#I'm looking at ask games and thinking of potential answers and it put him into so much perspective

[boo-moved]

Holding Komi in my hands

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Wicked Games 1

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: non/dubcon, cheating, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Steve Rogers

Summary: you had a one night stand. Or did you?

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Your phone wakes you. The room tilts as you open your eyes. A dull hammering thrums in your temples. The morning light makes your brain rough as sand paper. 

Dregs of vodka stick to your dry tongue. The hangover weighs you down like an anchor. Just the thought of moving hurts. 

You reach blindly for your jittering phone. Bubbly music tinkles from the speaker. Shit. It's Barrett. What did he forget this time? 

You answer and put your clammy palm to your forehead. You squint at the ceiling then your eyes slowly round. Where the fuck are you?  

"Hey, babe. You at Wendy's?" Your husband asks. 

You gulp and peel your tongue off the roof of your mouth. This isn't Wendy's house. 

"Yep," you croak. Your eyes ping side to side. 

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. Things got heated and I know I was an ass--" 

You cough as you sit up in the strange bed. "Yeah, you were." 

"So why don't you come home and we can talk it out." 

You peer around the room and your lips curve in a frown. Where the hell would you go besides home your loyal best friend's? You scratch you scalp and turn your legs over the edge of the bed, "let me get myself together." 

"Babe. Please. I'm sorry." 

"When I get home." You hang up.  

It was a hell of fight. The minute he started yelling, you bailed. He knows better. You're not doing a ten hour day and coming home his nagging. So you left out your coffee mug. Big deal. You didn't say anything about the garbage bag he left out to be torn apart by raccoons. 

Whatever. Fighting over dishes. Not of it matters right now. 

Your clothes are on the floor. Someone's floor. Who it is is far from the point. You stand and stagger. You catch yourself on the nightstand. Your hand moves instinctively between your legs. 

You're naked and tender. Did you have sex? 

Think! You ran out with your purse. You went to Wendy's. She was up for a night out. A night to forget and body did you. First drink, second, third, then it gets blurry.  

Fuck! You didn't. You wouldn't. You're pissed at your husband but you wouldn't cheat on him. You're not that type of person. Right? 

You don't have time for that. You have to get out of here.  

You dress as you search the room. It's tidy. Half the bed is mad and the other half messed from your drunken slumber. 

You shake out your hands trying to shoo away the flurry of guilt and denial. Just get out. You'll think better with some coffee in your system.  

You push down the door handle slowly. You listen to the silence of the hall. You tiptoe out warily, checking left and right as you advance. It's a nice place. A condo. Much nicer than your cramped one bedroom. 

Not important! 

You come out into the spacious front room. It's as empry as the rest of the place. The kitchen too. The bathroom. No one. 

Your purse is by the door. Your shoes too. You grab both and let yourself out. You'd rather not face your mistake. 

No, you didn't do anything. You wouldn't. 

You hurry down the hallway to the elevators. You don't look back, just keep going. You don't think, just go. 

It isn't until you're outside the familiar cafe marquee that your let your mind settle. You enter and join the queue. Your order a black coffee and drink it at a stool by the window.  

You lean your elbows on the high table that stands inside the pane. You take a slow, savouring swig of coffee and let it trickle down your throat. You shield your face from the New York morning and put your hands over your ears. 

You can't remember anything but Wendy. Your anger had you ordering round after round, trying to drown out the bile. The thought makes your stomach lurch and you gulp thickly. 

You shake your head and groan. Your phone chirps. It's probably Barrett. Several messages from him and missed calls. All through the night. It's bad enough you betrayed him, you had him up worrying. 

No, you didn't! 

It can't have happened if you don't remember it. A generous stranger took you home so you didn't wake up on the curb. That's it. 

That's the story. Nothing happened. And you'll let Barret believe you were with Wendy. It won't make a difference. 

Your mind is set. Nothing happened. 

Nothing. Happened. 

Because you don't remember. Because you were too drunk to do that. Because you're married and it can't happen. 

You're going to finish your coffee and go home. Everything will be just like it was before... after you tell Barrett where to put that coffee mug if it's such a big deal. 

[alexthebordercollie]

i'm always a sucker for the take that Ford does love kids, he's just not the best caretaker. i mean, he's immediately delighted to learn he's an uncle in tale of two stans, and he loves spending time with Dipper and Mabel, he's just kind of dense.

i think aus where he gets to be a dad with Fiddleford are so cute. and so interesting to see how he'd handle it. people always seem to forget what a softie he can be

Oh yes! It kind of bugs me how a lot of people act like Ford is cold when he really isn't. There are lots of little examples of him being an absolute sweetheart. He talks a big game about being logical and suppressing fear etc, but he's a deeply emotional person, and that comes through in his more personal journal entries. He's not some heartless robot. He loves sharing his joy and excitement with the people close to him. He craves human connection even though he's bad at it. He gets attached to weird little creatures like Shifty, he loves his niece and nephew and is genuinely happy to meet them. Not to mention Ford loves weirdness and creativity and kids are the weirdest most creative demographic of people out there.

I don't think Ford dislikes kids at all. I think his lack of emotional intelligence and tendency to be lost in his own world makes him a questionable caretaker. Not through apathy or malice, he's just kind of bad with kids. Making him a father is really interesting for this reason because I'm confident he'd love the shit out of his kids, but learning how to respond appropriately to their needs, keep them safe, and pay attention consistently when needed, would all be things he'd struggle with.

Ford also says as much in his journal that he didn't want to settle down and "start a family". I don't think he ever saw kids of his own as part of his future nor do I think he'd ever consciously choose to have them. That said these are the words of a young Ford with grand ambitions that children would have potentially gotten in the way of. I also think the way he shuts down the idea of "starting a family" is a response to the social pressure to get straight married which is also not something he would have wanted. I mean look how well that worked out for Fidds :/

But Ford's whole character arc is about humbling himself. Learning to let go of this fantasy of some grand destiny and find joy in just living life with the people he cares about. He learns to accept the love of others and to love himself without needing to prove anything.

Pictured above, is a combination of sleep deprivation and those little moments when you're a new parent and it dawns on you yet again that suddenly you have this tiny little human who's who world depends on you. That mix of fear and awe and overwhelming love that hits you in waves and turns your brain into mush for a moment.

Nik and Newt force Ford to put someone else over himself, forcing him to reassess his priorities much sooner.

Also I know this one wasn't really an ask but I really wanted to draw something for you because it was soooooo good seeing a real ask in my inbox. I would absolutely love to answer any asks people have about this AU. I'd love to draw more of Ford, Fidds, Stan, and the twins but it gets hard to decide what to draw with so many ideas in my brain. By all means, send me asks or suggestions for drawings and I'll do my best to respond to all of them.

[lu-is-not-ok]

o mighty hong lu master, the autism i have of him bowing down to you in your honor, i must ask a question relating to his family...

so when dante is overheating in the yield flesh intervallo and they start saying things about the ego and such, hong lu says "they're starting to sound like my grandfather!"

see i dont think hong lu's the type to compare anybody rambling to unrelated rambling so i was wondering if like. there could be any potential meaning in What his grandpa was saying relating to ego or other more crazy stuff!!

since the jia family has had super huge connections ive had maybe the idea of like. i dunno they had some insider knowledge in the past and they sent hong lu out specifically to find out more about what the more unnatural parts of the city entail since limbus as a company is secretive about that stuff. so they want to understand it proper... but that does feel a Bit out there. what do you think :3c

There is some interesting things in this ask that I wanna discuss. However, you might find some of my answers... a little bit disappointing in places. I'm gonna try to take these things point by point.

Canto 7 spoilers onward.

Hong Lu's Grandfather

There are exactly two mentions of Hong Lu's Grandfather in the game as of now iirc. The scene you mention, where Hong Lu compares Dante's ramblings to his grandfather, and another mention in the Observation Logs for Pink Shoes, where Hong Lu brings up the fact that his Grandfather would scold him and pester him into keeping a diary, something he claims he used to hate but is now not so averse to.

The most interesting thing about Hong Lu's Grandfather is that there is no living grandfather figure in Dream of The Red Chamber. Baoyu is only ever mentioned to have a grandmother. This already puts some intrigue on him, as he's a complete wildcard adaptation-wise. There is no real way for us to predict what his deal is based on DOTRC.

That means that the fact that Hong Lu compares Dante's ramblings about ego and sin to how his Grandfather talks is something to note for sure. However... well, I'll get to it.

The Knowledge the Jia Family has

Canto 7 came with some major reveals about the Jia Family due to Xichun's presence and her interactions with Hong Lu. More specifically, we know roughly what kind of esoteric knowlege the Jia Family possesses, and what they're looking for.

Xichun, and by extension the rest of the Family, are aware of the existence of the Rivers - one of which being the River of Oblivion that was introduced in Canto 7, as well as, very likely, the very same River that Lobcorp would draw from using Cogito. So yes, it's not unlikely for the Jia Family to have some awareness of the more supernatural side that the human subconscious possesses. Hell, Xichun herself outright states she, in some way, can sense Bari's past presence, who need I remind you is also the Bookhunter from one of the bad endings in Library of Ruina.

However, that's not all! Xichun also reveals what exactly the Family is looking for, and what they sent out the current candidates for becoming the next Family Head for - a River that can grant immortality. Specifically, "the immortality of the mind", which Hong Lu himself describes as "to be free from aging and death".

So, hey, case closed right? We know exactly why Hong Lu was sent out now, don't we?

Well... it's not that simple. Because, unfortunately, there's some things I want to correct you on before I conclude this.

Hong Lu's Comparisons

Here's the thing with Hong Lu. Unlike what you say, he is absolutely the type to compare different unrelated things with each other. In fact, one of his major MOs during conversations is using tangentially related anecdotes to steer conversations - see how he brought up his sibling cheating at a game in response to Heathcliff doing a jab at rich people in Canto 2, or how on the empty party ship in Canto 5 he goes off on a tangent about a spooky story that's barely related to the situation at hand.

Deflection and distraction is something Hong Lu does a lot, especially right after he says things that are concerning or otherwise don't get a positive reaction out of others. His comparisons of things going on to his home is one of those kinds of deflections/distractions. In fact, I'd say it's a lot more common for him to compare things that aren't That related rather than compare things that are Actually related.

So while I do think it is something to note that Hong Lu compares Dante's ramblings to those of his Grandfather, I really don't think the connection here is nearly as strong as you posit.

Yes, we know the Jias have knowledge that most common folk in the City don't have access to, among which is the knowledge of the Rivers. It's also very likely that this is the kind of thing Hong Lu's Grandfather could go on tangents on, especially with how many of the Rivers we currently know of having effects that affect specifically the mind.

That being said, since this is Hong Lu we're talking about, I doubt the connection is as direct as his Grandfather literally rambling about the exact same topic. Again, we're talking about the guy who, upon hearing the mention of shareholders, shares an anecdote about a sibling trying to get a specific color of passport as justification for asking about whether Vergilius specifically knows the shareholder of H Corp. The connections he makes aren't usually all that strong, and that's kind of the point.

Which is where I have to talk about the elephant in the room.

Hong Lu almost definitely lied about why he left the Jia Household

See, in TKT Hong Lu shares that he was sent out by his elders to "see and experience as much of the world as possible before he returns", but... isn't it kind of strange?

That doesn't match what Xichun said about what the Family Head Candiates were sent out into the worl for. They're meant to be looking for immortality specifically, not fucking around and learning as much as they can.

And, in fact, this isn't the only thing Xichun says that clashes with Hong Lu's version of events. In fact, I'd argue it outright proves that he lied about it - she shares that the Jias are actively looking for him. If Hong Lu was really sent out to gather as many experiences and knowledge as possible, why would they want to cut that short by finding him and bringing him back by force?

That's not all in fact. This exact same story is what Hong Lu tells in his Wing IDs, the ones where it's confirmed he directly got the positions because of nepotism. But, again, that's strange. If he's meant to be experiencing the world and learning new things, why would the Jias put him in jobs that require he stays in a single specific place most of the time? K Corp Hong Lu's Uptie story outright draws attention to this, pointing out how odd it is for someone whose job involves being put in stasis in some vat for extended periods of time until they need to do some killing to have been given that job to "experience more of the world".

So, if Hong Lu is lying about why he left his home... what actually happened? Do we have any hints?

Turns out... yes. A very, very major hint in fact. Because you see, this is the Corrosion line Hong Lu says in his newly released Lasso E.G.O.

This is the only time anything Rose Hunter related calls the subject avoiding their fate a fugitive and makes a direct reference to running away. I don't think it's a coincidence.

Because if this line is a direct reference to Hong Lu, to him literally running away from his fate and escaping the Jia household, it would certainly explain some things.

Why would the Jias be out actively looking for him? Because he's not actually supposed to be out like this.

Why would his Wing Identities be put in environments where Hong Lu is primarily confined to specific locations? Because the Jias don't want him out of their sight.

Why would his claim that he's looking forward to going back home be so contradictory to how he acts and tries to prolong his time outside of the household? Because he's lying, either to himself or others, and doesn't actually want to go back.

Hell, it would even provide some context to certain other oddities about him.

Why would he know not just how effective a rich household's security system is at killing people, but also how to safely get past it (based on what he says about Wuthering Heights in Canto 6)? Because he might have had to do so himself to escape.

Why would his ID picture, likely taken right after he was found by Limbus Company, have him in a very plain tracksuit, completely unlike the traditional and fancy clothing the rest of his Family is seen wearing? Because dressing plainly would help him blend in once he got out of there.

So, yes, the Jia Family is sending out its young members to search for something supernatural within the City. However, I believe Hong Lu is an exception and wasn't supposed to be out at all.

[wayfayrr]

🦆 anon is back again with another self aware ask~

So! You know how tears deliberately put himself is stardew during that one fic? Well, I had a thought… what if it was an accident.

HEAR ME OUT!!!!!

What if he was just scanning through all your code and games trying to find a way to get out… and just accidentally plopped himself into another game on accident? Whether the game being stardew like your fic, or maybe just your “favorite” game because of all the hours you’ve played it. (Hastily hiding the log that says I have almost 1,000 hours in Genshin impact) and then he accidentally got stuck? I’m sure the coding and stuff in a game he isn’t from would be different than his own, so what if he made a minor (big) booboo and got stuck in another game?

glances at my steam library - welp, none of these seem like the nicest option for him, good luck in Phasmo link!!!

I think he'd be simply torn apart if that were to happen :c he was so so close to finally being at your side properly and now he's stuck in an entirely unfamiliar place essentially back in square one? It's soul-crushing for him.

I am actually yoinking your genshin log because while I have not played it myself some of the less cult focused sagau is what got me hooked on the au concept (if I could remember who I would tag but I can't sadly - it was like 2/3 years back now)

so what if he met up with a character that was also aware of them being in a game there?

He has things in common with aether/lumine, potentially enough even to come to an alliance to share you. They're both stranded from another world into teyvat, and they're both the player character who keeps being put through more shit than they signed up for - even if they're a little jealous of each other or have a rivalry about play times between them. It could work depending on how desperate they both are to get out.

There are also a couple other characters that I could see tears being friends with, although I'm not entirely certain if he'd be able to if they're after you too (besides the mc) - Venti is one that I could potentially see, with how tears acts towards freedom plus the fact that he spends so much time in the air? plus apples and golden apples. I think that could catch his attention.

Also albedo. Science buddies, need I say more? If I'm going off of the fics I have read he's looking for a way out too so to meet someone from another game who was so impossibly close? ofc he's going to grill him for answers, and I think that's why tears would originally get so close - before seeing what he's capable of with alchemy, and starting to mess with what could happen between that and zonai tech. (anddddd now I wanna see tears in an albedo cosplay damn it :()

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

silly question time, those marks on the sides of Drifter's face, are they tatoos, scars, or just like, weird wrinkles? In-game the shading makes them look like scars, but they are perfectly symmetrical. Is it like a Dregen thing? Result of some blood ritual, maybe?

They're scars. We can see them especially clearly in Gambit openings that focus on his face.

As far as I know (and I have searched pretty extensively through the Ishtar Collective and the Destiny Lore Vault) there is no current in-game explanation for the Drifter's facial scars.

We do have some interesting tidbits, though. One is from Cayde in his post-death message to the Drifter.

He says "back when you were still handsome." Implying the Drifter is less-so now. I'm going to put aside the obvious inaccurate concept that scars make someone less beautiful but use this as an example that the Drifter may have been different, physically, in the past.

(There is a strong counter-argument here, that Cayde's definition of 'handsome' may not be entirely physical. It's highly congruent with the Drifter's character for him to alter his appearance and behavioural patterns to make himself less appealing when he wants to be left alone. And Cayde could also just be being a little shit. All of these are possible and potentially simultaneously true.)

The Drifter also has a pretty antagonistic relationship with his ghost and has refused its help in the past so it would not be out of character for him to not allow it to heal him and instead want to heal any wounds he's sustained 'naturally.'

So there's basically three main possiblities: Either he was risen with the scars, has somehow chosen to keep them between resurrections (I'm unsure if this is even possible in D2 lore, but it's a popular fan theory), or he hasn't died since he got them (and refuses to allow his ghost to heal them with Light).

While your theory of a Dredgen/blood ritual is possible, to me it seems far more likely the scars are so symmetrical because they're from an explosion near his face. Such as in the concept art below:

He's also got several voice lines in his Gambit preamble, and elsewhere discussing his many adventures in kit-bashing and engineering which have involved considerable personal danger to himself. The Drifter has never been one for OSHA compliance.

This is in addition to his brutal past detailed in A Man With No Name and elsewhere, which involved quite a lot of shrapnel, explosions, buildings collapsing, fire, and other unpleasantness.

It's also plausible that, rather than shrapnel, they're tooth or claw marks from the creatures he encountered in the Ancient Apocalypse armour lore where he, once again, murdered his entire crew to survive, as shown in this concept art:

One of the (many, many, many) things I love about the Drifter is that he is just so full of stories. The scars on his face are just yet more stories. The details of his physical portrayal all speak to so many different narrative tidbits. Everything about him is story-rich.

He's a fascinating creature, filled with contradictions and sorrow.

I went combing through D2 concept art for this post and it took me so long to answer specifically because I was trying to find an image that I remember seeing where the Drifter is pulling off some eye protection after an explosion and the scars on his face are where the eye-protection wasn't covering. It stuck in my memory because the Drifter actually using eye protection at all seemed very noteworthy to me at the time. However, I haven't been able to find this image anywhere and this makes me think perhaps it was fan art and not concept art. I asked a bunch of people about this, but no one I've talked with knows wtf I'm talking about. It is also possible I may have imagined it. At this point, I have, sadly, given up on ever locating it again (if it ever existed in the first place).

On the off-chance anyone does know what image I'm talking about, though, here is my desperate plea for a link to it.

That is all.

[miscellaneouzz]

Sorry for the absolute WALL of Text but I wanted to put my own thoughts about where Pike's story could go. There's honestly a lot of avenues that Pike's story could take and all of them are so fucked and angsty in the best way possible.

Like I can very much see a storyline where Pike is targeted by the Whisper One cult for her blood + powers to resurrect him. Firstly, there's Pike's general isolation from everyone. VM's disbanded and as such, there's really no one around to see or check on Pike. Percy and Vex are in Whitestone, Vax and Keyleth are doing Ashari stuff. Scanlan's on his world tour (Plus whatever the hell they plan to do with the whole "You're not real family" thing which I KNOW is going to come back around to bash in Scanlan's teeth) And Grog, while super supportive, doesn't really ask that many questions or comments and as such, this leaves Pike in a prime state of isolation from the group.

There's also Pike's disregard of her own self as well as her tumultuous relationship with Everlight that's probably the biggest thing that'll kick everything into gear.

She very much doesn't want to bother anyone with her problems, especally when it comes to her Goddess, and her refusal to tell people about her fracturing relationship with said goddess is exactly what's going to get her hurt. Her few years away from VM was great for her because she didn't have to work as hard to conceal her problems from Grog. But now that VM is back together, it's going to be difficult to hide everything because, well, she's the healer, the cleric, the holy one. She needs to be at the top of her game, and it looks like it's going to be absolutely hell for her because her powers are not working.

There's also the added stress of her entire existance, how her blood is special, how it connects to her overall faith. It's no surprise that the whisper one wants her blood. If you go back to Season one, Delilah actually carves The Whisper One Symbol into her arm twice -- Once when she was turning Silas into a vampire and the second was when she was attempting to bring Mr. Whisper into the world under Whitestone. Both times, the ritual used blood magic to do so. While Silas' transformation was a success, Delilah's second offering was only half-that. He needs a tangable body (he was only ever able to bring his marble body to the material world) to live in and Pike's divine blood is just strong enough to allow that.

I desperly wonder how they're going to make the Whisper One corrupt Pike. I know that they're most likely going to make Pike possibly hear the Whispered One's voice (much like Delilah did--although TLOVM didn't exactly allow us to hear it, it's heavily implied that the WO preyed on Delilah's anguish and whispered in her mind her greatest desire) but I wonder if they'll go a little farther and make The WO some shadowing figure in her dreams/prayer void, not necessary charming her but speaking just enough truth to effectively manipulate her.

There's also just the fact that we could potentially see her fuck-ass hillbilly family and how their involvement will greatly influence Pike's already scattered sense of self and faith, as well as whatever they plan to do with Willhand because the fact that he didnt seem all that fazed when she returned home with white hair makes me think he knows what Pike is and i'm just---

I am so excited to see where they take our gnome in the future but also I am not ready for the pain it will cause. especially when it comes to whatever they have planned with her blood. I hope she took her iron tablets

The whispered one cult targeting her bc of her blood is a direction I can totally see them going in, especially with her having the mark! I like how throughout this season Grog does ask her questions concerning her faith, she just quickly dodges the questions and gives skewed answers (ex: “can’t the Everlight help you?” “I haven’t had a chance to ask yet” “have you tried praying?” “I don’t think that’ll help”) so I wonder how much of that is gonna continue into season 4 and if she’ll eventually confide in him like she did in season 1. I also wonder how much of season 4 we’re gonna spend apart before coming back together, like how much are we just gonna get Pike/Grog as a duo and how much are we gonna see more her dynamic with the rest of the group and her potentially confronting Scanlan about everything. (He’s also the only one who read Delilah’s book so I wonder if he would potentially recognize the mark, then again he didn’t say anything when Zerxus handed it over so idk)

I’m definitely curious about how or if it’ll all play into her pride in being a redeemer and how she views her role in the group. One of the lines I just keep thinking about is Zerxus’ “I can see why the Everlight favors you, you’re as careless with those close to you as you are yourself” bc not only does it make me want more Everlight lore but it also immediately takes me back to Pike’s moment in season 2 telling Osysa “I don’t care if I die, none of us do”. Pike’s role as the holy redeemer in her group is such an interesting clash with her less apparent carelessness/willingness to throw both her and others lives away, yet they seem to very purposefully play into each other.

I love me a good crisis of faith story but ohh man am I worried for my girl…

And thank you for sharing all these ideas/theories I eat that shit up!!

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Ten

Day: Thursday, February 8th Time: 4:45 PM EST

The conversation with Kevin the night before still bothered Neil the next day, so he asked the Foxes' goalies about it on break Thursday afternoon. Renee turned her phone over in her hands as she considered it. Andrew didn't even acknowledge the question. "It's an interesting idea," Renee said, "and it seems to be working for him. Asking someone to change his mindset and approach is a tall order, though, especially so late in the season. Then again," she said after a moment, "you did change racquets mid-season." "A racquet is one thing," Neil said. "I don't think I can do this." "If you don't want to, don't," Renee said, as if it was that simple to turn Kevin down. "If you want to try, we will help you any way I can." "No," Andrew said before Neil could answer. "Stop copying him." "I'm trying to get better," Neil said. "I can't improve on my own." Andrew flicked him a bored look and said nothing else. Neil gave him a minute then planted himself in front of Andrew when he realized Andrew really wasn't planning on elaborating or explaining. Renee quietly put her phone away and looked between them. Her gaze lingered on Neil, but Neil didn't return it. He searched Andrew's calm expression for answers. "Why shouldn't I copy him?" Neil asked. "You are never going to play like he does," Andrew said. Before Neil could take that as an insult against his potential, Andrew continued. "He is a fool whose style is numbers and angles. Formulas and statistics, trial and error, repetition and insanity. All he cares about is finding the perfect game." "Is that so bad?" "Don't ask stupid questions." "Don't make me." "A junkie like you can't be that cold," Andrew said. "I'm not a junkie." Andrew just looked at him, so Renee broke in with a careful, "I think he means to say Kevin is very analytical, whereas you're passionate. You both care about winning, but not in the same way." Andrew said nothing to confirm or deny that interpretation, so Neil stepped out of his way. Andrew continued on, done with this conversation.

Art used with permission by Esklinray. Thank you @esklinray!

[ticklystuff]

"Are you ticklish?"

a/n: ty kafka for the fic idea

characters: caelus, dan heng

wc: ~2.6k

summary: one truth, one lie~

"One round."

"No."

"Please?"

Dan Heng sighed to himself, ready to turn down Caelus' request once more, only to pause the second he looked up from his phone. Although the other was seated the same way as before, there was a slight pout to his lips that accompanied the plea in his eyes, his upper body just barely leaning over the other end of the mattress that was Dan Heng's bed. If this were March, the archivist would have no problem shooting her down, maybe even going as far to say he somewhat enjoyed it when he got the chance, but there was something different with Caelus, an unfamiliar feeling that Dan Heng found himself inept at putting into words. He found himself nearly caving to the request, but promptly shook his head. "No, no," he quickly turned the other down, unable to look him in the eyes while doing so. "No games."

Caelus huffed as folded his arms, the puppy-dog expression dissipating immediately at the sign of rejection. "But why not? You don't even know what the game is."

"Because I suspect it's a game you and March created to make a fool of me," he put it bluntly. "Am I right?"

"Wha- No!" Maybe Caelus was being honest with how vehemently he denied the claim. "March wasn't even involved.. this time. Someone else taught me, okay? March has nothing to do with this!"

Dan Heng stared at the other, flipping through the potential consequences of entertaining this "game" in his head, ultimately releasing a heavy sigh in the end. "At least tell me what the game is and I might consider playing."

One would think that Caelus had already won the actual game with the way he beamed in response. "Alright, so the game is called 'One Truth, One Lie.' It's simple; we ask each two questions per round and for one question, you have to answer with the truth. The other question, though, you have to give a lie. Easy, right?"

Dan Heng tapped an index finger to his leg as he gave thought to the rules presented to him. "How do I know when you're lying, though?"

"That's the point," Caelus said. "You don't."

"Huh, okay," he mumbled in thought, giving himself a moment to ponder. "Then what's stopping me from answering with two lies?" he threw his thoughts into the air, not necessarily directing his question at Caelus. "Or even two truths?"

"Ugh, don't be like that," Caelus shook his head at the notion. "It's no fun if you decide to cheat."

"I'm still not sure what's the end goal of this game, though."

"J-Just roll with it," Caelus stammered, huffing impatiently. "Please?"

Dan Heng tilted his head inquisitively, thinking of the many outcomes of the game. It seemed relatively benign and the overall nature was harmless, so maybe, just maybe, there was no ulterior motive? He gave Caelus one long final glance, receiving a big grin in response that only made Dan Heng sigh. "Fine, we'll go a round." He figured Caelus wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, regardless.

Caelus mouthed an inaudible 'yes' and Dan Heng couldn't help but chuckle at how very visibly excited he was. "Alright, alright," Caelus scooted closer, a little too close, "I'll go first."

Dan Heng watched as the other stared at the ceiling in thought, but as the seconds passed without a first question, he started to wonder whether this game was as simple as initially presented. "Err, you good?" Dan Heng blinked at Caelus, still awaiting a response. "Should I go-"

"Just shh," Caelus quickly waved his hand in the air and Dan Heng shut his mouth. "Okay," he breathed, a noticeable quiver to his voice. "W-What do you think about me?"

That was it? Nothing intrusive, or embarrassing even? Dan Heng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, expecting a second question, but Caelus' held his wide eyes and what seemed to be bated breath for Dan Heng's response. "I-" he paused, pondering how he should go about his answer.

"You?" Caelus nudged him along. There was a glint of anticipation in his eyes that distracted Dan Heng for the briefest of moments, but he simply brushed it off.

"I like you," Dan Heng said with a simple nod, choosing to start off with the truth.

"You do?!"

"Uh, that's what I said, yes," he responded, taken back by the sudden eccentricity, blinking at the way Caelus seemed to visibly shake with excitement. "You're a dependable ally in combat and a great friend."

What he wasn't expecting was the complete one-eighty in expression, watching the ecstatic grin morph into a dejected frown and slouched shoulders. "Uhh, did I say something wrong?" There was genuine concern in his voice because what in Aeon's name did he say to hurt the poor thing?

"N-No, I just-"

"Should I have said that I hate you?"

"No!" Caelus nearly cried out, before sighing, balling up his fists as he recomposed himself. "I guess I just was ho- err, expecting something else? But y'know, you might be lying."

"I suppose?" Dan Heng wasn't sure what he was getting at. Why did it feel like he was playing the game wrong?

"Okay," Caelus inhaled with a nod, "your turn for a question."

"Mmmm," came an inward hum from Dan Heng's chest as he gave his first question some thought. He now realized why Caelus took so much time initially; an infinite amount of possibilities existed, so how could he just stick to one? As he took glances around the library he called his room, his eyes finally landed on Caelus' phone beside his leg and a suitable question finally sprung to mind. "How much money have you spent on your gambling games?"

"Uh, actually gachas aren't considered gambling because you still win a prize at the end, no matter the outcome," Caelus explained matter-of-factly.

"Okay, whatever helps you justify your gambling addiction."

"Well, I'm free to play, okay?" Caelus rolled his eyes at the sudden jab.

An amused chuckle slipped from Dan Heng's lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yet you always bug me and March to pay for your lunch."

"Food always tastes better when it's free!"

Well, he couldn't argue with that. Still, he took one long final stare at Caelus, just to make sure, but found the other impossible to read, prompting a confident shrug that further threw Dan Heng off. Not that he believed Caelus at all, but his rather convincing mannerisms seemed to suggest otherwise. "Alright, your turn again," Dan Heng said once finished with his "investigation".

"Okay, I have the perfect question," Caelus said, leaning in with a smirk that Dan Heng already didn't like. "Dan Heng, are you.. ticklish?"

What a strange person this man was. Of all things he could ask, tickling was one of the things to settle on? Not about Dan Heng's past, or his most embarrassing moments, but tickling? Dan Heng blinked at the other, waiting to see if he'd take the chance to backtrack, but Caelus seemed content with his question, sitting there with a small smile as he waited. 

"I'm not," Dan Heng lied, folding his arms together. All the flashbacks of March, Himeko, even Welt on occasion, providing passing tickles seemed to rush to the forefront of his mind the instant he spoke, but he held a straight face for the sake of the game.

The smug smirk never left Caelus' face, even after Dan Heng presented his answer. "Really? You're not lying?"

"The rules of the game prevent me from revealing that," Dan Heng held firm.

"But do the rules of the game prevent me from revealing that?" Caelus asked the other. There was a brief glint in his eyes that Dan Heng failed to decipher as it disappeared, leaving him to sit there, perplexed by his actions.

What exactly was he getting at-

In hindsight, with a such a random question revolving around tickling, Dan Heng should've expected the unfolding turn of events, starting with Caelus pouncing on top of him, to the inevitability of Dan Heng being pinned to the floor, struggling under the weight of the other with futile protests. "Don't you dare!" came a hiss through clenched teeth, his hands desperately gripping Caelus' wrists, but Caelus' own hands were already positioned right where they needed to be, the space between Dan Heng's sides and Caelus' fingertips practically nonexistent.

"Oh, and what's the issue?" His tone was sweet, but Dan Heng's ears were not folly to the taste of mischief masked behind that saccharine grin. "I thought you said you weren't ticklish."

"The issue is that you're clearly going against the rules of the game!" He gritted his teeth as Caelus's fingers shifted to just barely pressing a small indent into Dan Heng's skin through the thin fabric of his shirt, resisting the urge to jolt under Caelus' grip.

This did not go unnoticed by Caelus, however, as if he was absorbing every reaction to personally store away, clearly enjoying the situation with a gleam in his eyes. "There's no harm in checking, right?"

"Caelus, n-no!" He inwardly cursed himself for the stutter in his voice, undermining his own facade. It didn't help that Caelus had now added another finger to each side, pestering Dan Heng with sporadic pokes. Normally, the archivist would shrug something like this off, but his sense of pride refused to allow Caelus to break the rules of his own game so nonchalantly. Not to mention the potential repercussions if Caelus did actually find the answer to what he was looking for. Dan Heng would shudder at the thought if not already preoccupied with the incessant jabs to his sides.

"Dan Heng, yes!" The gutturalness to Caelus' voice really added to his already over-the-top impish nature and Dan Heng did not like it one bit. Where did he learn this behavior from?! As if to answer his own question, a brief image of March popped into his head, but his focus soon returned to the situation at hand, as Caelus ripped his hands out of Dan Heng's grip and lunged at the other, all in one swift maneuver.

"W-Wait! Caelus!" His voice nearly cracked in frenzy, legs instinctively curling into his chest to protect his ribs just within reach of Caelus' fingers. He leveraged one arm to push against Caelus' body, while the other arm desperately fought off Caelus' own. "Why are you doing this?!"

Ignoring the question altogether, Caelus quickly backed off, only to send Dan Heng back into a panic at the feeling of a hand closing around his ankle, followed by a swift swipe up the sole of his foot. Though short-lived, the brief sensations were just enough for Dan Heng to uncurl his legs in an attempt to kick at Caelus, only to realize the betrayal of his own reflexes once his upper body was exposed yet again, creating just the perfect opening for Caelus to pounce and claim his prize.

"Caelus!! N-NohohOHOHOhoho!"

Time seemingly slowed for Dan Heng as the archivist did his best to defend himself, but Caelus' actions moved in real time and it wasn't long till his fingers met Dan Heng's ribs, eliciting a screech that was new to the both of them. There was a moment of pause, as if Caelus was registering everything that had just happened, and Dan Heng could have very well taken advantage of the split second of respite, but he did not like the fool he was, practically surrendering himself when Caelus started up again. His legs instinctively curled inwards just like before, but this time, Caelus was there to block him, undisturbed as Caelus made his ribs the center of attention.

"Wait, wait! Caeluhuhuhus! Stop! StaHAHAhahap!"

"Mmmm, I think you were lying in your last answer, Dan Heng," Caelus spoke nonchalantly, as if Dan Heng's frantic laughter wasn't echoing throughout the archive room. "But maybe you can tell me the truth yourself?"

At this point, the true answer to Caelus' query was quite evident, yet there was a sliver of him that went against the grain, willing him to hold onto denial. Maybe his pride took the best of him, or perhaps his own laughter ringing throughout the room had started to dishevel his line of logic; Dan Heng wasn't too sure himself, but those brief thoughts were soon usurped by the sensations at his ribs slowly making their way lateral of his midsection, heading straight for just what Dan Heng feared. 

"Wait! Waitwaitwait- wahahahahait!" Gentler touches were all that was needed, enough to send Dan Heng into panic with minimal effort, as he knew their intent full-well. His body arched forward and he flailed his limbs in an attempt to stop Caelus, yet it was like his arms turned to lead in the moment, heavy and powerless to stop the other as all he could really do was plead.

"I think we're about to really find out if Dan Heng is ticklish or not." The tone in his voice was mischievous, triumphant, almost ravenous; it was anything but innocent, which just went to show Dan Heng just how much Caelus was enjoying the moment. He didn't get too much time to ponder on this, however, as Caelus' fingers soon trailed up the side of his midsection, sending Dan Heng's eyes wide as he shook his head.

"GYAHAHA!" was what slipped past his lips at first contact, Caelus making his mark with two fingers digging into each underarm, as if each hand were needles to a balloon, pointed and precise, but their impact was very real, the overloading sensations engulfing Dan Heng in howling laughter as he was unable to deny the inevitable. "OKAY! OKAHAHAY! I-I'M TICKLIHIHIHISH!"

"Hmm? What was that? I can't understand what you're saying."

This bastard.

"YEHEHES! I'M TICKLISH! STAHAHAP!"

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Caelus brought the tickling to a slow, allowing a slow stream of giggles to flow, before removing his hands from Dan Heng's underarms altogether. "Aww, Dan Heng, you broke the rules of the game." Caelus' words barely registered in his brain and Dan Heng would've shot him a disgruntled frown were he not busy panting from the ordeal.

"Screw off," he hardly managed through heavy breaths, giving Caelus a weak shove so that he could finally sit up again. "Are we done here?"

"Uh, no," Caelus spoke pointedly, hands on his hips. "You still need to ask me one more question."

Dan Heng rolled his eyes, already through with Caelus at this point. Something simple would do, anything to end the game and get Caelus off his back, and just as he was about to speak, an idea popped into his head, prompting Dan Heng to cut himself off at the last moment. 

"What was that?" Caelus looked at him expectantly.

"Ah, I had just settled on a question," Dan Heng began, clearing his throat before speaking again, "but Caelus, are you ticklish?" He watched for Caelus' reaction, almost relishing in how his mouth flattened, with the instant shade of red spreading across his face. 

"Uh, well-"

"Oh, and remember, there are ways of checking if you're lying or not," Dan Heng flatly reminded him, taking in just how easily flustered Caelus had become, playing right into Dan Heng's hand.

Dan Heng observed as Caelus breathed a sigh, avoiding eye contact as he twiddled his thumbs in his lap. The corner of his mouth nearly twitched into a smile that Dan Heng took effort into stifling, but there was something so satisfying with how easily the tables turned.

With a deep breath, Caelus finally looked Dan Heng in the eyes, speaking in the softest of voices, a stark contrast from his earlier demeanor.

"Yes, I'm ticklish."

[messenger-of-stupidity]

William thoughts hehe

I listened to it in art class today and accidentally started drawing his crown icon in the corner.

Anyways

His accent (even when redone by Erik) still itches my brain.

But, the fact he split up the explanations was pretty smart. He recognizes that Sam and Vincent are different. Sam is more comfortable with himself, holding less doubt about the person that he is than Vincent is. Vincent has had so much character development. So has Sam of course, but not from the same 180 personality shift Vincent has.

Vincent used to be our flirty-shoes-on-bed vampire. Now he's a dork who has a thing for crowns (COUGH COUGH). So William realized that Vincent would have more questions than Sam did and wanted to have a space for Vincent to ask all those questions. As for whether or not I think Vincent will leave...

No. I don't think he will. I do think he'll try to push more diplomatic solutions to the issues that rise up. Maybe, since Porter has been labeled as the hitman for the clan, Vincent will take charge over diplomacy. He certainly knows how to handle people if given some time to prepare. I could see Vincent and Lovely being the first resort, and if that doesn't work, Porter (and prolly Alexis) get involved. We know imperium Alexis isn't above bloodshed, so some of that has to transfer over to Canon. This way, Vincent can live knowing that they tried peaceful resolutions first. And, like a lot of other people are saying, he's too closely tied. Lovely and Vincent's whole sense of community lives within the clan. The Shaw pack are friends, but the clan is their family. If they stopped being Solaires, they would kind of be loners. No matter what William says about always being welcome.

But Sam.

Sam is absolutely leaving. He asked the questions he needed, and got the answers that came with them. He's already closer with the pack, having game nights and vacations and celebrations with them. David has told him he's family (I'm pretty sure). He even has some inside jokes now. Something I'm not sure he has with his clan. He'll definitely stay friends with Vincent, and always be grateful to William for distancing Alexis from him.

But being part of the clan seems to be painful for him. He doesn't enjoy any of the clan gatherings (Vincent takes some enjoyment from them, since he was looking forward to spending the summit with Lovely. Sam was not excited to go, even with Darlin and some of the Shaw pack coming) and is only close to Vincent and William. Plus his "That's all I need to know" totally sounded like a "Farewell then". He knew there was an option to leave, and with another sense of community waiting for him, he's going to take it.

Plus, he never took the Solaire name. I'm sure William offered it, but he didn't take it. Vincent did.

I am curious about how David is going to react to this. William invited his pack to a gathering where he had a double assassination carried out. And there's some tension between the older vampires and werewolves, so no matter how small of a chance there was, David's pack could have been blamed simply because of outdated prejudice.

Even if that didn't happen, it's not like David wants Angel anywhere near something dangerous. Like a potential vampire fight breaking out. We know how seriously David takes protecting his pack. I wanna see the conversation David has with William for putting his pack in a position to be involved indirectly with what happened.

[dramioneasks]

Hy! Can you recommend fics with draco having hermione as his mate? The darker the better! Oh and I'm looking for long completed fics where D is possessive and protective.

Thanks xx!

Broken Wings - Luvkyloreylo - M, WIP - Now: Her torture had twisted something inside him, unique in comparison to others who’d crossed his home’s threshold. Draco wasn’t sure how to name it. The manor was saturated by blood, death… how would hers make any difference. She’d escaped once before. But this time… Hermione Granger was lined up being tortured by his aunt yet again to entertain the masses, along side other captives. His silver eyes fell to the floor to keep their glassiness from view.

Your Soul and Mine - In_Dreams - M, one-shot - Draco is measured and sentenced for his crimes during the war by an unseen force. Suspended within the desolate landscape between life and death, he’s forced to claim souls until his debt is paid. But what happens when one of those souls is the other half of his own? Grim Reaper AU.

Mon Couteau Aiguise (My Sharp Knife) - gillianeliza - E, 99 chapters, Words: 169,542 - “And you understand, I assume, the implications of wearing a piece of jewelry such as the one you have around your wrist?” Professor Snape asked. Hermione looked down at the bracelet in question, remembering the warm and joyful sensation of it first being clasped around her. The words Draco had spoken – will you have me? Will you accept me? “I do, sir,” she answered in her best impersonation of confidence. “But Miss Granger… I must ask – do you understand the cost?” Her brows pulled together. “The cost, sir?” “The Dark Lord will return, girl… When he returns, Lucius – and I for that matter – must resume our places at his side.” Hermione still said nothing, which she could tell surprised her potions professor greatly, so he continued. “What do you think will happen to Draco when his father once again becomes a follower of the Dark Lord?” The sticky dread clawed its way up her throat, as if choking her. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she thought of the implications. “So I ask you again, Miss Granger, do you understand the cost?” This work is a dark, Death Eater Hermione AU that begins during third year. Eventual canon divergence. Please read all tags!

To Build a Home - likelyunfinished - E, WIP - It’s been eight years since she’s seen him and eight years since he’s held her in his arms. They spent the time separate but unknowingly together - now he is ready to come out of the shadows but she is unprepared for the second shock of her lifetime. His words rang true then and they do now, “in this lifetime and in the next, for however long our souls remain, mine will always find yours”.

Title: Not Quite Dark Magic Author: hiccupfound Rating: M Genre(s): Angst, Romance Chapters: 30 Word Count: 107,154 Summary: Five years into to the war, the Order is pulling ahead after ages of drastically losing. Draco Malfoy notices. He wants in. He offers himself as a double agent, but the Order requests more. They’ve created a new spell that binds two people’s magical cores together in order to make a nearly unbeatable pair of duelists.Draco agrees to bind himself to the person most compatible with his magical core. Even if it is Hermione Granger.

A Game of High Stakes - In_Dreams - E, 51 chapters, Words: 263,110 - In theory, the task is simple: kill Draco Malfoy. In practice, putting a curse through the Dark Lord’s favoured lieutenant will take everything Hermione has―especially since he’s trying to kill her, too. Even more so when the lines between them start to blur. Sometimes, the only way out is through.

False-Hearted - its_banannaz, Literalily - E, 42 chapters - Hermione Granger has the potential to be more, MUCH more. And now, she’s ready to climb her way to the top, no matter what it takes.Sick of her insincere “friends” and their lack of recognition, Hermione makes a decision that alters the outcome of the war. If no one will put Hermione Granger first, she’ll simply have to do it herself. There is no good or bad, not anymore. It’s about what gets her where she deserves to be. After reaching a boiling point, she does something that no one ever expected - she becomes a Death Eater. But not just any Death Eater - Voldemort’s apprentice.Playing both sides, Hermione Granger now holds more power than anyone realizes. Is it so wrong to be false-hearted when you’re finally putting yourself first?

-Lisa

[themadcaptain]

Tell me about Ryou :V

1, 4, 12, 21, and 25!

Surprise, surprise XD

Ryou Bakura from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Why do I like this little weirdo? Dude - he's a weird, white-haired anime boy - what's not to like? He gives off either the strongest Ace vibes or the strongest MonsterFucker (TM) vibes I've ever seen with NOTHING in between. He eats a LOT (which I respect) he plays table tops games and has an occult themed card deck that he uses to creep out his friends. What's not to like about this adorable little freak?? 4. Other media I would put him in? Listen, I just want him to be in the series he's *from.* This is a character with so much goddamn interesting potential that is **squandered*** - that being said, I would put him as the protagonist in a survival horror game. Natch. 12. Headcanons for Ru are mainly that he's some form of GNC -I don't know if it's trans, nb, or somewhere in between but he said "no thank you" to whatever he was assigned at birth and I'm here for it. ... I guess also that he's goth as hell - but is that really a headcanon?? 21. (Why do you ask questions you know the answers to?????) I'm not much of a fic writer (I'll get this shit written down eventually) but I love putting Ryou in AU's where he really gets to be weirder versions of himself or just spend time with people he likes. I also have a tendency to dig into a lot of his loneliness because good god is this honestly a sad character. Still he just kind of smiles through it and that's even more interesting to dig into. I don't read a lot of fic but the one thing I've seen a bit of when people write him that I don't like is just any instance of making him depressed or unfriendly. Like....have you seen this kid? He's a polite little ball of spookiness that is dying to share his weird interests with people. 25. First impression of him was probably that he just looked like a cool mysterious character (I dunno, I first watched YuGiOh when I was eleven) - compared to now I just think that he's a weird little guy who needs his backstory fleshed out and should hunt ghosts for a living.

[lunareclipses-moments]

Red string of trouble

Idia x FAB reader

Words count:1.2k

That's part 2 , but you can read both of them separately

Part 1

Tags: @ryuuisthecutest

As the first rays of sunlight nudged the humans, some were reminded of their responsibilities, reluctantly emerging from the small safe haven known as bed, groaning and clearly dissatisfied with being awake. The other half remained wide awake, potentially completing a late assignment, gaming into the night, shedding tears and seeking forgiveness from God (Rollo), or possibly grappling with insomnia.

One the other hand Ortho Expecting his brother to be wide awake, Ortho anticipated the usual sight of him glued to his computer screen as if it were his lifeline. However, that morning brought an unexpected change. His brother was sprawled on the floor, fixated on his thumb like a lovesick high schooler, giggling, and mumbling words in a charmingly incorrect manner.

"Ortho!! You're awake! How was your power nap?" exclaimed Idia, unusually excited and brimming with life, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

"Who is this?! What did he do to my gloomy, depressed older brother? Is this the real world, or am I still dreaming? Yeah, probably,"Ortho pondered deeply. Deciding not to spoil his mood, he chose to ignore it for now.

"It was great, nii-san. But what put you in such a great mood, especially in the morning?" Ortho inquired.

Huh, me? I'm always in a good mood when I see the most adorable robot, who happens to be my lovely younger brother," Idia said, faking an innocent face to lure his younger brother.

'Liar! Oh, that's probably because I took his lab coat and forbade him from wearing it indoors to game,' Ortho thought, starting to feel slightly annoyed by his older brother's bad hygiene habits.

"No, I'm not giving your lab coat back. Deal with it," Ortho stated as he made his way towards the door. Idia hurriedly closed it, panicking, "No, wait! That's not what I was going to ask!"

"So you want something from me. I am hurt, nii-san," Ortho faked an expression of being hurt to tease his brother. Idia was starting to think he hurt the little robot's feelings.

"No, no, no, you got it all wrong—" but Ortho interrupted him before he could continue his sentence.

"I'm just joking, nii-san. Of course, I am happy to help with anything, except illegal behavior, of course," Ortho finished with a little giggle.

"You know, maybe I'm starting to regret letting you resign from the film club," Idia said, feeling like a fool being played by his brother like that.

"You still didn't answer my question, though," Ortho asked, ignoring his last pity remark.

"Define illegal?" Idia asked, not meeting Ortho's gaze. On the other hand, Ortho was starting to worry about what kind of foolish things his brother got himself into, or maybe he was planning something harmful.

"I don't know, maybe kidnapping?!" answered a very concerned and confused Ortho.

"For your information, the king of the underworld kidnapped his lover, and she still loved him back."

"Idia... That was a story our parents used to tell us before bed. You're not planning to kidnap someone, are you?" Ortho was in a frenzy from his brother's crazy ideas, and a very uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"Is this the part where you tell me you were joking?" asked Ortho, trying to break the silence.

"Nope, I am dead serious," replied Idia without hesitation.

"But that's the part where I leave and forget that this conversation happened," giggled Ortho.

"Unless you want me to cook up a plan that doesn't involve kidnapping and Stockholm syndrome," ortho suggested as idia analyzed his plans and the possibilities. He thought that maybe giving Ortho a chance might help him.

"But if it doesn't work, we'll go back to my original plan," Ortho couldn't help but sigh at his brother.

"Ah, fine. But only because I know my plan will work just fine. Go get some sleep; you look like a sleep-deprived zombie," he added, knowing he was dealing with Idia.

"Sleeping is overrated."

"Go to bed, or I am calling Mum." Ortho was ready to stoop that low just to get his brother to bed.

As the day went by, Idia couldn't help but feel like something was amiss. After his previous conversation with Ortho, the little robot was nowhere to be found. Worry started to gnaw at him, but his concerns were momentarily replaced when Ortho sent him a text, instructing him to go to the woods behind the ramshackle dorm in the dead of night.

'I have a very bad feeling about this,' Idia thought to himself, screaming internally.

Meanwhile, with Ortho and the ramshackle perfect, Ortho was set on putting his plan into action. Following his unconventional conversation with Idia, he sought out the perfect. If his brother couldn't talk to her normally, then he would help him, whether Idia liked it or not.

This led him to engage in a pleasant conversation with the perfect, highlighting how wonderful his brother truly was and how much of a sweetheart he could be once you got to know him. Surprisingly, the perfect seemed to take a liking to Idia.

'Everything is falling according to the plan,' Ortho couldn't help but think to himself.

"You know, Ortho, I actually enjoy talking with you. It feels nice conversing with an intelligent being once in a while," her words filled Ortho's ears, eliciting a giggle from him.

"You know, Perfect, I made a surprise for you," Ortho's words reached her, and she couldn't help but feel confused.

"Huh, me?"

"Yeah, you. I heard that you were searching for your soulmate, and I think I can help you," Ortho's voice carried a hint of knowing something she didn't.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?! Lead the way, lil guy."

"Heheh, I knew you would listen to me,but you will lead the way , we will you the string around your finger as our guide " their laughter filled the small forest as they ventured into the pitch black forest

On the other side, as Idia walked into the small forest, he couldn't help but groan at the soreness he felt, and the burning sensation around his thumb wasn't helping at all.

'Ortho, you're lucky that I love you because if I didn't, I wouldn't be here,' he sighed. Despite the discomfort, he continued walking, occasionally bumping his head into random tree branches. After five minutes of aimless wandering, he heard voices.

The voices were familiar, in fact, it was his brother's voice along with another. Out of curiosity, he stealthily made his way closer to eavesdrop on his brother's conversation. However, his not-so-subtle attempt at stealth was thwarted when he accidentally snapped a stick under his foot, prompting the perfect and Ortho to look around in confusion.

"Huh, no, I didn't hear anything at all," Ortho replied, attempting to divert the perfect's attention away from the mysterious noise who was probably his brother;to salvage his plan.

"I swear I heard something."

"Well, if you're interested, I can look for it, but you have to follow the red string on your pinkie, though."

"But—"

"No 'buts,' go!" Ortho insisted, lightly pushing her forward.

"Fine, but if I get kidnapped, it's your fault."

"Don't worry, no one will kidnap you today, at least," he muttered the last words to himself with a sarcastic laugh.

"What was that?" the perfect questioned, catching Ortho off guard.

"Nothing at all"

As the perfect followed the red string, she felt like she was chasing prey that kept slipping away every time she got close. Unbeknownst to her, Idia was indeed running away from her, fueled by a desperate attempt to avoid being caught. However, his limited stamina betrayed him, leaving him gasping for air while leaning against a tree for support.

"Finally found you! Do you know how many sticks and stones I tripped over to reach you?" she exclaimed as she approached the crouched and breathless Idia. Despite the guilt creeping in, he mustered the courage to turn around and face her.

"Well, congratulations on finding what you were searching for. But sorry to disappoint you, though. I'm not going to be your knight in shining armor or the prince that will whisk you away to his fairy castle. Feel free to turn around and go home. I'm ready for rejection," he added with a touch of sarcasm before turning away and attempting to walk off.

Just then, he felt something grab his hand. "Look, we landed on the wrong foot here. How about we get to know each other first? Even though Ortho told me a lot of great stories about you, I'd like to hear it from your mouth. I'll start first," she suggested, extending her hand for him to shake.

"Hello there, my soulmate. My name is Y/n; I am the ramshackle perfect. I'm not from here, and I would like to know more about you." To say Idia was stunned was understandable, but he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away, so he shook her hand.

"Idia Shroud, Ignihyde dorm leader. Nice to meet you too, I guess."

"Ortho was right; you can be nice when you want to be," she exclaimed with a little giggle.

"Speaking of Ortho, where is he?" she wondered, looking around.

"No idea, but I wouldn't worry too much. He's probably here hiding somewhere."

Unknown to them, the little robot was sitting in the tree above them, silently observing as they chatted the night away. Ortho, perched in the branches, watched with a contented smile as his matchmaking efforts unfolded. The trio enjoyed each other's presence without realizing that this ordinary night would lead them to something even more magical.

As they laughed and shared stories under the moonlit canopy, the small forest became witness to the beginning of a beautiful journey. Little did they know, the magic of that night would set the stage for countless more enchanting moments and enduring connections, weaving a tapestry of memories that would last a lifetime. The little robot, hidden among the leaves, silently celebrated the success of his unexpected and heartwarming adventure in bringing two souls together.

[honeyandbiscuitandtea-cafe]

🛑 The free pass for Rants and Musings has reached you 🛑

If there is anything you’d like to rant or talk about, but no one’s ever asked you about it, consider this the ask you need to yap about it as much as you want! Have fun ✨

So I was mulling over answering this question for the past week because I kept on overthinking things and just had so many things I wanted to talk about ranging from character analysis to OC's or just generally talking about favorite characters but instead of talking about any of that I've decided instead to talk about something that has been plaguing my mind for a while which is

𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓷 𝓙𝓙𝓚 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓪 𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻

Now hear me out this is something which has been plaguing my mind for a while like it just won't leave me alone so as a monster fucker myself I have decided to analyze which characters I believe would be down to get freaky with someone who possesses more monstrous features for example something like sukuna's heian era true form like like the scale of a monster fucker can range from human with monster features like claws multiple eyes extra limbs and appendages or a half human hybrid to a literal eldritch abomination that doesn't resemble anything human I will be basing this all by the way on my own personal opinion so it's okay if you disagree just please don't attack me for my opinion this is also half serious and half for fun so don't be so dramatic about it I'm just doing this for fun and also cause I thought it'd be funny to talk about

So I have been thinking of this for a while and since there are so many characters in JJK I've narrowed down my list to the top 8 I believe have the most potential the list by the way is in no order I just put the people I believe to be down to bang a monster if possible or if their s/o was not human/or half human or happened to possess a cursed technique that altered their body to give them a more monstrous appearance now anyways let us begin the list with

Kenjaku

Yorozu

Kashimo

Yuta (aged up)

Choso

Yuki

Hiromi

Toji

Now I will now explain my reasons as to why I believe these characters are monster fuckers

Kenjaku - Come on now we all know how freaky this man is he legitimately banged sukuna's reincarnated twin and even gave birth if that's not freaky I don't know what is also not just that he's also shown to be a highly curious and knowledge driven person so I believe he would be 100% down to bang a someone a lot more on the monster side both for curiosity and at the same time just to experience it and just in case it may come in handy in the future

Kashimo and Yorozu - I group these together because it's because these two are just down bad for Sukuna like yorozu was legit willing to throw herself at him in his true form what's not to say she wouldn't be willing to bang him also in that form and we all know that one panel of kashimo witnessing sukuna transform into his true form and calling him "beautiful" like I also believe he would down to smash if you possessed inhumane qualities

Yuta - Now I think we can also tell why I put him here like that man has already been shown to not be afraid of kissing cursed spirits examples being rika and that cockroach curse (I forgot it's name) in the culling game so I think it's safe to say he probably would be willing to smash if you had monster qualities I also believe that he wouldn't judge your appearance no matter how monstrous as long as you were a good person

Choso - I feel like he's a lot like yuta in that he's not one to judge if you looked more on the monstrous side like the whole reason he went along with kenjaku's plan at first was so that he's brothers could live in a world where they wouldn't be discriminated for their appearance so I feel like as long as he liked you he wouldn't mind getting down and dirty

Yuki - It's kinda hinted at in the manga that she had a thing for choso and to be honest who could blame her she has fantastic taste honestly but because of that I feel like she also wouldn't mind if you were not exactly fully human like how choso was half human half curse or had a more monstrous appearance if she likes you she likes you simple as that

Hiromi - Now please hear me out on this one he may seem out of place on this list but I just feel that deep within my soul that this man is a monster fucker like I feel like after he goes off the rails he legitimately would not care to be honest if you had more monstrous appearance as long as you were a good person and he also did say that he's been trying out new things he hasn't done before and banging a monster could be one of them

Toji - Same thing for hiromi honestly not that much proof more or less the vibes I get from him like this man seems also like such a freak he wouldn't mind doing the nasty if you didn't look exactly human like he did say that the cursed spirit kuchisake-onna looked interesting for a one night stand so yeah I feel like he'd be down

So anyways this is my list and opinions thank you for sticking through to the end and listening to me be unhinged and ramble about this if you have any other characters you think could be on the list let me know I would be happy to discuss it

[silvers-starrway]

for the ask GAMEEEEE 💥🌻🤩🤔

HI MELODY!!!!

💥 What is one canon thing that you wish you could change? Sonic would be trans /j. I guess if there was one thing I would change it's Silver's whole deal, like don't get me wrong I love that he's from the future and it works well with his character but like... I wish there was some kind of explanation. I'd personally change it to maybe the time stones having something to do with it or Gaia/some other powerful force designated him as the timeline's guardian (extra juicy if he's not aware of that/it's against his will). I just feel like there is a lot of lost potential with Silver which I hope IDW will address a lil more since last we saw was him and Blaze just chilling out.

🌻 How often do you read your own fics? Not that often tbh. I think I reread my team dark fic like... last month? but that's really it. I'm a one and done kind of person. Once it's posted I don't wanna see that again!! Unless I'm specifically looking for something to make sure details stay the same between chapters.

🤩 What led to your interest in the fandom? Tbh I think I was always interested in Sonic since I was a kid but ya know, Sonic was kinda cringe and I was trying very hard to not be a cringe kid. So once I got super into Prime I thought to myself... hey fuck it! Cringe is dead! I'm gonna go draw Sonic fanart even if it's bad!!! And holy shit did that open up a whole new world of possibilities. This is the first fandom I've become active in and it's been really nice so far!!

🤔 Would you ever want to write something canon if you got the opportunity? Oh man... I don't know if I could to be honest. I would love to write something for cannon tbh, like a lil miniseries following the Chaotix or some other side characters or put some characters together that don't get a lot of interaction. So I guess the answer to this is yes haha. It's a pretty intense pipe dream honestly but I would love to work a little with Sonic Team whether it was a game or a comic.

Ask game is here!

[yukidragon]

hi im super new to swwsdj and its lore and i gotta ask, how exactly did jack die? was he murdered was it an onset accident and if so how did that accident go? if we dont truly know then whats ur hc for what happened to him? u seem to be the leading authority on the game since anytime i google it, ur blog shows up pretty prominently.

Wait, me, a leading authority of the game? Prominently featured in google searches? WHAT?

Pardon me, I was just a little overwhelmed for a second there. I'm flattered and flustered all at once. I'm just a silly fan who likes to ramble all the thoughts I have for this lovely game. I had no idea that I rambled enough to be a prominent search result on google. Wow.

The real authority of the game are the kind folks over at SnaccPop Studios. You can check them out over at their patreon, twitter, and tumblr. Also, there's an official tumblr and twitter for Sunny Day Jack that you might consider checking out.

While I'm getting disclaimers out of the way, I also want to make sure to credit them and the awesome Sauce for their lovely art and for being cool with me putting their art in posts like these to help discuss their fabulous game. It really helps illustrate what I'm talking about when I can show the actual illustrations.

Also, remember not to share anything privately posted on the patreon!

Anyway... back to the topic. While we can't say with complete certainty what happened to Jack in 1984 on the day he died, since the game's story is still in development, evidence strongly hints that he was murdered. I theorized in the past that he was shot due to some teaser art and some sprites Sauce was kind enough to share that show him with what look suspiciously like gunshot wounds.

How the incident went down exactly is unknown, but this teaser certainly shows the brutal aftermath. Not to mention the demo shows us hints in the form of childish doodles before the start of the game. It seems there were children in the audience who witnessed the final moments of Sunny Day Jack...

This bit of lost media from Sauce's old twitter is still so chilling to think about. Any development art can't be technically counted as canon if it's not on any official SDJ page, but this heavily suggests how the incident went down.

As for my headcanons about what happened... They've developed somewhat over time, as you can see in a few of my previous posts here, here, and here. I also touched on it in a potential storyline idea for my fanfic, Sunshine in Hell, with my version of his sunshine, Alice, being the reincarnation of someone who unfortunately witnessed the incident. I also played with an AU idea where MC/Alice time travels back to 1984 to stop the murder from happening.

While we do have hints that Jack was the victim of murder, and even what might have been the cause of death, we don't have any clues as to why it happened. We also don't know why his soul was trapped in the tape and turned him into the ghost(?) we know and love. We have a lot of speculation, from his past as Joseph Cullman catching up to him in a violent way, a jealous co-star wanting to take him out, or even a conspiracy set up by LambsWork Productions itself. It could go in any direction at this point.

Sorry I can't offer a definitive answer as to how Jack died or why, but I hope this at least gives you a few things to think about. I'm definitely looking forward to finding out the answers when the full game is released.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur