#Idk if this actually counts that much as a spoiler but just to be safe

[iliveinyourceiling65]

GAMES UNTOLD SPOILERS

Oh my god and I thought Jameson and Avery were freaky in the excerpt 💀💀

[writingismyfortune]

new look | dan heng || honkai star rail one shot

published on august 9th, 2023.

pairing: dan heng x reader

genre: fluff

word count: idk, but it’s kind of short?

synopsis: you woke up to your boyfriend, dan heng, in his new form. that’s the gist of it.

warning: lowercase is intended! there’s some slight spoilers from the new story quest (not from a lore standpoint. it’s in terms of bosses and dan heng’s new look). dan heng’s new look has me on a chokehold fr.

hazy vision, heart rate is accelerating…your head is spinning…the strong stench of your blood…your shallow breathing…that’s what you can only focus on.

last time you recall, you were fighting phantylia in her little domain along with general jing yuan. then next thing you knew, your vision went black. the flowers she summoned continues to drain your life, weakening your strength even more. general jing yuan was concerned for your health before the fight, but you said that you were fine.

general jing yuan trusted you, so he allowed you to fight along side him to defeat this lord ravager. he did have a feeling that he shouldn’t have done that though. but you were so persistent on helping jing yuan that he couldn’t say no. that determined look in your eye was so strong and powerful.

before you completely passed out from exhaustion and your injuries, you saw this cyan colored dragon come from the ground…? where did that…come from? who is this cyan dragon? seems like it finished the job of defeating phantylia though.

a tall figure appears in front of you before you completely passed out. his long black hair flows down his back…he stands in front of you protectively…is this a god hearing your blessing? what is going on exactly? who is this guy? why is he protecting you? why is he look so hot- (a/n: just like me fr)

but before you could even process what was happening after phantylia was defeated, you passed out. what a good time to pass out…

without knowing how much time has passed, you woke up in someone’s arms. your vision still a little blurry, you rub your eyes a little to adjust your vision. looking up, you’re met with…oh wait, you remember this guy. recognizing his cyan horns, you wondered if you’re actually dead or something.

staring at him up close, you realize how gorgeous this guy is. his cyan eyes look alluring to look at. no, you’re still loyal to your boyfriend dan heng. however, you can’t help, but admire his features. the gods above must’ve gave him the special treatment. you thought you were in heaven, so you ask a random question out loud.

“am i dead…?”

the unspecified dragon guy looks at you funny, as if he’s silently asking you what do you mean by that question. not only that, he’s confused why you’re asking such a question.

“you’re perfectly alive, [your name]. i was extremely worried about you. you should’ve stayed out of that phantylia fight after you fought off those marastruck…” he responds to your question. wait, how did he know that you were fighting some marastruck soldiers…? there’s no other way…unless…

“what. how did you know that? i am dead, aren’t i…you’re some unknown aeon, aren’t you?” the dragon looking guy looks at you with his eyebrows furrowing, he’s so confused.

“did something hit your head? you’re spouting complete nonsense again,” he asks you. he continues speaking, looking up at the clear skies. “to be fair, you’re always speaking nonsense from time to time. not only that, you did just woke up. anyways, phantylia is defeated now…hopefully xianzhou is safe now.” he said lightly with this slight hopeful tone in his voice. he adds this sweet line after, which completely makes your heart skip a beat.

“and i’m relieved that you’re okay, [your name].”

huh…so this dragon guy knows your name and he’s also very sweet with you. that’s kind of suspicious, you thought. in addition, this is the first time that you’ve seen him in your life. so really, you find this weird. but do you mind it? kind of, you feel like you’re cheating on your boyfriend, dan heng. well, at least you’ll have stories to tell once you come back to the astral express.

you can’t wait to tell dan heng what happened today…you considered that he might get slightly jealous over this dragon dude though, which you are excited to see.

you grab your phone and start texting dan heng, telling him about your adventures. you then hear a ringtone from the dragon guy’s pocket…

the dragon guy grabs his phone and looks at the notification he just received. you stare at the phone case…you’ve seen that phone case before…that’s the same one that dan heng has.

that normal black phone case? yeah, you can recognize that bland ass phone case from anywhere. you tried to convince him to change it into something more cooler, but dan heng didn’t want to as the phone case is still functional.

the dragon guy then looks at you, one of his eyebrows raising in curiosity.

“[your name], why did you send me a message when we’re literally next to each other? you could’ve just told me your adventures face to face…you don’t have to text me about it.”

“huh, what did you say?” you responded, your expression immediately looks confused. and then…oh shit.

that’s when you realized…that’s when you connected two and two together…wait a minute.

“wait…you’re dan heng?” you asked the dragon guy. in reaction to your question, his cheeks immediately flushed. his eyes dart to the side, avoiding any eye contact with you.

“no way. you’re actually dan heng…like my boyfriend, dan heng?” you ask again, your eyes are wide in excitement. they sparkle in delight.

“…i know i look different, but yes. i’m the dan heng you know and love, [your name].”

“oh my aeons.” you said softly, clearly still very flabbergasted to know this fact.

“i was scared you wouldn’t like my new look…but i had to confirm it with you.” dan heng exclaims. his eyes look elsewhere, deep in thought about something. then he looks at you, he’s slightly pouting. it’s very subtle, but you know it’s there.

“you didn’t even recognize it was me…do i really look that different?” he asks you. “i can’t change back to my original form even if i wanted to…” he adds.

you shake your head without hesitation with this knowing grin on your face.

“you do look different, but not in a bad way. in fact, i think i dig this new look actually.”

dan heng clears his throat at your bold compliment, trying to keep his composure. you stare at his cyan horns, in which, he notices.

“do you want to touch my horns?” dan heng asks you as he puts you down on your feet. he brings his head down a little, letting you touch them. he looks at you expectedly.

you look so excited to touch his horns, your eyes sparkling. glancing up at dan heng, you ask him if he’s really okay with you patting his horns, for a final confirmation. dan heng gives you a nod with this warm smile, saying that he’s perfectly fine with you patting his horns.

and so you reach over and pet his horns gently…they were a little rough around the edges and they’re very dense and strong. they have a similar texture to horns of a goat or a reindeer, if that makes any sense.

you notice that dan heng’s big, cyan dragon tail is wagging a little…it’s clear he enjoys you patting his horns like this. finding this cute, you continue patting his horns gently, your fingers moving along his strong cyan horns.

“your touch is very gentle, my dear.” dan heng says softly, his cyan eyes look at you with warmth. you continue patting his horns, a satisfied grin on your face, clearly happy to see that your boyfriend is comfortable.

“you know, before you identified yourself, i felt like i was cheating on you…even though there wasn’t anything happening.” you said, still patting his horns. “i mean, i found you attractive…but it appears that it was you all along, dan heng. turns out i just fell for you again~”

dan heng’s cheeks go a little red again hearing this, but he’s very happy to hear that. it appears he softens up with it comes to you. otherwise, he isn’t easily flustered…it’s just that his reserved demeanor falls right off when it comes to you.

in addition, your touch makes him turn into putty. he’s so whipped for you. he’s also glad that you love this new look of his…maybe he’ll keep it around for the time being (once he finds out how to change back), just to see your excited smile again when you pat his horns. he loves it when your eyes light up when you touch his horns, your soft and gentle touch full of affection and love.

back then, he wasn’t very fond of this new look as it reminded him of his treacherous past that he ran away from. but now…it seems like…

it seems like he has a reason to love this new look. you made him love himself even more. not only that, he continuously falls for you little by little every single day.

his new look doesn’t only define his past anymore. it defines his future too. it's now something that makes you happy. for once, he appreciates this new look of his.

maybe his new look isn’t so bad after all.

end of one shot. next chapter: n/a

[vegaseatsass]

My Stand-In Episode 10

Just a few scattered notes of things I have on my mind.

I have been very very very obsessed with the moment where Joe breaks up with Ming after Ming's mom went in on them. See, originally I took Joe at his word: He's tired. He's tired of the constant melodrama, the neverending battle just to exist. Ming and his family already killed Joe once, he just wants some quiet contentment and to not feel like he's fighting for his life every time he holds his boyfriend's hand. Honestly, I really loved that, that their breakup this episode wasn't a contrived fight full of blame and accusation, but was simply Joe realizing he's too exhausted and walking away.

But then it hit me like a load of bricks, that no, actually. Joe didn't end things in that moment because he wants peace and quiet. He left before Ming could hurt him again. He left because he didn't believe Ming would stand up to his mother or his family - or more like, he didn't want to let himself start hoping he could, and get disappointed. Since the funeral, Ming has been giving Joe everything he ever wanted Ming to give him and more (I mean if you don't count "respecting his boundaries" as something Joe wants but 1. Ming is kiiiinda starting to get there by the end of this ep lmao? 2. I'm talking about everything Joe wants to feel from Ming on a visceral level, more than what would make his relationship safe and sane). Ming has been telling Joe over and over again that he loves him, showing Joe over and over that he chooses him, showing Joe at every turn that Tong is nothing to him. No matter how much Joe or Ing push Ming or test Ming, Ming just keeps coming back and reaffirming his commitment to Joe, adapting to who Joe is now and offering him anything and everything he can give, sincerely, determinedly vowing to put him first. Joe has been trying so hard not to let himself want it or believe in it, but by the time they're in that meeting room with Ming's mom, he is back in honeymoon mode with Ming, truly starting to believe he gets to have the kind of relationship (two-sided. equal. where Joe is taken care of and spoiled and chased, not just the caretaker and spoiler and chaser) it used to feel too greedy to dare hope for.

And then Ming's mom reminds him of how easy (Joe thinks) it will be for Ming to pull the rug out from under him again, and send it all crashing down. Just like in his first life in honeymoon mode, when he realized Ming was here for Tong and not him, that this relationship that was making him feel so whole and safe was all a lie.

Like with something as big as breaking with a family that will never accept his sexuality, Joe has no instinct to "test" Ming or give him an ultimatum. I don't actually think it's with real disappointment in Ming himself that Joe gives up on Ming choosing him before Ming even gets the chance to try. I think Joe is probably completely sympathetic to the choice he expects Ming to make, and intellectually, doesn't begrudge it of him, the way he would (or should) begrudge so many of the actual terrible things Ming has done to him. But it still hurts so much to have reality force its way into their bubble, and remind Joe that even Ming trying his absolute hardest can't protect Joe from feeling that crushing loss again. So he takes himself away from the situation before it has the opportunity to hurt him again.

Idk if I'm getting at why I'm so obsessed with this, but there's just something to me about how happy Joe must have been feeling at Ming's side, to need to proactively remove himself from the situation to avoid getting his heart shattered like those mugs. Like "I'm tired" means "I can't do these high-lows anymore. I can't feel this good and have it taken away again." This is exactly why he's been trying so so so hard to freeze his heart around Ming: So he's not vulnerable to the particular kind of hurt he never recovered from in his first life.

And I just find it very moving that the source of that hurt this time isn't Ming making disastrous choices. It's something neither Ming nor Joe has control over. And Joe knows that! But it still hurts too much to hope and want things.

Meanwhile, Ming is like: Hope and want whatever you want, beloved. I am now Mr. Makes Shit Happen. I can do anything as long as you're alive in this world.

Which is another thing I've been thinking a lot about. Sol and Ming both trying to make themselves into these superperson supershields so things will be Different This Time, and smacking up against some natural end limits to their abilities. For Sol, no matter how hard he turns himself upside down trying to make himself into someone Joe can pick instead of Ming, the attraction will never be there, and Ming always WILL be there, reminding Joe of his feelings for him. For Ming, the limit on his absolutely determined devotion to Joe is his family. And Sol and Ming, both trying so hard to be bigger and more than they are, when they come face to face with their limit still refuse to back down. No matter how laughably futile it is.

To me, Ming standing there looking all tiny at the bottom of the stairs with his dad looming at the top is the equivalent of how manically out of his element trying to do the impossible Sol was in episode 9. But just like Sol, Ming can't stop now. No matter what happens in episode 11, Ming has to try to fight this impossible fight. Neither of them is willing to leave anything on the table after losing Joe once before.

Idk I wonder if they will have to work together before the end hahaha... we'll see.

I had more thoughts but this is once again a monster post so I will end by simply reiterating how amazing and hilarious I think it is that Tong tried to get Ming to pay him HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF BAHT for the privilege of removing the only source of happiness from his life. Like come to the meeting room, Ming! Let's make a deal where you go back to being depressed and alone, and give me all the money I want! Surely this will work out in a way where we can both walk out satisfied! The lion the witch and the audacity of this bitch <3 <3 <3 <3

[vampiric-succulent]

OUAW EP 46:

Spoilers y’all! Also this one is REALLY long. And. Uh. Yeah.

Oh shit the Jabberwock figure!!! Is this the sword that the Campestri were talking about?

Blue vs red roses…….

Given that this is possibly the Palace/Kingdom of Heart’s Desire, maybe the blue represents the allies of Zybilna and the red represents the hags (or maybe opposite bc the temple seems to be of the hags—-idk)

Is the Jabberwock hag-aligned? Or is it kinda doing it’s own thing

TORBEK AND THE HOSES

Gricko and Frost go trick or treating w hootsie!!!

FROST GLASSES MOMENT LETS GO

“Gideon chooses not to read. Torbek can’t read. We are not the same.”

Love that Gricko gaslit Gideon into pulling the sword out of the stone and he didn’t even have to try to get him to do it

Also love how Nikkie’s immediate idea is “let’s rip the page out of the expensive book”

“Gideon’s trying to vandalize private property” “That has NEVER been a problem for you before” “…We’ll talk about this afterwards.”

Oooh cool sword

Guys what do you think “galumphing” is—- there we go

“I don’t know if we count— we’re friends!” “They’ve seen you masturbate many times.” OH

At the jabberwock fighting arena. Straight up “galumphing” it. And by it. Well. Let’s juts say. My blade

Ohh wait maybe the roses thing is who can get to the Jabberwock first

JABBERWOCK DEEZ NUTS AND GRICKO IS CRYING

IT. ITS GALUMPHING. WOW

He can’t galumph 😭😭

“WELL GET UP HERE AND HELP ME GALUMPH!!!” I AM GOING TO CHOKE

How many nat20s can Mace get

Oh shit!!! I think the blue petals was right!! It was an accident but still right

Love Gricko’s parental moments w Hootsie. I live for that

Oh it’s just some kid’s room

SHE HAS THE KREMY KNIGHT ATOP GID’S STEED AND THE GID KNIGHT ATOP KREMY’S

What if this girl is like Fate? Like she’s controlling the story as she plays with her toys

If she is fate and those two steeds are switched then I will be very happy

Hey leave Derek alone yes the connection is laid out but it’s a lot of info chill

OHHHHH FUCK THE LITTLE PRINCE!!!!!!!!!!!! YEP OKAY SO SHES PLAYING THE STORY AS IT GOES—- so who’s Grandmother??? Can’t be Zybilna as she’s asleep and locked away, id be so shocked if it was something like Baba Yaga

BUHBUHBUH WHAT IF THE CHILD IS ZYBILNA OMGOMGOMGOMGOMFOMG

Grandmother brought her into the tower because she says it’s not safe. The child doesn’t know what’s outside the tower. The child says it’s not wise to say her name and that Grandmother says she is very powerful “even for her age.” Zybilna is stuck in time— I thought that meant she was trapped in slowed time but maybe she’s trapped in eternal childhood? That makes so much sense. Oh my god.

I’m convinced this child is Zybilna

THERES A SNAKE IN TORBEK’S BOOT. Very sad that Andy isn’t going the Toy Story route tho.

GRICKO IS A CLOWN. GRICKO IS A CLOWN. MIKEY IS BACK IN HIS ELEMENT. CHUCKLES RETURNS.

Why does Zybilna like the Jabberwock? Or whatever it was before? What was it before?? WHO IS THE PRINCE ACTUALLY??? And why can they not work without each other if the party is here now???

I am also scared rn. What if they never turn back.

DEREK BEING A MIME IS SO PERFECT

Loving Derek’s mimings

YES RICH IS GOING THE TOY STORY ROUTE

BRETT IS BACK

“Do you have your Mojo Dojo Casa House?” “Well let’s find out— can you open your ass?”

Ohh is the Prince the King of Hearts??? That would make sense

HER TWIG PUPPET??? And the roses are bad????

NOT THE ELABORATION ON THE POTATO TOY ASS STORAGE

“There ain’t no eyeballs in this ass!”

“You cannot see that boy anymore, T— I mean, Morgana” WHAT IS THE NAME YOU WERE GOING TO SAY??? If it’s Titania then I’m so wrong about everything

WHAT IF THIS CHILD IS THE BABY SISTER OF THE HAGS?????? Didn’t they say that the baby’s name is Tasha or something?? So why is she aligned with the Prince and, presumably, Zybilna??? DOES THIS MEAN THE GRANDMOTHER IS THE ENTITY IN THE HUT?????????????????????

Yup. Yup yup yup. So she’s not necessarily with Zybilna, just anti-Jabberwock for some reason. Why????

Well this is giving me some ideas

“Twig belongs to herself. Get rekt.”

“If anything happens to Twig, you will all pay the price.” Uh oh. Something’s gonna happen to Twig again.

OH THEYRE IN AN HOURGLASS. HOLY FUCK

also what if Zybilna and the fourth sister are the same? I think that might be not possible given timelines but still

HOLY FUCK IS THIS BABA YAGA????? (I’m very latched into this Baba Yaga thing but I think it’s right unless there’s someone else who fits the Time narrative better)

THE JABBERWOCK IS HERE

Mace save your 20s!!!!!

Shit man I gotta go to sleep

OH FUCK FROST DOWN

This is gonna be a TPK unless y’all run NOW

Gideon please use your fancy dagger

YUP CALLED IT IT WANTS THE KING OF HEARTS’ CHESS PIECES

GUYS PLEASE CONSIDER MULTICLASSING INTO CLERICS AND OR PALADINS AND OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN HEAL

Frost is being iconic rn

ARENT JABBERWOCKS A DRAGON LIKE FEY CREATURE???!??!!???!

Okay so Gideon is dead! Great!! Nikkie what’s your rule on taking damage beyond your death points??

THIS THING DOES SO MUCH HOLY FUCK

You guys are not defeating this thing I’m so sorry

FUCK. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

Oh my god. Gideon is dead. Like actually dead. Kremy is down. And Gricko told Hootsie to run. I’m sure he’ll catch up soon. Surely.

Nikkie what the fuck??!?!?! Why would you dread that???? Genuinely this thing is too much for these guys what the fuck is your plan

Oh my god Kremy is going to die

What possibly could they have done to get out of this????? The thing has tracking abilities they were fucked either way—- the only possible way to get out of this thing would be to get rid of the chess pieces quickly but NIKKIE KEPT DREADING THE GODDAMN INT AND PERCEPTION CHECKS

FUCK KREMY IS DEAD. KREMY AND GIDEON ARE DEAD.

They’re not. They’re not getting out of this. They’re all dead.

There’s gotta be a reason Nikkie is going so viciously at this. There’s gotta be some sort of catch or save. Please let there be some sort of save. Please. Please. This has gotta be some sort of nightmare. Please let this just be a nightmare. Please. Please. Please.

Fuck this is literally Frost’s nightmare. This is exactly the situation he saw in the Tunnel of Terror. All his friends are dying and there’s nothing he can do about it. Also that is my nightmare specifically

NOT HOOTISE. COME ON NIKKIE. NOT HOOTSIE.

This has to be a nightmare! Or some sort of dread vision!!!! They’re all gonna wake up at the end of the session and be fine!!!!!!!!

There’s no way that the Jabberwock just comes out and ends then. I know it’s totally powerful enough to do that but there’s so much story left.

Okay. Okay no. No one woke up. There was no dream. No nightmare. No thankful awakening. They’re dead.

I’m still going to hold out hope.

[foundfam2754]

S17e10 (finale!) live reactions!

Spoilers…obviously

- AHHH this is it!! finally! here. we. go.

- yeah they better not hurt my kiddos thank you very much

-I’m telling you NOW. this is all about Elias. He’s the center of the conspiracy. that’s been my theory since e1. if he didn’t say anything about GS, none of this would have started

- of course, Emily’s kidnapped again. That HAS be in Paget’s contract or something

- where are JJ and Luke?? boyf and bff up to no good again

- what did Emily do?? what’s she being judged for?

- I KNEW IT. THEY WERE GONNA DO FLASHBACKS AGAIN

- tbh this has to be the least scary time that’s she’s been “abducted and interrogated” lol

- I KNEW IT. My “Emily abduction count” was 4

- this is the “dramatic and cry-y” outfit for Pen!!

- I think my theory is right!! if you have been reading my reaction posts every week you’ll know I have a theory about this season:

that the underlying conspiracy of the season being that they’re (BAU and the gold stars) doing everything Elias wants them to do - and it was all to get him out of jail and to screw over the BAU, and it all started with Bailey’s “gold star” in 16x10. especially because the only way they can resolve it is by confiding in voit. because he knows everything and how everyone really feels. and everyone’s priorities

- lol elias’ cell looks like a college dorm

- I KNEW IT I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE CONSPIRACY. - ELIAS. IS. THE. CENTER OF IT!!! I’m just so proud of myself

- OMG that’s not a spin I saw coming

- wait wait wait did I forget or did they JUST tell us about Emily’s sister

- aw man doug bailey’s such a good egg

- chaotic voit is so fucking funny

- also that’s a cool shot

- god doug bailey is *so* cute

- oh god - voit knew if bailey ended up on that wall, pete would fall into deeper into the conspiracy!! 🤯🤯

- BIT THROUGH HER TONGUE?

- how does emily end up being cool and such a bitch badass even when she’s in that much pain!??

- “Jenny?” ew

- “we can smell you later” HAHA

- haha I fucking love Tyler “thought experiment”

- “hey, Ty-Ty” “Lucas” I FUCKING LOVE CHAOTIC ELIAS

- oh my god Penelope, stay safe

- PEN PROTECTING TYLER!!! it actually threw him off, you could see his face, it’s the eye contact specifically that threw him off

- oh my god that’s horrifying

- this whole episode is the bau trying to throw Elias of and v/v

- oh god I forgot about emily

- is she about to say that she loved him? pls, I kinda liked them together

- also a lil inconsistency that bugs me; in 15x4, they said that you can never talk down a conspiracy theorist, a targeted individual - they just have to let them believe what they believe - so why is Em trying to convince them so hard, shouldn’t she profile them? idk

- wait I don’t get it, how does the board relate to the team coming?? wouldn’t they have booby trapped it either way? why does Luke dancing in a towel after his shower have anything to do with it??😂

- omg Luke

- OMG dave this is so smart

- Jade’s gonna do something isn’t she??

- I KNEW IT

- when is pen going to cry? im so unsure what kirsten’s insta post was about bc the ep is almost over

- “discretion is the better part of valor” - interesting

- wait are we getting profilers back?? now that she has more money

- Penelope’s house!!

- but also no more greencia pls

- pen and luke pls?? pls? pls. :(

- wuoh elias…

GREAT SEASON!!! but we deserved garvez

looking forward to 2026, when I can do these again :)

more to come as I reflect on the season, but thanks for sticking w me as I did these reactions!!

[onyourowndaisymae]

Yoo I have two request which I’ll send the other one separately but I am in an ANGSTY mood rn sooo yah also been binging ur headcanons and stuffs and I just love the way you write ?? It’s so entertaining lol

AnywY the actual request: can you write like a one shot or headcanons if you prefer of mc who is struggling after the belphie incident ?? Like they feel like they’ve mostly forgiven him and can act normally around him and they’re friends and take naps together but sometimes the flash back just HITS THEM and they have nightmares and panic attacks that can be so bad sometimes someone needs to get Simeon to calm them down. Maybe something of how the brothers react/treat mc and belphie? Idk I’m just thirsting for like MEGA ANGST rn bc my dad made me cry little bit lmao 😭

it comes at night

hello anon! i'm terribly sorry you're in such an angsty mood, though i thank you for all the love-- and for sending this request right as these ideas were on the front of my mind. it genuinely makes me so happy to see people enjoying my work, and it makes all the writer's block and such worth it. i cannot express enough how much i love seeing all the comments, reblogs, etc. as people engage with my work.

anyways. i'm not sure how i feel about this piece, especially with how LONG it ended up being, but maybe that's just my mushy brain talking after looking at it too long. regardless-- i hope you enjoy (well, y'know, in like a sad and angsty way).

synopsis: you thought you would be able to move on like all the others. your body was healed, your anxiety tucked neatly behind a mental wall built to keep you safe. yet something in you was stuck. you couldn't just move on. you were trapped in a battle between your friendship with belphegor and the fear gnawing at your brain as you remembered what exactly he did to you. when the dam finally breaks, your whole brain floods with terror, until you're swept away with it. nobody can save you now.

genre: angst, no happy end, just a big ol spoonful of sadness

word count: ~3.1k

content warnings: chapter 16 spoilers, graphic(?) discussions of death, depictions of panic attacks, nightmares, mc progressively getting worse from fear + lack of sleep

it's funny how time works. 

you'd been around your fair share of years. you’d grown, you’d changed, you’d spent your entire life looking toward the future you had planned. then you, a mere human, were yanked into an unfamiliar world. you spent an entire year in the devildom– a year that simultaneously dragged on and flew by– and came out the other side a new person. a single year in the devildom has changed you more than the human realm has your entire life. time was a mischievous thing, always leaving you chasing behind in a fruitless pursuit of something you’ll never quite understand.

but, she also brings blessings with her. they say that time heals all wounds. you've always agreed with that sentiment. scraped knees and adolescent broken hearts are swept away with the passing days, trailing further and further behind you until one day you forget to look back and remember them. the pain scribbled down on diary pages or cried into pillow cases no longer stings like a fresh burn. these things are nothing but scars now. time has a special way of patching you up, of rubbing your back until the tears clear up and you can finally see again. that is how it's always been. 

where is time when you need it? 

she hasn't quite abandoned you, this much is true. cuts and bruises heal over the passing days. your hair and nails still grow. your body still changes, slowly but surely, marching onwards week after week. yet your mind is trapped in stasis. you struggle to break free, but at times the rot consumes you whole, until you’re crying under the covers and begging from respite from the memories. 

on the worst nights, you find yourself in the attic again, watching the door between you and belphegor swing open. you watch yourself march towards death.

you can still feel his hands around your neck, digging his claws into your fragile human skin like you're made of sand. the scent of blood-- your own blood, on the floors, on the walls, leaking from your torso and staining your clothes a permanent maroon-- still clings to the inside of your nose. even your wildest dreams could not erase the sight of his smug grin, the way his eyes lit up looking at your battered body.

no one person should have to carry the weight of realizing they're going to die. that's what you thought about when your body hit the bottom of the stairs, when belphegor tossed you down from the attic with a harsh laugh and punted your limp body into the entrance hall. you thought about how unfair this all was. you were just trying to help. you thought you were doing the right thing.

one of the worst parts of your untimely demise was watching the others react. the voices pool together in your head, like the colors of the rainbow twisting together on the surface of an oil spill. asmo's panicked shriek blends into satan's angry shouts, desperate to understand what's going on. lucifer's yelling almost drowns out the fearful cries coming from levi, held back by a very silent beel. 

but above all of that, you remember mammon. your first man, the first demon who took a chance on the defenseless little human, rushing to your side and gathering you in his arms like you were about to break. his hand on the side of your face, the tears streaming down his face, the shaky, desperate voice assuring you that you'll be okay and begging you to hang on, okay? please don't leave me. you can't remember if he was shaking or if it was your body's last ditch effort to stay conscious-- maybe both. your trembling fingers intertwined with his. words came out of your mouth, and you're not sure what exactly you said, but he only cried harder in response. 

and then, as your eyes shut for the final time, you woke at the bottom of the attic stairs. you had cheated death. 

your price? you had to carry the memories. 

the world kept spinning. days passed in the devildom. you returned to school, kept on top of your homework, spent your days in the house of lamentation alongside the seven demon brothers. you even got to know belphegor as he navigated his return home. he quickly grew fond of you. that, in and of itself, was jarring. but you returned each and every smile with one of your own. his actions were rooted in his own grief for his sister, you knew, and for that you could not fault him. you helped him repair the severed relationships between him and his elder siblings, stitching the family back together like a prized quilt until the seams of betrayal were sufficiently hidden. 

time is a traitorous bitch. why did she choose now to leave your wounds bare and bleeding?

everyone moved on but you. everyone got to wake up in the mornings without a nagging anxiety holding them back. the others could hang out with belphegor day in and day out without a growing feeling of dread popping up when you think you're safe. 

he killed you. he was grieving. your blood drenched the entryway floors as he laughed. he has grown. you watched the light leave mammon's eyes as you slipped away. belphie has been nothing but kind to you since that day. you fucking died. 

you wish your mind could pick a side. did you forgive him, or did you resent him? was he your friend, or your killer? these answers evaded you in the dead of night as you struggled to sleep again. it was becoming more common for you to lose hours of rest to these nagging fears. who are you? are you even you anymore? did the switch in timelines scatter your atoms across countless universes, leaving the you that looks back at you in the mirror nothing more than a hollow shell? 

you thought that you could keep your mind on a tight leash, keep your cards close to your chest as you continued to live with the brothers. you were wrong.

the first meltdown came during a nap with belphie. you had grown to trust him-- you thought you trusted him-- enough to sleep around him. he'd coax you every so often into an afternoon nap. always in the light of day, always your choice. and for many afternoons, you were perfectly content with this arrangement. belphie was warm and cuddly, a perfect companion for a lazy afternoon. he had this way of making you feel safe as you slept-- the nightmares couldn't come when he was snuggled up next to you, when you were sure his actions were ones of affection and not another trick to gain your trust.

one afternoon, while the sun was beginning to set, you stirred under the warmth of the blankets. the body next to yours lingered close, steady breaths lulling you back to dreamland. you could stay like this forever, you thought.

and then you felt it. the gentle graze of a familiar cow tail against your skin.

something inside of you, a dam you didn't even know was there, snapped. a hot flash of panic rose up your throat as your whole body jerked away from the feeling. your eyes shot open and you found yourself in the last place you needed to be right now: the attic. you pulled yourself out of bed before your brain could catch up. colors flashed across your vision as a consequence. you whipped around, disoriented and upset, and spotted a sleeping belphie in the bed where you once were.

a sleeping, demon belphie.

the familiar curve of his horns made your throat spasm as you tried to breathe. the colors flashed in your vision again-- oh god, what a terrible time to be left defenseless-- as your brain tried to drag you back to that day. you could practically see his face shift from relief to malicious, insidious joy as he began to attack you.

"hehe... does it hurt? finding it hard to breathe? i'm sure it must be very unpleasant."

please. please no.

" i have to say, seeing a human face twisted in pain like this... why, it's so much fun that i can barely stand it! i... i can't contain the laughter!"

you weren't quite sure when you hit the ground, but it was loud enough to wake belphegor from his slumber. he peeled his body off the mattress, slow and dazed, as he looked for you.

"mc? what're you... what's going on?"

please don't. this can't be happening.

your lungs collapsed from the weight of your own panic. you gasped-- once, twice, as your vision went in and out. were you bleeding? your hand loosely brushed at the front of your clothes, but couldn't process whether that was blood or your vivid imagination. were you even breathing? your head felt light and heavy at the same time. the wires in your brain were all crossed, sending both resuscitation and shutdown signals to each part of your body. this feeling... this was too familiar.

were you dying?

"mc, what's going on?"

you came face to face with belphegor. your friend, your killer. the demon who had lured you up to this very attic to kill you, now gripping your shoulders as interrogated you inches from your face.

you screamed. you screamed until your brain shut off completely, leaving you in an inky pit of darkness as your consciousness slipped away.

the house was in disarray for several days. apparently, lucifer came in shortly after you passed out, mammon at his heels, to save the day. you woke up later in his bed, the room cold and empty, with a throbbing head and a tear stained pillow. you stumbled out into his office to find him at his desk, lost in some paperwork like always. the solemn look he gave you as your eyes met told you everything you needed to know.

from this day forth, your fear was now your constant companion.

nobody in the house of lamentation knew how to move forward. not you, not the brothers, not the widening gap growing between you all with each passing day spent in emotional limbo. finally, lucifer called everyone to a family meeting where, over the course of an hour or two, everyone came to an agreement to acknowledge what had happened and why, promised to be mindful of this trauma that you're carrying, and move forward like you requested.

silent days slowly but surely filled back up with laughter again. the brothers came back to your side at their own pace-- asmo first, within a matter of hours, then mammon shortly after, then the others in the following days.

belphegor was the last to come around. his silence spoke volumes about his guilt. he had no clue how to comfort you. he'd do anything to repent for his actions. yet that was the way that life worked, didn't it? some actions simply cannot be undone.

but you didn't let that stop you. despite the panic that closed your throat every time you saw him for the next month, you slowly earned his friendship again. you assured him that the attic incident was a one time thing, the remnants of a lost nightmare blending into your consciousness as you awoke.

until it wasn't a one time thing.

the nightmares crept up on you. the first one happened, of course, that same night, as you thrashed and wept into lucifer's pillows. then a week later, another. a week and a half after that, another. the frequency eventually became higher and higher, until you started planning your sleep schedule (or lack thereof) around your new insomniac tendencies. but even you couldn't manage to stay awake forever.

on a bad night, you'd wake up in tears, crying weakly to yourself as you tried to coax yourself back to bed. on worse nights, you'd shoot up out of bed, limbs tingling in fear, opting to spend the rest of the night in the common room until the others woke for the day. on the worst night, you finally broke. you shattered worse than you could have imagined.

you finally collapsed into bed, body shutting down after a three days of minimal sleep. you were starting to get shaky from the lack of rest, and your lack of appetite was upsetting the others. you crawled under the covers and let your brain slip out of your hands and off to dreamland.

what a fool you were to think you'd get by without nightmares.

visions of demonic teeth tearing at your flesh filled your head. you tried to run away, tried desperately to wake yourself up, but their claws sunk into your flesh. the pain was vivid, was real. memories of your death lived underneath your skin, ready to resurface in the dark of night when there was no escape. you fought back as best you could, kicking and screaming and trying to run, but you were no match for the supernatural strength of your demons. you eventually gave in, an act of learned helplessness, and surrendered yourself to your worst nightmares.

you woke up choking on your own tears. heaving, gasping breaths tried to save you, mixing with coughs as your body struggled to hang on. the tears finally gave way to the memories-- hot blood dripping from your torso, screaming faces begging you to stay, your head going fuzzy as your vision followed--and your screams escaped without a fight.

a mixed cacophony of voices came flooding in the room. you'd be touched by the gesture, seeking comfort in the arms of your dearest friends, if your brain hadn't reminded you that they were demons as well. nightmarish beasts with fangs and claws, predators built to rip your soft flesh from your bones and leave you to die like roadkill.

you felt a hand on your shoulder. who's was it? you could not tell. your first and only instinct was to scream for mercy, hot tears streaming down your face as mammon's hurt expression moved back out of your line of sight. your chest heaved with effort. it felt like your whole body was caving in on itself. you didn't even realize you were shaking as you curled your body into a ball. your side hit the mattress with a pathetic thud and you wept, bitter and fearful, as a panic attack kept you trapped in its grip.

you don't know how long you stayed curled up like that, wordless cries echoing from your room and into the hallway, but eventually the sound of approaching footsteps caught enough of your attention to forget the panic, even if just for a moment.

"hey, it's okay," a familiar, comforting voice approached, cutting through the fear like a moonlight on a stormy night. "mc, it's me, it's simeon. it's going to be okay."

you felt the bed shift under the weight of someone sitting down, and you blindly threw your body at the person before checking to see if it was really him. it took you a few moments to raise your head, and when you did, you saw him: simeon, your angel, blue eyes full of worry as he met your gaze.

you cried in his arms until you fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

the next morning was miserable, to say the least. breakfast was tense. they all watched you like a hawk, like you were a powder keg about to explode with one wrong move. you couldn't blame them. you were afraid of your own emotions, and on some level, you were afraid of them. your trauma was making you afraid of the very people you cared about the most. these brothers had welcomed you into their home, took care of you as you adjusted to life in the devildom, and yet you couldn't hold eye contact without breaking in to a cold sweat.

the only person who did not watch you was belphegor. he was nowhere to be found during breakfast, nor dinner, nor breakfast the following day. you tried to seek him out, but somehow the avatar of sloth had become a skilled sneak in his silence.

you finally caught him alone on day four of radio silence. you both had stayed home without realizing the other had also skipped school that day-- you, from the lack of sleep eating at your brain, and belphegor, with his usual routine of missing class to nap at the house of lamentation. he was curled up on the couch in the common room, basking in the warmth of the fireplace in his slumber. you decided to wait for him to wake up. you sat down on the couch opposite of the one where he rested and watched him, quietly, like he'd disappear if you dared to blink.

creepy? yes. but your brain was long ruined by sleep deprivation and gnawing anxiety to worry about such trivial things.

when he finally stirred, you gently called belphegor's name. he took a moment to finally look at the source of the voice, but when he did, his body froze as the two of you made eye contact. a few moments passed in silence. finally, he sat up and began to make a move to leave.

"wait."

he stopped, but his gaze did not meet yours. you rose from your seat and joined him on the couch. the youngest pulled his legs in, twisting his body into a defensive little ball, and countered your next sentence before you could even open your mouth.

"you shouldn't be here with me."

"i think i'm old enough to make decisions for myself."

he shifted uncomfortably in the silence. you spoke again.

"i miss you. and i'm sorry."

he scoffed to himself and stared at the fireplace. "don't know why you think you should be apologizing to me. i'm the one that's the problem."

"you're not a problem, belphie. i never meant to make you feel like one."

every hair on your body stood on end. your hands trembled against your wishes, so you sat on them to stay focused. you had to do this. you had to keep moving forward.

"i hurt you, mc. you're afraid i'm going to do it again."

you sighed-- it came out more shaky than you would have liked-- and looked down. how had it come to this? how had someone you'd grown to hold so dear become a stranger again?

"i don't want to stop being friends. i don't like when you avoid me."

"you still get nightmares, don't you?"

you pause. his icy gaze on the side of your head sent you into a cold sweat.

you smiled-- it felt more like a grimace, personally-- and prayed it didn't come across insincere. your fingers carefully intertwined with his. he met your gaze. you were thankful he couldn't see the way your chest tightened when you made eye contact. 

"i'm okay, belphie," you lied. 

this fear was going to be the death of you. 

[withered--s0uls]

Taking the Nuzi Kids Hungergames as my sign to post these all together

Intertwining/Intertwined Codes Timeline Kids - this may contain spoilers for the kids if I ever get motivation to revamp the joke fic

Feel free to ask me stuff about them, I'm too lazy to actually type out all info about them in this >.>

Rexim & Orita (twins)

You can find info on the twins in this post

I don't want to retype or copy paste all that lol.

Their Teen Designs are like 16ish! Their Child Designs like 4-6!

Zagi & Raven

They are like a day apart in age. They didn't know about Ravens existence until the day their programming finished developing, meanwhile Zagi was built and programmed using the regular canonverse USB method.

They're both about 5 years old :3

Annika

They technically knew her since she was a young kid but didn't adopt her until her pre teens. I haven't really made a younger design for her bc it wouldn't be much different aside from her joint count lol.

She's like 16-17 here (yes she's older than the twins!)

I might redesign her bc I feel her fit is too basic and doesn't reflect her age properly :" but I absolutely HATE my current attempt at it so we sticking with it

Olivia & Ray

And last but not least, the newest family addition (despite coming up with Raven after them, these two were adopted after Raven and Zagi booted up!)

Olivia is a similar age to Raven & Zagi, maybe a few months younger. But she tries to act more mature than them most of the time (trauma response).

Not much to say about Ray. That's a baby. Idk if I'll ever give him a body design. If I do then probably alongside doing a redesign for Annika!

Timeline of Events

Between Ep 4 & 5; The twins programs develop and are put into their pill baby bodies

Ep 5; Technically when the incident that causes Ravens program to develop happens, but Ravens program does NOT develop yet

Post-Canon;

The twins get their first bodies, after a good while Nuzi discuss adoption & start bonding with a still young child Annika to build trust.

Rexim is established to be unable to balance on worker legs so Uzi builds him legs based on Ns to give him more surface to balance on

Annika is adopted around the same time Zagi is being built (making Ann like 11-13 then). The twins get their teen bodies. Ravens program starts developing

Orita builds herself DD arms, Rexims main camera breaks

Zagi is finished, they find out about Ravens System. They still kept both twins pill shells so they upload Raven to the second one.

Zagi & Raven get their bodies.

Nuzi are on a mission to do some stuff with Outpost 06, only to run into Olivia and Ray who are being attacked by a different DD team. They intervene and whilst the other DDs give N an ear full for "crossing territory" Uzi gets the kids away and to safety. Later N reunites with them and they find out what happened to the kids parents and to outpost 06.

They take them back to outpost 03 to keep them safe, the orphanage wing is basically too full so the siblings kinda get shuffled around between Nuzi, Khan & Thad (Olivia is terrified of N and some of the other Nuzi kids so it's a mess)

Ray gets attached to Nuzi, its unhealthy for a baby to be separated from attached adults & he already lost his code parents. So now the siblings kinda just have to stick with Nuzi. (Accidental adoption lol)

[descendinginto-madness]

stargazing.

word count: 721

author's notes: just a little something for my favorite old man fr. written after a friend gave me a prompt for a fluff ff with welt, and while this isn't necessarily fluff, it is a ff?? HASHSH just a bunch of rambles! idk what i'm doing actually :3

other: contains spoilers for welt's hsr lore; posted on amino and ao3 as well

======================================

Welt Yang enjoyed watching the stars in this universe.

Of course, it took him time to actually take a liking to it. He still remembered well just how distant they felt at the very beginning, how much they reminded him of the fact this place wasn't home - even though he made a conscious decision to enter this world. How after that person left they seemed to almost laugh at Welt and mock him: “Look, you're on your own again!”; and while he was no stranger to that, it still made him feel… Bitter, almost. Perhaps not necessarily out of place, but still to some extent unwelcome - like these stars were poking and scratching at that wound in his heart that hasn't quite healed yet, never allowing it to close for longer. 

He would never admit it to anyone, though; not because of lack of trust on his side, but because he didn't believe it was important enough to trouble anyone with it. Even if it cost him a few too many sleepless nights, spent on tossing around in his bed and staring at the ceiling, and thinking, thinking, thinking way too much, until the voice of doubt in his mind became unbearably loud. Did he really make the right decision choosing to enter this universe? Letting that person leave the crew without a word? Staying here instead of searching for them?

Was he doing the right thing in general, or simply trying to play a pathetic imitation of a hero again?

He bore the name of the world, but not this one. It was likely an incredibly selfish way of thinking, but it wasn't his duty to save this universe. And, he also knew Himeko wouldn't stop him if he decided to leave her as well; no one was keeping him on the Astral Express by force, after all. He was free to do whatever he wished to, even if it was to continue forward entirely on his own.

Ultimately, though, he stayed.

The time he spent on the train grew longer, and as it did, his wish to leave became weaker and weaker. The crew grew too, with Astral Express turning into a safe haven for the new members, somewhere they could always return to, and with Welt eventually becoming a mentor of sorts for these young people. He didn't mind, really. Even more; he was glad he was able to make them feel safe, and like they had someone to rely on; he could tell they needed it, after all. 

His room began feeling more cozy, too, as it filled up with various things: some related to his work on the Express, some - to his hobbies, and these were a little more self-indulgent.

And it was only natural that, as he found his place in this universe, another part of him eventually took over. 

It was the part that craved knowledge, just like a little kid who always had a thousand questions about the world around them ready; the part that felt pure, simple joy just learning new things; the part that maybe, just maybe, never really grew up. Before Welt realized, he was studying maps of the skies of the planets they visited, learning the names of the stars and constellations, even the legends associated with them.

He was catching himself gazing at the stars more often, too: whether it would be in the parlor car, looking outside the window, relaxing with a cup of coffee or tea; on one of the Astral Express' many stops, as he stole an hour or two from his night sleep just to watch the stars if it only was possible in the world in question; or, finally, in his own bedroom, sometimes even in bed - which was conveniently placed right next to the window, allowing him to see a bit of the sky without needing to get up.

He realized he found the sight oddly calming and soothing as well, something that helped him collect his thoughts whenever he needed that - and sometimes, filling him with almost… Child-like excitement for the journey ahead of them; even bringing a soft smile to his face, which, unbeknownst to him, has been captured on several of March 7th's many photos.

Yes.

Welt Yang certainly could say he enjoyed watching the stars in this universe.

[rinseveryday]

Hello! How are you ? Just one question! who do you think will die in the upcoming chapters of blue exorcist ? do you think anyone will die at all?

Hello anon! You're lucky because I'm having a nice easy week so I get to respond to you on the same day! (how rare)

Thank you for the question. I have seen this one come up recently within the fandom, especially with the manga ramping up for what seems to be a climax arc, but I never really had a solid answer for it. Kazue Kato is a master at misdirection and subverting expectations. She'd raise a death flag on purpose just for the lolz -u-"""

Personally, I don't see any of the main crew getting picked off, but then again, I didn't think Demon King! Rin was actually going to show up in his sweat pants so like... I'm just as scared as everyone else is.

I do think there will be some deaths though! And I'm hoping to see a few revives as well.

Spoiler warning for latest chapters under the cut

So from theories I've seen going around:

Renzou Shima has had major death flags on him for a while. This is probably just Kato trolling us though. I don't see any benefit coming out of his death anyways (snore) just kidding I love Renzou please don't die

Shiemi has said things that raised major death flags in the latest chapters, however, she's also under the protection of the Protagonist's Favored One's Halo, so unless Kato is a true masochist, I don't see her staying dead if worst comes to worst

Bon, probably also Kato's troll. Konekomaru is protected by the Cat Name Haver's Halo.

Izumo is in too much of a dire need for a glow-up to die.

Yukio is... cursed by the Protagonist's Favored One's Halo. Or at least he was but Rin feels a bit distracted lately. He'll live, but at What Cost? Couldn't say (probably a lot).

The Adults: Neuhaus is probably going to die. Shura might come close, but she'll hang in there so she can attend Rin's graduation. Lucy Yang might die. Lewin is favored by the author so I hope that means he's safe. Angel is not favored by the author so I really don't want to think about what's going to happen to him. Osceola better not die bc I need Rin to become his apprentice. Shiemi's mom is close to dying but I really hope she doesn't.

The Demons: I don't care either way so I never really thought about it (sorry demon lovers). If anything, it's more likely that we'll see demons that have crystalized, revive (Azazel, Armumahael, Shemihaza, Satan).

Also on a similar note, the demon eaters plot point was never fully resolved. Todou "died" off screen so unless Kato totally forgot about him, he's due for a comeback.

It's also interesting that Paku and Godaiin were focused on in the glimpse into the future. Nemu Takara also stayed back and is presumably still alive in that future, and those 3 from the kid's table still need to come back into the story. I doubt any of them will die ;w; that'd be too sad.

Jeremiah might die.

Dragulescu (??? idk how to spell his name) better die.

Other Illuminati: uhhh maybe the Lundstroms? I like Homare and I think she'll have something to do with Lucifer changing his mind about things. Lucifer isn't the main villain anyways so he's probably safe.

Rin... I don't think he'll be the same at the end of the manga, so to me, that counts as dying. Rin and Demon!Rin still haven't resolved their differences. Rin will have to choose a side, or face being forever unstable. But choosing will change him. Right now, he's living as 2 alter-egos/split personality. We've never seen him truly whole, and from the glimpses we have seen, he's kind of scary.

tl;dr Might die: Neuhaus, Shima, Lucy, Jeremiah, Dragulescu, Todou round 2, Rin (kinda)

[hiorintruther]

The scans have been out a few days now so I’m posting this. We just got Hiori’s backstory so let me expel more Hiorin headcanons onto you good people (seriously why are we so delusional abt this ship???) — obviously massive spoiler warning as of chapter 206 of the manga.

Also a cw for child abuse — these hcs pretty much all deal with their trauma:

Hiori and Rin have had a very long, very depressing trauma dump conversation about their families.

Rin has decided to add Hiori’s parents to the ‘I’ll fucking kill them’ list inside his head… which he totally has for no reason in particular…

Hiori likewise understands Rin’s resentment towards Sae deeply and doesn’t blame him at all for feeling so angry and upset.

The fact that the family members they hate are all telling them they aren’t good enough as they are (Sae explicitly, Hiori’s parents implicitly) ends up becoming a means of mutual understanding between them, allowing Hiori to feel a bit safer around Rin and Rin to not hate Hiori like he does the rest of Blue Lock.

Rin has tried to subtly allude to the idea that Hiori can move in with him at any time to get away from his family. Hiori has only half picked up on the signals though because a) Rin is shit at communicating anything nice, and b) Rin’s almost year younger than Hiori so it doesn’t actually make much sense to do that but it’s the thought that counts.

A lot of their conversations take place in the monitor room, in the dark, where they feel safest being vulnerable with each other (aka: see my fic on AO3).

Hiori has used dry, dark humour as a coping mechanism in front of Rin before and Rin has started doing it too occasionally.

So many “lol I hate my family, I hope they die, jk… unless?” jokes.

They end up having a mutual understanding for one another and can almost subconsciously pick up on when something reminds the other of their trauma.

For some more domestic, outside/no Blue Lock hcs (there’s a ton of food-related ones here idk why):

When they make dinner, Rin is sure to mix a healthy, balanced meal with convenience store foods coz Hiori hates eating a very strict diet. It reminds Hiori of the way his parents used to control everything about his life down to what he ate. Sometimes, Rin even makes a separate meal for himself because he wants to calorie count and know exactly what he’s eating, but Hiori’s had a bad day and really needs some instant ramen and pudding.

Hiori doesn’t have a big sweet tooth though, as a result of his parents’ conditioning. He didn’t grow up accustomed to sweet things so he finds anything too sugary difficult to eat (this comes from the egoist Bible where his least favourite food is cotton candy because of the sugar content). His love of salty food however is through the roof and Rin has to remind him to check the sodium contents on the meals he chooses at the convenience store.

Rin has stopped insulting or talking badly about Isagi around Hiori, purely because Hiori feels safe around Isagi. It’s a challenge, and mostly they try to keep Isagi out of their conversations altogether, but if he does come up Rin attempts to be neutral.

Sometimes, Hiori holes himself up in his computer room playing shooters. When that happens, Rin knows to leave him alone until he’s out of his slump, because it’s usually a sign that Hiori is remembering some bad memories. They both like their own space anyway, so it isn’t as if much changes in their routines.

While Hiori’s in a slump, Rin restocks their fridge with energy drinks and instant meals so Hiori can dip in and out to get food when he wants it. He eats alone unless Hiori texts him saying he’ll be out to get food.

Rin also doesn’t bring up anything to Hiori once Hiori re-emerges from his room, letting Hiori come to him if he wants to talk about it. Hiori knows Rin struggles with dealing with trauma, so he usually leaves it.

Once when Rin was having a particularly stressful time, Hiori bought him a whole box of his favourite ice creams (the ones he used to get on the way home from practice) and they had a competition to see who could get the most “winner” sticks. Rin won.

Hiori has also attempted to learn how to cook so he can make Rin food when Rin isn’t feeling up to cooking. Rin says he’ll just order takeout but Hiori insists on trying some of his recipes. How successful he is varies on how easy it is to throw the ingredients in a pan and let them simmer.

When sleeping together, they usually stick to their own sides of the bed but sometimes when Hiori is feeling upset he reaches out to Rin as a comfort. Rin isn’t the best at providing said comfort, but he lets Hiori into his arms in those moments.

On the flip-side, if Rin has been feeling angry or frustrated because of Sae, Hiori will slowly snake his arms around Rin’s torso and hug him close, becoming the big spoon despite being smaller. Rin places his hand over Hiori’s as a reassurance that he feels reassured doing this.

Sometimes, but not always, this nighttime cuddling leads to talking about their pasts. Rin always holds Hiori very close and says that Hiori was never in the wrong and never deserved to go through anything that happened as a result of his parents’ expectations (usually with a lot of colourful language). Hiori likewise will do the same for Rin whenever Sae gets brought up, although he’s less vulgar. His words are somehow even more scathing though.

They both find it easier to open up in the dark. It feels like a safety blanket that can hide their vulnerability, especially for Rin.

[back-alley-goatboy]

Well, as its Ghosts season 5 eve, I think its about time I give my final theories to how The captain and Kitty die.

Idk if promo pics count as spoilers, but they are below the cut

Starting with Kitty. Honestly, I think its going to be either food poisoning or an allergic reaction from the pineapple, but it will be spurred on by Eleanor.

I mean, look how much fun Kitty is having, she's laughing with everyone, and Eleanor looks so damn salty and jealous.

I mean, we know she isn't above trying to make Kitty sick (the warm oysters), plus we have seen kitty throw up as a ghost. I imagine the party would eat the pineapple, it begins to make Kitty ill and Eleanor would notice and would make a game of it. Something along the lines of "oh its horrid, lets see who can eat the most", expecting her to throw up and embarrass herself, not die.

Im leaning more towards food poisoning because chances are that pineapple would be rotten as hell by the time it reaches the Uk in the georgian era via boat.

Above all, I want to see kitty realise that Eleanor was a bitch and start unpacking that trauma. Bonus points for genuine kitmas bonding over the fact their familes are terrible.

Second of all, The Captain. Whoo boy I have feelings about this one, its a much less solid theory but it makes sense.

We all know the beloved cracked mirror in the intro but it got me thinking, what if its a metaphor for a broken image?

We all know Cap is big on appearances, but in the promo pics we see him looking like hes getting grilled by the general (wiki told me the red bits mean general, dont quote me though, also, stick my beloved).

Ever since Redinng weddy, I have wondered if Cap was ordered to bury the bomb. I doubt it considering its active explosives in someones back garden so I came to the conclusion that the "letter/operation william plans" were actually letters and Cap buried them with the bomb to keep them safe. But then, a suposedly important Government secret operation goes walkies? Thats a situation right there.

What if, after getting his medals, the general complains that he isnt worthy of them/is a spy or german ect (some Havers is a spy theory here, I dont love it but it would make some sense in this context) and it kind of adds up too much, so the other soldiers try and get rid of him. If a fight was to break out it would explain why he has the stick, he grabbed it out the general's hand trying to defend himself. Similarly, the draw opening in the intro could be someone grabbing a stashed away gun, causing panic (maybe cap finally got his service revolver). We also know a man was murdered in the library (said by Robin in the little promo film), I can only imagine it was teased because it was relevant.

Obviously this is a less solid theory but it would explain the weird expressions in the promo pics and tbh Im biased towards the Cap was murdered theory. Hypothetically, it could also be why he only wants to be known as The Captain, if the General tried to revoke his title after he got his medals.

Also Lord Brigadier Sir Anthony Bartholemew Raisinby Jones mayhaps?

I mean regardless of what happens,they are my babies and im going to go feral. I guess we just have to wait and see.

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

Hello, I read and love your Chained Series but only now noticed the Major Character Death tag on the second one, since I moved from part 1 to part 2 without checking the tags/summary. I normally really really really do not touch Major Character Death, it just... well it just makes me really sad in a way i don't enjoy, to keep it brief, even when it's plot or story wise fulfilling a purpose.

This is in no way me asking you not to do it, it's your story, and that's how it should be!

But I was hoping if you'd be willing to give me some information around the MCD, who for example (or if this'll straight up be a bad ending overall), so I can emotionally brace myself because I really don't want to stop reading the fic, because it's really good, but going further into it blind feels daunting, in a way. I will of course not relay anything regarding the fic to others, that you might tell me (since idk how familiar you are with tumblr: there is a way to respond to asks privately in the ask-post settings, if you prefer).

If you're not happy doing this I completely understand, it's your story, but i figured it's worth asking.

I hope you have a nice day, and that the writing will be easy 👌

I would be quite happy to explain what I've got planed with that! I deliberately read spoilers for similar reasons all the time; I totally understand wanting to be forewarned and forearmed. Also I'm just happy to ramble about my fic lol :3 If ya gotta drop it, no worries, glad you enjoyed the first sections and I don't mind anyone takin care of themselves

You're probably not the only one who'd want to know so I'll just put all the spoilers in a read more:

First of all, I don't consider this to be a particularly dark story (though granted I don't consider Death Note to be a particularly dark story so uh your mileage may vary) nor do I see it ending in tragedy.

The planned deaths:

The Joker - So, he's not really a main character in this fic, in fact, he might not even get speaking lines, I'm unsure right now, but he's major in the comics so I'm counting it. It's not going to happen for a VERY long time but it is so pivotal to the functioning of a main emotional plotline that I don't know how I'd write around changing my mind about this one.

Captain Boomerang - Like the Joker, I'm not really even sure he'll get speaking lines, but he's important enough to Tim's other canon stories he makes the cut. Unlike the Joker, I don't actually know if he's going to die yet! At the end of Red Robin Tim tries to kill him but fails. I don't know if my older Tim will do it, but I am certain he'll go at least halfway through a second similar plan. Much will hinge on what I read of his interactions with Huntress.

Other assorted villains, such as Darkseid and the Batman Who Laughs - This will depend a lot on, again, my reading of how Tim interacts with the kind of violence Huntress brings to the table. It also depends a lot on how a few in-fic decisions shake out. Tim has to make the decision as to whether or not they kill more people than just the ones on his small list from the first fic and I've got a more solid idea for if he does than if he doesn't.

Roy Harper (and a few other Heroes) - He's not gonna stay dead though, none of them are. So, due to hesitance and fear of fucking shit up Jason and Tim aren't going to make some key decisions in time to prevent the whole "Heroes in Crisis" plotline from happening. Once they learn of this they are immediately going to start doing mad science to figure out how to resurrect people safely. And, of course, they have the power to time travel.

Jason Todd... Kinda. - An increasingly large and loud elephant in the room is gonna be the fact that Jason doesn't have to have died. Ever. In any timeline.

Tim could save him.

But of course that would mean rewriting the Jason he knows out of existence. There really isn't a clear cut moral equivalent to doing this? But I feel emotionally it would count as this/our Jason dying.

On the other hand if Tim refuses, he is deeply morally responsible for Jason's actual already happened death... but will have saved our Jason's existence.

Tim's decision of whether or not to save Jason's child self is THE emotional climax of the story. One of the main purposes of Chapter 12 was foreshadowing how each character will react to this very situation.

I can't put another read more, so if knowing the two options is good enough for you turn back now! And if you wanna know what Tim's decision is (I sure would!) scroll passed the two big pictures!

Tim refuses to save Jason's childhood self. He loves this Jason too much to emotionally withstand losing him. I have had this story beat and the resulting fallout planned for absolute ages and I'm 100% certain on this one. Frankly, timeline erasing the Jason we know and love would make ME cry too much to keep writing it lmao, so this one I can guarantee.

[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: Getting closer and closer to when Ada makes her appearance guys! I said it was slow burn and I meant it. On a seperate note, my motivation is draining and it's scaring me because I've done this shit before and have an entire other story I have yet to finish. I will not say what it is. I will try not to do that for this one.

Also. Also! Fucking Neil Newbon guys. Honestly, didn't pay much attention to him or know his name until very recently because of Astarion from Baulders Gate 3. Point is, did y'all know he played Karl Heisenberg from RE Village? Or fucking Nicholai Zinoviev from the RE3 remake? The very rude Russian dude that, spoiler, makes another appearance in this chapter? I didn't! Found that out this morning actually. Those dots did not connect! I was shocked. Dude has range. I'm impressed. And slightly jealous of his talent.

I guess I didn't pay attention because I was more of a Lady Dimitrescu girl than a Karl Heisenberg girl. Thought I finally figured out I was a lesbian too until Astarion existed. So thanks to Neil Newbon, I'm confused again.

Okay, I'm done ranting. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

TW: Zombies, violence, fire, Nicholai, Nemesis, ect. The usual. Idk, I didn't re-read again. Sorry if I traumatize anyone. NO MINORS!

Chapter 5:

-September 28, 1998-

You both made it back to the station safely. You were out of breath, but continued to run down the stairs hurriedly to your destination.

You finally made it down the stairs and saw Carlos.

"Nice job, supercop. I'm impressed. You did good too." He added the last sentence for you and you waved him off. 

"She did most of the work." You said.

"We back in business?" Jill questioned.

"Yeah, mostly. But we need thirty to forty minutes to finish maintenance." Carlos said.

You all jumped when the shudders to your right opened. Nicholai and another U.B.C.S soldier appeared.

"Nicholai. How we doing?" Carlos asked.

"The town's crawling with those freaks. No chance of fighting our way out of the city." Nicholai said. He noticed Jill and I. "Why is she here?" He asked, pointing to Jill angrily.

"She's helping get the trains running again."

"Bad times to start carrying dead weight, friend." He made his way closer to Jill. "She's unreliable. Can't pull the trigger when it counts." 

You move to stand slightly in front of Jill, ready to fight the man if necessary.

"Hey, take it easy." Carlos tried to calm him down.

"She can't even fight her own battles. Has her pretty friend here protecting her." Nicholai said, smirking at you in a way that made your stomach curl in disgust.

"If anything, I'm protecting you from her." You scoffed. 

He stared at you for a moment and you raised a brow at him, challenging him. He tsked. "She'll get you killed." He finished, walking away.

"Sorry about that. Everyones a little worked up." Carlos said. You shrugged.

You all jumped when you heard a loud bang. You sighed, already knowing what it meant.

"Awe come on. Not again." Carlos said.

Jill rushed to press the button to close the shutter gate. She crawled under and you and Carlos followed.

"It's me he's after. I'll buy you some time." Jill quickly ducked under the gate again before it fully closed. Leaving her on the side of danger and you and Carlos on the other side.

"Hey. Hey wait. Stop!" Carlos said.

"Jill no! Damn it, Jill! Don't do anything stupid!" You shouted, watching her run away from the persistent monster.

You huffed as she and the monster ran out of sight. You didn't know what to do. You can't help her with the gate blocking the way. And she clearly didn't want your help at the moment. You just hoped she would be alright.

"I have to make sure everything is prepared for when this train leaves." Carlos said.

"What do you need me to do, Carlos?" You asked, wanting to help.

"Well, if you're up for it, there's a building not far from here that has some supplies we need. Ammo and the like. We left it behind when it was our temporary safe house. If you can get them, that would be awesome."

"Sure, which building?" You asked.

"The one under construction near here. You know it?" You nodded. "It's just the one case. Not a lot, but it's something. I'll even let you take your pick of whatever you'd like. Here, take a radio. I'll let you know when we are ready to leave. You'll hear Jill too if she calls." He said, handing you a radio.

"Like a three way call. Got it. I'll be back." You told him, making your way out of the station through a different exit.

-September 28, 1998-

You made it to the building a while later, finding the case of ammo, first aid and food supplies that could be useful. You pocketed some of the handgun and shotgun ammo and a single first aid kit. You also took a couple clean water bottles and granola bars, before shutting the case and turning to leave.

"Carlos. Can you hear me now?" Jill asked over the radio. You quickly grabbed the radio with your free hand.

"Jill? Oh thank god. Everything okay?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, I'm alive. I lost him." She said through the speaker.

"Jill, you're okay! I told you not to do anything stupid, you stupid woman." You scolded her, tying the case to your backpack. It's a little heavy even though it's not that big, but you will make do.

"Relax. He's gone. For the moment at least? Where are you?" She asked.

"Gathering supplies the U.B.C.S left behind in some building under construction. I was about to leave." You said.

"Great. The subway's ready to go. We'll leave as soon as you two make it back." Carlos said.

"Sound's good." You said. But Jill remained silent. You hoped she was okay.

Just as you thought that, Jill came running through the opened shudder door. She tried shutting it, but flames made her back up. You quickly ran up and kicked it fully shut.

"Y/n!" She yelled, surprised you're there.

"Jill! Run!" You grabbed her arm and started running.

"It can use weapons?" You asked as you ran.

"I just found that out." Jill answered.

"Where did it get a flamethrower?"

"No idea."

You both made it to a yellow ladder and you climbed up first. As Jill was starting to climb, the monster found her and began shooting the flamethrower. Jill barely escaped unscathed as you quickly pulled her up.

"Thanks." She gasped.

"Don't mention it."

You both run up the stairs, having nowhere to go but up. As you passed a set, the monster used its tentacles to grapple up through the gaps in the floor, scaring both you and Jill. You and Jill moved quicker. Continuing to run through the construction sight, over temporary planks used as bridges and carefully avoiding the flames being shot at you.

You jumped over a gap and realized the flames were spreading quickly. You need to get out of here. 

The flames licked your back as you climbed and made you feel sweaty from the heat. You jumped over another gap and waited for Jill. She too jumped, but the plank gave out and you quickly grabbed her hands and pulled her up, preventing her from plummeting to a fiery, painful death.

Another set of ladders, this time making Jill go first as she is clearly more danger prone at the moment. You both finally made it to the roof, jumping down from the temporary structure onto concrete.

As you both landed, the monster crashed through the roof and landed in front of you. You sighed and grabbed your shotgun.

"You don't suppose that this will do much, do you?" You asked Jill.

"No, but this might." She said, holding up her new weapon.

"Is that a grenade launcher?" You asked incredulously.

"Yup, found it in the sewers." 

"Ah, that explains the smell." You joked. She glared playfully and gave you the middle finger, before focusing on the matter at hand.

"Alright, let's do this." Jill said. You both dodged a stream of flames shot at you, hiding behind piles of construction materials.

"How about you distract it and I shoot the tank on its back?" You suggested, assuming it would explode like those red barrels lying around.

"Good thinking." She nodded in agreement. 

Jill distracted the creature, avoiding flames and shooting generators to stun it as you aimed your shotgun at its back where the fuel tank sat. You eventually succeeded at getting the tank to blow up. The creature was now on fire, but somehow still alive.

And even more pissed off.

"It's still kicking?" Jill asked incredulously.

"Maybe you should use your special grenade launcher." You suggested as you dodged the creature speeding toward you, shooting a couple rounds at it.

"Yeah. Might have to." She said as the creature growled. The growl sounding like the word 'stars'.

It felt like you two did a lot of running in circles and wasted a lot of ammo to finally get that thing stunned. It fell to its front and you gasped for breath, the air incredibly hot and hard to breathe in due to the flames.

Things begun to explode and Jill tugged you to the edge of the building, pulling you off the side to slide down some slanted glass windows before you even had time to think.

You screamed as you both fell onto one of those outside elevator things that window washers use. It shakes violently and snaps on one side. You screamed again as you rolled off and Jill caught your hand to keep you from plummeting to your death, hanging on as tightly to the elevator edge as she could with your added weight. Which was a lot thanks to the bags on your back.

She looked down, and before she could even try to pull you and her up, the elevator went down lower, shaking you two off and making you land painfully on the ground below you, Jill landing on top of you and knocking the air out of you.

You noticed the elevator about to fall and quickly rolled yourself and Jill away from your spot on the ground, just barely missing it as it fell where you once lied.

You two gasped and groaned in pain, Jill still on top of you. You stared at the burning building and sighed, feeling her elbow digging sharply into your ribcage. 

"Jill, you're crushing me." Jill quickly rolled off of you.

"Sorry." She panted, trying to calm her rapid heart.

"It's fine." You noticed that your back was touching the solid ground and sat up. "Where are my bags?" 

Jill pointed to where your bags had somehow come off in the process of the fall. You slowly stood, groaning in pain from your left shoulder and torso area. And your legs. And pretty much your whole body. You had been badly beaten up the last few weeks and the pain meds are clearly wearing off.

"Next time you want to jump off a building, a little heads up would be nice." You jested weakly as you limped to your bags.

"There wasn't any time. Sorry." Jill said, joining you on her feet.

"It's alright. You saved me by doing that. And we're alive, so I'll call that a win." You said. You both started to make your way out to the street, slightly limping due to pain.

Jill took out her radio. "Carlos, it's Jill. Do you read me?" She gasped out.

"Loud and clear. You alright? I can't get a hold of Y/n." He asked. As you were checking your pockets to make sure the drive was still there, which it was, you pulled out your radio from your back pocket and saw that it was broken.

"She's fine, she's with me. She just broke her radio. And the bastards' dead." She finished.

"Good. Fuck him." You snorted at his simple response. "But what were you thinking? Turning yourself into bait? You could have been killed."

Jill sighed. "Don't start. I did what I had to."

"I know. And uh…thanks." Carlos said. "The subway's ready to go. Hurry back." He finished.

You and Jill started forward, doing the usual dodge and kill with any zombie that game near you. You realized the area you were in was near the police station and made a mental note to make it back after you saw Jill off.

"Hey, wait. I wanna check something out real quick, okay?" Jill said, pointing to the "Gun Shop Kendo" sign.

"Alright." You agreed. She'd know this area considering this was right next to her place of work. Maybe she knew Kendo.

You walked into the building with her in the lead. As you explored, you jumped when a man in a yellow plaid shirt jumped out from behind a wall with a shotgun.

"Don't move!" He paused in recognition. "Shit, Jill." He said, putting the gun down. He noticed you, but determined you weren't a threat since you were with Jill.

"Kendo. You're alright."

"Yeah, well, alrights a stretch. Who's your friend?" He asked, seemingly a little nervous.

"Y/n, this is Kendo, the owner of the shop. Kendo, Y/n. She's been helping me." She explained.

"Hey. Nice to meet you." You said with a wave.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry I got a little jumpy there. Didn't know quite what to expect." He frantically looked around for any signs of something.

"No shit. Look, we're using the subway to get people out of town. You in?" Jill asked him.

"Subway. Well…that's good thinking." He glanced at a door in the far back, seemingly in thought.

"When we get out there's gonna be a lot to do. We could use a man of your skillset." As she said that, he continued to stare at the door, debating something in his head. Jill tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just uh…just bad timing is all." He seemed almost worried. Were we too late for something? "Look uh, don't worry about me. I'm gonna make other arrangements. Okay?"

"You better. You're the best gunsmith around." Jill said.

"Oh no." He laughed nervously.

"Don't do anything stupid." Jill said sternly.

"Oh that's-that's your job right? Take care, Jill." He said, walking to the back and through the door he was staring at before, you assumed it was his current hideout.

"If you're heading to the station, take that service alley out in front of the shop, okay? The key's hanging on the wall." He shouted from behind the door.

Jill nodded, and after one final glance at the door, she turned to grab the key hanging on the wall.

"Alright. Let's go." She said, leading you out the front and to the service alley gate. She unlocked the door and you pulled out your shotgun, shooting one of the mutated zombies with something parasitic on their head, killing it instantly.

"Nice shot. Your aim is getting better." Jill praised.

"Thank you kindly." You joked with a country accent, curtsying like people used to do in the olden days. That's what the movies told you anyways.

"Pfft, last time I will compliment you." Jill snorted, amused with your behavior.

You laughed and walked through the back door to someone's house. Was it Kendo's house? Whose house was it?

You shot another zombie with a parasite on its head, hitting directly on the orange eyeball, making it explode and die.

You searched the house for anything useful, finding a couple explosive rounds and handing them to Jill. You didn't think you were ready for anything like that. Plus, her weapon was the only one compatible with the rounds.

Finished with the house, you walked through the front door and out onto the street. This street, like all the others, was ruined and filled with debris and wooden fence blocks. Once again. Too quiet. You followed Jill, as she seemed to know where she was going.

Before you could make it any further, an object on fire suddenly fell from the sky right in front of your path. Clearly thrown by something. You and Jill turned and saw that, once again, the creature was there. Alive and still on fire. It carried a fancy box that looked like something Umbrella would use to hold something high tech.

Oh, it's Umbrella. Duh, Y/n. They sent this thing to kill all S.T.A.R.S members in the city. No wonder why it's so persistent in killing Jill. You felt stupid for not making the connection sooner. Maybe the lack of sleep was getting to your brain.

The creature slammed the box to the ground and it opened. It pulled out a, what was, IS THAT A ROCKET LAUNCHER? And it had a light pointer on it to help aim. Fancy.

"Rocket launcher, really?" Jill exclaimed.

"Fucking bullshit! Pardon my language!" You grabbed her hand and pulled her to a run, miraculously avoiding any rocket that was aimed in your direction.

You turned the alley, avoiding a zombie as you had no time to even glance in its direction, let alone kill it. The creature ran towards you, clearly not in the mood for taunting with slow walking anymore.

You dodged and Jill aimed her grenade launcher at the rocket launcher, shooting it and stopping a rocket from hitting us. It briefly distracted the creature and you took that to your advantage to get more distance.

A rocket hit a car in front of you, causing it to flip in the air, making you and Jill jump out of the way, landing harshly on the ground. You both gasped in pain and Jill's radio went off, signaling Carlos trying to get a hold of the two of you.

Jill stood up and answered the radio. "Jill, are you two okay?" He asked.

"Carlos, that monster on my ass again!" Jill exclaimed.

"Are you shitting me? I thought you killed it!" Carlos said.

"Me too!" She exclaimed as the monster landed on a truck not too far from us. It was taking the height advantage to get a better aim at us with its seemingly endless amounts of rockets.

"How many rockets does that thing have?" You asked.

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Jill snarked as you both dodged another rocket aimed at the two of you still running.

"No, I'm good." You told her.

You weaved through cars on the street, getting cut off by another rocket in front of you making the area ahead burst into flames. You looked over just as another rocket aimed at the two of you hit the road, just nearly missing you two, but knocking you off the side of the street.

You and Jill managed to land near each other, yelling in pain as the hard surface of the street scraped your skin and made you bruise.

You gasped and sat up as fast as you could, taking in your surroundings. Let's see, there's really only one way to go. The entire street is blocked by debris on fire so you'll have to climb up the stairs on the side of the building.

"You good?" You asked Jill, offering her a hand up.

"No." She gasped, taking your outreached hand and using you for stability for a moment.

"Great. Come on, up the stairs." You said. Still holding her hand, you dragged her to the stairs of the temporary build on the side of the building. 

You walked the long, wooden, walkway and reached a ladder. "Are you good to climb?" 

"Yeah. You?" She asked, noticing your slight limp.

"Barley. After you." You tell her.

She does as you said and you kept watch for any monsters or rockets. When the ladder was clear, you climbed up after her. You took a right and jumped to the roof of the building next to you. The radio went off once more.

"Jill, you there? I think I know how to slow that fucker down. Head back towards the station." Carlos's voice sounded through the speaker.

"And lead him right to you?" Jill asked incredulously.

"It's okay, trust me." He said. Jill sighed and shut the radio off.

"I guess we're going to the station." She told you.

"Okay then. Lead the way." You said.

You made your way down the building and to a street full of shops. One shop being the "Toy Uncle" with a giant statue of a head of a mustached guy on top of the building.

You ran up the stairs toward the Toy Uncle. As you did you saw a rocket fly toward the head, knocking it right off and making it roll down stairs toward the two of you.

"This is insane." Jill sighed tiredly, pulling you to run away from the head taking up the whole street. It would surely crush you if you get too close.

You quickly ducked back into the alley you came from and the head slowed to a stop. You maneuver around it and head back up the stairs toward the Toy Uncle. You take a right and see a dead end. You take another right and see a gated alleyway. The gate was, luckily, unlocked and you ran through it.

You took a left and saw Carlos up ahead.

"Jill! Y/n! This way!" He yelled, beckoning you to take a right and follow him.

You made it to a gas station when a rocket launcher exploded at your feet. Sending you and Jill sprawling on the ground for what felt like the millionth time that's night. You quickly stood and pulled Jill with you, taking a left around the corner.

Once the creature made the same turn, a bomb lit up with a red light and exploded near it, knocking the monster into a military truck.

Carlos came up behind you two. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.

You and Jill looked at the creature, which was now back to its feet. "Go. GO!" Carlos yelled.

You two started to take off as Carlos tried shooting it with his machine gun. You both paused.

"Come on! Forget about him!" Jill yelled.

Carlos grunted and ran after you two. You made it to a building and Jill pressed the button closing the metal shutters. Carlos shot a gas truck before it closed and made it explode, rolling under the shutters just as it shut to block the explosion.

The shutters dented inwards from the impact of something. You assumed the monster. Carlos stood. "Come on. Let's get out of here." He said. You both nodded in agreement and began making your way to the subway platform.

"Carlos. I know we didn't get off to a great start, but, thanks for the save." Jill said.

"Yeah, thanks Carlos. That was awesome of you." You said.

"Hey, you saved my ass first. You're a hell of a lot braver than me. So don't mention it. You have the case?" He asked you.

"Yeah, please take it. My back is aching from the weight." You said, handing him the case.

"Could also be from being thrown onto concrete and walls over the last few hours." Jill added.

"Hey, that could be it." You laughed weakly.

"Well, what matters is we can get everyone out of the city now." Jill said.

"Yeah. You'll both be safe." Carlos said.

"What about you?" She asked.

"From the sound of it. I won't be catching the train."

"Why not?" You asked.

"There'll be new orders. If it means I can help save the city, that's fine by me." 

Damn, he's probably the nicest man from Umbrella that you've met so far.

You finally reached the train and walked up to Mikhail and another man. Mikhail turned and saw Jill.

"Good work. Your reputation is well deserved. Get inside. The train is about to leave." He turned to Carlos and the other man. "Carlos, Tyrell, you have your orders. You need to go back out into the city and find Nathaniel Bard."

You perked up at the name. The same Nathaniel Bard that Irons and the Senator befriended. The guy who works for Umbrella. Why do they need him? Is there a cure for all this he was working on?

"This isn't the last ride out of town, right?" Jill questioned from near the train door.

"Do not worry. Once the civilians are safe the train will be back." Mikhail said.

"It's alright, you two go on ahead. I'm not gonna die on you and leave you in a cold, cruel, Carlos-less world." He joked.

You huffed a weak laugh. "Now would be a good time to mention that I'm not leaving." You said as you leaned against the train by the door where Jill stood.

"Why not?" Carlos questioned.

"Well, like you, I have a mission of my own. Something I've already put off for too long. Hopefully I'm not too late." You said.

"You know, he might not be alive anymore. You might not be able to get out once this train leaves." Jill said with a furrowed brow, worried. She didn't want you to go back out there alone.

Your chest ached at the thought of leaving her alone, but you had to go back. You had to see if your friend was alright.

"I'll be fine. Maybe when this is all over we can find each other and have that sleepover we talked about." You joked. "Now, give me a hug before I go. I'm not usually one for hugging, but I think you've earned it super cop." 

She snorted and put her arms around you. "The flash drive is in your front pocket. Don't lose it." You whispered in her ears, having to tiptoe slightly to reach. She nodded and you gave her a tight squeeze, before letting go. 

"Take care of yourself. If I find out you died, I'll kill you." You pointed at her.

"Pfft, yeah. Okay. Take care, Y/n." After one last smile was shared between you two, she turned and made her way into the train.

You turned to the other three. "Okay. Nice meeting you three. I'll see you around, Carlos."

"You gonna find me too?" He joked. 

"If you want me to. Maybe you can join the sleepover." You chuckled at his confused face, before walking away with one final wave.

"You'll need to find this scientist. His vaccine research could save us all." You heard Mikhail say as you walked away.

You didn't have time to focus on that Nathaniel Bard man. You had to get to the police station.

Hopefully you weren't too late.

[devildom-moss]

Spoilers for lesson 11/12 (i totally forgot)

I was scrolling through your page, and a question struck me..

What would have happened if MC died in the blue unknown place idk the name of?

There's no Lilith to recover her from the dead, shes kinda still a human.

Just wanted your thoughts on this <3

Continue writing your masterpieces and remember to eat, sleep, and dont do drugs!

Sincerely, 💜

Sorry I left this in my inbox for so long 💜anon. I actually hadn't read that lesson yet by the time you sent it, and I remember rushing to read it because of this ask, but then I just didn't reply. . .big oops. And thank you so much for such kind words!

Obviously, because it's a game, they can't leave MC for dead. I have a couple thoughts on this.

Solomon would absolutely lose his shit if MC dies. At that point in the game, he's probably the character who adores MC the most. I don't think he could mentally accept MC dying, so he has to do something.

If MC died, and their soul was capable of being harvested (because who knows what weird rules the Fountain of Knowledge has over it), Thirteen would take MC's soul right then and there. Her affection for MC combined with the desperation of Solomon and the others might persuade her to keep MC's soul safe while they try to figure out how to bring MC back to life. Solomon is determined to find a way (and to a slightly lesser degree, the brothers are too).

Furthermore, as shady and mysterious as Nightbringer is, I don't think he would put MC on a path that would kill them, especially not before he gets his way, so there's got to be a way to revive them. Solomon is certain of that much. (also, are we all okay with the potential that Nightbringer is Barbatos?)

Ultimately, I think it would shake out a few ways. The first two kind of lean towards a deus ex machina resolution: either Michael steps in and has the power to save MC (similar to what he did with the waking them from the coma in lesson 13) or Nightbringer has enough power either course-correct time and fate because he miscalculated or his intention was to kill MC and bring them back to life - assuming he has that power available to him somehow (some ancient spell lost to time, probably).

The other way is that the Fountain of Knowledge isn't human made, so Solomon still can't reverse the curse affecting MC on his own. However, the game is always bringing up not intervening with humans and the balance between the 3 realms, so what better way to resolve the issue than for all three realms to intervene in the life of one human? I think that means one representative of each realm needs to step in.

Solomon will obviously be there to represent the human realm. I think because (obey me original game spoilers) Simeon falls in the present timeline, he's the least risky candidate to be involved with something like this, so Solomon would ensure that Simeon took on the task (I think Luke would offer if he knew an angel was necessary and that it was the only way to save MC). Additionally, Simeon is stronger than Luke, so that helps. The demons would probably all be fighting to be the one to save MC. (And Diavolo may be as underhanded as to mention that fallen angels might not count as representatives of the demon realm - which would just be a messy argument. Meanwhile, Barbatos and Mephisto don't want Diavolo to do something so reckless).

I think Solomon would ask Barbatos to do it. For one, the pact makes it so that he can force Barbatos's hand. Second, Solomon won't risk MC over a technicality (fallen angel vs natural demon), so he won't ask Asmo to do it - and he sure as hell won't let Lucifer do it. Third, Barbatos showed him the Fountain of Knowledge when he was younger. In a way, he feels like Barbatos is slightly to blame, and Solomon wants him to take some responsibility. Thirteen may also have to get involved because she's a reaper.

I don't have any concrete ideas on this, but maybe with the right spell, the right magical item, and magic channeled from all three realms, Thirteen could help force MC soul back into their body and bring them back to life.

[valictini]

Just finished Tears of the Kingdom HHHHHHHHHH endgame spoilers ahead I need to scream

That last fight so fucking hype holy fuck

First of all the road towards the fight where you go deeper and deeper and deeper and the music gets more and more menacing… idk man, i expected something like that but it was VERY effective especially with headphones

The duel between Ganondorf and Link where he just perfect dodges your attacks like Link’s been doing this whole time??? THE FUCKING SECOND HEALTH BAR THAT JUST DOESNT STOP GROWING??? God it was so fucking cool, it really shows that the devs took note of players complaining that botw’s final boss was too simple, with the health bar getting cut in half etc… we got the total reverse lmao

I had heard it had a crazy difficulty spike, and it WAS tough but honestly i had so much max food and anti gloom food that I kinda blazed through the fight. Plus once you manage to perfect dodge regularly it becomes much simpler

Also got spoiled about the fact that Ganondorf turns into a dragon but it doesn’t change the fact that it was so so fucking badass (his design HHHHHHHH) + the white dragon coming to your rescue?? so good (even though idk how it makes sense since the white dragon is not supposed to like… particularly care about Link? But hey not the most wild deus ex machina of this ending I guess)

ACTUALLY LETS TALK ABOUT THAT YEAH I’m really confused at this “power of light and time saved zelda through link’s arm don’t worry about it” deus ex machina. Like… okay, cool, I knew they couldn’t have left Zelda as a dragon, I get it, but that’s it? That’s how it happens? If they had only mentioned the time thing then sure, maybe just like the master sword got sent back 10000 years prior, maybe the time power lets us revert Zelda her original state, but they included light in the mix and… idk, it confuses the message imo. Probably counting on us to think “the power of light heals” or something vague like that, idk

When Sonia and Rauru saved Zelda I really hoped that they’d say SOMETHING but nope. At least we get the confirmation that the spirit world and the afterlife exist in the sense that your spirit continues to BE YOU even when you’re supposedly “moved on” (Sonia you could have argued might have stuck around just like Rauru did when waiting for Link, but RAURU clearly “moved on” at the end of the tutorial, so yeah, I think we got a glimpse of the spirit world during this cutscene + last cutscene with Mineru straight up telling us she’ll be talking to Rauru and Sonia. If anyone knows wtf happens after death it IS the sage of spirits so I take her words seriously)

Also got somewhat spoiled the last part where we dive to grab Zelda but nonetheless so so cool. Though it’s too bad that Link keeps a poker face at the end like my boy can’t even crack a real smile at the fact that Zelda is finally safe? I’m sure players could have tolerated 30 seconds of Link not being a strictly blank vessel for us to project onto.

Finally, Zelda swearing that she’ll make sure that peace will last forever… idk if it’s because I’m so deep into my own headcanons about the nature of the cycle but I couldn’t help thinking “I know you literally can’t think any other way and you truly believe in your words but you’re wrong” jdjdndjd anyways

Overall, really satisfying road to the ending, the fights were so so cool !!

[mobolanz]

For the soft OC asks: 12, 19 and 14.

Knew I could count on you!:D

12. What's a childhood memory they cherish most?:

Evelyn: a very sentimental individual, who actually believes she took them all for granted and wasted them back then- so the least she can do is cherish the memory fondly.

But one I think about a lot would be a time her father showed her his own ship, just by the time she began elementary school; he told her that in a few years when she's old and responsible enough he'd take her on a trip with it and maybe even inherit it to her when she's fully grown. It was big and impressive for her eyes, of a girl in sheltered upbringing not allowed to leave the safe home (and quite literally, even go outside to the gardens without strict watch. So growing on the unnatural light and limited space of the mansion, as big as it was.)- the idea that in a matter of few years she can finally go wherever she wants. All she needs to do is earn it and do her best and hardest

By the time she reached said age the man decided that for as far as he's concerned he doesn't have a daughter.

( @ ME WHAT PART OF "SOFT ASKS" DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND-)

Mia: first time she showed someone a thing she drew and they went "well this girl should do so much! Like grow to be an actual artist or something". She's been since forever believed to be meant for great achievements on her own uniqueness... so what's stopping her now...?

Cecille: Honestly,, just about anytime she was reading by herself in the personal libary/ the tree. Rather likely whatever she pulled each time was dark poetry/folktales/myths. On the later's case any weather was a good excuse for her too (outside rains & snows obvy), otherwise sitting by the window.

14.What's the most touching gift they've ever received?:

Evelyn: gold pendant with a stone almost shaped like a heart the color of fire she got as a surprise from someoneee after a certain festival in secret (🤭). Even a certain patient of hers (his name is incoming fic spoiler) noticed and bluntly pointed out a very unusual smile as she kept observing it carefully while wearing it to the last of details. She wears it often as possible and takes extra care of it even in dangerous times, not leaving home without it.

Funny thing you asked... The ending got me to doodle as I type this the reinelyn hug before he gets on the ship to paradis in the epilogue,,, and as I mentioned in one of you previous asks.... a ring might be involved this time 🤭🤭✨

Mia: she's got a lot that'd be for sure, but the two things that allowed her to create her most precious creation were individually given to her by the two most important people in her life, so technically it's like a gift from them both. One is a diamond ring, the other is her crystallizing ability, and the she gifted herself with a protected version of the flower that made someone see the spark in her eye and love it.

Cecille: Nothing exactly. And she tries not to care too much. If anything the ribbon is more of a momentoum just innocently handed to her by her tounger sister the only time they saw each other.

That said, she never threw it.

19.What's a guilty pleasure of theirs?:

Evelyn: working late. Also idk if that counts but adressing people in an overly polite manner even if she's been told casualty is just fine. (Although if they specifically state to hate formalities she'd correct herself)

Mia: ah that'd be romantic films, dressing fancily for casual daily routine (which drags the ask "you're invited somewhere...?" ) And giving Sapphy analogies on self development x"3

Cecille: bringing up a random quote to prove her point in a conversation/argument. Also long hot showers.

SOFT OC ASKS