, is canon? I'm...not sure what to make of that honestly.

//Anyway, today was actually a lot better in terms of the group's mood, largely because Kako made her grand return.

//...much more quickly than I thought she would. I seriously was thinking she might up and vanish for a few days, but no, just the one.

//Kako reveals that after their battle with the Imposter Moko, she and Ima made a promise. Should one of them died during the war, the other wasn't allowed to follow them into death.

//Apparently, it was a reversal of their old vow.Originally, they swore never to be apart, having only ever relied on each other and distrusting outsiders. But their time at the Academy, and the compassion they received despite their past behavior, changed their perspective.

//She also shares that the night before, she had a dream, or rather, a memory, of Ima from their childhood. In it, he told her that isolating herself and crying wouldn’t fix anything, and that nothing would get better unless she took action.

//Remembering this gave her the strength to keep going, and now she's more determined than ever to find and save her brother.

//Takumi even points it out in the scene, but it feels a lot like his own dreams/memories with Karua.

//And in the back of my mind, I'm thinking maybe something is happening to us that is triggering these memories. Maybe it's related to the Hemoanima or something, but it seems convinient that Takumi, Kako, and Shouma all had dreams/memories about their past that have proven to be very relevant to whatever current situation we are in.

//I'm willing to bet the rest of us are having these same dreams, and most are just not talking about them.

//I really like the character progression with Kako here. And it bounces back on Ima in some regard as well. Previously, most of the scenes the twins got, which wasn't that many because they weren't frontline fighters for the longest time, most of their scenes had Ima be the dominant character in them.

//It sucks that he's gone, but at least it gives Kako more space to actually be a character independent of her brother, even if her motivation is still to rescue him.

//And she's very slowly encroaching best girl territory now that she has a chance to flaunt her (not physical) stuff.

//She immediately proves to be a massive G, as she gives Takumi the opportunity he needs to talk to Nozomi, by asking him if he can help her carry some water to her room. Apparently, Kako had a vision that not only was Nozomi in trouble, but that Takumi helped her out of it. So she gives him the chance to get by Kurara and Kyoshika's oppression and talk to her.

//The girl is a legend, but unfortunately...said talk doesn't go too well.

//Takumi earnestly wants to help Nozomi, but Nozomi feels like she's being pitied because she happens to look like Karua. Despite his insistence, and despite her willingness to open up to him, and despite the fact that she's really badly sick, she doesn't cave to him, or tell him about her symptoms.

//During today's Free Time event, I wanted more of Kako, so I spent some time with her. There was this really funny scene where she admits that she's trying to figure out who in the academy she would kill and how if she were to commit serial murder here.

//It's okay though; it's for a novel she's writing.

//I'll be completely honest. I haven't spent all that much time doing hangout events in this game. I probably should, but when it comes to increasing stats, they're pretty nonessential in comparison to just giving gifts that the characters like.

//But the downside is that it means I miss out on awesome conversations like this one, and the one where Kurara threatened to shoot Gaku. Which is a bit disappointing.

DAY 70:

//Day 70, which means we only have one month left, and we're basically done with this school. Feels kinda surreal that we're at the home stretch now.

//And with it comes some good news, and some bad news.

//The good news is Tsubasa successfully managed to repeat the fire extinguisher, which means we should be able to leave the school again.

//The bad news is we can't rescue Ima, because we need to school bus if we're going to catch up with the invaders that took him, we need the school bus. And even though Tsubasa was able to repair the extinguisher on THAT, the bus itself is still currently out of gas.

//Thus, Takumi, Eito, and a very enthusiastic Kako head out with the new pump to get some.

//Standard exploration mission here and we achieve our goal, but THANK GOD my FLAME LEVEL FINALLY WENT UP ONE!

//Does this thing only get stronger every month!? I've seen this shit go up to at least Level 6! Is there any way I can make it better myself, or do I just wait for plot progression?

//Someone please genuinely tell me. I don't want to be playing this game wrong.

DAY 71:

//I got really scared when Sirei's morning announcement got interrupted, but thankfully there was no alarm. Just Kako showing up, super excited to rescue her bro.

//She's adorable~

//But yeah, like Kako says in this dialogue box, we go to hold a strategy meeting in the War Room for what we're going to do about rescuing Ima and recapturing the prisoner. Fortunately, we already had a plan set in motion.

//Apparently, Yugamu had a hunch that Shouma might try something suspicious with the prisoner, like helping her escape, so as a precaution, he secretly planted a transmitter on her.

//He doesn’t reveal exactly WHERE he hid it, which is more than a little unsettling...but it at least gives them a way to track her now that she's gone.

//What's more important though, is he explains that he kept this move to himself because he suspects there might be a traitor among them.

//FUCKING FINALLY someone says it out loud!

//Even if it's just a hunch, it's such a goddamn relief to hear that someone else is starting to realize their group could be under attack from within!

//I should also mention here that interestingly, Eito was the first to dismiss Yugamu’s theory, which is a little too fast and defensive for comfort.

//Now, with Ima in enemy hands, a strike team has been assembled to rescue him. Takumi, Tsubasa, Kako, and Shouma will be the ones heading out to face whatever threat is out there.

//Hi yes, hello, HOW?

//Daddy wants to drive the bus today~ Daddy wants to drive the bus~ Little bit of daddy bus drivin'~ Daddy wants to drive the bus~

//Also, real talk, why does this CG on the bus look like it was drawn by a completely different artist in a completely different style? This looks like a painting!

//So yeah, we get on the bus, and Tsubasa drives us all the way to where the prisoner's signal is being transmitted, BUT-

//It leads us...to an ENEMY BASE.

//We don't have sufficient enough firepower to storm this place and rescue Ima, so we currently have no option but to retreat and inform the others back at the school.

//Which...I kind of call bullshit on? We've fought this many Invaders in WAY fewer numbers. Four people, which is what we HAVE, is typically what we use for scouting parties?

//Eh, plot says no.

//I was really worried at this point that Kako might do something reckless, like storm the base herself, but thankfully, she seems to have more common sense than that. So we table the issue for the next day.

DAY 72:

//I gotta say, I do love it when you get to see the characters talk war strategy. It really makes the situation we're in feel more authentic, especially when we don't have Sirei, Hiruko or Nigou here to instruct us.

//But suffice to say that things have gotten a TAD complicated.

//The problem we face currently is we need as strong a strike force as we can muster to raid the enemy base and potentially rescue Ima if he's there, but at the same time, we can't leave the school defenceless either, which means the team is gonna have to split up for now.

//It takes a bit of discussion, but Takumi, Shouma, Kako, Eito, and Takemaru all agree to go fight the Invaders at the base, leaving Darumi, Tsubasa, Gaku, Kurara, Kyoshika and Yugamu to defend the school.

//However, it's not all doom and gloom, as Kurara sends a message to Takumi revealing that Nozomi is willing to speak to him.

//I do love it when Nozomi gets to be the plot girl. As I've said a few times before, I ADORE the worldbuilding and lore of this game. It's not something Kodaka really does with Danganronpa a lot, and when he does, it's usually in his less-impresssive projects (DR3 and Ultra Despair Girls) but DAMN is he good at it in this game! Tribe Nine too as a matter of fact.

//Takumi goes to meet Nozomi, and kicks off the conversation by telling her that he's no longer comparing Nozomi to Karua, true connection be damned. I know for a fact that this isn't gonna be the end of the mystery though, even if Takumi doesn't keep searching for it.

//Especially because there's an interesting little scene here when Takumi finally namedrops Karua to Nozomi.

//I think there's a little bit more to her reaction here than her just reacting to Takumi bringing it up. I think the name is familiar to her, even if she doesn't quite know why.

//But we don't get any more details on that in this conversation. We DO however, get a pretty hefty lore dump on the truth behind this war! Including Nozomi confirming something that I had GUESSED a long time back!

//Something that, I'll be honest, WAS pretty obvious, but even so, score!

//I'm effectively about to paraphrase what she said, purely because I'm super into this lore. So I hope you guys don't mind.

//Nozomi begins her explanation by finally revealing the truth behind her mysterious illness. The “rejection symptoms” she previously mentioned are actually her body reacting negatively to the Hemoanima within her. Essentially, her own blood is rejecting her.

//Until now, everyone, including Takumi, believed that Hemoanima was simply the result of their blood being altered when they stabbed themselves with their Infusers. They were told that the Infusers themselves were tools that allowed them to access their Class Armor and Weapons.

//But Nozomi explains that this understanding is incomplete. If Hemoanima were just a byproduct of the infusers, then anyone could use it.

//The reality is that the infusers don’t create Hemoanima, they AWAKEN it. They only work on individuals who already possess a rare type of blood that contains dormant Hemoanima.

//Everyone at the academy, including Takumi, was chosen precisely because they carry this special blood. Which is exactly what I predicted when I played the prologue for this game.

//This rare blood type is called "Cryptoglobin." A term coined by Nozomi’s mother, who was a leading researcher on the subject.

//Cryptoglobin is no ordinary blood. It has bizarre, almost supernatural properties that can’t be explained by current medical science. It can shift between liquid and solid states at will and reacts directly to the host’s emotions, especially aggression and willpower. In essence, it’s combat-adapted blood, seemingly designed for warfare.

//HOW CONVINIENT!

//Nozomi’s mother conducted her research at Kamukura General Hospital, which, while appearing to be a normal hospital, was actually a covert Cryptoglobin research facility.

//This ties back to a memory Shouma once shared, where he recalled seeing everyone being treated like test subjects at that very hospital. The experiments aimed to infuse Cryptoglobin into ordinary people, but most attempts failed, with Mrs. Kirifuji's subjects consistently suffering from violent rejection symptoms.

//Now that Nozomi herself is experiencing those same symptoms, which in itself confirms she was one of the experimental subjects in her mother’s trials. Though she did say before that she was one of her mother's experiments, and now we finally have context for that line.

//The very power that lets her fight is also what’s slowly killing her. This is why she’s always been hesitant to use Hemoanima in battle, though the demands of fighting the Invaders eventually forced her to draw upon it, and triggered her condition.

//Worse still, Nozomi admits she doesn’t know whether the rest of the group was born with Cryptoglobin or had it successfully implanted by another, more advanced experimenter. As far as she knew, she was the last surviving subject, meaning Takumi and the others' origins, and the truth of their abilities, are still largely a mystery.

//We get a lot more information about how Nozomi fits into this dychotomy of plot dumps later, but there are other things to cover here.

//Unfortunately, there’s no known medication that can effectively treat Nozomi’s rejection symptoms, or at least, none that’s currently available to us. However, there was one method she and her mother previously experimented with that showed temporary success.

//One of Cryptoglobin’s more disturbing traits is its cannibalistic nature. It has the ability to absorb other Cryptoglobin to increase its own power. Essentially, the blood strengthens itself by consuming more of its kind.

//Takumi quickly connects the dots, as this is basically what we've been doing to the enemy Commanders every time we beat them. We absorb their Hemoanima, or rather their Cryptoglobin, and they end up as blackened mummies as a result.

//So we've been unintentionally harnessing this cannibalistic feature of Cryptoglobin the entire time, absorbing the blood of fallen enemies to enhance our own power.

//However, this also comes with a chilling confirmation that the enemy Invaders ALSO possess Cryptoglobin. Which suggests a direct connection between the Invaders and the experiments that created the Special Defense Unit.

//However, Nozomi can’t shed any light on this connection, since her mother never mentioned anything about Invaders during her research, leaving this piece of the puzzle frustratingly unresolved.

//My personal theory at the moment is that all of us are secretly part of the Invader's species ourselves, or that we're at least a cross-breed between regular humans and Invaders. The latter theory would explain why we transform into uniforms, while the Invaders turn into giant monsters.

//Returning to Nozomi’s treatment, in one of their more desperate trials, her mother injected her with additional Cryptoglobin in an attempt to force-feed her blood with more of its own kind.

//The result caused the rejection to stop, at least temporarily. The theory is that her blood, when given more Cryptoglobin, stabilized by absorbing and integrating it into itself. It wasn’t a cure, but it worked, for a time.

//This is enough for Takumi though, and he comes up with a plan. If absorbing a Commanders Cryptoglobin will stop Nozomi's symptoms, then the only choice is to take her with us to the enemy base when we raid it, hoping to find and fight one of them, then have Nozomi get the killing blow on it.

//As it turns out, Nozomi isn't the only one coming with us either.

//After Nozomi declared she would be joining the vanguard, Kurara had Kyoshika tag along with us to serve as Nozomi's bodyguard and protect her.

//Which I am MORE than happy about because Kyoshika is at least a solid 40% of DPS on this squad. She's constantly heralded as one of the best units in the game when it comes to damage dealing, and I can indeed confirm this to be the case.

//Takumi, Nozomi, Eito, Takemaru, Shouma, Kako, and Kyoshika board the bus and head out toward the enemy fortress, ready for what could be their most critical mission yet. Once we arrive, our next big battle ensues.

//The operation kicks off with a unique challenge that we haven't actually seen yet. The goal is to eliminate all visible enemies in a SINGLE TURN using strategically placed explosives scattered throughout the battlefield.

//Basically the closest we get to a stealth mission in this kind of game.

//Also, because she's still suffering from her rejection symptoms, Nozomi enters the battle already slowed and slightly injured. Which is not good for her, because Nozomi has very little health to begin with.

//Also, at this point in time, I was wondering that if Nozomi was having a rough time with her ailments, why she didn't just use her healing abilities to get rid of them, lol? She literally cures every stat condition in the game, including stun!

//Then again, the hemoanima abilities themselves are what's causing it, so I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work.

//Once the "stealth" section ends, the real battle begins. The team unleashes everything they’ve got.

//What follows is a grueling boss fight against a surprisingly menacing enemy commander. The commander pushes them hard, but thanks to smart team coordination and relentless stacking of damage thanks to Last Yell, we eventually overwhelm him.

//Seriously dude, Last Yell makes this game SO EASY! I sometimes worry about using it because it just means the battles aren't a challenge anymore.

//Nozomi lands the finishing blow—her first time dealing the final strike to a commander. And thankfully, absorbing the Commander's power does the trick, and her rejection symptoms vanish. It’s not a permanent fix, but for now, it buys her more time.

//In more unfortunate news, Ima doesn't appear to be in the base after all; but OF COURSE HE'S NOT! It was stupid to even assume that things were gonna work out and we were just gonna get him back that easily.

DAY 73:

//The search for Ima lasts all night, but there's still no sign of him.

//Fortunately, we don't return empty handed!

//UNfortunately...we don't return empty handed.

//Eito finds a mummified corpse drained of it's Cryptoglobin inside a small room of the base. A very unexpected surprise, but fortunately, it's not Ima's body.

//But it IS apparently the body of the Invader Commander with purple hair that we captured!

//STOP KILLING THE HOT GIRLS!!!!!

//Sorry! I'm a little MAAAD!

//Well, there goes my potential 16th party member. I wonder how this might change on the other routes honestly, because her having a character icon on the map CANNOT have been a coincidence.

//Eito claims that another enemy commader must have done this to her, but is confident that Ima isn't dead yet, otherwise we would have found his corpse here too.

//Everyone seems to agree, but...did they already forget what happened to Moko? Why is nobody coming to the conclusion that they're going to invaderize Ima just like they did with her?

//I mean, later on they say that the ability the Commander used to copy Moko was an ability unique to it, but that doesn't mean they can't do similarly terrible things to him.

//And we do actually see that later, but...spoilers. Anyway, in the meantime, we've got no choice but to hea back to the school, which has been fine in our absence thankfully.

//One other thing I want to mention here is that Shouma goes into a bit more detail about why he felt such a kindred spirit for the enemy Commander, and treated her so nicely.

//Shouma acknowledges that, yes, the enemy commander was technically our...well...ENEMY. But that doesn’t stop him from feeling genuine sympathy for her.

//While she was held captive, he remembers hearing her cry through the night, as if she desperately wanted to return home. It struck a chord with him, and he started to wonder if she had something, or someone, waiting for her, just like all of us do.

//He reflects on how everyone in the group continues to fight because they’re driven by the hope of returning to someone they care about at the TRC. Whether it's family, friends, or the life they had before, they’re all fighting for the same reason. To protect what matters to them. Shouma believed the Invader might have shared that same longing. He dared to hope that beneath her alien nature, she had something relateable.

//Kyoshika, however, coldly dismisses the idea. She insists the Invaders aren’t human in any sense and therefore can’t feel things like longing, grief, or love. Clearly still very hung up over how they treated Moko, which is more than fair.

//But Shouma pushes back. If the Invader was truly devoid of emotion or self-preservation, why did she surrender in the first place? Why cry? Why beg for life?

//That kind of desperation, he argues, doesn’t come from programming. It comes from a WANT to survive, and to return to something meaningful. He had hoped that if he could bridge the gap, learn her language, and understand her thoughts, he could uncover the truth behind her actions and perhaps find common ground.

//But now that she’s gone, that fragile possibility is lost. Her death has left him full of conflicted emotions. He didn’t just want to spare an enemy—he wanted to understand her. And now, he never will.

//Like...I LOVE Shouma in this scene. And there's never been any point more where I've just wanted to give the guy a hug!

//What he's saying is correct, and entirely fair, and yet everyone is coldly dismissing it (or at least Kyoshika is) like a bunch of warmongers. And he seems to be the only one with any genuine empathy or understanding that this war appears different to both sides.

//He understands that we are the bad guys to the Invaders just as much as the Invaders are bad guy's to us. And yet in the end, he himself is so self-loathing that he settles on himself being the one in the wrong.

//It's just painful, man. I feel so much for Shouma in this whole situation, just as much as I do for poor Kako. I know this is an impossibility at this point, but I wish Shouma would find it in him to put himself first for once.

DAY 74:

//MORE LORE YIPPEE!

//Before we get into that, there's a few things to mention.

//First off, is Yugamu the only smart one here? Why is HE of all characters the one bringing up all the points I make?

//A couple days of him missing, and his disappearance literally happened the DAY AFTER we found otu Moko was an Imposter, and yet Yugamu is somehow still the first person to bring up the possibility that they might somehow screw with Ima, or make him an enemy or some shit!

//Granted, he does specify in this scene that they couldn't use Ima the same way they used Moko because he's pretty sure only one Invader, the one we already killed, had the power to copy our abilities. But that doesn't mean none of the other Invaders have abilities that are SIMILAR. Or at least similarly fucked up.

//On a lighter note, I notice that Takemaru has been crying a lot in these scenes recently, and it's funny that every time, he always comes up with a different excuse as to why he's crying.

//But yeah, that aside, Nozomi suddenly asks Takumi if she can come by his room later, and when she does, she finally gives us a lot more context on the story she fed us before about her condition. Not so much on the war itself unfortunately, but more of an explanation as to why she's here and how.

//First of all, as we kind of got hinted at before, unlike the rest of the group, who were recruited or forced into joining Last Defense Academy, Nozomi enrolled willingly. And she had two deeply personal reasons for doing so. First, to carry on the dream she shared with her mother, and also to seek revenge for her mother's tragic fate.

//Her father had died in a car accident when she was very young, and her mother, though loving, was almost never home due to her demanding work (which is the same case for Karua as we know.) But when her mother WAS around, she would confide in young Nozomi, sharing details of her research like they were secret stories meant only for the two of them.

//These intimate talks became the only real connection Nozomi had with her mother. Through them, she learned about the devastation caused by World Death, the truth of the Tokyo Residential Complex being a subterranean shelter, and the grim reality that humanity’s days were numbered unless drastic action was taken.

//Nozomi basically knew all of this stuff even before Nigou told the Second-to-last Defense Academy group, and before they told the rest of us.

//At the time, Nozomi didn’t understand the full implications. She just saw her mother as a hero, someone working tirelessly behind the scenes to save the world. But as she got older, those bedtime stories started to take on a darker tone. She began to grasp the depth of her mother’s desperation and the ethical gray area of her research.

//Her mother devoted everything to the project: her time, her health, and eventually her relationship with her daughter. Her life's mission was to unlock the potential of Cryptoglobin to make humans capable of wielding its power.

//But when her experiments began to repeatedly fail, and management cut off further testing, her mother made a fateful decision. When Nozomi was in the upper grades of elementary school, her mother sat her down and asked Nozomi to become her test subject. Not out of malice or cold ambition, but out of desperation and love twisted by purpose.

//Shockingly, Nozomi agreed. At the time, she felt proud to be useful, proud to help her mother’s dream come true, and above all, glad that this meant they’d get to spend more time together. She admits that she was essentially brainwashed, convinced by her mother’s idealism and her own desire to matter.

//On a day when the hospital staff were off-duty, Nozomi accompanied her mother to the lab, and they attempted a transfusion of Cryptoglobin into Nozomi’s own body. Her mother clearly struggled with the ethics of experimenting on her own daughter, but Nozomi, young and naive, didn’t see the problem at the time. In fact, she remembered those days fondly, not for the pain or danger, but for the rare moments she got to be with her mother.

//However, the procedure didn’t work. As the experiments went on, Nozomi began to show increasingly severe rejection symptoms, and her health started to deteriorate. Despite the setbacks, her mother continued to push forward, until everything came crashing down.

//Just as Nozomi entered high school, her mother took her own life.

//She left behind a note containing fragments of her remaining research and final thoughts. According to the note, Cryptoglobin was meant to be humanity’s salvation, and a tool to fight back against what her mother referred to as "the enemies of mankind".

//Enemies we can now assume are the Invaders.

//She believed that if she could create stable Cryptoglobin carriers, those people could stop World Death and ensure humanity’s survival.

//But despite her years of work and personal sacrifices, the higher-ups abruptly shut down her research. They never explained why. No final review. No closure. Just silence. After pouring everything into her mission, and risking even her daughter’s life to complete it, Nozomi’s mother found herself abandoned and discarded. It BROKE her.

//Nozomi wasn’t just heartbroken when she found out. She was just furious at the cold, uncaring system that chewed up her mother and spat her out.

//After her mother’s suicide, Nozomi couldn’t just move on. Grief gave way to obsession, and she found herself repeatedly sneaking into Kamukura General Hospital, desperate for answers. She wanted to understand why the administration had suddenly cut off her mother’s research, and why the project that had consumed her mother’s life was so abruptly shut down.

//During these covert visits, she discovered files and restricted data revealing the existence of a newly-formed Special Defense Unit composed of teenagers who possessed the power of Cryptoglobin.

//I.e. Takumi and the others.

//Whether they were born with it naturally or someone had succeeded where her mother failed didn’t matter. What mattered to Nozomi was the grim realization that she and her mother were no longer needed. The project had gone forward…just without them.

//Digging deeper, Nozomi learned that the mission of these Cryptoglobin-powered teenagers was to destroy the enemies of humanity and, ultimately, save the human race. Exactly the goal her mother had spoken of with so much passion and hope.

//But then, a thought occurred to her: what if she could continue that dream herself? What if, by joining the Special Defense Unit, she could prove her mother’s work had been worth something after all? Maybe then the people who had shut her down and effectively killed her would be forced to recognize her contributions. Maybe Nozomi could redeem her mother’s legacy.

//On her final trip to the hospital, fate presented an opportunity. While sneaking through a restricted area, Nozomi stumbled upon what we currently believe to be a transport chamber housing Takumi and the others, unconscious and sealed in pods, clearly being prepared for deployment.

//Without hesitating, she climbed into one of the empty pods and hid. The next thing she knew, she had arrived at the Second-to-last Defense Academy, alongside Kurara, Yugamu, Moko, and Kyoshika.

//However, Nozomi chose to keep everything she had learned, and everything she had done, to herself, with Takumi being the first and only person she confided in about this. She felt that the others were angry about being dragged into this war, forced to fight without their consent as humanity’s final defense.

//If they found out that Nozomi had entered this world willingly, knowing what it meant, they might see her as complicit in the system that enslaved them. Worse, if they learned her mother had been one of the researchers responsible for the Cryptoglobin program, they might suspect her of being involved in the conspiracy itself.

//Nozomi didn’t want to risk being ostracized, especially not after everything she had gone through just to be there. But at the same time, the deception weighs heavily on her. Every time she sees how broken, afraid, or angry her friends are, she feels the guilt tighten around her.

//I just really like the way they handled this scene. The dialogue is great, the lore is incredible, and the emotions are real. And I'm really hoping it pays off in these final few days.

//One other interesting thing we find out here is that Nozomi has no recollection of the TRC getting attacked by the Invaders. Which is odd, but at the same time, this is the second time we've seen this phenomenon.

//Hiruko claimed she'd been fighting off the Invaders for a long time before she arrived at the school, which is why her stats were so much higher than ours. Yet Takumi and the others never knew about it.

//But this also made me think about another thing that happened MUCH MUCH earlier on in the story, which I kind of didn't pay much attention too at the time, but with that scene of Hiruko and now this one with Nozomi in mind, it takes on a bit of a different meaning, and it's this one:

//At the time, this really does just feel like a mistake Sirei made, because it's not too out of character to him. But when I watched NicoB play this game, he picked up on it, and thought there was more to it than this.

//At the time, I thought he was reading between the lines a little too much. But now, looking back, I'm not so sure.

//Did the fight at the TRC not happen then? That could have very well been a VR simulation or something, since we know we have the tech for it. But then what do our families think happened to us?

//I really have no clue what this plot is setting us up for. I hope the payoff is great when we get closer to Day 100.

DAY 75:

//Another Free Time day today, but there are a couple things to note.

//First of all, Yugamu has been spending a strange amount of time away from the cafeteria in the morning. Hell, for most of the day, he's locked himself up in the bio lab, and I discovered at some other point that I can't even take him out for exploration missions.

//Same for Nozomi, even though she's doing better, because she's locked up in there with him.

//Good news though. I knew today had to be the day it happened, but we finally got more VR missions.

//Albeit only one, and the BP increase is only slightly higher than before, but hey, I'll take it. Especially since it gives me more of a chance to use Ima now that he's...indisposed.

DAY 76:

//I only have one real highlight for today, and it's not really a good one. The breakfast conversation this morning was honestly really awkward.

//Kurara is feeling uneasy about how close Nozomi and Takumi have gotten recently, and she's both confused and upset that Nozomi would be involved with Takumi, whom she still sees as a creep.

//Eito tries to defend Takumi by reminding everyone that he already has Karua back at the Tokyo Residential Complex. However, this backfires when Kurara recalls that Takumi once said Karua and Nozomi resemble each other, leading Kurara and Kyoshika to accuse him of projecting Karua onto Nozomi.

//Meanwhile, Darumi wants us all dead just because we’re "normies."

//Also, I'm stupid, because I didn't realize until this point that Kako and Ima aren't actually high-schoolers yet. They're still both middle-school age, and it wasn't until Kako said so here that I figured that out.

DAY 77:

//Okay, so first of all, before I say anything else about this day...

//How!? How is that already a thing!? Why do you guys know what sunscreen is!? You HAVE NO SUN!

//Can someone actually explain this to me, because this is fucking with my brain! Takumi didn't even know what the MOON was before coming to Last Defense Academy!

//Like, they must have SOME kind of substitute for the sun in the TRC, because Tsubasa and Takemaru wouldn't be that tanned if there wasn't, but even so, is it ever actually explained anywhere? Like in one of the books? Have I missed it?

//Other things of note. For both today and the previous day, Takumi tells everyone that he and Nozomi have become close friends, but every time he does, Nozomi looks a little downtrodden. I guess she's being friendzoned because she thinks Takumi likes Karua?

//Alsom Gaku and Eito are up to something. Which I don't like, for obvious reasons.

//I'm gonna be honest, this day was SHIT. I did NOT have a nice day today.

//Despite knowing it was probably a bad idea, I decided to go exploring today, even without Nozomi at my side. My flame level had increased, unlocking new areas and giving me access to more content, so I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity.

//Unfortunately, that meant leaning heavily on save scumming just to keep my party alive, and I had to reload more times than I care to admit.

//In the end, it was all for nothing. I gathered a ton of loot and resources, but none of it was remotely useful. I was specifically looking for tech-related items, and somehow walked away with everything BUT that. It was frustrating, exhausting, and honestly kind of demoralizing.

//I finally threw in the towel and decided I won’t be venturing out again until Nozomi is back and available to join me. Without her, the whole thing was a nightmare, and not one I’m eager to repeat anytime soon.

DAY 78:

//Can someone tell me why 78 is a special number? Or is the game just trolling me? Because I am genuinely curious, and it feels like it could be a number of things, yet none of them feel right.

//So yeah, Eito and Gaku apparently set up a special festival in the gym for Kako to enjoy herself at, since she's been super depressed the whole time since Ima went missing, and has just been putting on a brave face the whole time.

//Kudos to Gaku for being a nice guy thinking about others for a change, even if he did screw up the music. But again, I got really nervous with this scene because it feels like Eito and Gaku forgot what happened the last time we gathered everyone together was.

//I'm talking about when we had a barbecue and we woke up two days later to find out all our food had been burnt. What's stopping that from happening again?

//In fact, why HASN'T that happened again? If we lose this batch of food, we're royally screwed! Whoever did it could easily just do it again, even if it took a while.

//Then again, I guess there's more of us to keep track of now, so it's not gonna be that easy. By coincidence, Shouma is the only one who avoided getting drugged last time.

//Kako is cute in this scene as always.

//Honestly, I really don't have much to say about the festival itself. Nothing really happens, we just get to cheer Kako up a little bit.

//The only other meaningful moment during the festival comes when Nozomi opens up and confesses that part of her feels deeply sad. They’ve created something special here, and the thought that they can’t stay like this when the 100 days are up weighs on her.

//Takumi listens and then admits that, for better or worse, being drafted into this war has become one of the most defining chapters of his life. Even though they’ll eventually return home and go their separate ways, he tells Nozomi he genuinely wants to stay connected, to remain friends with everyone, no matter what the future holds.

//I couldn't really focus on all this though because I was shitting myself, waiting for something to happen. But nothing really did. Some of us slept in the hall because we partied all night, but everything was fine-

DAY 79:

//I SPOKE TOOO SOOOOOOOOON!

//We woke up after spending the night sleeping in the gym, only to discover that the school is under attack! The Invaders have broken in, and the alarm didn't even sound!

//We obviously can't fight them off without our Hemoanima, so we need to get to the War Room and grab our Infusers. As Darumi puts it, the game has now shifted genres: it’s basically a stealth game, and our current objective is to make it to the war room without being spotted.

//I'm not gonna lie, this segment is INTENSE! And it genuinely gave me the heebie-jeebies! You can't pause the game, you can't check the map, and the rising heartbeat sound that signals an enemy is nearby does a great job of cranking up the tension. It’s GENUINELY nerve-wracking.

//Thankfully, I managed to get there in one piece. I first I thought that during the festival, someone had fucked with the alarm system while the rest of us were having fun, which means we now have to keep an eye out for enemy attacks ourselves, making things even MORE difficult for us. But thankfully, the alarm system seems fine.

//Turns out the invaders breached the school by tunneling in from underground. There's a huge swarm of them, and only four of us are on the field to begin with—Takumi, Gaku, Kurara, and Kako. Darumi splits off from us to go clean the Invaders that got into the school building out, and to wake up the others who went back to their rooms.

//Soooooo the odds are not in our favor.

//Good on you, Kyoshika!

//We also get another transformation sequence here, this time from Eito’s perspective, which we've already gotten once before, and I wasn't expecting to see it again honestly.

//This actually made me wonder if there's a possible route or alternate storyline where Eito becomes the main protagonist instead of Takumi. The way the scene plays out definitely plants that seed in my head.

//The good news is the rest of the squad shows up not long after, though I didn’t even realize Yugamu was missing at the beginning of the fight. That tells you how chaotic everything was.

//Also, CHRIST, this battle is NO JOKE! Even spamming the everloving fuck out of Last Yell to persist through the rounds, it’s surprisingly tough and drags on longer than expected, lasting for 5 rounds, which is the longest any of these fights have been so far.

//But when the invader commander shows up, and the situation gets even worse, because...

//WUUUH-OOOOH! Who could have seen THIIIS COMMIIIING!?

//Yeah, it seems to have somehow absorbed Ima into itself, which is… unfortunate. To make things even more difficult, hitting the commander directly causes damage to Ima, so we’re forced to hold back until we can come up with a strategy that doesn’t hurt him.

//Kako is getting absolutely steamrolled by the narrative, just like how Nozomi was. She's been depressed for basically this entire chapter, and everything’s coming at us so hard and fast, and the game isn’t pulling any punches.

//Yeah, I alrea kind of said it, but this was, without a doubt, the most hectic, chaotic and overwhelming boss battle we’ve faced so far. The first three rounds were tough enough on their own, but things went off the rails in round four when both Takemaru and Kyoshika were suddenly absorbed by the damn thing, just like Ima.

//Then, FINALLY, Yugamu makes his entrance. Turns out, the entire time he was missing, he’d been developing a bioweapon specifically engineered using the commander's DNA. It’s designed to target Commanders only, which means we could potentially use it to neutralize the enemy without harming our absorbed teammates.

//In a shocking twist, Nozomi is the one who ends up delivering the poison. She sacrifices herself, allowing herself to be absorbed by the commander in order to get the bioweapon into its system.

//To be honest though, I was a little confused on first watch of this scene, and I would appreciate some clarification. I actually thought Nozomi had taken the poison HERSELF and used her own body as a vector. I’m still not 100% sure, since that part is kind of ambiguous. Maybe she was just holding the poison when she got grabbed, or maybe it was all part of her plan.

//Also, despite the buildup, the actual climax of the fight was oddly...anticlimactic...

//Mostly because Last Yell is so fucking busted, it ended things quickly once the setup was in place.

//I decided to let Kako land the final blow; after everything she’s been through, it felt right to give her that moment of closure.

//Still, I have to say, the BP reward for this fight was seriously underwhelming. Five full rounds of combat and all the emotional carnage, and we end up getting like...2000 something?

//Unfortunately, the victory is bittersweet. We managed to defend the school and survive a seemingly hopeless battle, but the aftermath is rough. Takemaru and Kyoshika are a little woozy, but ultimately fine after getting free.

//Ima, on the other hand, has been inside the commander too long. His DNA had begun fusing with the creature’s, and while Yugamu’s bioweapon did its job, it worked too well. It targeted Ima as well because of the genetic overlap.

//Ima himself is, SOMEHOW, still alive, but he's indefinitely comatose, and his body is slowly decaying. Because his DNA has been screwed with, we can't bring him back with the Revive-O-Matic either.

//Unfortunately, because none of us are really doctors, nor can we properly heal (WHY DOES NOZOMI NOT USE HER FUCKING HEALING CANNON ON HIM TO FIX HIM OH MY GOD-) our only real option at this point is for Yugamu to do some Robocop shit on him to "Bring him back." in VERY BIG quotation marks.

//Surprisingly, Kako is okay with Yugamu doing this with her brother's corpse.

//Kako makes it clear that as long as there's even the slightest chance to save Ima, she's willing to take it, no matter the cost. She tells Yugamu that she doesn't care what Ima ends up looking like, whether he comes back scarred, altered, or inhuman. If the alternative is letting him die, then it’s worth trying anything. Death, to her, is the only truly irreversible outcome.

//Yugamu, however, to his credit, doesn’t sugarcoat the risks. He warns her that even in the best-case scenario, Ima won’t be able to return to his original form. His body, and possibly his mind, will be permanently changed. And in the worst-case scenario, he could end up as a twisted, mindless creature, unable to speak or recognize anyone.

//But for Kako, even that is preferable to complete loss. A flicker of life, no matter how broken or altered, is still something. It’s still him, in some form. She says she’s willing to take that risk, and shoulder the consequences.

//If, when it’s all over, Ima wakes up and feels horrified by what he’s become, and if he begs for an end, Kako promises she’ll be the one to do it. She won’t let anyone else bear that burden.

//She even adds that, knowing Ima, he’d much rather die by her hand than be killed by the Invaders. And honestly? She’s definitely right about that.

DAY 80:

//Yugamu takes Ima into his "care" and starts modifying him into a new body. We'll have to wait and see exactly how that stuff turns out.

//Nozomi explains during breakfast why she chose to deliver Yugamu’s poison herself, because she mentioned previously that "only she could do it."

//Yugamu mentioned that his poison works by attacking specific cells in the Invader's bodies, but Nozomi suspects that that cell is Cryptoglobin. That means the poison could be deadly to the entire team as well, and we even see it when Takemaru and Kyoshika get out from beign absorbed. They fall sick for a little while.

//Since Nozomi's Cryptoglobin behaves differently in her system, she took the risk, as she figured she had the best chance of surviving long enough to make sure the poison reached the commander without putting the others in danger.

//Free Time came around, and I chose to stop here for today.

Conclusion:

//It was late when I stopped playing. I'd already crammed in hours for this part of the story, and I didn't want it to end! I was so hyped to see what would come next, but I HAD to STOP!

//This game, as I've said before, is so addicting. I loved everything that happened in this part of the story, particularly the fights, which were among the more extreme we've had so far, and the lore dumps surrounding Nozomi, and why we're actually here.

//My takeaways:

Kako has very quickly joined Nozomi and Kurara in the best girl's squad. She was handled really well in this part of the story, and I'm having tons of fun with her. She's so cool and cute.

This arc fixed a few of the problems I had with the twins and their arc earlier on in the story, even though Ima isn't physically present for most of it.

Yugamu got some chances to shine in this part of the story. I love Yugamu, and I think he's really interesting, but the problem is he hasn't been given much of a chance to shine on his own just yet. Not even now. I feel like there's a lot more to him; we just haven't seen it.

The fights are super intense now, and I love it, but at the same time, Last Yell is making them a little too easy in the final parts.

I feel like all the characters are at a point in the story where I like them all a lot, with no real problems with any of them.

This part made me feel bad for both Kako and Shouma; the latter over the loss of the prisoner and his genuine reasons for feeling sympathy for her. I hope in other routes, we have a chance to save her and make him happy.

//Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I love this game. To no surprise. I'm having so much fun as we get closer to the end of this route. Stay tuned for more!

-Mod

#mod #the hundred line last defense academy #the hundred line #last defense academy #takumi sumino #kako tsukumo #nozomi kirifuji #eito aotsuki #takemaru yakushiji #darumi amemiya #gaku maruko #tsubasa kawana #kurara oosuzuki #yugamu omokage #kyoshika magadori #shouma ginzaki #ima tsukumo #journal #review

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