#and this is why I won’t talk animal deaths in my writing

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

what's something you've always wanted to share about ojv but nobody's ever brought up before?

Hmm maybe Sparky.

He was alive in A Movie About A Boy And His Dog, but is mentioned as being gone in Broken Bottles From Apartment 2 and it’s talked about that Stan kept his collar tag in The Wacky Adventures Of Craig And Kyle. I haven’t talked about Sparky dying, because i really don’t think I could write an animal death and no one’s asked about our good gay boy, but in OJV canon, I think Sparky died of old age pretty soon after We’ll Get By, so around a third of the way into the gang’s senior year of high school. If you’re an OJV fan you know that Stan went through a really gnarly depressive episode senior year after breaking his arm and quitting football, and Sparky’s death was kind of the final straw. We know OJV Stan is extremely nostalgic and the timing of everything got to him, and that was a rough year, but he had the m5, and though he did have a period of binge drinking over that fall and winter, going to college with his friends and super best boyfriend helped him get it together with applications and picking a major that he could be stoked on, find a reason to live in spite of everything that had gone wrong.

Now, Sparky was an old boy. Stan got him as a puppy when the guys were 9. I can’t do math both my degrees are in art but that would make him around 61 in dog years I think. They knew it was coming. Stan didn’t find him, thank God. But Sharon did, and her immediate reaction was to call Jimbo to make a casket as fast as possible and when he and Ned came over with it, the grave was dug in the backyard by the time Stan got home from school. Part of Stan knew it was coming, but walking through the door, expecting his dog to languidly wag up to him only to be greeted by the solum faces of his mom and uncles instead, that made him crumble. He was banging that Yoshi cast into the wall and crying, Sharon called the rest of the 5 and Wendy over, and everyone was super thoughtful and soft with him for a long time after the funeral, which was beautiful in the yard under the tree he used to bark at squirrels at.

We all know Stan is sentimental and a hoarder, and anything remotely related to his childhood he kept forever, including Sparky’s tag. It lived in a box in the nightstand drawer until he was in his late twenties and it was woven into that guitar strap Kenny made at Kyle’s request. They have so many pictures of Stan and sparky on their walls, forever, and Stan uses his gay dog as a conversation starter often

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Can you talk more about the fandom's ableism with Ink and Killer??im quite curious!/gen (reference to your reblog tags)

I can try, but know im not an expert and also bigger knowledgeable inks fans are welcome to chime in.

So we all know how Ink is soulless, yes? It is because of this that people take it as an excuse to demonize them and make them evil, fake, manipulative, abusive, a bad parent, a rapist—everything under the sun simply because he’s soulless, lacks empathy.

Some people claim he doesn’t feel emotions because of his soullessness all the time and the paint vials he takes are just “fake emotions,” but in actuality Ink needs those paints to function (because without them Ink becomes an unmoving husk and this makes him extremely vulnerable to being used and taken advantage of), and to feel. It’s basically medication that he needs.

Not to mention; Ink is clearly a neurodivergent character, having hyperfixations and everything. This breeds depictions of “Ink is so stupid,” “Ink is a child,” “Ink needs to be leashed and treated like an animal,” “everyone is tired of and hates ink because ink is annoying.”

You see this type of thing with Killer a lot too in his fanon depictions, and this is because it’s a pretty agreed upon headcanon that Killer has ADHD; it’s just that most people clearly don’t do any research into how Ink and Killer’s ADHD/Autism are disorders, how they actually impact them as characters and their lives rather then how they annoy and inconvenience everyone else around them, infantilize and dehumanize them by treating them like hyperactive idiotic children or animals that need to be kept on a leash—is stereotypical depictions of ADHD with the typical “hyperactive talking a lot so annoying oh my god can you just shut up?” and “can’t ever stop moving or talking” and just generally have other characters be ableist and abusive as fuck towards them both and play it off as if it’s supposed to be funny to be talked to like that just because something they have no control over was a little annoying today.

there’s no discussions or depictions how this stuff effects either of them. Killer already has a dissociative disorder and CPTSD and can’t trust his own memory, and Ink has short term memory loss so bad he needs to write things down on their scarf just to keep track of it, and yet Killer’s memory issues are completely ignored because he has to be the silly haha comedy relief that all the characters use as their punching bag and Ink’s is only ever brought up in any serious capacity to paint them as a bad parent who would forget that his children even exists.

Killer and Ink are both characters with little to no empathy for others; and this is used to demonize them, or is completely ignored by giving Ink a soul or and forcing Killer into Stage 1 as their quick fixes.

Their lack of empathy and emotionlessness is only ever brought up to use them as villains in another character’s story; which is extra fucked up when people refuse to acknowledge that Killer is a canonical victim of literal conditioning, abuse, torture, kidnapping, and literal fucking trafficking.

People are demonizing someone who is literally trapped in a trafficking ring and being sent out as weapon of terrorism by Nightmare under threat of torture, death, and replacement all because, oh. He’s emotionless. He’s sadistic. He doesn’t act like a perfect victim curling up in a ball crying from guilt every single day and why doesn’t he just say no?

Killer isn’t perfect but people like to pretend he has more control and power than he does and like he actually wants this when the man doesn’t even know what he wants because he became who he needed to be to survive. People seem dumbfounded by the concept that victims will mirror their abusers to survive and that obviously won’t make them good people, but killer doesn’t consider himself people.

It’s never brought up how Ink’s memory loss and his lack of paints making him a husk would make him very easily to abuse and use and lie to and manipulate and take advantage. It’s never brought up how Ink thinks and feels about upsetting or losing friends because he forgot their names, or their birthdays, or when they were meeting up and where, and no matter how hard he tries things just keep slipping from his mind.

It’s never brought up how Stage 2’s indifference and overwhelming apathy and dehumanizing view of himself (and others, just like Ink, who sees others as characters in a story whereas Killer sees people more like codes programmed to follow specific scripts and roles in a long series of games and tests and just not real), means he is a lot more likely to be used and abused and taken advantage of—and yes, raped, because for some reason people really really love making Killer a sexual predator as if he’s not the one most likely to be abused in that manner—means he’d likely just accept whatever someone does to him (especially if he believes they’re stronger than him) because why should he care? Nothing matters anyway. There’s no point in resisting, why bother. This is how it was always supposed to end, and nothing is real anyway. This doesn’t affect me, i don’t have emotions, im not real. I’m not a person.

The only form of control Killer would have is playing along. Acting, pretending he enjoys it and is having fun—but ultimately, he doesn’t know if he does or not. Where does he begin and the act end. He doesn’t know, but if everyone around him is telling him one thing, then it must be true.

Stage 2 wouldn’t see himself as a victim or anything that happened to him as anything particularly significant. Nightmare asks him to do something and he does it because why not is what he thinks—it’s just how it works, Nightmares stronger. He ignores what would happen if he drug his feet or attempted to refuse because to him it’s just logical that he’d be punished for that, and he likes pain anyway, so enjoying means he must’ve wanted it.

(Does this justify the people he hurts when commanded to, triggered to, provoked, or when his dehumanization of others and conditioning leads him to do pretty awful abusive shit to them out of sadism or curiosity or just needing to feel in control? No, of course not. Any of his victims are allowed to hate him or feel however they want about him.

Doesn’t mean we have to ignore that he’s also a victim and has even less control than he allows others to see or know about, and that he himself likely refuses to acknowledge or look at too deeply.)

Which is another thing a lot of people use to justify Nightmare’s abuse of Killer. That he’s masochistic and sometimes pushes and provokes Nightmare into hurting him—the idea that it’s not actually abuse because he “wanted it” and “liked it” or that he’s somehow as bad as Nightmare because “he provoked him.”

He cannot access the emotions and trauma and fear and moral concerns and safety concerns of his other Stages because that is the entire point of his dissociative disorder and his conditioning. This makes him easy to control and this how he’s survived and remained even somewhat functioning.

Not to mention. The idea that Ink and Killer need to “learn empathy” or “learn emotions” to be better or good people, and not because being in touch with emotions is an important thing everyone should learn especially victims of abuse and those with trauma and that having little to no empathy is not some moral failing on their end or says something about the type of people they are. It just means they struggle to relate to others, understand their emotions, or feel others emotions as if it were their own.

There’s also the matter of some people trying to say that because Ink is soulless he is AroAce. That is not true, is both aro/aphobic and ableist. Ink is both soulless and AroAce and these are two completely separate things—they’d still be AroAce even if they had a soul.

There’s probably a whole lot more that can be said about this, but I’ll end it right here. Others can add on or correct me.

[soapyghostie]

I’ve been playing acnh a lot recently and was thinking of how Jason, Micheal and Danny johnson would react to it, learning how to play it etc, do you think they’d enjoy it or not care? :)

Um… I know I’ve been gone for a long time. I don’t know. I just had this itch to write today and decided to do this ask that’s been in my inbox forever. Hope you like it.

Jason Voorhees

Jason is a curious observer. The first time he saw you playing Animal Crossing, Jason watched from a distance silently so as to not disturb you playing your game. He could see how engrossed and passionate you were about the game when studying your facial features. It makes him happy to see you happy. 

He wouldn’t express much interest in the game mechanics or the adorable characters, but he does find amusement in the peaceful and carefree nature of the virtual world. The game reminds him a lot of Crystal Lake and the measures he takes to protect it, assuming the main point of the game is to protect the forest, right? 

If you ever sit down with Jason and try to teach him how to play, well it may take awhile to teach him and i mean a very long time. He is confused. He’ll probably tilt his head in confusion, trying to understand the appeal of catching virtual bugs and fishing in a serene village while struggling to figure out the controls. Why do it in a game when you could go outside to catch bugs and fish in real life by the beautiful lake outside the cabin? 

Despite his stoic demeanor, Jason will secretly appreciate the joy it brings you and silently support you gaming endeavors. He may even get on the game and surprise you every once in a while with a virtual gift or gesture to help you with your progress.

Michael Myers

The first time Michael saw you play Animal Crossing, he was intrigued (if that is what you would call it). He’d silently walk around the couch and sit beside you, watching you with a blank and unchanged stare. I don’t know what you’d expect from him. He shows no discernible emotion ever. Anyways, you don’t realize he is sitting right next to you – since you're so deep into your game – that when you do notice him, you get the jumpscare of your life. Thanks Michael. 

Michael finds Animal Crossing so interesting because it’s so peaceful and starkly contrasts with his reality which is full of violence and death. He’s not surprised that you would like something so peaceful, calming, and harmonious. You and him have very different interests and disinterests. Who is to judge though? He’s not gonna judge you because your interests and disinterests make you who you are. You being you is what drove him to you in the first place. 

He doesn’t understand the charm of talking animals and virtual activities, but as long as it doesn’t interfere with his plans, he won’t mind. Michael will tolerate your gaming hobby just as long you aren’t screaming and cursing at your game 24/7 then it shouldn’t be an issue (I don’t see why you’d be yelling at it in the first place). 

If you ever want to rant about your game, Michael is there to listen. It might seem like he’s not with that blank and unreadable expression he always has, but trust me he is. Did you get a new animal friend or new building? Are you frustrated because your best tools break? He’s sitting there taking it all in.

The Ghost Face/Danny Johnson

Out of all the three, Danny is the most likely to take the most interest in Animal Crossing, finding joy in the lighthearted and whimsical atmosphere of the game. He would notice you playing and, with a mischievous smile, offer to teach you how to play by suggesting to guide you through the ins and outs of the game. Spoiler alert, Danny has no clue what he’s doing so don’t feed his narcissistic ego even more.  

Danny, being the competitive person he is, will most definitely turn it into playful competition. He would challenge you to see who could catch more bugs or find more fossils. Stay on your toes because Danny is a fast learner. Once he learns the ropes of the game, he will outperform you any day of the week. 

Danny will often suggest date nights playing Animal Crossing, organizing in-game activities like fishing contests or fossil hunts. Oh great! More competitions. One of his favorite things to do when doing Animal Crossing dates with you is customizing y'all's virtual home. It’s a great time consuming project to be able to express y’all’s creativity together, fostering a sense of unity between you and Danny while sharing accomplishment, even if it’s just a game. 

Danny also enjoys leaving little surprise gifts or notes within the game for you as a way to express affection and to add an element of mystery to both y’all’s Animal Crossing experience. 

[saltofmercury]

Reunion

Pairing: König x f!reader

Author's note: This fic I think will be broken into three parts. There's so much I want to write but I also need to cut down!

Requested by @wikusiax0

Summary: König takes you to meet his family.

Part 2

"Reunion"

There’s a shaking at the other end of the couch.

His big knee jumps up and down rapidly, sending waves towards you. 

You’re used to it by now, calming his nerves about an upcoming mission. You put your hand on his leg, rubbing gently up and down.

The motion doesn’t stop however, prompting you–

“You’re sending a mini earthquake over here.”

He stops, smiling at you. The smile seems forced, showing the dimples carved into his cheeks. 

“Sorry schatz” he says absentmindedly. 

He takes a deep breath, trying to regulate the chaos that’s sending ripples of anxiety throughout his body. 

He starts to fiddle with his fingers.

First cracking them as he brings his knuckles into his other hand and bends, pulling each finger individually. He’s about to crack his first knuckle now, but you stop him.

“What’s going on? I can feel your anxiety.”

He pauses, his bottom lip being bitten by his teeth. You can see how his nostrils kind of flare. He opens his mouth to speak but he ends up laughing.

“It’s stupid really.”

He’s said this before, he’s said that he always gets nervous before a mission. Sometimes you’re not sure if he’s mistaken excitement for anxiety.

However, there's been a small doubt in his mind now that he won’t be as invincible as he once was because now there’s someone else in the picture. Someone who is waiting for him to come home.

You tilt your head, smiling at him, waiting for him to tell you.

“My uncle passed away.”

Your stomach drops, your eyes widen. 

“Oh my god why didn’t you say anything?

“This is exactly why. You get weird around death.” 

He pokes down at your leg.

This was a bit of an exaggeration. When you told him about how many childhood animals you found out really died and didn’t run away, it opened a floodgate of tears, him consoling you telling you that:

“It was a long time ago, things like this happen.”

It was embarrassing. It had now become something that he thought was triggering towards you.

He exhales, continuing,

“That’s not even the bad part. I hardly knew him and… well, he was hardly my uncle.” eyeing you carefully. 

It wasn’t an immediate family member. It was the person behind the funeral who insisted König should come home to pay his respects.

You stop for a second. Confusion clouds your mind, eyebrows shift from their place, you’re about to ask him what the big deal is if he hardly knew him, but he stops you.

“I…uh have to go to Austria.”

“Oh…”

From what he’s told you, it’s been years since he’s gone back. He never had a reason to go back.

His mom was divorced and traveling the world.

His relationship with his dad was never there, so he never put effort into it. 

His older brother, much like his dad, was kind of distant towards him. They had each other’s numbers and talked on the phone every other month.

It was sad, but it’s the way he liked to keep it. He told stories of his mom, enduring a relationship she never wanted but kept because she came from a broken family. 

She told him once he enlisted that she only stayed so that he wouldn’t be made fun of or looked down upon for having divorced parents. 

It was also something he didn’t like to talk about. 

He looked at you, bumping his knees together, waiting for an opportunity to bomb you with another surprise. 

“Maybe… I was wondering if you could go with me?”

“Me?”

“Yeah why not? We could vacation for a bit, have you meet my family.”

There it was. Something you had always wanted but knew you couldn’t get. 

If he was being honest, it had been long overdue —he had wanted you to meet his mom. He could get away with never meeting his dad or brother, but his mom was 100% the reason he wanted to bring you.

There were constant phone calls where she had heard your voice in the background but König had been changing the subject whenever she brought you up.

“I know you’re living together, I am a mother of modern times!”

König laughed, ignoring her and asking her what she did today.

“You can’t keep secrets from mama, at least introduce us on video, I won’t say anything embarrassing!”

“Mama… stop, in time you will meet.”

“In time? When? When I am in heaven?”

König laughed, there was nobody more impatient than his mother. 

“Okay,” you nodded your head at him. Biting your cheeks, excitement flowing through your body.

“A week at most, schatz, don’t worry.”

Exhaling, a wave of relief surrounds his body.

At least the hard part is halfway over.

*

Throughout the week you asked him questions about his family. At least now was the chance to really ask him, get something out of him. Your relationship was very open. You two did not keep things from another and had great trust in one another. There were touchy subjects as all relationships have, but his family was one of the touchiest. 

“So what’s your mom been doing lately?”

He looked over at you as he packed his black shirts. 

“She … uh… she’s been in Malaysia the last time I spoke to her. She said something about the tropical landscape.”

You nodded, asking if she was still with her boyfriend.

“I guess so, he’s the one who paid for the ticket.”

If he was being honest, he was weirded out that his mom had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who looked just like his dad, but had a softer personality.

You’ll never forget when he had been in his computer room, talking to them through FaceTime, about him spending the holidays in Austria just for a week, when all of a sudden, his mom’s boyfriend called him “son.”

König practically tensed up, you heard it in his voice, his tone had pitched, as he excused himself in English and not German.

You saw his shoulders tense up, along with the face in the monitor scrunch up as he tried to excuse himself again, saying you called over to him.

As he left the call, he bumped right into you, laughing at how weird he got.

“He called me son?! What the fuck!” His face turned red, he shut his eyes, scrunched his nose as if he had tasted something bitter, trying to get the aftertaste out of his mouth.

“He’s just being nice, he loves your mom.”

“Yes but he is not my dad!”

“It’s a term of endearment Konig.”

“Well he can keep it!”

You kept pressing for information.

“What about your brother? Any news about him?”

He eyed you again, knowing exactly what you were doing. 

“Yeah, he called me yesterday, still painting. Still living with my dad.”

You bit the bullet and asked.

“How’s your dad going to feel about us going there in two days?”

He smirked for a second, his tongue licked his lips as his face contorted to being serious. 

“It doesn’t matter because we probably won’t see him. It was my mother’s best friend, my father won’t make an appearance.”

“Oh…”

If you were being honest, his dad and brother were the intimidating ones. You were glad that at least you were going to meet the important person in his life and not the ones who had scared him, and intimidated him.

He closes the luggage and sits on the bed.

“You don’t have to worry. It will be my mom and her boyfriend. This vacation should be simple.”

He traces along the end of the bed, sighing, grabs your hand.

“I know it must be intimidating but I’m really happy you’re coming.”

You smile down at him, adjusting yourself into his lap. He pulls you in, kissing you and falling back onto the bed. He adjusts himself on top of you, kicking the luggage down on the floor.

“I can… show you my favorite bakery, my old school, the nice little pond where my uncle took me sometimes.” He kisses down your neck, pinning your hands above your head.

“You can meet my mom and tell her how much you love me.”

You laugh, sliding your hands from his grasp to his face.

“I’ve been wanting to tell her since forever but you kept delaying our meeting.”

A quick peck to your lips, he sits up.

“Ok go ahead and ask what you want. It’s better to know now then go in blindly.”

You’re quick to ask about his uncle.

“Well, I only call him my uncle because he was my mother’s best friend growing up.”

He eyes you again, trying not to get sentimental.

“He knew my mom first, so he stood by her, often giving her money when she needed it. Giving her a room in his house when things got sketchy after I left.”

“Uncle Elias was friends with both my mom and dad, so he knew a lot about the troubles they had in their marriage from both points of view and he played devil’s advocate for a lot of their fights.” 

“It wasn’t until one day that my dad had threatened him to not house my mom or else he would tell his family his true secret… that Elias was gay.”

“I guess my dad has always been an asshole because Elias ended up coming out to his family not on his own terms, but they didn’t care, but he never was the same with my dad anymore.”

“I think part of me does want to go, because uncle Elias was such a good friend to my mom, and an even greater uncle to me, however, part of me hates that Elias still wanted to maintain a friendship with my dad.”

Your eyes meet, and he closes his hand around yours. 

“And part of me, regrets bringing you when Elias isn’t even around anymore.”

You bite your bottom lip, nodding slowly.

"It's okay, I've never wanted to rush you."

He looks up at you, forcing a smile.

"Come on, let's finish packing. You'll understand later."

You continue to roll your jeans into your luggage on the floor.

There was just so much more you wanted to ask him, but figured it would be best seeing it in person.

[basilone]

Folks, I hope whichever writing you’re working on today creates joy for you!

Just this past week, I wrote a good 3k worth of words that were born from an idea 2AM me had. 2AM me is a different animal, you know. 😉 2AM me does not really care about what I’m “supposed to be working on”. 2AM me sees my prompt-filled inbox and shrugs at it. 2AM me has never met an outline she can’t ruin, has never encountered writer’s block once she gets going, and has most certainly never given a hoot about if there are going to be people willing to read the thing. 2AM me cares about one thing and one thing only: does writing this vague idea fill me with complete and utter joy?

So. Here I am. 3k words into a mafia AU that will likely not see publication beyond a groupchat with friends. 3k words into a story that features no canon characters from the shows we love, but features several of my original characters instead. 3k words into a story that is, in no particular order, doing the following: feeding my love for particular tropes, allowing me to explore my OCs in a different setting, giving me a better handle on how my OCs express certain emotions and ideas, fueling and clarifying certain aspects of the main fic these OCs inhabit, and taking away all my self-imposed pressures about needing to have a finished and publishable story as “proof” that I have spent my precious free time well by being productive.

And, friends, I’m having a blast. I’ve talked some of my friends to death about this already because I’m so excited. I’ve spent more time working on the outline for my actual fic in this past week than I have in all the weeks of this year so far because writing this silly AU gave me the confidence boost to sit down and figure that out. (That pesky outline that's been eluding me for months? Pretty much complete at the time I write this.) I’ve gained a truckload of stuff to use as special tools that will help other writing later on. And it’s all made possible because 2AM me had an idea and morning me went “well okay why not try it on for size just once”.

So, I’m writing you a permission slip. Work on what sparks joy. Work on something that inspires love in you for an aspect of your storytelling, for your characters, for the world you’re creating in. Forget about your inbox and comments and requests. Forget about your WIPs you’re either rotating in your head or threatening to smack like a piñata until the complete fic rolls out. Forget about prompts, polls, and whatever you think people’s expectations of your writing are. Work on the little idea you can’t shake, the OC that’s bugging you, the ship that won’t let go, the AU that can fit soooooo many tropes in it, and I promise you that all your other writing is going to fall into place too.

Give yourself the opportunity to love and be joyful about your creativity! I’m allowing it! 💙

[auspicioustidings]

good girl tearing through graves and kortac to get good boy (and herself) hour of the pound my beloved…..

God you write them so well, everything is so good i’m like frothing at the mouth whenever you update��️

i cant stop thinking about good girl finally making it back to 141 and the Vaqueros with good boy and both groups of men trying so hard to show that they’re happy she’s back too but none of it working because she’s been through too much

none of them can touch her. it hurts too bad. she nearly bit Rudy and Soap’s hands off while they tried to pet her hair while she was eating. she even tears apart a book that Ghost gets her because it has to be a trick.

they’re just trying to get her comfortable and pliant again so they can ship her off wherever in the world next, or find some reason for her to slip up so they can punish her, or get her into their bed and she won’t have it

(deep down, past a certain point of Stockholm syndrome, she just started to want them to like her. she just wanted the softness and the sweetness good boy got. she wanted to be their girl and their pet.

why was she never good enough?)

Oh that last line hits so hard <3

Ok so starting with the escape, there are a couple of big fuck ups that allow you to tear your way out of there.

Nikto was never allowed to fuck you because they view him as a feral animal who would have gotten too possessive and dangerous had he been given the opportunity, they did not consider he's been simmering with resentment over it and waiting for his opportunity to tear apart the handlers who cattle prodded him whenever he would try get under your clothes during training (he already is possessive and weird about you and the idea of you running wild out in the world gets his blood racing)

Mace was Ghost's pet before he was ever the pound's and his loyalty will always lie with his original master first - Ghost was a good master and Mace wants that for you

Roze would usually not get involved, but she's found that recently seeing you crying is making her furiously uncomfortable so she wants you out of here

Kate has been biding her time on taking the pound down after she 'adopted' her (future at the time) wife from them, she's never forgiven them for the state they put that woman in - them pissing off the 141 & Los Vaqueros presents her with the perfect time to activate sleeper agent Alex (who you haven't seen, but he has seen you) because she knows that this time they won't stop her

Alex has been trying to help you this whole time and getting increasingly upset about not being able to do more (Halloween week should have been so much worse for you, but so many of Konig's people conveniently had emergencies that week and had to skip their hour)

There are people in that building clearing a path for you in the shadows. You don't come across Horangi because he's currently hiding from Nikto, knowing if he is caught then he's absolutely fucked. Most of the 'nurses' are foaming at the mouth after being poisoned by Roze while Mace and Graves are in a fight to the death inside the clinic. The first time you have ever seen Alex is when he runs into you and good boy in the hall, hands you a knife with a nod and then takes off to deal with the people on your tail.

Good boy talks to you. Like fully, truly talks to you. You don't remember after because it's all a complete blur, but he was a human man fighting tooth and nail to protect the woman he loved during that escape.

Nobody has been able to stop Konig. He blocks the exit and he's so huge and you are so terrified of him from all that he's done to you. He's confident in your submission, backhands your boyfriend when he tries to get between you and tugs the o-ring on your collar to bring you towards him. "Trying to fly away from me spatzi? Come, let us clip your wings."

He truly thinks you will acquiesce, he is smiling indulgently with that ever horrible glint in his eyes that means he is excited about punishing you. You use the knife the man in the hallway gave you and bury it in his belly. You pull it across and rip it back out. You do not stop to give him any last words, you do not yell at him or tell him how you feel about him nor do you let him do the same to you. Because he's not worth your fucking time. You just grab your boyfriend and keep fucking going.

You meet Ale and Ghost near the entrance. They have started fighting their way in while you were fighting your way out and oh boy are they surprised to see you snarling and covered in blood barrelling towards the exit. Your body gives out on you as you fight hard against Ghost, only managing to bury the knife in his shoulder before he has your failing limbs restrained. The last thing you see is your boyfriend's face near yours. He's crying you think.

When you wake up in a new place (it's a lakehouse, beautiful but it does not escape your notice that it's in the middle of the wilderness), you're too unwilling to let anyone near you to notice things. People were on your side. Most of the men in this house are injured (Gaz nearly died, Price is in a sling for months) because in the background they were willing to die fighting to get you out of there. It's how good boy got caught, they were all throwing themselves into danger to get to you. You had people inside the pound who were on your side and you never would have gotten out without them.

But you don't know any of that. So yes, you are stuck thinking that you were never good enough to be their good girl. You had to get yourself out of there after all. They only came because good boy was there, because it couldn't possibly have been for you. You tried so hard to get them to like you and it failed. They had a tracker in you (the pound cut that out the first day), so they must have let the pound pick you up. They don't want you, they're just stuck with you because of good boy.

You are not loveable. You don't have the ability to be good. So you don't try because you can't face being rejected again. Better you be bad and don't let anyone close. Better you actively try at something you know you will succeed at, making everyone want to stay away from you.

[savagewildnerness]

The Vampire Lestat intro and Lelio rising questions

Gonna share just the questions here now... I'm intrigued if anyone would like to answer any!

At the start of TVL, Lestat has been In The Earth. Do you think he will have been In The Earth in this era on the TV show? (As Louis has seen him pretty recently, which makes it seem like perhaps he won’t have been?)

The ‘spirit’ of 1984 reminds Lestat of the 1700’s. Will there be anything about the 2020’s that Lestat will associate with/that will remind him of the late eighteenth century?

“I did a lot of thinking about this sinless, secular morality, this optimism” - will this be a driving force for modern day Lestat? What will he think about in relation to right now?

Lestat says that "there was a romance" to modern music and I'm so curious if that's how he'll feel about some kind of modern music now, or, whether Lestat’s rock star career will just be 100% about Louis on the TV show?

"the way electricity could stretch a single note forever; the way harmony could be layered upon harmony until you felt yourself dissolving in the sound. So eloquent of dread it was, this music." - This reads to me like a musical description of vampirism?!  Will Lestat’s music somehow express something about vampirism? Will The Vampire Lestat's music incorporate old French songs and brutal rhythms - eerie and disjointed music, as Lestat describes his playing?

What music will Lestat listen to? He listens to a lot of Bach when he first rises in the book (while driving his Harley-Davidson!)  Is there a security both in the structure of Bach and in the fact his music is from an era predating even mortal Lestat that makes Lestat feel safer entering the modern era?

Will we see Lestat standing stock still beneath a street light, whipping through IWTV at an insane speed till he exasperatedly tears it to shreds on TV!?

Lestat talks about coming back after killing the wolves and feeling that he was ‘not-Lestat’, so I thought we could discuss - did killing the wolves change Lestat, and if so: how?

When Lestat goes into a depression post-killing-the-wolves, is this essentially a human version of “Going into The Earth” as Lestat will do numerous times as a vampire?

How will the French Revolution impact the TV telling?

Will both Mozart and Marie Antoinette be on the TV show?

Will Lestat’s malady of mortality be as big a theme on the TV show as it is in not only The Vampire Lestat, but the entire Vampire Chronicles?

When Lestat talks of how he could have poisoned meat to kill the wolves, but meat was too scarce… is he in a veiled way saying that his life has less value than a piece of meat?

“I don’t think I felt the slightest fear then.  But I felt something, and it caused the hair to rise up on the back of my arms.” What exactly is the “something” Lestat feels when he sets out to kill the wolves?  And why is he not afraid? Bravery? His hunting spirit? His impulsive, adventurous nature? Stupidity? Naivety? Only feeling truly alive in moments that contain the potential for death? A lack of care whether he lives or dies (borne of despair)?

Reading the wolves section, with the dying animals and even after this too when Lestat talks of his ignored/thwarted farming plans for his family’s land… It made me wonder, just a curious ponder - if Sam might have had any experiences in real life connected to any of this stuff, given his family’s line of work…?

When Augustin says Lestat didn’t kill the wolves, then retracts it & Lestat says the next thing he knew he was lying alone in his room… I mean… it can be read at face value, but I also wonder - is there something that happened here that Lestat doesn’t write?  And if so, might the TV show go there?

“I wanted to be enclosed forever with people who believed I could be good if I wanted to be.” - I wonder if the TV show will go down the route of Lestat’s quest for goodness?  I hope so!  At this time, I think 12-year-old Lestat found goodness in the order of the monastery versus the chaos he felt in the family castle (haha, the family castle!) And I also feel like he felt goodness in being made “ordered” rather than “chaotic” himself.  However, I don’t think Lestat would have been happy in the end in so restrictive a place, much as I am sure he would have loved learning.  But what do you think?  Could Lestat have been happy, a lifetime in the monastery?

Is performing with the theatre troupe at 16 the first time Lestat truly feels pure joy - he describes it as ecstasy?

How can we now get to The Witches’ Place if Nicki can’t have witnessed child-Lestat there, Gabrielle would never tell the story and Lestat has repressed the memory…?

Is Sam’s Lestat going to burst into tears as often as Lestat describes himself doing so, because get him ten thousand gallons of water to drink - he’ll need them!!!!  Lestat also cries at the most random moments… but we know Sam is up to the task!

Do you think show-Lestat will be ripped out of post-coital Nicolas’ arms..?

Potential episode titles from this section:

Pure evil has no real place.

Only the impossible can do the impossible.

Malady of mortality.

[maoam]

DISSECTING SAKURA - WHY IS SHE SO TERRIBLE?

INTRO

I promised to write a post about Sakura’s character long time ago so here’s that now. If you want to read my Hinata post it’s here.

Sakura is a character that is very hated in the Naruto fandom. Many people acknowledge she’s one of the worst female characters in anime. And yet, she also has many dedicated stans that defend her character and insist she is simply misunderstood, that she’s actually a good shinobi and a person, or not as bad as people think. While there are many videos and essays about Sakura, my issue with them is that they often either praise Hinata who isn’t any better than Sakura or they do not acknowledge Sakura is supposed to be the way she is. She is intentionally written as an unlikeable person and she was never supposed to be inspiring or a positive character. I will try to explain this to you the best I can by dissecting her character. As usual, if you’re a fan of her character you might not want to see what’s next. This will be tagged under the anti tags so if you see it in the character tag that is not intentional.

SAKURA AS A SHINOBI

I will first focus on Sakura as a shinobi and her skills in fights since Naruto is a battle manga. Sakura is, as it's often acknowledged to the point of memes, pretty useless. A lot of her stans don’t understand why. She might get to punch once every 200 chapters or heal fodders but in the end she is featless. She is placed in many important situations where she does nothing to contribute or even gets in the way. This is not acceptable for a main character that has a lot of screentime. Naturally, this is something that annoys many people but it’s made even more annoying by the fact Sakura is constantly talking about how much stronger she has gotten and how she wants to be on par with Naruto and Sasuke.

In the beginning, during the bell test, Sakura doesn't even attempt to get the bells from Kakashi and only ends up fainting. In the Land of Waves, because Sakura was able to climb the tree due to her chakra control, she became smug and overconfident and thought she doesn't need to train. Which is funny considering she does nothing except stand around during an actual fight while Naruto and Sasuke actually contribute to the fight with the main antagonists. She's tasked to protect Tazuna, yet she can't do that either, but Kakashi has to intervene and get injured. It’s also worth mentioning Kakashi pointed out that during the tree climbing Sakura was able to control her chakra better because she had little chakra to begin with. Thus Kishimoto establishes very early on Sakura as someone who brags and overrestimates her own skills.

In the Chunin exams, Sakura hopes that Naruto and Sasuke aren’t foolish enough to cheat during the written exam, and she’s sure that she can answer the questions based on her knowledge. But what she doesn’t realize is that the real intention of the test is for the takers to use their observation and deductive skills to gather information and cheat. We find this out in the same chapter through Sasuke. Sasuke, unlike Sakura, realizes that the test makers want them to act like a shinobi. Sakura is book smart and a rote learner, but as we have seen in the Land of Waves and what we will see in the rest of the Chunin exams, being book smart won’t help her on the battlefield. Kishimoto wanted to show us that Sakura is just someone who brags and thinks she’s got everything under control, despite the fact she’s not the right kind of smart to be a shinobi, she doesn’t think like one.

In the Forest of Death, we then see she isn’t able to actually put anything into practice and Naruto and Sasuke again do all the work, while Sakura does nothing except stand around, scream and cry. Sasuke even has to yell at her to stop merely standing around. Eventually though, when Naruto and Sasuke are knocked out after the encounter with Orochimaru, Sakura has no choice but to protect them from Orochimaru’s henchmen. But she of course fails. She sets traps that fail, and gets mocked for her amateuristic skills by her opponents. We see characters like Kiba are able to put up traps that actually work, but Sakura who is supposedly smart isn’t. Then Rock Lee arrives to her rescue. After he gets beaten up, Kin grabs Sakura by her hair and calls her out on her vanity and tells her she should have trained more, which is basically what Sasuke did at the beginning of the arc, when he told Sakura if she has time to flirt maybe she should use that time to learn a jutsu or two. In the chapter cover she is also seen brushing her hair in front of a mirror in the forest, so Kishimoto makes it pretty clear Sakura is someone who cares a lot about her looks even during a mission. Kishimoto uses the villains to point out Sakura’s flaws, since the main characters can’t do that considering she is one of the main characters. So we see Dosu point out Sakura’s lack of observation skills and talent, and Kin point out her vanity and boy chasing personality. Sakura then dramatically cuts her hair and gives a speech on how she wants to walk in front of Naruto and Sasuke and wants them to look at her back. Despite the little fight she puts up, she is easily beaten down and is saved by Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji, before Sasuke wakes up and beats up Orochimaru's henchmen, driving them away. Sakura acted like this was going to be her moment, yet it wasn't at all. She had five other characters, 4 of them supporting characters, all of whom showed much better ninja skills than her, come to her rescue.

During Sakura and Ino's match, Sakura starts boasting how Ino is nowhere near her level. What happens is despite her bragging, she falls right into Ino's trap. Unlike Sakura, Ino actually used her wits and shinobi like strategy during the fight, using Sakura’s ego against her to successfully trap her. But because Naruto yelled Sakura's name, her inner Sakura somehow interrupted the fight and it ended in a tie. I think Ino should have won this fight but regardless it didn't make Sakura look good, just an overconfident brat who got lucky.

The rest of Part 1 Sakura spends moping over Sasuke and getting one-paneled by Gaara in the Konoha crush arc where she again becomes a damsel in distress to no one’s surprise. Her uselessly holding a kunai has become a meme because she does it many times during the series. Despite being a liability to her team she never thinks about how to better her skills nor tries to train. After Sasuke leaves and Sakura fails to stop him, she goes to Naruto and begs him with tears in her eyes to bring Sasuke back. Considering how many support characters have contributed massively in Part 1, a main character like Sakura achieving nothing just puts it into perspective how useless she really is. She has been a damsel in every single arc. When Naruto fails to bring Sasuke back, Sakura decides to ask Tsunade to train her, and tells Naruto next time she will go with him to get Sasuke back. The thing is, she should have had the resolve to train and change herself already before Sasuke left. She should have realized she put her team constantly in jeopardy by being weak. She read all about what life of a shinobi entails yet she seemed to treat it as some playground where she can play damsel while everyone around her protects her. It’s only when her crush left and Naruto failed to bring him back that she bothers to make an effort.

At the start of Part 2, Kakashi gives Naruto and Sakura yet another bell test, and Sakura shows some potential by showing off her chakra punch. But in the end, they manage to finally get the bells due to Naruto's plan. Some people act like Sakura is the smart one in team 7 yet she constantly fails to showcase this smartness of hers. Next, team 7 is assigned by Tsunade to rescue Kazekage Gaara. Sakura swears that this time, she will save both Naruto and Sasuke. Again, she sets up a high goal for herself, only to never achieve it. Sakura does however, mix up an antidote to heal Kankuro after he got attacked by Sasori. Next Chiyo and Sakura get ready for a fight with Sasori. Notice how this is the only fight where Sakura actually manages to not fail? It's because Chiyo is literally directing her moves, both verbally and physically. But I will give her credit for using the antidote to survive Sasori's poison, and taking the hit for Chiyo. Sasori was also apparently suicidal and didn’t avoid the last hit but I don’t dwell on that too much.

Now I need to mention something that is very important to note when it comes to Sakura’s character writing. Whenever Sakura does anything she’s complimented countless times by Kakashi, Chiyo, Sasori, and basically everyone she comes across. Kakashi starts to talk about how she might be able to surpass Tsunade, just because she punches the ground once in front of him. Chiyo hails her as a girl who can surpass Tsunade as well, before even seeing her fighting abilities. Hashirama thinks her power might be greater than Tsunade’s despite not even seeing what his granddaughter can do. And this goes on and on. This is Kishimoto intentionally raising up the audience's expectations, only to later intentionally bring them down. Superficial readers think she is smart and could possibly surpass Tsunade because other characters say so, but people who actually read the manga and pay attention can see that Sakura never lives up to the expectations placed on her.

Right after this arc, Sakura goes back to being useless and not contributing much especially considering the screentime she gets. Despite being able to avoid Sasori’s attacks with the help of Chiyo, in the Tenchi Bridge arc she gets first knocked out by Kabuto's flying butt because she's not watching where she's going, and needs to be saved by Yamato. Then she doesn’t let Yamato do his job and gets knocked out by Naruto's 4-tailed form, and needs to be saved by Yamato and healed by Kabuto. When they finally meet Sasuke she charges at him with no apparent strategy and needs to be saved by Yamato again, who gets injured in the process.

So after the entire part 1 of being useless, and 15 chapters of not being useless, Sakura needs to be saved multiple times by Yamato while contributing nothing. To people who paid more attention when reading the manga, this arc made them realize Sakura was never gonna change and this is how her character would always going to be. But others were still starstruck by the previous arc, and would only realize it later.

In the Akatsuki Suppression arc she pretty much does nothing worth mentioning. She is tasked to go help Shikamaru but the latter has already taken care of Hidan by himself. In the Itachi Pursuit arc she doesn’t do anything either, but only follows the dogs tracking Sasuke’s scent. In the Pain arc a lot of characters contribute in the fight against Pain, even Konohamaru who is just a kid manages to defeat one of the paths of Pain, while Sakura is again shown crying and screaming for Naruto. What was that about saving Naruto and Sasuke? If she’s so strong as she acts like she is she could have at least tried to buy some time for Naruto instead of crying like a total whimp.

There’s also a constant pattern of Sakura trying to demonstrate her "powers" or "strategy" and failing. This happened again in the start of the Five kage Summit arc when she tried to fight with the Kumo warriors, got immediately facekicked to the ground and had to be rescued by Naruto yet again. And this is not even the worst. In the same arc she attempts to take down Sasuke by herself, drugging her teammates so they can’t help her, and ends up failing when Sasuke figures out what she’s trying to do and she needs to be saved first by Kakashi and then by Naruto. As always, she aims too high and falls flat on her face. She ends the arc moping how she can’t do anything except to trust Naruto. Of course, Kishimoto doesn’t forgot to mention that Sasuke is resistant to poison, so Sakura’s attempt of killing him whether she succeeded stabbing him or not would have been futile either way. Again, she is failing to come even close to her own goals she set for herself. She is once again a liability that needs saving. And so the audience is frustrated and annoyed with her character. They are thinking, why is this girl who is constantly bragging about her skills constantly making a fool out of herself, crying pathetically and needing to be rescued? Well, that would be because she is supposed to be a person who is completely misguided about her own skills.

In the war arc, Sakura isn’t any better. The war arc only amplifies what we already have seen and know. That Kishimoto uses subversion to show Sakura’s character as overall irrelevant, and to show she’s all talk. In part 1, Sakura is said to be smart and she boasts about her skills yet she can’t do anything in an actual fight, but has to be saved by multiple characters, including Naruto, whom she considered inferior to herself. This of course made people annoyed with her character. When part 2 started, other characters were again commenting on her potential and how she had supposedly grown. So many people got hopeful that she had actually grown a lot and changed. And yet, as I have pointed out, she tried to show off many times and failed miserably. Which made people even more frustrated with her. Because they had gotten their hopes up. The Five Kage Summit arc was definitely the ultimate breaking point. After Sakura’s ridiculous attempt to manipulate Naruto, her drugging her teammates while leaving them defenseless on the ground and her trying to take down Sasuke and failing, she was certified as the fandom’s laughing stock. But some of her stans still remained, and thought she would redeem herself. Somehow.

Then comes the 4th shinobi war. Sakura has mostly been in the background healing people, but when Sasuke shows up, she is suddenly motivated to show off for real. She even gets pissed when Naruto is about to go with Sasuke and suggests to her that she could take a break. Sakura insists she is also part of team 7 and that she surely can keep up with the two of them. We have a panel hyping up Team 7. Then Sakura gets a moment to make a big punch after which she boasts and thinks she’s better than Tsunade, insulting the latter in the process. But she’s not paying attention to her surroundings and needs to be saved by the boys, after which she starts to boast how she will steal the Hokage seat from Naruto and how now they will all fight together with their backs to each other. She then reaffirms herself that she has finally caught up to Naruto and Sasuke. This level of arrogance needs to be backed up, otherwise the audience will get annoyed. And it did annoy a big portion of the fandom, considering they had seen for the past 600 chapters or so Sakura talking about how she wants to be on par with Naruto and Sasuke, how she won’t be a liability anymore and it all leading to nothing except disappointment after disappointment. Sakura’s confidence and ego are greatly disproportionate for someone of her capabilities, which a big part of the audience notices, whether consciously or subconsciously. And this is of course intentional.

She is left on the sidelines again when Naruto and Sasuke are too busy being ”the main act” and fighting perfectly in sync. Sakura has to ask Hinata what is even happening with the two of them. Sakura keeps healing people, but eventually Naruto’s chakra starts to help her with the healing.

Then we get to one of the most infamous moments with Sakura, that resembles another infamous moment in the Five kage summit arc, when she tried to take down Sasuke with a poisoned kunai. In this moment Obito is asking Sakura to stab his rinnegan eye with a kunai. In both moments, she can’t come up with a resolve to use her kunai but just trembles centimeters away from her target. Taking her time shaking she then gets attacked by her opponent, and ends up being saved. In both cases, she wastes her chance because she’s a total whimp who has no resolve to do what she pretends she can do. And thus, the audience is annoyed once again. And the people who always knew what she was like make fun of her.

But Kishimoto won’t stop there. In the very same chapter, when Sakura is trying to heal Kakashi, Naruto takes over and not only heals him but also gives him a brand new eye, something Sakura of course isn’t able to do. Healing was the only thing she could do and even that was taken from her! So much for her being a relevant member of Team 7 who is on par with Naruto and Sasuke.

Kakashi then starts reminiscing about Team 7, and it ends with him reminding the three about his first lesson, which was team work being the key to success. So what happens?

Sakura begans to once again nurse her own insecurities and tries to show off to satisfy her own ego by charging at Madara and telling the boys to follow her. She has no idea of Madara’s strengths and weaknesses and what would you know, her punch is stopped and she gets stabbed in the chest and is once again rescued by Naruto. And what does she do? Mopes that Sasuke doesn’t pay attention to her nor seems to care. She cares more about showing off to Sasuke than defeating Madara, even when this is about a threat to the whole world. What a great shinobi. It’s a callback to part 1 when she moped over the fact Sasuke didn’t care about her climbing the tree. Just like with her shaking with the kunai, it’s just another moment that shows she never truly changes. Not in ways that matter.

And then we see Naruto and Sasuke actually fight Madara, and Sakura literally just stands there in awe of them. She’s shook by Madara’s power which she obviously had no clue about. Of course Sakura still tries to go after the boys but Kakashi stops her and says it’s pointless to do so unless she has a plan. And she stops, and stares at Naruto and Sasuke’s backs as they disappear. Hah. She once again, has failed to achieve the goal she sets for herself. Kishimoto hyped up team 7 yet constantly showed Sakura failing and being left behind, despite how much she claimed she could keep up with the two of them. The way Kishimoto writes her, by making Sakura herself or others hype her, and then showing she’s actually lame is very consistent and relentless.

Taking into consideration that she’s a main character, and all the times that she’s promised major improvement, what we received was just pathetic. When you add it to the fact that she’s a member of such an over-achieving team, it makes her look pitiful in comparison. But it’s supposed to be. Don’t even think this is unintentional from Kishimoto. Sakura was supposed to be someone who never changes.

SAKURA’S PERSONALITY AND HER RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Now a little more on Sakura’s personality and the way she interacts with others which is definitely one of the reasons why many people hate her.

In the beginning, she is introduced as a shallow girl who is focused on her looks and getting the attention of the popular boy in the class, rather than being a good shinobi. She gets called out on her vanity by not only Sasuke but also by her enemies. She is pretty quick to give up on the bell test which annoys Sasuke. One wonders why is she even a shinobi when her resolve is so weak. She beats and berates Naruto and is only able to treat him better by mimicking Sasuke. Despite Kakashi’s comments on all of them maturing Sakura hasn’t changed at all at the start of the Chunin exam arc but she keeps asking Sasuke on dates instead of training and also squeals for him like a fangirl. She mopes that she’s not good enough for the Chunin exam and only gets motivated when Sasuke compliments her. This type of shallow and weak characterization made many people instantly dislike her.

In the chunin exams we also find out she broke her friendship with Ino after she found out Ino liked Sasuke as well. This is something that gave more background to her character but at the same time made people dislike her even more, since Ino is someone who reached out to Sakura and helped her build her self-esteem yet Sakura simply dumped her and started a catty rivalry over Sasuke. In Part 2, they only interact once, and during that moment Sakura wants Sai to call Ino ugly. You can’t really call it a beautiful friendship when Sakura is constantly shown as catty and the only person who does anything for the other is Ino. It’s Ino who reaches out to Sakura. It’s Ino who comes to her rescue in the Forest of Death. It’s Ino who compliments her after their match. What has Sakura done for Ino other than wanting her to be called ugly and teaching her kid to keep Ino away from Sasuke?

During Sakura and Ino’s match, Kakashi says Sakura isn’t the type to brag and bully others, even when we have seen her do both constantly. Already in the Land of Waves she bragged how she doesn’t need to train despite not being able to do anything in a fight. She also constantly berates Naruto and acts superior to him, aside from punching him all the time over nothing. Sakura having a bloated sense of superiority and tendency to brag about her skills is a consistent character trait of hers. But she never manages to truly back up her arrogant attitude but comes off as weak and overall irrelevant, which is yet another thing that makes her an unlikeable character in the eyes of the audience. In the war she also insults Tsunade, the one who taught her, while boasting how she is better than her like she’s some badass when she is far from it. When has she created her own jutsu or made anything revolutionary? During the same chapter she also brags how she’s gonna steal the Hokage seat from Naruto. Yes Naruto, the guy who keeps saving her useless ass all the time.

Speaking of Kakashi, he is a character that Kishimoto used in his writing as someone who treats Sakura with kid gloves and coddles her. This is one reason why some people defend her character, and why some people ship the two of them. If you’re a Sakura stan, it must feel validating when some character constantly defends your fave’s stupid behavior. But Kakashi is someone who not only admits to not understand Sasuke, but also someone who clearly doesn’t understand Sakura, as we see from the earlier image how Sakura’s behavior contradicts with Kakashi’s claims since the beginning. Basically, if you need to know how Sakura really is like, just flip what Kakashi says about her and you’ll know. Since Sakura is part of the main team, Kishimoto needed some character to defend her behavior so she wouldn’t be confronted about it too much. But smart readers aren’t fooled. It’s also worth noting that Kakashi tells Sasuke Sakura still loves him despite the fact Sasuke tried to kill her, while conveniently omitting the fact Sakura went there to kill Sasuke herself. This makes Kakashi look hypocritical but Kishimoto needed some character to do this because of Boruto, and it’s not like he was gonna use Naruto, the one he himself called Sasuke’s ally.

Then we have Sakura’s hypocritical behavior, that Kishimoto also consistently portrayed. During Sakura and Ino’s match, Sakura says Ino is a girl who is focused only on her looks and that she wouldn’t want to be on the same level with her, despite the fact Sakura herself was shown brushing her hair in the Forest of Death and getting dragged for her vanity. She also got upset and hit Naruto when he tried to pee in front of her, saying she’s a lady, yet thought to herself how she would like to see Sasuke pee in front of her. When trying to plead to Sasuke to not go, Sakura says revenge won’t bring anyone happiness, but when it doesn’t work she flips completely on what she said and asks Sasuke to take her with him so she can help him. Even if she acts like she cares about Sasuke’s well-being, what she really cares about are her own feelings. Sasuke unsurprisingly finds this annoying as do many readers. Sakura makes fun of Naruto and insults him, yet gets enraged when Sai calls her names and she proceeds to hit both him and Naruto. She also gets mad at Konohamaru and Naruto for their sexy no jutsus, yet when Konohamaru showed her hot boys naked, one of them being Sasuke, she went all gaga over it.

Sakura is also introduced as a bully who beats Naruto up and mocks him in front of Sasuke who then proceeds to call her out on her terrible behavior. In this chapter, Kishimoto made Sakura call Naruto ”annoying” and then made Sasuke throw her own insult back at her when Sakura mocked Naruto, by calling her annoying. Something that is worth noting is that while Sakura also reacted to Lee badly at first, after he saved her she didn’t do anything bad to him anymore. Yet while she later realizes she was wrong about Naruto’s resolve, and that he cheers for her when she needs it, and that he saved her countless times, she keeps beating him up over nothing and berating him. She still keeps calling him stupid and acting like she knows better. This is why whenever she cries for him, it’s hard to feel any liking to her, because she comes off as more like a poser who will surely soon bash his head in if he dares to behave like himself, or drop him for the sake of Sasuke. Her treatment of Naruto is unreasonably bad at times, but it’s easily explained. In the beginning we find out Sakura dislikes Naruto because she thinks he comes between her and Sasuke. And we see many instances where this notion is amplified by the text. But Sakura is too delusional to understand the reason there is distance between her and Sasuke is simply because Sasuke isn’t interested in her, she’s too shallow and juvenile for him to pay attention to.

Her fake confessing to Naruto and trying to manipulate him made a lot of people lose all respect for her. She also showed she knew so little of Naruto she accidentally managed to tap into all of his insecurities in her confession. She also somehow believed Naruto was really chasing Sasuke for her sake and that he would give up if she offered herself to him.

Her second confession to Sasuke is also very telling of her jealousy of Naruto and Sasuke’s bond. She yells how she can’t exchange blows with Sasuke, how she can’t get close to him, how the only thing she can do is cry and beg. Considering how Naruto is the one who is about to exhange blows with Sasuke yet again, and how Sasuke after their fight talks about how Naruto kept coming closer to him, Sakura is clearly thinking of Naruto when she is having this meltdown. Sakura was shown to be jealous of Naruto’s improvement and skills in Part 1, but she is also jealous of Sasuke’s care and love for Naruto, which she wants for herself and thinks she is entitled to. Even at the start, Kishimoto said Sakura thinks Naruto stole Sasuke’s first kiss which she thought belonged to her. It’s no different at the end of the series. Her outburst is her fighting for what she thinks is rightfully hers, Sasuke, despite the fact he has given no indication that he loves her. But this makes sense. Afterall, we see Sarada come between Ino and Sasuke while Sakura laughs nervously in the background. Despite everything Ino has done for Sakura’s sake, she still sees her as a threat, to the point her own kid is doing the dirty work for her.

Let’s talk more about Sakura’s relationship, or lack there of, with Sasuke. We know Sakura was portrayed like any other fangirl of Sasuke in the beginning, who liked his looks and how cool he was. She never tried to approach Sasuke as a friend but only kept asking him on dates despite his blatant rejections. She never says why she loves him, or even likes him. According to herself Sasuke never says anything to her. Her first confession showed how little she understood Sasuke. She was the girl with everything, with family, while Sasuke and Naruto had nothing. Yet she had the nerve to say if Sasuke left she would be just as lonely as he was. She’s comparing the massacre of Sasuke’s family to a boy she never talks to leaving her, while disrespecting her own parents in the process. How juvenile that must have sounded like to someone like Sasuke. In Part 1 Sasuke occassionally protects Sakura because she’s too weak to protect herself, and in part 2 Sakura probably wanted to entertain the thought Sasuke would still have this consideration for her. But in Part 2 Sasuke treats Sakura like a fodder ninja. She doesn’t manage to get a proper reaction out of Sasuke who focuses on Naruto everytime he meets up with his former team. Sasuke also leaves Sakura to die couple times while choosing to save Naruto instead. Despite all this, Sakura still thought she’s entitled to Sasuke, and in her second confession she started to yet again scream how much she loves Sasuke and how much she hurts due to it. In both of her confessions she is guilt tripping Sasuke and trying to make him pity her. In both of her confessions she makes everything about herself. She admits to herself she can’t do anything for Sasuke, yet she tries to win him over by pity. But she annoys Sasuke once again, and he puts her in a murder genjutsu. Sasuke then says they have no reason to love each other. And he’s right. What does Sakura know about Sasuke? Clearly nothing, considering she said the worst things she could have said during both of her confessions. She heard Sasuke talk about wanting change, yet she started to scream how if Sasuke stays with her, things can go back to how they were. It’s like the most basic things she doesn’t understand. She’s just an overemotional child who has nothing of worth to say. Kakashi who coddles her tries to talk to Sasuke on her behalf as well, insisting Sakura suffers for loving him. Sasuke then thinks of his family and says perhaps those are ties to a failed past. As in Sakura literally lives in the past. And she does. Despite the fact everything has changed, she thinks about the moment when Sasuke thanked her, and ignores him calling her annoying for her ignorant comments, or the fact someone who wants change obviously doesn’t want to go back to the way things were. This brutal rejection though still won’t slow Sakura down, but after Sasuke is leaving to his atonement trip Sakura blushes like a school girl and asks to come with him. After him mocking her and putting her in a genjutsu, this is what she does.

And Kishimoto still won’t stop there. After all of Sakura’s boasting that ended in failure, after the brutal genjutsu and her being made mostly irrelevant, we see her destroy her own house because her kid asked about her marriage with Sasuke and she got insecure. I have to ask how do some people not realize Kishimoto despises Sakura and writes her as a terrible person? She is a bad daughter who doesn’t understand how lucky she is but is ready to ditch her parents for an indifferent boy’s sake. She is a bad student who disrespects Tsunade for no reason. She is a bad friend who treats Ino and Naruto badly out of insecurity. She is a bad person who treats the target of her crush like an object instead of a person. She is a bad shinobi as well who is most of the time a liability. And she is a bad mother as well. When she’s insisting to Sarada that Sasuke cares about them, she’s sweating and looking nervous, she’s clearly not confident in what she says. Kishimoto also drops two implications that Sasuke never kissed Sakura. Because that is apparently important for us to know. Sakura then tries to insist a forehead poke is better than a kiss. Yet when Sasuke is leaving, she is waiting for a kiss and not a poke. And she is rejected, and looks like a wet rag just like everytime Sasuke rejected her before ever since she was a kid. It’s hard to think of a female character that is more pathetic than her.

And yet, we have SS insisting Sasuke surely knew Sakura could take care of herself, that’s why he left her to die and saved Naruto instead, who didn’t need saving. Surely Sasuke thinks about Sakura as an individual and not just a member of team 7. Despite the fact we have never seen Sasuke think about Sakura outside of team 7 context nor say anything about what he likes and admires about Sakura. Surely Sakura is the most important person to Sasuke, that’s why Kishi wrote Sasuke say to Hagoromo, to Naruto and to himself that Naruto is the only one he still cares about. That’s why Kishimoto wrote Sasuke say Naruto is the only one who never gave up on him. That’s why he wrote Sasuke say Naruto alone saved him. Despite the fact Sakura wanted to be part of saving Sasuke with Naruto, Kishimoto would never let her. Because he doesn’t like her, or SS.

As a final note, a lot of the manga revolved around the importance of family and bonds, yet Sakura, the girl who had parents unlike the rest of her team, is shown to disrespect them everytime she brings them up. And she’s never redeemed on this. This is also intentional from Kishimoto, of course. Sakura is too selfish, too ungrateful and shallow to understand what she has. She’d rather chase a guy who keeps rejecting her like he’s some trophy she owns, all the while trivializing his pain over the loss of his family, by acting like she understands. And she’s ready to throw away her parents, her friends, and her dignity for the sake of this guy who was never interested in her. What’s worst is she had many opportunities to change and mature, yet she choose not to. And thus she remained the same self centred, superficial person she always was.

Actually this is the final note: @sneezemonster15 is a co-creator of this post. She has also talked about Sakura on her blog, for example that war arc part here. Another example is here (but you can just generally go through her anti-sakura tag). But I wanted all this on one big text since certain people are very stubborn about us “picking” supposedly minor things to bash Sakura for when this is throughout the whole manga. And since tumblr doesn’t let her add more than 10 images to a post for some reason I decided to write this down.

[cupidseok]

necklace of stars, waiting for you by the carousel

PAIRING eunseok x reader

SYNOPSIS eunseok remembers all of his past lives. when he finally found his lover, he was unfortunately robbed of their time together. eunseok then continues to live multiple more lives, always in search of his lover, hoping they’ll meet again in another life.

GENRE reincarnation au, soulmate au, angst, fluff

WARNINGS death, a male being reincarnated into a female; do not read if uncomfortable with these topics !

AUTHOR’S NOTE i recently rewatched eunseok’s smrookies vlog where he went to everland and it reminded me of see you in my 19th life, so i decided to write this cause he was just too cute 🫶🏼 it’s also my first time writing something other than an essay for school work, so feedback is greatly appreciated. hope you enjoy this 🧡

WORD COUNT 1.7k

“won’t you ride the carousel with me ?”

“i want to go to the horror maze though.”

eunseok had lived many different lives. one after another. the years and lives he has lived seemed to blur together, until he met you. he had always been content with living alone, in isolation. he knew that all the relationships that he painstakingly built would inevitably disappear, like snowflakes melting on a warm palm. he knew that better than anyone else after the overwhelming heartbreaks he went through in his first few lives, which led him to be unfeeling and indifferent.

eunseok clearly remembers the exact moment in which his whole life started to change – the very moment in which your large doe eyes met his and a “sorry” slipped out of your mouth as you rushed to pick up the books you caused him to drop, a flush evident on your face. it was then that he started to allow himself to feel again, just for you.

“but that’s so scary ! let’s ride the carousel instead, please ? it’s our anniversary after all.”

“i’ll think about it.”

“eunseok !”

eunseok smiled softly at your pleas, wide eyes looking up at him. his heart fluttered with the delicate grace of snowflakes, on the brink of a winter wonderland of happiness.

“i’ll follow you wherever you go.”

he reached into his pocket and pulled out something.

“what’s that ?”

“for you.”

it was a pretty silver necklace with a star charm hanging off it. with both his and your initials engraved on each side of the charm. you turned around and let him clasp the necklace around you. it was so pretty to you.

idle chatter and music from the playlist eunseok made for you filled the confines of the car. your animated gestures when you talk, your sparkling eyes when the streetlights reflect on them, your adorable giggles when he makes a dad joke and your endless fidgeting in anticipation of your anniversary together. you in your slightly oversized pink parka, seated next to him in the warm and cozy car. eunseok feels as if all the empty crevices in his heart were overfilled with you and you alone. perhaps amidst the frost-kissed chapters of his life, there will be enchanting moments waiting to unfold.

a car’s honk.

“eunseok ! careful !”

the roads, slick with a layer of frozen precipitation, caused tires to screech and cars to veer out of control. amongst winter’s serene beauty, an ear-piercing symphony of metal crushing and glass shattering. swirling snowflakes, momentarily suspended in the aftermath.

eunseok regained consciousness to come face to face with his lover, bloodied and bruised. your pink parka stained red.

“no.”

he reached over his cut-up and trembling hand to cradle your head as he desperately searched for any sign of life.

“no please.”

eunseok’s heartbeat echoed painfully in his ears. why ? why in this life ? why is fate so unfair to me ?

“i’ll follow you wherever you go, my love.”

he cradled your unresponsive body close to his as he slowly felt himself losing consciousness.

sirens filled the neighbourhood as onlookers whispered amongst themselves. the stark contrast of the pure white snow against the pool of blood and pile of wreckage painted a macabre image. you and eunseok, close together in winter’s unforgiving embrace.

as the paramedics tried to pull the two limp bodies apart, they found out that they couldn’t as their silver necklaces were entangled together.

my first life without you

fate was unkind to eunseok in this life too. in this life, his name is jack somer, born in australia. because he was born into a poor family, eunseok worked really hard. he worked hard to earn enough to sustain himself and his family, consisting of his mother and brother from this life. he worked hard in hopes of seeing you once again. however, he was largely preoccupied with earning money for his family, so he could not put aside much time to look for you.

on very rare occasions, eunseok would manage to save up enough money to enter the local carnival. he would then spend his day sitting on the bench in front of the carousel, watching as people walked by. watching couples happily chatting with each other while holding each other’s hands. just like what you and him would have done if you both made it to the theme park that day. watching young children run around, causing their parents to freak out over them. just like the family you and he dreamed of having one day. watching people being together. just like you and him once were. but he never found you. or perhaps you were not reincarnated in this lifetime.

my second life without you

in this life, eunseok is well-known by many as marcelle beaumont, a famous french designer who established her career in fashion design through her winter collection. during the winter, you could see many citizens wearing pink parkas from her brand, the most popular item in her collection that was extremely well-received by the public. she wondered why the red parka wasn’t popular.

due to the successful launch of the clothing line, eunseok had plenty of connections to the rich and powerful in society. he utilised those connections to the fullest, but yet he still could not find any trace of you. or perhaps you were not reincarnated in this lifetime.

my fifth life without you

song kang. one of the top south korean actors. popular for his melodramas. you always loved to watch melodramas with him. and he would always pull you into his warm embrace afterwards to comfort you when you were upset about the expected tragic ending of the drama. this was eunseok’s fifth life without you already. and he was feeling increasingly anxious and uneasy without you by his side. it didn’t take much for him to act sad in dramas. after all, all he had to do was recall the accident and tears would start flowing endlessly.

as eunseok faced the large crowd, flash blinding his eyes, all he could do was put up a forced grimace. at every drama screening, his eyes would dart around, a tinge of hope as he scanned across every face in the crowd. as always, the knot in his stomach would tighten with every unmet gaze and he allowed defeat to seep into him once again. he later accepted that he would not find you in this life. or perhaps you were not reincarnated in this lifetime.

my eighth life without you

kazuha nakamoto was his name in this life. eunseok was a famous female japanese musician. he briefly wondered : had he been a famous japanese musician before ? but his memories of his past lives were foggy. it seems like he could not clearly recall anything that happened before he met you.

“memories” is yet another timeless song that eunseok would leave behind in this world. talking about his happy memories with you. in his life with you, you really loved a japanese group called akb48. maybe he could let you listen to “memories” when you both meet again. a song made just for you, eunseok thinks you’d really like that. he did not meet you in this lifetime either. how many years have passed ? he was getting tired. but it’s alright, because he’ll follow you wherever you are.

my tenth life without you

“it’s almost been a thousand years.”

eunseok sat on a bench, facing the front of the carousel. he was dressed to the nines in his sharp and sleek suit tailored just for him, with an expensive silver watch adorning his wrists and a silver star necklace hidden underneath his crisp white blouse. a pink parka laid on his lap, in case he got cold. in this life, he was reborn as song eunseok once again. this time, he is the son of a ceo in south korea.

“where are you ? i’ve been trying to find you yet there’s not a single trace of you for me to follow.”

eunseok continued to sit at the bench for hours, staring at the spinning carousel and trying to block out the laughter from all around him. he felt hollow. the heart-wrenching feeling he had experienced every day since he got separated from you was slowly fading, replaced instead by emptiness. it was as if he returned to his past self, the cold and emotionless person he was before he met you.

soon it was almost 8pm, and eunseok stood up from his seat, ready to leave. he bumped into someone of a rather short stature, carrying a telescope stand that seemed too heavy for them.

“hi sir ! are you leaving already ? there’s a special stargazing event tonight hosted by the celestial horizon society ! i’m part of it. would you like to join us ?”

“no, it’s alright. thank you for the offer,” eunseok muttered an excuse, wanting to get home and rest already. he was exhausted with the paperwork that his father piled on him and his driver was waiting for him.

“but the event is only for today; it would be a shame if you missed it ! stars are really pretty, you know. i can tell you must like them too; you even have a star necklace ! it suits you very well, by the way.”

eunseok hadn’t even noticed that his necklace had accidentally slipped out of his blouse, being too engrossed in his thoughts beforehand. he gently slid his thumb over the necklace, feeling the engravings of your initials.

“okay.”

“great ! i’ll lead you there, sir ! my name is y/n, sorry i forgot to introduce myself,” you tilted your head so that the telescope stand wasn’t hiding your face anymore.

as eunseok’s eyes lay on the sight of your face, the frosty air seemed to tighten around his chest, creating an icy embrace that left him breathless.

“you. i finally found you.”

“sorry sir, have we perhaps met before ?” a confused expression overcoming your soft features.

“no. we have not. but i would like to get to know you. i’m song eunseok, nice to meet you, y/n. before we go stargazing, would you like to ride the carousel with me ?”

© cupidseok — do not copy / repost / translate my works

[marichive]

𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖 : 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄

Writing / roleplay prompts collected from the POV chapters of Jon Snow in A Game of Thrones , the first book of the ASOIAF saga. Feel free to adjust pronouns / etc. as needed.

tw: dark & mature themes, death, violence, suggestive / sexual content

❝ This is what a king should look like. ❞

❝ Hungry again? ❞

❝ Is this one of the direwolves I’ve heard so much of? ❞

❝ Summerwine, nothing so sweet. How many cups have you had? ❞

❝ I believe I was younger than you the first time I got truly and sincerely drunk. ❞

❝ He’s not like the others. ❞

❝ He never makes a sound. ❞

❝ Don’t you usually eat at the table with your brothers? ❞

❝ She thought it might give insult to the royal family to seat a bastard among them. ❞

❝ My brother does not seem very festive tonight. ❞

❝ The queen is angry, too. ❞

❝ He took the king down into the crypts this afternoon. The queen didn’t want him to go. ❞

❝ You don’t miss much, do you? ❞

❝ We could use a man like you. ❞

❝ Take me with you when you go. ❞

❝ Father will give me leave to go if you ask him, I know he will. ❞

❝ Bastards grow up faster than other children. ❞

❝ Someone should have told him that war isn’t a game. ❞

❝ I forget nothing. ❞

❝ I want to serve. ❞

❝ You don’t know what you’re asking. ❞

❝ We have no families. None of us will ever father sons. Our wife is duty. Our mistress is honor. ❞

❝ A bastard can have honor too. ❞

❝ I am ready to swear your oath. ❞

❝ Until you have known a woman, you cannot understand what you would be giving up. ❞

❝ I don’t care about that! ❞

❝ If you knew what the oath would cost you, you might be less eager to pay the price. ❞

❝ I’m not your son! ❞

❝ Come back to me after you’ve fathered a few bastards of your own, and we’ll see how you feel. ❞

❝ I will never father a bastard. Never. ❞

❝ I must be excused. ❞

❝ Is that animal a wolf? ❞

❝ What are you doing up there? ❞

❝ Why aren’t you at the feast? ❞

❝ Shy, isn’t he? ❞

❝ You can touch him now. He won’t move until I tell him to. I’ve been training him. ❞

❝ If I wasn’t here, he’d tear out your throat. ❞

❝ Did I offend you? ❞

❝ You have more of the North in you than your brothers. ❞

❝ Let me give you some counsel. ❞

❝ Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. ❞

❝ Make it your strength, then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you. ❞

❝ What do you know about being a bastard? ❞

❝ All dwarves are bastards in their father’s eyes. ❞

❝ I don’t even know who my mother was. ❞

❝ What are you doing here? ❞

❝ You’ve said it. Now go away. ❞

❝ I told you to leave. We don’t want you here. ❞

❝ He’s my brother. ❞

❝ Shall I call the guards? ❞

❝ You can’t stop me from seeing him. ❞

❝ I’m sorry I didn’t come before. I was afraid. ❞

❝ I have to go now. ❞

❝ I wanted him to stay here with me. ❞

❝ I prayed for it. He was my special boy. ❞

❝ Sometimes prayers are answered. ❞

❝ It wasn’t your fault. ❞

❝ I need none of your absolution. ❞

❝ It should have been you. ❞

❝ Leaving is harder than I thought. ❞

❝ You Starks are hard to kill. ❞

❝ I have one more farewell to make. ❞

❝ I was afraid you were gone. ❞

❝ What did you do now? ❞

❝ I have something for you to take with you. ❞

❝ This is no toy. ❞

❝ Be careful you don’t cut yourself. The edges are sharp enough to shave with. ❞

❝ You’ll have to work at it every day. ❞

❝ How does it feel? ❞

❝ First lesson, stick them with the pointy end. ❞

❝ I wish you were coming with us. ❞

❝ Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle. Who knows? ❞

❝ Put down the sword first. ❞

❝ I can only stomach so much ineptitude in any one day. ❞

❝ How often must I tell you no? ❞

❝ You broke my wrist. ❞

❝ I’ll break the other one for you if you ask nicely. ❞

❝ Look at me when I’m talking to you. ❞

❝ They hate me because I’m better than they are. ❞

❝ I’ve watched you fight. It’s not training with you; put a good edge on your sword, and they’d be dead meat. ❞

❝ You shame them. Does that make you proud? ❞

❝ You do want to know what’s on the other side, don’t you? ❞

❝ It’s nothing special. ❞

❝ No one cares where you sleep. Most of the old keeps are empty, you can pick any cell you want. ❞

❝ It’s better that I’m by myself. ❞

❝ Look, if you want, I can show you how to defend that. ❞

❝ There’s no honor in beating a fallen foe. ❞

❝ I’ve been bruised before. ❞

❝ If a bear attacked you in the woods, you’d be too stupid to run away. ❞

❝ Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it. ❞

❝ Do you like to hunt? ❞

❝ I never thought it would be like this. ❞

❝ Last night I woke up in the dark and the fire had gone out, and I was certain I was going to freeze to death by morning. ❞

❝ I never saw snow until last month. ❞

❝ I’ll die if I have to climb that. ❞

❝ I don’t like high places. ❞

❝ Sometimes I dream about it. ❞

❝ I’m afraid of what might be waiting for me. ❞

❝ The old Kings of Winter are down there, sitting on their thrones with stone wolves at their feet and iron swords across their laps. ❞

❝ Please do not imagine that it will truly be that easy, should you think to defy me. ❞

❝ I don’t know what you did, but I know you did it. ❞

❝ I’ve never had a friend before. ❞

❝ We’re not friends, we’re brothers. ❞

❝ Are you well? ❞

❝ You planning to drink that all yourself? ❞

❝ You did all you could. ❞

❝ I would not disturb your rest if it were not important. ❞

❝ And if I refuse? ❞

❝ I can stand here all night if I must. ❞

❝ The mystery of a midnight visitor is a welcome diversion. ❞

❝ Why kill one, to no end? Make use of him instead. ❞

❝ It makes no matter. All that is past now. ❞

❝ The penalty for desertion is death. ❞

❝ Might I go as well? To say my words at this heart tree? ❞

❝ Why would you forsake the gods of your father and your house? ❞

❝ The Seven have never answered my prayers. Perhaps the Old Gods will. ❞

❝ And what will my duties be? ❞

❝ Do you take me for a servant? ❞

❝ Don’t you see what they’re doing? ❞

❝ He wanted to shame me, and he has. ❞

❝ I never asked for this. ❞

❝ Dark’s falling, and there’s something in the smell of the night that I mislike. ❞

❝ Tell me how they died. ❞

❝ The Others are only a story, a tale to make children shiver. ❞

❝ The king is dead. ❞

❝ The things we love destroy us every time. ❞

❝ This could not have happened at a worse time. ❞

❝ I hope you are not thinking of doing anything stupid. ❞

❝ Whatever they do in King’s Landing is none of our concern. ❞

❝ Be strong. The gods are cruel. ❞

❝ I will not sleep tonight. ❞

❝ Gods, he’s dead, he’s dead, I saw him dead! ❞

❝ A dead man tried to kill me. How well could I be? ❞

❝ You do not look well. How is your hand? ❞

❝ The maester says I’ll have scars, but otherwise the hand should be as good as it was before. ❞

❝ It was my father’s sword, and his father’s before him. ❞

❝ I would not be sitting here if not for your. ❞

❝ Honor the steel with deeds, not words. ❞

❝ You’re the one who deserves the honor. ❞

❝ You told him, didn’t you? ❞

❝ Love is the bane of honor, the death of duty. ❞

❝ What is honor compared to a woman’s love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms? ❞

❝ We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy. ❞

❝ We all do our duty when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to walk the path of honor. ❞

❝ You must make that choice yourself, and live with it all the rest of your days. ❞

❝ Please, you must not do this. ❞

❝ Get out of my way. ❞

❝ You can’t. I won’t let you. ❞

❝ I would sooner not hurt you. ❞

❝ I am doing the right thing, so why do I feel so bad? ❞

❝ I belong with my brother. ❞

❝ You don’t have to tell me the words, I know them as well as you do. ❞

❝ So here are your choices. Kill me, or come back with me. ❞

❝ I won’t run, if that’s what you mean. ❞

❝ The hard truths are the ones to hold tight. ❞

❝ Was your moonlight ride so tiring? ❞

❝ You know? ❞

❝ They killed my father. Did you expect me to do nothing? ❞

❝ I ordered a watch kept over you. ❞

❝ My place is here. Where is yours? ❞

❝ I have no place. ❞

❝ When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits the Iron Throne? ❞

[ask-a-w]

Long recap about Death Island

Death Island aired on 22 June 2023 in my country and I watched it on the opening day.

Go in with low expectations and it's a fun action movie, don't expect a strong plot. The formula is similar to the previous RE CGI movies so the plot is pretty predictable!

As always, Leon destroys a vehicle and dangles from something with one arm. Leon is no longer cynical and depressed like he was in Vendetta.

Shipping is non-existent. Maybe some Valenfield if you take some scenes out of context. Cleon wise, also nothing since Leon only talks to Claire once or twice in the movie and it's about the mission. No Ada, sadly. For Jilleon, if you consider them being in the same room as shipping, sure. They conduct themselves professionally and Leon is his usual sarcastic quippy self.

Rebecca is just there 'cos she's the medical/science expert. Honestly both Claire and Rebecca don't do a whole lot in this movie.

There are no post-credit scenes.

I will be posting super lengthy spoilery recap below the Read More as I write down what happens scene by scene. So grab a drink and buckle in. If you can do a summary, feel free to do so.

Movie starts with a 1998 flashback featuring Dylan Blake, his best friend JJ, and other Umbrella soldiers in a truck that is headed towards Raccoon City in the very early days of the outbreak. They are given orders to evacuate Umbrella personnel & government officials only. If any civilian attempts to get through, they are to be shot on sight.

The truck reaches a blockade on the outskirts of the city where some uninfected Raccoon City citizens are scuffling with Umbrella soldiers. A government official’s car barely scrapes through the blockade.

The scene then cuts to Dylan, JJ, and team hiding in a butchery. Everyone except Dylan and JJ have been bitten. Orders are given on the radio to quarantine anyone who has been bit. JJ & Dylan separate themselves from the infected and hole up in a storage room that has a glass window that overlooks the adjacent room where the infected soldiers are. New orders are given that HQ won’t evacuate any uninfected Umbrella soldiers unless they kill their infected comrades. JJ readies a submachine gun (SMG), Dylan disagrees and briefly scuffles with JJ as their teammates turn into zombies and bang on the glass window which shows signs of fracturing. JJ gains the upper hand and starts shooting the zombies as Dylan lays on the floor and screams at JJ to “Stop it!”

Opening sequence time featuring each character’s mish mash of scenes from the games and this movie. You see everyone’s profiles and Leon’s profile is all redacted in black bars. Even his nationality is redacted which amuses me.

We are then shown a street in San Francisco in 2015 where Leon has parked his lime green motorbike on the side of the road as he listens to instructions from Hunnigan. They got back the OG voice actress for Hunnigan but we don’t get to see Hunnigan's face for this movie.

Hunnigan mentions a government employee who specialises in robotic engineering by the name of Antonio Taylor and he is wanted by the government for leaking military secrets to overseas groups. He has been kidnapped by terrorists in a white & orange truck and Leon is tasked to intercept said truck and “rescue” (aka arrest) Dr Taylor.

Leon spots the truck and there is a very exciting motorbike chase scene with the super powered Maria (from Vendetta) who interferes with her own motorbike. Leon destroys her motorbike but she manages to jump onto his motorbike to fight him off. Needless to say, Leon gets thrown off the bike, rolls on the road with no damage but his bike explodes in the process as he laments, “I loved that bike.”

Next scene is Claire investigating an orca carcass that has washed up on a beach. The local fishery official noticed a TerraSave tracker on the carcass and that’s why Claire is brought in because TerraSave has places trackers on marine animals for some reason... She measures the bite wound and the official asks if a shark caused this. Claire says the wound is bigger than a shark's mouth and is puzzled.

After that we are shown Jill in the dark in a garage of a house. She darts around carefully, repeatedly clicking her flashlight on and off as she searches the house. Chris orders her on the comms to secure the street but Jill responds that it's too late as she is already inside the house and then she shuts off her comms.

You might be annoyed by Jill turning the flashlight on and off because I found it very distracting.

Anyway she reaches the second floor of the house, notices blood stains on the wall and finds a female corpse on the floor of a bedroom. She gets ambushed by a male zombie, tussles with it, smashes through the second floor balustrade onto the glass table on the first floor and kills the zombie. This is the scene that is shown in the trailer.

The SWAT team and Chris in his BSAA uniform enter the house. SWAT surrounds Jill and point their weapons at her as she raises her hands. Chris says "She's with me" (feel free to count this as an out-of-context Valenfield moment) and the SWAT team disengage and search the house. Chris admonishes Jill for going into the house without backup while Jill says she's not gonna stand by and wait if there are innocent people to be saved.

We are introduced to the final main character and Rebecca is in a lab doing some research on a laptop. Chris walks in and asks for updates regarding the infected that have recently popped up in San Francisco. Rebecca says the twelve corpses in the morgue have an advanced strain of T-virus, no bite wounds, and only have needle marks. Those that are bitten by the advanced strain zombies do not turn but die from their wounds. They talk about Jill and if you watched the trailer, the conversation is about Jill and her lingering guilt of being brainwashed by Wesker.

We get to see another trailer shot of Jill shooting at targets in the gun range. Chris walks in and I don't know how Jill senses Chris is behind her but she knows he's there and takes off her ear mufflers. (Another Valenfield moment?) Chris discusses about Jill's recklessness. He talks about Piers Nivans from RE6 and how he was going to pass the baton to Piers but he tragically died to save Chris' life. Chris says people in their line of work have to be willing to die.

I can't remember much of the dialogue/argument between both of them but there's something along the lines of being soul-less and empty inside and how Jill continues to fight so she won't dwell on being empty. She ends the argument by putting on her ear mufflers and continues to angrily shoot at her targets.

Finally, we are in the big bad's secret liar where Maria and Dylan are holding a hooded Dr Taylor hostage (you won’t see the doc’s face until the later part of the movie), forcing the doctor to do some stuff on the computer. Dylan is shown with a limp and a cane. Dylan empties his revolver and leaves one bullet in the chamber. He plays russian roulette with Dr Taylor and since the gun does not fire, Dylan merely remarks Dr Taylor "will die by some other fate". Dylan also has a weird tic where he taps his cane on the floor at least five times in succession. We will learn why later...

Dylan then puts the gun to his own head and there's another flashback to the butchery in the opening scene. JJ is momentarily overwhelmed by a zombie and gets bit before he finishes off the horde with the SMG. Dylan tries one last time to plead with HQ to evacuate him and the injured JJ but HQ says all those who are bit must be killed.

Dylan and JJ fight over the SMG, and JJ fires the gun in the tussle, shooting bullets into Dylan's leg (which is why he has a limp in the present day). Dylan manages to get the SMG in the end. Flashback ends there with Dylan in the present day pulling the trigger of the revolver but nothing happens.

[From this point onwards, I might not get the scenes correctly in order but the content of the scenes are fairly accurate.]

Claire goes to the same lab where Jill, Chris, and Rebecca are in. Rebecca has analysed the bite wound on the orca carcass which has some remnant T-virus in it. The orca has been part of the herd swimming around Alcatraz. Rebecca also says this new T-virus cannot be transmitted airborne or by saliva which is concerning.

Anyway, all the victims are linked to Alcatraz so Jill, Chris & Claire (gonna dub them the trio) go to investigate while Rebecca stays behind to create a vaccine, and also be the mission liaison in case things go wrong.

The trio join a group of tourists to visit Alcatraz while Dr Taylor has escaped. Dylan tasks Maria to recover their hostage as he notices on CCTV that the trio have set foot on Alcatraz. Just when the trio plan to split off from the tour group to do some private sleuthing of their own, the tourists take turns to become zombies without being bitten.

Lots of impressive fight scenes as the trio try and fail to save the civilians. A security guard with a SMG is surrounded by zombies and their combined weight makes them crash through the floor into a sewer(?) tunnel below. Even though Jill loses her gun, she jumps in after the guard to save him by kniving a zombie but the guard sadly turns as well. Jill is now separated from the Redfield siblings.

Dylan also releases a cage full of lickers underwater with marine-like ear features that remind me of the monster from The Shape of Water. I am calling them marine-lickers to make it easier.

The siblings are now alone, surrounded by bodies. Their comms are jammed and they are worried about Jill. Both hear a thumping coming from a cart and they open it to find a cowering man hidden within. He gives his name as "Tony Davis" and I could spot from a mile away that the man was Antonio Taylor. They all try to get out of the island.

Jill, armed with only a knife and flashlight, carefully explores the tunnels. She spots a shadow in the tunnel and to us viewers, it is very obviously Leon's shadow. Jill and Leon briefly brawl with one another and come to a stalemate as Jill finally gets a good look at Leon's face and just exclaims in surprise, "Leon?"

Leon recognises Jill as well and they disengage while Leon gives Jill a spare gun from his vest before they get interrupted by a zombie. Before they can kill the zombie though, it gets pulled away by a long tongue and Leon briefly mentions "Not good" before he motions to Jill to stay silent.

Jill also has her back partially on the floor and against Leon's knee/foot(?) and Leon has one knee on the ground while his other knee/foot/hand(?) is propping Jill's back. I gotta admire Jill's serious control over her abdominal muscles as the marine-licker comes out of the shadows and uses its tongue to "taste" the air around Jill's knee and face. Jill is very disgusted and is grimacing.

One of the containers beside Jill's face begins to fall and she manages to catch it in time but she does not notice a small cartridge on top of the container which clatters to the ground. Leon shoots the marine-licker ASAP as two more marine-lickers join in the fray and they try to run away.

Jill's ankle gets snagged by a marine-licker and Leon dives in to grab Jill's hand to prevent her from being pulled away. Both of them try to kill the marine-lickers behind each other.

They run again as a bunch of marine-lickers come out from the shadows and there is a funny dialogue of Jill asking "How many are there?" as Leon replies "I am not stopping to count" before he kicks up a jerry can and shoots it, incinerating the tunnel of marine-lickers. He then replies "Zero" as Jill goes "What?" and Leon clarifies there are now zero lickers. Pffft.

The Redfields and "Tony" are holed up in a cafeteria and when "Tony" learns Claire is from TerraSave, he accuses her of being a bioterrorist for what happened in Harvardville (Degeneration). Claire angrily retorts that TerraSave was framed.

"Tony" wanders off and gets ambushed by a zombie. Claire steps in to save him and "Tony" apologises for his behaviour. We are then shown something's POV as it flies around the three of them. It aims for Claire's neck and she collapses, seemingly paralysed. Chris rushes to his sister before he gets paralysed too. "Tony" just runs away before he sees Maria on the stairs.

And we are back to Rebecca in the lab as she receives a call from Hunnigan about someone hacking into the DOD (department of defence) to obtain confidential information about bioterror attacks that have happened since Raccoon City along with files on Leon, Chris, Jill & Claire. Rebecca says she has not heard from the trio for 2 hours and decides to go rescue them. (This scene is in the trailer)

Leon and Jill are squatting down and making their way through a tunnel. (Leon is taking the lead btw) Jill questions why there is such a tunnel down here and Leon says it's probably used for transporting weapons from when Alcatraz was a military base. Jill quips Leon should be a tour guide.

Leon feels a draft of wind coming from a nearby wall and he pulls apart the wall brick by brick to find a crawl space. We do not see them crawling as they next appear in a spacious liar that has baby BOWs that are being incubated in the water, an armoury loaded with a ton of weapons that is next to a submarine dock that was "probably leftover from the military base".

They find a console that showcases bio-drones which are essentially mosquito drones. Dylan cackles over the comms and taunts Leon and Jill to go back to the prison compound where Claire & Chris are waiting.

Back to the prison compound they go while Rebecca is shown gearing up and carrying a case of vaccines as she is escorted by a SWAT team.

In the prison compound, Chris is in one jail cell while Claire & "Tony" are in another cell next to Chris. The Redfield siblings are pale and clearly unwell. Leon finally notices that Antonio is in the same cell as Claire and reveals the doctor's identity to everyone. Leon is also bit by the bio-drone and he slumps down to the floor.

Dylan & Maria finally make their appearance to the heroes and there's some egotistical villain dialogue. Dylan briefly name drops Glenn Arias from Vendetta as it is revealed both of them were acquainted. He hired Maria as she has some unfinished business with Leon for killing her dad.

Dylan says they should all be fighting the big organisations like the government who hide the truth instead of going after companies like Umbrella and individuals on the black market. He especially mocks Leon for working for the government that is clearly corrupt and Leon just says "It makes a living".

Dylan jeers at Claire for working with a NGO that does nothing but "only provides bandages" instead of doing real work to prevent bioterrorism.

He also ridicules Chris for having people die on every mission he's on and he keeps bringing in new people every time only for them to lose their lives.

Jill is spared from infection as Dylan wants her to feel his pain of seeing close friends turn and having to put them down. Claire is on the verge of turning and Dylan encourages Jill to shoot Claire before she can attack Antonio. Dylan taps his cane again and we flashback to the butchery.

Dylan has the SMG pointed at JJ and he pulls the trigger but it's empty. JJ tries to rummage through the mess on the floor and finds another SMG but Dylan grabs a metal box and smashes JJ's head with it at least five times (same rhythm as the cane), killing JJ.

Jill has her gun pointed at Dylan instead of Claire and Dylan shoots Antonio in the chest anyway. Maria and Jill fight a tiny bit before Leon manages to throw a flashbang as a distraction for Jill to escape. Dylan and Maria leave after that for "their final plan" and Dylan tells Maria not to go after Jill because there is nowhere else for Jill to go.

A dying Antonio asks the heroes why they keep fighting when things are so bleak and Leon and Chris say "There's Jill". Claire tries desperately to staunch Antonio's bleeding before Antonio reveals a secret code for a failsafe hidden in his pen. He hands the code to Claire and passes away.

Back to Rebecca on a boat as they approach Alcatraz and pull up to a choppy dock. The SWAT team notice a bogey approaching on the boat's radar which turns out to be an infected shark. Everyone dies via shark except Rebecca (plot armour is strong!)

Jill meets Rebecca in the tunnels as Jill heads towards the secret liar and she tells Rebecca to go to the cell block as the others are infected.

Back to Leon, Chris, and Claire as they shudder in pain and try their hardest not to turn. Rebecca arrives and Leon recognises her and calls her by name. Rebecca administers the vaccine to Leon by injecting him in the neck.

Jill arrives at the secret lair and the baby BOWs have released tons of bio-drones into the air which has now spread all over the globe.

Back to Rebecca, Claire, and Chris as both siblings are now cured, albeit still weakened, and out of their cells. Leon is absent as he ran off to the secret lair as soon as he could stand.

Leon is back at the console in the secret lair and tries to stop the bio-drones but he is interrupted by Maria who wants revenge on him for killing her father in Vendetta. It's a very fierce battle since Maria is super powered and Leon is still recovering so he is barely dodging her attacks. Leon gets his head & body smacked a lot in this fight too. Ouch. Maria is the one that throws a chair at Leon in the trailer.

There are also meme worthy scenes of Maria trying to put Leon in a headlock with her legs... I'm sure dirty-minded fans will have a field day with this.

Leon gets a sudden rush of energy and manages to kick Maria so hard she gets impaled on a rebar and dies. Leon shows no remorse btw and he never flirts with her in this movie.

Jill finds Dylan at the submarine dock and he injects himself in the head with the advanced T-virus and falls into the water below to merge with the BOW shark.

We have all five heroes grouping up and pointing their weapons at the mutated Dylan which looks like a cross between an elephant, RE6 HAOS, and RE4 mutated Saddler. Trailer shot of all five of them jumping to avoid the tentacle and then all of them separate after that with Jill and Chris finding caches of weapons to attack Dylan, Rebecca and Claire fire RPGs before Leon asks Claire to use Antonio's passcode on the console. Rebecca decides to accompany Claire.

All the massive weapons deal no damage to Dylan. Leon even drives a truck full of explosives into Dylan too. (Second vehicle Leon destroys in this movie)

Jill finds a short-ranged plasma rifle and asks Chris and Leon to lure Dylan over to her. So we get the trailer shot of Leon driving a humvee while Chris mans the machine gun turret on the back, shooting at Dylan and trying to get Dylan within Jill's range. Jill fires the weapon and while Dylan is seemingly dead, he still comes back to life.

Jill tries again to fire the plasma rifle but it needs time to charge and she gets smacked away by Dylan and Chris runs up to her to make sure she's alright. (Another Valenfield moment!)

Jill, Chris, and Leon run around the dock as Dylan rampages.

Before Claire can enter the killcode, Rebecca stops her and says they can control the bio-drones and the drones attack Dylan's body, "messing with its DNA".

Dylan tries desperately to escape into the ocean and they all try to close the gate leading out to sea. The gate lowers very slowly...

Jill has found a bag of weapons(?) and pulls out a flare, taunting Dylan to follow her as Leon and Chris try to assemble this huge-ass RPG that requires two people to carry.

Jill then dives into the water, Dylan follows after her, and she tries to shove a grenade into Dylan's mouth but is briefly strangled by the strap of her bag of weapons. She knives Dylan's eyeball and cuts the bag strap to free herself. It almost looks like Jill loses consciousness & sinks but then the camera cuts away to Leon and Chris firing the huge-ass RPG on the chains of the gate to make it drop down even faster.

Gate drops down on Dylan's head but doesn't quite decapitate him, Jill's bag of grenades (I think) goes off and Dylan's body explodes in a shower of goo.

Jill climbs out of the dock, miraculously dries off within a minute, and looks at the water with Dylan's gooey body. Leon and Chris are further away behind her, look at the body for a few seconds before they turn and walk away.

Scene transitions to the outside of Alcatraz where it is now sunrise. Leon jokes he can add "tour guide" into his resume as three helicopters are seen flying towards Alcatraz.

The camera shows an overhead view of Alcatraz and slowly pulls out... before the end credits roll with reels from the movie shown on the left and names of the people who worked on the movie on the right. (Kinda like Damnation's end credits)

So yeah, that's the movie. Pretty linear and not as messy as Vendetta but still predictable as the villain turns into a BOW.

Thanks for reading! I know I got a little tired at the end. I would say to watch this movie when the blu-ray/DVD comes out, probably not worth the money to watch in the theatre.

[cyberrose2001]

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ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm Rose or Moni. I'm a silly Australian who's a bit too obsessed with transformers, specifically Ratchet. A couple of interests of mine are writing, fitness, traveling, paleontology/fossil collecting, space/the universe in general, and some others I haven't identified yet.

This will mainly be a Transformers x Reader blog. I will write fics that come into my mind or you can request them! My ask box will remain open most of the time so feel free to drop by! I will try to write as often as I can (I work night shift as a nurse so there may be a delay). I can write for any character and if I am unsure TF Wiki is only a click away. Continuities that I can write for are down below 👇

Transformers Prime (main continuity) Transformers: Robots In Disguise (2015) Transformers Animated Rescue Bots/Rescue Bots Academy Transformers Cyberverse

IDW MTMTE (Select few characters since I haven't entirely finished it yet)

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[colourstreakgryffin]

Angst ObaMitsu Scenario

*HOLY SHIT. THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS. THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS. ALL ANIMES-ONLY OR NON-COMPLETE MANGAS! PLEASE CLICK AWAY OR YOU’LL BE SPOILED*

Anyway. Re-read the ObaMitsu’s death panels and thought to myself. What would it be like if only one died, instead of both; So here is this very depressing scenario(s) I made up at 2am. I’m sorry, ObaMitsu fans.

Probably not the best thing to write as the first ObaMitsu post but whatever

Needed Warnings; mention of depression, mention of obsession, mention of seppkuku, mention of death, mention of mental health problems

If only Mitsuri died

Obanai woke up almost two months ago and is recovering finely

But Mitsuri hasn’t. She still hasn’t woken up

Obanai sticks by her bed everyday. Just hoping that she’ll spring back up any minute

He forgets to look after himself. He can’t continue whilst knowing Mitsuri is still so vulnerable and hurt

Giyuu has to drag him out of the room and pin him down so the girls can check up on her

It doesn’t work. Obanai breaks in and pushes Aoi off Mitsuri as she attempts to put a blanket over her. He is a complete mess but he needs to know what’s going on

Aoi sighs weakly. “I… I’m so sorry, Iguro-san. Kanroji-san… has passed away…”

Passed away? No. No. No. She must be joking

“We believe she did last night” “No… she can’t be… you have to be wrong!” Aoi only lowers her head

Obanai breaks down into a hysterical anger-mixed-sorrow fit. He refuses to believe Aoi is right but deep down, knows she is

Why did he have to survive and not Mitsuri? Why does he always end up escaping death when he deserves it?

Why couldn’t have he been the one who died?!

Giyuu, Sanemi and Tanjiro have to drag Obanai out, once again but this time, kicking and screaming

Eventually. Obanai cries

And he cries his heart out. The first time he has ever experienced such emotion

He gave everything he had to Mitsuri. And now, she won’t be on this earth to enjoy life with him

What’s the point of living anymore? He couldn’t stop the death of a person he loves so dearly

There is only two reasons Obanai won’t commit seppuku. One, Kaburamaru is far too important to him and two, Mitsuri always tells him to push forward

Every night. His dreams only consist of Mitsuri. Meeting him in the beautiful Sakura tree pathway they promised to find each other again in and pushing forward that he doesn’t take his life

“Wait! Obanai! Don’t do that to yourself! Stay alive. Please. I need you to! I— …I hate this too but do it for me. Won’t you?”

Obanai returns to the Serpent Estate broken in all forms for good. Sure, life is now much safer with the eradicating of demons but it isn’t colourful without Mitsuri

His world is monochrome. His eyes are basically dead, his voice is dark and lifeless. He is depressed

Obanai takes Mitsuri’s belongings. Every single thing she owned. Her katana, her uniform, her favourite hairclips, the keys to her estate, her cats. The Love Estate will end up empty

He protects her belongings like his life depends on it

Obanai looks after Mitsuri’s cats as intently as he looks after Kaburamaru

Obanai makes Sakura Mochi in his spare time. He never liked it but for Mitsuri, he started pushing himself to liking it

Obanai visits Mitsuri’s grave daily to sit in front of it and eat the Mochi he made

He pretends Mitsuri is talking to him. He nods and responds to nothing. He claims he can hear her talking

Whilst he can’t see anymore, no thanks to the irreversible damage of his eyes, he sees Mitsuri all the time

He is growing mentally unwell, the more he keeps up this routine. He is getting a bit obsessed with keeping Mitsuri in his life

He snatched Mitsuri’s fixed haori from Aoi and wears it over his shoulders all the time

He likes to pretend that Mitsuri married him. So, he sometimes calls the imaginary Mitsuri he talks to “my wife”

Obanai is more aggressive and sour after Mitsuri’s death. He can’t see himself making connections ever again. He is barely hanging on

He’ll live the rest of his broken life completely alone. No new love or no new friend. Just him, Kaburamaru and Mitsuri’s grave

No woman can match Mitsuri. They’re all pathetic, he can’t stand another woman after he lost the woman of his dreams

If only Obanai could sense the way Mitsuri cuddles his side. Her spirit, clings to him everytime he sits at her grave

Obanai always leaves beautiful rose bouquets and bowls of Mitsuri’s favourite ramen at her grave. Their always gone when he returns the next day

Obanai truly isn’t alone. Mitsuri is always following him around and pressing kisses on his forehead every night

Obanai, truthfully, is trapped inbetween fantasy and reality. Inbetween acknowledging that Mitsuri has crossed the rainbow bridge but yet refusing to admit in favour of pretending Mitsuri is still alive

Obanai treasures all the letters Mitsuri wrote about him. Sure, he can’t read them on his own anymore(Kaburamaru reads them for him) and he ends up crying and crumbling onto the floor

All he wants is Mitsuri back

If only Obanai died

Mitsuri wakes up in a hospital bed. She survived? But. What about Obanai?

Obanai… he isn’t in the room with her. Where is he?

She desperately climbs her way out of bed and clings onto the walls to walk through the hallway. She is in so much pain but she needs to see him

Busting into the other hospital room, Mitsuri is shocked by the sight before her

The Butterfly Assistants and Aoi are surrounding Obanai, putting a blanket over his resting body

“No! Wait! Stop! What are you doing?!” Mitsuri stumbles over when running to the bed and her head bumps against Obanai’s shoulder

Her heart almost stops and her eyes widened in fear

His bare skin is cold. He didn’t make any noise nor move

“I’m… so sorry, Kanroji-san… Iguro-san has… has passed away… we believe he passed away last night…” Aoi remarks gently

Mitsuri cries instantly and screams. She can’t hold back as she grabs onto Obanai’s arms and shakes him

She doesn’t want to believe he’s dead. He must be alive! He has to be!

Mitsuri shakes him until she has to stop, out of the extreme pain. Her heart shatters into pieces as she crumbles onto the floor and cries hysterically. She cries out his name, begging for the heavens to bring him back to her

The man of her dreams… has left her for good

Mitsuri never gets over this. Never. No matter how old she gets

She becomes semi-lifeless. Her smile is no longer genuine. Her eyes are almost grey. She becomes depressed

Obanai kept her smiling. Mitsuri doesn’t see any reason to pretend to be happy. She doesn’t care about her missing arm, she doesn’t care about the other Hashira

All she cares about is how she lost Obanai

Mitsuri eventually found and swiped Obanai’s repaired haori from Aoi and brought it with her to her hospital bed

She sleeps with it

And when she is released from the Butterfly Estate and returns to her Estate. She takes care of it like it has her beating heart in it

Mitsuri wears Obanai’s haori everywhere and every second of every day. Mitsuri never takes off Obanai’s haori for longer than changing. She’ll die wearing it

Mitsuri got Kaburamaru. She may struggle with separating Kaburamaru from Obanai but she still loves the serpent and keeps him with her as much as possible

Mitsuri visits Obanai’s grave everyday. She eats in front of it, she talks to it

She likes to pretend that she is still talking to Obanai. It’s her coping mechanism

Breaking her illusion will make her break down so don’t. Let her get it out of her system

It is so unhealthy but Mitsuri can’t bring herself to let Obanai go. She needs to feed her fantasies to keep herself from slipping further into depression

Mitsuri, however, is unaware of how Obanai is still with her. In spirit, laying his head on her shoulder as she forces out a laugh at her own joke

Mitsuri will definitely live the rest of her damaged life with no new love. Not a single man in Japan can compare to Obanai

She considers seppuku. At one point, she just wants to be in heaven with him. But Obanai talks her out of it

“Mitsuri! Put that down! Don’t hurt yourself! It’s not worth it! I know, I know you’re in pain. Please, stay alive… for me”

Can’t say Mitsuri becomes obsessed with Obanai after his death but she keeps basically all of his belongings and protects them with everything she has. His katana, his uniform, the keys to his estate, all trinkets of Kaburamaru’s, his favourite kimonos

Mitsuri even changes her last name to Iguro. It’s her way of dedicating herself to her one true love

Living in a fantasy where she married Obanai, despite the fact he is now above in heaven. Forced to wait for Mitsuri to come to him

But everybody can clearly see that Mitsuri’s sanity is chipping. She is losing herself in her depression, her grief, her regret

She is stuck between her fantasy and reality. She speaks outloud to Obanai’s grave when she is with it like it’s a person, but when literally anywhere else, she is relatively normal

Mitsuri still cries as hard when she reads the long letter Obanai wrote for her before he died. His battlefield confession replaying in her head as she keeps reading the most important parts. The parts that cements his love for her

All she wants is Obanai back

Changed the pic cause it was annoying

Well. Fuck. This is very depressing, Jesus and #firsteverpostpostedwithoutsavingittodraftfirst

[bullet-prooflove]

Valentine's Day Bingo: Love Letter - Criminal!Joe (feat: Terry Bruno)

Tagging: @plaidbooks @misscharlielulu @witches-unruly-heart @storiesofsvu @magic-multicolored-miracle @rosaliedepp @cycat4077 @deekaag @cixrosie @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @mysoulisasunflower @legit9thlunaticwarrior @thatesqcrush @mydarkestsecretlol @upsteadlogic @wooshwastaken @imaginecrushes @kiwiithecrazybird @justreblogginfics @anime-weeb-4-life @alwaysachorusgirl @telepathay @weiwei0210 @anaferreira-4 @dancingonthebeachatdawn @spaghettificationandpretzels @nu1freakshow @trublu2u @yezzyyae @thiashazzywriting @altsvu @dancingonthebeachatdawn

Hitting Bingo Square - Love Letter

Criminal!Joe:

The Wolf - Joe meets his queen in an unexpected place.

Reward - Joe rewards you for your loyalty.

One More (NSFW) - Joe ruins you when you display your devotion. 

Pictures of You (feat: Mike Duarte) - Mike discovers you’re alive.

Bleed - Joe learns the story behind your scars.

Use Me (NSFW) - Joe surrenders to you.

Red Flag - Terry thinks your a red flag in Joe’s operation.

Mi Amor - You decide to tell Joe how you feel.

Terry knows exactly what he’d doing when he gives you the letter that Joe has left his care.

Just in case, his boss had told him before his meeting with Duarte. If something happens to me, I need you to take her somewhere safe, you are the only person I trust to take care of her.

He doesn’t know what Joe’s written only that he’s meant to give it to you in the event of Joe’s death. It hasn’t happened yet but it’s only a matter of time. The word on the street is that Duarte’s out for The Wolf’s blood and Joe’s walking straight into his lair because the price is too high. He won’t give you up, you’re too important to him. Sometimes a King has to sacrifice himself for his Queen.

Mi amor, the letter reads. If this is how it ends, know that I love you more than life itself. Joe x

Your thumb traces over his blocky writing before you raise your eyes to meet Terry’s. You can’t let Joe do this. You’ve heard rumours about Mike’s brutality since your abduction, how unhinged he’d become. Your captors used to laugh about the people he was torturing to death in your name, the wrong people, people who knew nothing about what was happening to you. You know he’ll do worse to Joe, the man he thinks stole you away.

“Take me to them.” You request as you reach for your long black woollen coat. “I need to talk to them both.”

Love Joe? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[otherpeoplesheartachept-2]

day 1: A Record of You and I

A diary from the mid 1700s kept by a man named Simon Snow, a farmhand for the Grimm estate. He records the death and the subsequent vampiric transformation of his close friend, and heir to the Grimm estate, Basilton Grimm.

Rating: M

Length: 4,321

Warnings: main character death/undeath. non-graphic (maybe slightly graphic) depictions of violence/blood, mentions of animal death, implied sex

Read on AO3 or below the cut

September 3rd 1742

I've never had a journal before but Basilton tells me it will help with my reading and writing. He's taught me all my letters and wants me to practice on my own now. He says he’ll continue reading to me if I like. He’ll keep helping me with handwriting too, but Basilton insists that having a personal record will do me good. Even so, I do not know what to record. Though I must not waste this lovely gift. Basilton says to write about my day, my thoughts. He must have more thoughts within him than I, for I am already out of things to say, and Basilton adds to his journal at all hours of the day. 

September 6th 1742

Today I milked the cows and took them out in the field to graze. I ate fresh bread with a lot of butter.  I did some other chores. It is late. I do not wish to write more.

September 7th 1742

Today I had porridge for breakfast, and some tasty stew Ebb made for supper. Charlie, the cattle dog, found a new favorite stick out in the pasture today, he hasn't stopped chewing it since this morning.

September 8th 1742

I hope Basil will forgive me for my short entries. It's not as if he’ll read what I put down here. Personal journals are to be personal, he tells me. So I’m just meant to speak to myself? I will keep at it, if only to gain more surety in my handwriting. 

September 9th 1742

It is Sunday, I went to Mass. Basilton came to the cabin after the service. Brought me some scones Vera made. Sir Grimm does not approve of his son spending so much time with a farmhand, Basilton told me of another scolding he got earlier this week. I do not know why he spends time with me, against his father’s wishes, but I will not stop him. We ate lunch together. I enjoyed the food, and the company more. Basilton would call me a liar if he read that, my love of scones is rarely bested by anything, but Basilton is a good friend to me. 

Everything feels so easy with Basil. He can make me laugh no matter what, even when he's poking fun at me. We talked for hours yesterday, and he listened when I spoke about my days, my observations of the cattle. Basil worries I work too hard, but I don't do much really, and I enjoy the labor. Besides, what else am I to do with my time? We discussed a poem Basil had read to me a few weeks ago. I am not usually one for poetry, but Basilton speaks about poems in a way that makes sense to me. I thought him unbearably arrogant when I first started working for his family, speaking of literature constantly and looking down his big nose at me. He still is arrogant at times, but now that we are friends I know he is also kind and caring and truly intelligent. He speaks of his sisters often, and how he worries he won’t meet his father’s expectations. He remains unmarried and this troubles Sir Grimm. 

But Basilton has land to inherit and good social standing. He has many admirable qualities, and it goes without saying that he is handsome. He should have no trouble finding a wife. I said this to Basilton today but he became uncomfortable. Quickly, he brushed it off and picked up a new topic of conversation. This has happened before, I do not know if it’s the subject of marriage, or if he is too modest a man, but many times I have stated his good qualities, only for Basiton to blush and deny them, or leave the conversation. 

September 20th 1742

I ate Turkey for supper yesterday. One of the bulls charged at me today because I looked at him wrong. Bastard. Gareth made me help him till the field today. Another bastard. He said he couldn’t get it done in time without help, despite the crops being his and his sons’ job, and the cattle being mine. 

Went to the pub with Ebb, the goatherd yesterday. She told me a great joke about goats but I was drunk and can't remember it now. I might ask her to tell me it again.  

September 22nd 1742

Today was an easy day, I fiddled with my carving knife while out in the field. Made a little wooden Charlie but when I showed it to him the blasted dog chewed it up. I tried to stop him but then I just laughed. I suppose I’m glad he found my carving nice enough to devour. 

September 30th 1742

Basilton visited today. He brought me some of his books, said I could keep them, since I mentioned how much I liked the last one he read to me. I thanked him for the books, he is so kind to me. I do not know if I will ever read them though. Perhaps I should not have taken them. It’s not that I am ungrateful, I just didn’t know how to tell Basilton I mostly enjoy hearing his voice read to me, more than I care about the contents of the books. I am sad as this probably means he will not continue reading aloud to me. 

October 1st 1742

I’ve not been writing as much as I feel I should. I fear my life is just not that interesting. Basilton tells me it’s plenty interesting. He’ll listen to my stories about cattle and Charlie without complaint. Gareth tells me my stories are boring though. “Who cares if a calf was born with a spot that looks just like a field mouse?” he said to me when I told that story at the pub last week. As if throwing seeds on the ground makes for great stories. 

October 8th 1742

I found some poppies in the field, the first of the fall. I picked a couple of the red flowers. Gave them to Basil when he came round my cottage in the evening. He tried to resist them but I insisted. I told him it was repayment for the books he left with me. That wasn't all true, I just wanted to share the beauty of those little things with him. Basilton accepted the flowers then, I do hope he likes them. I cannot offer him much more, though I wish I had more to give to my friends. 

October 10th 1742

I tried carving a flower out of wood but I cocked it up. I might try again with a thicker stick.

October 12th 1742

The cattle are well. The sun is shortening our days. I heard a bird song I did not recognize today, while out in the field. It was lovely. I must start saving up for a new winter coat, mine is threadbare and has not been keeping me warm enough as the world gets colder. Basilton tells me he’s going deer stalking with his cousins in a few days. He will be gone for at least a month. It will be their first hunt of the season. 

October 15th 1742

Basilton left today. I tended to the cattle. I tried to brush off the sadness that seemed to hang over the day. Perhaps the cloudy days are affecting my mood, or the cold weather. I might just sleep early today. 

October 30th 1742

He died. On that trip he

November 25th 1742

I went to Mass today. I sat alone. I tried to welcome the Holy Spirit but I feel so alone in this world. I grieve Basil every waking moment. I thought this would pass, it’s been nearly a month and still the wound is as fresh as the day I learned of his death. I’ve never had someone to lose before, like this. I loved him deeply, as if he were my own family I have come to realize. I find myself almost grateful that I did not know my parents, that I will not, one day, have to grieve them as well.

The Lord’s Day is the most painful, God forgive my soul for saying so. I cannot distract myself with work. I try to pray, but my mind wanders ever back to my lost friend. I grow tired of writing, but I will not put down this journal forever, Basilton wouldn't want me to.

November 27th 1742

I woke up this morning to something strange. I found one of the cows dead in the field. I hadn’t noticed any signs of sickness in the herd, but there were also no signs of an animal attack. There was no wound I could find, no blood. She looked strange, I cannot say why, though. It was as if something was missing, from beneath the skin. I told Sir Grimm, and the other farmhands, in case there is sickness in the herd. I’ll be keeping a closer watch on the cattle.

November 29th 1742

I visited Basilton’s grave this evening. It did me no good. I only felt the pain of loss much stronger standing there, reading his gravestone. It was as if there were a stake ran through my chest. I could hardly breathe through the sobs that came out of me. It was so strange, knowing Basilton was so close, only two meters or so below where I stood, and yet he was impossibly far. 

It does me little good to dwell on these negative feelings. 

November 30th 1742

I try to fill my days with actions. I inspect the cows twice, three times over, to check for any signs of decaying health. I pace the perimeter of the field while they graze. I help Gareth work the land when I should be resting. I chop enough firewood for this winter and the next two. I stay too long at the pub and drink more than I can afford. I imagine spots in my cabin that need cleaning, and I scrub and scrub and scrub until the pain in my hands is all that I can feel. And yet, I still ache for the companionship of Bailston. What am I to do with myself?

December 1st 1742

I cannot stop thinking of Basilton. Truly, I never stopped thinking of him, even when he was alive and with me. The Grimm family told us he was trampled by his own horse, fell off it while hunting. In quiet moments my mind creates imaginations of his last terrible moments. When I lay in bed, if I am not drunk as a lord, I cannot sleep for hours. I pray to God for a miracle, but my pleas are left unanswered. I know it to be foolish, but I cannot help myself. I would do anything for Basilton. Anything to see him again. 

December 4th 1742

I do not want to write this, but I feel I must. I saw Basilton last night. I know, I know that he is dead, and God willing, he is at peace in heaven. But I came home from the pub late last night, crawled into bed, then, I saw Basil in my room, as if he were alive. He did not look ghostly, no, he looked as if he had new life coursing through him. His skin flush. His smile wide. There were no signs he had ever been dead. 

I cried out, I could not help it. He came to me, to my bed. I sat up to meet him. And he held me. A hand pressed to my chest, the other wrapped around my back. His dark hair against my chin as he rested his face to my collar bone. We did not speak. I feared I would wake from the dream. And it must have been a dream. 

I woke up this morning half expecting to see Basilton about the grounds, as if his death was a nightmare I could finally wake from. But he was not here, of course not. My mind has been so fixed on Basilton it only makes sense he would creep into my dreams.

December 5th 1742

It happened again, last night, I was not asleep this time. I was changing into my night clothes, when Basil appeared to me. I did not hear him come in. My candle cast his shadow against the wall. He must have been standing there as flesh and bone, not as a ghost or a vision. He wore regular clothes, not the burial shroud–made from his own family’s wool–that he was laid to rest in. He had on his purple vest with yellow embroidered flowers. It was one of his favorites, he told me years ago. Again he did not speak, but he touched my hand. He was so cool. a welcome feeling; I was so hot. I pulled him into an embrace. I whispered his name, I did not know what else I could do. I swear to God, he spoke my name in response.

Suddenly I felt so tired, so drained. Likely the day’s work catching up to me. I tried to fight the urge to sleep, but my eyes closed before I could watch Basilton leave, or say anything more to him.

December 6th 1742

Another cow, and one of the bulls have died, for the same mysterious reason as the first cow. The herd was restless yesterday, as if they could sense misfortune in the air, but I could not do anything to prevent their deaths. I do not even know what I need to be protecting them from.  

I am worried, and unsettled.

December 8th 1742

The night before this last I stayed up, hoping to see my old friend again, though he never came. But last night I saw Basilton again. He spoke this time, only my name. My heart filled with joy to hear my friend’s deep voice call me Simon after I was sure we’d never be able to speak to each other again in this life. He sat beside me on the bed. I told him I had missed him. He placed a cool hand on my cheek, looked into my eyes. His were a familiar light grey, but he wore an expression I couldn't make sense of.

Then, he kissed me. I hesitate to write these words. He must be a sodomite. I have always heard such men are evil, but I could never think of Basilton that way. He's always been so lovely. 

And the worst part is that I kissed him back. The best part is that I kissed him back. I have not kissed anyone before. He was so soft against my lips. So cool. His hand held my jaw, and his tongue pressed against my lips. An elation sprung up within me that I cannot describe. I held him tightly, wanting more than anything for this moment to last forever. I couldn’t help but think he should have done this sooner. We should have done this when Basil was still living. 

Oh God! I weep remembering that he is dead. 

Basilton kissed farther down my neck, across my collar bones, left kisses on my chest so hard they hurt. I did not stop him. He didn't go farther than my bosom, but-

I wanted him to. I felt as if under a spell, wrapped up in a world of pleasure balanced by the slightest pain. I wanted more, wanted all of him , but before I knew it I was awake, and alone, as the morning sun shown through my window. 

I was slow in my work today. Gareth noticed, told me I should not be so lazy. My body betrays me, I feel so weak.

December 13th 1742

Basilton visits me nightly now. I welcome his touches, his hard kisses. I walk through my days now, dreaming of night. 

The cows have begun to distrust me, they put up a fight when I try to milk them, and a few are no longer eating. I do not know why. Sir Grimm, despite having experience with livestock, seemed just as perplexed as I when I brought up the strange deaths and behaviors of his herd. Though, I know his mind is elsewhere, the mourning clothes he and Madam Grimm wear are a constant reminder of their loss.

I hear whispers at the pub of ghost sightings. I hear gossip from the house servants that the Grimm children wake up screaming in the nights now. 

December 19th 1742

The weather gets worse. I feel frozen to the bone. My hands hurt daily. My work gets harder, as more animals under my care drop dead, and my strength seems to dwindle with each moment. The waking world has no joy, no pleasure left. But I go through each day, waiting for night. Only at night can I remember what happiness is. Basilton comes to me. He holds me, and we kiss for hours. Basil leaves marks and bruises on my skin but I welcome it. My hands praise the skin he uncovers for me. We commit sins I never knew could bring such pleasures. 

December 20th 1742

I admit, I have not allowed myself to consider how or why Basilton appears to me alive, when I know he was laid in his grave two months ago. I just cannot think of it, I cannot search for reasons to distrust this gift I have. I may be a fool, or a doomed sodomite, but I cannot find it in me to fight what is happening. I cannot consider this to be anything but good or I might truly lose myself. 

December 24th 1742

Last night was disturbing. Basilton came to my room as usual. We kissed, and lay together, and I felt so joyous, but quickly the tides turned. He pinned my naked body to the bed. He sat over me and tore at my flesh with his bare hands. I cried out but I could not stop him. Some dark part of me did not want to stop him. Basilton lapped up the blood that poured from my chest like a starved dog. The unGodly sight did things to me. As if possessed by something, I craved his bloodshed.

I do not know what is wrong with me. 

I awoke with deep wounds on my chest. A mess of horror and lust arose within me as I touched the raised flesh, the dried blood. I know this is not natural, this is not holy. I should seek out a doctor, or a priest, but I can't stand the thought of losing my dear Basil again. I would open up a vein for him. I would tie our hearts together for eternity if it meant Basilton could be mine. 

December 25th 1742

It is Christmas Day. A holiday that should be full of cheer. Basil once told me it was his favorite holiday, so it holds an extra special meaning for me. I wish he had been here, enjoying the day. I try not to be too sad, he will be here soon, arriving with the stars in the sky.  

Ebb spent the day with me. I gave her a small wooden goat I carved. She does not say it but I know she misses her brother most around this time of year. I tried to be there for her, as I pretended not to notice the tears running down her red cheeks. But I found it hard to care. All my thoughts were consumed by anticipation for my next visit with Basilton. I know that is terrible. I tried to fight it, to focus on the friend I had with me at the moment, but I struggled. My mind, and my heart are trapped in a world with only Basilton and myself. A world no one else could understand. 

December 26th 1742 

Basilton attacked me again last night. My neck, chest, and stomach are covered in signs of his violent affection. Oh my dear God, I try to feel remorse, to summon disgust at our actions, but it is just not there within me. My mind is a haze of painful pleasure, my thoughts, along with my flesh and blood, fully consumed by Basilton. He is a fallen angel. He is a monster, and I must be one as well, but I have no will to change that. 

I love him. I’ll love him no matter what we become. 

I found more cattle dead this morning. Now nearly a third of the herd is gone. This time they have markings to match the wounds on my chest. 

I told Ebb about the deaths, she told me a few goats have passed as well. I will tell the baronet tomorrow. 

December 27th 1742

I went to tell Sir Grimm about the dead cows this morning. 

In the manor I overheard the baronet and baronetess speaking of another attack last night. I stopped myself short of the doorway into Sir Grimm’s study. I stood in the hallway, slowing my breath to hear them through the door. 

“Mordelia saw Basilton again last night. He hurt her, picked her up and left scratches on her back,” Daphne said to Malcolm. Sir Grimm stated he’s seen their son some nights as well. I became jealous upon hearing these words, at learning I was not the only one Basil is giving attention to. A foolish thought, of course he would want to see his family. But they spoke of him in fearful tones. They do not know my sweet Basil is only full of love. 

“He is a vampire,” Sir Grimm said. I had to stop myself from crying out. Madam Grimm gasped, begged him no. Sir Grimm mumbled something comforting. “It must be done. He’s not our son anymore, Daphne, he is an evil creature.” 

A vampire. The livestock dying, the frightened children, and my nightly visits from Basilton, all signs of a vampire. Dear God, Basil did not deserve such a fate!! I know what they will do to him: dig up his grave, stake his heart, cut off his head, and burn him to ashes. 

He will be gone forever. 

I cannot bear the thought! 

I know now what I must do, and I must do it quickly. 

Later on the 27th

Hastily, I have made my preparations. I could not risk Sir Grimm getting to Basilton first. I am prepared to go tonight. 

December 28th 1742

I went to Basilton’s grave late last night. I was the only soul awake besides the owls. I brought along a lantern, a shovel, a small pack with all my coin and what few possessions I care to keep, and a small wheelbarrow I took from the barn. The light of my lantern guided me through the familiar trees and headstones, until I found the name Basilton Grimm carved into stone. 

The rain poured down endlessly. The wet earth offered little resistance to my shovel, but digging was not quick work. The wind put out my lantern thrice. I gave up relighting, nothing would stop me. I had a singular purpose. I felt as if I’d been guided here, to this moment, to save my love. 

After hours of labor, my shovel kissed the wood of a coffin, I nearly collapsed from relief, and exhaustion. Prying the lid from my Basil’s prison was harder than I had expected. Once I had it off, I threw it from the hole. 

I wept. There was my dearest Basilton asleep in his coffin. I relit the lantern. I fell to my knees, sharing the cramped space with him. The light revealed a blood-stained mouth and burial shroud. His hair was a little longer, more lustrous than in life, his skin ruddy and plump. I worried I would find his face smashed, his body mangled from horses’ hooves, but he was unmarked and as beautiful as ever. His hands were free from his shroud, also bloody. 

These are all signs of a vampire, but I could not care. I had to reach out to touch his cold flesh.

I had to kiss him. 

My lips met his, and in that coffin, surrounded by earth, over the sound of the attacking rain, Basil softly moaned. I swear I heard it. I swear his lips moved against mine.  

Elated with indescribable joy I tried to wake him more, desperate for proof he really was living. He did not open his eyes, or speak to me, or move. But when I pressed my ear to his chest I heard the drum of his heart beat steadily. 

My sweet Basilton alive! Now that I have him, I will let no harm come to him. I will keep Basil safe from those who want to kill him again. 

It is early morning now, the sun is just starting to peak over the land in the East. This will be my last entry. I shall leave my journal here, in my Basilton’s empty grave, in case anyone is searching for us. I care not who reads these words, they will not find us. I will be far away, with my love, finally happy. 

(A note placed in the back of the journal)

Dearest Simon, 

I hope this journal will be of use to you. I do believe keeping a journal will help you continue improving your literacy. And perhaps it will aid in other ways. I find it helps to have a private place for one's thoughts and feelings. My journals are a great comfort to me. 

Beyond that, I must admit I do enjoy the thought that there will be a record of you and of I. That people may know who we were, and that we were good friends.

Yours truly, 

Tyrannus Basilton Grimm

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Some replies; more about the Prison Warden comic, a follow-up about snz hcs, one about Lilia’s fucked up experiences and some other stuff~

Anonymous asked:

Yeah, I can tell Riddle will be uncomfortable. I wonder if fellow wardens noticed his disappearance.

Oh imagine them not noticing. After three days or so they’d go “hm, I wonder why it’s so chill around here these days” LOL

Jokes aside, I think Heartslabyul boys would notice pretty quickly. It’s easy to notice Riddle’s absence because he is never late and never skips work. But unfortunately, even if they notice his disappearance at the end of the shift during which the escape/kidnapping happened, it’d be too late...

Anonymous asked:

Will you have plans for more in the prison Warden au?

Not necessarily any plans, but I do want to come back to it again! It’s like things always are with our AUs: sometimes we randomly remember them and add more stuff to them.

Anonymous asked:

i know you don’t play genshin, but i think idia would and…

(spoilers for inazuma and raiden shogun’s story quests!!!!)

there’s an electric samurai goddess named raiden shogun (or ei) and in her story you find out she’s trying to “freeze” her nation in eternity. you find out it’s bc she’s so traumatized by the death of her twin sister in a great war that she built herself a doll to possess and locked herself in an alternate dimension, and is now trying to prevent time from moving or the world from changing to never have to feel that level of grief and loss ever again. it’s very clear losing her sister severely traumatized her. and in her story quests, she actually talks to a ghost/vestige of her sister’s soul, where she finally gets closure, a lot like the end of book 6. she’s not fully healed but has begun to realize that grief is not the end of the world, and that there is still many things to love and enjoy in its changing nature.

all this to say…. i think this particular character would have idia sobbing on the floor before he gets up and pulls out his wallet to whale on her LOL

The themes really are similar huh 🤔 I wonder how Idia reacts to the theme of loss and grief in media in general. Does it hit too close to home and makes it uncomfortable for him to watch/play or would he get so defensive that he would shit on such stories for being cliché (despite being so similar to his actual life experience)?

In any case, I love imagining Idia sobbing because something felt eerily close to what he experienced. Whale on her, Idia, you deserved it... It won’t make you feel better, but you’ll have a cute anime lady to look at!

Anonymous asked:

Rook every kink ever is the most beautiful thing in the world. Thank you so much for being sweet about the snz ask, not anon but thats my kink and it's one that has a lot of shame around it. Your hcs are really good (the non snz ones too ^_^), i especially enjoy Silvers, Lilias and Riddles, I feel myself like Idia or Azul would have allergies they hate having ( being less accustomed to plant life / flowers ). < It is also a kink that can function much the same as inflicting humiliation or exerting control, finding it hot to see someone struggle against their own body and reactions. I like to hc Vil and as having this facet of a snz kink as he likes to maintain control when others can't, using to play with ( read: affectionate torture ) Rook. If you ever elaborate on any snz concepts you definitely have fans >_<

No problem, Anon! We honestly had no idea about this kink and the stigma around it, so I am very happy you enjoyed the hcs and our approach in general. I learned a lot while writing it and while reading your ask too! Totally agree about Idia or Azul having annoying allergies, it sounds like something that would suit them a lot. Rook and Vil do have their private little games, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did this thing too... Even though this isn’t my cup of tea.

Unfortunately I don’t know if I can elaborate further than what I’ve already written in the post; I pretty much shared all of our thoughts lol But it’s good to hear that this kind of topic is also welcomed!

Anonymous asked:

i’m thinking about how you said in your noncon ask lilia did a lot of fucked up shit when he was younger. do you think he’d try anything like he did before again? maybe to see if modern youngsters could handle it? i want to see him experiment his various darker kinks with the bottoms >:3c

Good question, Anon~

I think, in general, Lilia doesn’t want to do the majority of stuff he used to do before anymore because it would either injure the boys in a way that isn’t fixable (he didn’t care about it when he was fucking his enemies left and right oop-) or would even require them to be seriously injured in the first place (or dead...). So a lot of stuff that General Vanrouge used to do is a “no-no” for him now, BUT.

1. He’ll still talk about it and describe everything with juicy details for his little bottom to think that he is either making a sick joke or is the worst human being imaginable.

2. There is a lot of stuff he’d still do~ >:3c

I think the trajectory would be to start having sex with a boy, and then if the boy reacts well to Lilia being rough, dangerous or straight-up cursed, he’ll get even worse. Lilia is only good at self-control when he doesn’t hear sexy whimpers and doesn’t see teary eyes under him.

Like you said, Lilia really does think that boys these days are much more tender than they used to be, and he had to tone himself down a lot. But the old man gets nostalgic, and if tickled right, he can get carried away very easily~

He’d absolutely try knifeplay, bloodplay, hanging/choking (this one is hard to do without it being lethal...), intoxication and some other things. Let’s just say thank god Idia is a masochist (he is?).