#The mannequin intrudes

[relics-system]

Bad Sun Flag!

A gender/identity relating to the bad sun event, from voices of the void!

I picked the colors from sunset/sunrise because it felt right! gotta start and end your day with horror!

without the box:

Enjoy, don't need to do credit! but it is appreciated

and pintrest incase you want an easy link!

https://pin.it/6ADobztyL

-The Mannequin

[lightandfellowship]

Tags by user elliestoybox:

#I WISH #im kinda mad about that actually #kingdom hearts #like thatd be SO fucked up like emotionally #not to say that what we have isnt but like #roxas having to not only he like #'why cant i remember who this is?' #but also 'why am i holding a coated blanck puppet?' before moving on #leaving it laying in twilight town or whatever #thatd probably keep me up at night if it happened when i first watched it

speaking of replicas, can you imagine if xion's death had ended with her blank body being left behind in roxas's arms

[yandereunsolved]

✗ ❛ Yandere Five Hargreeves (S1) ❜ ✗

Clicking off the last light, you wish the department store a peaceful night. It was your best friend during the weekdays. The boisterous speech of irritated moms and angsty teenagers was replaced with pure silence. No exhausted cashiers or store emergencies due to shoplifters or disgruntled higher-ups.

It was almost daunting. Taking the last shift and closing as the manager made it seem like the world had ended. It was like you got a picture-perfect frame for the all-consuming feeling of being alone. You almost enjoyed it, if it weren't for the reminder that this was real life and tomorrow would be just as noisy as the last.

You take out your extra pair of keys and secure the right one as you walk towards the exit doors.

"Question?" A slightly high-pitched, younger male voice inquires.

You whip your head around to see the outline of a pubescent boy standing near some mannequins.

"Hey, kid. You can't be in here. It's past closing time. Take yourself and whatever other sneaky friends you have and go home." You state dismissively. You really don't want to have to call the cops again because of some moronic teens.

You are frozen for a moment as the kid appears right in front of you. It was like some weird magic trick.

"Damn it. You don't remember me. You haven't met me yet." The kid mutters to himself as he paces around you. "It's me, Five." He urges. "Question, remember. You have to remember me. You have to remember us."

"Hey, we need to get you—"

An unexplainable force pushes you onto the tiled floor. Before you are able to groan, the kid, Five, wraps his arms around you, and suddenly you are halfway across the department store. Not even given a second to process the commotion, you are tugged along by Five. Shots ring out, and you try to pull yourself out of his grasp.

"Wait!" You hiss. "What the hell is happening!?" You snap while crouching beneath the rack.

Five stares back at you incredulously. His expression spells out 'excuse me, dumbass?'

"Shit. We don't have time for this. We're partners, like in the future. Some bad shit happened, and we ended up together. Got that? All caught up? We have to go now."

He yanks you up and tries to do his weird teleporting thing again, but gets hit with some weird bullet. It causes him to seize and fall to his knees. You risk a glance up to see two armed people in masks heading straight towards the both of you. You can't breathe.

"W-What?" You squeak out in panic.

You drop to the ground near him as your breath quickens. The air around you smells so stale, like it's depriving you of oxygen instead of giving it to you. You clutch your chest in a futile attempt to calm yourself. One moment turns into two, and you hear nothing going on around you.

A sneak peek, and the intruders are frozen. You turn your gaze toward the floor and see that Five isn't moving an inch. There are no smells—putrid or refreshing. There seems to be no air, but your chest is still moving. There is nothing but this moment. 

"Completely alone. Frozen in time. I can freeze time!? What the fuck? This is like... I can do this?" You whisper-shout to yourself. Why are you whispering? You can shout as loud as you'd like. "Fuck yeah!"

Another bullet rings out.

Okay, perhaps yelling isn't okay in accordance with freezing time.

The same pair of arms drags you under the check-out counter. You take a moment to catch your breath and smile. Police sirens blare from somewhere outside. You hear the intruders scramble to retreat and escape.

"You haven't gotten any smarter." Five mumbles wistfully as he leans against your shoulder. "I've found you again. Question, my baby. Stay with me a while. Stay."

He finally has you again. Clever darling, thinking you can use your past to hide from him. He'll just have to start all over again. He can do that, and not even time can keep him away from you now.

[stormz369]

☕💖 Can I Get Your Number? ☕💖 Jason Todd Week Special! Day 4: Grave + Lifeline

A/N: this unofficial mini-chapter is part of the event being run by @jasontoddweek2025 and can be enjoyed without reading the rest of the story

Jason Todd x (f)Chubby!Reader

written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, let me know if I missed anything worth tagging!

warnings/labels: deals with character death, trauma, and healing

wc: 980

CIGYN? Chapter Selection

The rain stung against my cheeks as I trudged down the path. I pulled my cardigan tighter around myself, shivering in the cold. The first rays of morning were just starting to peek over the city in the distance, and a light fog filled the air. I could feel Wayne Manor looming behind me like a disapproving aunt as I slipped through the wrought iron gate of the Wayne family cemetery.

I could almost hear generations of Waynes demanding an explanation for my presence among them. This part of the grounds felt almost sacred, a place for the family, and only the family. And I was an outsider, intruding on their rest. But Jason was out there, alone in the cold and the wet, and something told me he shouldn't be allowed to stew in his thoughts for too long. With a murmured apology to the Wayne ancestors, I slowly made my way down the path toward Jason, who stood over a grave like some kind of gargoyle standing guard.

My feet padded softly in the puddles. I could have easily avoided them, but the sound would make sure Jay knew I was coming, and it was always best not to sneak up on him. I finally stood beside him, frowning softly; his expression was almost blank, a far away sort of look in his eyes. Never a good sign.

“... Jace?” my whispered voice cut through the stillness like a hot knife through butter. 

He blinked a bit, tilting his head toward me. “... Hey, mama.”

I gently rubbed his shoulder; “you're soaked to the bone… how long have you been out here?”

“... A while. … It's … the anniversary.”

I looked down at the grave, blinking repeatedly, as if it might change the words I was reading;

JASON PETER TODD

Sleep undisturbed within the peaceful shrine till angels wake thee with a note like thine.

“... I see ... Well … got to appreciate the irony I guess?”

He chuckled ruefully; “... For a while I suspected Bruce arranged it … he knew Ra's, he knew Talia … it seemed too far-fetched that they'd just … stolen me, without a word. And then I get back, and that's the epitaph they chose?”

I nodded. “But now?”

“It was just the paranoia talking. I know that …” he sighed softly, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Still feels weird sometimes though …”

“That's fair. It'd feel weird to anyone.” I held him closer. “... What did they even bury?”

“Ra’s gave Bruce some kind of … clone mannequin. ... Sometimes I dream that I'm down there … in a box. … I claw my way through the lid, through the dirt … it fills my mouth and I can't breathe … and when I finally get out there's a clone living my life. … It's perfect, and happy, and … everyone's better off with it. … They hate me for digging my way out.”

I cupped his cheek, gently pulling him down to kiss his temple. He stroked my hip, leaning against me more. “... What are you doing out here, baby girl? It's freezing…”

“I could say the same to you.”

He sighed softly; “... I just … sometimes I need to see it. … Reminds me I'm alive. … I'm up here, and that thing's down there. … It's not gonna steal my life from me.”

I nodded slowly, wrapping my arms around him. “I gotcha … it's staying down there, and you're staying up here with me.”

He stared down at the grave, stroking my back gently. Eventually he laughed softly; “... Of all the quotes …”

I chuckled; “well what would you have picked?”

“I dunno … not that. … Next one's gotta be better though. … Promise me?”

I nodded slowly. “Promise. ... ‘Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.’” 

He smiled softly; “... That's nice. Who said that?”

“Emily Dickinson.”

He nodded. “It’s perfect… It's a nice thought … love being a lifeline.”

I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling softly. Jay leaned down and kissed my shoulder. “... Ok, let's get inside, baby girl.”

I nodded, letting him lead the way back toward the house. Just crossing the gate I felt warmer, like the Wayne ancestors were silently ushering us back to the safe embrace of their living descendants. Alfred appeared as we crossed the threshold, a tray of hot chocolates in his hands. As we took a pair of mugs Bruce arrived, wrapping warm towels around our shoulders. Jason shifted, subtly leaning into his father's hands, and Damian took my hand, tugging me along to the family room where Duke was setting out handfuls of blankets. We all got comfortable on the couches, basking in the warm glow of the fireplace.

The rest of the family slowly joined us. Dick hovered over the back of the couch, hugging Jason tight for as long as he’d allow. Tim eventually stumbled through the door with a box of donuts. Cass’s hand ghosted over Jason’s shoulder as she passed him, taking a seat in silence. Steph sat next to me, offering us a small smile. No one spoke much for a long time, the weight of the day sitting heavy on everyone’s hearts. Eventually Babs joined us, rolling over to an open space between Jason and Dick.

Dick smiled softly. “... You know, if we’re going to mark an anniversary, shouldn’t it be a happier one?”

Tim snorted softly; “Ok, you wanna get together on the anniversary of the day he tried to kill me, or the day he killed all those dealers?”

“Or we could just … not?” Jason grimaced.

Bruce smiled gently. “If we’re marking a happy anniversary, it should be the first time he joined us for family dinner, after everything. … That was the day I got my son back.”

Jason blinked repeatedly, head ducking down against my shoulder. “... Whatever you want.”

Divider by: @saradika-graphics

Fanart in the header by: @crowkip

Jason Todd Week Taglist: @cottage-worm

[randybutternubber]

BABY HUNTER @local-gemstone-lover @teastarfall since I know you’ll want to see this and @keikoyume since my design was inspired from yours. He’s supposed to be wearing his raccoon skin cap but I FORGORRR

Basically, the hunter was a child soldier. This was inspired from a few theories that the hunter was a war veteran, the much older theory that LN is a post WWII world, and an old piece of fan art of six hiding beneath a trench wall with a soldier right above her. Outside of LN, he’s also inspired by the boy from a manwha called The Horizion and Atari from Isle Of Dogs

Most stories and characters in LN tend to involve themes of things that scare children. I chose war- it’s indiscriminately violent, near impossible to control, and often impacts children.

Edit: I forgot to mention, there is also a song that plays from the TVs in the pale city called “scout whistle” which has a very military march type vibe while also still having a very playful like tune to it, which was also an inspiration- plus the raccoon skin cap is referred to as the “scout cap”

(Note: none of this is intended to demonize amputees or people with facial disfigurements. It’s inspired off of WWII facial prosthetics and limbs which were very unique and a huge step in helping veterans)

Basically, the hunter was taken to the nowhere at a young age. He spent a few years at a military training school. Older children at the school tended to have a lot of mannequin and porcelain doll/bully like parts, basically they were being slowly replaced.

He tried to escape with a few other kids. While running through a field, the child next to him stepped on a land mine, instantly killing them and severely injuring the hunter, who’s left side was basically screwed. He was taken back to the school after. (let’s just pretend it lines up with his burlap eye hole, I forgot what side it was on 😭)

He got a prosthetic arm, although it was quite uncomfortable and pretty stiff along with being very heavy (very different from actual prosthetics as he can actually control quite a bit of it since it’s more similar to whatever animates the mannequins)

Once he recovered somewhat, he escaped and ended up in the wilderness where he kind of went a bit nutty because of the lack of people and used taxidermy and alcohol as a way to cope. Imagine waking up every day to noise and other people next to you, not having a moment to yourself for YEARS and then all the sudden, that’s all gone. It’s so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat when before you could barely hear yourself talk. That was incredibly hard for him to adjust to, although he grew to prefer solitude and sees things like TVS and most other people as intruders who are encroaching onto his home.

Years later, the doctor would give him a new prosthetic arm (since the old one would obviously be too small) and do facial reconstruction surgery on him as the initial treatment and the way that the hunter was taking care of that side of his face wasn’t a long term solution. Without the mask, he basically looks like Keikoyume’s hunter.

As an adult, quite a few parts of him are taxidermy. He only started wearing the bag over his head once he started to make his… “family” out of people he shot and stuffed.

Poor guy

I wrote this on mobile multiple times because of accidentally deleted it so that’s why the grammar is ass

[gh0st-t0wn3]

Lmk ss edits + Headcanons, Part 2 (Pigsy, Tang, Sandy, Sun Wukong, Macaque)

- He/Him

- Bisexual

- Huge environmentalist, if you put any garbage or recycling in the wrong bin expect to get at least a three hour lecture, no you can not escape this, yes MK and Mei have tried, no they did not succeed

- ONLY shops from farmers markets/family businesses, you will never catch this man supporting a corporation

- Use to steal Tang's college hoodies

- Took him the longest to get used to having Redson around and a part of the group , but eventually warmed up to him (is still kinda salty about Redson burning MK's room though)

- Grows his own herbs

- Gets incredibly frustrated when he gets the hiccups (writing this as I'm fighting off hiccups)

- Loves watching true crime shows and listening to true crime podcasts while he does household chores or while he's setting up/closing the shop

- Got his ears pierced with Tang

- MK and Mei call him mom when he's being overbearing, Tang calls him mom now too to tease him

- Once caught Mei and MK sneaking food out of the kitchen at 3am and beat them with a broom for a solid minute because he was too drowsy to recognize them and assumed they were intruders (they were fine)

- Is the type of person to call his husband (Tang) "bro", "dude" etc

- Got drunk in college once and talked about nothing but how much he loved Tang, didn't remember any of it the next day but Tang asked him out pretty quickly after that

- Exchanged a few recipes with DBK while they were at the beach, they still do exchange more recipes once in a while but they don't talk much outside of cooking related topics

- Learned how to play dnd in college because Tang liked the game and ended up liking it a lot more than he expected to so they wound up playing together all the time (they still play it once in a while if they have time)

- Him and Sandy get together every other weekend to try and help Pigsy with his anger management issues

- Never called MK his son while he was growing up because he was scared that MK's real family would show up one day to take him back home, finally realized that no one was gonna show up a short while after MK turned 10 and started acting like an actual parent (MK always saw Pigsy as his dad though)

- Always says "this is the last time" when giving Tang free noodles (it is never gonna be the last time, and Tang knows it)

- Once bumped into a mannequin at the mall and apologized to it, Tang still makes fun of him

- Use to take Mei and MK to conventions all the time until Mei learned how to drive and could take them herself

- Won't care for people getting hurt in movies but will be absolutely crushed if something happens to an animal (sobbed when he watched "A Dog's Purpose")

- Smells like noodles

- Love language is acts of service

- Keeps trying to convince Tang to come with him to family events, has yet to succeed

- Carries around an extra pair of headphones in case Tang or MK needs them

- Almost threw hands with DBK and PiF after hearing about how they treated Redson (seriously guys, I need Redson to have a good parental figure in the next season, please), this man is a father to everyone

- Snores loud as fuck, it's a wonder how Tang gets any sleep

- No fashion sense what's so ever

- Insomnia

- He/Him

- Gay

- Once zoned out and stared at a wall for six hours straight

- Desk is covered in pencil shavings and pen ink

- Constantly bruised from always falling (weak ankles)

- Fluent in Polish, don't ask why, it just feels right

- Doodled all over his books in school (they made him pay for new ones)

- Never up before sunrise

- Got in some random dudes car once thinking it was a taxi and almost got himself kidnapped

- Will make the most annoying, smart-ass remark to anything anyone says

- I'm not actually sure if it's ever mentioned in the show what Tang does for a living but it doesn't matter, he's a college history professor now

- Has grandma floral bedsheets (we've all seen his sleepwear, you cannot tell me that man doesn't have grandma floral bedsheets)

- Somehow always cold

- Constanly napping, he can and will fall asleep if he's left alone for too long (his students once caught him asleep at his desk after lunch break and dipped class)

- Used to have hexagon glasses cause he thought they looked cool but found out Pigsy liked circular ones better so he got new ones

- Still has a septum piercing he got while he was in college but keeps it flipped up, he also has ear gauges

- When he met Pigsy's parents he was super nervous and ended up passing out half way through the night because of anxiety, he has not lived it down and refuses to go to any events with Pigsy if his family is gonna be there (they actually really liked him and are disappointed when he doesn't show up)

- Doesn't own a bookshelf for some reason, everything is just piled on the floor

- Very faint freckles

- Needs a daily 'to do' list, his whole day gets thrown off if he doesn't have some kind of schedule

- Maladaptive daydreamer

- Never showers, only takes baths

- Needs headphones on crowded transportation otherwise he'll get stressed at all the noises and talking overlapping eachother

- Severe rsd (rejection sensitivity dysphoria,  "benched" was an especially bad time for him)

- Number one art appreciator and constantly drags Pigsy to museums

- Smells like a library (please tell me you know what smell I mean)

- Love language is gift giving ( and you KNOW he loves you when he shares his food with you willingly)

- 76% of the clothes he owns are thrifted

- Blind as a fucking bat, if he looses his glasses he's on the floor feeling around for them like Velma,  I swear they could be two feet in front of him but he won't even notice

- Hypersomnia

- He/Him

- Bisexual

- Huge conspiracy theorist, ask him anything and he'll have some in depth explanation on how it relates to cryptids or something (I'm talking Matpat level conspiracy theorist, seriously, someone get him help)

- Slowest typer on the planet (mainly because the screen is too small for his hands), will respond to something 3-5 minutes after they changed topics

- Made seed bombs and threw them everywhere at random around the city and now there's a bunch of flowers and vines growing everywhere

- Was the first one (Aside from Mei and MK) to welcome Redson into the group with open arms, everyone else was still kinda cautious

- Would literally die for any of his friends, no questions asked, no hesitation, just jumps in the line of danger as soon as he sees one of his friends about to get hurt

- Didn't have a lot of friends growing up until he met Pigsy in his last year of high school because everyone was afraid of him

- He and Pigsy were in a band together in college, Sandy discusses it with pride, Pigsy gets embarrassed and denies ever being in a band at all

- Since he also has scales he's the one who teaches and helps Mei look after her scales and keep them from drying or getting damaged

- Yoga master, wakes up super early to do it during sunrise

- Has the best taste in music, he can find the most amazing, tear jerking, heart wrenching, underground music ever effortlessly

- Hasn't met a single person he wasn't able to get along with

- Firmly believes in all the little wishing rituals (11:11, shooting stars, birthday candles, blowing dandelions etc)

- Learned how to whistle so he could sing along with birds

- *gets robbed* "oh, i bet he needed the money, it's ok"  "I really don't think he did." "...maybe he's gonna donate it!"

- Favourite kind of tea is earl grey

- Named one of his cats Maquack after Macaque

- Sometimes cat sits for Bai He when she goes to doctor appointments, family visits out of the city, etc

- Got his piercing while he was still in a band but kept them in because his band mates were some of his first friends and they all got pierced together

- Has a tail to help him swim better (unfortunately I could not add it in the edit above but just I imagine he has the same kind of tail as the water Na'vi in Avatar ig)

- Skin has a faint ombre to it (his hands and feet are lighter and fade around his forearms/knees to a slightly darker blue (i did add this one in my edit but unfortunately I don't think it's as visible as I wanted it to be, my bad)

- Webbed hands and feet to help him swim better

- Has adipose eyelids like a fish to protect his eyes from the water, block exposure of harmful ultraviolet light into his eyes and act as protection against impact to the eye in aquatic environments. Since his eyelids are transparent though, he has to wear a sleeping mask at night

- Smells like a mix of ocean air and tea

- Love language is quality time and physical touch (will pick up and hug his friends all the time no matter the place)

- His hair and beard always have something in them, sand, seaweed etc

- Shoes are actually really uncomfortable for him to wear because his body is evolved for an aquatic environment, but he doesn't want to be rude so he wears them anyway (Mei found out and got him a customized pair of shoes so he could be comfortable without feeling like he's being rude)

- Uses Kaomojis

- If he's not busy, or doesn't have anything planned for the next few hours, he'll spend his free time cleaning up the ocean and beaches from any garbage

- He/Him

- Pansexual

- Everything he has ever done has been an impulse decision

- Is the type of mf to kick the inside of someone knee while they're walking to make them fold (Tang is the primary victim)

- Chews his nails

- Made up his own constellations as a "fuck you" to the universe (somehow managed to convince some mortals they were real constellations too)

- Mk and Co constantly forget how ancient swk is until he says some old person shit

- Naturally has curly and untamable hair, uses glamor to avoid getting called out about not taking care of it

- Horrifically optimistic

- Always has leaves and dirt and sticks etc in his hair

- Will sit out in the rain for hours on end

- Follow up on the last hc, he's been struck by lightning.. twice

- Actually has really heavy eyebags but uses glamor to cover them up

- Gets bored super easily

- Has naturally long lashes, Mei is still convinced he's wearing makeup though

- Cannot cook for the life of him

- His memories are always in shades of gold, no ones sure if it hasn't something to do with his gold vision or not, even himself, he just can't remember things in normal colour

- Stress induced migraines from the circlet

- Not a fan of big cities but loves how the lights look at night

- Stacks of notebooks and loose paper, cannot keep anything organized

- Takes a nap everyday at exactly 2:38 without fail

- Freezes in the winter, man's house has no insulation whatsoever

- Doesn't like big crowds but also can't stand not being the center of attention

- Once picked fleas out of both MK's and his own hair and ate them, MK was and still is disgusted, he will never look at Monkey King the same way again

- Smells like Peaches (it's like the only fucking thing he eats)

- Love language is physical touch

- Kinda chubby (mostly around his stomach and thighs) but still has muscles

- Always teasing Redson about the fact that he's technically his uncle since he and DBK are sworn brothers, he finds Redson's overreactions to it funny but is secretly kinda hurt that Redson doesn't think of him as family anymore (He use to when he was a little kid but stopped seeing Wukong as family after he sealed DBK away. They've started to try and mend their relationship after the events of season 4, it's slow but it's progress)

- Sometimes the monkey's on FFM will come into his house through the windows at night to sleep with him for comfort

- Really bad with technology but pretends he's just too good for the internet so he can avoid using it without looking old

- He/Him

- Bisexual

- Says his "S"'s really sharply

- If you ask him anything about himself he'll give you a different answer to the exact same question everytime (he thinks it makes him mysterious,  it does not)

- Lower lid eyeliner >>>

- If you say something stupid or weird he'll just stare judgingly until you take it back

- Actually lost his mind when he found out what blowing bubbles were

- Drinks tea with an ungodly amount of sugar

- Chronic eye pain + headaches. It's gotten significantly better over the years but.. yk, eye gouged out

- Has a deeply relaxing voice, strangely enough

- Has tried to compliment people before but it always ends up coming off as an insult

- Classical music or heavy rock, no in-between

- It is literally impossible to take a bad picture of him

- Puts his hair up in a bun whe he doesn't wanna deal with it

- Has patches of freeze burns from LBD, along his right side (mostly just his arm).

- Theater kid

- Rose tea enjoyer

- Likes to bake sometimes and frequently exchanges recipes with Pigsy and DBK

- Like to watch the sunrise and sunset

- Hates being out in the sun too long, not having a shaded area nearby for an easy escape stresses him

- Will stare out the window while it rains, Mei once said he looked like he was pretending to be in a cringey early 2010 music video

- Hard of hearing, his six ears are very sensitive and all the fighting and screaming has definitely done some damage to them by now

- Follow up on the last HC, despite being hard of hearing he will either absolutely refuse to wear hearing aids, or will wear them (albeit begrudgingly) but cover them with glamor

- Septum and snake bite piercings he got during his emo phase

- Smells like grapes, don't ask

- Love language is quality time, he doesn't care to actually have a conversation, though, he's fine just sitting in comfortable silence

- Will use his shadow transport for the dumbest things when he's lazy, like teleporting the TV remote to him if it's on the other side of the couch, teleport a bag of chips from the pantry to him in his bedroom,  etc

- Room is covered in scented candles

- Sandy has invited him over to work out some of his problems multiple times, he doesn't really care to open up though, he just goes for the cats (Sandy let's him)

- His hair is always soft and he refuses to tell anyone what he washes with, MK has asked multiple times and he gets a different, vague answer everytime

[inhuman-obey-me]

Asmodeus, #69 pls 🫡

LOL of course this is the combo that got two requests in a row very soon after posting.

Asmodeus + 69: "Paper Crown" - Dark Divine

content warnings: blood, violence

Asmodeus adjusts the cardstock crown atop his head, pushing it up to keep it from falling off his lusciously styled hair. A shimmer of fire reflects in his narrowed pupils as he leans down, his glossed lips close enough to touch the other demon's cheek as he whispers into their ear.

"Now, what were you saying about tearing apart my crown, at my party, Maylalu? I don't remember even inviting you."

"That's the point, you never invite demons like me!" the lesser demon sputters, breathing heavily as he struggles uselessly against his silk ribbon restraints. His ruddy orange-red complexion stands out even more under the smooth pink fabric, and Asmo smiles with disdain at the dry, uneven skin.

"Oh, was that all you wanted? An invite? Of course, I should have realized that you wanted to admire my beauty up close, too. How's this? Close enough for you?" Asmo runs a sharply manicured nail across the other's chin to force Maylalu's face to him, pinching it coldly between the pointed ends until a bead of warm blood dribbles over the crust of jewels embedded in the polish. "But you've got to work on your party manners first. I mean, this isn't really what people usually mean by crashing a party, you know?"

His laughter is sharp as he gestures towards the wreckage of the room. Crumbles of the wall that Maylalu had broken down upon entering are strewn across the floor. Smashed furniture is covered in glittery goop from exploded bottles of Asmo's special collaboration nail polish, the feature of the party. Shattered glass sparkles in pebbles over pools of spilled champagne, matching the shards Asmo had rammed through the Maylalu's hand after he'd apprehended the uninvited guest.

What was not to be found, on the other hand, was anyone else. The other attendees had fled after the initial attack, leaving only the two of them there, much to Asmo's frustration. He'd worked for weeks on planning this party to be just right. The polish launch party was supposed to be just like him — perfect.

With an exaggerated sigh, he picks up a neglected cupcake from a nearby table, taking a moment to admire the delicately placed beaded sprinkles scattered over the bright pink frosting — Wicked Cupcakes, his favorite. He'd had to order a month in advance for them to make enough of them, especially how they'd even matched the jewels of his nails in the arrangement of the sprinkles.

The paper peels away from the sides easily, and he smiles again, straddling his intruder's lap as he pushes the whole thing into the other's mouth. A drip of fire slinks down the demon's chin as he gags on the thick, sugary frosting.

"Well, we can fix that. I'll teach you all night long about how to be a good party guest. And then, once we're done, maybe you'll be fit to be a mannequin at my next one, hmm?"

[star-spacer]

Peace and All Else

Part of my Heart Pirates x Reader series: The Sanctity of Sacred Spaces

With a life as chaotic as yours, you preferred quietness where you could find it.

You were someone who valued your peace. Not just as a personal preference, but for your job as well, as any interruption could result in an errant stitch, ruining the clothing, or a needle through the finger.

This need for quietness was ironic, considering you were on a crew of pirates, whose lives were marked by nothing but unending chaos. 

Paradoxical. Peculiar. But when you were a pirate crew who had a doctor at the helm, it didn’t seem that strange. You were simply one oddball amongst a crew full of them. Which lent to many, many escapades that echoed throughout the Tang. It was never silent, whether it be the noise of her machines humming away, or the sound of the galley’s mealtime preparations, there was always life in her halls. 

You wouldn’t trade it for any other thing, but sometimes everyone’s antics were a little overwhelming, and you had to slip away to seek out a moment of peace. Innevitably, you’d always end up in a few places. Namely: your storage-room-turned-workshop. 

After your welcoming into the folds of the Heart Pirates, they were kind enough to clear out an empty broom closet and convert it into a mini workspace for you. You had initially protested that it was too much, but Shachi had quickly shushed you by saying you’d pay it back by repairing everyone’s stuff and fixing up the infirmary’s linens. 

Eventually, those bolted shelves were filled until with rolls and rolls of fabrics, projects finished and not set in marked piles on your desk. Your walls filled with papers, ideas and sketches (both yours and not) displayed proudly. An almost-too-big-couch crammed right into the last unoccupied corner of the room, with a lopsided mannequin that Ikkaku fixed up for you standing proudly right next to it.

A home away from home.

Well, just a home now. You didn’t have any other place except with the Heart Pirates.

And in this peace, you could relax, and unwind. Pick up a thread and needle and weave your love into every fold and stitch of the fabric in your hands. Love that you hoped your nakama could feel.

Your hands jolted as the door to your workshop slammed open with a cry of your name. You grabbed the nearest object, a spare pincushion, and lobbed it with deadly accuracy at the intruder. Penguin yelped as the item beaned him right on the forehead, the brim of his hat barely protected him against your wrath. “What was that for?!?!”

“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK BEFORE YOU ENTER?! AND TO NOT SLAM MY DOOR?!”

“Sorry, sorry! But can I hide in here for a bit?”

You squinted at him, anger giving way to suspicion. “Why…?”

“Please!” The man clasped his hands in front of him, stepping into the room. “I’ll do anything!!”

An idea sparked in your head. “If you take my dish duty tonight… You can stay for as long as you want and I won’t rat you out if anybody comes asking.”

Not that you particularly hated doing the dishes, you knew the importance of equal distributions of chores (Law drilled that into every members’ head on the daily), but just this once, you had something pressing you’ve been wanting to do, so the extra time gained from Penguin taking on your duty was exactly what you needed.

Penguin didn’t even flinch. “I’ll take it!”

You grinned and let out a little ‘yos’. “You can hide behind the couch, There’s space there, and the floor’s padded.”

He was full of thanks as he dove behind the furniture, shuffling coming from it as he settled there. To complete the look, you walked over, grabbing the blanket on there, and draping it over the back of the couch, making it look natural.

Just as you were patting out the last of the wrinkles, slow, steady footsteps approached your workshop. A knock announced Uni’s presence before he stuck his head in through the open door.

“Hello, Uni. Can I help you with anything?”

A drone of your name. “Have you seen Penguin anywhere?”

You had to resist a smile. “No. Are you looking for him?”

A nod. Slow eyes tracked across your workshop but ultimately landed back on you again, standing next to the couch. “He used my gloves and didn’t clean off the grease.”

Wincing at that, you wondered why the hatted man thought that was smart in the first place. Uni’s gloves were far bigger than Penguin’s, but they were also slimmer, so shoving his mitts into those could’ve popped a few stitches. “If you want, you can bring them here, and I’ll fix and clean them up for you,” you offered.

Uni shook his head. “No need. I have spares. But I’m going to find Penguin to make him clean off the ones he used.”

“Okay. Good luck.”

“Thank you. Sorry for bothering you.”

“You’re fine, Uni. See you around.”

You waited until his footsteps were out of earshot before cracking a smile. Penguin shot you a grateful thumbs up and a grin when you peeked your head over to look at him. “It’s pretty comfy down here,” he said, wiggling his shoulders a bit. “Mind if I sleep here a bit?”

“Be my guest,” you drawled, wandering back to your desk and picking up your pencil. “I’m sure the dust bunnies appreciate the company.”

I appreciate your company, was left unsaid, but you hoped Penguin understood.

Peace returned to the room, only interrupted by the sound of your pencil and paper as you sketched your way through clothing patterns. Then, the quiet whistles of Penguin’s snores began to fill the air. You paused your work, before shaking your head with a fond smile.

You didn’t know how long you worked before there was a small flash of blue and Penguin’s snores being cut off for something to hit the floor where he was. Knowing that it could only be Law’s fruit, you got up to investigate what was Shambled into your room to swap with Penguin. 

A note, attached to one of your missing pincushions by a pin.

“That bastard,” you muttered, reaching down to grab everything from the floor.

‘Stop hiding people in your workshop’ the messy scrawl of his handwriting read. 

You snickered, sitting back down at your work desk and depositing the pincushion in its rightful place on your table. Your lamp flickered on, and you moved it so it shone over the drawing on your table, a revised boiler suit for Bepo that had more ventilation, so the poor Mink wouldn’t feel the heat as much when things inevitably got hot in the Polar Tang.

Yes, you valued your peace. But your workshop was a sanctuary, too. Not just for you, but every single one of your nakama that wanted to wander through your doors, in search of help, repairs, or just plain comfort. Peace came in many forms, and your nakama’s peace was yours.

[sankakuto]

I have a lot of thoughts about the first Pyramid Head cutscene (in remake and OG) and I feel like I need to get them out. bare with me.

I'm going to be talking about the first Pyramid Head cutscene and whether or not it is implying SA so heres a TW for discussion of SA

I am a die-hard OG fan, and have been for a decade. I have been in this discussion for so long, and I feel like my take on this might be the less popular take for some reason? but honestly I believe that a player's individual interpretation of the scene is the one that is the most true. in the most simple words - if you see the scene as being s*xual or implying s*xual violence, then that is valid and is just how youve analyzed the scene based on the context you've been given or the life experience you have.

I KNOW Masahiro Ito has said that the scene involves nothing like that, no assault, just Pyramid Head trying to kill some mannequins... but is the creator's canon events of the scene really that important when as a player we see a sexualized monster being brutalized by a bigger, more imposing monster and are made to feel like we're a voyeur to something we shouldn't be watching?

and that feeling has to be entirely intentional as well, considering the scene is actually inspired by a movie called Blue Velvet (directed by David Lynch). the scene in the movie involves the character hiding in a closet while watching someone be SA'd, watching through the gaps in the door. and at the end of the movie, even shoots the perpetrator from the same spot in the closet. the cutscene in the game is a direct reference to this movie, and after watching the movie I can say it has some other influences on the game as well.

but even that is almost completely irrelevant, because as a first time player that doesn't have any context about the inspirations behind the game, and doesn't know about the things that the devs have stated are canon or not, we see something that is raw and uncomfortable and invokes a feeling of disgust. we are not given any other context besides what's directly in front of us. we see a creature that is all legs writhing in pain or agony in front of a thrusting Pyramid Head, who is desperately trying to hold the mannequin in place. and as we view this scene and hide, the Red Pyramid Thing turns his focus to us, and makes James feel like he has intruded upon something he wasn't supposed to see. there is a voyeuristic quality to the scene that adds to the feeling of unease and gives us this idea that something s*xual in nature has happened.

I think that video games are art, especially games like this, and an artist can definitely have a clear or direct implication of the message they are sending (and they can even tell you how it's supposed to be viewed), but ultimately the person consuming the art is going to analyze themes in their own way and find their own interpretation of the idea presented to them. in some way some might consider this type of interpretation to be "headcanon" because the actual canon of the game differs based on Ito's statements, but in my own opinion I do believe this sort of interpretation is just the player coming to a natural conclusion based on the context presented to them.

in other words, I think that it's completely fair to take Masahiro Ito at face value and trust his input that the scene is NOT at all s*xual, but at the same time it is presented in a way that can imply that it is and someone drawing that conclusion instead is also completely valid.

[attemptingwriter]

Hello!! I was wondering if you'd consider writing a Walter O'Brien (Scorpion) x reader oneshot where reader is also a genius and Walter's partner and has gone 'down the rabbit hole' as they call it at Scorpion (a.k.a. Hyperfocused on some project to the point of forgetting to eat/drink/sleep/interact with the outside world)

Thanks!

Fabric was strewn across the room. Ribbons, scissors, measuring tape, and thread were scattered on the floor. Needles were nestled in (Y/N)'s shirt and would occasionally stab them. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was the mannequin in front of them and the 1750s dress they were trying to recreate.

It started out as a normal day in Scorpion. Walter and his team were working downstairs on a case and (Y/N) was upstairs watching Doctor Who on the TV they convinced Walter to put in. It was about 8:30 that morning when Walter came up the stairs to let (Y/N) know they had been called away to meet Gabe somewhere-(Y/N) couldn't remember where-and gave them a small kiss on the cheek before leaving.

The base was quite except for episode (Y/N) was watching. It was one of their favorites, The Girl In The Fireplace. As they watched, they couldn't help but admire the dress Madame de Pompadour wore every time she was on screen.

It can't be that hard to make a dress like that, (Y/N) thought to themselves. So they got to work. They found a nearby fabric store and rushed over. Searching through the seas of fabric, they couldn't find the right materials for the dress. They finally gave in and asked a worker, who was glad to help. Together they found the right fabric and the right colors. The employee took the fabric to the registers while (Y/N) found a sewing kit, a sewing machine, and a mannequin.

At last they had all that they needed and they went back to Scorpion. They lugged the materials into the base and set them on the floor. (Y/N) rushed upstairs with the fabric, missing the clock that read 11:49 a.m. It took them three trips to get everything upstairs but they weren't ready to stop now.

They grabbed the fabric and scissors and began to cut. Hours went by as (Y/N) cut, sewed, cut again. Carefully placing each piece of fabric and pinning it down. There was blood on the fabrics and some on the scissors from the amount of times (Y/N) had poked themselves with a needle. Tired of losing their pin cushion, they had resorted to sticking them in their pants and shirt. Their laptop was open to almost twenty different websites about what fabric was used in 18th century France, patterns, Doctor Who trivia, how to sew videos and other things (Y/N) thought they might need.

It was 1:24 in morning when Walter and his team came home. They were exhausted from the running and fighting after trying find the missing painting from the local art gallery. The base was quite except for the sound of curses and a sewing machine.

"Is (Y/N) still awake?" Paige asked, looking upstairs.

"Gotta be. Unless someone broke in," Toby said.

Walter started moving towards the staircase. "I'll check it out. Paige, will you heat up some food? I have an idea of what's going on."

Paige nodded and headed towards their makeshift kitchen. Sylvester went with her while Happy and Toby made their way to the couch.

Walter glanced around at the mess covering the entire upstairs area. He looked over at (Y/N), the paused TV show, and smiled. He gently placed a hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder.

They jerked and twirled to face the intruder, wielding a needle for protection. Walter lifted his hands in surrender, the smile not leaving his face.

"Walter! Don't do that!" (Y/N) exclaimed, dropping the needle.

"Sorry, my intention wasn't to scare you. How long have you been working on this?"

(Y/N) looked at clocked. "I.... don't know. I was watching Doctor Who when you left and I wanted to try making Madame de Pompadour's dress so I went shopping and I've been working since."

Walter sighed. "You haven't taken a break." It wasn't a question but (Y/N) nodded.

"Come, Paige is heating up some food and after you eat we can take a shower and go to bed."

"That sounds nice but I just realized I really have to pee so I will join you downstairs shortly." Without waiting for a response, (Y/N) hightailed it to the nearest bathroom while Walter started making his way downstairs.

"Where's (Y/N)?" Happy asked, watching her boss come down without his partner.

"Bathroom. They got stuck in the rabbit hole."

The team nodded in understanding. There had been plenty of times that they got stuck in that hyperfixation and needed someone to pull them out.

(Y/N) came down not too long after and wrapped their arms around their boyfriend. "Thanks for taking care of me."

Walter pulled (Y/N) in closer and pressed a kiss to the top of their head. "I'll always look after you."

[2qv]

[accidentally catches a glimpse of the mannequin in the window of victoria’s secret] *looking at the ground and visibly embarrassed* oh excuse me ma’am pardon me ma’am sorry to intrude i’ll give you your privacy

[relics-system]

feeling a bit better, so heres something

New headmate..

Hello I am Icarus, or the mannequin! It/Its

Im not quite rain world related but I wish to stick around here, Dr. Kel is here after all!

And I come with goodies!

which I will do In a seperate post..!

[kick-a-long]

My friend puts together end of the year album rankings. I asked him if I could share it here and it’s pretty awesome. Check it out.

Best Albums of 2024

1. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks (A beach house up in Buffalo and a houseboat docked at the himbodome)

2. Rosali - Bite Down (Rosali and Jim Schroeder’s guitar explosions)

3. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (my spine’s a rotting 2x4)

4. Advance Base - Horrible Occurences (intruders and ghosts)

5. The Decemberists - As it Ever Was, So it Will Be Again (wait for the reapers to mow)

6. Geordie Greep - The New Sound (jazz rock for creeps)

7. Mount Eerie - Night Palace (winter on a vacation island)

8. Cindy Lee - Jubilee (geocities Twin Peaks)

9. Chelsea Wolf - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (goth metal trio hop)

10. Foxing - Foxing (Carson MTV, Bizkit NYE, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK)

11. Merce Lemon - Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild (seeds between all my teeth)

12. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch (a decaying lost record)

13. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us (I Scream Piano)

14. Jack White - No Name (like a White Stripes)

15. The Smile - Wall of Eyes (like a Radiohead)

16. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere (Prog metal for waking)

17. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (sadness as a gift)

18. This is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star (all fucked up)

19. Fontaines D.C - Romance (an inhaler for a panic attack)

20. The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All I Know (1 in 1000 beach boys imitations sound this good)

21. Glass Beach - Plastic Death (the soundtrack to Metropolis)

22. Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown (Portis-folk)

23. Los Campesinos! - All Hell (a psychic wound)

24. Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry (cancer has entered the chat)

25. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World (a fragile thing)

26. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (loud bark, soft bite)

27. Hurray for the Riff Raft - The Past is Still Alive (two weeks just to catch the Buffalo)

28. Friko - Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here (Bright Eyes-core)

29. Being Dead - EELS (Godzilla Rises)

30. Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk (chill wave pop)

31. Father John Misty - Mahashmashana (an accidental dose with a drop of Imagine Dragons)

32. Arab Strap - I’m totally fine with it don’t give a fuck anymore (bliss?)

33. Cloud Nothings - Final Summer (reliable post-hardcore)

34. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer (Sophisti-Kate Bush)

35. Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia (intruder noid)

36. Tucker Zimmerman - Dance of Love (the idiot’s maze)

37. Christopher Owens - I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair (welcome back Chrissybaby)

38. Ben Seratan - Allora (screaming guitars)

39. Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm (a guitar left in the rain)

40. Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I’m Called (don’t place your affections on a green growing tree)

41. The Smile - Cutouts (like a Radiohead)

42. Young Jesus - The Fool (shit, I feel like a million bucks. I think I’ll take the bus down to New Orleans. Yeah I think I’ll buy some drugs)

43. Storefront Church - Ink & Oil (Scott Walker-core)

44. Parannoul - Sky Hundred (Korean shoegaze)

45. MGMT - Loss of Life (a bubblegum dog)

46. SUMAC - The Healer (Sludge Metal for sleep)

47. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves (spinning these morning)

48. Haley Heyndrrickx - Seed of a Seed (a garden)

49. Sour Windows - Revival of a Friend (Midwest emo)

50. Dummy - Free Energy (Baggy Madchester)

[the-witchy-sideblog]

Epithets of The Stranger

I Do Not Know You

Intruder

Foreign Performer

Performing Farce

Uncanny Model

Living Mannequin

Unknown Being

Impersonator

False Lives

Masked Clown

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 46 – The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Okay the month of August was essentially a write-off for...a lot of things, but non-web serial reading among them! Now trying to claw my way out of the pit and back on the horse. So, some high concept genre fic full of queer people and war crimes, just what the doctor ordered.

The Spear Cuts Through Water is the fantasy epic and love story of a pair of warriors – one a generally despised one-armed checkpoint guard, the other a positively reviled princeling – as they escort the moon goddess in her attempt to escape the prison her sons had trapped her within as they tyranize and empire that spans a continent. As told through a dream/vision of the Inverted Theater, where shades throughout time are called while they sleep to witness a performance put on by the favoured child of moon and sea. Intercut with the same tale as told through out POV’s grandmother, along with vignettes of his life as the son of a failing cloth merchant centuries in the future as the world goes through its equivalent of WW1. All this metaness and layering is either the book’s strongest point or it will make your eyes roll back into your skull so, you know, make an informed choice here.

Being entirely honest I don’t remember exactly how this book ended up on my radar – I believe I was first pointed towards after I expressed some dissatisfaction with this year’s Hugo nominees as something that would have been a more deserving inclusion on the short list. Certainly I’d never heard Jimenez’s name before picking it up. Entirely happy I did, anyway – whoever first rec’d it yes, this does deserve a Hugo nod way more than some of the other nominations.

The plot itself is quite well done, but absent any of the stylistic flourish wouldn’t really have been anything that memorable. The layered framing devices – and the way that they intrude on the narrative in a hundred different ways, switching from depicting the action to saying how it was staged and presented or how the narrator heard the tale told – are really just fantastically well done, enough that even when it got all meta and self-referential I was still enjoying it more than enough to just go with it.

Not that our heroes aren’t fun in their own right. They’re both at times profoundly unlikable, and other times utter idiots, and always totally and completely incapable of intelligibly expressing their feelings. It’s great, love them. Even if on occasion I also wanted to throw rocks at them. The main supporting cast – or at least Defect the tortoise and the moon/empress herself – are even better, really.

Though as far as characterization goes its the extras where the book really shines. It has a trick I really, really like where little snippets of the internal monologue or history of some fellow traveller on the road or sentry being gutter from behind are interspersed into the action in italics like this. Diegetically this would be the chorus in the theatrical performance, but regardless it does a shocking amount to make the world feel like it’s full of actual people and not just mannequins forming a backdrop for the characters who matter.

The book fits into the honourable tradition of modern SFF with cool-eyed and unsentimental portrayals of feudalism/imperialism, war crimes and general oppression (including in this case very plot-relevant and character-informing ableism) but only a vague and attenuated sort of 21st century homophobia, if that. Like all modern queer genrefic it’s also at least kind of in conversation with the looming shadow of Burying Your Gays, with a bait and switch tragic heroic sacrifice that seemed very conscious and pointed.

The framing devices lend themselves well to the book being written in a kind of mythic register, which I very much enjoyed. The epilogue felt like an intrusion of history on mythology, and I do mean that as a compliment, full of messiness and ambiguity and short on heroes and golden ages or utopias. Overall very much enjoyed the book, perfect reading for being stuck in a waiting room for a passport renewal.

[leora-rambles]

Yandere Albedo (draft/snippet)

WARNINGS: Yandere content, major character death, unhealthy dynamics, mentions of harm to reader, violence.

First genshin fic of this account and it’s a draft and it’s yandere!! Ahh !!!!

This is 100% inspired by the song Kill Bill by SZA, specifically referencing Doja Cat’s rap in the intro. I wrote this back when it was released, but got busy with university stuffs.

I just want to post this because if I don’t, I never will !!!!!

And Diluc is here too.

Please don’t read if you’re uncomfortable with the warnings above! Thank you.

His ears twitch at the sound of footsteps, familiar and light. Albedo’s surprised he can even hear it over the sound of his heart beat banging against his ribcage, his breathing racing as he thinks of you.

He’s trying to keep his body as still as he can, but his arms begin to go numb in their position— up beside his head, quivering at the sight of Diluc’s knife.

Albedo can easily run away. He definitely can. The path towards the door was clear, and he’s sure the redhead won’t chase him despite his ungentlemanly behaviour.

Yet he stays. It’d been weeks since he last saw you, and he’s so close to finally seeing a glimpse of you again.

Even though he hates you, wishes he could make you feel the same misery you put him through, he still can’t help the fact that you are the first thing that ever put colour on the blank canvas that was his life.

Closer. He can hear you walking closer.

Albedo reminds himself to blink.

He can see Diluc mentally weigh the consequences of leaving his spot at the doorway to keep you back, as the closer your footsteps become, the angrier Diluc looks. More desperate.

Each thump of Albedo’s heartbeat matches up with the pit-pat of your footsteps.

Diluc bites the inside of his cheek when he hears you call from behind him, his body tensing, yet his eyes never leaving the blond.

“Love?”

Albedo’s mouth gapes open at the pet name.

He heard the endearment a thousand times before, and now’s the first time since what felt like a million years ago that he hears it again.

And it wasn’t for him.

“Are you coming back to bed soon?” You yawn, emerging from the stairs. Diluc’s arm shoots up to prevent you from proceeding any further.

Taking a peak from above Diluc’s shoulder, you lock eyes with the intruder on the receiving end of his ire.

A frantic gasp leaves you at the sight. In that moment, it feels like the God of time forced a clocks hands still.

Albedo feels as if his organs were just scooped out. Like a crisp piece of paper sliced his chest open, and his ribs and his blood and every single bit of manufactured tissue inside of him poured out onto the floor in front of his feet.

Warmth drips down his face the same way it escaped his system when you left him. Albedo feels the urge to wrap his hands around your neck— hold, grip, squeeze, take your peace the same way you took his.

There’s only one question running through his mind as his composure falls, as he sucks in a hiccuped breath.

Why did you do this to me?

His teeth are clenched, his hand raised as in his palm begins to form a geode. Though his vision is blurring by the millisecond, the jumble of colours he sees through his tears are all he needs in order to aim.

Diluc notices Albedo’s position, panic rising up in his throat as the puzzle pieces finally fall into place.

“Get down—!”

The moment for Diluc to turn and lunge to shove your frozen form to the ground kills off valuable time to flee.

As you fall, the sudden bright spark burns your retinas. Even with your eyes shut tight, the brilliant white pierces through, leaving only Diluc’s form as a shadow in your eyelids. There’s a sharp ‘pop’ that accompanies the light, so loud that the ringing afterwards causes your head to spin.

Your fiancé’s body is still for a moments breath above you before he collapses onto the ground like a limp mannequin.

Albedo studies the deep red that pools around Diluc’s still body.

You’re sat on the floor, lifting your upper body up on your forearms as you think back on Diluc’s last words.

Looking up at the blond, you find that you can’t strangle the quivering of your voice. Fear. The complete opposite of the tone you had used when you shattered his soul into a million little pieces.

“That shot wasn’t for him,” you mutter, more to yourself than to him.

Albedo looks away from the redheads corpse to meet your eyes. Butterflies leap in his stomach, fluttering with every millisecond that you stare up at him.

You wonder if Diluc had done the right thing by leaving you alive with this man. At least in death, you wouldn’t have to witness the mix of hatred and obsession swimming in his arctic eyes.

The tone of his voice is mocking in his reply.

“Was it?”