#VERSE;; to Fight for Honor

[myristicisms]

@valour-bound sent;;

🖋 for Chris and Squall for Zacks RE verse 👏👌

for plot ideas! Still accepting!

SOL,,, u do not know what you've done today bestie!!! Basically lemme just,, hehe okay!!

For Chris

So basically because I'm such a gene ass with my foresight or whatever I have multiple RE verses for Chris and Zack to interact in or whatever, so we'll go chronological!!! Kinda!! More or less I do have a revelations verse where Zack works with the B.S.A.A (just made sense) and so there's the possibility of Zack being in contact with Chris and Jessica (shit talking Jessica in his mind because something's off abt her to him and he does not trust her), possibly giving more details or even exchanging information with one another some time between the sinking of the Queen Semiramis and Queen Zenobia and the exploration of the last ship that I cannot remember the name of, ofc that'd be around the point where Zack has to kill Angeal.

THEN there's the in between of the prequel DLC to re5 and re5 itself where Zack briefly ends up paired up with Chris on the occasional mission, both of which sort of help each other grasp that they're not responsible for their partner's deaths (or ig death for Angeal and Jill's going MIA bc we know she ain't dead LMFAO)

Ofc there's also re6, where Zack could briefly cross paths with Chris and Piers (me when I bust out my Piers knowledge and hcs bc I wrote him for like two years) or Zack communicating updates to Chris as captain of the team beta or whateva, also possibly helping Chris cope with the loss of Piers or being the one to help with getting Chris out of the ocean and chatting about the after math in the "haha that didn't happen" kind of way or whatever, maybe dinner together like in Chris's ending scene because two dudes having steak hehe

And finally there's also the re8 verse!!! Zack is No Longer affiliated with the B.S.A.A and is now a mercenary that takes on jobs he feels people need his assistance or whatever and so he's chilling in the village trying to protect the villagers or whateva, this one is Not Developed Much but I could see some odd little "hey I know you 🤨" shenanigans going on, possible reminiscing before they blOW UP THE VILLAGE LFMWJDBS idk idk

Anyways for Squall 🥰

This one could def be a little bit on the harder side since it heavily depends on which part of the timeline you're wanting him in but??? What if after revelations (where Zack kills Angeal bc gotta fuck up his life somehow) Squall ends up being assigned Zack's new partner on missions or whatever, be it for basic recon or straight up clean up of B.O.W shenanigans or whatever, something something opening up to a new partner + working with someone who I imagine prefers to work solo being new (me when they'll probably end up kissing on the mouth idk/j) or we could def have them bump into each other in raccoon city, establish them kinda already knowing each other (Zack getting separated from Angeal??? Crazy but so very likely LMFAOOO) and then going from there? Or they could be mercenary pals for 7/8 too, lots to do for them and it's very flexible which is why I'm struggle bussing!!!

But those are my main ideas for them!!!

[myristicisms]

Amusement momentarily sweeps across his otherwise solemn features, ever since he'd dropped down from that damned copter it's been nothing but a shit show that Zack had been ill prepared for, he recalled the look of shock upon his captain's features and knew that they'd likely just been sent to a premature grave for something or another, intentionally or not it didn't really matter given the result was supposed to be the same. Regardless though, despite the sickening smell of rot and various other body fluids, the raven haired man managed to find some sort of peace with his otherwise horrific situation.

Getting separated from Angeal had been... Terrifying but not as startling as realizing he wasn't fully alone, it was appreciated though to bump into another survivor that was armed and seemed like she knew what she was doing, relieving even given the fact that Zack couldn't handle watching another companion ( even if only circumstantial for now ) be eaten alive or fall victim to whatever was making the carriers come back and walk around aimlessly.

“ Yeah, no problem. ” He manages, happily tugs the woman up with a supportive hand before glancing around their surroundings anxiously, gloved hand reaching into one of the pockets of his vest and holding out a cartridge of hand gun ammo, and holds it out to Claire. “ Offer's gonna be there until we get the hell outta this place, hopefully we'll bump into 'Geal and he won't be dead or... ” infected, lingers upon his tongue “ But let's get to finding that little gal of yours huh? Where do you think we should look? ”

what had simplying been a visit to try and find her brother after he wouldn't return her calls was now something else , something much worse . at least chris was out of here , somewhere safe in europe , but that still meant she had to get out of here too , make it out alive . at least she had company , while some might consider it a burden to have to protect more people he seemed well trained , better trained than her , and any help would be appreciated to find that little girl .

❝ thanks anyway , it would have been harder to try and patch myself up . ❞ claire takes his hand , using it to pull herself to her feet once more as she takes a look around . sherry had to be done in the sewers somewhere , they had to find her . she's not willing to elaborate on how just the young girl reminded her of herself at that age , scared and confused as everything seemed to go to shit around her . ❝ cute , but i don't need you to carry me . however , i can't say no to a little more firepower if you're willing to share ~❞

[ymart26]

Writing omega verse fics and posting them to the public to combat the ai ao3 scrapping problem

[visionkept]

They have checked the calendar twice already, eyeing the crossed date on the 30th. It's this month, they are sure of it. Their master's birthday is coming all too soon and with less than a month away, the preparations have just started.

[smallsies]

"i miss being alone when it didn't mean being alone / and if love was contagious i might be immune to it"

[calithal]

“ who did this to you ? ”

who did this to you?, accepting!  ༄

              god  fucking  damn  it.  this  is  so  fucked.  she  should’ve  buried  herself  instead  of  coming  anywhere  near  the  wharf.  on  bad  nights,  he’s  out  here  just  as  much  as  she  is.  cj  had  thought  a  roof  would  be  something.  better  than  any  ship,  with  people  who  care  too  much  about  things  that  are  wrong.  better  than  back  to  freddie.  if  harry  knows,  someone  else  has  to,  because  she  never  tells  him  anything.  not  like  this.  she  most  certainly  did  not  tell  him  this.  cold  shoots  up  her  spine,  and  she  could’ve  mistaken  this  picture  for  ten  years  earlier,  just  the  same.  cj,  weak.  harry,  looming  over  her  with  his  demon  eyes.  thundering  footsteps  coming  to  a  stop.  red.  red  all  over  the  place.  the  cold,  unwelcome,  and  unfamiliar,  is  replaced  by  red,  hot  humiliation.  this,  she  knows.  it’s  the  same  as  fire.

                it  was  stupid.  a  stupid  fight.  stupid  bruises.  stupid  cuts.  stupid  dark  shapes  of  hands  around  her  neck.  there  wasn’t  even  anything  to  patch  up  or  fix.  she  just  needed  to  fucking  breathe.  up  high  on  a  rickety  roof,  little  flat  bits  big  enough  to  sit  on.  she  doesn’t  need  him  here,  getting  all  weird  and  like  he’s  going  to  go  do  something  about  it.  the  story  she  has  to  tell  is  about  him.  about  baby  sister  cj,  weak  and  needy  and  caught.  it  was  a  short  story,  even  outnumbered.  her  being  here  means  something,  after  all.  she  doesn’t  budge,  even  a  little  bit,  curled  up  tight  and  peeking  up  at  him  through  her  mess  of  curls.  there’s  so  much  she  could  say.  she  doesn’t  want  to  say  anything  at  all.  she’s  so  bunched  up  and  frustrated,  she  could  cry.    “  fuck  off,  harry.  ”    he  hasn’t  even  seen  her  yet,  and  he  just  knows.  she  wants  to  strangle  him,  make  him  feel  it,  and  then  ask  him  to  tell  her  what  happened.  cj  changes  her  might,  shifting  her  head  so  her  cheek  lays  against  her  knee,  looking  out  at  the  sea,  very  beyond.    “  sex  thing,  don’t  worry  about  it.  ”

[forgetfulshadow]

‘ just because we’re friends doesn’t mean i’m going any easier on you. ’ (from my sideblog, @mystraguideme!)

「   RP MEME :       ENEMIES TO FRIENDS TO LOVERS .   」

Shadowheart REMAINED still as she watched him prepare himself before her. Brows knitted together for a moment and then with a scratch at the back of her neck, she couldn't help but question him one last time. ❝Are you SURE you want to do this Gale? Truly you have nothing to prove and I - ❞ The girl cut herself off then as the sudden urge to laugh came over her and she couldn't help but shake her head just a little. ❝I just don't think this fight is going to end in your favor, going EASY on me or not.❞

[shesacrified]

tag dump: updating tags & new verses!

[thusaliar]

P stared down at him, many emotions running through him simultaneously. There was anger and confusion, but he also had a sense of compassion towards the puppet in front of him. Maybe it was all a trap, and maybe stopping before the final blow was a grave mistake for him. But just how many times has he been mercilessly slayed before? Although breaking puppets left and right wasn't anything new to P, this time it wasn't right, it didn't feel right.

As his hand shook slightly, his eyes remained fixed on the puppet. Letting out a breath he didn't need to hold, P finally drew his saber back, but kept it ready. The puppet in front of him was tired, and although he was doing slightly better in that matter, it wouldn't take long to put him down either. Perhaps it was fair to end here when they were both even.

The voice makes his springs turn rapidly, a sensation that surely equates to making one's skin crawl. It was the same. P knew that even if he rarely spoke himself. Without Gemini by his side, he had no choice but to speak, briefly wondering if hearing his voice would make the other puppet just as uneasy.

"We're the same." he replies shortly. The truth is, he didn't have a better answer to this question. Why exactly did he stop? That never happened before, not even with Carlo. There was a feeling of connection, something in his Ergo almost begging him to stop, which made his mechanical heart burn and pound louder. The puppet has never felt that before.

Among all those emotions, there's some curiosity, finally getting past the initial hostility. Father was gone, there was no good reason for the puppet to be sent after him now. Maybe there was another explanation to it, and he would like to hear it.

"What... Who are you?" the answer seemed to be clear, but maybe there's something else to it.

The first blow was parried at the last minute, but still had his effects. The puppet didn't have a moment to stop and - for lack of better terms - breathe so far. He attacked, he dodged, he shot and he parried, with every jolt and mechanism in his body threatening to fail him at any moment. It happened already, in the past, when he got too greedy and attempted an extra unnecessary attack or was too impatient to move slower and not waste energy running everywhere. All those times, he lacked of the necessary stamina to keep his posture during a battle at the worst moment possibile.

This time, it wasn't any different. The swords clash, the other P skeeps his grip on his, and he doesn't. The blade doesn't fall, but the strenght used by the other is enough to push his own arm back, leaving him wide open for the incoming blow.

Dying wouldn't be an irreparable problem, but still quite annoying nonetheless. His eyes stay open as he sees an unavoidable blow approach, accepting his (momentary?) loss but still deadset on keeping eye contact all the way through--

--and yet the other stops.

Geppetto's puppet blinks, his blue eyes for once leaving the other's as he looks down at the saber, close enough to his neck that he's sure he'd cut himself if he dared to move. He could use that surprising hesitation on his advantage, pay him back for the assassination attempt and call it a day...

"...why did you stop?"

...and instead he still stays there, knelt in front of his copy in that precarious position - letting his genuine curiosity take over.

[feuerfliegen]

@bronzeshadows for Ryn / con. from d.isc.

The only person who gets to kill you is me. The only person who gets to kill me is you. Her words echo in his heart, what a strange declaration. But he knows them to be true, it has always been like this, their bones entwined, their fates sealed. He cannot escape her, even if he wanted to.

And if there is one thing Artair never wanted it is to escape Zerynthia. This place? He is ready to leave it all behind, but her? Never.

But before he can assure her as much she acts upon these words, pulls him into a kiss. And when their lips collide it does feel as if he is dying. What else is death if not one moment of being gloriously alive? She is warm, she tastes of home, she is gone before he can cherish the feeling.

The strange tingle of magic bites into his skin. He curses under his breath.

"Do not fear", he finally catches his breath again, "You will not get rid of me so easily, Ryn." She does not hear him anymore, has run towards safety as he has told her. While that dreadful magic swirls around him Artair turns to face the soldiers, fight has returned to his eyes. She is everything he hates, everything he needs. Because of her he has no choice but to survive.

___

Night falls over the city when Artair finally makes his way out of the catacombs. Wet, cold, shivering from exhaustion. It takes all the strength he has left to rip the necklace away and then, finally, he can breath again, magic disappearing in the air. He wants to be angry with her, but he knows she did this to protect him. And it makes it all harder.

One hand on the cold stones of the city wall Artair stumbles forward, he needs to get to safety, to leave the guards and what he has done in the dark behind.

He needs to get back to her.

But he stumbles, he falls. He has nothing left to get him up again. Fist forming around her necklace he stares at the sky. "Ryn."

[myristicisms]

@darckcarnival || ??? (Darck) says;;

❛  tell me what you need.  ❜

How filthy a job it was, when one first joins a career meant to help, they never quite think it would involve putting those who were sick in some form or another ( infected ) - he has to remind himself - out of their misery. It was rotten work, something that stained the tips of his fingers with an ichor that no amount of scrubbing could cleanse from his flesh and yet he continued on. Vaguely he recalls a familiar voice, one that belonged to someone long since gone and it's that that makes him jolt back into action. ' Don't get distracted on the field, Pup. '

How odd it was, to hear that nickname once again even if it was nothing more than a hallucination, an old haunting memory that made a pitiful wretched sound burst from his throat, the sound of a blunt edge crashing into the skull of one of the creatures ( not human, not anymore ) fully awakening the usual survival instincts Zack had spent years honing, had drilled into him since he was some starry eyed kid joining the U.B.C.S in some stupid attempt at being a hero because it'd been his dream to be a hero. God he was so dumb, had he just went into a normal career like being a fire fighter maybe he'd have had a chance at a normal life, a white picket fence home with a lovely spouse and a dog and cat, instead he was here, cleaning up the mess of another damned attack knowing damn well the B.S.A.A is likely going to find a way to make him feel like shit for not being efficient enough.

That'd been happening a lot lately, though perhaps it was just from loneliness, having to file all the paperwork once he came back from each mission taking up almost all of his time, the raven haired soldier was someone who needed to socialize, otherwise he'd grow intensely depressed and lately his form of socializing was trying to find survivors and keep them safe and calm until more help arrived. Lately he hadn't been too successful and that too wore on him. Signs of life often managed to cheer him up though, be it from a footstep that sounded too coordinated to be a B.O.W albeit nowadays even those left him antsy, especially after his run in with what the T-Abyss virus was capable of.

Ever alert, he'd take a guess that the slowly approaching footsteps were human enough, there was no sound to indicate otherwise and so he forces himself to ease up enough, allows himself to feel the bone chilling ache of over exertion seep into his muscles and realizes he'd finally made himself a safe spot to rest temporarily, perhaps even found a companion ( more like they found me, hopefully they're friendly. ) Aqua eyes fixate on the beginnings of shadows dancing upon the floor, once more further justifying that whoever was slowly approaching, likely from the sound of his prior scuffle with what lays dead at his feet now, was definitely not a B.O.W, or at least if they were, they were easy to mistake for being human.

Then he sees a woman, she's smaller than he is but that wasn't exactly a difficult feat to accomplish given how large Zack himself was, amusement creeps upon him for a moment at the fact that he's only bumped into a few people that managed to barely tower over him only to properly return his focus upon the stranger. He's about ready to speak before he hears her voice, her statement, and suddenly he's left confused; Looks damn near startled.

“ I think I'm the one who's supposed to be telling you that. ” A soft chuckle rests within his tired voice before he shrugs, tufts of raven spikes bouncing with the gesture as he slowly slides his sword back onto its holster attached to his back. “ I don't know if I need anything right now, though I think maybe an introduction might be the closest thing. I'm with the B.S.A.A- just call me Zack, please -I'm here to clean up whatever the hell happened here and evacuate any survivors. ” Far too trusting as always and yet a survivor was a survivor, it wasn't as though he was worried about being attacked given the stranger likely would have done so by now rather than demand to know what he might have been hurting for.

Really he'd already gotten exactly what he needed anyways; companionship, even if temporary or even something that led him to his own demise, at least he'd be less lonely and that in of itself was enough to drive him into willingly opening himself as he always did to those he attempted to help. “ Now then, is there anything you need? Rations, a weapon, a bodyguard or something? Not that you aren't capable given you look pretty okay to me right now but it doesn't hurt to ask, right? ”

[violetueur-archive]

Unprompted » ALWAYS ACCEPTING

@detonizing​ asked:  " Just because I interned with you ONE time doesn't mean you can use that as an excuse to call for me whenever the hell you want. My class isn't even doing internships right now. " And surely Bloodletter already knew this ( which was why she was bothering him on a Saturday ) but Katsuki complained anyways, because if Bloodletter was going to send him a million (two) texts under the guise for his 'internship training' then he's absolutely going to call her out on it. Even if he listened to the texts and went to her despite knowing there was really no need to. " So? What is it this time? Clothes shopping? Grocery shopping? You just want a damn servant, don't you. "

All complaints went through one ear and out the other, as they often did with him and anyone else that attempted to criticize her. When one lived in the spotlight as she did, there was certainly not shortage of people with opinions, warranted or otherwise— you either learned to ignore it and move on, or got crushed under the weight of people pleasing until you were nothing but a hollow shell. Granted, Katsuki wasn’t just some nameless citizen looking to gripe. If anything, he understood her devil-may-care attitude quite well, seeing as they shared the same indifference for others’ opinions of them ( even if that callousness was sometimes feigned ).

Regardless, she was still being nagged, and whether it was coming from him or not— or perhaps because it was coming from him— the pro hero had no intention of accepting feedback after this long. Save it for her agency’s suggestion box or social media DMs. ❝ You’re saying that, but you’re here, aren’t you? ❞ Nicolette cuts through the bullshit and gives him a knowing look, but there’s sincerity behind her teasing smirk, whether he chooses to see it or not.

❝ First of all, ❞ she begins after his cruel accusation, holding up a finger, ❝ I resent that! ❞ Conveniently, she does not outright deny any of it, but still! It’s the principle! ❝ Second, ❞ another finger, ❝ it’s not like I can just call it ❛ hanging out ❜ can I? People would think I was a total loser, and you’d deny it anyway which would just make me look more pathetic! ❞ Again, no specifying if she was or wasn’t, but it wasn’t really cool to be friends with a teenager, especially when they were basically your closest companion. Her fans would have a field day with that information, and her antis even moreso. He just didn’t get it! 

He probably wouldn’t even call her his friend in private, let alone public! 

His mocking suggestions inspire a scoff as she rolls her eyes, bristling in indignation, and no, she is absolutely not pouting. ❝ Actually, ❞ she stresses the word, ❝ I have a photoshoot today for my side job. And I definitely wanted you to be there. ❞ Bloodletter won’t admit that it’s because she’s modeling pieces made by his very own parents, figuring it’d be funny to see his reaction and simultaneously useful to get his opinions. ❝ I’ll treat you to lunch afterwards if you want— you can pick where. ❞

❝ Also I can’t believe you’d even think I’d take you grocery shopping— we both know you do all of that for me when you come over anyway, unless you thought I’d bring you to the convenience store to pick up some bento and ramen. No thanks! You’d just bite my damn dead off again if I even reached for one in your presence! ❞

[vivelegalite]

dear dead boy detective (especially paynland) enjoyers: have you yet heard of the biggest gift bestowed upon the fandom so far, aka jayden's charles playlist? the one he mentioned in interviews? well, he dropped it on twitter at 19th of may. and man, do i have stuff to say about it.

there's a lot of 80's bangers, for sure, great to get into the mood and character, but some of the choices...

i'm gonna focus on a few of my favourites, songs that made me go insane when i saw them. honorable mentions: - category 1 (so devoted the lines blur): ain't no mountain high enough by marvin gaye and tammi terrell, there is a light that never goes out by the smiths, inkpot gods by the amazing devil - category 2 (family life): family line and summer child by conan gray, seventeen going under by sam fender, matilda by harry styles, father by the front bottoms - category 3 (being queer in the 80s): smalltown boy by bronski beat, boys don't cry by the cure - category 4 (there's no heterosexual explanation for this one): good luck, babe! by chappel roan, yellow by coldplay, fight or flight by conan gray (is this about monty? the cat king? i need answers!), the prophecy by taylor swift, arms tonite by mother mother, sweet by cigarettes after sex, head over heels by tears for fears

this list is by no means complete or comprehensive!

and now, the songs that made me go the craziest: (they're predominantly in charles' pov as it's his playlist)

found heaven by conan gray

the only reason this song made it into the list and not the honorable mentions instead of smalltown boy is that it makes almost the same point, just so much more explicitly. i don't think i have to say much about it, it's a story of a young person griping with their queerness, being forced to leave home, a common theme of the playlist. "you're in love, you found heaven" when he chose edwin over his own afterlife, heavily implied to be heaven, and built his heaven with him on the mortal plane? ouch! (and we see this same notion repeated in another bop from the playlist, heaven is a place on earth by belinda carlisle).

2. like real people do by hozier

"i miss kissing" charles rowland, 202X romantic meaning aside, the verses show a sort of a common understanding the boys have around the manner of their deaths and their lives before it. we already know from the show they don't really talk about it, with edwin not knowing about the severity of the abuse charles suffered. it feels like one of them saying "let the past be past, we're together now, yeah?". but also, jayden: can there ever be a platonic explanation for this? ghosts can't touch, can't feel, so they wish they could just kiss like "real" (alive?) people do?

3. flaws by bastille

not the most romantic song, but i absolutely love how well it fits their dynamic. despite his edwardian brand of repression, edwin truly is the one that's more open about his feelings (recognising of course that in this case, the bar is so low it's in hell. haha, get it). edwin has worn his flaws upon his sleeve, and charles has held them buried - eg. bottling up all of his anger and resentment towards his family and his own death. the song presents a very sweet outlook, in which their flaws are brought up to the surface (for example, charles' outburst against the night nurse in episode 4), but they learn to accept them as they are, an extension of themselves.

4. a pearl by mitski

you know it's gonna get intense if there's a mitski song in the mix.

the song is about a person who finds love in their partner, someone who treats them way better than they've ever been treated - and yet they cannot bring themselves to reciprocate the affection ("it's not that i don't want you, sorry i can't take your touch") despite reciprocating the feelings themselves because of the trauma. charles is known to bottle things up ("you're growing tired of me and all the things i don't talk about"). the person in the song recognises the love the other person holds for them ("you love me so hard and i still can't sleep"), which reminds me of charles' response to edwin's confession. not a "no", but a "maybe, as time passes".

5. fair by the amazing devil

this one made me genuinely gasp when i first delved into the lyrics. it's simply so sweet, such a genuine and domestic portrayal of love. at first i thought it was way too open about being a love song (normal text instead of the subtext i'd be used to) for jayden to choose it with edwin in mind, but... there's no one else it can really be about. it's far too domestic, too "established" to refer to crystal. refers to a relationship that's laster for a longer while.

the narrator in the first verse is a person deeply in love with the other person, someone who loves to make his lover laugh and simply drinks in their presence. the "he" in the song i believe is charles, while the "she" refers to edwin. edwin promises to fight off anyone - or any feelings pulling charles down (we can see this in the first episode: "you ever think... what if death did catch us? she'd force us to go to the afterlife and split up" "i will make sure this never happens."). charles feels left behind by the world (seeing as he clings to crystal at first, refering to her as "someone their age who's still alive") and believes edwin to be so much stronger than he's ever been. i'm not going to break down the song verse by verse, but if you read it yourself while subbing out "he" for charles and "she" for edwin you'll see just how sweet (and... strangely very in character?) the song is.

6. work song by hozier

if the previous song made me gasp when i saw the lyrics, this one made me go "NO WAY" out loud when i saw the title. the first one verse is just pure toothrotting sweetness, but the chorus is what i want to draw attention to:

when my time comes around lay me gently in the cold, dark earth no grave can hold my body down i'll crawl home to her

HELLO? charles, who keeps escaping death and afterlife to be able to stay with edwin? charles, as he literally takes his last breath with edwin right there, choosing to be by his side rather than move on? charles, who keeps choosing him despite night nurse's promises and threats? charles, who literally crawled through hell for him?

verse 2, to me, can be interpreted as referring to when charles died. edwin found him at his worst, and he "woke" up with his presence comforting him. he was shivering due to hypothermia and his injuries. edwin didn't ask him about what happened or pushed him, he simply listened. the lines "i didn't care much how long i lived, but I swear, i thought i dreamed her" are pretty self explanatory.

in verse 3 we still see the same attitude of "damn the afterlife, at least we have each other" as charles portrays througout the series. they're free, and heaven and hell are simply words to him.

7. orpheus by vincent lima

i literally have no words for this one. it fits too well. if you want commentary for this one, just... i don't know, rewatch the staircase scene.

8. francesca by hozier

(cracks knuckles) this is the big one. the album francesca is from, unreal unearth, is based on dante alighieri's divine comedy, a fourteenth century poem about a man venturing into hell, purgatory and eventually heaven. the eponymous francesca is one francesca di rimini, a woman who was politically married off to a man older than her, called giovanni malatesta. francesca didn't love him, and eventually fell deep in love with giovanni's younger brother, paolo. the two carried on with the affair for years, before being murdered by giovanni upon his finding out. francesca and paolo are mentioned in canto v of the first book, inferno, as two souls damned in the second circle of hell, lust. their punishment is to be permanently locked in a hurricane, swept away by the winds the moment they manage to get close enough to touch one another.

as opposed to their portrayal in the poem, the song is from the perspective of paolo, explaining that no matter the punishment, he wouldn't change anything about his life because he got to know, and love, francesca.

the first verse brings to mind the scenes in hell, especially on the staircase ("do you think I'd give up? that this might've shook the love from me? or that I was on the brink? how could you think, darlin', i'd scare so easily?" as an echo of charles' "sorry. no version of this where i didn't come get you"). "my life was a storm since i was born, how could i fear any hurricane?" could relate to charles' tumultuous family life, an assurance that nothing he has to deal with while by edwin's side will faze him given the things he's lived through. no, despite everything he's suffered through, charles wouldn't do anything differently - because his (admittedly shitty) life led him to edwin ("i'd tell them, put me back in"). we already know charles would choose him over heaven, willingly sacrificing his own afterlife to stay with a boy he's known for hours, someone kind enough to keep him company as he drew his final breath. all of it - his father's abuse, his schoolmates' bigotry, the pain of his own death, as well as everything he's gone through since - he'd do it all again, for edwin.

"for all that was said of where we'd end up at the end of it" could be taken as an allusion to the fate the boys would meet at "at the end of it", when they're finally caught by death and separated, or as more of a general "if you sin, you will go to hell when you die" (up to you to decide what the sin itself would be - an interpretation that would work with other songs on the playlist is that one such sin would be same sex attraction). then their hearts ceased, they never knew "peace", nor did they want to find it in death. their deaths were too soon, them being ripped away from life, but even though it would break his heart: charles would ask to do it all again.

the outro, i think, beautifully pulls it all together: heaven is not fit to house a love like theirs.

to wrap it all up:

jayden, what were you cooking in there? what do you know??

[visionkept]

         If he’s your man then why did his elemental burst infused with their ELECTRO charge ? 

[animusrox]

TOP 10

Past Lives

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Poor Things

Oppenheimer

Barbie

BlackBerry

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

Killers of the Flower Moon

MY LETTERBOXD Grade A 11.    The Killer 12.    Beau Is Afraid 13.    Dream Scenario 14.    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 15.    Godzilla Minus One 16.    American Fiction 17.    They Cloned Tyrone 18.     Evil Dead Rise 19.    Eileen 20.    The Artifice Girl 21.   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 22.    Talk to Me 23.    Reality 24.    Leave the World Behind 25.    A Thousand and One 26.    Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 27.    Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. 28.    Theater Camp 29.   Carmen 30.    Merry Little Batman 31.    Priscilla 32.    Society of the Snow 33.    Infinity Pool 34.    Enys Men 35.    Sanctuary 36.    Rye Lane 37.    Skinamarink 38.    Monster 39.    Anatomy of a Fall 40.    Landscape with Invisible Hand 41.    Reptile 42.    Sisu 43.    Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game 44.    No One Will Save You 45.    Tetris 46.    May December 47.    The Zone of Interest 48.    V/H/S/85 49.    Dumb Money 50.    El Conde 51.    Arnold 52.    Maestro 53.    Napoleon 54.    20 Days in Mariupol 55.    Influencer 56.    The Creator 57.    Origin 58.    Thanksgiving 59.    Next Goal Wins 60.    The Boy and the Heron 61.    Bottoms 62.    Wonka

[Press Keep Reading For The Full Graded List]

Grade B

63.   God Is a Bullet 64.    No Hard Feelings 65.    Joy Ride 66.    Fair Play 67.     Cocaine Bear 68.    NYAD 69.    Asteroid City 70.    Nowhere 71.    The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster 72.    Divinity 73.    The Equalizer 3 74.    The Last Voyage of the Demeter 75.    Venus 76.    Butcher’s Crossing 77.    Somewhere in Queens 78.    The Persian Version 79.    Boston Strangler 80.    Polite Society 81.    Miguel Wants to Fight 82.    The Color Purple 83.    The Royal Hotel 84.    Saw X 85.    All of Us Strangers 86.    Fallen Leaves 87.    Ferrari 88.    Elemental 89.    Peter Pan & Wendy 90.    Renfield 91.    Cat Person 92.    Scream VI 93.    The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 94.    BS High 95.    Blue Beetle 96.    Huesera: The Bone Woman 97.    When Evil Lurks 98.    Dark Harvest 99.    A Good Person 100.    Final Cut 101.    Knock at the Cabin 102.    Quiz Lady 103.    Leo 104.    Air 105.    The Super Mario Bros. Movie 106.    Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 107.    John Wick: Chapter 4 108.    Beaten to Death 109.    The Wrath of Becky 110.    Passages 111.    Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 112.    Gran Turismo 113.    65 114.    Sick 115.    Sister Death 116.    The Blackening 117.    Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain 118.    Flamin’ Hot 119.    Nimona 120.    Cobweb 121.    Totally Killer 122.    What’s Love Got to Do with It? 123.     Sharper 124.    Unseen 125.    Dunki 126.    Bird Box Barcelona 127.    The Marvels 128.    Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Grade C

129.   Wildflower 130.    Freelance 131.    M3GAN 132.    Strays 133.    Sympathy for the Devil 134.    Creed III 135.    Chevalier 136.    The Marsh King’s Daughter 137.    A Haunting in Venice 138.    The Little Mermaid 139.    Silent Night 140.    Master Gardener 141.    The Flash 142.    Fast X 143.    The Pope’s Exorcist 144.    Saltburn 145.    Kandahar 146.    Stand 147.    Plane 148.   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 149.    Fingernails 150.    Quicksand 151.    Fool’s Paradise 152.    Migration 153.    Rustin 154.    The Covenant 155.    Good Burger 2 156.    The Pod Generation 157.    Alice, Darling 158.    Insidious: The Red Door 159.    Missing 160.    Shotgun Wedding 161.    You Hurt My Feelings 162.    The Boogeyman 163.    Showing Up 164.    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 165.    Champions 166.    Consecration 167.    The Nun II 168.    Biosphere 169.    House Party 170.    The Exorcist: Believer 171.    Big George Foreman 172.    Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 173.    Children of the Corn 174.    The Beanie Bubble 175.    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Grade F

176.    Anyone But You 177.    Marlowe 178.    Paint 179.    Extraction 2 180.    It Lives Inside 181.    Deliver Us 182.    Trolls Band Together 183.    Finestkind 184.    Corner Office 185.    Wish 186.    Prisoner’s Daughter 187.    Pain Hustlers 188.    Foe 189.    The Mother 190.    Old Dads 191.    Ghosted 192.    Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 193.    Haunted Mansion 194.    Mafia Mamma 195.    Five Nights at Freddy’s 196.    The Machine 197.    Justice League: Warworld 198.    We Have a Ghost 199.    What Comes Around 200.    Legion of Super-Heroes 201.    The Boys in the Boat 202.    Attachment 203.    Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre 204.    About My Father 205.    You People 206.    Meg 2: The Trench 207.    Pathaan 208.    Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire 209.    Assassin 210.    Dalíland 211.    Vacation Friends 2

Bottom 10

212.    Sound of Freedom 213.    Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 214.    When You Finish Saving The World 215.    Heart of Stone 216.    Family Switch 217.    Expend4bles 218.    Sweetwater 219.    Hypnotic 220.    80 for Brady 221.    Spinning Gold

[fandom]

Movies

Hi, Barbie.

Barbie

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Goncharov

Nimona

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Red, White, and Royal Blue

Lord of the Rings -3

Black Panther +24

The Addams Family

The Super Mario Bros. Movie -4

Knives Out

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Oppenheimer

The Hunger Games

Avatar: The Way of Water

Guardians of the Galaxy

Shrek

The Little Mermaid +15

Scream -1

Top Gun: Maverick -1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Everything Everywhere All At Once +7

Saw +14

Twilight -13

Wendell & Wild

Howl's Moving Castle -6

The Hobbit -3

Five Nights at Freddy's

Enola Holmes

My Policeman

Deadpool -8

How to Train Your Dragon +12

Beauty and the Beast +16

Avatar

Scream VI

Bottoms

Mean Girls +6

Megamind -4

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar

Spirited Away -10

The Batman -38

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Venom -34

Les Misérables

Encanto -44

Iron Lung

Coraline

The Thing

John Wick

Strange Way of Life

Blue Beetle

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Legally Blonde

Frozen -14

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Ghosted

American Psycho -7

Princess Mononoke

Dune -49

The Princess Bride

Teen Wolf: The Movie

Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith -21

Pacific Rim

Renfield

Shrek 2

Saw X

The Old Guard -29

Nope -47

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

Night at the Museum

Soul -26

The Mummy

The Nightmare Before Christmas

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

Hellraiser

The Lost Boys

The Marvels

Emesis Blue

The Shape of Water

The Menu

My Neighbor Totoro

Shazam -40

Sonic the Hedgehog -66

Pirates of the Caribbean -48

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Elemental

Lilo & Stitch

Fight Club

The Dark Knight

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Princess Diaries

The Incredibles

Halloween Ends

The Lorax

10 Things I Hate About You

Heathers

Kung Fu Panda

The Devil Wears Prada

Rise of the Guardians

Birds of Prey

The number in italics indicates how many spots a title moved up or down from the previous year. Bolded titles weren’t on the list last year.