#Like whiles still being an SSR like all the other

[ecto-stone]

:V this is how i imagine what Danny Phantom: Astral Projection game gonna be like. So like unlike normal Gacha game it very much like FGO. With a more refine version commander follower team control System of Astral Chronicle.

You can chose what ever unit you like to be commander and manual control them in battle to lead the back team around. :V there will be no PVP. or Forced Co-Op ( to created a more chill game atmost sphere) The only time Player co-op will be During the World boss Week at the end at everymonth when everyone in Game team up to kill the world boss as many time as humanly possible to get more Concentrated Ectoplasm Cube at the end of the tally up. Or a Stories event like Human Vs Ghost. Where Player pick team and sweep the event stage to get point and resourse. (winner get 50 more skin ticket then losing team) :) cheese strat or just playing the team you want is highly recommended. But what if you bring Max Lv unit to dungeon wouldn't that be wasted. No. The team have what essentially an EXP share or mentor spots. For example my team Have Vlad who is Lv Max. And Dani who is Lv 1. Vlad over flow Exp when he go to dungeon will go to Dani. who is in the Exp Share tag along spots.

[jessamine-rose]

/obey me! vent/

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Divus Crewel - Rich Fur Coat Vignette

"A full course of disciplinary action"

[Sage‘s Island – Foothill Town]

Sage’s Island Resident: Good morning, Divus-san. You're up pretty early again.

Crewel: Good morning, madam.

Crewel: Also… Good morning, Emma!

Crewel: Your cute spots look so good on you, as always. I am truly lucky to be able to meet with such a stunning beauty so early in the day.

Crewel: …Can I give you some pets, you sweet thing?

Emma: Bark, bark!

Sage’s Island Resident: Fufufu, you're always so doting on our Emma, thank you. Look, she's so happy she's showing her belly.

Crewel: No, I should be thanking you. These fleeting moments I get in the morning are my personal solace.

Crewel: I'm grateful that I am able to see and pet these beautiful little lads and lasses.

Crewel: Especially since I'm unable to see my precious ones until I return to the Queendom of Roses on the weekends.

Sage’s Island Resident: If I recall, you have two friends looking after your dogs back home during the week, right?

Crewel: That's right. They're old friends… Or rather, they've become more like hired hands.

Crewel: I would love nothing more than to bring my dogs to Sage's Island…

Crewel: But my apartment here in Foothill Town is much too small to keep them.

Crewel: Sometime in the future, it would be nice to rent a large home here in this town and live with them together every single day.

Crewel: I'd drive with them in my favorite car on the long road along the ocean… That's the dream.

Sage’s Island Resident: Well, how lovely. I'm looking forward to the day that I'll be able to meet your precious dogs, Divus-san.

Crewel: And I as well, madam. I hope you have another pleasant day today. Bye, Emma.

Crewel: Good morning, my good sir. A strong cup of tea, as per my usual.

Shopkeep: Good morning, Crewel-kun. Would you like some food with that?

Crewel: No, thank you. I don't eat breakfast, as a rule.

Shopkeep: Yes, yes, I know. I thought I'd just ask.

Shopkeep: I can't believe you come to my little establishment so early in the morning just to drink tea instead of our signature coffee blend…

Shopkeep: You're still an odd one, even after becoming a professor at Night Raven College.

Crewel: Hah. Truth be told, I don't come here for the tea.

Crewel: Every Monday morning, if I sit in this seat here, I can watch the ships sail into port. The sight of the sails in a row is beautiful…

Crewel: This tea doesn't even compare to the stuff I can brew, but this view is something I can't replicate back home.

Shopkeep: Hahah! I always knew you were a sharp-tongued devil in your student years, but it seems you've just gotten even more cruel!

Crewel: I think it's more of a shock that you haven't improved your tea brewing skills in 15 years, sir.

Shopkeep: Well, luckily, we're still thriving! Do enjoy your time here.

Crewel: Thanks. …Hm. This respite is quiet and soothing.

Crewel: I should relax while I can. …Because I'm sure today will end up being yet another busy day.

Crewel: Today, I have homeroom plus three other classes. There's also preparations that need to be done for next month's event, a staff meeting, and last week's tests that need grading… Whew.

Crewel: Well. I'll just have to hope those pups won't cause me any issues, at a minimum.

[Laboratory]

Crewel: STAY!!!

Students: EEK!

Crewel: I can't believe this… What have you done?

Crewel: Why are all the ingredients needed for today's experiment scattered all over the floor?

Crewel: Which one of you mangy mutts not only stepped on but also mixed together all those spilled ingredients?

Crewel: I am only asking a simple question, and yet all anyone can yelp is "It wasn't me," or "It was someone else's fault"...

Crewel: PUPS WHO CAN'T OWN UP TO THEIR MISTAKES ARE NO BETTER THAN A MUTT! THEY DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO BE CALLED DOGS!

Students: EEEEP!

Crewel: So tell me, who is the culprit? Tell me truthfully, and you'll only have to deal with a full course of disciplinary action and not a bit more.

Students: Th-That is…

Students: [everyone stares]

Grim: Hm?

Grim: …Wh-Wh-Wh-What? Don't all you be lookin' down on me!

1. I think it'd be better if you just apologize honestly… 2. You'll get a lighter punishment if you just confess now.

Grim: It wasn't me who did that! It's [Yuu], definitely [Yuu]!

Scarabia Student: Don't try to blame [Yuu]. You really don't know how to give up, huh, Grim!

Octavinelle Student: Yeah, you were the one who flipped the table in the first place! There's no way I'm gonna let you take us down with you!

Grim: Heh! Do ya even got any proof that I did it?

Crewel: I see. It definitely won't do to accuse someone of the crime without proper evidence.

Crewel: …By the way, Grim.

Grim: Hm?

Crewel: The fur on your legs have turned black, but why is that? It looks just like that of a black cat.

Grim: Huh? My legs?

Grim: …Woah, you're right! My amazing grey fur's pitch black!

Grim: WH-WHAT'S WITH THIS!? GET RID OF IT FOR MEEE!

Crewel: There's no point in wiping it. The sap from the tree we were to use today turns black upon exposure to air.

Crewel: If it were to touch on your clothes or hair, it wouldn't matter how much you scrub or wash with water, it won't come off.

Crewel: incidentally, to return the blackened part to normal, the fastest method would be to cause another reaction to render it colorless.

Crewel: Look! Everyone see here.

Crewel: When I pour this concoction of herbs onto Grim's blackened legs…

Crewel: See, it returned back to its normal color. Make sure you remember this reaction.

Students: Oooooh.

Crewel: …Now, Grim. Do you have any idea why the ingredients we were to use for today's experiments got on your legs?

Grim: M-M… MYAAAH!

Grim: It ain't my fault! The desk shouldn't've been there!

Crewel: YOU MONGREL! YOU ARE TO STAY AFTER CLASS AND COPY LINES AS PUNISHMENT. UNDERSTAND!?

Crewel: And [Yuu], you're to also stay behind, as Grim's prefect. It would be troublesome if you cannot even look after your own pet!

1. But I have plans after class…

Crewel: Oho, you have plans that take priority over my prescribed discipline? [Yuu shakes their head] …No? A good response from a good boy.

2. I'm sorry…

Crewel: If you truly are sorry, then lets see that as a tangible result. If you can make Grim learn to sit and stay properly as his prefect, then I'll give you a treat.

Crewel: These pups truly are a handful… My beloved pet dogs are much more well behaved.

Crewel: Everyone, sit!

[Crewel magics the ingredients]

Grim: All the stuff I dropped are just floating back on top of the desk. So why's he gotta get on me when he can just fix everything…?

Crewel: The ingredients have been properly prepared once again. I will now explain the procedure for this experiment, so make sure you watch carefully.

Crewel: …I expect all of you to be on your best behavior.

Grim: Urp. He's just glaring at me, now…

[Interior Hallway]

Crewel: Ah, classes are finally over. Today was another tiring day.

Crewel: None of the freshmen listen and the sophomores slack off now that they've gotten used to the classes. And the juniors are teeming with arrogance.

Crewel: If I were a student, I would absolutely have literally knocked some sense into them...

Crewel: However, because of my position, I cannot do that now. I never even thought that I would be more inconvenienced as a professor, than I was as a student.

Crewel: Tch! I knew what I was in for, but still, I hadn't expected being an instructor to be this difficult.

???: And why are you clicking your tongue like that, Crewel-sensei?

Trein: As a professor of this school, I would prefer if you were to carry yourself better, so as to be a good example towards the students.

Crewel: Ugh… And now on top of everything else, someone even fussier has shown up…

Trein: What is with that disgruntled look? Do you take some issue with me?

Crewel: Of course not, don't be absurd! I would never bite back at any commentary you have for me, Trein-sensei.

Trein: Good. We should start to head towards the staff meeting, then.

Trein: Incidentally, you seemed to look rather exhausted a moment ago. Did something happen?

Crewel: No, I wouldn't say there was anything in particular…

Crewel: …I was only thinking of how I could effectively train the students. There are more than a fair share of unruly pups.

Trein: Do you of all people have any right to say that…? Especially since you were one of the rowdiest students during your time here.

Crewel: That was simply youthful ardor. Wasn't I just a charming little thing?

Trein: Don't write it off as simple "youthful ardor." Have a little shame.

Trein: …Well, I suppose it hasn't been too long since you've become a professor, in the end. This year makes… how long?

Crewel: Six years. Have you forgotten our joyous reunion already?

Trein: Hmph. Of course I remember your scowling little, "Oh, professor, were you still here?"

Trein: But only six years, I see… Well, why don't you pat yourself on the back for doing as well as you are for such a short tenure?

Crewel: I'm doing well? …Do you truly think so?

Trein: It is a fact that the rate of students pursuing the sciences have increased since you've arrived. There would be no purpose in denying that your instruction is showing good results.

Crewel: Heh… Heheh, is that right?! Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that coming from you.

Trein: And there you go getting carried away and speaking without any forethought. I do believe I've taught you countless times since your time here as a student to respect your elders, haven't I?

Trein: …Now then, if you're feeling better about yourself, we should get this staff meeting underway. I am keeping Lucius waiting.

[Trein walks off]

Crewel: …How insensitive of you, Trein-sensei.

Crewel: Here I am, patiently enduring everything until I can finally go see my dogs over the weekend, and you say that.

[Alchemy Workshop]

Crewel: Now that the meeting is done with, I should try to finish grading the tests while I can.

Crewel: …The rate of students pursuing the sciences, hm. I suppose it's true that everyone's grades are improving, even if at a slow pace. …A truly slow pace.

Crewel: Heh. I do enjoy seeing these pups grow.

[knock, knock, click]

Grim: Hey! I went 'n did that assignment for ya!

Crewel: What is it that you've done for me...?

1. I'll have him try that again. 2. He just misspoke!

Grim: I-I mean, I finished the assignment ya gave me. I'll put it here on the desk, 'kay?

Grim: …Hm? There's a book with a fancy cover mixed in with all these boring lookin' books. What's this?

Crewel: Oh, did that catch your eye? That book contains the collection of an apparel brand I worked for in the past.

Crewel: I keep telling them to not send anything to my office, but are some who just refuse to listen…

Crewel: Not only do I receive their catalogs, but also phone calls, all asking for my advice for the next fashion season.

Crewel: …It's just like your tests, don't you think? I'll have to fix their mistakes later to the best of my abilities.

Grim: Urgh, that sounds annoying. Why don'tcha just ignore 'em?

Crewel: Ignore them… Hahah, that's one idea. I can imagine their panicked and frantic faces.

Crewel: …But no, I do consider this somewhat of a hobby for me.

Crewel: Just because I've become a professor, that does not mean I can fall behind the current fashion. I want to constantly be checking the latest trends.

Crewel: I'm sure even you'd prefer a fashionably cool instructor over some decrepit, antiquated teacher, right?

1. I want a cool teacher.

Crewel: Right? You're quite a lucky one on that account, pup, because you have me as your homeroom teacher!

2. I want a nice teacher.

Crewel: You'll get bored if they're just nice all the time, you know. You might understand what I mean when you get a bit older.

Grim: I don't really get all that hard fashion stuff, but I totally wanna look cooler!

Crewel: Well, I'll consider that good enough for now. Don't you worry, I'll make sure to turn you into polished gems before graduation.

Crewel: You students here at Night Raven College may have a knack for magic, but your fashion senses are severely lacking.

Crewel: …And since I've taken on the duties of being your teacher, I won't allow that to continue.

Crewel: When I first started here, I vowed that I would craft every single one of you into the most fashionable and capable mages you can be.

Crewel: You have a first-class instructor, and first-rate instruction. …It would be impossible for you all to not become fantastic mages.

Grim: Heh. I'm totally gonna become a great mage even without your help!

Crewel: Hahah, you're a cheeky one. …Now then, if you've finished your task, go on. Looks like your friends have arrived to walk you out.

Crewel: Your time as a student may seem long, but it is deceptively short. I will do what I can to support all of you so that you can live your life here without any regrets.

Requested by @revengeofreaper32.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 5 part 6 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 6 OF THE MAIN STORY!!***

If you’d like to watch a rough part-by-part summarized translation, please check out this archived stream!

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Ew, we're starting off with another map segment... TWST REALLY WANTS TO TIMEGATE OUR TEARS, HUH

Yuu and gang are going to follow the night fae soldiers to Black Scale Castle beyond the mountains. They can't stay too far from the owner of the dream, Lilia! (If you'll remember, they're now taking Tamago-sama there for safety while Meleanor stays behind to fight the Silver Owls.)

Silver hasn't seen Sebek use his UM??? Sebek tells us he learned his UM when Silver got into NRC and Sebek was training by himself. He wanted to be able to rush to Malleus's side at a moment's notice. He knows it is able to turn his own body into lightning and then can use it to move and to attack. However, the spell will damage his body while using it since he has yet to reach mastery. Sebek can't use his magic to rush to Lilia and the others because he wouldn't be able to fight by the time he does.

... ISN'T HIS UM SIMILAR TO ROLLO'S.... JUST TRADE FIRE FOR LIGHTNING...

AW, SEBEK WASN'T PLANNING ON USING HIS SPELL UNTIL HE MASTERED IT... BUT HE STILL USED IT TO SAVE SILVER 😭

Oh, they finally asked the question we were all having. If Malleus made this dream with the intention of it being a happy ending, then why do only sad things happen in Lilia's dream??? Also, why did OB Malleus not come after them yet or kick them out of the dream??? Maybe there's a reason why Malleus can't supervise or enter Lilia's dream??

BAUL LEFT THEM MAGIC TO GUIDE THEM THE RIGHT WAY... HE TRUSTS US TO HELP THEM NOW

Baul fights with an axe. IS HE ABOUT TO HAND IT OVER TO SEBEK (Sebek seems to be holding one in his limited time card)????

Lilia "I won't forgive you if you die!" Vanrouge.

Not both grandpa and grandson volunteering to stay behind to fight and then catch up later... Sebek tells Silver to go ahead and protect Lilia, "You go and protect what is most precious to you. I'm going to protect what is precious to me," (Sebek about Baul) 😭 The night fae are so confused why a human would willingly help them... THI S IS SEBEK'S CHARACTER ARC

SEBEK PROVES HIMSELF A CAPABLE FIGHTER TO HIS GRANDPA!! His hair gets all messy like what's shown in his new SSR. It's raining as well (like in the card art), so this is likely the context for the illustration. The groovy artwork is of Sebek being knighted!!!

adgkuvaodv8yfefvyyeft8wen Sebek makes a big speech about wanting to be their strength!! BAUL ACKNOWLEDGES SEBEK BY NAME INSTEAD OF "HUMAN" AND GRANTS HIM A SOLDIER'S UNIFORM, SEBEK'S BEING OFFICIALLY KNIGHTED FOR THE BRIAR COUNTRY'S IMPERIAL GUARD AND GIVEN A NEW WEAPON... BAUL EVEN GIVES SEBEK HIS OWN CROCODILE MASK

Zigvolt family lore!! Baul doesn't get along with his human son-in-law, but never distanced himself from his grandchildren. When Baul's only daughter wanted to marry a human, they argued so much about it. To this day, he still doesn't particularly care for humans. Even so, Baul's house has a lot of storybooks and candy prepared for his mixed grandchildren. He won't open them warmly, but it's clear he loves his family.

Silver saves Lilia!! And then Lilia asks Silver to take the egg to Black Scale Castle in his place. There are too many human soldiers on their trail, and Lilia cannot fight them while holding the egg (plus he's already injured from previously protecting Silver at the easternmost fortress).

Yuu has to hold Tamago-sama...

Silver proceeds to carry Lilia like a baby in spite of Lilia saying he'd stay behind and distract the Silver Owls 🤡 NOT SILVER USING LILIA'S OWN TEACHINGS TO TELL DREAM!LILIA THEY STILL HAVE TO TRY AND SURVIVE

The mountains are called the "Forbidden Mountains" and it is said that this is where Maleficent once lived. If you are not blessed by the dragons, the lightning (according to legend) will strike you down. Beyond the mountain is Briar Country's capital city and Black Scale Castle.

Surprisingly, Silver suggests an ambush method (hide and strike at soldiers from behind when they've let their guard down). I guess NRC really did teach him how to be backhanded after all/j

Silver says maybe Malleus can't follow them since he wasn't born yet in Lilia's dream. Magic relies on imagination, and since Malleus cannot imagine what life was like before he was born... that's probably why he can't monitor these circumstances.

Would you look at that ���� The first real time the story acknowledges that Yuu is in bodily danger; Silver Owls shoot arrows at Yuu because they're holding the egg. Grimmu protects us!! Baby... Best buddy...

SEBEK ARRIVING TO SAVE SILVER (aksldnbaksdbaydasl lol at Sebek being smug about his knighting and trying to act cool even though the lightning is definitely still hurting him...)

Silver Owls retreat!

Oh wow, so they see creeping black thorns similar to when Malleus OB'd; everyone suspects that maybe Meleanor Overblotted too.

Silver mentions that he lives near the Forbidden Mountains but has never climbed them before. The rocks there are very sharp and dangerously jut out. AW, Lilia gives Silver and Yuu his cloak to protect them from the rain and cold. Lilia says the mountain range is full of magic, so its restorative to fae, who draw power from nature.

The way they came from was sealed off by rocks... but Lilia fully intends to go back and help Meleanor...

THEY MADE IT TO THE CASTLE!! It's called Maleficia's castle; we have an official English spelling for Granny Draconia's name. Something, something, Lilia wants to prepare something called the "Cradle Tower".

WE CUT BACK TO WILD ROSE CASTLE

Like father, like son... The Dawn Knight seems remorseful and wonders where they went wrong, if everyone could have been friends if they had chosen some other way. He wants to dream of a world where all races can live together in peace. "One day, it won't be just a dream, it will be reality." It's phrased very similarly to the wish Lilia made in Wish Upon a Star!

The stormy weather clears up and the dawn makes way... IT'S A SIGN THAT THE DAWN KNIGHT PREVAILED AND MELEANOA'S MAGIC HAS DISAPPEARED... Lilia just lets out the most guttural cries... He says if he were stronger, he would have taken Meleanoa with him against her will, HE WASN'T ABLE TO KEEP HIS PROMISE TO PROTECT MELEANOR FOR HIM

I still want to see Mallemom's on-screen death though.

Side note: they force us to play through a scripted loss battle between the Dawn Knight and Meleanor 💀 Sick fucks on the dev team…

This is delicious content :)))))))) We're eatin' well, boiz

Uhhh okay so there are greenish spirits floating around; they're the senate??? Apparently they've already died but their spirits linger and serve as advisors.

… Idk why doesn’t Mallemom do this too???

NAUR, NOT THE SENATE BLAMING AND SHAMING LILIA, SAYING HE RAN AWAY AND LEFT HER TO DIE IN BATTLE... THEY CALL LILIA A MUTT AND BAT, JUST A DIRTY ORPHAN WHO CAN’T BE TRUSTED… AND THAT HE ISN'T FIT TO SERVE, THAT HE'S USELESS (this must really sting seeing as Lilia has insecurities about not being wanted 😭)

Baul defends Lilia's honor but Lilia still resigns from the Imperial Guard. HE'S TELLING THE SENATE T HEY CAN PUNISH HIM SO THEY FORBID HIM FROM STEPPING INTO THE CAPITAL AGAIN

The senate uses magic to take the egg away from Lilia AND LILIA SAYS GOODBYE TO MALLEUS BY NAME

"I'm not an Imperial Guard anymore, I don't need to follow orders" — Lilia (when Baul tells Lilia he still has a duty to hatch the egg). LILIA HAS GIVEN UP and that seems to have summoned the darkness of the dream to them. Lilia thinks Meleanor and/or Levan are in the darkness so he wants to "go there too".

When a general retires, they are gifted a lavish home near Black Scale Castle. Sebek says it now makes sense why Lilia lived humbly in a forest cottage far away from the capital. Silver says it must be why Lilia dislikes the atmosphere of the capital and why he never took Silver there.

In a flashforward, Lilia is asked to come back 10 years later. At this point, Tamago-sama has developed more sentience and is actively rejecting the love magic from everyone, even his grandmother. He has only been receiving magic for the first 5ish years or so. Maleficia had Baul act as a messenger to bring Lilia back for a special mission BECAUSE OTHERWISE MALLEUS WILL DIE WITHOUT IT.

Malleus’s egg is being kept in Cradle Tower! It keeps the egg safe and essential incubates it for the royal family.

Land of Briar becomes Briar Valley? The queen cannot always be with the egg because Briar Valley and its surrounding are lands are left in chaos after the war. Briar Valley fae specifically are not allowed in human territories.

Lilia is sent off on to find a way to fix the situation. He says he will see where dragons live in other continents and research. Omg, this must be how he started his travels and learned more about other races and their cultures 😭

“Don’t you dare die, Malleus” — Lilia (AND THE LOVING DEATH THREAT ACTUALLY MAKES THE EGG GLOW)

We see some of Lilia’s travels AND HE WAS IN THE CITY OF FLOWERS ON TOPSY TURVY DAY... The people there were friendly at first and worrying for his health until they realize he's a fairy, then they chase him out.

During one of his routine reports, Lilia is convinced by Baul to speak with Malleus's egg (which now glows green sometimes). Lilia shares stories of his travels with Malleus, trying to keep it positive for the baby to not make Malleus sad.

NEXT LILIA TRAVELED TO THE SCALDING SANDS, A MERCHANT IS ASKING IF HE WANTS TO BUY A MAGIC LAMP... Lilia learns about the importance of souvenirs as keepsakes from that merchant.

Okay, so it looks like between travels we're getting scenes of Lilia reporting back and telling Malleus about the place he most recently visited. He says that the Scalding Sands used to be such a small civilization but has since grown into a sprawling city. It's amazing what kind of progress humans can make.

Malleus is fussy and some days accepts magic, and other days he doesn't. Meleanor was also a really picky eater. Levan carries himself like an honors student but was the type to hide his veggies.

AW, HE SINGS MELEANOR'S LULLABY TO MALLEUS

Next Lilia visits some ruins...? It looks like a background from the Spectral Realm seen in Endless Halloween Night. Lilia says no one lives here, there is only furniture. No ghosts are mentioned though! He uses his UM for the first time here. Far Cry Cradle is probably going to be very useful for investigating ways to hatch a dragon's egg!

Lilia tells Malleus to come out of the egg, it must be boring just sleeping. He offers to read stories and change his diaper, tells Malleus his dad wants to meet him. Oh, and of course Lilia shares about his UM too! He tells Malleus that he went to the Land of Crimson Long.

Lilia ventures to Harveston!! An old man mistakes Lilia for a kid and takes him in, showing him warmth and kindness. He says he'll leave soon, but the old man and an old woman say he should stay until spring because the weather is harsh.

The lady notices Lilia is fae (but since time has passed, relations between fae and humans have improved a bit). No one is afraid of him here!! They apologize for mistaking him as a kid and want to share stories.

(Not confirmed but it could be interesting if these were Epel’s ancestors Lilia met… Rollo’s ancestors can be the ones running Lilia out of the City of Flowers www)

ABSHDBYOAFVYFAIAEUQRQEOUBFQ LILIA IS 430 AT THIS POINT BUT THAT NUMBER IS SO CLOSE TO 420 IT MAKES ME LAUGH

His feelings are changing... At 450 years old, Lilia tells Malleus that the world has changed so much and he has had the chance to visit many places. ahbyoaybadadB APPARENTLY PEOPLE USED TO THROW STONES AND ROCKS AT HIM.

Lilia says that fae may become things of the past, just creatures of fairy tales. But he doesn't want Malleus to be the main character of a fairy tale, forgotten by time. He wants Malleus to be able to see the world his parents weren’t able to see for themselves 😔

Another time skip, and it's come to a point where the egg is in critical condition. For 3 whole months it has been rejecting Maleficia's magic. The egg has since erected a lightning barrier to protect itself, even though its own heartbeat is growing weaker and weaker. (Malleus throwing another tantrum lol)

Lilia heard weird sounds but no one else could??? Is that a baby crying???? He tries to approach, but almost gets struck down many times.

Lilia realizes Malleus is crying because he's lonely. "Wait for me. I'm coming to you right now!" He gets hit by lightning, but perserves!

Lilia says he will offer his magic, even his lifespan (many fan theorists squealed now that this is confirmed), to Malleus if he needs it, and finally embraces the egg. (Physical contact like holding the egg is said to encourage magic absorption.)

TAMAGO-SAMA??????? 😭 HE SOUNDS LIKE A POKEMON… and he’s already blowing fire even though he’s freshly hatched???

WTF THOUGH BABY MALLEUS IS 1000000000000000000000x CUTER THAN GROWN UP MALLEUS 🫶 (I don’t like modern day Malleus’s looks at all www)

Silver understands why the dream is how it is, because it was all worth it for Lilia to finally meet Malleus. The moment of hatching has to be the happiest moment in Lilia’s life.

The senate shows up and starts praising Lilia as a hero.

OH????? Lilia seems to be waking????

HMMMM? this implies there’s limited suspension of disbelief each dreamer has 🤔 and if pushes past that threshold, then the dreamer is in a confused half awake state. Idia had these little moments of questioning his dream’s reality as well.

The senate’s voices distort, and they start shouting at Lilia for touching the prince, how it will be a scandal if a bat (… is Lilia a bat fae???) “dirties” the Draconias, etc. Mmmm, maybe this is the real reaction and the praising was part of the dream?? Since Lilia seemed to react strangely to being extolled. (I’m still over here wondering why their opinions hold so much weight compared to the queen; surely she would invite her friend Lilia back?? And doesn’t seem to blame him for the death of her daughter?)

Levan has a voice similar to Malleus, but lacks horns.

DVSUBILADUP9FFQEQFFAHAFBFEYBN OB MALLEUS JUMPSCARE, HE FINALLY MANAGED TO BREAK THROUGH INTO LILIA'S DREAM

Okay 😭 Lilia did in fact use his own life span so Malleus could hatch, and then Lilia had Maleficia swear to secrecy because he was concerned Malleus would blame himself. But it also feels like the senate purged or edited the records to hide the fact that Malleus hatched with Lilia’s love??

Malleus tries to convince Lilia to go back to sleep, to not feel pain. He says he can give Lilia a dream where the Draconias are still alive, a dream where Lilia can live peacefully, just take Malleus’s hand—

SILVER COMING IN CLUTCH, he and Sebek vow to break Malleus’s “blessing”. It’s this word that allows Lilia to fully awaken!!! ⏰ He’s so proud of Silver and Sebek…

They fight (well, Lilia distracts Malleus), then Silver uses his UM to hop into another dream.

They run into Ortho?! And then everyone is dropped off in front of Ignihyde.

FINALLY, SHROUD BROTHERS RETURN RIGHT AT THE VERY END!! I was wondering what they were doing while all this shit went down in Lilia's dream... It sounds like the next book 7 update will start off with Idia and Ortho, most likely told via flashback. I assume Ortho was able to help Idia wake up somehow?

This update felt like we got a lot of new lore!! But many of the events that played out were things we already had an inkling about prior to all of this (Meleanor dying, Lilia going on his travels eventually, Lilia helping Malleus hatch, etc.). It's nice to get the confirmation and to have the gaps of time inbetween filled in.

I really appreciate the story showing us just how hard Lilia's life was and then showing us just how important a nugget of happiness after all of that was so worth it for that moment. His VA did a stellar job with the voice acting this update, particularly the sobbing once Malleus hatched. I loved seeing Lilia's travels and how they gradually affected his own mindset over time... how he learned many different things from the people he encountered, and how he passed on that knowledge onto Malleus.

I liked seeing the origins of Lilia’s UM (he’s on a journey to find an answer)! Hearing about Sebek’s was also interesting; seeing as he’s a late bloomer with his magic and how he’s always competing with Silver, his UM manifested when Silver had been admitted to NRC and Sebek was training alone. I wonder if the UM also (in part) rose out of a feeling of inadequacy or feeling like he has to “catch up” to where Silver, Malleus, and Lilia are. No matter how hard it may be, he wants to push past his limits and serve as a knight. Maybe that, too, is why his UM prioritizes power and speed at his own body’s expense. It’s great seeing Sebek open up a little more and insist on fighting alongside fae; in modern day, Sebek has had to fight alongside humans. This is bridging the two sides of himself and helping him to reconcile with his own prejudices 😭

THE WHOLE DRAMA WITH THE SENATE MAKES ME UNDERSTAND WHY LILIA DROPPED THAT LINE ABOUT HISTORY BEING ALTERED OR REWRITTEN. It all makes so much sense now... Lilia himself (at least him hatching Malleus) was written out of history even though he did so much to help his country. He was so disliked, shunned, and shown animosity from the powers that be, and now he doesn't wish for that to happen to others, especially not to Malleus, the one good thing in his life and all that remained of the friends he lost along the way. You really see his teachings coming through in Silver and Sebek when they face off against OB Malleus towards the end. And the way I screeched when Lilia finally woke up after that...

The more I see OB Malleus, the more I get this skin-crawling feeling around him. I know the other OB boys have done arguably worse things (attempted murder, for example) but there's something so awful and insidious about the way Malleus speaks. He's intentionally gaslighting and manipulating others to just give in to his control, taking advantage of even Lilia at his lowest moments to dominate his thoughts. That's scary to think about... especially the dark inversion of Malleus urging Lilia to take his hand, when the game started off with a much more light-hearted and inviting "take my hand" offer.

Anyway!! I've been wondering for a long time what the Shrouds have been up to, and I'm so excited to see their story next update!!

[mono-dot-jpeg]

conversations and quality time - d. malleus, s. idia, h. rook, & t. ace

summary; "i want a man who can yap, so i can enjoy his existence and ignore my own." - me

genre/extra tags; scenarios/hcs, shamelessly writing about my type of men, ranking (but not really) twst boys based of how much i would enjoy their yapping when im feeling empty, fluff, slightly comedy, ace is a loveable dickhead, idia and i are nearly one in the same (im sorry), gaming knowledge included (knowledge not required, it's funnier), rook is rook (and i love that for him), established relationships with all (dating), mischaracterization probably, reader is NOT YUU, written by someone who wishes to have moments like these with a friend, idia is my obvious favorite here im not sorry abt it

a/n; as the summary says. i thought of this like,,, at midnight and i thought abt characters i like and how they would ramble bc i love asmr where people just talk since i slept a lot surrounded by people talking casually during parties and it helps me just silence the raging storm in my mind about being a shitty adult

malleus draconia finds you with no troubles. he always knows when you're available most of the time. and he's always excited to be around his human companion. and he's even more excited to just spend time with you in general.

he could talk on and on for hours. and he does just that when he knows that you're not feeling very talkative or when you're feeling non-verbal. sometimes you just want to enjoy his presence, you like being in the moment. he doesn't question it at all. he knows that sometimes you might not catch everything he's saying, but he can't find it in himself to be frustrated at you.

his voice is so tender and gentle when it comes to being around you. just the right amount of deepness without sounding too rumbly(?). he talks about his interests or his day. sometimes, he even talks about his home if he feels like it. he lets you lay all over him if you want, while he talks. occasionally, he just stops talking to bask in your presence and how much he loves you.

he would read you a story if you asked him

10/10 would fall asleep to his voice

never gets mad if it happened

peak quality time

he would even sit in silence with you if you wanted to

idia shroud is the type of guy to not say anything about his interests until you ask. so you gotta initiate first, and then he just starts... and he doesn't stop. you ask one thing about the game he's playing all of a sudden, he's talking to you about this moba game that has shitty adcs and bad junglers? you might not understand anything of what he's saying, but he's so cute when he's passionate.

depending on the game he's talking about, his voice can change pretty quickly. he's a little squirrel-y but that's the charm of it all. he's more emotional about things that he would like to admit. crying over a lost 50/50 chance for his ssr roll, yelping upon getting dove under tower by 4 other players, complaining about grinding for materials for the newest armor set, laughing about how everyone is bad at the game except him then proceeding to cry about how he's bad at the game upon dying after his previous statement.

the only time he is calm is when he's lying in bed with you. he's still a little panicky, but that's just how he is. he ends up playing his mobile games to calm himself down. if you're lucky, you crawl into his arms without making him too flustered. (he's still getting used to having you in his arms and not a plain pillow.) this section is getting long, but his voice is quiet (when he's not playing a pvp game), deep but not as deep as malleus, but his voice is still like a warm fresh baked cookie or as warm as a nice home. and when he's just whispering to not disturb you... god, what i would do to make that happen for me..

god i love him.. he would do his damn hardest to make sure you're comfortable

he's not one for silent quality time imo

9/10 if you like gamer vibes, 5/10 if you don't like loud

but i love loud but not deafening.

the kind of person i would fall asleep in a discord chat with (not even a discord kitten joke. /gen)

rook hunt doesn't need to even be seen to be spending time with you. you somehow match his freak, and don't find yourself being scared when you feel his lingering presence. for all the compliments and praises he sings every day, he's also very quiet when he wants to be.

you've been dating him long enough to see him as a guardian angel more than a hunter, and he knows it. during the times he does decide to actually be around and not hide in a tree, he's the type of guy to gently praise you until you sleep or talk about every detail about you that he adores.

his voice is low and sweet. he talks quietly with an elegant softness that most pomefiore members are trained to have. when he speaks about things of beauty, he holds an air of admiration and adoration. it's mostly evident when it comes to you.

he would cure all my insecurities

he's so caring, he's literally that cute drawn emoji of just "holds in hands gently"

8/10, i can't handle too much praise, i simply die /j

giving guardian angel in an oddly endearing way

he is gentlemanly elegance !!

ace trappola is a tsundere. you hate to hear it. but he is, sometimes. but he's deceptively caring. he's grumbling about just simply wanting to sit around and do nothing but be near each other but he loves it. he's the one who somehow gaslights you (jokingly) into just sitting together or laying together into moments like these. he'll complain but he's giving you a blanket or tugging you into his hold while he's muttering like a grumpy kid.

he really is the kind of boyfriend who is really a best friend before anything. he's definitely sharing gossip and yapping away as you sit there in his arms, enjoying the way he speaks with energy and drama. he's a little dramatic but when is he not? though there's definitely been a moment where he drops some random lore/gossip about some person and you can't help but laugh in shock because how did he get this information?

his voice is kind of warm? it's hard to explain, but his voice is warm and has a natural mischievous tone to it. he talks to you like you've been around him for years and not just when you first met around the first days of being at nrc. he talks to you like you were his first friend. he's endearing.

he would annoy you if you fell asleep while he was talking

would poke, prod, squish whatever bit of body his hands could get to

9/10, -1 bc being ticklish with ace around is a play fight waiting to happen

giving friends to lovers sweethearts and i love it

we love a grumpy but loving boyfriend !!

[aprityormarj]

Leona clubwear ssr fic

Synopsis: Leona, after a very tiring day from spell drive decides to be a clingy cat to his s/o

Tw: clinginess, leona is taller, a bit of possessiveness I guess?, no beta, bad grammar 👍

Author’s notes: yes I wrote an entire fic of leona that’s 1,232 words long while being a jack simp just to mess with @aivy-saur

Leona just wanted to take a nap today. He had to deal with extremely rowdy and uncooperative students in his club today, he was really annoyed with how some of the guys who were so full of themselves weren’t listening to him at all?! Leona made them do double the work out after a horrible practice game because of them. All of those things almost ruined his day, the saving grace for leona was the fact that his number 1 fan was watching.

How could his mood be soured when you cheer him on while watching, wiping his sweat off when he sits beside you to watch his club mates, and offering to get water for everyone while looking all cute like that. He desperately wanted to see his little herbivore again since club hours were over, he even forgot to change clothes.

He spots you not too far away, you were talking to Jack and Duece as they were both working out nearby to train their endurance. You notice jack’s fur suddenly standing up as he looks at something behind you agitated and before you could even turn around two hands touch your shoulders quickly pulling you into their chest, jack calms down and Deuce gets shocked at how fast leona suddenly appeared. You can feel his tail playing in between your thighs to greet you, his strong yet gentle grip on your shoulders, and how you could feel his chest with the back of your head, damp from practice. He combs your hair away in order to leave a kiss on the top of your ear, you can hear tiny groans escaping his throat while all of this happens. “Herbivore… are you busy…?” He sounds so uncharacteristically soft and gentle, you could even say innocent.

Jack and Deuce look at each other awkwardly, as if 2 little kids seeing something they shouldn’t have “um… we’ll just go now… we wouldn’t want to disturb leona…” said Jack, Deuce nodding as they both walk away flustered from what they just saw. You wave to them goodbye and before they’re even gone leona starts to wrap his arms around your armpits to draw you into a closer hug, kissing your jawline this time whilst he rubs his head on your neck. Unfortunately for leona you turn around to tell him how you still have some errands to do, he slouches down to your level and pouts, his tail swaying erratically out of annoyance, you promise him that they won’t take long to finish as you cup his face, which he uncharacteristically again leans into your touch like a clingy house cat. You can see the mess that is his damp hair he he rubs it against you, his cheeks feel surprisingly really soft as they glisten from his sweat, and his his pupils are massive orbs, almost consuming the emerald greens in his eyes, and yet none of this was able to prepare you for what’s gonna happen for the rest of the evening.

You 1st start to walk around campus to return some things with leona’s hand in yours, but he isn’t satisfied enough so it ends up with his hands on your shoulder, leaning in really close whenever you stop walking. Due to how close Leona was he would accidentally make you trip sometimes, but he catches you every time you fall though though, and then he would lift you up a bit to hug you and then place you down shortly after. If you ever tell him off about how he’s way too close, he would just pout and still continue to be super clingy regardless of what you say. If you ever need to take a restroom break, or do any activity that needs you to have your personal space he will begrudgingly let you go, although the moment you’re out of the stall he is back on your shoulders even while you wash your hands he is sticking to you like glue.

Finally when you were done with your errands and was about to go back to your dorm until leona stopped you “stay at my dorm room again… please..?” Well he’s been very adamant on sticking by your side today and also very affectionate, so might as well just say yes to the poor prince’s request. His tail stands up in approval of your decision and happily walks (pushes) you towards his dorm room. When you enter his dorm, the 1st thing he does is hug you, leaning his entire body weight on top of you causing you to fall down on your bed with his on top of you, chuffing and kneading against the bed, you comment on how uncomfortable his hugs were since he was still sweaty. In the current state leona is in right now he is way too lazy to take a bath or get a shirt to change himself, so the smart kitty decides to just take of his shirt, it’s a good enough compromise for him leaving you flustered in the process, he doesn’t really mind since he does find you cute when you’re all flustered like that. The orbs in his eyes grow even more, consuming the emerald colors in his eyes, completely turning round and black. He carries you around his bed in order to adjust both of you better, leaving kisses on your skin while doing so. He places you down gently and hugs you wrapping you with his arms and legs. He gently leaving licks and bites on the skin of your face while chuffing up a storm. He mumbles about how cute his little herbivore is and how much you make him happy, he can’t help but rub his face against your body while making all of the noises that a lion can make. He may not say it but he’s definitely head over heels for you and you alone and this is his way of saying it. You want to sit up in place to get a better view on leona, but instead he tightens the hug you’re in and gets up closely to your ear “stay… mine… my herbivore is mine… and mine alone…” he then grazes his teeth against your ear and chuffs again, chuffs that are only reserved for your ears. He wipes your arms down with his hands, he loves the feeling of your goosebumps, honestly he loves any reaction out of his little herbivore.

Welp I guess you’re trapped in his arms now and I don’t think you can overpower this cat man sadly 🧍‍♀️

When you wake up the next day, he’s still clinging onto you like glue so you can’t really rise up as well until he wakes up. When he wakes up though he noticeably gets a bit embarrassed (though he’s trying to hide it) “Herbivore… I’m sorry about how… clingy… I was yesterday…” he notices your smile and your red tinted cheeks which causes him to smirk and come closer to your ear again in a sensual manner, his tail wiping against your arms “unless you didn’t mind any of it…? I’d be happy to do it again all for my future princess~”

[thereoncewasagirlnamedjane]

small worlds.

✩ read on ao3 ✩ steven g. rogers masterlist ✩ forget-me-not creative campaign ✩ library blog

‣ pairing — 1940s!steve rogers x f!reader

‣ contents — one-shot, hurt/comfort, somewhere between fluff and angst, implied smut, established relationship

‣ summary — all he ever wanted to do was the right thing. it never occurred to him that doing the right thing could possibly hurt someone he loves.

‣ word count — 1.5k

‣ notes — this is my submission for my own creative campaign lmao 😅 i just got inspired looking at those prompts again, okay? and these are my missing pre-serum!steve hours 😭 and after the week i’ve had, i need some comfort~

prompts used: ✩ geranium = returning joy ✩ plumeria = “well, this is new.” ✩ zinnia = mourning your absence

Bucky had been wrong. 

His best friend predicted that you would be thrilled to see the new him. After all, the girls at the SSR couldn’t seem to stay away, nor could the flight nurses out on the frontlines, no matter how many times he told them he had a girl back home and just wasn’t interested. 

Howard was the only one who knew well enough to warn him; given how Steve had left things with you before he took off on his tour across the country, he shouldn’t expect everything to be sunshine and rainbows when he got back. 

The two of you had fought, the biggest one in the history of your relationship, and hadn’t spoken to each other in days before he had to leave. His efforts to lie his way into the army was always a source of friction between you, and this, being selected as the subject for Project Rebirth, was just another straw on the camel’s back. 

Steve knew you were just afraid for him, as anyone who mattered to him would be, but it was something he knew he had to do. Unfortunately he couldn’t be convinced, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t also terrified of facing the consequences. 

“Be prepared to grovel, Rogers, like you’ve never done before,” Howard warned, giving him a grave look before waving him off. “Hell hath no fury.” 

So, he showed up at your door only days before he had to leave for Italy, holding a bouquet of flowers and shuffling nervously on his feet as he waited. Steve didn’t know what to say when you opened the door, feeling a little awkward himself at nearly two feet taller and about a hundred fifty pounds heavier. 

You stared at him for a moment, almost as if you didn’t recognize him. 

“Hi,” he said sheepishly, giving you a hesitant but hopeful smile. You looked like you might reel back and punch him, no doubt still angry about the way things went down and how he’d returned to you looking like an entirely different man, but then your face crumpled. 

There were downsides to the serum, he realized, as he could smell the salt of your tears before they even reached your lashes. He leaned down, bending at the waist, something he never had to do before, letting you wrap your arms around his widened shoulders. He could taste the relief in your tears as he kissed them away. 

In the hours that followed, however, you remained distant. He caught you staring thoughtfully at him from across the kitchen, only to quickly avert your eyes when he looked up from the hearty dinner you made him. 

You pulled away subtly when he reached for your hand or the soft dip of your waist, flinch when he moved to kiss your cheek, and returned all his dumb jokes with tight smiles. 

“Well, this is new,” he grinned softly as he stepped behind you, his chest firm against your back, grabbing a jar on a high shelf that you were struggling to reach. 

It took you a few moments too long to turn towards him, your lips curving upwards ever so slightly but it never quite touching the rest of your features. 

Even when he lay next to you that night, it felt like you were miles away. He was leaving soon, all the way to Italy and then to god knows where else, and he didn’t want to leave things this way. He didn’t want to go yet, not while he was uncertain about whether you’d welcome him back next time. 

But as always, it’s like you hear the thoughts in his head without him ever needing to speak them. It’s why this works; he broods and you see through him, as though you have a map directly to his heart. 

“It feels strange,” you confess in hushed tones, the two of you lying in the darkness of your bedroom. When the two of you touch, it feels foreign. You feel guilty, as though you were somehow being unfaithful to a version of him that would never come back. 

“I know,” he says, reaching for you. His heart sinks when you pull away. He lays there in silence, his enhanced vision capturing you so clearly in the dark, staring up at the ceiling as your bottom lip quivers. 

“You took him from me,” you whisper, eyes shining so brightly with anguish in the moonlight. It takes a moment for him to realize what you mean. He can hear the tears sliding down your temples and dripping onto the pillow. 

All he ever wanted to do was the right thing. It never occurred to him that doing the right thing could possibly hurt someone he loves. 

“I’m still me,” he murmurs, his fingers desperate to wipe them away, his arms itching to find their place around you once again. 

“To everyone else, even to you, he was always just that scrappy little nobody from Brooklyn. But to me?” You are weeping now, your voice thick with grief even though he’s right next to you. “To me, he was everything. I don’t want Captain America. I want Steve. My Steve.” 

Steve swallows hard. You always were the only one who did. 

“He’s still here,” he pulls you close and this time, you don’t fight him. You fold yourself against him, crying harder when you are met with the hard sharp planes of his new body, instead of his usual soft edges that always seemed to embrace you right back. “I’m right here.” 

He lets you cry into his chest until, after what seems like hours, you finally drift off into an uneasy sleep, the front of his shirt still damp with your despair. 

But it doesn’t take much longer to find a new normal. 

He still smiles at you the same way as the day you met, a little sheepish and a little shy even after all this time. 

He still does that thing where he intertwines his fingers with yours, his touch a little evasive, teasing you a bit before finally pressing your palms together. 

He still holds you for as long as you need, always letting you be the first one to pull away. 

He still quietly fills the pages of sketchbooks that he hides on your bookshelf. 

He still eats so slowly, taking his time at your dining table because even a slightly bigger portion than normal used to make him sick. 

He still looks at the most terrible parts of humanity and decides that the world is worth saving. 

You slowly get used to the fact that he can reach the higher cabinets in your kitchen now, that he no longer falls ill at each turn of the season, and that while you will never get to see your Steve again—even though you think of him often—this Steve is right: he never really left. 

And when you’ve forgiven him, because there really was no question about it, when you’re ready to give yourself to him again, you’re both a bit nervous and awkward. 

It takes a little bit of dancing to get used to each other’s bodies again; you’re much smaller compared to him now, and he’s afraid he’ll forget his newfound strength and inadvertently hurt you somehow. 

But, much like you did before when he was small and inexperienced, he guides you and you eagerly follow. He lets you come to him, allows you to set the pace and boundaries of how far you’re willing to go, and he always looks at you the same. He even says it again—

“I can’t believe you’re here with me,” he croaks, so close you can smell his aftershave. 

It’s moments like these when you fully realize that while the serum changed him on the outside, it never touched what was inside. As always, he handles you with the utmost care, pulling you cautiously onto his lap, his hands gently cradling either side of your face as he drinks you in, eyes darting back and forth across your face before he finally leans in to kiss you. 

His eyes never once leave yours, even as you abandon your dress and undergarments on the bedroom floor. His fingertips slide down your sternum in a featherlight touch, down the valley between your breasts, before turning his hand over to brush his knuckles lightly over your rib cage, raising goosebumps in his wake. 

You stare into his familiar eyes, the ones that fill your vision with the clearest blue—as if you’re looking into a cloudless summer sky, just like the day you met the boy with a heart ten sizes too big for his chest—and you sigh in relief. 

“There you are,” you purr against his lips. 

His lips stretch into a smile, coaxing yours into doing the same. He remembers a promise he’d made to someone else not that long ago, and he promises it again—to you this time. 

That you will stay who you are. 

That he will never lose your Steve. 

fin.

[blackrabbittwst]

Hi! Can i have a request a hcs of idia and malleus (seperate) with his s/o who is loving/affectionate, loyal and caring towards him?

A/N: Awww of course! These shy/awkward bois deserve so much love! They just don’t understand haha

A/N: I did try to briefly reread this, so I hope it is okay. I basically wrote Idia a year ago and never finished Malleus until now.

Synopsis: A loving and affectionate s/o who is also loyal and caring

Characters: Idia Shroud, Malleus Draconia

Pairings: Idia Shroud x Reader, Malleus Draconia x Reader

Gender/Pronoun: Gender Neutral

Warnings: N/A

Idia Shroud

To be honest, he wouldn’t understand how and when you both even started dating. You were such an incredible, kind person that he feels like he doesn’t deserve to love someone like you! Even with the experience playing dating simulation games to boost his confidence while also getting comfortable talking about his feelings, he would still be a big bumbling mess.

He would think that the moment you both agreed to date, he somehow scored the best SSR gatcha, ON HIS FIRST PULL.

Even though he loved you dearly, once you both started being more romantically intimate, he would be apprehensive in the beginning.

As an introvert with very few friends, he’s not used to be praised so sweetly, or being told that he was actually cool. It was such an alien concept to him that he believes that he somehow landed in some sort of alternate universe. It would take some time for him to eventually open up and comfortably accept the love and affection (especially more so in a private space).

It was already a lot of effort to get him to trust you to date him in the first place, to be honest. He was attracted to your caring nature, which made him feel calm and safe, but he never wanted to risk ruining your friendship. He didn’t think he had the RNG luck that was capable having someone like you attracted to someone like him. So you would have to approach him and confess (because unless an event happens and it forces him or he gets emotion, this shy baby won’t take the initiative).

If you do any PDA, he’d freak out. Once he’s more comfortable in a relationship, he might be okay with holding hands but anything more, he’ll become a puddle of a mess. He’s such a private person, so please be patient with him. He would stiffen up at a hug and if you kissed him, his face would flush so red and his hair would turn a bright orange. He’d be such a stuttering mess, but as a loving s/o, you’d still find him so adorable.

In private he’d have to get used to being doted on. He wouldn’t understand why you were being so nice to him outside of a video game. He’d be used to giving him some rare loot from a raid, but nothing in person. When you tell him how much you love him in person, he’d get bashful and wouldn’t know how to reply while muttering something. This is especially true when it comes to physical intimacy in private. Hugging and kissing would make him very nervous so you’d probably have to take the initiative at first. Sadly those dating simulation games didn’t prepare him for this…

Eventually he’d appreciate all the caring words and touching you give him in private, like leaning into your touch. He would even start yearning for your touch and enjoy wrapping his long arms around you while playing games. You could be playing games with him, reading or even sleeping, but he’d want to be cuddling you no matter what, never letting you go. Of course he’d appreciate you playing games with him, but he knows he doesn’t need much sleep compared to others and games throughout the night.

Even though you would both be dating, the thing that makes his heart thump hard are moment when he sees how loyal they are to him. Like making plans to do a raid one night, but you get invited to a party by Kalim. While you would enjoy the party, you did promise to play games with Idia and kindly decline the offer. When you mention that offhand in his room, he’d feel so happy and grateful to have someone like you who prioritizes him and enjoys spending time together.

Malleus Draconia

While he was the one to confess to you, he didn’t know what to expect from a relationship. Over the years, he’s had dinners with prospective partners (arranged by his grandmother), but he didn’t share any feelings for them. So overall, his dating experience is quite lackluster.

While he did know he had feelings for you (that he didn’t quite understand yet), he didn’t know how to exactly show it, so of course he wouldn’t know how receiving love would look like either. While he loved Lilia, Silver, and Sebek as a family, this love was different than he had ever felt. Receiving hugs from you felt… warm, safe, and nice while hugging the other guys felt like a lighter happiness that made him smile. They were definitely different but it was hard for him to completely understand

He isn’t used to being doted and loved on so much. Everyone in the Briar Valley was nice, but they were never friendly to him like they were to each other. It was as if everyone was always walking on eggshells around him, and it was isolating. He did grow up with the company of Lilia and his grandmother, but it isn't entirely the same when the rest of the town is basically kissing up to you or appeasing you for a little clout.

He’s used to Lilia, Silver, and Sebek’s love but it’s not nearly the same. This love is more… smothering, in a good way. It was like being wrapped up in a big comfy blanket. He almost doesn't even know what to do with himself with all the love and affection you give him. The idea of someone giving him hugs, kisses, and even holding hands is such a foreign concept.

He’d be awkward with any physical touch that entails hugging or holding you in any kind of way. Let’s be honest, he ripped open a coconut with his bare hands. This man is brutally strong (which can also be a good thing) and just doesn't want to hurt you with his inhuman strength. Can you blame him? He'll get over it easily with enough coaxing and baby steps. Eventually, he'll grow to become a huge cuddle bug that will never want to let you go.

He eventually starts to adore the gentle touches and constant attention to where he even seeks it out. None of the other NCR students thought they'd see the day when the Prince of Briar Valley is wandering around aimlessly for someone like a lost puppy.

Unfortunately though, even if he could parade you through the campus, a prince cannot be seen doing scandalous PDA in public. So any form of intimacy past holding hands cannot be tolerated, but he is sure to make it up in the comfort of his own room.

The moment he notices how loyal you are, he’ll be so appreciative and full of love. While he is used to the constant adoration of a certain half-fae (*Cough* Sebek), this sort of loyalty is completely different since the foundation lies more on himself rather than him being a prince. He would know that this commitment was from the bottom of your heart and it really tickles him pink.

The moment when you loyally report back to him about all the events that occur on campus is the moment where he feels included, finally. You would go out of your way to find Malleus and relay the message that the Housewarden meeting was coming up in the next hour. He would be so surprised that someone ACTUALLY remembered to tell him! He'd be tempted to pick you up, kiss, and twirl you in place right then and there, but there is a time and place for that. Instead, he will gently grab your hand and kiss it while making eye contact while a simple thank you escapes his lips.

[cheapshrimpysheep]

If you are willing, I crave more Idia content. I really like the first date thing you wrote for him, and I’d love to see how you’d approach the idea of him being a bit bolder with his crush upon finding out somehow that they have a crush on him too! Tysm and congrats! 🩵💙

COMMENTS: Thank you for the request. Idia is one of my favorites. 💙 And maybe that's why I wrote a little more than I usually do. And in a slightly different way too.

I hope you and all enjoy it. 😉

CHARACTERS: Idia Shroud (Ortho as his accomplice)

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; Flirting

WORD COUNT: 850 words

How did he find out?

Idia found out because of Ortho. Knowing that his older brother had a crush on you, he decided to find out if you could have a crush on him too. Since Idia wouldn't try anything at all unless he was absolutely sure your feelings would be reciprocated.

First Ortho studied your vital signs and other physical changes to see if they changed when his brother was around or mentioned. And, according to his studies and test results, the changes that happened to you squared with the changes that occur when one person has a crush on another.

Why do all that if some of your closest friends could confirm your crush on him? Because that information would not be enough for Idia, he needed scientific proof too.

How would he react?

Denial! “Come on! Those results can't be right. I mean, with all this handsome SSR OP characters around? They could have a prince, why would they want me? You must have some bug. Let me check.”

“NO! I’m fine!” Ortho replays “I can guarantee you that all my software is up to date and there is no warning from my antivirus.” They got into an argument long enough for Ortho to convince Idia that it's true that you have a crush on him. Would that take hours? Days? It doesn't matter. The Shroud may very well be the most stubborn students in the entire school.

How would he start acting around you?

Well, it depends. Of how many people and who is around you.

If you are in a place where he feels socially uncomfortable, such as surrounded by extroverted friends of yours, you will be his shield. He won't let go of you. And he will only talk to you, or at least try to only talk to you. If those people are the shadows in the room and he is a child afraid of the dark trying to sleep, then you are his teddy bear that puts him to sleep when he hugs you.

Well, he wouldn't literally hug you in public, but the feeling is extremely similar.

If he is very anxious, he may discreetly hold your arm. And he will try to convince you to accompany him to a place where he feels more at ease.

If you were out in public but in a situation that was within his comfort zone, for example at the board games club, or surrounded by someone he already has a little more confidence in, he will still be reserved, at least in the eyes of others.

He would always be close to you, sit next to you. Not in the sense that he is glued to you, but in the sense that you are the person he feels most comfortable with. Like I said before, his teddy bear.

Since he is in a place where he feels comfortable, he can forget about the others while talking to you, by accident, and flirt with you a little. Tucking his arm around your shoulders as he talks. Talking to you in that deep voice and with his confident smile on his face.

If anyone in the room shows they can hear you two or can tell you're flirting, he'll back away from you a little bit completely embarrassed by the situation. And yes, the ends of his hair will turn pink.

And if you are in private, most likely in his room, there will be nothing to assuage his pride.

He will treat you most of the time like his best friend. At least until such time as something happens or is said that gives him an opening to flirt with you. A bet on a video game for example?

“You want to take a walk with me one day? To leave my room of my own free will?” Idia smiles smugly at you “Fine, sure, of course... if you beat me at Star Rogue.”

You two were sitting, playing some video games.

“That's not fair!” you protest “You know nobody can beat you!”

“I'm glad you're smart enough to see the trick. If you had accepted I would have started to worry about your ability to fall into a deadly trap in the future. Wisdom is not an attribute to be neglected.”

“If you don't want to take a walk with me, all you have to do is say no. Or no, thanks.”

“I know, that's why I never said no. Are you not paying attention?”

You don't want to play that, so you get up sulking and walk to the door to leave. You expect him to stop you but he doesn't. You try to leave, but the door won't open.

Idia gets up and walks over to you. Still with your back to him, you see his hand land on the closed door. You turn around and he's basically "kabe-don" you.

“Hey, come on, these kinds of achievements shouldn't be so simple to get, don't you think? And do we really need to go outside? There are so many things we can only do inside.”

If you dropped in here out of the blue and want to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[merakiui]

OOOH TO HAVE A YANDERE CROWLEY TAKE ME PASSIONATELY IN HIS ‘NEST’ WHEN I ASKED TO BE SENT HOME 🥰🥰🥰 if the first few rounds don’t convince u to stay maybe the next few will

THE FULL SSR IMAGE IS SO 😵‍💫 😵‍💫 the perspective........ crossed legs. The confident pose and smirk. He's still cringefail babygirl, but now he looks just a little less of that. OTL soft non-con with him in a nest he's put together, filled with pillows and blankets and your clothes or other objects he happened to "find." You're so fucked out, so delirious, that you've lost count of just how many times he's fucked into you at that same slow, soft speed all while mumbling soothing words in your ear. Things like how he's so kind to keep you here and look after you, to provide for you, to shower you in endless affection.

You're such a sweet thing. Why leave when you could stay? Sure, he's neglected to truly put his all into searching for a viable way home. But perhaps such a thing doesn't even exist. And if it did why would you want to return home when all you could ever need and want is here? You've been going at it for what feels like forever; you've gone numb from the pleasure, your thoughts muddled and incoherent. He pats your thigh and praises you for being such a diligent, hardworking mate. You don't even comprehend the word until later. Mate? Is that what you are? Surely not... You can't be. You have to go home. Right? Do you even want that anymore?

Crowley doesn't need elaborate shackles or schemes to keep you trapped. Crows mate for life. That's shackle enough.

[716chr]

Chihiro Natsuyaki SSR Story “Dazzling Dancing!” - Part 1

#ちぃとデートなうに使っていいよ /#Feel_Free_To_Use_This_Pic_Like_Ur_On_Date_With_Chii_Right_Now

(TL Note: The hashtag above roughly translates to “Feel free to use this picture (with the hashtag) "On a date with Chii right now”. This (デートなうに使っていいよ) is a common hashtag on X/Twitter where users will save existing photos under the tag to pretend they’re going out with their lovers)

Location: HAMA House

Chihiro: OMG, yay! Mega win for Chii~☆

Kaede: Did something good happen, Chihiro-kun?

Chihiro: Mana-pii*! Guess what, guess what!?

TL Note: So Chihiro (and a few others) call Kaede “主任”. This title can be translated to the following: “person in charge”, “senior staff”, “chief”, “manager”. I picked “Manager” because it flows off the best, hence, Chihiro’s nickname for Kaede (主任ぴ) will be translated as “Mana-pii” in my translations since I don’t feel particularly fond of keeping it as “Shunin-pi”

Chihiro: So, like, that one pancake cafe that’s been makin’ the big buzz lately is doin’ a collab with Chii’s fav brand, TuRyStA, and——

Chihiro: Chii managed to snag reservation ♪ So now Chii can totes go eat those super adorbs TuRyStA bear pancakes

Kaede: That’s good to hear!

Kaede: I knew pancakes are trendy lately due to the retro boom, but collabs like this is totally unexpected…

Chihiro: They’re not just retro anymore, y’know. ‘Cause pancakes nowadays are steppin’ up their game ♪

Chihiro: Check out this site, Mana-pii. Like, pancakes and fruits are makin’ all the big boom now. That fluffy and creamy, melt-in-your-mouth feeling is totes to die for, ya feel~?

Kaede: Woah, they look so good!

Kaede: Ugh…. Hearing Chihiro-kun talk about this is making me crave something sweet now

Kaede: And I just had dinner too

Chihiro: Ahaha, it happens to the best of us~!

Chihiro: Heard that Kirokkuma’s gonna go with his lil sis to this collab

Chihiro: It, like, just gives Chii the total sniffies* 🥺 at the thought of goin’ there alone, so Chii’s plannin’ to invite someone too, since 2 reserved seats already in the bag

TL Note: I decided to ‘translate’ マジぴえん / Maji Pien into “total sniffies” for dramatic effect lol

Chihiro: Hey, Mana-pii. Ya free this weekend? Let’s go indulge in sweets with Chii!

Chihiro: Also…. How ‘bout we grab some puddings for dessert right now?

Chihiro: Chattin’ with Mana-pii got Chii cravin’ for some sweets too ♪

Chihiro: Y’know, as celebration for our reserved seats…. What’d ya think?

Kaede: Uh, but…. I’ve been eating too much lately….

Chihiro: Y’know there’s always room for desserts, right? Like those that’re extra creamy, with nata de coco on top….?

TL Note: Here Chihiro used the kanji “別腹” which basically stands for “dessert stomach”/“having extra room in your stomach for dessert despite being full”

Kaede: Hnng…. Got it! I’ll have pudding with you today and pancake with you next week as well!

Chihiro: Now that’s the spirit! Mana-pii’s the best, you always get it~☆

Chihiro: Aight, don’t forget our weekend plans, ‘kay? If you forget, Chii’s gonna cry for real!

Location: Cafe

Chihiro: Cake ♪ Cake ♪ Pancake ♪

Kaede: Geez, I can already smell it…. I can’t wait for it to arrive

Chihiro: Totally! Chii’s secured the merchs, so now it’s just pancake-munching time!

Kaede: But… This really is a popular collab, isn’t it?

Kaede: It’s thanks to our reservations that we can just waltz right in, but there’s quite the line outside….

Kaede: Somehow, I feel kinda bad

Chihiro: Don’t sweat it, it’s totes fine. Enjoyin’ things like tasty treats and cool places also includes waitin’ in line as part of the fun!

Chihiro: ‘Cause nowadays, there’s even a system that lets you wait in line without actually physically wait in line, right?

Chihiro: But still, if ya linin’ up in front of the cafe, that means that was a deliberate choice!

Chihiro: And, like, just waitin’ for the pancakes to be served while chattin’ you like this, Mana-pii, is already so much fun for Chii…

Chihiro: Chii is sure that everyone outside waitin’ in line is having a good time like us too ♪

Kaede: I see. I guess you’re right

Kaede: Thank you. I was kinda nervous about coming to such a trendy place like this alone…

Kaede: When I’m with you, Chihiro-kun, even waiting is fun

Chihiro: …..!

Chihiro: Damn, that’s, like, the ultimate compliment ever……

Delivery Drone: Thank you for waiting. Here are your “Stakichi Pancake” and “Turysuke Pancake”

TL Note: It’s probably obvious already but I’m just gonna point it out here just to be sure. “Turysuke” and “Stakichi” are just the word Turysta split in half, with common Japanese name suffix (-suke and -kichi) attached, making them into names

Chihiro: It’s here~!!

Chihiro: No way!? It’s this cute!? It’s so totes adorbs that Chii’s feelin’ like freakin’ out right about now!?

Chihiro: Mana-pii, don’t eat yet! Chii wanna snap a quick pic of Stakichi and Turysuke layin’ side-by-side!

Kaede: Of course. If I’m not mistaken….. This purple one’s called Stakichi, right?

Chihiro: Yep, yep! And, this red one is Turysuke, Chii’s fav bear!

TL Note: Chihiro used “推しクマ” and I debated whether or not I should keep it “oshi” as is but ultimately decided to just use “fav” instead. Since I dunno if everyone knows the whole culture behind “oshi” completely or not (plus, I guess it flows a bit better than writing “oshi bear”)

Kaede: Both of them are so cute… Ah, is this spot good for the drinks?

Chihiro: Okie-dokes. That’s the sweet spot!

Chihiro: First thing’s first, gotta snap some pics for SNS….

Chihiro: ‘Kay, Mana-pii get in-frame next! Let’s take a two-shot together to commemorate our outing!

Kaede: O-Okay

Chihiro: Thanks, Mana-pii!

Chihiro: Woah~…. This place is, like, seriously Chii’s vibes

Kaede: (Chihiro-kun looks so happy. Just looking at him makes me happy too)

Kaede: (I’m glad we went here together….)

Chihiro: Let’s save the dazzle postin’ for later. Sorry to keep ya waitin’, Mana-pii. Shall we dig in now?

Kaede: Yeah. Let’s dig i——

Chihiro: Actually, pause! We gotta drop a message to the work chat so everyone at HAMA Tours can know ‘bout our date….

Kaede: Th-That’s embarrassing, wait!

Part 1 | Part 2

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] Sakuya Sakuma | [SSR] Devil Maid’s Reward | Homemade Omurice

Guest A: Everything was once again delicious today.

Guest B: We’ll come again!

Sakuya: Yes, please do come again! Thank you so much!

*Shop bell rings*

Store Manager: Good work, Sakuma-kun.

Sakuya: Good work to you too. Seems like the lunch rush is over.

Store Manager: Yeah, things have finally settled down. You’ve been so busy all day, aren’t you tired?

Sakuya: A bit… But it makes me happy to see so many smiles on the customer’s faces, so I’m totally fine!

Store Manager: Being able to say things like that is what’s so great about you, Sakuma-kun.

Sakuya: Really? Thank you!

Store Manager: Haha, alright, after you clear that table, why don’t you take a break, Sakuma-kun? I made napolitan for the employee meal, so why don’t you have some?

Sakuya: Wait, there’s napolitan today? I’m glad! 

Sakuya: (I can’t wait to have napolitan.) 

Store Manager: If it looks like there won’t be too many more customers today, do you want to try making that one dish again?

Sakuya: Can I really? I’d love that!

Store Manager: You’ve gotten pretty good at making it, so I’m guessing today will be the last day I teach you.

Sakuya: Ahaha, I’ll do my best to make sure that’s the case.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: Good morning, Yuki-kun.

Yuki: Morning. Wait, forget about that. I didn’t know you were still here, Sakuya.

Sakuya: Yeah, I’ve been stretching in the rehearsal room… Are you going out somewhere today, Yuki-kun?

Yuki: I have new clothes I want to make, so I’m staying here.

Sakuya: I see! Can I see them whenever you make them?

Yuki: If I finish them.

Izumi: Ah, Sakuya-kun and Yuki-kun. So you two are still in the dorms.

Sakuya: Us two…?

Yuki: Oh, yeah, it has been awfully quiet today, hasn’t it?

Izumi: Everyone else left this morning, so I guess it’s just us for now.

Sakuya: Huh, really? It’s kinda weird for there to be so few people here.

Izumi: Will you be going to your part-time job today, Sakuya-kun?

Sakuya: Nope, I’m off today.

Izumi: Gotcha, so you’ll be able to take things easy then!

Sakuya: Yeah! I’m thinking of relaxing and reading the play I borrowed from the library later.

Sakuya: …Ah, right. You like omurice, right, Yuki-kun?

Yuki: I do, but why?

Sakuya: I’ve actually been learning how to make omurice at my part-time job recently.

Izumi: When you say at your part-time job, do you mean the Western-style restaurant Hanamura’s?

Sakuya: Yeah!

Yuki: I thought you were a server.

Sakuya: That’s my main job, but sometimes I’d end up in the kitchen doing dishes or something.

Sakuya: And I ended up watching the people in there cook…

Sakuya: After that, the manager started teaching me how to make omurice every once in a while when there weren’t that many customers.

Izumi: So that’s why! That was really nice of the manager to teach you.

Sakuya: Yeah. They’ve been really good to me!

Yuki: …So, what you’re saying is that you know how to make Hanamura’s omurice too.

Sakuya: Yeah, I’ve just finally memorized the recipe and the steps to making it pretty well.

Yuki: Huh, that’s great.

· ❀ —– ٠ ❀ ٠ —– ❀ ·

Yuki: Hanamura’s omurice is pretty good.

Izumi: Yeah, their omurice is good, but so are their other dishes too.

Sakuya: Really!? Thank you.

Yuki: I dunno what you’re saying thank you for, you’re not the one making the dishes.

Sakuya: I also love Hanamura’s food because it’s so delicious, so I was just happy to hear you both say it’s good!

Yuki: Well, I guess I get how you feel. Hanamura’s omurice is pretty top-tier.

Izumi: It’s the kind that’s got chicken rice wrapped in it!

Sakuya: I like the kinda omurice that’s got ketchup on it!

Yuki: That’s the kind where you can write or draw stuff with the ketchup before you eat it. Omurice made the real way like that is no doubt the best, in my opinion.

Yuki: Man, talking about omurice has made me kinda hungry…

Izumi: Ah, it’s already past noon! I didn’t even realize. Alright, let’s find something to eat then.

Izumi: Is there anything you guys want for lunch? If I can make it, I’ll make it, otherwise, I can go out and buy something…

Sakuya: Um, well… If the two of you want, why don’t I make some omurice?

Izumi: Huh, you will, Sakuya-kun?

Sakuya: Yeah. And if we’re missing ingredients, I’ll go out and buy them. What do you guys think?

Izumi: I think we have all the ingredients, but… Are you really sure?

Sakuya: Of course! I mean, I wanted to make it for you, Yuki-kun, since you like omurice, and for you, Director, as thanks for always looking out for me, so…

Izumi: Thank you, I’m glad to hear that.

Yuki: You do know I’m pretty picky about my omurice, right?

Sakuya: I do. That’s why I want you to try omurice made by me…

Yuki: Hmm. Well, I just so happened to have been craving some omurice, so good luck.

Sakuya: Great! I’m gonna make delicious omurice just like from Hanamura’s, so look forward to it!

· ❀ —– ٠ ❀ ٠ —– ❀ ·

Izumi: Alright, Yuki-kun and I will be in the dining room, so just call if you need anything.

Sakuya: Okay, thank you so much!

Sakuya: Alright, time to start cooking. For the ingredients, I need to get out…

Sakuya: Onions, bell peppers, chicken… Ah, and mushrooms. Good thing we’ve got all the ingredients!

Sakuya: First, I need to finely chop the onions…

Sakuya: (This’ll be divided among three people, so I’ll need quite a bit.)

Sakuya: Ueh…

Sakuya: (My eyes are watering… But I’ve gotta power through in order to make some delicious omurice!) 

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: I’ve finished cutting up the bell peppers and the mushrooms too, now all that’s left is to cut up the chicken to be the size like how I was taught…

Sakuya: …Alright, I’m finished cutting things up.

Sakuya: Next, I’ve gotta beat the eggs and add a bit of milk and salt to them.

Sakuya: Then I just need to prepare the rice and then… There, everything’s ready to go!

Sakuya: (Time to get started on making some chicken rice! I just need to heat the frying pan, and then add some oil…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Pan sizzling*

Sakuya: (...And now the chicken rice is complete! Good thing I was able to follow the recipe.)

Izumi: It’s starting to smell good.

Yuki: Seems pretty promising.

Sakuya: (I’m glad they’re both looking forward to it.)

Sakuya: It’s almost ready, so you’ll only have to wait for a bit longer!

Izumi: Feel free to take your time!

Yuki: I don’t want you screwing it up.

Sakuya: (All I’ve gotta do is cook the eggs, and then add the chicken rice before rolling it up.)

Sakuya: (But the cooking conditions are pretty tricky, so I’ve gotta adjust things and then shape them, so here’s where I’ve gotta really focus in…!)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: The omurice is done! It got kinda misshapen, but…

Izumi: Wow, it looks so good!

Yuki: Well, it looks good enough, at least.

Sakuya: I brought ketchup, so you can put it on however you’d like.

Yuki: Alright, I wanna draw something, so I’ll use it first. I’ve just gotta do something like this, and…

Izumi: That’s Yurukuma!

Yuki: Bingo.

Sakuya: Whoa, that’s really good! I wanna try drawing something like you did too.

Yuki: Okay, here’s the ketchup.

Sakuya: Thanks. I think I’ll draw some kinda animal too. Okay, first I’ll do the outline…

*Ketchup splashes out*

Sakuya: Uwhoa!?

Izumi: That came out so forcefully…!?

Yuki: Now, what exactly compelled you to strangle it? Your omurice is practically drowning in ketchup.

Sakuya: I was gonna try drawing something… Well, I guess I can’t draw anything anymore.

Yuki: You’d probably be able to do it if you actually do it right, but… It’d still be hard.

Sakuya: Yeah…

Izumi: Ah, then do you wanna swap with my omurice? There hasn’t been any ketchup put on it yet, so you can draw on it!

Sakuya: Huh!? But this one’s smothered in ketchup, I can’t let you eat that, Director…

Izumi: It’s fine, it’ll taste the same! Here, we’ll switch.

Sakuya: …Ah, then we don’t have to switch. Why don’t I just draw something on your omurice, Director? 

Izumi: Are you sure?

Sakuya: I’m sure! Like you said, it’ll taste the same, so I can just eat mine.

Izumi: Gotcha. Well, if you’re sure about it, then feel free to go ahead, Sakuya-kun!

Sakuya: Thank you so much!

Sakuya: (This time I’ve gotta be careful…)

Sakuya: …

Sakuya: …Done!

Yuki: Huh, that’s not half bad.

Sakuya: Really? It makes me happy to be praised by you like that, Yuki-kun.

Izumi: Is this a drawing of a cat, Sakuya-kun?

Sakuya: Ah, yeah! I’m glad you were able to tell.

Izumi: Hehe, it’s cute!

Yuki: Now that we’re done with the ketchup, let’s hurry up and eat. Th: e omurice is gonna get cold.

Sakuya: Right, let’s eat!

Sakuya & Yuki: Let’s eat.

Izumi: Let’s eat!

Izumi: Ah, it’s really good! It’s just like Hanamura’s omurice.

Yuki: Yeah, it seems like you followed the recipe perfectly.

Sakuya: I couldn’t afford to screw it up knowing that you two would be eating it…

Izumi: Hehe, I appreciate it. It’s thanks to that that it tastes so good!

Izumi: Ah, right. You’ve still got quite a bit of ketchup there, Sakuya-kun.

Sakuya: You’re right…

Izumi: Can I use some of it then?

Yuki: Ah, I’ll take some too.

Sakuya: Sure, here you go!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Yuki: Ahh, I’m stuffed.

Izumi: Hehe, same here. That was really good.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Choose!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Option 1: Thanks for the delicious omurice.

Izumi: Thank you for the omurice, Sakuya-kun.

Sakuya: You’re welcome. But I also have to thank you for eating it!

Izumi: Even if you follow a recipe exactly, it’s hard to make a dish the same way it’s made at a restaurant because stuff like heat and other things can cause even minor changes.

Izumi: It was really good! Just like what you’d eat at a restaurant! I could really tell that you practiced a lot, Sakuya-kun.

Sakuya: Ehehe, I’m happy to hear you say that!

Option 2: That was a luxurious lunch.

Izumi: That was a luxurious lunch we had today.

Yuki: It really was just like Hanamura’s omurice.

Sakuya: But it was shaped kinda wonky, and I messed up with the ketchup drawing…

Izumi: But it still tasted really good, so it’s okay!

Izumi: Plus, the picture you drew on my omurice was really cute.

Sakuya: Ehehe, thank you so much.

Sakuya: It really is fun to cook when there’s someone there to eat it!

Yuki: I’m expecting to get some nicely shaped omurice next time you make it.

Sakuya: Yeah, I’ll work hard to make sure the omurice is perfectly shaped next time!

Yuki: When that happens, I’ll draw something cute on your omurice, Sakuya.

Sakuya: Really? I’m glad. Well, I’ll look forward to that!

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ortho Shroud - Platinum Gear Voice Lines

When Summoned: Land of Dawning National Museum of Art data, download complete. Commencing supporter role.

Summon Line: Why would people come to a museum to look at paintings that they can see online anytime? ...This is my chance to verify the reason!

Groooovy!!: The Son of the God of Thunder failed miserably a ton of times. Want me to tell you what all they were?

Home: A 100th anniversary is amazing!

Home Idle 1: Even when looking at the same painting, it'll resonate differently to each person... In other words, the impressions it gives off can change depending on who looks at it. That's pretty cool.

Home Idle 2: Malleus-san told me a tale of the Thorn Fairy that I hadn't ever heard before. I liked being able to hear something that couldn't be found online!

Home Idle 3: The more you figure out a painting's expressionism, the more fascinating it becomes. Like when they use colors for the scenery different from what would be the norm to represent a character's feelings.

Home Idle - Login: Give me a shout if you need something explained! I made sure to put together all the info on the exhibits here at the museum.

Home Idle - Groovy: I had a ton of fun listening to all of Jade-san's stories about the exhibits! I'd love to be able to go on a dolphin-riding tour sometime.

Home Tap 1: Even if I could meet the Thorn Fairy, I wouldn't be able to carelessly get too close to her. If I made her angry and she summoned lightning, I could short circuit...

Home Tap 2: It's said that the Lord of the Underworld always spoke with an abundance of humor. If only there was the technology to record voices during his time... Too bad.

Home Tap 3: Riddle-san was gazing at a painting of the Queen of Hearts... I could really see just how moved he was by it. That sort of emotion is still difficult for me to reproduce.

Home Tap 4: It's still hard for me to create something from scratch, so I have a ton of respect for people who can do that. Particularly, my brother!

Home Tap 5: Don't you think this gear is pretty stylish? I feel like I could just go to a dance party in this thing!

Home Tap - Groovy: I'm currently analyzing the difference in emotions people feel from the artwork. Can you tell me about the paintings you liked?

Duo: [ORTHO]: Jade-san, I've figured out their weakness! [JADE]: Ortho-kun, you've done well.

Birthday Login Message: Rolling... Action! Okay, give me my birthday wishes with a biiig smile! This? It's a film camera I borrowed from the Film Research Club. I thought I'd capture my birthday memories on here. It could be a little difficult developing the film, but I thought it wouldn't be bad to try something analog once in a while... Huh, you'll lend me a hand? Thanks!

Requested by Anonymous.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I don't know if this has already been asked, but what did you think of the Halloween event? Is it too early to ask? How did it compare with the other events?

Aaaaah, thank you for asking!! I was actually in the middle of writing my own "these are my thoughts" post even if no one specifically asked 😂 but I'm glad I can just reply to this ask with what I was cooking up~

***Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!!*** ***Please also note: these are just my OWN thoughts and opinions! In sharing them, I do not mean to disparage those who think differently than me; I only mean to contribute to the discussion.***

I'll be quick and rip off the band-aid now: I liked this event about as much as I did Stage in Playful Land, maybe a little better than Playful Land if I think about it. If you know anything about my thoughts on the previous Halloween event, well... Let's just say it's a mixed bag. Neither of them comes close to toppling the peak that was Glorious Masquerade. (Fandom consensus seems to be quite positive though, with many liking Nightmare more than, if not the same as, GloMasq while Playful Land is still considered the weakest of the bunch.) Playful Land and Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas both suffer from general pacing issues. The former had an intriguing premise and setting but also many plot holes, a lack of active involvement from the SSR squad, and a resolution that was way too convenient. The latter, Nightmare, was very boring throughout because the majority of the event was centered on party preparations. I enjoyed everyone's bickering and the SSR squad's role in the event, but I wanted more than just that. It's basically like Terror is Trending, but if it had the Nightmare Before Christmas characters also featured. However, Nightmare did have a really interesting ending that played with amnesia and time paradox tropes. It's just that the road to get there wasn't anything special. I'll now get into all of this in detail, but it's quite long. Ready for a read? Then let's go ^^

My Extended Ramblings:

The initial aesthetic is strong. VERY strong, especially to me, a girlie that loves Nightmare Before Christmas and formal wear😭 BY GOD DOES EVERYONE LOOK SHARP AND DRESSED TO KILL IN THOSE NIGHTMARE SUITS... The devs totally popped off with the fits. I also loved how all the characters' coloring shifted once they entered the book; there's notable hatch marks on their shadows and even their skin and hair adopt bleaker saturations. These are SO much better outfits than the GloMaq and Playful Land ones, I'M SORRY BUT THAT'S JUST THE TRUTH. The other events tended to have chunky silhouettes and/or overly embellished elements to their designs that didn't sit quite right with me. NIGHTMARE SUITS HOWEVER ARE PERFECT AS THEY ARE...

... That being said, I think this event's premise was not great. I know everyone's mileage with this will vary greatly, but personally I don't like Lost in the Book events. I don't enjoy having Disney properties so blatantly shoved at my face; I'd prefer it to just be a distant part of the lore and history of the Twst world. The other issue with the event being so closely tied to its Disney film is that the story becomes so predictable. You can't really explore beyond the bonds of what the film has already set up, so you're trapped with whatever status quo Disney has mandated is "okay". (For example, in Nightmare, it has to be set BEFORE the events of the actual film in order to keep things "the same" when the film events actually play out.) Lost in the Books rely on individual nostalgia to some extent to get you invested in what it's trying to sell. This was particularly evident in this event, which featured several characters from the film and made Jack a very big fixture in the story. I for one was not sold on it despite my own fond feelings for Nightmare Before Christmas. I needed it to prove its own merits to me, and I'm not entirely sure if it was successful on that front.

I have made it no secret that I don't like most Twst events in general. Too often does it feel like pointless meandering and sightseeing without anything of real substance happening (though I do enjoy meeting new characters and learning new lore). That's also the case with Nightmare; the scale of the conflict isn't anything spectacular--but that's fine, it can still work as is, even if I don't personally find it interesting. I was still plenty entertained by all the bickering between the boys and between them and the residents of Halloween Town. The highlights for me definitely have to be Jade being a little shit to everyone, Jamil being tormented with bugs, Sebek's big speech in the climax, and Leona just beefing with EVERYONE in sight (particularly Malleus). The comedy and character interactions helped the middle part of the event not feel dull. I do feel like them having to switch groups around halfway through was short of a shoehorned way to prolong the middle of the event though 💦

One thing I noticed like, right away as I was playing this event was how disjointed it felt. And for the life of me, I could not pinpoint why… until I went back and compared the number of chapters per part. This is how the parts break down:

Part 1 - 13 chapters

Part 2 - 22 chapters

Part 3 - 20 chapters

Part 4 - 13 chapters

Part 5 - 16 chapters

For comparison, Glomasq:

Part 1 - 15 chapters

Part 2 - 18 chapters

Part 3 - 17 chapters

Part 4 - 19 chapters

Part 5 - 18 chapters

And Playful Land:

Part 1 - 16 chapters

Part 2 - 21 chapters

Part 3 - 11 chapters

Part 4 - 16 chapters

Part 5 - 18 chapters

Generally, Part 1 is dedicated to setting up the scenario and reason for travel. Parts 2 and 3 are meant for exploring the new location, with a big reveal dropping towards the end of 3 that kicks the conflict into high-gear. Part 4 is for combat, and then Part 5 is the continuation of the combat (with a focus on confronting the Big Bad), climax, and resolution. … Did you notice it? GloMasq (the only event of the three I consider overall excellent) is pretty evenly spaced out. Playful Land meanwhile has a weirdly short 11 chapters in Part 3 but had the extremely long 21 chapters in Part 2 beforehand. The discrepancy is made even worse in Nightmare, with Parts 1 and 4 being woefully short and Parts 2 and 3 being 20+ chapters each. It has the (likely unintended) effect of making the conflict resolution feel really rushed.

Alright, I think I've held off for long enough. Let's talk about the elephant in the room, our new addition to the Halloweenies, Mister Skully J. Graves himself. Right from the get-go, he had a mysterious air about him, especially since he's the first ever character to meet his twisted inspiration. Like I said in my first impressions post, I'm really into his design, but his personality shocked me. I expect some whimsy, but not a guy that flat-out kisses everyone he meets and calls total strangers "lovely dears". At the same time, he has the spirit of "sad wet cat" energy, and his expressions can whiplash between that and being absolutely deranged, which I found kinda charming. I get the feeling that he charmed a LOT of fans, as I saw many gushing about his otome-esque behavior and loving how he always calls attention to Yuu and Yuu's opinions. Unfortunately, Skully has what I lovingly dub "Ashengrotto Syndrome" due to my own experiences with Azul. That is to say, I started off liking both Azul and Skully, but after a certain point (book 3 for Azul, part 2 for Skully) they both took a nosedive right into my dislike zone. This is something I vaguely alluded to in my halfway through the event impressions post. I'm under the impression that this is a surprising opinion, so I'll try to do my best to explain why Skully lost his appeal to me. So the initial deterrent was his defensive and controlling behavior surrounding Halloween. He also gets so nasty and speaks down to others who don't see his perspective, which I don't find cute at all. I've mentioned before that I hate it when characters act elitist/gate-keepy and refuse to accept other opinions or change, and Skully fits that bill to a T. Sure, he might have his reasons, but I still find the result of his reasons distasteful. It's fine if he wants to respect the past or celebrate Halloween the way he's been taught, but it's another thing entirely to force those views on others. I've been on the receiving end of this kind of attitude and it was very unpleasant; I would not wish that upon anyone. (To make a long story short, I had invited a friend from outside my culture for a holiday meal so neither of us would be alone that year. That friend then complained that I was eating "non-traditional" food for the holiday.) Really rubbed me the wrong way when Skully started to tell others about HIS Halloween while being totally against everyone else's suggestions. Some of the others (like Jamil) even made an effort to try and include him anyway after his outbursts, and Skully was still unable to accept this lying down.

The hand-kissing thing was... charming at first, because I thought it was just his way of greeting people. But the more Skully did it, the less charming it seemed to me because of how everyone reacts to it. The others are CLEARLY uncomfortable with it, but he disrespects their boundaries by continuing to do so. To me, that seems very invasive and rude. Skully especially kisses Yuu a lot, and whether or not you like it will be up to individual preference--but personally, as someone who doesn't like strangers touching me intimately, I'm not into it.

During the Halloween planning, I noticed Skully speaking to Yuu directly quite often, which is different than the previous Halloween events. I started to feel a little uneasy about this, and for the longest time I could not tell you why. Then I realized. I don't think I can explain it any better than how I did in a previous post, so I'll copy and paste from there:

Another thing that really bothered me was that Skully keeps asking Yuu for their opinion. It SEEMS polite to consider them, but his intentions are way less selfless than they appear. Skully is often asking Yuu for their thoughts AFTER some other character has disagreed with him. So he is literally only consulting Yuu because he wants someone on HIS side. If you ever pick the dialogue option where you disagree with him, Skully insists there must be a misunderstanding and he will explain it to you no matter how long it takes. Don’t you see??? He doesn’t want to know what Yuu truly thinks; he wants validation in his own way of thinking. That’s NOT actually being considerate. The same shit happens when Skully tries to kiss Grim again. Grim dodges but Skully sneaks behind him and kisses him anyway because I guess that’s what gentlemen do according to him. Bro has demonstrated time and time again he does not value consent nor what others’ thoughts are on anything that differs from his own thoughts.

Skully lets his true colors show around the end of the third part. There, he feeds Jack Skellington a sleeping poison, turns Grim into a pumpkin, then takes Jack, Grim, AND Yuu as his hostages while claiming he'll reign over Halloween. Okay, that sounds great on paper, right? But there's so many practical problems with this.

Firstly, HOW does Skully plan to achieve this??? He's not that powerful since he's a first year; how does he intend to stand up to the NRC students? We even know at this point that he can't use his UM that much. Skully has shown he is impulsive and doesn't think ahead too, because he just assumes that Grim figured him out after walking in on the scene of the crime instead of lying/deceiving him about who poisoned Jack. He could have easily blamed someone else or claimed he walked in and found Jack like this already, but he didn't. It comes off as very near-sighted and not well planned out on Skully's part (which may very well be intentional; I don't think he was written to be a large threat.) I know this event's plot isn't meant to be as serious as prior iterations of Halloween events, but it sure doesn't help build tension for the finale.

We find out later in the event that Skully isn't mistreating his captives; he's keeping them in the bathtub Lock, Shock, and Barrel ride around in, feeding Grim and Yuu snacks, and asking them to please keep quiet. He also rambles on a lot about how he admires Yuu and how he wants to grant them a perfect Halloween, etc. That's... wholesome for a kidnapper, I guess??? But what I don't appreciate is (again) how he keeps shoving his ideas onto me and acting like he knows what's best for everyone. He’s not respecting my autonomy or right to think how I want. Skully is literally made of the most negative traits of Idia and Malleus while having none of the danger level of either one/j 😭 This makes me continue to not take him seriously and think that Skully could easily be beaten up--which does, in fact, end up being the case.

The ones who truly shine in this event are Sebek, Jamil, and Leona. The implementation of the SSR squad in Nightmare is much better than Playful Land. In Playful, it felt like Kalim, Ace, and Ortho hardly did anything unique to save the day; instead, it was a convenient phone call that rescued them from demise. The most I can say is Kalim was open-minded and tried to welcome Fellow and hear him out. Most of the other things could have been fulfilled by any other character, which didn't make the SSRs feel as integral as they were in GloMasq (with Azul's UM being needed, Malleus being the one Rollo has beef with, and Idia understanding the feeling of losing a younger brother and mourning). In Nightmare, each of the SSRs is similarly given a chance to shine with their special skills and UMs.

Beginning with Sebek! He leads a lot of the planning and serves as the one to draw up plans, which earns him praise from everyone, including his seniors. It's excellent set-up for him to later confront Skully about the idea of being recognized and acknowledged by one's idols (which I will discuss later in this post). Sebek is also the first to confront Skully on Spiral Hill after Skully has kidnapped Grim, Yuu, and Jack. In an act of desperation, Skully starts firing off magic and making really deranged expressions; Sebek unleashes his own UM, Living Bolt. This results in a strong flash of light in their location. The impact destroys Skully's shades and causes him to break down--he wore them as part of his ensemble, trying so hard to emulate his Halloween idol, Jack. Skully manages to pumpkin Sebek in the midst of his fit, and Sebek insists that Malleus--his own idol--will surely rescue him. NEXT UP IS L*ONA OTL WHO HAS MADE ME SO ILL THE ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER, HURK 🤢 who heard the shouting. He rescues Sebek (he’s de-pumpkin’d) and Skully isn’t able to touch him because King’s Roar is just too OP 😭 (I’m sort of confused about how tf Leona’s UM works though?????? He seems to be sanding Skully’s MAGIC, which shouldn’t even be tangible???) I’m confused. dbsvsjsnskwk And he tells Skully to get back up do he can keep beating him back down????? BRUTAL. Leona’s been pretty useful up until this point too, taking charge in leading the group, strategizing, sussing Skully out, and thinking long and hard about what his true identity is. Bro’s really working those fat brain cells of his, huh…

I think this is the first of the Halloween events (that introduce new characters) where the new guy’s explicitly said to be in danger of OB. Not sure why that is, it’s just interesting to note???

SkULLy RUNS FOR IT and bumps into Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who proceed to subdue him. Surprise, turns out that Jamil had gotten to them first and Snake Whispered the trio. The kids call Jamil MASTER and -SAMA… My guy, you are so repressed 💀 (I recall it being said in book 4 that using his UM on multiple people can result in rapid blog accumulation so UHHHH I guess I’ll overlook this for now or assume 3 people isn’t an issue????) Earlier in the event, Jamil was like the only person to approach Skully to try and include him in the planning. Must be used to this being a big brother + always dealing with his dorm.

I’m not sure if it’s just me but??? It feels like they overlooked how some of the SSR trio’s UMs worked just to have it fit in the context of the climax they wrote. For Jamil’s, maybe you can excuse the fact that he’s controlling 3 kids by saying it’s easier for him to manipulate young minds. BUT THERE’S NO EXCUSING HOW LEONA CAN SAND MAGIC 😭 At least say he has strong defensive magic that Skully cannot break through????

It’s times like these that make me really question whether or not Yuu is actually important for helping these people learn to get along, because they seemed to have resolved the issue just fine without any kind of intervention from Yuu. Yeah, they bickered and picked on each other too, but they still fixed things on their own (albeit on their own, but it comes together in the end anyway) while Yuu is kidnapped and completely out of the picture.

Vcdnsksksksn The moment that follows is kinda funny and wholesome… Well, for the SSR trio, not for Skully. They all sort of rub it in Skully’s face that he lost and then praise each other but in a back-handed way??? Like they call each other nasty and shit at planning, etc. Leona says Jamil bullied Skully so much that the poor thing started crying, then Jamil accuses Leona of threatening Skully a ton… then they gang up on Sebek (wow, they’re both awful and I love that for them).

Seeing this camaraderie makes Skully throw ANOTHER fit because he’s jealous that Sebek gets all this praise and attention. Meanwhile, Skully is all alone, always alone. Though it’s not explicitly stated, it’s implied Skully is deeply insecure about being by himself, as his classmates at school don’t understand him and rejected him + his interests. He extols a lonely and desolate version of Halloween too, something that reflects his own soul... clinging to the only solace he has in this world, the one constant. A holiday that he cherishes so very much--to the point where his own UM is linked back to it. The big dilemma he goes through this event seems to be a mix of having his own views being questioned as well as having his impression of his Halloween idol challenged. This makes Sebek a good foil character for him, similar to how Kalim was for Fellow and Idia for Rollo in the previous Halloween events. Skully even calls out Sebek explicitly, saying that he has all of the things he has never had. He'll never be disappointed by his idol Malleus (sadhbaslidbas this is ironic, considering the events of book 7), he has senpai who praise him, he has Zero for a friend, etc. Life’s soooo unfair, Skully claims. And like??? I was so shocked to see Sebek acting mature about the whole thing??????? He refutes Skully's claims and tells him straight up that to believe in someone isn't to force your own views onto them so your idol stays how you pictures them in your head. It's a mistake to think of one's idol as perfect--not even Malleus is perfect. Even so, Sebek explains that agreeing with someone and loving/respecting them are very different things... so he will accept Malleus's flaws and love him nevertheless. Even if he disagrees with Malleus, even if they have to part ways, Sebek will accept it. That's really surprising coming from him, seeing as how Sebek acts absolutely SURE of Malleus's absolute goodness in the main story... Now I'm wondering if this event must take place after book 7??? Because that's when Sebek has his own views on Malleus totally shaken. Still, I'm so proud of Sebek for dropping this hard truth on Skully--it's definitely something Skully needed to hear and be reminded of to be pulled back to reality. He also just outright calls Skully put for all his cowardly moves, including going after those who cannot fight back 💀 Very Ace of him to do…

Speaking of Skully, what really put the final nail in his coffin and sent him to the Shadow Realm (my dislike tier lol) was all the tantrums he threw this event. I understand being upset and frustrated. Really, I do. I understand being envious of others, of feeling like you've got no one by your side. But is it REALLY necessary to react like that…? And so frequently… He just shouts “shut up” over and over again… OTL I don't know, it feels like I could sympathize with him more if they properly explained why it is Skully is so into Halloween (besides his hometown being the same) and why he holds the past in such high regard. The most we get is it's just something his hometown is into and when he left for school, none of his peers really accepted that. Is the implication that Skully retreated further into his hyperfixation to cope with his loneliness????? If so, I'm not sure if this was properly conveyed so now Skully is left acting like a big baby and overreacting to everyone trying to get him to calm down. The worst of it is when he claims he’s the one who TRULY loves Halloween and everyone else is fake. That sounds like something straight out of an angry elitist otaku’s vent post. Other characters acted similar to this when on the brink of OB (which Skully was) but never so childishly. This might just be a me thing though, I don't really care for overly emotional characters; they're usually not my cup of tea.

I'm not sure how I feel about everyone forgiving Skully and partying with him at the end for the Halloween celebration. On one hand, yeah, forgiving him makes sense because it's not like he was plotting anything crazily world shattering like Rollo or a participating in a large-scale crime ring like Fellow. Skully didn't really harm anyone (though he did try to shatter someone he pumpkin’d), at least not on a large scale like Rollo and Fellow did. On the other hand, I think it was a little bit too overdone with how sappy it was??? Like why did Jack say he was PROUD of Skully for being so passionate that he went to these extremes for Halloween? Why did Jack give Skully a HEAD PAT after the shenanigans he pulled?? I felt that saying he's forgiven and inviting him to join the festivities anyway would be sufficient. And again, I detest how Skully disregarded everyone’s consent and kissed them (Yuu and the SSR trio) as an apology even when they (SSR trio) already made it clear they didn’t want to be kissed. That just felt super gross to me, not funny or cute 😔

One of the big highlights of this event was, of course, the Twst cover of This is Halloween. Everything about it is just so... *chef's kiss* from the strong vocal performance to the perfect selection of characters to recreate each scene. It's a shame that we can't access the song outside of this event, but I know that I'll be playing it on an endless loop off of Youtube 😂

For all of the issues I had with the story up until this point, I'll be the first to say that the ending was genuinely sweet. Skully actually expresses gratitude towards everyone (a first, lmao) and calls us his friends, the best thing that has ever happened to him, etc. He wants to meet with everyone and celebrate Halloween with them again. BUT. I don't like that he singled out Yuu specifically as someone he really likes. I get the same feelings from him as I do with Malleus... Like, there's a weird over-familiarity and attachment he has with Yuu despite Yuu not doing or saying much to bond with him. His reaction seems unwarranted to me, with a lot of the appeal of his friendship coming from how much the player projects onto him. (And to be clear, I say this ONLY for myself, as Yuu is meant to be a character for self-inserting; in the case where I put myself in Yuu's shoes, I would be uncomfortable with how Skully is acting toward me.)

Now we get to the ending that seems to have emotionally broken the fandom.

I said earlier in this post that I don't like Lost in the Book events, and another reason for that is because there's amnesia involved at the end. I feel like an event isn't worth it if the memories get wiped anyway because then it's like the events never happened at all. However, Nightmare actually played with this trope and did something really cool with it. Even though those who leave the book have their memories erased, they're still left with some residual feelings that can propel people to act. In the Stitch event, this resulted in the boys wanted to vacation to the beach. In Nightmare, Skully--who was transported within the book from his original time HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO--was so touched by the connections he made in the book that he essentially becomes a changed man. He graduates from NRC and travels the world to spread the joy of Halloween, thus being responsible for why it's such a big holiday in modern Twisted Wonderland, the era which our main cast is from.

No one remembers the book's events, but Skully is so thoroughly motivated by his lost memories... He somehow recreates the Nightmare Suit, BUT DROPS THE SHADES (a symbol of him trying to emulate Jack) BECAUSE HE HAS NOW BECOME HIS OWN PERSON. He shares a jubilant version of Halloween because that's the version he cherished celebrating with his idol and first real friends. History doesn't remember him, but his legacy is still going strong. LIKE THE GAO POSE... DID IT ORIGINATE FROM HIM???? ? ? ? ??????? ?? AND NOW I'M THINKING ABOUT ALL THE FUN THE GHOSTS AND STUDENTS HAD IN THE FIRST EVER HALLOWEEN EVENT... BECAUSE OF HIM SPREADING THE HOLIDAY AROUND

The NRC students don't remember him either, but they must somewhere in the deepest recesses of their hearts... CUZ THEY ALL STILL MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT HIM, LIKE LEONA SAYING BRO LOOKS LIKE A PATHETIC LITTLE MEOWMEOW (exaggeration). There's also the implication that Skully's spirit is still around, since the characters remark feeling a strange cooling sensation on the back of their hands. We never SEE him, but we sense that there's something there. In the end, they promise that they'll make the best Halloween ever in honor of his legacy and we get sequel bait.

Twst REALLY had to go and drop that ending on us and then peace out, huh 🤡 It's hard to put my feelings about this ending into words, but I think I would personally describe it as very bittersweet yet romantic. Not lovey-dovey romantic, but like... it portrays a hopeful future even though it's sad too. Like, it's tragic that the NRC students and Skully will never be able to celebrate together again. But isn't it cool that even though they were born in totally different eras, fate still allowed them to meet and completely change the course of history? And even if they forget about their encounter, that meeting still impacts them to this very day. It changed the world and their lives forever. Reaching for that thing you're missins and forgetting, without really know what it is... Something lingering there, without a form... There's something so dream-like about the concept, I have to commend the Twst devs for coming up with it. In that sense, I'm quite satisfied with the conclusion despite the bumps in the road I ran into on the way.

IN CONCLUSION. Yeah, I thought this event was another mixed bag. The pacing was bad and nothing that interesting happened since the story was mainly about preparing for Halloween. I'm not a fan of Skully. However, what I can say is that Nightmare had a good showcase of Sebek, Jamil, and Leona's strong suits and actually allowed them to resolve the crisis. The ending is also much stronger than Playful Land's and poses many interesting questions about Skully and his impact on history.

[avionvadion]

Ortho: "Those pieces of wood are not just sitting on their skin; they're rooted deep into their heads. If we tried to force them off, it would not end well! Furthermore... Eleanora Quince's health is deteriorating rapidly. The wood seems to be interfering with another magic already engraved deep in her body. She... may not survive the night if we can't discover the cause of these roots and how to remove them."

Listen, ya'll. I have October mapped out.

Halloween preparations start on September 30th (Divus says they have a "month" to prepare.) The Magift Tournament is in mid-October, so I'm going to have it take place on the 17th. Playful Land will be taking place a couple days after the tournament but a couple days before Halloween Week. (18-24th, as Ortho gives us a decent timeline at the very beginning of the event to work with, so it'll be one of those days) Halloween Week is the last week of October. (25th-31st, exactly seven days.) 

Considering everyone will be turning into living puppets, I'm treating that magic as a curse. Furthermore, Eleanora can not have another curse overlapping the one she already has. Thus, she gonna start dying.

There's already gonna be lasting drama from Book Two featuring Ace, but oooooooh boy this is gonna get DARK.

Especially since Eleanora would absolutely be considered a "defective" puppet. Once she starts visibly deteriorating and losing life, Fellow will most likely tell his "boss" that one of the puppets seem to be dying from the spell. If he does that, then the boss will probably tell Fellow to "toss the defective one overboard" and into the sea.

They can't restore her to normal and let her tell everyone what happened, but they can't sell her as a living puppet either. Easiest way to get rid of her is to toss her overboard while she's still being transformed.

Fellow probably won't dump her into the water right away, though.

Human trafficking is one thing, but murder is another. (Really? That's where the line is drawn?) So he'd probably be keeping an eye on her condition to see if she actually dies or not, checking her pulse every now and then, etc. Contemplating his life choices and why he's still working for such a rich asshole who treats him like utter shit.

As time passes, Fellow probably comments that Eleanora will end up becoming a "pretty corpse" after all, unlike her friends who will be living puppets, and Lilia will be pissed at that but can't really do much since he's also paralyzed from the wooden curse.

ALSO, since Fellow IS a card-

I'm trying to rationalize why and when he might end up joining NRC.

The only reasons I can think of after watching his SSR story and reading his voice lines, is that he realized he needs to actually learn the stuff he wants to be able to teach for when he eventually gets the funds he needs to build a school for the poor and the people with little to no magic. Because, even in his SSR story, he laments that he can't teach Gidel a whole lot of stuff since he himself never went to school.

(Him teaching Gidel how to read was the cutest damn thing oh my goodness)

But how did he get into NRC, when he doesn't have the magic for it or the cash? How was he able to establish himself as a student with Gidel as his "other half" similar to Idia+Ortho and Yuu+Grim, so he can build up his knowledge and make a proper game plan?

My idea is, he managed to catch Kalim in town and sweet-talked him into speaking to his parents, mentioning the offer Kalim spoke of before back in Playful Land, and at his behest Kalim's parents bribed the school into letting Fellow and Gidel attend, sponsoring the boys as Kalim spoke very highly of them. (Similar to when Kalim was supposed to be in RSA, but was transferred to NRC so he wouldn't be separated from Jamil.)

That said, I do think it would also take a couple months for Fellow to come to terms with his situation and make the decision to attend NRC after all.

As such... I leave you with this to consider:

Fellow showing up after winter break is over, at the start of January, just before GloMasq and Book Five. Thus being left with all of the boys who were nearly turned into puppets who still have grudges, and those who have grown fond of El after she saved them realizing this was the man who almost KILLED her, while Eleanora and Grim are off at Noble Bell College.

He will be in for a talking to, and poor El is gonna have to fight for her life trying to calm Malleus' rampage when they get back so Gidel doesn't lose his older brother. XD

[moonlit-angel-serenity]

Now I’m sure we’re all desperate for a briar valley event

(I know I am, let me see my boys in traditional briar valley attire, LET ME SEE GRANNY DRACONIAN!!)

So while we wait for book 7 to end, cause what the heck it’s in the 190s!!!! Why is it so long!??!?!

Let’s think of a reason why we would even have to go to briar valley, pretty sure we won’t get to go until after book 7 end and thats…that’s just unfair ;-;

So for the last homebound events (that’s what I’m calling them) there were reasons the characters went back, in Kalim and Jamil’s case it was for an important fireworks festival and Leona it was also for a festival but more importantly for bead brawl.

So if our boys were to go back to briar valley it will likely be for a festival, but what kind of festival? Since sleeping beauty is set in medieval times it could easily be a renaissance fair like event. But like I said festivals are held for a reason in Leona’s event it was to call for rain and kalims it was to remember jasmine and Aladdin’s love story (not exactly by names but it’s obviously them) so what reason would they even hold a festival and one important enough for malleus to have to come home.

Are Investitures a thing? Or is that just a British thing? Cause I was thinking like maybe it could be like officially introducing malleus as the heir but like everyone knows he’s the future king so there’s no point in that.

Maybe they can do a similar thing to the scalding sands event except like celebrating the story of sleeping beauty? I mean Maleficent must still be involved in sleeping beauty’s story somehow in Twsts version, actually has it even been stated what exactly she has done other then being noble, elegant and powerful? (the story is so long I’m bound to forget) they could also just be celebrating Maleficent.

Maybe an important knights event is taking place and silver and sebek enter, the SSRs and SRs could be them in official royal briar valley knights armor but modern versions, but then we wouldn’t get a malleus card would we…..

There’s also Lilia to consider, what with the whole losing his magic and stuff….. it’s kinda hard to figure where he would fit in a briar valley event without knowing whats even happening to him in book 7……

Really I’m just about done with how long book 7 is and i want my boy back, I haven’t seen him and it’s his own dame book!!! Just letting my thoughts out on briar valley and what an event could look like