#and ohhhh boy

[mushroompollution]

Canon Divergence pt 1

Oh, how he wants to lie there forever. Wrapped in Elliot's arms, breathing the smell of his sweat and cologne, nodding off to the rhythm of his heartrate as it calms.

this must be Heaven, Leo thinks.

But as badly as he wants to drift away into the comfort of sleep, the valet forces himself to open his eyes. He's careful and cautious as he slips out from the arms of his lover, though his heart aches with guilt as he does.

Elliot's old speech about his feelings on liars plays through the back of Leo's mind as he redresses quickly and quietly. But he had proposed this forray for a reason. He can't go back now. There may never be another chance.

He tiptoes out of the bedroom with a heavy weight in his chest. Carefully, he heads downstairs to the Duke Nightray's study. The door is locked, of course. But with the temporary use of Jasper's powers he's been granted, he's able to easily bypass the lock.

The study resembles the one back at the mansion, just a bit smaller. Leo swallows down the lump in his throat as he looks around. In theory, he has the entire night to search for any clue, any shred of information about the House of Fianna's or Elliot's Illegal Contract. But he still feels the pressure of time on him. What if the nobleman wakes and wonders where his servant has gone?

Leo bypasses the cabinets and goes straight to the wall sconces, just in case. But of course, it's not that easy this time. The Nightray mansion must have been built around the same time as Lutwidge University, using the same sort of mechanisms. But this townhouse was built some time later. If there was a secret passage, it must be something else.

Something less obvious.

Leo sighs quietly and gets to searching the cabinets. He finds plenty of sensitive information, deeds to the family's properties, including the orphanage. But nothing on Abyss, nothing on the children.

And his stomach starts to sink.

Maybe this was a mistake.

Maybe he was wrong.

Maybe he just betrayed his closest friend's trust for nothing.

Maybe the ghosts were right.

Leo barely catches himself from slamming the cabinet shut in frustration. He has to be quiet. He can't wake Elliot...

His gaze rests on a photograph sitting on the Duke Nightray's desk. A photo of a little blond baby, hoisted into the air by one of his brothers, two others watching in amusement from an ornate sofa. A portrait of happier days, taken by the Duchess when she was well. Back when all three of those brothers were still alive.

Back before Leo came along.

A sour taste burns his tongue.

Remember this is all your fault.

Hesitantly, he reaches for the photo to get a better look, as guilty as it feels. Elliot had been such a cute baby--

But the frame gives surprising resistance when he tries to lift it. Leo gasps softly in surprise.

Instead of lifting, he tilts the frame forward, and his eyes go wide as it gives. There's a click, and then the sound of movement makes Leo spin round to watch as the bookshelf opens up.

hiding behind his own family....

Leo swallows down the thought along with the bile on his tongue and surges forward, into the secret room.

Unlike the one back in the mansion, this chamber is fully furnished, though much less ostentatious than the main study concealing it. A large, impressive, solid desk sits in the middle, matching bookshelves and file cabinets lining the walls.

A collection of printouts, handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, and other articles are pinned to one wall around a map of the country and surrounding region. Leo feels his hair stand on end as he approaches the display. It feels surreal, like a movie set.

Red X's mark Sablier, and a location somewhere in the Tor countryside, near a small town that Leo knew well, once upon a time. A question mark drawn over the neighboring country to the west is crossed out by a similar X. A large circle is drawn around an area in the country to the east, which Leo assumes must be Isla Yura's estate.

the locations of the Sealing Stones--

Leo isn't quite sure how he knows that.

Though he doesn't really know what to make of any of this, at least he knows he's found something. Hands shaking, he quickly grabs his phone to snap some photos of the wall. He can't waste time trying to decipher it now.

The cabinets below the assorment of documents is locked of course, but that means nothing to Leo while he has Jasper's powers. He opens it up, only to be nearly overwhelmed by the things he finds inside. He scans files, reports, and notebooks, key words lighting up all over the place.

Handwritten notes on the Sealing Stones. On the Baskervilles. On the Chain Raven, and the family's failed attempts to form a Contract with it. About Vincent, about Gilbert, about the doors to Abyss that they each came out of.

The desk quickly piles up with the things Leo pulls out, and his stomach sinks. Even for him, this is an impressive amount of reading. Far too much for one evening. Where is he even supposed to begin...?

He opens a drawer on the next filing cabinet, and his heart skips a beat.

It's almost too convenient.

Inside are a number of documents and folders. Studies of Humpty Dumpty and a caselog of its victims and Contractors over the years. And in the next drawer of that same cabinet, a set of tabbed folders, each labeled with the name of a child from the House of Fianna's.

Not just any children.

When Leo had snooped around the office at the orphanage, he had found files on all the present children, as well as those who had aged out in time. But there had been no record whatsoever of any of those who had died during their time at Fianna's.

Instead, those records stare up at him from this locked cabinet in the Duke's personal, hidden study.

And amongst them, one name stands out above them all. A file thicker than any of the others.

Leo's hands tremble as he removes the folder with his own name across the tab.

why...?

He walks over to the desk, collapses into the oversized executive chair as if in a daze, his eyes cast down at that folder.

Why him...?

He forces himself to open the file anyway.

And after all of this. Does he really want to know....?

The first page is a pretty straightforward document, Leo's personal and medical records upon admission into Fianna's. It would be unremarkable, if not for one line:

EYES: See notes¹.

He takes a deep breath, turning to the next page.

The Subject possesses eye color and details which defy medical explanation. Iris color appears to shift between blue and violet, with black rings surrounding the pupil. More interesting are the flecks of gold which appear to drift freely throughout the anterior chamber. When questioned if these flecks interfere with vision, the subject reported seeing "white orbs," "golden lights," and "glitter" since childhood, as well as a "black haze" around the edges of his vision.

Furthermore, the subject also reported hearing unexplainable "whispers" and "voices."

Upon receiving this information, the decision to move the subject to the House of the White Angel despite being older than the usual admittance limit was made by the Great Duke Bernard Nightray himself.

He had always known he was weird.

Now he has medical record of it.

keep going.

Leo's chest feels tight. But still, he forces himself to read on.

The next page includes several eyewitness reports of his mother's final moments, her Chain going berserk in the middle of a crowded town square, killing six before dragging her into the depths of Abyss. Leo had been there, and each report brings her desperate screaming back to his ears.

keep reading.

Reports of his poor behavior at the orphanage, details of his building friendship with Elliot.

Then, finally, he finds it. A detailed summary of that rainy day, including the report he had given. The one the Duke Nightray had dismissed as a nightmare.

Three children had wandered into that crater in the center of the city, where they were attacked by a fearsome Chain. Though Leo found the third, shaken and scared, the monster loomed over them from a nearby cliff. Watching them.

Elliot had drawn his sword and run at the monster. In response, the Chain had pierced straight through his chest with a long, sharp tendril.

Leo's stomach turns.

Not to defend itself.

It was only protecting its master--

That's when he had made that fateful choice to save his friend's life.

No, not save.

Just prolong.

As he reads, he can feel the stares of those ghosts boring into him. Standing over him, drowning him in their shadows.

It's because of what you are.

Following this incident, the decision was made to allow the Subject to remain in the employ of the Nightray house in order to better study the correlation and relationship between Humpty Dumpty and--

"is this trying to say that i'm...."

Leo trails off as he comments to himself, already completely absorbed in the next line of his file.

It's because you are ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

Those words that had overwhelmed him before come to his mind clearly now.

"Glen Baskerville...?"

"It's about time you finally woke up to the truth."

The valet jumps as a cold voice snaps him out of his reading. He looks up quickly, only to find the entrance, and exit, of the secret room filled by the imposing form of the Duke Nightray himself.

[audhdgoku]

Chat I Am Gone Rn

[honestlyvan]

I never ever care about how the science fiction premise works; I promise, from the bottom of my heart, to believe in the explanation of absolutely anything you tell me, even if the explanation is "I don't even feel like explaining it." Science fiction or fantasy isn't even a good way to describe Dangan Ronpa; it's just pure Anime, reality cartoonishly distorted in ways that will make feel real. My earnest belief is that science fiction or fantasy should do the same, alter reality only insofar as it brings out the truth reality can't bear. I have no use for explanations that don't offer me that.

Aevee Bee, "In Searing Pink"

[phil-isms]

we live in a world where this is a direct screenshot from dapg. life is so beautiful.

[gattaxa]

"I'm afraid he's gonna die alone. You won't be able to save him. Just like you weren't able to save your whole family."

WHAT IF...? (2021 - 2024) | 3x06: What If...1872?

[edwinisms]

no but if/when we get edwin using a rapier it’s gonna be SUCH a good opportunity to callback to charles in s1 ep1 trying to teach him self defense via boxing. like edwin seemingly out of nowhere stepping in to protect himself and charles from something or someone with graceful, skillful swordsmanship and charles, through his heart eyes and wonder, has to go “you could do THIS all along and you didn’t say anything? even when I thought I had to teach you self defense?”

[krazieka2]

Fire Emblem Engage Outfit Swap! Yay

[k2ntoss]

i can bite him he can bite me

[yardsards]

absolutely enamored by rose quartz's body type and character design. especially after the pink diamond reveal. like, girl CHOSE to become a fat woman. and everyone around her (rightfully) thought she was incredibly hot for it. queen shit.

[saturnvs]

you should probably run

[my-maehem]

[That] long rest…

It was highly requested on my insta I make this a print… so—

[sail-not-drift]

911 | s06e07 | CURSED | Let me guess… nothing ever works?

[yrsonpurpose]

He’s in stupid, unbearable love, and Henry loves him too.

[neptunym]

old gabv1el doodle im never doing anything with.

[wampabampa]

Sweet baby angel pretty boy please dont die pls pls pls i know you will be the first but i pray to clown you aren’t pls make it sally instead

[ratb4stard3]

⌚️🍏 Something isn’t Right, He holds himself all Wrong… 🔬🧪

⚠️ I am SO excited about this CowardlyGhostBros (™️) collab with @cowardlykrow 🎉🍾 SO MUCH SO that there are closeups under the cut. Look at these guys, man!! 🚨🗣️