#Valen is very pissed at the gods

[mecharlie-fox]

FEH Summoner: Valen in her Reputation Era

When Summoner Valen has had enough of the gods in her realm 0-

[plague-karm]

Hadalpelagic Zone Part 12: Bentley and Sebastian have a long overdue conversation about trust and acting metaphors.

Sebastian was sitting by the pool outside while Lena and Valen were having a very important discussion in the living room, he was having a smoke, taking in the rare peace…that was until Bentley waltzed up to him and queried.

“Aren’t those supposed to be worse for you? With the gills and everything?”

Sebastian stared at him for ten seconds straight and looked back at the horizon as he took a drag, his eyes narrowed as Bentley leaned against the balcony.

“Eh, fair enough, still can’t get enough of this view, we really hit the jackpot with this place, it’s a beauty”

“You’re actually right for once…”

“Once? Oh come on I’ve been right plenty of times! I was right when I made a plan to free you wasn’t I?”

“Okay cut the bullshit what do you want?”

“Hm?”

“Whenever you approach me without a beacon you need something”

“Ah, perceptive as always”

Bentley sat down as Sebastian towered over him, and like always, Bentley wasn’t intimidated, he was never intimidated by him, but unlike Lena where he found her lack of fear comforting, he found Bentley’s incredibly annoying.

“Look, I like living with you, the last two months have been great…but-“

“But what?”

“We need to talk about that little eavesdropping habit of yours”

He immediately stopped smoking, what? How did he know about that?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

Bentley rolled his eyes at his denial, relaxing in the chair as he listed off everything he knew.

“I’m not as stupid as you think I am Seb, I know it was you who defused the bombs strapped to us back at the Blacksite, I know it’s you who’s been leaving them migraine tablets around for Lena, weird, I start seeing them the day after she had that leg casualty. You’re not the heartless twat you make yourself out to be”

Oh great, he was trying to analyse him? God knows he needed that after years worth of prodding, poking, and having chemicals and other unwanted shit pumped into him, constant questioning, the taunts, the tasers. He lowered his voice and bore his teeth, any normal person would’ve pissed themselves by now, but Bentley wasn’t a normal person…not by a long shot.

“I could kill you. Right now. I could blow your brains out, rip you in half, DON’T even TRY to pick me apart, you don’t know me as well as you think you do, we’re not friends, so try your best to get that through your head…”

Bentley’s response to that was something he could hardly believe, first he snickered…and then it exploded into laughter! What the hell?! He just THREATENED his life! He was slamming the table and everything! He looked beyond insulted.

“Are you fucking serious?! I threatened to KILL you! How are you laughing!?”

Bentley tried to catch his breath but he was failing miserably.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry-! It’s just-! Holy fuck your acting’s incredible!”

He continued laughing and his expression turned sour.

“Answer me!!”

Bentley eventually managed to catch his breath and shook his head.

“God you’ve played the part of the monster for so long you’ve even managed to fool yourself”

“I’m not acting”

“Oh yeah? Well if you’re sooo desperate to have us dead then why didn’t you do it when we first entered your shop all those months ago?”

Oh god, no, he actually had a point, he looked hesitant as Bentley continued talking, he sounded so calm, so collected, like he had been planning to say this for a very long time.

“I mean I could’ve gotten away, got the legs for it, but those two?”

Bentley pointed to Lena and Valen as they were practicing with his new hand puppets, Valen was acting out a scene while Lena was laughing. Bentley then clenched his fist.

“Easy prey right there, you know what? kill them, right now”

He couldn’t BELIEVE what he was hearing, was he actually asking him to kill their- HIS friends?! Bentley got up and paced around the garden.

“Lena’s as hard as glass, her legs’ll stop working, she’d be easy wouldn’t she?”

He had never felt like this before…why did the thought of him killing her make him feel sick? He clutched at his chest, he felt his anxiety heighten

“And Valen? You saw him back there, he was a jumpy little fucker, could’ve ripped him a new one, even drawing the tiniest amount of blood could make him faint”

He felt sicker

“Come on. You’re a monster right? A blood fiend, a killer! Hell! I can be your first course if you want! Call me shark bait if you so wish!”

Bentley laid himself across the table, looking as bold as ever, he was putting himself in an extremely vulnerable position but he didn’t care, he had to make this convincing.

“I’m waiting “Saboteur”, do your worst~!”

What the hell did he think this was one of his acting classes?! What the hell was he doing?! Why was he hesitating?! He was the most annoying one! Surely he could live without him! Right?! RIGHT?!

Why was he still hesitating?! These people aren’t your-…!

Bentley could tell that this was putting Sebastian through genuine distress so he immediately got off the table and sat back down, he wanted to prove a point, not make him upset.

“Look, all I’m saying is, even though it’ll take you a while to admit it, you care, so…I decided to eavesdrop back as revenge”

“YOU WHAT-?”

“Don’t worry nothing personal, where else do you think those steel buckets for your snake venom drainage came from?”

Oh…that explained a lot actually, he looked at him with genuine surprise.

“It’s a shame ‘cause I don’t like doing it! But it’s one of the only ways I can get what you want!”

He sighed and leaned over the balcony

“Not everyone’s out to get you Seb, we opened our doors for you, I’m just saying that you should trust us a little, you’re not trapped there anymore, stop acting like a prisoner”

He reminded silent as he crossed his arms, Bentley sighed and smiled weakly.

“Well…if you’re not gonna trust me, might as well show my trust in you…a few years back some batshit arsonists set fire to my family home, it was a shitshow, I don’t remember much, but what I do remember is burning my left arm when I escaped through the window…when I woke up I had so many people around me, and I was told that I was the only one who made it out alive…I couldn’t handle being in England anymore, too many memories got tarnished, so I took my dads inheritance and moved out here…”

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“I mean you already knew so you might as well hear it from me face to face right?”

Wow. He really WAS aware of the eavesdropping, Bentley look uncharacteristically solemn as he looked down at the floor beyond the balcony

“You could’ve brought it up in any of our morning rows, but you didn’t, I appreciate that, especially since that’s an easy target to aim for”

Sebastian’s glare softened a little.

“You’re annoying, not evil, I have standards Bentley I’m not gonna bring that up, it’s beneath me”

Bentley smiled widely and his glare came right back.

“Now what?”

“You called me by my name! You never do that!”

“I’m going back inside-“

“Wait! There’s one more thing I need to talk to you about”

“Este bastardo va a ser mi muerte- What?”

Bentley rested his head against the bannister

“About your file…what you’re made up of ain’t the only thing that shocked me…everything you sold to us belonged to previous expendables yeah? Some you killed and some you didn’t?”

He knew this was going to be brought up eventually, did he regret what he did? Not really, but if the others had an unclouded view of right and wrong that little tidbit could risk his security.

“What about it?”

“You would’ve done the same to us if we died yeah?”

“Yeah…”

“Well…thank god we didn’t!”

“…Are you telling me NOTHING I did back then bothers you? At all?”

“Look mate if my melanin was taken away from me I’d kill some bastards too…funny…I never realised you had the same haircut as me back then, good to know some things haven’t died out during the time you were gone eh?”

“I’ll never understand you”

Bentley shrugged his shoulders

“Okay, stop trying then!”

Bentley then walked back inside to join the others as they continued laughing over the ridiculous things Valen was making the puppets say…maybe he was right? It’s been two months and none of them have backstabbed him. He put his cig out and joined them inside, watching quietly as Bentley and Valen made the puppets do ridiculously raunchy things as Lena laughed her ass off, maybe this wasn’t so bad.

Maybe things will be okay.

[yohohonabottle]

The Old Gods Au - Pirin & his two fools

Taken from my chat with @bunnybird-afk!

"And that actually gets me thinking about an au I've been thinking about called the 'Old Gods AU' where the Divine War/Immortal War never happened.

Sena still become The People's God and the Dusk Prince. And now all I'm thinking about is how absolutely terrifying Pirin and Sena would be if they had been allowed to grow up without the trauma that those wars caused.

The Dusk Lord 'gifting' Pirin to Sena as a herald/sentinel and the two becoming genuinely inseparable.

Rumors spread about how The People's God seems to know everything happening in his domain no matter how small (it's cause of Pirin). That he has a the uncanny ability to know everything about you at just a glance (he does). And that his retainer is terrifyingly loyal and competent, easily capable of handling even the toughest fights on his lords behalf (because the idea of Pirin growing up being raised and trained by his father to be a herald.

Being taught all the sublties of his duties by his mother. You just know our boy is the PERFECT herald for Sena.)"-Mika

"Pirin already on his own at very base level is stupidly formidable (Species), (Base lv skillset, learnt on his own.) but with his Father teaching him?

You know Ekchauh, and his fighting. Plus him being the Setting Sun's familiar/herald-- He's driven to be even better at what he's indisputably a prodigy near unparalleled. (Similar to 'Liya on the Sunseek arena ring. Plus his parents.)

And his whole bloodline is literally about War/Military/Combat/Hunting.

Ain't no way he'll let his son be a weakling. Or a bad Tooth. Ekchauh will be sure his boy is THE best of THE best of warriors period. Even surpass him and the Baleful beasts. (Rin will absolutely hate it tho. All this enormous pressure, and he doesn't have his dad's general affnity for war/conflict. Unless furious. Then he's 1-1 copy of him.) Then add in Larra and her own mastery. Plus Vladymir and Maya/"Mamaya" -Eldest siblings, 'cause of course they'd want their Nightingale to be the utter best!

And since they know he's been chosen to become a Tooth/Arrow by the god himself? They go to town. It really reaches a point where Pirin becomes THE most capable, strongest warrior of All.

Forged and honed, not an centimeter of his body and skin untouched. He'll be covered in scars of all kinds all over. And also spy/Overseer/Diplomat. Because Larra has made sure her son trumps above their bloodline. Just as her Bonded/hubby.

So yes, he'll be perfect for Malak's Eye/Arrow -Herald. But the compassion would be lowered so much. The mellower elements toned down and hardened to steel you can't break. See Ekchauh, Soren and Arlecchino + Marionet." -Finch

"Pirin is going to be so shook when he realizes that Malak is a compassionate and kind god despite his affinity for combat and magic. Like their dynamic is so going to be,

"My lord may be a merciful god, but I assure you that I am not."

Like you mentioned Ekchauh being unforgiving of blasphemy, so imagine Pirin being downright ruthless towards anyone who slanders his patron."-Mika

'"....And The gods, Celestials, Hypogeans better watch out. Or mind it around Malak. Because otherwise his herald will curb stomp them all. Really battered, bloodied, but triumph from the many vs one.

Merlin stands not even 0.0000001 chance of winning. Or any mortal.

....And then this terrifying warrior behemoth falls for Valen or Sinbad of all people. Like everyone would be one beat away from a heart-attack or pissing/shitting themselves at just seeing this one night nymph. Or book it for the hills at hearing his voice/gets a coldly grim look.. at somehow slandering his Patron.

But here Valen is, this playboy drunkard, weasel lil smhmuck-- Able to chill and prance around this Gladiator freely.

Same as Sinbad.

And actively BRAGGING about it. No shame. Man just knows nobody can do anything to him, not with having to face THIS. (Tho he does get floored by his Dove, 99% of the time with a very simple one-liners.)

And also knows to not cross any lines... or he'll get a hard slap on the wrist. (Not as harsh as Malak slandering louts do. But not very light either)."-Finch

"Sena being in Dura's domain for business and brings Pirin along. And while they're there, Sena decides to mingle a bit with the locals, disguised as a mortals.

And things are going normally until this random knight starts absolutely flirting with Pirin in the most casual way possible.

And Pirin is like 🤨 because he's on duty, except Malak just chuckles and gives him a look letting him know he can relax and just handle it however he wants. And well, Pirin isn't UNinterested...

But lol, I just know Pirin was fighting the urge to skin Sinbad (and half of Rustport) alive during the first half of the WOI plot. Like sure they didn't KNOW they were messing with a god and his familiar, but still! Then afterwards he can't really do anything because Malak pardoned them, so instead he has to play nice with this seagull looking basta- wait, why is he blushing like that?!"- Mika

(((Also "Seagull looking bastard" 😂😂))) Not Sinbad kinda pulling up with a damn Flyn Rider move 😂 (((You can't look me in the eye and tell me this idiot won't be turned on by Rin being his ruthless self. The filthy lil freak would be imagining all the ways he'll be dominated. And blushing hard.)))- Finch

"Cue him getting """adopted""" into his Dove's family, and be really nervous around Ekchauh with how he's side-eying him for dating his son. And later becoming in-law.

Val would be sweating buckets if not waterfalls and rivers 😂 Sinbad too.)

Then both get put through the ringer by their father-in law. (A good sign, means he finally accepted them and their relationship w his son.) Ain't no way he'll let these two "louts" be "slackers"/and or weaklings to their Bonded. Absolutely hell no.

And that's how Valen and Sinbad became nearly on their Angel's level of prowess. Only second close to him.

(Suddenly the General isn't that much of bother figure or the Order's line of work so annoying.

And Valen comes back as a WARRIOR who can and does wipe out a single enemy squadron -- And get out unscathed.

This knight, walks in the battle like mf Terminator. Same as Sinbad. Anyone hear him or that he's involved? See this man coming? NOPE. Peace out or White flag to save themselves the Deathwish.) Everyone much prefers Valen being playful, flirty, carefree and chill to him going serious/ angry. (Same goes for Sin.)" -Finch

"And Sinbad will also suddenly see being chased around as a nuisance. Or choose to bite back his bullies, Ekchauh's training is making everything else in Rustport look like a JOKE. Yes even Lucca and the Whispers. Or the Dead Tide and Water Wights.

I can guarantee he (Pirin's dad) made both Valen and Sinbad climb the damn mountain, to the summit and back down.

'To hone endurance and stamina. Along with resistance to heights/temp difference or prevent astma/beat out astma.'

And this is a part + the Ironjaw """marathon""" from 3AM ass crack of dawn to 17-18PM in the afternoon. Every day consistent training. STANDARD training mind you. Not advanced.

The whole regime is something like- Ironjaw marathon, Summit climbing, A break somewhere in there to catch their breath (traveling back and forth counted in it) + quick eat/drink/ nature calling, Hand to hand combat in 1v1 + 1+ v1 (with and without close-range weapons), ranged combat- (Spears, archery & other ranged weapons).

And that's only one regime for all those months the duo spends with the fam during their visit to 'em." -Finch

"Lmao, these boys are being put through the absolute RINGER. Like they even Val's knight training has absolutely nothing on this. And poor Sinbad has never had to work this had in his life. And now they're getting trained by THE most competent and hardworking warrior clan in Esperia.

Like legit, these boys think they're going to die most of the time and Pirin is just jokingly like, "Then perish" cause he went through this AS A FLEDGLING and he was fine!" -Mika

Hogan: "You're... Unusually keen on paperwork today Valen?"

Val: "General, do you know what's its like to be woken up at 3am to get chased around by an Ironjaw because your future father in law thinks you need the practice, all because you sighed once after a fight and he though it meant you have bad stamina?" (-Mika)

Hugin: "What happened? Why're you hauling cannons around?! And how by Tritonus did you get this fast!? Not even Magister Merlin can catch you!"

Sin: (Casually moving the cannons & supplies around the workshop as he'd been asked like it's just a couple of logs.)

"My father-in law makes me wake up at the damn crack of dawn, just to get chased by those bull-lizards all day. Then climb up the entire goddamn mountain, and I have do it fast or else morning would come- And I'm still somewhere at the FOOT.

Don't get me started on the whole 'climb down the mountain at dawn the next day, just to get jumped and punted in a fighting training.

And, OF Course, CLIMB that damn mountain UP again!"

"The boys are so damn tired, but lol, imagine they see Pirin and Sena actually fight together for real and are forced to realize that they genuinely do not stack up to their hubby and his patron what-so-ever. And that motivating them to work a little harder. 😂"-Mika

"And terrify everyone else in the process with how much of beast they're becoming/already are.

This is some god of war type of nonsense

...And then Rin becomes friends with Ludovic. (Poor young Graveborn earl will never know peace. ..

You think he'd be spared? HAH! No.

Remember, Pirin- Ekchauh's own son, was put through this ridiculous """hell""" from a youngling. A KID, younger than 'Vic.)"-Finch

OhHO, this noble kid gets added to the list of trainees. (Pirin and his siblings join Valen, Sinbad and Ludovic for the training as solidarity.)

"Yo, Sena joining in just for the fun of it and he and Pirin make it look so easy that Val, Sin and Lu are just looking at each other like "wtf???" cause they are STRUGGLING." -Mika

"10-20 years and the three get kinda used to it. Absolute MONSTERS on the field." -Finch

"Legit though! Like if they could survive Ekchauh's training, they can survive anything. Not to mention every enemy feels like absolute child's play when they compare it to sparring with Pirin and Ekchauh and even Sena at some point."-Mika

"Don't forget Vladymir and Maya. Or Iyan and Kallina.

I can see Lud actually take to his friend's family, and decide 'Yup. I'm of house Hestios now henceforth.' bc his legit fam or whoever's left of it are... embarassments. I imagine the Crusades still happened buuut retribution was swift.

And they, like some fools, funded the damn crusades. Like so many other noble families did.( very few held back or didn't join the bandwagon)" -Finch

"Yoo. Sena and The Dusk Lord being around to literally enact divine retribution over that. Like it is the perfect excuse to let Pirin and Malak go full on 'no mercy' mode.

And them reassuring Vic that they don't blame him for his families actions and that he's always welcome to join their family instead."-Mika

"I am Ludovic, son of the Eclipse, house Hestios." -Finch

------

They'd have a heart-attack indeed if she does from freaking out they're dead/boutta get murked by her. And then see love she goes back to total sweetling after this warning.

...Unlike Pirin and Vlaymir. Who keep hurling insults at each other and cussing each other like petty idiots. And their play-fights that are full on wrestling.

Like how Vladymir snuck up on his younger bro and jump-scared him by whistling (shouting equivalent) in his ear. A prank. Only for Pirin to have none of his bs and elbow him hard in the chest. Or whirl around sharply and aim a real nasty suckerpunch at his throat/chest/collarbone.

And just laughing heartily as he blocks the attack + flurry of follow-up strikes, tossing a strike of his own at times. (Which his younger sibling takes like a damn champ - just as he did as a kid- or blocks it and goes off on offense.)

While yelling/ hissing and gritting out a colorful storm of cussing. In Night nymph, in Bulgarian -Some real serious vile and vulgar stuff- in common Esperian, in French-- And that man's cackling/dissing back like it's nothing. (Val & Sin have learned all 3 lingos by that point from being in the family/ hanging out & visiting so often for the banquets & get togethers. So they understand ALL of it, shocked and stunned speechless. These two are brothers! They shouldn't act and talk to each other like this! What kind of playing-??? HUH!??

And then Larra's voice cuts through in a single sharp but low, mildly high-pitched whistle. ("Boys.") And suddenly both "idiots" freeze, instantly shut up and end the wrestling. Tho Vanya throws Vlado a mean annoyed glare/ quick side-eye.

[woodsfae]

B5 s04e04 Falling Towards Apotheosis previous episode - table of contents 

I had to look up what Apotheosis meant, having only been able to draw up the vague idea of one of itstwo definitions: the highest point smething can reach. And the other, glorifying something, or someone, to the point of godhood. 

Hm, god Sheridan or god Valen?? Surely Valen became a sort of demi-god to the Minbari. Probably Sheridan? But it would be cool to see Sinclair one more time. 

Ivanova updates us on the situation via an emergency broadcast to B5. That's clever, I like that as a method of exposition/don't forget where the plot is. 

Wow, Sheridan parting the stampeding masses just by walking through. Also lol at the 90s fear of trampling. Looks like some early stage apotheosis alright. 

the credits: "The year is 2261 [...]" Partner: "If this doesn't actually happen in 2261 I'm going to be so pissed." 

Personally, I would not.

Garibaldi is suspicious of and investigating a god. Lorien is pretty strange and a very random, new element without much explanation. 

And he's having a weird time. As he says, the captain disappeared for even longer, and just says he's back from the dead and everyone's fine with him running things. But Garibaldi comes back and gets closely monitored and not allowed to return to work without multiple medical examinations despite being seemingly fine.

Well. He's wrong because he is compromised, but yeah, they also have no way of knowing that the captain isn't. More of that being venerated by the people, clearly. 

Sheridan better not get a swelled head over it, is all I'm saying. If he doesn't take his ascension with an aw shucks then is he really a wholesome side of corn-fed Iowa beef? 

Morden's still fucked up. And he's dictating defense policy on Centauri, while Cartagia blithely agrees. 

Cartagia has another secret room which I assume witll be as fucked up as his secret torture-murder chamber.  

Aaaand it is. He has a secret council where he sits in a room with the corpses of deceased members of court. Lovely. A very sane sort of thing to do, to keep oneself grounded. 

A very sane plan, Cartagia. I commend you on the whole "become a god by being the person who caused the end of Centauri while dying too" is a normal thing to want and possible to achieve.  Very unfortunately possible to achieve. And lowkey destined. 

Living the trainwreck he willfully set into motion would be satisfying if it wasn't so horrible and tragic and wide-reaching in scope and loss of life. 

Garibaldi is most likely clean of Vorlon technology impanted in him. But sadly he cannot, or does not, test if he has a secret personality implanted in him by psicorps. 

The Vorlons are going fucking murder-serious, wiping out planets, colonies, and ships. 

I suddenly wish I paid more attention to the types of clothes and colors of clothes that Delenn wears. Her red and blue outfit is vivid, and I feel like I recognize it, and she's worn it before. 

Cute Delenn and John. The sweeping romance feels well earned, and solidly set up, and the actors have really good chemistry. 

Ah! They finally mentions not-Kosh. He's still here. Sheridan wants him gone. 

Lyta! And she's here to help carry out Sheridan's plan to kill not-Kosh! Presumably while Garibaldi is off trying to kick him out without knowing about his plan as not to betray it telepathically. 

Another planet down. With all this destruction the Shadows have certainly won ideologically already. 

Y'know, I don't remember Sheridan saying "force him to leave," but Garibaldi apparently heard "fire guns at him a lot till he kicks your asses." Like, I didn't get the sense that was Sheridan's order. Luckily, no-Kosh didn't kill any of them. 

Sheridan shares information about when the Vorlons might arrive at Centauri Prime freely when Londo asks. 

Operation: Kill A God is underway. Lyta lures him out, with the fragment of Kosh that is/was in Sheridan. I don't know if the fragment of Kosh passed on when Sheridan died or not. 

not-Kosh walks into a trap of an electrical field and a couple dozen soldiers firing plasma guns. 

Although they succeed in discorporating the Vorlon, it still isn't down! 

Ah, it seems that the Kosh fragment survived! It, and a bit of Lorien, join the discorporated Vorlon, and reverberate outwards like ripples on water till they joined the Vorlon ship and exploded. Wow, Kosh literally turning on the Vorlons that are massacring in his name. At least we know Kosh didn't approve of it! Not all Vorlons :P

Londo's assassination plan is to lure Cartagia out to Narn, to have a trial for and "execute" G'Kar on his homeworld. 

John Sheridan is going to die young becase he died already, and Lorien could only give him so much biochemical energy, Yeah, younger death, but like the mildest of death sentences. That would be pretty rough as a member of a long-lived species! Counting on sixty years or more with John and already knowing you'll outlive him by a lot would make the loss of that sixty years pretty heartbreaking. 

Awwww they're being cute again. Sheridan and Delenn are engaged. I wonder what the Minbari custom is - or was that the three nights of sleeping that was interupted by puppet!Anna?

Cartagia is having G'Kar's eye "plucked out" fuck man. That's so augh. C'mon. If he must lose an eye have it be in a fight, it's just overwhelmingly negative. No one else is getting this. 

Also a bummer point to have the episode end on! It does build a sort of dread fascination though. What horrible thing is going to happen to G'Kar next episode. 

onwards!

[not-a-space-alien]

Savage Sunset Chapter 23S

Story masterpost

Complementary chapter

Warnings for this chapter: Blood and gore, forced nudity and restraint

In this chapter: Lex and Ari rush to snatch Nick's second victim away from him.

***

They decided Valen should stay home while they went to the hunter's base.  That seemed safest, since it would keep the most distance between Nick and Valen.

The problem was when they arrived at the base, there weren't any cars parked out front.

"Where's Nick's car?" Lex said, immediately panicking.  "Where's Nick? He's here, right?"

Ari cursed and got out of the car.  "We need to get unlucky vampire #2 and get back home now."

They briefly considered racing back home immediately, but if Nick had left the base to go terrorize Valen, the only upside was he'd left his new catch undefended.  Because of course he didn't tell anyone else he was going and have them watch his new catch, because of course he loved doing nasty shit under the table that he needed no witnesses for.

Did he think they weren’t ballsy enough to just snatch the unguarded vampire?  Was he counting on them not being able to pass this one off for dead?

…Was there actually a vampire here, or had it been a ploy to get them out of the house?

They had to at least check.  They needed to do it now.  They wouldn't get an opportunity this good again.

Ari kicked the door in and stomped down the stairs without shutting it behind her.  They half-expected the basement to be empty, the second vampire a total fabrication to get them away from Valen.   But no.  There was a vampire in the basement and–oh God, it was a kid.  Well, not a kid, explicitly not a kid, but only by very recent developments.

He must have just turned 18 by the looks of him.  Baby-faced, but trying very hard not to look it.  His fancy clothes were torn in a heap on the ground.

Of course the second live capture had been the inaugural hunt of a newly adult vampire noble trying to catch their first human.  Here in the basement, they only found the most innocent vampires to torment.

He was chained with his wrists hanging from the ceiling, feet likewise secured to the floor.  Gagged, muzzled.  He was naked with his pants pooled around his ankles, because of course he fucking was.

He'd been staring at the ground crying hot, angry tears, but as the two women appeared on the stairs, his gaze snapped to them and he growled savagely and thrashed.

"Give me a fucking break," Ari snapped.  "We're here to help you, believe it or not."

"Let's get you out of here," Lex said, trying to be comforting despite the time ticking by painfully.

When they approached to get him down, he kept squirming, chains going taut with the force of his struggling.

"We don't have time to piss around here," Ari shouted with such force that the vampire stilled out of fear.  "This is taking less than five minutes one way or the other, so it's up to you if we do that by just blowing your head off, got it?"

Lex reached down and pulled his pants up, restoring some semblance of dignity.  Replacing the shirt would have to wait until later.  He remained still as she undid the shackle on the floor then reached up and disconnected him from the ceiling.  He immediately tried to lash out, but he ended up losing his balance and falling on account of his limbs still being restrained.

“Hey,” Ari growled, and she withdrew her revolver and pushed it against his forehead.  His watery eyes crossed to follow the barrel.  “Last chance, motherfucker.”

He kept growling and baring his teeth as much as he could, but stopped trying to hit them as Ari hooked her arms under his biceps and started dragging him up the stairs.  “I guess it’s a good thing we still have the fucking coffin.  Not that I’m too happy about it.”

***

They hoped Bailey and Jerome had gotten there at a convenient time to stop whatever Nick was trying to do to that sweet boy.

The not-so-sweet boy in the back of the van growled and screeched and thrashed, chains jingling inside the coffin.  He refused to stop posturing about how tough and dangerous he was despite the fact that he became scared and pliant as soon as either of them threatened him.  It was like a dog barking at someone through a door only to then retreat in embarrassment once the door was open.

"Just hang in there," Lex said over his enraged noises.  "You're safe now."

He seemed less concerned about safety and more about wanting to take her head off.  His nostrils flared as they made eye contact.

"Just glad he's not gonna be our problem for long," Ari muttered.

Their stomachs dropped when they finally got home and saw Nick's car parked out front of their house–but thank God, Bailey and Jerome's was right behind it 

"Fuck," Ari said.  "Fuck fuck fuck."  She screeched to a stop, slammed the door open, and sprinted up and into the front door, which was standing open.  Lex gave one last glance at the captive vampire behind her before deciding he wasn't going anywhere and joining her.

Valen could be heard crying loudly even before they'd gotten inside the house.  Ari came into the living room and stopped dead.  Lex bumped into her back, came around her, and saw what had caused the reaction.

Nick was on the floor–or rather, all over the floor.  He was dead as dirt, covered in blood and gore, a huge, ragged bite out of his neck.

“We’re in here.”  It was Bailey’s voice from the dining room.

Lex was eager to get away from the corpse.  She dashed into the dining room.  Valen was there, between Jerome and Bailey.  He was clean, no blood all over him–not what she’d expected.  She didn’t have time to question it, rushing to get Valen in her arms.  Safe in her arms.  “Valen.  Valen, oh my God, oh my God, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Ari came in next, putting her arms around both of them.  “Holy shit,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Valen sobbed.  “I’m sorry I killed him.  I know I shouldn’t have.”

How to even begin making him understand how much they didn’t fucking care about that?  “It’s okay,” Lex said.  “You had to.  You had to defend yourself.”

Valen let out a cry like she’d just told him the exact opposite, that he was horrible for killing him.  He leaned into her, crying inconsolably. 

You’re safe now.  You’re safe, sweet boy.  She looked over his shoulder at Jerome and Bailey and mouthed Thank you.

The two men came over and hovered over them, almost but not quite making a five-person group hug around the vampire. 

“I’m sorry,” Valen said again, voice hoarse from crying.  “I’m sorry I killed him.”

“It was self-defense,” Bailey said.  “I’ll say it however many times you need to hear it.”

Please, please, please understand.  It’s not your fault.

“It wasn’t,” he whispered with terror.  “It wasn’t self defense.  I had him under persuasion.  He couldn’t hurt me.  I killed him anyway.”

Lex drew back slightly so she could look him in the face.  He scrunched his face up, as though expecting retaliation at any moment.  “I’m a monster.  You need to execute me.  I’m a murderer."

None of them could bring themselves to think of killing Nick as murder, not from Valen and especially not when Nick had actively broken into the house to come after him.  Nick had, as they would say, fucked around and found out.

Ari squeezed his shoulders.  “You are not a monster or a murderer,” she said firmly.

“It was self defense,” Lex reiterated.

“He broke into the house to come after you,” Ari continued.  “That’s self defense.”

Valen looked at her incredulously through tearful eyes.  “But–But I killed someone who was defenseless and I–I–I–it made me feel good.”

“It made you feel good because he’s a monster that tortured and abused you, and you were putting an end to it.  You have the right to do that.”

“But…but I liked it,” Valen said, swallowing.  “I liked killing him.  I’m a monster.”

“You are not going to do that to just any random helpless person,” Lex said.  “You’re just not.  Nick doesn’t count.  There are circumstances.”  The idea of Valen being a malicious murderer just because he could and liked killing was too ridiculous to entertain.

Ari spun him around, squeezing his shoulders.  “Look at me,” she said, very serious.  “You are not a monster.  I don’t fucking care.  I don’t care about the details about what happened here.  I don’t care if that spineless rat was on his knees saying sorry and begging for mercy.  He broke into the house to come after you.  That’s self defense.”

Valen put his face in his hands, still crying.  Bailey and Jerome came closer, encircling him.  “Okay,” he whispered.  “Thank you.  What do we do now?”

Ari sighed, palming her face.  “Okay.  So.  What we do now is figure out what the fuck to do with his body.  And with the pissed off teenager we have locked in the van.”

***

Tag list <3

@aceouttatime

@annablogsposts

@cc1010foxy

@darlingwhump

@dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night

@dokidokisadness

@emcscared-whumps

@melancholy-in-the-morning

@nicolepascaline

@oddsconvert

@pigeonwhumps

@pumpkin-spice-whump

@some-thrilling-heroics

@soursagas

@thecyrulik

@the-scrapegoat

@whuarri

@whump-cravings

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump

@whumpycries

@whumpsday

@writereleaserepeat

[savior-of-humanity]

OKAY here are my Thoughts(tm) about The Ancient Gods part II

ALSO: MASSIVE FUCKING SPOILER WARNING FOR THE ANCIENT GODS PART 1 + 2. BE WARNED THIS IS LONG AS FUCK. TL;DR AT BOTTOM.

In terms of the gameplay: I really liked how it played! The combat encounters weren’t downright vicious like in the first DLC, but they still go out of their way to mix things up (i.e a hallway filled with explosive barrels + blood punch pick-ups + Pinkies, or the double-Marauder encounter that you could ACCIDENTALLY FUCKING BUFF JESUS CHRIST) so it was still fun all around.

The new enemies added - the Cyber-Baron/Armored Baron, Riot Zombie/Chaingunner, Screecher Zombie, Stone Imp, and Cursed Prowler - are...okay. I like the idea of new enemy variants based off pre-existing ones but they felt either really fucking frustrating to fight (particularly the Cursed Prowler and Chaingunner) or were very “simple”, I guess. The Stone Imps, in particular, are a variant of Imp that are very resistant to damage unless you use the full-auto mod for the shotgun, in which they drop even more shotgun ammo if they’re killed by that. Other than that they do a Sonic-style spin-dash and slam into you, which can actually knock you off a ledge. Screecher Zombies are basically just mobile hazards that if you accidentally hit, will act like temporary Buff Totems. Cursed Prowler is fucking awful: basically, if it hits you with a projectile, you’ll be cursed with a debuff that keeps you from double-jumping and dashing that also drains your health over time, and you HAVE to kill it with a blood punch in order to remove the curse. Chaingunners are basically just the Shield Zombie Soldiers, but they shoot faster and have an indestructable shield. And finally, the Cyber-Baron: It’s basically a Baron of Hell, but with indestructable armor that can only be destroyed by shooting it’s mace when it flashes green, or by shooting it with plasma. After the armor is gone you have to kill it as fast as you can before the armor is regenerated, repeat until it dies.

Summoner Ghosts and Blood Maykrs also make a return, which is cool.

The Hammer is cool to say the least. I was hoping to see some glory kills with it but considering that it’s primary use is to either clear out groups of small enemies or to stun larger ones like Barons, it makes sense that they’d omit glory kills from it. On top of that, Marauders now have a mechanic (for the entire game, not just the DLC) where when you shoot them as they flash green, they’ll become stunned (though the sound effects are rather corny and cartoonish, even for the game). Using the Hammer on a stunned Marauder will GREATLY extend that stun, which allows you to just fucking shit on them.

I also really liked the grapple-Hookshot points that you had to use to progress in a level. I’m still not really used to how you’re supposed to move in the opposite direction of the point to swing yourself, but the idea is intuitive, fun, and makes me wish it was in the base game and the previous DLC.

My biggest grievances with this DLC, however, is how it handled some of it’s characters, the story, and the new lore that was implemented in the codexes.

So first off: I want to say that while I still appreciate the DLC, that’s honestly only with the gameplay. The story, much less the lore, is fucking stupid to say the least.

To TL;DR the story: It is, quite honestly, bare-bones as fuck. We continue from where we directly left off from the Ancient Gods Part 1: Davoth/The Dark Lord is being summoned into existence and into his physical form, which for some reason looks exactly like Doomguy except with sick tats, glowing red eyes, and a weird implant in his chest. Doomguy, naturally, tries to spawncamp him and shoots him with his super-shotgun, but nothing happens as “no blood can be spilled in this holy place”. Davoth leaves, telling Doomguy that he’ll be waiting for him in the city of Immora, the capitol city at the very center of Hell.

Doomguy goes to Argent D’Nur. He murder-death-kills shit, as per usual. He goes into this big castle where a hologram of Valen is waiting for him. He tells him that he atones for his sins and gives him the Hammer since Doomguy lifted the curse from his son’s soul. He goes to the Torch of Kings and lights it, marking his journey to the giant crystalline spear that impales Argent D’Nur known as the World Spear. Cue cutscene of a bunch of different Argenta people/Night Sentinel seeing the light of the Torch of Kings from all over Argent D’Nur. Internguy tells him that it’s a day’s walk still from the World Spear, and conveniently a very fucking awesome looking Argenta dragon shows up and gives him a ride to the World Spear.

Doomguy gets to a lake that separates him from the World Spear. The Father says “He is worthy” and then a bridge rises out of the water. Doomguy crosses past some big ass Sentinel ghosts/guardians and into the World Spear. Turns out the inside of the World Spear is like some giant, fucked up ship made out of crystal, with weird figures lining the wall and all that: Internguy even says “This isn’t a crystal at all, this is a ship!” This does not get expanded upon whatsoever in neither dialogue or codexes. Doomguy grabs Convenient Power Crystal and leaves.

Doomguy arrives on Earth through a portal, which is looking substantially better than since its invasion. Internguy tells him that a Convenient Ancient Portal close by is the only way to Immora. Doomguy kills shit, arrives at portal, activates it with Convenient Power Crystal, and leaves.

Doomguy arrives in front of a giant wall surrounding Immora. Davoth walks out, wearing a big ass power suit that looks like something straight out of Warhammer 40k. He’s surrounded by guards in cool red armor with cool spears that look very humanoid. He says some shit and a bunch of Hell-ships and demons and titans start showing up. But then surprise! A bunch of portals open up on Doomguy’s side like it’s fucking Infinity War/Endgame all over again and a fuckload of Sentinels start coming out, with mechs and dragons and spaceships. Valen is there. Doomguy and Valen stare at each other for like 5 seconds before Valen says “Let Hell tremble before our might!” or some shit like that. Doomguy fights, gets past the wall, fights some more inside the city. Again, the usual.

I also want to briefly point out that Immora is basically just a Maykr city but red, and that it’s apparently “Hell’s own technology.” Also, the red dudes in armor are actual enemies but the guns they have (the hell-razor from 2016) do piss-poor damage and they die if you so much as breathe on them.

Doomguy finally catches up to Davoth. Davoth monologues about how he’s going to get his revenge and that it’s inevitable, bla bla bla. Fight begins. It’s basically Marauder 2.0 but if he hits you and/or you shoot him at the wrong time he heals a fuckload of health. And also 5 different health bars. After you knock down 2 or 3 of his bars he stops the fight to monologue for some fucking reason? And then shits out a plot twist that surprise, he’s actually the real God, and that the Father betrayed/usurped his power, and that he will “unmake everything by his hand.” Fight resumes. Doomguy eventually beats him. Davoth asks him if he has anything to say before he strikes down his creator. Doomguy takes off his helmet, stabs Davoth in the heart, and says no in his stupid sexy voice. Davoth dies, his life-sphere emerges and then explodes. Doomguy suddenly becomes weak and falls over. The Father says “He created everything in his image, even you.” Doomguy passes out and wakes up to see 3 Seraphim seal him in a sarcophagus like the one from 2016. Fade to black, with the quote “May the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.” End game, roll credits.

If you hadn’t read any of the codexes while playing the DLC, the story probably makes little to no sense to you whatsoever. But honestly the codexes don’t expand upon things much and, if anything, just fucking make some aspects of the story even more stupid.

The World Spear is implied in the codex that it contains live Wraiths (“A live Wraith has not been seen in centuries, but rumors persist that some yet remain inside the World Spear itself.”), and while the figures in the World Spear could be Wraiths, absolutely nothing is said about them out of three Codexes related to the level, which honestly just makes me wonder the point of adding this stuff if you don’t even give a single sentence of why the interior of the World Spear is Like That.

The codex entries related to Earth are basically uninteresting as they’re pretty much just “humanity is rebuilding and views doomguy as a hero”. There is one about the Convenient Ancient Portal (Gate of Divum) but all it really says is that it was built and used by the Father to access Immora. Nothing about why it’s on Earth, or anything interesting like that.

However, the real bullshit comes in when we start to look at the codex entries related to Immora and Davoth.

So, Immora is the central - and oldest - city in Hell. It’s described as such: “Once a paradise at the dawn of creation, Immora now survives as a stronghold where the Dark Lord resides. Sustained now by the essence of Hell's victims, the people of Immora experience life eternal. Regular infusions of Hell energy have prevented them from transforming into the demons found outside the boundaries of the city. Ancient technology defends Immora from invaders, the high walls impenetrable to those who would bring harm to the last people of the first world.“

Yeah. So not only did Hell have high-tech technology all this time, but also the red guys in armor? Those are Immorans. Which is weird to me, because if Hell had this super advanced technology that’s also ancient, and thus around for a long time, why the hell are we only seeing it now?

Also, surprise! Turns out the Book of Seraphs is a complete fucking lie according to the very first codex entry related to Davoth! (”Our research shows that Maykr history and lore holds truths that are not consistent with passages found in the Hell Priest texts, revealing the true origins of Hell and all surrounding dimensions. This revelation would explain why Hell is the single dimension that connects to all others, and why it is the oldest in existence - the first world.”)

The real truth is that Davoth is the real Creator/God, and that Jekkad was the very first realm, not Urdak. He still sought immortality for his people, so he created the Maykrs to figure it out for him. They did, but decided it would be too dangerous to give Davoth that information, so they basically said “fuck you” and sealed Jekkad/Davoth while re-writing their own records to hide the truth. Obviously, this pissed off Davoth. So much so that he basically became super angry and emo and became the Dark Lord from all the vengeance and hatred (which also turned Jekkad into Hell.)

Another surprise! Turns out that Davoth had a hand in the creation of the fucking Doom Slayer! Because he wanted to get revenge against the Maykrs, he started to manipulate a bunch of people while he was trapped as a life sphere I guess. He started with the Khan Maykr, convincing her that there was a “chosen one” who would threaten her rule and thus making her paranoid as fuck. He then guided her into creating the Divinity Machine using a fragment of himself that had been sealed in Urdak. Then he manipulated Samur, by convincing him that “the Khan Maykr will lead us all to ruin.” He was then controlled and compelled to release a stranger from his prison (Doomguy) and empower him using the Divinity Machine.

As you can probably guess, he got his revenge since Doomguy would go on to utterly fuck Urdak/the Khan Maykr (as well as Samur), and ever since he knew that his “Beast” would come for him.

Listen. I don’t really mind the idea of Doomguy being used or even manipulated by different godly powers. Or even Davoth being the real God or whatever. But this new lore and story just feels... really sloppy and poorly executed, especially since it directly conflicts with the fucking base game. If he manipulated the Khan Maykr and wanted revenge against her, then why did he scream “NOOOOOO!” when Doomguy killed her?

And, if anything: Why the fuck does Davoth even look like Doomguy in the first place? Is it some form of mockery? Or did id just decide to fucking retcon the Doom Slayer being the same person as the Doomguy from Doom 1/2 with the Father’s line of “He created everything in his image -- even you.”

And, on top of that, the DLC just left more open questions than answers: what the fuck happened to Samur, since he isn’t even so much as mentioned beyond the codexes? Who is the Wretch, the being who had supposedly forged Doomguy’s armor back in 2016? What is the fate of Earth/Hell/Urdak/Argent D’Nur after the Slayer’s victory? What the fuck happened to the Demonic Crucible, the one from 2016? What about the ARC Carrier and the Fortress of Doom?

Finally, Valen, Internguy and the Father should’ve been far more involved in the story beyond just being either convenient voices telling you convenient stuff or (in the case of Valen) being a convenient guy to give you convenient weapon that also conveniently shows up with a giant army that doesn’t actually do anything but look cool in the skybox.

TL;DR The new lore and story of the DLC is basically garbage, and since I highly doubt id will change it I’m going to completely disregard it, write my own, and also take up Davoth as a muse because it seriously pissed me off that much.

[houseisekai]

House Isekai: Valentine’s Day Special

House Isekai Masterlist

----

[Mezame no Waltz - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

Yuki hummed happily as she stepped through the dorms of Garreg Mach Monastery, boxes of chocolates in her arms.

She finally arrived at the entrance to House Isekai’s classroom and opened the door.

Inside, Byleth, Megumi, Towa, Sharon, Doomguy, Sara, Angelica, and Cocytus turned to look at her.

(Megumi) “Yuki-chan?”

(Angelica) “Oh yikes, that’s a lotta boxes!”

Angelica, Sharon, Doomguy, and Towa walked over to Yuki and helped take some of the boxes.

Each one of them had a box yet Yuki still had a tower in her arms as she sat them down on the table.

(Yuki) “Whew, thank you! That was getting heavy!”

(Sara) “Are these chocolates?”

(Yuki) “Yup! I made these with Mercedes, Ashe, and Dedue! We made it for everyone in House Isekai!”

Yuki excitedly grabbed the boxes and handed them individually to the staff members.

(Byleth) “We appreciate it, but what’s the occasion?”

(Yuki) “Well, Fodlan seems to share the same calendar as most of us, and right now it’s February 14th! Which means its Valentine’s day! Normally these are given to the people you love in our world, so that’s why I’m giving it to everyone!”

(Byleth) “Valen...tine’s?”

(Cocytus) “AH, I BELIEVE I HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS HOLIDAY. LORD AINZ HAS MULTIPLE ITEMS WITH THE NAME OF VALENTINES, RANGING FROM ARMOR TO WEAPONS WITH HEARTS ON THEM.”

(Sara) “...So, when you say hearts you mean-”

(Cocytus) “NOT ACTUAL HEARTS.”

(Sara) “Ok, figured. Just wanted to make sure, we never know with your group-”

(Towa) “A-Anyways! Yuki, thank you so much!”

(Megumi) “You still have a lot of boxes Yuki-chan, do you need our help?”

(Yuki) “Nope! I know you guys are really busy, so leave it all to me!”

(Sharon) “If that is what you wish. Again, thank you very much, Miss Yuki!”

Yuki saluted the staff and walked off with significantly less boxes in her arms.

Doomguy was the first one to open his box of chocolates.

It seemed fairly standard, heart shaped chocolates, but several appeared to be something similar to dog treats. They had the label “For Daisy.”

And more importantly, he had a note specifically for him.

“For Slayer: Thank you for being so nice, even though you can be really scary!”

Doomguy was seen smiling through his helmet as everyone else opened theirs.

“For Towa: Thank you for working so hard!”

“For Angelica: Thank you for not hitting on us!”

“For Cocytus: Thank you for teaching Kurumi how to fight!”

“For Sara: Thank you for looking out for us and Megunee!”

“For Sharon: Thank you for being House Isekai’s retainer!”

“For Byleth: Thank you for everything you’ve done for us!”

“For Megu-nee: Thank you for being the best teacher ever!”

Everyone looked back at the door smiling. Except Angelica.

(Megumi) “Yuki-chan...”

(Sara) “Hah, bet she’ll lighten someone’s day.”

(Angelica) “...Do I really hit on people that much?”

(Everyone) “Yes.”

Rest of House Isekai under the cut!

Abyss, Denizens of Nazarick’s Room

[Oath of Loyalty to the Supreme Being - OVERLORD OST]

After saying hello to Yuri and the other Ashen Wolves, they directed Yuki to where Ainz’s group was.

Ainz knocked on the door politely and waited.

There was no response for a minute before she heard something behind her.

Turning around, Demiurge was right in front of her, looking down.

(Demiurge) “Ah, Miss Takeya. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

(Yuki) “Valentine’s Day! I’m giving everyone some chocolates, including you Mister Demiurge!”

He took a moment to examine one of the boxes and sure enough, there were labels for each member, including Ainz.

Demiurge nodded and opened the door for her.

(Demiurge) “Right this way.”

As she followed Demiurge, she failed to notice that several members were now eyeing her suspiciously.

(Shalltear) “Oh, it’s her.”

(Aura) “Weird, Yuki’s got a lot of boxes.”

Demiurge stopped in front of Ainz, who was in the center of the room with Albedo, overlooking a war table of some sort.

Ainz looked at Demiurge, then at Yuki.

(Ainz) “I see we have a delivery.”

(Demiurge) “So it would seem, my lord.”

(Yuki) “Yup, I got a box for everyone here!”

This made Ainz curious. Yuki making something for them?

(Ainz) “Everyone, to the center of the room.”

Everyone in the room dropped what they were doing and followed Ainz’s instruction, getting on one knee.

Ainz grabbed a box and opened it up.

“For Ainz: Thank you for being a good friend to everyone, despite our differences!”

(Ainz) “Ah, a Valentine’s box.”

(Yuki) “Oh, you know what it is too, Ainz?”

(Ainz) Lots of Valentine’s events happened when I was playing Yggdrasil. Never cared too much about these since I never had a girlfriend or whatever but...eh. Made for fun collectables throughout the years. Why discard this one? “Yes, I do. Thank you very much.”

(Shalltear and Albedo) “WHAT?!”

[Shut up, lower life form - Overlord OST]

Ainz immediately noticed that they were frothing with rage.

(Ainz) Shit! That’s right, they think this is solely romantic! “AHEM! Do you have a problem with this gift, you two?”

(Albedo) “Of course, Lord Ainz! How could the man I love accept a gift so precious and romantic from...FROM HER OF ALL PEOPLE?!”

(Shalltear) “IT’S UNACCEPTABLE!”

(Ainz) You got to be fucking kidding me-

(Yuki) “Romantic? But these are friendship chocolates! I made everyone here friendship chocolates, including you two!”

(Ainz) Oh thank god.

Yuki grabbed their boxes and happily walked over to them.

Albedo and Shalltear looked at each other with an eyebrow raised, then opened the box.

Sure enough:

“For Shalltear: Thank you for protecting us when we’re in the Monastery!”

“For Albedo: Thank you for protecting us when we’re in battles!”

(Albedo & Shalltear) “...Oh.”

Demiurge, Aura, Mare, Sebas, Pandora’s Actor and the Pleiades got their chocolates as well.

“For Demiurge: Thank you for giving us the knowledge of Fodlan!”

“For Aura & Mare: Thank you for being someone the younger students of House Isekai can talk to!”

“For Sebas: Thank you for helping Sharon and the other staff out!”

“For Pandora’s Actor: Thank you for always making us laugh with your fantastic performances!”

“For the Pleiades: Thank you for keeping us safe!”

(Yuki) “Anyways, that’s all I wanted to do! Thank you for your time!”

Yuki bowed and quickly left the room.

Ainz slowly turned to Albedo and Shalltear, who started sweating.

(Ainz) “Of all the people to be skeptical of, you really chose Yuki...?”

S.E.E.S, Dormitory

[Iwatodai Dorm - Persona 3 OST]

(Minako) “Oh, hey Yuki-senpai!”

(Yuki) “Hello! Happy Valentine’s!”

Everyone turned to the door and saw Yuki unloading chocolates.

(Junpei) “Oh, sweet! Chocolates!”

(Yukari) “Jeez, the year flew by so fast!”

As Yuki handed the chocolates out, some of S.E.E.S spoke amongst themselves.

(Akihiko) “Can’t believe she’s the same age as us.”

(Mitsuru) “It is a bit weird, isn’t it?”

(Shinjiro) “Who cares how old she is? She’s more considerate than some people I know here.”

(Akihiko) “Hmph.”

(Koromaru) Bark!

(Aigis) “Yuki-chan, Koromaru wishes to have some chocolates.”

(Yuki) “Oh, sorry! I don’t think you can eat any of these, but don’t worry! We did make a tasty treat for you!”

Koromaru wagged his tail excitedly.

(Ken) “Thanks, Yuki-senpai!”

(Junpei) “I think this is the first time I’ve gotten chocolates from a girl-”

(Yukari) “Jeez, Stupei! Is that ALL you can think of right now?! This is obviously friendship chocolate!”

(Junpei) “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? I was just makin’ an observation!”

(Fuuka) “A-Anyways, thank you so much!”

(Yuki) “Sure thing!”

(Minato) “...You could at least say thank you before stuffing your face, Minako.”

(Minako) “Huerh?Owhrite!Thamfkyu!”

Minato rolled his eyes and finally noticed the note written to him.

“For Minato: Thank you for being so nice!”

“For Minako: Thank you for helping Yuuri out with her problems!”

“For Fuuka: Thank you for helping me with tech problems!”

“For Junpei: Thank you for helping Kurumi how to fight better!”

“For Yukari: Thank you for teaching Miki how to use a bow!”

“For Mitsuru: Thank you for being smart to help us out in battle!”

“For Akihiko: Thank you for helping Kurumi train!”

“For Shinjiro: Thank you for teaching me how to cook!”

“For Aigis: Thank you for protecting us in battle!”

“For Koromaru: Thank you for playing with me!”

“For Ken: Thank you for your help with studying!”

(Yuki) “Okay, that’s it for this group, I have to go now!”

S.E.E.S waved her off as she left the dormroom.

(Minako) “Hah, being nice? That’s a first-”

(Minato) “Piss off.”

Investigation Team, Dormitory

[Signs of Love - Persona 4 OST]

(Teddie) “Hey, it’s Yuki-chan!”

(Yu) “Hey, what’s with the boxes?”

(Yuki) “Valentine’s!”

(Chie) “Jeez, that’s a lotta boxes! Here, lemme help you with that!”

(Rise) “Oh, that’s so nice of you, Yuki-senpai! Thanks so much!”

(Teddie) “Is...Is this a confession?! I don’t know what to say!”

(Yosuke) “It’s not a confession, idiot! It’s friendship chocolate!”

(Teddie) “Yikes! It was just a joke! Why do you sound so angry? What, do you have firsthand experience on getting nothing but friendship chocolate?”

(Yukiko) SNRK!

(Naoto) “Thank you for your gift, Yuki-senpai.”

(Kanji) “Cool, love chocolate! Thanks man!”

“For Yu: Thanks for always taking the time to help out Yuuri!”

“For Yosuke: Thanks for being like a big brother!”

“For Chie: Thank you for being like a big sister!”

“For Yukiko: Thank you for the gag glasses and making us laugh!”

“For Teddie: Thanks for always making me smile!”

“For Naoto: Thank you for spending time with Miki!”

“For Rise: Thanks for helping us with the Ball concert!”

“For Kanji: Thanks for teaching me how to knit cute animals!”

(Yuki) “Alright, I have a few more stops to make, catch you later!”

Everyone said goodbye as she walked out the room.

(Yosuke) “...Wait a second, when did you give Yuki gag glasses?!”

(Yukiko) “That would ruin the surprise!”

(Chie) “Ugh, great. I thought we got rid of all those by now...”

Phantom Thieves, Dormitory

[No More What Ifs (Instrumental) - Persona 5 Royal]

(Yuki) “Hello, Valentine’s delivery!”

(Akira) “Oh, it’s already Valentine’s?”

(Ann) “I didn’t even know Fodlan had one!”

(Makoto) “They most likely don’t, but they do share our calendar year. I suppose it makes sense for those from our world to celebrate it.”

(Ryuji) “Eff yeah, hand that stuff over!”

(Haru) “Oh, how thoughtful!”

(Yusuke) “Hm, it has been a while since I’ve had any food...”

(Futaba) “Dude, you get FREE food for being a student, how the heck have you not eaten?!”

(Morgana) “Hmph...Wish I could cook chocolate, then I could give mine to lady A-”

(Kasumi) “Thank you, Yuki-senpai!”

(Akechi) “...You know how I am and you’re still giving me chocolate? Ugh, fine whatever, hand it over.”

“For Akira: Thank you for being so fearless in fighting!”

“For Ann: Thank you for all the sweets you’ve shared with me!”

“For Ryuji: Thank you for teaching us how to run and fight better!”

“For Yusuke: Thank you for your wonderful paintings of our class!”

“For Morgana: Thank you for driving us all around Fodlan!”

“For Futaba: Thank you for playing video games with me and Kazuma!”

“For Makoto: Thank you for teaching me how to be a better student!”

“For Haru: Thank you for teaching us how to garden!”

“For Kasumi: Thank you for teaching us how to protect ourselves and jump out the way of danger!”

“For Akechi: Even though you don’t like a lot of us, me included probably, thank you for all that you’ve done for us!”

(Yuki) “Okay, 3 more groups to go, see you all around!”

(Akira) “How sweet of her.”

Akechi stared at his box, then shrugging, making no comment as he ate his chocolate.

Class VII, Dormitory

[Afterschool Hours - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel OST]

(Emma) “Oh, hello Yuki!”

(Yuki) “Hello, I have Valentine’s chocolate for everyone!”

(Millium) “OOOH, CHOCOLATE! GIMME GIMME!”

(Fie) “Thanks.”

(Elliot) “Oh, thank you, Yuki!”

(Laura) “I believe this is the first time I’ve gotten something like this.”

(Machias) “It is very much appreciated.”

(Jusis) “You have my thanks.”

(Alisa) “Aww, thank you!”

(Gaius) “These don’t look half bad, thanks.”

(Crow) “Hell yeah, hand that good stuff over!”

(Emma) “Thank you!”

(Rean) “If you needed some help passing these out, we would’ve been glad to, you know!”

“For Rean: Thank you for everything that you do for House Isekai, don’t wear yourself out too much!”

“For Alisa: Thank you for teaching me how to use the bow!”

“For Elliot: Thank you for teaching us how to play music for the concert during the ball!”

“For Laura: Thank you for giving Kurumi combat lessons!”

“For Machias: Thank you for teaching Miki how to play chess!”

“For Fie: Thank you for teaching me how to nap anywhere!”

“For Gaius:  Thank you for teaching me how to paint!”

“For Emma: Thank you for teaching me how to be a better student!”

“For Jusis: Thank you for helping us out with the more physical chores!”

“For Millium: Thank you for always making us smile!”

“For Crow: Thank you for teaching me how to gamble!”

(Yuki) “Okay, two more to go! See you later!”

(Rean) “Crow...”

(Crow) “’Sup, Rean-bean?”

(Rean) “When did you teach Yuki-”

(Crow) “GOT TO GO.”

Konosuba Gang, Mess Hall

[You should have many companions - Konosuba OST]

Kazuma sat alone on the docks as he was fishing, Megumin, Darkness, and Aqua not too far behind, speaking to each other.

(Aqua) “Oh, hey Yuki!”

(Kazuma) “Yo.”

(Yuki) “I got chocolate for you four!”

(Megumin) “Oh, sweet!”

(Darkness) “Ah, thank you dear.”

(Kazuma) “Put it over here, yeah?”

Yuki nodded and gave everyone their chocolate.

“For Aqua: Thank you for your water tricks!”

“For Darkness: Thank you for always protecting us!”

“For Megumin: Thank you for casting the coolest explosions ever!”

“For Kazuma: Thank you for always being so nice to me. And to everyone when they really need it. I know you don’t get along with Kurumi well, but it means a lot that you try to.”

(Yuki) “Okay, I got 3 left! See you later guys!”

Kazuma didn’t say anything as he smiled, looking at the box.

He shook his head and continued fishing, putting a chocolate in his mouth.

(Kazuma) “...Being so nice, huh?”

School-Living Club, Dormitory

[Yasashisa ni Fureta Toki - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

(Yuuri) “Welcome back, Yuki-chan.”

(Kurumi) “Busy day, I take it?”

(Miki) “Are those boxes?”

(Yuki) “Yup, handed them out to everyone in House Isekai! I saved the best group for last!”

Yuki gave the final three boxes to them and smiled.

(Yuki) “Happy Valentine’s!”

“For Yuuri: Thank you for getting us through the hard times we had in our world, and for never failing to look out for us, even when it hurts yourself to..”

“For Kurumi: Thank you for protecting the three of us, from last world and even now.”

“For Miki: Thank you for becoming my friend, and for joining the School-Living Club.”

Yuuri put the chocolate down and smiled. She gave Yuki a hug, which Kurumi joined in.

(Kurumi) “Come on, not gonna join in?”

(Miki) “I-I think I’m good, thank you!”

(Kurumi) “GET OVER HERE-”

(Miki) “WAH!?-”

Kurumi reached over and had Miki join in the group hug.

Miki was flustered for a moment before just sighing and embracing her fate.

Yuki had a tear running down her eye as she hugged them back.

(Yuki) “W-Why...am I crying? We’re all together...So...Why...?”

(Everyone) “...”

Yuuri, Kurumi, and Miki hugged each other tighter as sniffles from Yuki were beginning to grow louder.

Megumi looked through the door and wanted to say something, but heard a voice behind her.

(Sara) “...You haven’t told Yuki what happened to you, yet?”

(Megumi) “...No. I’ve been trying to find the right time.”

She smiled at seeing her students safe. Even though she didn’t know Miki all too well, she was glad they had found another survivor.

That means there were still people alive other than them. There had to be.

(Sara) “Well, I won’t tell you when to speak to them but, if you don’t act, then you may lose that chance forever. Not many people get a second chance like you.”

Megumi stared at her arm where the infected’s bite used to be. It was thanks to Aqua that she didn’t turn.

(Megumi) “...Right.”

Sara smiled and hit Megumi’s shoulder.

(Sara) “Come on, let’s grab a drink together. We can complain about our single lives together this Valentine’s.”

(Megumi) “Huh? But that’s never been an issue for me-”

(Sara) “Tonight it will!”

Megumi sighed but smiled, it was going to be a lively night.

Yuki opened the door and saw Megumi walk off with Sara. She wanted to say something to her but instead just smiled.

(Yuki) “I can speak with Megunee later...”

Nodding, she walked through the dorms, humming to herself. Her Valentine’s day plan was a success.

Give something to the friends she loved.

[Harmonize Clover - Gakkou Gurashi OST]

The chit-chat on the way home It's girl's secret, right Even if the 5 o'clock chime rings We talk enough yet, I wonder why?

The small four-leaf clover Fu... swaying in the breeze Hey, of course, yes, of course Hope that tomorrow will be sunny

The road I walked with everyone "The usual place" is the watchword Ah... the sheep cloud that looks like going to be burnt Dazzling Some day, days like these Even if the memories fade Hey... A lot of smile I feel like to give it now

====

Guess this kinda gives away how I feel on Valentine’s, huh? 

To me, Valentine’s is a day where you give appreciation to the people you love. Friends, family, whoever means a lot to you.

So, this is kinda my lame way of saying I appreciate everyone who follows this blog.

If it weren’t for you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to make a blog of this caliber, write something that means so much to me, or even just have fun stupid ideas with ya’ll.

I’ve been writing on tumblr for a long while, but I think this is the first valentine’s where I’ve written something from the heart.

Being able to appreciate House Isekai, something I hold dear to me, with ya’ll.

I hope you all can appreciate this too, with many more posts to come, especially Shadowbringers!

Thanks for your support, love ya guys.

- Chris

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 68-71

Chapter 68

Andi remembers how Kalee gave her a tour of her home and bragged about how she’d be ruling the place someday. Andi asks why her and not her brother.

Oh, Androma. Kalee had laughed then, tossing her head back in that glorious, carefree way that made everyone around her want to come closer. You and I both know that a woman can rule better than any man ever could. And I’ll look twice as good doing it, too.

Shinsay, voices muffled as their heads are stuck up each other’s asses: This is definitely, 100%, one whole, bona fide, authentic, organic, home-grown feminism that we just put in our book.

Also ... take a look at that weak-ass description that’s supposed to show us how good and cool Kalee is. When she laughs (in a way that tbh have you ever laughed? be real with me now), people want to ... come closer? 

Wow! That’s like saying ... when I scratch my face, people want to call their mom. When I brush my hair, people may spontaneously feel the need to take a slightly deeper breath.

Talk about low standards. Hey fellas, you ever see someone laugh and just kinda sorta want to approach them but not really? Yeah, that’s the stuff.

Andi thinks about how Kalee would’ve been a better ruler than her dad, who doesn’t even bother coming down to meet his tortured son because that’s how incompetent and evil and heartless he is. I mean, Andi doesn’t know that Valen is the result of rape, but still. Idk if I’m on board with how the book demonizes the hell out of the General but tried to make whatsherface sympathetic. And by “I don’t know if I am” I mean “I’m definitely not what the fuck is wrong with these people.”

Dex tries to make some conversation and Andi says that nobody befriended Kalee, that only super duper special people were CHOSEN by her to become her friends.

I’m ... not sure how this is supposed to be better. In fact, I’d say it’s worse?

“Kalee chose the people she wished to let into her life. I was honored that she allowed me to be assigned to her.”

“Honored?” Dex asked, raising a bruised brow. “Or damned?”

“I’ll let you know after we talk to the general,” Andi said.

I’m gonna fiking piss. “I’ll tell you whether this important life event was honor or damnation, but like, later, after we have this appointment, ok?” Why is this so funny. Have I fully lost my marbles?

Andi foreshadows some escape tunnels that are hidden all around the estate so Dex has a logical way to save them at the end of the book. I’m sure there is a more elegant way of setting that up, but I can’t be bothered to find one, so let’s call it acceptable and move on.

They arrive at their destination and Andi notices that Alfie seems bummed out. She muses that he’s “capable of far more complex thinking than she’d originally guessed,” which, DOY, but ok, and then thinks about how he’s saved her crew and remembered Gilly’s Marketable Space Pet, which implies he has some “understanding of feelings and attachments.”

That hamster wheel do be spinnin’.

The “head Spectre” comes out to meet them and ...

It took everything in her to speak as the truth struck her.

“Dad?”

DUN DUN DUUUN, it’s Andi’s dad! Also, “the truth struck her?” What truth? That it’s your dad? Was that in doubt? Did you really need a moment to connect the dots, to realize this is your dad? Was there a moment where you saw this man, who is your dad, and thought that this wasn’t your dad, only for the truth to strike and OH SHIT THAT’S MY DAD!! WOW HOLD YOUR HORSES EVERYONE I NEED TIME TO PROCESS THAT THIS IS INDEED MY DAD.

Tbh if you strapped knives to a roomba it’d have more charisma and presence as the protagonist than Andi. And let’s be real, more intelligence.

Yet another chapter ends on a pointless cliffhanger only for the scene to continue exactly where it left off!

You’re just full of surprises, Shinsay.

Chapter 69 (nice)

Andi recaps everything that she’s gone through after the Kalee crash up to the fight with the big alien dude who got deus ex machina-d by Alfie and how she nearly kissed Dex, which gets written as extra special, just so she can make this point:

But this...her father, as General Cortas’s head Spectre?

This might actually kill her.

And aside from how generically melodramatic it is, I can’t help but recall this, from chapter 7:

The man in front of her was a victim of her foolishness. Beside her was the man who’d rejected her love.

The two of them, together? It was nearly enough to shatter Andi.

Andi has the same reaction as I do when in a room with multiple men. Except in her case I think it’s supposed to be deep and personal.

Anyway, self-plagiarism aside, Andi thinks about how her dad was always there for her but then one day wasn’t when he didn’t support her on her trial and how conflicted she feels about him, both wanting to demand justice but also wanting comfort. This is actually quite touching and feels very grounded and realistic.

General Cortas rubs it in that Andi’s dad, “Comander Racella”, has been very loyal and hardworking since he was promoted after Andi’s trial. Andi hopes that her father actually hates the general and was forced to work for him as some sort of punishment for what happened with their daughters.

The general says the situation on Adhira has been taken care of, and when Andi asks whether Xen Ptera attacked because of Valen and her crew’s presence on Adhira, the general says that’s classified. For reasons? Idk. Seems pretty obvious to me, or maybe he just doesn’t know?

Dex tries to yap but Cortas flexes his big dick and reminds Dex that he’s a Guardian now, and Dex is too much of a baby to risk his regained status so he shuts up. This is all spelled out for us by Andi’s inner monologue, because we’re idiots.

The general claims the Xen Pteran forces have been wiped out, saying how it’s probably all they had since there’s few able-bodied and willing people to recruit for war after their planet got fucked, and when Andi presses him for why the attack happened now and on Adhira, he says:

“War never really ends, Androma. The desire for revenge is often too strong to forget.”

“War never ends ... But me and my crew totes ended that war just now. They don’t have any more soldiers so this war is over.” Makes sense, sir. 

Cortas says that queen Alara is safe and will be at the Peace Summit, which Andi immediately tells him to cancel because it would be the perfect opportunity for another attack. Cortas replies by saying that Arcardius is impenetrable and that the day the Olen System successfully invades will be the day “stars fall from the sky” which is a very poetic and not at all natural way to say something like this, so it’s there for ... idk dramatic irony? He also reminds her that the Summit is important because it celebrates the peace after the war and the unity between the systems and I’m here like ... for a guy who says war never ends, you sure seem happy to celebrate a war ending and don’t believe one is going on right now. But I guess these characters just exist to spout meaningless yet deep-sounding nonsense at each other.

Dex reminds the general that they’ve done their end of the deal, at which point the general conveniently decides to prolong it out of nowhere and essentially forces Andi and Dex to be Valen’s bodyguards at the Peace Summit by holding Andi’s crew and ship and Dex’s money and status hostage. Thanks for ensuring the main characters are there for the climax, sir! Appreciated!

Dex and Andi leave in a huff.

Chapter 70

We’re in Lira’s POV as she reminisces about her childhood with Lon while he’s recovering from his near-death-experience.

So she sat by [Lon’s] side for endless hours, until the warm clutches of sleep stole her away.

She dreams about flying on an “Adhiran darowak” but then DUN DUN DUUUN Adhira below turns into Xen Ptera and it’s horrible!

“No,” Lira gasped. Her heart began to crack. Fissures spread through it, reaching cold fingers through every valve until Lira felt darkness stealing her away.

So the editor just left that in, huh? Just let Shinsay use the exact same wording in less than 200 words? Must’ve been stolen away by the editing fairy for editing crimes while reading this.

Lira is woken up by Alara, who got here so fucking fast she must be part-Sonic on her father’s side. You’d think a planetary leader would have more to do after a sudden and deadly attack on her home planet, but I guess Adhirans are so chill they’ll just let their leader fuck off to take care of her angsty teenage niece instead.

Lira says that she’ll do anything to make up for bringing Valen to Adhira, to which Alara says that the only thing Lira will do is “follow her heart,” which is sweet of her to say but also really convenient and makes this whole decision easier for her.

I mean, it’s nice that Alara is so supportive, but 1) narratively, it removes the conflict that was introduced only a few chapters ago 2) it makes Alara seem like she’s only there to be the supportive cool aunt and the Good Queen, without any expectations or wants of her own. Like, wasn’t the pressure from Alara something that gave Lira actual conflict? Idk. Seems too easy, is what I’m saying.

Lira didn’t let go of her aunt until the tears dried up. Until they sat down on either side of Lon’s bedside, held his hands and spoke of happier times. The beauty of a family that could come together, broken, and still find a way to become something whole.

You’re one step away from “Ohana means family” over here, Shinsay. Stop spelling shit out. WE. GET. IT. Also, whose narration is this? We’ve mostly stuck to third person limited, so ... is Lira thinking this? Is she thinking this shit while it’s happening? About her own family and situation? What the fuck?

Shinsay couldn’t keep their suspiciously sticky fingers out of their own writing and let it breathe so it comes out looking like God’s mistake.

Anyway, Lon wakes up and Alara tells him what went down on Adhira.

Chapter 71

We’re back with Andi, who just got out of a bath and is bitterly admiring her “private quarters” when she’s interrupted by DUN DUN her dad! He’s been waiting for her!

It’s all very tense. Before they can really start talking, though, we get a flashback. No, really. This whole tense reunion between father and daughter is interrupted by a lengthy flashback brought on by Andi watching her dad and Remembering.

Because Shinsay.

It’s a flashback to Andi in a cell, the day before she was supposed to be executed. Her dad tells her that her mother is "not well” and we find out his name is Oren. As they’re saying their tearful goodbyes, Oren slips Andi a key and tells her “Bay Seven. Tomorrow at dawn.” 

The flashback ends with Andi’s cell standing empty the next morning.

Very cool and all that.

Back in the now, Andi rightfully chews her dad out for being a cowardly little bitch and throwing his teenage daughter under the bus for the sake of status. Something he freely admits to doing. He says he and her mother had to struggle to rebuild their reputation after she ruined it, and that he believes his daughter died with Kalee and that whoever he saved in the cell was already the Bloody Baroness even if she didn’t know it yet. Then he fucks off.

It’s all extremely silly. It would’ve been heartbreaking in any better book, but instead, it just feels like it’s tacked on for the sake of adding even more angst to Androma’s character. In fact, she’s not even upset at this. Instead she just carves some more tallies into her swords, dances some more with the dead, and then sneaks out.

No really, it’s written like a list.

She waited for the tears to come. But they never did.

Instead she sat alone, adding more tallies to her swords. Dancing with the dead inside her head.

Why is this so funny! I think it’s because both the tally-carving and the ghost-dancing is supposed to be these deep and haunted things she does that’s given a fair amount of weight and focus, but then it’s just written out like this like it’s just some generic routine shit she does like brushing her teeth or wiping her ass.

Yup, there she goes, doing her generic angsty shit one after the other. Emotional whiplash glossed over for the sake of moving the plot along. She’s in such a bad mental state that we simply MUST ignore it and move on.

Also, I want to highlight how convenient it is for Shinsay to already have Andi suspect and previously coming to terms with how her parents don’t love her before this confrontation. Like, we see her father save her tearfully, yet Andi has almost no hope that he still loves her. Or, she does, but when it’s squashed, she just ... accepts it? Because hey, she already processed that trauma years before! Makes it easy!

Wouldn’t it make it more impactful if all these years, she’s hoped that she has a home to come back to? That her father’s final act of saving her meant they love her still and want her to come back? And now she finds out that they never even mourned her loss? Wouldn’t that be heart-wrenching? And also add to the idea that Andi wants to return to Arcardia, both because it’s her home planet but also because that’s where her parents are? Instead we’re led to believe Andi wants to return, but when she does, she hates it here, she knows nobody wants her here, and she wants to leave immediately.

I seriously question the inclusion of this subplot and these characters. It adds nothing, changes nothing, and is just there to make Andi more angsty, which she already is, so ... why is this here lmao?

Shinsay really went “let’s squander all our potentially interesting ideas and concepts for the sake of more cheap angst and making our protag a cool emotionless badass who don’t care for no thing.”

[liibertus]

Stream of Consciousness on Lib's Mother and Her Family

Okay so since I made that mom post here's more about them even tho no one asked lmao

Sylva Vivus Ostium (nee Ditis) was born to Fidens Tutis Ditis and Adamas Sapphiri Ditis (nee Calx). She was the second of six siblings and older of two daughters.

Translations so I don't gotta keep lookin em up:

Ditis - wealthy

Sylva Vivus - forest / living, lively

Fidens Tutis - confidence / security

Adamas Sapphiri (Calx) - diamond, sapphire (goal, limestone, pebble)

Scio Valen - knowledge / powerful, effective

Thya Alitura - citrus tree / nature, nourishing

Robur Perennis - strength, support / perennial

Decano Saltus - celebration through singing / forest, to jump

Hastile Silex Ditis - spear / sharp, flint

Her older brother, Scio Valen Ditis, was an intellectual sort, taking after his mother in interest in more refined pass times. He grew up to be a book keeper and at times a teacher. He was much more soft handed than Sylva, but no more.soft spoken. He studied and aimed to be a sort of revolutionary through education. He lived into the World of Ruin, but died a few years into the decade of darkness. He married twice, widowed during the rule by Nifflheim and had four children, two by each wife.

Thya was the third eldest and a sort of poster child for the sweet, demure young woman. Sweet and kind, she inevitably found herself surrounded by people who didn't truly have her best interest in mind. Her siblings helped her out of a few tough spots, blessedly with few traumatic experiences, and from there she wisened up. She never forgot or glossed over how fortunate she was and was well aware of how lucky she got off. She was also, to everyone's suprise, the first to leave Galahd, and willingly in her early twenties. Simply to spread her wings and such. She ended up in Lucis, actually living quite a similar career as her sister, though with much better luck in romance. She didn't marry until her 30's and bore two children. She died during her third childbirth due to complications, the child also not surviving. This was even before the events of Kingsglaive.

Robur was rather close to Thya, and was a strong sort of quiet. He had the same stone hardness as Syl but the empathy of Thya. He lived longest of the six, but never married. His life was generally simply compared to his siblings, but he was also the man who gave Tem a second chance. He worked in the same foundry from his teens until the world fell apart around him, slowly rising the ranks. During the world of ruin, he helped forge weapons and other gear for the hunters, but mostly he made and refurbished materials for families to use. He died nearly a decade after the return of the light of natural causes.

Decano or Saltus left home shortly after Thya did, foreseeing the oncoming storm. He bounced around doing off jobs here and there and travelled much. He died young, during the early years of Nifflheim's bid for power, by pissing off a few soldiers. He often switched between his first and middle names and was a generally liked person, if a bit irritating at times. He was a firm believer of only taking shit from the Gods and laughing about the rest. This way of thinking is what ultimately got him killed. He was in his late 20's, unmarried. He never knew it, but he did have a son by a stranger.

Finally, Hastile, or just Has / Haste. After the war made it to his home, he stayed for a time before giving up and attempting to migrate. On his escape, he ended up having to kill a few soldiers to get by. He found he had a mind and knack for it, and fell into the Lucis underground. Assassination wasn't all he did, but it made the most money. He trafficked whatever, without much regard to any sort of moral compass. He found it hard to associate with the reality in front of him and found it harder to have any empathy for it. He never did good to be good, he did it simply because. He didn't ever to bad to be bad, he did it because it paid. "Money talks, bullshit walks," were the words he lived by. He was a hunter early on in the days of the World of Ruin, but eventually fell in love, settled down, and went back to moderate crime. He and his wife were killed in a revenge ploy, their young son escaping to one day backstab someone else.

Sylva had very little contact with her family after moving out, moving to an entirely different area. Because of this, Libertus has little knowledge and even less affection for any of them beyond general loyalty for his homeland.

Fidens and Adamas ("Sapphire," and occasionally "Blue") were arranged to be married for convenience. Their families were friendly enough and the two clicked well enough that there was little issue. While both ended up having side longs for quite awhile they enjoyed a long, happy, and somewhat open and at times polyamorous relationship. Fidens was a rather intellectual type and-- coincidentally is where his son got it from-- spent most of his life serving Galahd's upper classes as an accountant. Sapphire enjoyed the arts. She sung, danced, and played several instruments. She also wrote poetry and even a short fictitious story commentating on the growing political tension. Nifflheim's growth only affected them late in life but they never saw much of it. They both died in an accident at a local theater (of sorts). Simple accident, but a devastating tragedy to their children.

[fracturedxprospice]

😝 EVERY FRICKIN MUSE DARLING BECAUSE I'M GONNA KILL YA WITH CURIOSITY

Mundane Monday Memery || @maledictusluna || 

😝 Share a random fact about your muse!

NO ICONS FOR YOU!!! Because wow this made me realize how many muses I have on here holy shiiiiiit

Nori: Since not many people know this because I kind of got distracted from her storyline but Nori’s original storyline was about the fact that her parents kind of bartered her physical body with a wraith because they were shit parents and so this modern witch doctor type of dude started giving her these meds and the meds are (for lack of better words) disconnecting her soul from her body which results in her fainting and random issues with astral projection. It doesn’t help that a bit of the wraith’s soul already in her and that’s the thing causing her to see ghosts and things she wouldn’t normally see if it wasn’t for them. She’s seriously a normal girl aside from that. Remember that, long time followers?!Milo: Also a memory lane thing, hey! Remember when Milo was actively breaking hearts for money. Yeah. He was like a heartbreaker for hire. Assassin of feelings. You know. Nungal: Was so freaking innocent. She was seriously the sweetest most innocent sweet pea ever. Like she’d run away from strangers and go hide. So shy and so sweet. She cried over accidentally killing a tree. I mean!! Dude. Being stuck as a human really warped her.Aishi: When she was kidnapped, she was playing out in her front yard while her mom was gardening, not even like five feet away when one pf the cult memebers came up and snatched her. Of course, her parents never found her and she’s been presumed dead about five/six years after going missing.Mia: The only reason he’s in Superstition is because his dad was a part of it and after many guilt trips and offers, the deal to pay for his college forced him to be an unwilling participant.Zora: One of the worst things you could do to this girl is try and talk to her about Valen’s dad. That’s a close held secret and it would get a hostile response should anyone push for details and further pushing would have her locking herself away for 12 to 14 hours. She’d probably give whoever the cold shoulder for a good week.Valen: Since he’s mostly a mute, he’s learned to cast spells with hand signs and sigils rather than chanting or anything involving him speaking. He loves sigils more and is typically really proud of them, but he also doesn’t use his magic all too much. Saoirse: The reason Saoirse is so keen on suppressing is because the first time she changed, her sister had been cursed as well, and unlike her, her sister didn’t survive the change and part of it is survivor’s guilt and the other part is that she’s convinced herself that the affliction killed her.Marsh: A huge part of the divorce to his wife is because his “power” works on her which leaves her little room to debate or disagree with him because all it would take would be a touch and a few pleasant words. It wasn’t a life he wanted to live then their daughter got angry and disappeared. He used it as an excuse to get divorced from Madalynne.Inanna: Her anger is apocalyptic. Long ago when she got pissed at her twin brother, fights broke out among (human) people and riots started. Total anarchy cane from it until her brother managed to temper it.Bastian: He wants to destroy magic and rid the world of magic users because he thinks it would be fun. That’s it. Mythics, he’ll kill them if he gets in his way, but otherwise, he’d generally overlook them. He’d also kill a god if he ever got the chance. Throwing that out there.Desa: Before the ritual the cult did, Desa wanted to work in science. She had been very smart for her age, especially when it came to science and she wanted to do big important things with the career but now she doesn’t even remember she had such an aspiration.Silva: She a locket with pictures in it and she’s convinced that it’s someone else’s but in jer heart of hearts she knows that it’s her family. She can’t seem to get rid of it and does het best to hide it from Desa so she doesn’t feel bad about having no momentos. Sometimes, she looks at the pictures in the locket and cries, asking them for help bit those occassions get more and more rare as time passes.Isis: She was in love with the same alpha that kicked her out of the pack for being a hybrid and that rejection caused an aloof and careless attitude to emerge. She wasn’t used to people she saw as family turning their back on her and she didn’t know how to deal with it correctly. Long story short, she has a double broken heart and she copes with carelessness for herself and others.Drake: Between him and Isis, he was the only one that gave consent to the test, though he was never told what they were for. He didn’t have a good job on top of trying to support him, his sister, and his mom. A friend of his recommended this place that would pay him just for doing a physical but they offered more money for “simple” tests.Aoibheann: If she doesn’t feed she’ll take on a more withered appearance like how she looked at the time of death.Lilith: She’s incredibly careless about other people’s lives. If you even look at her the wrong way, you run the risk of losing your life. She’s more tame than her husband Cain ( @hopesunk ) but that doesn’t mean she’s harmless.

[plague-karm]

Hadalpelagic Zone Part 7, Valen accidentally spills the beans to someone and funnies ensue.

The trio were having breakfast together and the air immediately felt off, Valen (someone who normally made the most effort to talk to everyone aside from Bentley) looked really guilty, like he had done the unthinkable, Lena finished her pancakes and turned to her anxious friend.

“Val what’s wrong? You haven’t eaten anything…”

“Yeah you’re normally pretty cheery at this time what’s going on?”

“O-Oh it’s nothing! Nothing at all!”

They heard a noise coming from the basement and Lena went over to see what it was, only to be towered over by Sebastian, she tilted her head as she looked up at him. He normally wasn’t awake at this time so she was a little surprised to see him.

“Hello”

“You look different”

“It’s my work outfit”

She was wearing a black blazer with a matching black pencil skirt, she even had a small white oval badge that said “Lena Draxler, Head Accountant” she looked very proud of herself as she gave a small smile

“Right…”

He slithered behind her when he saw Valen bearing a really anxious smile

“…What’s his problem?”

“M-MY PROBLEM?! I HAVE NO PROBLEM! WHAT ARE PROBLEMS ANYWAY?! THAT’S JUST A MADE UP WORD! NOTHING ELSE!”

His eyes were twitching incessantly

“…You’ve done something”

“NOPE- NO NO I HAVEN’T I SWEAR!”

“Valentino Garcia you’re gonna tell us what the hell is going on because I have work in half an hour and I don’t want to be late, whatever it is we can work through it together”

“You three can work through it”

“No you’re joining us you live here you’re one of us that’s the rules”

Valen took a deep breath

“You know we all made a promise to NOT tell anyone about Seb…?”

“Yeah…?”

His anxious smile grew even more and Bentley caught on to what was happening and his face dropped

“You told someone didn’t you?”

“Yes…?”

Bentley and Lena lost it

“VAL WHAT THE FUCK?!”

“THIS ISN’T JUST A RANDOM SECRET VAL YOU’VE JUST PUT OUR FRIEND IN DANGER!”

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN IF HE GETS FOUND?! HE’S GONNA GET CHOPPED UP! FOR FUCKS SAKE VAL YOU HAD ONE JOB!”

Although Sebastian looked annoyed at their shouting on the surface, he was actually a little terrified, he had only started getting used to the surface again, if he ever had to go back there…he wouldn’t be going down without a fight, so he put on his regular facade

“Well if you’re going to go around telling people, you might as well tell us who it was right?”

He looked beyond pissed, Lena put her hands on her hips as she questioned Valen further.

“I know it’s hard keeping secrets but this isn’t JUST a secret! It’s someone’s life!”

“Who the hell was it Val?!”

“IT WAS ELLIE!!”

Bentley and Lena looked at each other and their frustration quickly boiled down to indifference

“Oh”

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

“Yeah we thought you told someone who was gonna snitch”

“I’m sorry- ARE YOU JUST GOING TO FORGET THAT HE TOLD SOMEONE?!”

“Ellie’s good at keeping secrets though”

“Yeah, when she hates someone she spills to everyone but we’re cool with her so she keeps her mouth shut. She’s more of Lena’s friend than mine and Val’s but she’s good company ain’t she mate?”

Valen was still shaken by the confrontation from earlier so he muttered out a simple.

“Y-Yeah what he said”

Dear god they were going to be the death of him, he had to take a minute just so he could calm down, the way they took EVERYTHING in stride was as amusing as it was irritating, he sometimes wondered how they were still alive.

“I’m leaving for work now”

He hissed loudly until he realised it was Lena

“Oh uh…okay? Why are you telling me?”

“Just wanted to”

“Fine…as long as you don’t go around telling everyone in the office that you live with a monster than I don’t care”

“You’re not a-…”

She sighed

“Okay”

Lena said goodbye to everybody, leaving the guys alone to discuss what just happened

“Okay it’s a relief that it was Ellie but you’ve gotta be careful mate, if the wrong person finds out…”

“I know! She cornered me! You know how she is when she corners people!”

“That’s fair, but still, you know about the shit he’s been through”

“That file doesn’t even cover HALF the “shit” I’ve been through…”

“See?”

“Look I’m sorry okay I-I just get really jumpy whenever it’s brought up and I try to stay calm but-“

“All you can see are the eyes?”

Valen nodded, Bentley wrapped his shoulder around him and dropped any trace of cockiness, he knows how hard it’s been for him since they all came back to the surface, and regardless of some of his…less than thought out decisions, Valen was like a little brother to him, a little brother he could still protect.

“Don’t let them win…I know it’s hard but don’t, living despite it all is the ultimate act of spite…my dad taught me that”

“Yeah I know…you say it all the time”

“The old man had good sayings alright?”

“…”

“…You’re not weak either, I’m pretty sure guppy was acting just like you when he was in there for the first few months”

Sebastian nodded, he still wasn’t at the stage where he could verbalise his vulnerabilities but he was getting there

“The fact you didn’t get killed is a divine miracle”

“See? Even he agrees-“

“Buuuuut if you didn’t have the other two you would’ve been doomed just like everyone before you was~”

“…Right we’re still getting there on the positive reinforcement- but you know what he means”

Bentley hugged him

“We’re gonna get through this mate…I promise…”

Valen hugged back

“Thanks…”

Sebastian watched from a distance as he counted up the money he made from last night, the people in this town were more desperate than he thought, keeping the loot from previous expendables was genius, now he could sell everything he wanted, he even got traded decent things (the guy’s like a magpie with gills, he loves his gold). Bentley took notice of this and tapped Valen so he could see it too.

“Fucking hell…you’ve been busy”

“I hate giving you credit but that cloak idea was genius, no one can tell I’m not human”

“Call me a genius again~”

“Don’t push your luck”

“All of this from one night…?!”

“I only travel to the more desolate places in town to draw less of an audience, the damper the better”

“Woah…”

“Have you seen the posters around?”

He had, the cloak he wore hid a lot but since his silhouette clearly wasn’t normal, he was slowly becoming an urban legend in town, thankfully it never got any further than a few rumours that got thrown around and few posters and news articles here and there (those of which had pictures of extremely low quality). He realised that it could bring more business in for him so he played it up, scaring people was actually a guilty pleasure for him, ESPECIALLY if it was someone who irritated him, it was like a rush he couldn’t get enough of. Does he want the people he cares about to see him in that way? No, not really, he had been deprived of warmth and compassion for so long that losing it a second time could break him, but hey, he was a monster right? Might as well play the part when it benefits him.

“I’m not surprised”

“You seeing your mom tonight?”

“I’ve already made my quota this week so yeah, I wouldn’t miss her cooking for anything”

“Her food IS amazing”

“Yeah”

The three continued talking for a while. Sebastian was still getting used to this, having normal conversations, living instead of surviving, making sales because he wants to and not because he has to, living with people, people who didn’t fear him (for the most part, Valen still got a little jumpy around him). He didn’t know how to feel about it, Bentley might be a constant thorn in his side (for some reasons he couldn’t even control), but if they didn’t meet, he probably wouldn’t have seen his family again. So he was grateful for that…would he ever say that to his face? Hell no, but it’s something they both subconsciously thought.

Lena came back from work a few hours later in a state of stress, she was shaking a little and she immediately sat with Bentley to have a shot of the nearest vodka she could find.

“GOD THE CHARTS- THEY DIDN’T LISTEN TO THE CHARTS-“

“Really? You know it’s bad when you’re day drinking, you only do that after we-…you know what? I’m not even gonna finish that sentence”

She was gripping her hair and rocking back and forth, Bentley held her hand

“You wanna go up for a bit to cool off?”

She sighed deeply and shakily stood up

“Yes”

“Can you get up alright?”

“Yeah I’ll just hold onto the banister it’s fine…”

Lena went upstairs while Bentley turned to the duo that were currently preoccupied with Cerveza Cristal.

“Right considering Lena’s on the verge of killing someone because members of the company keep fucking up the budget you have to keep the amount you’re spending on this shit to yourselves”

“Noted”

“She can’t be THAT bad when she’s angry-“

“She punched a wall through our old apartment because the neighbours wouldn’t shut up once”

Bullshit. There’s no way.

Every time him and Lena talked she had been the most rational one, she’s the most tolerable one! Yeah she got stressed sometimes but so does everyone! And she looks so fragile and pale! How could she even do something like that?!

“It’s some scary stuff…”

“…Are her legs okay? I saw her shake a lot on the way up”

“Oh she’s fine”

“Do any of you know what condition she has?”

“…Now that you mention it…I don’t think she’s ever told us what it actually is”

“Yeah, I always thought it was just a chronic illness”

“She only started having those issues when she moved in with me all those years back, back when we were kids she was fine…”

“Huh…should we ask her about it?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, she gets really uncomfortable talking about the reason she ran off…”

The three sat in silence until Valen’s phone started ringing

“Shit-!”

“What?”

“It’s Ellie!”

Panic immediately spread until Valen answered the phone, Sebastian could hear Ellie talking on the other line since Valen had her on speaker…to say he wasn’t expecting the tone would be an understatement. She sounded really airheaded, but also cunning, like someone who could ruin your life while bearing the most innocent of smiles.

“Sooooo I had an idea!”

“What is it…?”

“Why don’t I visit tonight! I wanna see what the guy ACTUALLY is y’know?”

Bentley immediately grabbed the phone and interrupted

“ELLIE YOU CAN’T COME OVER TONIGHT!”

“Oh hi Ley-! Wait…why not?”

“Lena had a bad day at work”

“Oh…I’ll just bring the essentials then! Byeee!”

Ellie hung up before he could say anything. Bentley’s eye twitched and Sebastian followed suit

“Will you two excuse me for JUST a minute…?”

He slithered down to the basement and all Bentley and Valen could hear was muffled screaming

“…Wait I thought everyone was okay with Ellie knowing about-“

“KNOWING ABOUT AND SEEING HIM ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS VAL!”

The hours passed by, Lena had come downstairs in her robe since she was still tired from earlier, she was sitting with Sebastian and muttering her frustrations into his arm, he just let her, he didn’t know why he was fine with this, but he was.

“And then the just told me the charts meant nothing? HELLO??? IM THE ONE WHO’S MAKING SURE YOU DON’T GO BANKRUPT???”

“Mhm”

“NEW HIRES MAKE ME WANT TO PULL MY HAIR OUT!”

“I bet they do”

“I’VE WORKED THERE FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS AND THEY ACT LIKE THEY’RE BETTER THAN ME!”

“They’re not”

“EXACTLY!”

She sighed

“I’m so tired…”

“Still?”

“Yeah…sorry…I’m just…I don’t know”

“It’s fine, you’re not climbing all over me so I consider that a net positive”

“Okay…”

Valen was pacing as Bentley ate his dinner

“She’s coming in thirty minutes”

“Who?”

“Ellie”

“It’ll be nice to see her after the day I’ve had…”

Sebastian looked down at her and whispered

“If you don’t see me after today you’ll know why…”

“Don’t worry”

“I’m not”

“You are, you don’t have to lie”

“…”

“Ellie’s a lot of things, but she’s not a snitch, I’ve told her things that I’m taking to the grave and she hasn’t said a word about it”

“She’s subtle right?”

Everyone heard that last comment and looked away awkwardly

“She’s subtle? Right?”

“…Well-“

And as if right on cue, Ellie burst through the door. Dear god, she was the OPPOSITE of subtle, the pinks, the hair, the outfit, she wasn’t just a friend of theirs…she was clearly VERY successful, if she ended up ratting out his existence to anyone, he’d be doomed.

“Hiiiii~! Sorry it took me a while to get here but it took me forever to find a parking space that fit my car!”

She greeted everyone with hugs and smiles until she finally took notice of Sebastian, she paused in the middle of her sentence and immediately took her sunglasses off.

“Since when did you guys make friends with an alien?”

“He’s not an alien, he’s a creature, there’s a difference”

“You know how we got kidnapped?”

“Yeah?”

“Well we found him and when the place collapsed we made sure he got out with us”

“Which is her way of saying that we hauled his fat ass into the back of the truck we used to escape and he’s living with us now”

Ellie walked up to him, Lena did a hand sign that basically meant “don’t touch him”, she nodded in response

“So what are you? Some kind of fish?”

“Multiple kinds”

“Ooooo like what?”

“He’s part mantis shrimp”

She gasped

“OHMYGODOHMYGOD- PUNCH SOMETHING!”

“Why is that ALWAYS the thing people get excited about…?”

“Bullet punches are cool”

He sighed, this was at least the tenth time he’s had to do this demonstration, Bentley quickly went outside to get a random stage prop he had lying around

“Aren’t you going to use that for something?”

“The production got scrapped”

“Okay”

“Will you do the honours~?”

“Oh for the love of god-“

And in an instant it was broken into the tiniest little pieces, Ellie was enamoured by this display of nonchalant brutality

“WOOOWWWWW do you kill people? Because I have like, an ENTIRE list of people who deserve that kind of treatment”

Of course she was just as brainless as the others, that was probably a rite of passage, whoever they let in begins to share the same amount of brain power…oh god…what if that’s already happened to him? He’ll have to ask his mom about it later.

After a while of back and forth Lena was speaking to Ellie about the whole situation.

“Just-…please don’t say anything, he went through hell and…I don’t want him to suffer anymore”

“His safety means a lot to you, huh?”

“Yeah…?”

“Okay, I won’t tell a single living person about the abomination of science and nature living in your basement!”

“…Thanks?”

“You’re welcome!”

Sebastian eventually left to go and visit his mom, Lena noticed that he left something on the side for her before he left, the box had a few smalls dents in it but it was still intact regardless.

“Migraine tablets…”

That night when Bentley and Valen went to sleep, Lena and Ellie stayed awake downstairs to talk since they haven’t seen each other in person for so long, and while the conversation started normally (gossip here and work updates there) it quickly turned into something a lot more sentimental.

“You seriously still haven’t told them what happened?”

“No?”

“Len-Len you know they’re not gonna judge you…what those assholes did to you back then wasn’t your fault…”

“I know…I just don’t want them to see me as helpless because I have some parts of me missing”

“Lena…”

“…”

Ellie held her hands and kneeled on the sofa beside her, she’s the only person Lena’s told about what she went through back then and while Ellie will gladly take that secret to the grave, she wishes she’d at least tell one of the guys what happened to her all those years ago.

“Hey, they won’t, the guys love you, you’d all die for each other…I don’t know much about the freak of nature living in your basement but he really likes you too, it’s not every day a creature from the black lagoon gives you migraine tablets”

“…Yeah, I want to say to him that I kind of know what it’s like to be used like that…but I don’t, I’ll never know what it was like for him and he’ll never know what it was like for me…”

“…Have you gotten the scars checked?”

“Yes”

“Professionally?”

“…”

Ellie threw her hands up in frustration.

“Dammit Lena they could get infected!”

“Don’t like hospitals…”

“I know but-!”

She sighed

“Fine, I’ll do it, the others are asleep, no one’s gonna come in”

Ellie brushed Lena’s hair out of the way so she could look at the scars, she had indent scars running down her neck down to her shoulder blades. The space behind her ears was completely black out, like it was a dead flower bed that couldn’t be recovered, there was also a very faded scar around her neckline, it was hard to notice from a distance, but it was there. Ellie sighed

“Please tell me you’ve been taking stuff for all this…”

“I have, I’m dumb but I’m not that dumb”

“I know you’re not dumb…”

“But…”

“But what?”

“I sometimes wonder what I’d be like if I didn’t have parts of me scooped out? If I still had my entire mind intact…”

“Hey, no matter what your head looks like in there you’re still a good person out here, and you know the only reason I want you to tell the guys is because I care, right?”

“Yeah I know, you’re great”

“I am, aren’t I?”

“Yeah…do you want to stay here tonight? It’s really late…besides no one’s gonna fire you if you’re late for a shoot nepo baby”

Ellie playfully shoved her as they went upstairs

“Oh my god shut uuup! I worked hard to get where I am!”

“Worked hard for that hair dye too?”

“Hey! No one can know I’m a brunette! Remember! Strawberry blonde is always the next step forward!”

“Ha”

Ellie eventually went to sleep in the guest room, Lena took two of the tablets Sebastian left for her before she got into bed, she was thinking hard. She had no idea why she was so scared of telling the guys about the operations, Ellie was right, they weren’t her fault, she was the victim of someone’s twisted mentality that everyone would be okay if they poked around in their brains enough. But still…she was nervous, she went to sleep in a state of worry and discomfort…

Thank god she didn’t have work tomorrow.

[plague-karm]

Hadalpelagic Zone Part 6 time hell yeah. It’s been around a month since Sebastian moved in with the gang so this is less of a narrative piece and more of a catch up session…mostly. So here’s how everyone’s been doing recently.

Bentley

•This man is absolutely killing it

•He’s bought a lot more instruments and he knows the basics on how to use all of them (he does accordion solos at least once a day)

•Makes breakfast since he’s the only one with a decent sleep schedule

•He’s beginning to perform a lot more outside of town and he’s become popular as a result

•Him and Lena are still close but they’re drifting a little for “reasons”

•He’s very good at keeping the fact they have a failed science experiment living with them, makes up excuses on a dime and everyone believes him

•Has built up the ULTIMATE button up wardrobe, even in winter he wears them

•”Hey Ley are you sure you aren’t cold in that-?”

•”NOPE!”

•Usually the one to organise events

•Still pisses off Sebastian every chance he gets (he’s very easy to tease)

Lena

•Say hello to the company’s new head accountant!

•She is going up in the world and she shows her excitement in very normal ways (she looks like she’s tweaking in every company picture she’s in bless her)

•A lot bubblier now, she likes telling people about the ✨numbers✨

•Still goes out partying on occasion but has a healthier work-life balance than before

•Her motor issues have come back thanks to her body getting used to normal conditions again, the others help her out if it gets too much

•Dripped out to the MAX. Affliction? Tripp NYC? Cupcake Cult? She has it all (there’s a reason she took the room with the walk-in closet)

•Struggles with walking home at night thanks to all the times she almost got killed in the Blacksite but keeps up a brave face for Valen’s sake

•Still goes to Sebastian’s room whenever she’s stressed out of impulse, she’s quiet though so he doesn’t mind

Valen

•He’s gotten better at going outside

•Has started making felt puppets, does 18+ puppet shows for the others on weekends, they’re weirdly invested in it

•Has started going to therapy to help him process what he went through in the Blacksite (the only one who’s in therapy finally in this group that’s emotionally mature)

•Started back at the florists

•He’s really struggling with keeping the fact that he’s living with an abomination of nature that may or may not be one of the most dangerous creatures currently living a secret idk

Sebastian

•Has somewhat gotten used to living with other people in a normal way, he really isn’t used to being seen as just “a guy” again y’know? Being seen as an equal is weird

•Argues with Bentley all the time, especially in the morning, Lena and Valen bet on who’s going to win

•He got a custom guitar made for him since Lena has a lot of connections, he almost cried when he received it

•His hair’s longer now (he sometimes ties it up)

•He missed normal food so much oh my god

•His sister’s a tattoo artist so she covered up the branding he received from Urbanshade with a badass anchor snake, the trio approves

•He talks to Valen a lot more due to them having the same mother tongue, yes they drink cerveza cristal, yes he orders it in multiple crates (he hasn’t had a drop of the stuff in years let him live 😭)

•He keeps his door open at night because of the amount of times Lena comes in

•He wakes up later than everyone else because his eyes are still adjusting to the sunlight

•His room has bioluminescent lighting on the walls

•He still has trauma regarding what happened to him and his body so his room gets torn up a lot as a result, he cleans up afterwards though. The others are aware of this and they leave him to do his thing (it’s too risky to approach him in his feral state)

•He’s still an alt guy at heart but he wears a lot of fancy stuff for the sake of his dignity (the fuckass cravat gave me ideas alright?)

•I feel like a lot of old music played throughout the Hadal Blacksite intercoms as a form of psychological torture for its residents so their sense of time could get warped so he kind of got used to it after a while. It plays in his room sometimes

•He overhears EVERYTHING the trio talk about upstairs, the blackmail he has is endless

•He knows about what happened to Bentley’s family, but he never brings it up because he has limits, he’s a condescending asshole but he isn’t a monster (no matter how much he tries to convince himself that he is)

•He knows that SOMETHING happened to Lena that caused her to runaway from home…he can never hear it properly though, he hears her humming a lot at night whenever she’s working on analytics downstairs, it helps him sleep

•He also knows that Valen’s still heavily effected by what he saw in the Blacksite, a part of him feels somewhat guilty considering the monsters being released was his doing but he found out that the others didn’t really blame him for going off the deep end so that guilt isn’t something that haunts him all that much

•Still sells stuff but does it in an incognito way (old habits die hard), wears a massive cloak and does it in really isolated locations like under a bridge or something idk

•He becomes an urban legend in town because of this. Bentley really wants to milk it but he isn’t letting him profit off his likeness

•Yes fat fish Friday is canon here, this man literally has whale dna you can gaslight me all you want he is NOT a twink lmao

•Is surprised that all of them are actually doing a good job at keeping him a secret…

It doesn’t last long though.

[plague-karm]

Now the gang have woken up in the Hadal Blacksite and wake up in different areas, they’re separated and they finally meet the fish man, bonds are unwillingly formed.

For further context go through the “Hadalpelagic Zone” tag that’ll give you all the lore you need

Bentley

Feels really guilty about Lena and Valen getting dragged into all this

He’s quick on his feet so he’s doing alright, mostly

Is the first to discover Sebastian, oh how they hate each other :3

Bentley is a guy that’s been desensitised to a lot of shit due to the fire so he’s not really all that scared of him, likes pissing him off

Sebastian cannot STAND this guy! Who the hell does he think he is?! Crawling in like he owns the place…

But his hair…why does it look like…?

You know damn well Bentley flashbangs him every chance he gets, manages to leave through the vent before he can get shot or grabbed

Bentley feels more in control when he does this, he hates feeling hopeless and he doesn’t want the situation he’s in to break him down

Lena

Absolutely MISERABLE

It’s too loud, too cold, she wishes she just died in all honesty

Paranoia is at an all time high, 100% believes the others are dead

Manages to find places to sleep despite everything

She just wants to go back home man :(

The only reason she’s still alive is because her adrenaline makes her one hell of a sprinter

Valen

He’s struggling the most :(

He hasn’t been through past trauma like the other two so this is how he gets his

Trying to keep a brave face but he cries himself to sleep every night

Keeps their graduation picture in one of his pockets

Constantly thinking about the bomb strapped to him

His whimsy is withering away :(

Cries himself to sleep every night and prays to god

Eventually everyone finds each other at different times, Bentley finds Valen in an abandoned office and the two cried in each others arms for five minutes straight, they stay together constantly for each others reassurance, they’re trying to find Lena to no avail. Eventually introduced Valen to Sebastian

“What…?”

“Don’t worry mate he just sells stuff, he’s a pain in the ass but look, he’s got batteries. Probably the only bastard in this place that has sentience”

Sebastian messes with Val CONSTANTLY during their first encounters, he’s very easy to tease, Bentley always comes to his defence though and they’re evenly matched in verbal combat.

While running away from something they managed to find Lena hiding in a closet and they immediately got out of dodge, she was so relieved to see them that she started sobbing instantly (no tears came out of course but the noises were heartbreaking)…the other two could tell she hadn’t slept in ages.

They told her that Sebastian wasn’t an active threat before they gathered in the shop so she was only taken a little off guard by him.

“There’s three of you now huh?”

“Yep”

“Any other idiots I should tend to while you’re at it?”

“Nope, just us, and she’s staying here”

“Are you serious? I’m not a charity!”

“Tough shit, she hasn’t slept in…I don’t even know how long, me and Val have given you good fucking money you owe us”

He sighed in an aggravated manner and begrudgingly agreed

“Fine, but if she does ANYTHING stupid she’s going back out with you”

“That wasn’t that hard now was it-?”

“GET OUT!!”

Valen shrieked and quickly crawled through the vent, Bentley shrugged and followed. Lena was sitting on the floor close to the desk, she looked like a corpse, the only way he could tell she was still alive was by the small twitches in her hands and legs.

This became the new routine, Bentley and Valen would come back with data, Lena would either join them or sit down in a worse state than before, he’d have a back and forth with Bentley, but one question stayed in his mind…

“How the hell were they still alive?!”

Bentley was running on pure spite while the other two had practically given up on everything! He hears what they talk about outside too! They’re stupid! All of them! Every single one of them! If they were put in his position they would’ve croaked years ago! But…they were in his position, weren’t they? Forced here against their will, granted they weren’t experimented on but they were clearly miserable, even if they showed it in completely different ways…when Bentley didn’t show up during his usual quota he felt off.

“Heh…maybe he FINALLY kicked the bucket, thank god, if I had to put up with Valen’s shrieking again I would’ve-“

He stopped himself immediately…why the hell was he using their names?! They’re EXPENDABLES! They’re not people they’re numbers! Lambs for slaughter! They’re NOTHING!

…But still

He found himself missing Bentley when he wasn’t there, yeah he annoyed him but having someone who wasn’t scared of him for once…was actually kind of nice…

Valen was slowly getting used to him and apologised profusely when he flashbanged him a few days ago, he wasn’t as jumpy as he used to be…

And if he was going to be honest with himself…Lena was the one who intrigued him the most, she was the only one who never spoke (whether this was willingly or not he didn’t know) and her eyes…the same blue he had all those years ago. No matter how much he tried to tell himself otherwise, he always thought back to those days, when things were normal, when he actually had a future ahead of him, before all this…

Sometimes he heard Lena humming to herself, it sounded hoarse, maybe that was her coping mechanism? He didn’t know, he actually recognised a lot of the songs she hummed, some Metallica, some HIM, holy shit, he had something in common with someone that wasn’t just “I want to escape this hellhole”. Whenever he wasn’t occupied with something he’d join in, he wasn’t sure if she heard him or not but he didn’t care, he felt normal for the first time in years…

His worst fears were coming to fruition.

He was getting attached.

And he didn’t know what to do.

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 17

Andi enters Dark Matter and it’s all dingy and weird and there’s a bunch of unexplained aliens everywhere, prompting Andi to think that nobody would recognize her even if she wore a sign on her forehead.

Meaning that her bragging about how people would kill each other to capture her in the last chapter was useless.

Thanks for wasting my time, Shinsay.

The individuals in this pub are all war veterans and very fucked up and Andi angsts about it.

“This,” Dex said, spreading his tattooed arms wide and pulling Andi from her thoughts, “is the gem of the Olen System.”

“You haven’t seen very many gems, then.”

Oh no she di-unt!

Seriously, is this supposed to be the witty banter? I’m weeping.

Dex is having a great time in this place and Andi angsts about how she prefers "solitude and silence” over going outside, which is probably the most relatable thing that’s come out of this idiot’s inner monologue so far. We also find out that she’s used to attending fancy balls, because even when the story is about space pirates, Shinsay can’t stop sucking SJM’s crusty dick.

Andi also angsts about how nasty Dark Matter is. 

Bitch, I thought you were a space pirate? The Bloody Baroness? This is where you should be at home. Why are you whining like a little baby?

Apparently they’re all in one big room, but they first have to find Dex’s informant, so Andi suggests that they split up. Did they not decide on a meeting spot? God, these people are so incompetent. 

Also, Andi’s team are there as well. I don’t ... I don’t even ... Why were they all worried about leaving Andi with Dex in the previous chapter?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

“Soyina can be a little...off-putting,” Dex said. “The two of you have that in common.”

Andi gave him her trademark glare.

“I simply meant that you can both terrify any man with a single glance.”

She flashed him her teeth.

TrADeMarK glARe

God, this dialogue could kill a man to death.

Dex bribes the bartender for info about his informant (god, all of this is so fucking stupid and badly planned), though Andi was ready to beat the info out of her. 

Subtle. 

“There are other ways to get information, you know,” Andi said as Dex turned back to look at her.

He threw his head back and laughed so hard, she got a glimpse of a chipped tooth in the back of his mouth. Andi was pleased to see it. She’d broken it with her elbow long ago, and it was worth the tiny scar she still had as a trophy.That was the day she’d completely disarmed him during training for the first time. The day that led to their first kiss, which led to more kisses, and a night spent...

“Why are you laughing?” Andi growled.

Dex held out a hand for her to pass by, feigning courtesy she knew he didn’t possess. “There’s one thing you never did learn from me, Androma.”

“Loyalty?” Andi asked. “How to keep my mouth shut?”

“No.” Dex patted her on the cheek, then sidestepped her swing at his face. “How to have fun.”

I had to read that, and now so do you. 

Also, that implies that Andi learned it from somebody else and that Dex doesn’t actually know how to have fun. Which the book seems to realize, based on Andi’s reply. 

It also implies that Dex thinks bribing people is ... fun?

We switch to Dex’s POV.

The last time he’d seen Soyina, they’d shared three bottles of Griss and locked themselves in the bathroom of a wealthy Tenebran’ s mansion until morning.

The night had been glorious, but when he’d woken the next day, his Krevs were missing, and his pants along with them. He was tied to the golden toilet pipes, all his glory out for the poor servants to see.

HIS GLORY 

I’M CACKLING

Can someone please take the word “glory” and “glorious” from Shinsay? To stop them from using them in quick succession if nothing else.

And of course, despite Dex being an alien, I guess he’s got universally compatible junk? How convenient.

Soyina has “migratory” tattoos, which change location constantly. Not really tattoos then, are they?

Soyina wants to take a proper look at Andi, but:

Andi didn’t move, a silent statue in the darkness.

As opposed to a ... very chatty statue, I suppose.

Dex is worried that his two hot, dangerous exes will team up and fuck shit up together. But we all know that’s far too cool for Shinsay.

Soyina demands to see Andi’s dumb face in exchange for help, because

Soyina had a passion for darkness, and Androma Racella’s soul was the darkest of them all.

I’m gonna piss my fucking pants. 

Of course, both Soyina and Dex admire how hot Andi is, and Soyina (whom I’ll just call Soy from now on) reveals that she knows that Andi is the Bloody Baroness, which is apparently a secret because Andi acts surprised. 

I’m ... I’m so fucking confused, y’all. 

Turns out that Soy works for Nor as one of the torturers on Lunamere, and Soy asks Andi if she’s ever tortured anyone and how good she’d be at it because she carries all this DAAAHKNESS inside her.

I can’t believe two adult women wrote this in all seriousness. Are we sure they’re not taking the piss?

Soy waxes orgasmic about how fun torture is, and reveals that she’s also a Revivalist, which means that she can bring people back from the dead as long as no more than three minutes has passed since the time of death. 

How does she do that? Uuuuuh “with science, dear girl!”

No, really. That’s exactly what we get for an explanation.

Ya didn’t even try there, huh.

Also, if Andi is young enough for Soy to call her “girl,” how old is Soy? Did she bone down a much younger man with Dex? Damn, Soy here is a cougar. Or a felon. I guess she for sure is the second, being a torturer for a dictator and all.

Dex’s head was beginning to spin, wondering how he’d ever taken an interest in a woman who was so clearly off her axis.

He glanced sideways at Andi.

Two women, then.

Shinsay, beating the reader with their 500-page book: THEY’RE BRUTAL AND EDGY!! DID YOU GET THAT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?! YOU WORTHLESS, SPINELESS SLUG?! ADMIRE THEM!! BE IN AWE!! SO BRUTAL AND EDGY!! BLOODTHIRST AND ANGER!! ARARARARARARARARAR!

Anywhoo, half of Soy’s payment for helping them has already been sent to her, but the other half is ... Well, this:

“I haven’t forgotten...” Dex felt heat sliding into his cheeks as he glanced sideways at Andi, then back at Soyina. “The other part of your payment, you’ll receive...”

“Now,” Soyina said, smiling like a predator. Her lips pressed together in a pout as she saw the look of horror on Dex’s face. “A deal’s a deal, bounty hunter. I’ll be waiting.” She stood up from the table, her chair scraping against the floor as she walked away.

Dex watched her slip into the bathroom, waggling a finger at him as she disappeared behind the closed door.

Who wouldn’t want to fuck this guy in the public bathroom of the most disgusting pub in the galaxy?

Imagine his face right next to yours. Innit a dream come true?

“You can’t be serious,” Andi said, her face aghast. “You’re actually paying her with...”

“I’m not paying her. I’m simply offering her memories,” Dex said. He stood up, mussing his hair with a hand as he backed away from the table. “You should know, Androma, how much fun five minutes with me can be.”

“Three minutes,” she said. “On a good day.”

1) Sounds a lot like Soy thinks you’re paying her.

2) Shinsay, if you’re not mature enough to let your characters say the word “sex,” then maybe don’t write about sex. When they constantly make references to their nights of passion but you won’t even let them say the word, it looks kind of childish, like you want the prestige of your characters being sexy and mature but can’t say the word because it’s too dirty. Just a thought. 

We go back to Andi’s POV, and Soy, no joke, calls Andi “Dark Heart” while they discuss the Lunamere prison.

Shinsay ... bleapse ... stop this ...

There were no elevators to reach the seventeen floors of the prison, and each stairwell would only allow them to descend one level. Andi and Dex would have to traverse the entirety of each hall—and dispatch any guards they encountered—in order to reach the next stairwell down.

This sounds like incredibly dumb and inconvenient design but I guess Shinsay really want that cool action movie shot of their two faves fighting through SEVENTEEN corridors of guards, because I bet Valen will be on the lowest level.

Andi angsts.

In her mind, she saw herself four years ago, seated on a marble bench while hundreds of Arcardian soldiers stared back at her. Classmates, who now hissed her name like a curse. Teachers and trainers, whose bodies were rigid with hatred for her failure.

She saw a silver gavel gripped in an angry fist, the boom as it came down like a war hammer. The general’s twisted expression as he stared down at her, and Kalee’ s mother with tears in her eyes, a sadness burning so deep that it scalded like the still-fresh lacerations on Andi’s wrist.

Guilty, the judge had intoned. Guilty of treason.

So ... if a bodyguard and a general’s daughter get in an accident and the daughter dies ... Why is the bodyguard accused of treason?

It was an accident. Also, treason implies that the general is the leader of the country/planet, and that Andi tried to murder him. But that’s not what happened. Andi didn’t deliberately try to murder him, she was in an accident which killed his daughter, who was a dear friend of hers.

I doubt that Shinsay are trying to imply that Andi’s sentence is the work of some corrupted officials who wanted her dead for some reason (which would explain only some of the stupidity), so none of this makes any goddamn sense. 

The plan involves Andi and Dex offering themselves up for the prison guards to just take them in, getting locked up in separate but conveniently close cells, and Soy getting them out of there so they can find Valen within an hour, before Soy sounds the alarm to save herself from Nor’s wrath and not look like an accomplice.

Now ... y’all don’t need me to explain how stupid this sounds, do you?

We’ll see if their plan really is this dumb before I start ranting for real. 

The prison only has one entrance and one exit -- the former is for the prisoners, the latter for the corpses. Andi and Dex are supposed to exit, with Valen, through the latter.

“That, my dear friends, is my playground. My palace of pain. The prisoners come in, and I pick and choose the tools that will make them sing. And when they die? They go out that doorway on a transport ship. Up and away, out to float with the stars.”

God, Soy is so fucking edgy, we get it, Shinsay.

Andi hates that she’s so edgy, because Andi has a pure soul.

[Andi] killed to stay safe, to keep her crew alive when all the other options ran out. Afterward, she meditated and mourned the deaths. In sleep, the faces of the dead haunted her. But Soyina smiled about stealing lives, as if each death only upped her pride.

SHINSAY YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND FUCK IT TOO.

IS SHE A RUTHLESS, BLOODTHIRSTY MURDERER OR IS SHE A SAD WOOBIE WHO HATES WHAT SHE DOES!? SHE CAN’T BE BOTH THE PROUD AND EPIC BLOODY BARONESS AND A SMOL BEAN WHO JUST WANTS TO MAKE IT ALL STOP.

YOU FUCKING HACKS. 

Andi asks if Soy can smuggle in their weapons, and Soy is like “my mind is my weapon my good bitch,” which makes Andi think about how she’d totally beat her in a fistfight.

Alright, Andi, put your dick away.

“My cuffs,” Andi said, glancing down at them, “cannot be removed. You’ll see to it that they stay intact.”

Not a question. Rather, a demand.

If they can’t be removed, what does Soy have to do with them staying intact?

I swom to jon.

Andi thinks this is all too easy (you don’t say?) and asks Soy why she’s helping them. Soy and her family were apparently visiting the Olen system when the war began, and the Unified Systems refused them reentry in fear of them being spies, so they were forced to stay in the Olen system and join the war. 

So uuuh ... how old is Soy? Cuz her fucking Dex is kinda gross now that I think about it.

“[...] Many would think my allegiance would still be to the Unified Systems, that I would hate the Olen System even more for forcing us to fight in a war against our own home planets. At first, I did hate Olen. But my allegiances changed when I saw what the Unified Systems put the people of Olen through for nearly a decade.” She sighed. “Ah, well. I guess I’m considering this job a chance to leave Olen behind, head back to what was once my home and rally for change in my own ways.”

Can someone please explain to me how this answers Andi’s question?

Cuz I still have no fucking idea what her motivation for helping them is, and I’ve read this paragraph at least five fucking times. 

Does she want to return to the Unified Systems, which she hates, to rally for change to help the Olen system, which forced her to fight for them in a war she wasn’t a part of?

And how exactly will helping these people get Soy out of Olen, when she’s clearly planning to stay in Nor’s good graces and enjoys her work as a torturer?

What the fuck?

Soy makes a joke about how no matter what happens to Dex and Andi, they’ll be meeting her in the corpse pile one way or another.

Cold dread slithered its way up and down Andi’s spine.

Dead or alive. Andi hoped for the latter.

Uhh ... Thanks for ... clarifying? 

She winked at Dex. Before she left, she leaned down and whispered into Andi’s ear.

“We didn’t, by the way. Earlier, I mean. Your comrade wanted to whine like a baby about his feelings for you.”

Oh my god. Are you telling me that this badass war veteran and torturer and necromancer accepted Dex’s whiny manpain as payment instead of a quick fuck?

Shinsay, you goddamn hacks. Are you too cowardly to make Dex fuck anyone else than Andi, to make him sell his body?

Cheap and garbage. That’s what your book is.

Goddamn cowards.

Soy leaves and then Dex asks Andi if she trusts him. Her heart flutters or whatever, but she says no, which Dex approves of. He tells her to play along with him and then this happens:

He grinned like he was holding on to a secret.

Then he lurched forward and, in one sweeping movement, mashed his lips up against hers.

Non-consensual kissing?

Happy Valentine’s Day, motherfuckers.