#anyway dehumanize him at your own risk

[iamfitzwilliamdarcy]

snow's monstrosity isn't as impactful if he isn't also a little hot and shippable lbh

[jewels-writes]

Surviving the Crash (Part 2)

Fandom: Call of Duty Word count: 1,664 Warnings: not proofread, vague hospital scene, angst Background information: Your callsign is Crow (again) Part 1 Part 3 — — — —

It had been a week since you’d woken up. A week of apologies from Price. You’d told him each time that it was okay and that you didn’t blame him for what happened. You knew the risks of the job; now you had to deal with the consequences. 

Physical therapy was as humiliating and dehumanizing as you imagined it would be. More often than not, you felt like you were getting worse instead of better. Some days, you could walk a few steps. Other days, you couldn’t even stand.

Price wasn’t there as much as he said he would be. It hurt, sure, but you knew he was busy. But there was another part of you that thought that if he wanted to, he would. You thought you were special to him. The way he treated you before the mission, you thought you meant something to him. Why else did he insist on putting you on his team?

You were lying in the same hospital bed when a gentle rap came at the door. Waiting for your answer, the person who knocked poked their head in.

“Hey, love.” It was Price. Your heart ached at the mere sight of him for a reason you didn’t want to know. “I brought you something; it isn’t much, but I thought you’d like it.” Walking to your bedside, he placed a small white and purple box on your lap, allowing you to open it at your own pace. Carefully pulling at the ribbon that held the top on, you opened the box with gentle motions. “What do you think?” He asked, clearly nervous for your reaction.

It was a wood-carved crow painted a deep shade of purple. Turning it to inspect every angle, you noticed it’s imperfections. As you pieced the pieces together, a realization dawned on you.

“Did you make this?” You whispered, looking up to meet his nervous gaze. He gave you a small nod with a smile. “Price.. I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anythin’. I just hope that can bring you comfort even if I’m not here.” He took a step closer to your bed. “The boys miss you. They told me to say hi for them.” “Tell them I miss them too.” You muttered, your eyes focusing back on the crow in your hands.

The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a while, neither of you knowing what to say. It was a surprise when his radio flickered to life, giving a reason to end the quiet.

“I’ll visit when I can.” He muttered softly to you. He looked like he wanted to say more but couldn’t bring himself to do so. “Rest up, Crow.” With a nod, he left the room, leaving an emptiness behind. 

A week had passed. Then two. Then three. No matter how many times you told yourself he was busy, the same part from before told you he didn’t care. Wouldn’t he have told you if he was going on a long mission? Or maybe someone would have the decency to tell you, right?

After a month had gone by, you stopped having hope. You knew you needed to focus on getting better anyway. When you were well enough, you’d confront him. 

— — — —

The day of your discharge from the medical wing wasn't anything crazy. Two grueling months in physical therapy had driven you nearly mad, driven only by the fact you could work again when it was all over. The nurses, with their kind words and congratulatory applause, bid you farewell as you strode out of the medical wing. While their well-wishes were appreciated, it wasn't their applause you yearned for.

Your footsteps carried you with purpose towards your barracks, a shared sanctuary nestled amidst the camaraderie of the 141. As you drew near the weathered tent flaps, a symphony of their laughter and loud chatter reached your ears. Their excited voices intertwined, filling the air with an atmosphere of joy that felt alien to you. It was a painful reminder of the life you yearned to reclaim.

“Ay, Gaz! Another round over here!” Soap's voice rang out, his words tinged with excitement that tugged at your heartstrings. The realization hit you like a tidal wave—they were drinking and celebrating, and you were clearly absent. You had found a strange comfort in the medical wing's solitude, believing that their absence was due to the demands of their duties. It was a flimsy shield against the sting of reality.

Anger should have surged through your veins like wildfire. You should have stormed into that tent, raising hell, demanding answers, and retribution. But you were better than that. Your restraint, borne from a sense of pride and a desire to be more than the victim of circumstances, held you back. 

You hadn’t realized it until their cheers died down that you were crying. Tears ran down your face as you tried to grapple with just how little you meant to them. You wondered why they’d fought so hard to keep you alive if they didn’t intend to stay. If they could be this happy without you, then why did it matter?

Despite your tears, you poked your head around the tent, trying to remain unseen. You saw all of them, standing around, opened beer cans in their hands, their laughter surging up again at a joke Gaz had made. Ghost’s arm hug lazily around Soap’s shoulder and Gaz sat on his bed across from them. 

God, it hurt. 

Looking over to your bunk, you realized something. Price wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the tent drinking with his soldiers. You shot down the hope you had, that he was absent because he was upset as well. Before you could think about it, you were walking to Price’s office. Where else could he be if not with his team?

As you walked through the camp, the moonlight shown down on you. Shivering slightly, you wished you would have brought a jacket, not that you could have walked in the tent without being seen by the 141. You brought your hands up to your arms, hoping it would retain some warmth.

And now here you were, your hand hesitating, hovering before the wooden door to his office. You faltered, twitching in your indecisiveness. What would you even say to him if he answered? Was it worth it? Would he even care? As you were about to give up, the shadows under the door moved and the handle turned.

Oh shit.

As the door opened, your eyes widened in dread. There stood Price, looking exhausted as hell. He froze when he saw you, his head tilting to the side in confusion.

“Crow..? What on earth are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in medical why-” His expression faltered with worry and concern. “You’re crying.” 

No matter how much you prepared yourself, seeing him was enough to break your walls down. Your hands came up to cover your face as you sobbed. The confusion and the pain ruining you.

In an instant he took a step forward, his arms wrapping around you. One of his hands went to the back of your head, pulling you in, the other on the small of your back. He rocked you back and forth, shushing you and whispering small assurances in your ear.

“You’re okay. Shh..” He murmured. “I’m here. Your captain’s here.” His hand ran through your hair, an attempt to soothe you.

He ushered you into his office, for the privacy, for the space you were familiar with. As he moved you, you felt the anger well up after the sadness got its chance to come out and you took a step away from him. His eyes searched yours, desperate for answers.

“I see you’ve been enjoying yourself.” You motioned to his desk, an empty whiskey bottle sat on top of a mess of papers. “Your soldiers are doing the same thing, maybe you should go drink with them. Or have you forgotten about them as well?” Your voice slowly gained more strength as you realized that you’d been wronged. 

Price didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what would even soothe you. Figured it would be better to let you get whatever this was out of your system.

“Two months, Captain.” You whispered, crossing your arms over your chest. “For someone who wanted me on their team so bad, you sure have a hell of a way of fighting to keep me here.” The pain in your voice was clear. Price could see the inner turmoil, the doubt, the confusion. His eyes flickered with recognition.

“No one told you?” He asked, a hint of realization in his expression. “We had to finish that mission. The one that you..” His voice trailed off as he motioned to your leg with a guilty expression. “We just got back tonight. I was finishing up a report on it before all this.” His eyes widened as he realized exactly why you were so upset. “You didn’t think I.. forgot about you.. right?”

You didn’t know how to respond. Could you even? Everything you’d thought was wrong? How could you know he wasn’t lying? How could you just push away what you’ve been thinking these past two months?

“Are you serious..?” Your voice was quiet, confused. “No, no one bloody told me anything. God dammit, Price. I thought..”

He shook his head slowly, concern in his expression. “I could never, sweetheart. I worked my ass off, pulling strings to get you to my team. I could never leave you behind.” His arms went around you again, desperate to get his point across. 

Slowly, you believed him. It was in the way his arms trembled around you, the way he whispered to you gently, rocking you back and forth. You eventually leaned into his touch, seeking his comfort.

Finally everything seemed to be alright, for the first time in a long while. Note: I'm so sorry if this sucks, I'm best at writing fast paced action scenes but this was requested so here you go. I love you guys and I'm working on a third part before even posting this. Requests are open if you're ever interested in more writing from me!

[paingoes]

Destroyer - Come Back

(Masterlist)

get back to the war!!! i dont pay u just to look cute

(Content: dehumanization, physical violence, magical exhaustion, fainting, mass death implied, blood)

=======================

“Be realistic,” Dr.Martino yawned, “He obviously can’t destroy the whole planet.”

“But I want him to?” Paris glowered.

His hand raked through Delta’s hair again, more nails than usual. Delta twitched nervously. He was kneeling obediently on Paris’s side, the end of his collar grasped firmly in the prince’s other hand. He flinched whenever he touched him. Paris didn’t seem to notice. He was sitting comfortably in the captain’s chair, one leg folded over the other.

Delta couldn’t see Martino’s expression from his position. He had learned that when he kept his head bowed, it gave him the least trouble. 

“That’s the kind of greed they write fables about,” Dr.Martino warned, “Anyway, forget it. It’s not physically possible. Pick a city. Really, pick a block in that city. The buildings here are better protected than most.”

Paris tugged at Delta’s hair, like it was his fault. He winced. Nothing came immediately after it — no reprimands. Just venting frustration, then? Delta had to adjust his position for it to stop hurting. Again, Paris didn’t notice or didn’t care. 

They redirected the course. The actual captain re-entered the room. Paris did not move for her, forcing her to operate from the side terminal. 

The planet Tataka loomed large through the windows of the craft. It was green and purple, beautiful under any other circumstance. Paris was intent on destroying it. The war was upon them.

They weren’t aboard the Thorn today; they’d never make it into the outer atmosphere without getting shot down. It was a smaller, nimbler, and less conspicuous craft. From a distance, it looked like a passenger plane. 

As the ship lurched into motion, Simon returned from the break room. He’d been following his own advice, giving Paris quite a wide berth ever since he’d returned from the hospital. Simon looked at the current arrangement disapprovingly. He set down a coffee cup for Martino, not drinking his own.

“Your Highness, I’d really ask you to reconsider this. Not only is it too strong an escalation from a policy standpoint, but physically, Delta is out of practice from the last month. There’s a higher risk of inaccuracy,” Simon stated.

“Did you just say too strong an escalation?” Paris choked, “And who’s fucking fault is that? You knew I’d need him when I got back.”

Simon didn’t answer. It’d be too easy to say No one thought you were coming back and that was not a conversation he wanted to have.

By then, the mountains were coming into view. Paris stood up shakily, using Delta’s shoulder for support before tugging him up by the arm. They were bruising touches. Delta suspected that Paris didn’t entirely mean to be that rough. He had nerve damage from where the arrow had pierced him and couldn’t feel much in his hands. It had made him clumsy. Still, it hurt.

When the atmosphere was breathable, Paris dragged him out onto the main deck. He wrenched his arm back to get him to kneel, which was of course not an accident, on top of being totally unnecessary. Delta would’ve knelt if he’d asked him to.

The handlers trailed behind him. He snapped his fingers at them. Simon started to protest, then apparently decided it was not worth the effort of arguing. He poked at his wrist, remotely releasing Delta’s collar. 

Delta let out a little gasp when it hit him. The ground hung directly above them, the ship’s personal gravity machine working to bind them to it upside down. The effect was very disorienting. Beyond that, Paris was far, far too close to him. He didn’t like being touched while he was all unfurled. He never like being touched at all, but now it felt particularly invasive. He liked it better when Simon directed. They had already gotten to know each other’s communication styles with no ambiguity. The same couldn’t be said of Paris — especially not now. This wasn’t the kind of operation Delta wanted to improvise. The string of words that left Paris’s mouth was barely coherent.

“Fucking kill them fuck fuck Nezu fuck Taka stupid fucking destroy it now”

Delta could feel Paris’s heart within his chest, the new lung nestling itself into place, the spot where the ribs had cracked open. He felt the wind shift just as he readied himself. From his own reading, Delta could recognize Tataka’s parliament building. There was about a five block radius around it he thought he could reasonably smoke. He blinked.

He didn’t actually remember setting it off, which meant it had definitely been too much. He woke up on his side in Dr.Martino’s office, drenched in his own blood.

“-why I said not to let him-“ Simon’s voice cut into his thoughts. A little wave of electricity came off of Delta as he regained consciousness, making everyone’s hair stand on end.

“Hi,” Dr.Martino eyebrows furrowed as he smiled without humor.

“We should’ve warmed up first,” Simon pinched the bridge of his nose, “Are you feeling okay?”

Delta opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. The room smelled like a campfire. He realized the burnt scent was coming off his own skin.

“Just stay like that,” Dr.Martino told him, then turned back to his conversation. Delta closed his eyes, too sore to move. There was a distant feeling of gloved hands against his back, some medical assistant searching around for something or other. Two prongs entered the base of his neck without warning, causing another little shock throughout the room. He felt a hand against his forehead. Cool to the touch, but not comforting. Darkness closed in.

“Delta,” It was Paris’s voice. Delta cracked his eyes open, unsure how much time had passed. The prince was leaning over him, grasping the table for support. His expression was giddy.

“Good job,” He said. Two thumbs up. It must have been. Paris so rarely complimented him. Again, he tried to speak. 

“Leave him alone. He fried his vocal cords,” Dr.Martino called, from somewhere outside Delta’s line of sight.

“What? Permanently?”

“Not this time. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse, cause god knows you’d be fucked then.”

“What did you just say to me?”

Delta passed out again, mercifully.

[thetinylittlespider]

The Playground of Gods. (Halloween Story!) It is finally here after a miss of 1 hour! I dont think I did as good as I could have, but Idk if the reception for this is good I might think of a sequel! Or else is the last time I try doing smn like this xhjasfdgasfdas Anyways! Enjoy your candies people! and this humble mess of a story!

CW: Death, dehumanization, cruelty, angst, post-apoliptic scenario, probably slight mention of v0r3.

5 years ago, with no time to answer, people from around the globe took a change that had no explanation even to this day. They grew to gigantic sizes, their eyes started glowing like the stars in the night sky, their skin turned gray and some factions of their bodies adopted scales similar to the snakes, their teeth became sharper and the worst part of it all, their minds were not the same.

In the first week, the people who grew...once friends, family, and even lovers, lost all sort of empathy towards the people below, and they were most likely killed among the countless victims that came soon when the giants started their rampage around the world.

Cities fell, civilizations vanished, governments lost meaning, and armies were just a pause for the civilians to get as far away as they could...

Nuclear weapons were tested in Europe as the last resort, to see if that could finally put an end to the giants, but after the sacrifice of one entire city to the blast, the giant that resided survived, wounded, but quickly healing and regenerating the damage, the burns.

The last thing everyone recalls hearing on the radio was the use of nuclear weapons to terminate all the 100 identified giants dispersed around the globe, risking that our planet's atmosphere became a living radioactive hell, with no chance for long-term survival.

It took a few months for the giants to finally manifest just the surface of their goals by causing so much pain.

"To create a perfect world, the last one must fall."

Those words were painful, a ringing bell next to my ear when I managed to evacuate my city, I was 17 back then. And the giant that took over our region, I'm glad I never saw that thing...Otherwise, my nightmares would been plenty.

Ever since the giants created small cities with a handful of humans who were called "cultists". People who had lost all hope for freedom, and who accepted the giants as the rightful owners of our planet, and species. Their minds were broken, willing to sacrifice their own to feed the giants, to track, expose, and eliminate any rebel group they could find. And taking every resource on the outside back to their fucking human farm...

As for now, I'm just a rebel.

1 year after every official military shelter fell, I managed to find a group of crazy bastards that have been my new family ever since. We stopped using our real names, and instead used code names to prevent the cultist from getting any information, just in case we are recognized.

As for our name, we recently chose to call ourselves "Jackpot" over the radio when we talked to other rebel groups. The reason for it...

ーIt's because we are so goddam LUCKY!ー Said Omega, a man who was around his early 30s, our leader. He was the oldest around and had far better ideas to survive, the only one who had at least some military relatives to show him how to manage in this type of situation.

ーDon't jinx it, last thing we want is to find useless crap in this place...ー Charlie, on the other hand, was quite the opposite of that, yet he was the youngest at just 19 years. Made sense he was usually so moody. He might've lost most of his life far younger than any of us.

ーWe could use some ammo, Alpha said that he almost ran out of it, we can't have one of us unarmed. ー Zulu, she was our scout. Older than me with 27 years on her. She had brought us to this city with remains of the old civilization, resources could be plenty, after all, most people didn't have time to even loot shops or take valuables when the giants started their killings. And as for now, rebel groups could be counted with a hand. Cultists were far in the regions in deep nature. We were supposed to be fine.

ーIt's not my fault, that bear back at the last resting point almost ripped my head off! It was my life or his!ー And me, the waste of resources that somehow managed to stay alive ever since the crisis started.

My parents had traveled on some vacations before the giants started murdering people like ants, it was a boat thing for rich people, of course, they didn't want me to come and ruin their fun, after all...I was meant to have a life already built...And now I couldn't stop thinking if they were somewhere in the world, maybe alive on a little island. But that was far too positive for me to imagine.

As for friends, I only had two of them in my hometown, Eric and Tania. They both were at a party the day this nightmare began, none of them answered their phones. And like my family, I had given up hope to ever find them, at least...alive.

Tania had plans for me to come live with her in an apartment, that was as good as life treated me. She didn't care I had trouble with keeping a job, or that I was useless to even cook my meals. She always had hope things could turn out good for me. Maybe those wishes kept me alive for this long. But some days I barely understood why I kept going when there was nothing of my life I could return to.

But these guys...they were a good reason to keep living on.

As we got inside the remains of the city, I released a small sigh. I usually got melancholic seeing the destroyed buildings, and recalling what they used to be, and how many people there were. And now, this place was our little sanctuary for the next 2 days before we had to move again. Our giant overlord is said to enjoy walks to hunt people or animals, and that was not a risk we were willing to make by standing in one place for too long.

ーOkay, I'll set down the camp, Alpha and Zulu, go get whatever you can from the remains, food, water, guns, new clothes, go wild. Just get back here with something useful, Charlie, you get a high spot and go on watch until I'm done, take your rifle, see any cultist, you shoot, rebels, you give me a signal, our giant "queen" makes any sign of getting close to the area, you get back to us and don't let yourself be seen. ー Quick as always, we never had to be asked twice whenever Omega designated our chores. And so, everyone got to it.

Charlie managed to find a building, originally, it probably had more than 20 floors. But the structure collapsed, destroyed, and he had to manage to take the 8th floor. It was as high as he could get now.

Zulu and I took a little tour around the streets, I just simply kept walking, looking at someplace that could resemble a shop, even a destroyed mall. Lifting a few boxes of ammo that the military left years ago was a very mechanical task. I did my best to ignore the dried blood of the citizen's remains, the colossal footprints that branded the ground, and the flattened vehicles that were now unrecognizable. But I didn't even realize I had company until Zulu got ahead of me a few steps. Without speaking a word, she quickly let me know her question by staring at me for minutes, trying to make eye contact.

ーYou are having one of those episodes, are you? ー She asked in a soft yet concerned tone.

ーWhat are you talking about? I'm just doing what I'm told. Is not that weird. ー I say in a useless attempt to avoid the subject.

ーBack in the cave you didn't shut up about how much you missed seeing a city again ever since we targeted this place. But right now I just see you like an old guy wondering where the great years went. How does an excited puppy turn into a silent robot all of a sudden? ー She said making a stop, and I did the same.

ーWell- Ugh. I don't even know how to tell you. But every time we go into these ruins...I just get hit with nostalgia, I start missing my school, college, my friends, and sometimes...Sometimes I see all of this and think of it as a museum, one that tells and shows us that none of it will ever come back. It's history. ー My tone was broken, to think about how far I had come to survive this whole apocalypse, I even wanted to be ignored by Mom and Dad instead of not knowing if they were dead or alive.

Zulu kept quiet and looked down at the ground, a tired smile drawing on her face as her eyes went back to me, filled with kindness and care.

ーHey, listen...I know this isn't the life you want. And is not the life any of us wants. Every day I try to sleep...I can't stop picturing that fucking bitch's face out of my mind. But you tell me you haven't seen her yet, right? Then why not keep the happy memories? Not like a burden that is going to be taken away from you. ー She was suggesting something I never quite put my mind to. I always feared that even if I had good things now, one day everything would be gone, and it tortured me to think about it, present or past, the future would crush it.

ーWe are the only ones that can carry on those memories, is a way to make the people we lost come back at us, a company to bring joy, to make us go forward. ー She finished, giving me a light pat on the shoulder, and I replied with a small nod and an awkward smile that tried to defeat my negative thoughts.

The afternoon came to an end, and the night was setting in. We were back at the provisional camp that Omega prepared. A fire, some cans of tomato soup from our reserves ready to go, and he had made a small tent from some nearby bags and damaged clothes he found around.

ーSo you two found anything good? Or is this place as empty as it looks? ー Said Omega before starting to eat, hitting the ground next to the fire for us to do the same.

We told him everything, of course. Ammunition was not a problem anymore, some cans of tuna survived the rampage of the giant here, and we had some sodas that were close to expiring. At least we had something different to drink today, and maybe the last artificial flavored drinks on the planet.

Charlie remained on his duty, I handed the boy a warm can of food and his drink before heading to sleep with the rest. Observation duty was awful, I've been there my fair share of times as well.

And as soon as I started to finally get some rest.

Boom

Boom

Boom...

I moved slightly, groaning, annoyed by the sound...

Boom

Boom

Boom...

I hear the tent opening, and a fast breathing trying to be under control.

ーGuys, wake up! Now! We gotta go! ー Charlie, out of his post...This wasn't good.

Everyone got up immediately, Charlie quickly started putting all the things we gathered today in our bags, desperately.

Boom

Boom

Boom...

The ground started to shake under us, this was more than bad news. And they got closer, and closer.

Before any of us could hope to get out of the tent, crashing like a meteor, a massive foot fell right beside the exit of the tent, making the entire team freeze.

"Hm. How dull."

The giantess above us spoke, and her thunderous voice made our bones tremble, it was the first time in 5 years I heard that voice. Her tone was deep, yet feminine, piercing but with echoes of every word she spoke. One of the things that changed about her when she turned into a giant.

As she started to walk into the streets, Omega opened the tent slowly to prevent any sound from escaping. He then saw the giant walking, knocking off the tallest buildings with her arm, and they fell as if made of sand...

ーI'm gonna make a run to the other side of the street, hopefully, I'll try to get further into the city and bring her attention. You go the other way, get out, back to the forest. ー Omega whispered, flaregun on hand, Charlie looking disturbed at the idea, after all, we never had this close of an encounter with the giantess. And it was for a good reason, there were no tales of people who survived being close to them, not rebels.

ーN-No, Omega...I-I didn't see her coming, I swear I don't know what happened Charlie got interrupted as Omega covered his mouth with a free hand.

ーIt doesn't matter, if we go together she has a higher chance of killing us on the spot, hiding isn't a good idea if she ends up destroying what is left of the city and us alongside it. She is looking for entertainment, so I will give it to her, and you all get the fuck out of here. Got it? ー Omega tried to give us a reassuring smile after we all agreed to follow the plan. As much as he promised to be okay, to try and hide. At least Zulu and I knew how things were ending, our duty was to follow the plan and keep Charlie safe.

The giant walked aimlessly towards an abandoned parking lot, she was giving us her back, and that moment was perfect for Omega to quickly move in between the streets, and soon, he was nowhere to be seen...

The rest of us moved as well, out of the tent towards the opposite direction the gigantic entity was moving, we tried to ignore the ground shaking beneath us as she just casually kicked one of the corners of the building she had in front of her. We kept Charlie in front of us, trying to be quick on our feet while also not making noises that the fine ear of the giantess could catch.

ーThis is all my fault, I don't know what happened...I could've sworn we were clear I-I...ー The young one kept blaming himself for the presence of the giant, but it was not in my position to judge or criticize how well he did. He was just a kid, after all. This was too much, even for me.

And curiosity be damned. I never saw our overlord, besides a hand in the distance, a voice changed to a so-called divinity tone. A part of me asked me to look at her, to give a figure to that one I had to hate, for everything we lost, for everyone we lost.

But instead of hate, I'm greeted with confusion, her figure, her hair, they resulted as something terrifying...

Something familiar.

My steps became slower, as this information made room in my mind. As things tried to make some sense. Zulu and Charlie both turned back to whisper at me.

ーHey! Let's go! There is no time to waste! ー

I shook my head as I noticed the giant woman picking a vehicle in between her fingers, she observed as if it was a toy of extreme details, and it seemed that it wasn't exactly of interest to the woman, as she just sighed and threw the car from the parking lot behind her, almost reaching us in the impact, but missing by a few meters.

I fell to my back, trying to get away from the now-destroyed object. The bored "divinity" started to shift her position once more, with one swift move of her arm, she made the entire building collapse, she was turning around. And we were in the middle of the street.

We all hid behind the collapsed car, and the absolute darkness of the night ceased for us as the light finally reached us, it was her eyes. During the day we wouldn't notice, but her eyes emanated a glow like a big flashlight, and she focused on her recent destruction. She wanted to get closer, probably to check what else she could find, her steps felt closer.

Zulu held Charlie and we all kept our mouths shut to prevent even a gasp from coming out. Before the light from her eyes could be above us, a distant sound of a small explosion was heard, the glowing eyes moved aggressively as she turned in the direction of a new source of light. A flare, bright red decorated the sky, and she took no hesitation to check what was it that shot it. Given her size, she didn't bother to go around the buildings, and instead, she went right against them, concrete got turned into dust as she came in contact with the structure, her hands pushing aside the closest constructions, and making a rain of debris fall upon us, who shielded with only our arms and bags.

Omega had made the distraction. And we had to take advantage now.

"Now what do we have here? What game are you playing?"

She was being coy, she knew what his fate was, and so did he. The gunshots came soon, and she only released an amused chuckle.

We had to keep going, trying to ignore the background noises that resonated in the empty and dead city, she kneeled, making our world tremble once again, like a cat, that sick monster played with her food, and eventually, after ceaselessly shooting, Omega ran out of bullets. We were just 3 streets close to the bridge we came in, the forest was near. We could still make it.

ーFuck, Fuck...She demolished the fucking bridge! ー Zulu said in anger, she started to get stressed, our options were getting limited by the second, our only way out was either get to the coast and hope to not be seen, or cross the gap between the city, the river with savage waters, and the forest...

ーWe have to get down, the coast is not safe we will be exposed and she will kill us all. ー I thought it would be better to take our chances crossing the river instead of going to the coast.

ーAlpha, the waters will destroy our resources, mess with our guns, and we will be injured if we take the wrong step, I'm not taking that chance! ー Replied Zulu, crossing her arms, thinking to herself some other possibilities.

Charlie, out of our sight. Gave a few steps back to watch the city, listening to what seemed to be screams of pain, and then, he saw a fist rising above the crumbling buildings, and then the falling of it.

A loud booming came to us, and a shockwave of air almost made us lose our balance.

That was the moment we knew Omega had died, his screams could reach us no longer. And the piercing feeling in our hearts only filled us with dread. Charlie was the first one to manifest his pain, crying out loud the name of the man who had taken care of him after losing everything, in a way, in this world of injustice, Omega was the closest thing he had to a father figure.

But both Zulu and I knew there was no time for grief. Quickly we both placed our hands on top of Charlie's mouth again, with his muffled screams barely coming through, and his tears falling on top of our palms. It hurt to do this, but noise was the last thing we wanted.

"And you had friends, of course."

Unfortunately, we were late...she heard. She knew. She stood there, a figure in the shadows of the night, eyes enlightened, looking, wandering.

The impact of familiarity struck me again, but this time, I made a horrible decision, my mind was playing tricks with me, and for some reason, I had the need to prove something to myself. And the fact that we were cornered like rats didn't help my thoughts.

We moved towards a building, hoping we could sneak in between the next one, but it was an abandoned mall, at least the structure resembled one. Footsteps that shook the earth soon followed, the crystal dome upon us let some moonlight in, as well as the silhouette of our predator. Her hands now trying to bring down the entrance from top to bottom.

Zulu and Charlie followed me, and just by a few steps we managed to get away from the collapsing structures, reaching a small stand that was barely holding on for safety. But the giant curious hands did not give time to rest.

She knew we were here. And it could've been far too easy to kill her fun by just collapsing the entire building over us. Instead, she treated the mall like a small box, and we became her toys, our lives were in the short term now.

Now, the wall of collapsed concrete that sealed the entry fell apart as a clawed hand made its way through, crashing to the floor and searching for us.

Her fingers, as long as our entire bodies searched with precision every object, every piece of concrete, and every single thing that could be her attempt at catching us started with a careful hold, even the plastic trash bins that lay there were picked with the greatest of care I could never imagine from this monster, but reality set itself back once she crushed whatever she had caught, as soon as the contact made clear she hadn't caught us yet.

Zulu couldn't handle staying in the same spot waiting for me to move, and Charlie still was too afraid to react on his own. So this time, she took it over herself to be the leader. She used a flashlight she kept on her waist to point a direction, a fire exit door, apparently the only way out of there, since the light also showed us rubble blocking every other visible path in the mall, it was our only chance. Maybe we could use it to reach the next building, while the giantess kept trying to fetch us blindly.

Zulu held Charlie by the arm, and I soon followed them, trying to look backward at the movements in the fading light consumed by darkness, the hand kept clashing with the environment, and the stand we used to hide, was reduced to nothing once it passed close to it.

Inside the fire exit, there was a corridor. Before another door, the last one we could cross. We would have to sneak a little bit in the streets before reaching the next place.

But then, dust fell over us as we heard a thunderous annoyed groan, the earth-shaking movements once again made us stop completely as the noise of broken concrete, glass, and metal increased around us before finally seemed to stop in a matter of seconds. Had she destroyed the rest of this building?

Was she gone?

The minutes passed, no more movement, no more chaos.

ーThis is my fault...Everything is my fault, I should've been more patient, I should have been more careful. ー Charlie kept lamenting, while I only could try to think what our next step would be.

ーWe have to go if she is truly gone...we can make it out of this damn city...ー Zulu was in a hurry to get us safe, the team was falling apart without someone capable of taking decisions, and for both me and Charlie it was the first time we found ourselves in such proximity to get caught by a giant.

ーWe can stay the night here...Even a few hours will do...ーI suggested, I saw nothing wrong in waiting a few hours more. Especially if we could bring Charlie to calm himself down

ーNo, if she just left, is probably going to send some cultists to search around the perimeter, and recover stuff. We would be found. It's better to go now. ー She replied before walking up towards the door, it seemed stuck at first. So she left Charlie in my care while she forced it.

I tried to give some comfort to Charlie by just giving him a small hug and some pats on his back to reassure him everything was going to be fine. That we would manage to get away, live to see another day.

After some tries, the door unlocked, Zulu released a small smile of accomplishment, and I for once felt everything had finally passed.

ーC'mon dorks, the river will be our only concern-...ー

Without warning

Without realizing

2 fingers plucked Zulu away from us to the exterior.

"Wow, I never imagined patience could work with your type..."

Her voice, booming, yet soft. Amused, and with a slight sense of cruelty. She was so close, she was right there waiting for us. She never needed to even cast a sound. How!? How something so big could be so silent!?

ーLet go! You fucking bitch! ー I could hear Zulu's screams, she was alive. For the moment. And only a chuckle escaped this self-claimed deity's mouth. She never addressed Zulu or her insults. Many, given the stories we had, would've died at that instant. But there was something weird about the situation

"I know you are in there, Aaron. Come on out now, I wish to have a word."

My face turned pale, confusion invaded Charlie's face, and Zulu's insults went to a stop.

Did she know my name?

ーAlpha...What is she talking about? ー Said Charlie, taking a few steps away from me. I stood frozen, not knowing what was happening. But I could see in the light reflecting on the ground, thanks to the gigantic eyes looming outside, he thought of betrayal, orchestrated by me.

"Come out now, or this woman dies right now."

I felt a knot in my throat, unable to speak, to answer the doubts from Charlie. Someone who I saw as part of my new family now kept staring at me as if I had planned this whole thing. As if I had sold them to the devil.

Like if I had planned for Omega to die.

I stepped out, crossing the door, greeted with those glowing white eyes, and a smile with teeth that could grind my bones into dust. She was on her knees, one hand holding Zulu in a tight fist. And her face...Now I could understand where the sense of familiarity came from.

The rain started to pour, and a lightning bolt nearby showed me, even if by a fraction of a second. The person who turned into this giant oppressor, into this monster whose tales are of death and suffering.

It was Tania, someone who I thought dead all this time, alive. One of the sparks of hope in my past life now was goddess, a merciless and terrifying one. How did she know I was there? How did she after 5 years recognize me? How could she kill Omega if she knew I was around them?

"You seem upset to see me, I thought my ascension and presence would bring you comfort."

ーYou knew her all this time!? You cultist piece of shi-Agh!ー The hand that was holding her tightened, and the smile from Tania's face vanished for a second just to look at Zulu.

"Quiet, bug...I have not permitted you to speak to him. Try that again, and your blood will be wasted in the ground."

ーDo not hurt her! Please! Tania! ー I begged, holding my gun out at her, ready to fire. But not sure if I wanted to cause anger. Charlie was peeking from the corner of the door. And my arms were trembling.

"Well, your little friends have been killing my subjects, running and taking things I never allowed you to. For how many years have you had the chance to join willingly to my new foundations?"

ーYou have killed people...Murdered in cold blood, you have a following of batshit insane idiots who worship you out of fear! I've heard more than enough to know you are far from a viable option! What about Eric? Is he one of your toys at the farm you built? ー

"Eric died a swift end when I was given this precious gift, a sacrifice for a better future I'm afraid. But so it is the life of your kind. The people from the capital city understand this. They are given everything, a perfect life, but I need their flesh and blood as well. An exchange."

ーLives...people's lives are not a thing. Eric was our friend and his death means nothing to you!? ー I was frustrated, confused, furious. To see the friend who I thought was a salvation at one point, now being the cause of my suffering, the suffering and demise of others. It was hard to believe. And even harder to accept.

"This conversation is pointless, I can see your thoughts. And you will never understand my duties or my nature. Your rebel group ends now, you are coming with me to the capital. And these pests are to never act in my lands again."

She was serious, but taking me to the capital? Why? She didn't have a reason. For all I care I could very well die like Eric and she would give zero fucks. Yet, she didn't seem reluctant to the idea of leaving me.

ーI'm not going anywhere, i-if you want me...You leave them alive, both her and the boy inside the mall. ー My voice was weak, and my grip tightened around my gun, in a futile attempt to feel safe.

"One rebel back to the capital means redemption of your ways, more than that creates a danger for the civilization I'm creating. I did promise you in past life to improve your life. This is what I'm doing now."

Zulu, as hurt as she was, remained confused about the apparent mercy Tania, the goddess who took our region, had over me. But she saw an opportunity, and her eyes as always, allowed me to get that.

ーThen let them go...They will go away, and hide, but don't harm them, a-and I will go. ー I replied. Finger on the trigger. She looked at me in disbelief, as if I was sinning by trying to negotiate. 2 things could come out of this. Either I die here along with Zulu and Charlie, or I manage to at least get Charlie out by distracting Tania long enough.

"Put down your weapon, AND THEN pick one to spare."

She said cold. Zulu already sweating, staring at me with tears in her eyes.

We both knew what our only option was. My only option. As Charlie awaited my answer. Zulu had already broken into tears but gave me a nod to go ahead with the same messed-up idea I had in mind.

Se both had to die, so he could survive.

In the end, they were like my family. Zulu and Charlie were my brothers for so many years now, and this time it was up to the oldest to make sure the young lived.

My throat hurt. My mouth was dry, tasting dust from all the rubble that almost crushed us before. And my legs felt weak.

ーYou let the boy on the building survive this...You don't kill him. You promise! ー I say with a shaky voice.

Tania's eyes sharpened towards me, she was not amused by my answer. As she expected something else. As if I had somehow disappointed her.

Her grip tightened around Zulu's body, enough to make her groan in pain, before getting lifted to an open mouth, greeted with sinister white teeth as big as a person. A pearly gate of a cave of doom.

I reassured Charlie everything was going to be fine, pushing him lightly inside the building again, repeating the same words as I hugged him, with a response born of desperation and despair. With his tears drenching my coat's shoulder. While in the background, I could hear Zulu's last words. Her body and cries fell into the jaws of the beast, and instantly his body crushing to nothing as Tania chewed her up...An echoing "gulp" being the last of our sister. I was next, needed to make sure Charlie knew what to do.

ーStay here, okay? It's going to be fine, find the camp radio, contact a group, a safe place...You will be fine. I promi-...ー My time was up.

Soon, I was plucked by 2 fingers pressing my body, quickly ending the farewell hug I had with my brother. Lifted into the skies, out of the dark.

I closed my eyes, but I was never greeted with a wave of warm humid air, nor the sight of a cavernous mouth awaiting me. Instead, I fall delicately into an open palm, eyes wide open in shock as Tania just held me there, staring at me. Thinking...

ーIf you are killing me...Don't dwell on it...Fucking do it! ー I yell, as her gaze turns to the building where Charlie hid.

She lifted her free arm. Aimed it to the top of the fire exit of the mall.

ーNo, Wait! No, NO, WAIT! ー I screamed in desperation.

I could only hear Charlie screaming before the entirety of that side of the building fell to the ground, now reduced to a pile of broken concrete and steel.

"Don't worry for him, he will survive that, after it...depends on him. And you, come with me."

I fell to my knees, as I released all the pain that I accumulated in my lungs. Silenced only by wrapping fingers, a fist that became my enclosure. No matter how much time I kicked, how much I struggled. Her skin, impenetrable, her strenght, unmeasureable.

Her steps were audible, she wanted me alive.

And I didn't know why.

I was being taken away to her capital.

Were my freedom would die.

Because my will had left me,

along with my second and last family.

[ghostinthewoods1102]

Here's Jester and IDOL's opinions of everyone in the household!

{CW: slight dehumanization, IDOL, death mentioned, implied stalking}

IDOL is a jerk. I'm sorry.

Anyway eat up moots!

Jester's opinions:

Evan- He's nice. He has a lot of problems, but I understand and relate to some of them. I don't like having to distance myself fromthis, but I don't want to hurt or startle him.

HABs - He's a pain to deal with, but at least he takes care of Xia. Honestly I prefer not talking to him. I'm scared he might try to eat me in my deer form.

Kevin- The nicest one to me (other than Frost). He's slowly become my best friend. I don't understand what happened recently with him, but I hope he knows I'm always here for him. Also, I hope who ever I remind him of was a good friend to him.

Observer- I don't like when he's mean to Kevin. I am glad he took the time to try and gain my trust though. I enjoy talking to him when he doesn't do anything too bad to Kevin. Though he is kinda unnerving. I don't mind that he watches me and the others though. I feel safer(?) That way.

Xia- Another Chaos biased entity, a goddess no less. She's extremely more powerful than I am and could easily erase me if she tried. I still feel the need to protect her though, even if she doesn't trust me.

Frost- Probably my second bast friend. I really enjoy her company and could probably make a prank team up. It'd be funny. Oh and the medical knowledge is so impressive! I can't even wrap my arm properly.

DISC0RD- Cool looking and has been pretty helpful. I am worried it might try to eat me at times, Thankfully over all it's nicer to me. Teadosa is also an amazing bonus. I like that little teapot.

Joanne- I should have done something....I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry...

IDOL'S opinions: ⚠We had to stop him for villain monologuing. Also he's a jerk. Read at your own risk. (It's nothing too bad) ⚠

Evan- A mess who I find it interesting to taunt.

HABs- I would like to know him better, he intrigus me. Also I do hope he means his treats, otherwise that's plain boring.

Kevin- Another possession. More interesting though due to the eyes though. I know he dislikes me, it's hilarious.

Observer- I've noticed he watches everyone, just like me. I don't have too much of a strong opinion. I do know he's powerful though and better kept as a loose ally.

Xia- A chaos goddess is extremely valuable. While I won't do major spectacles again. I will try to protect her the best I can. It's more interesting when the thing your watching is alive after all.

Frost- A walking doctors office. Extremely puzzling. Also I'm not sure if she's human. Call it a underlying suspicion. How could a mere human do all this?

DISC0RD- Very protective, but can be put out of commission. It's an interesting creature though.

Joanne- This is my favorite part about mortals. Although, she was rather interesting, I would have liked to talk to her more before she left. Oh well, all good things come to a tragic end.

[mychoombatheroomba]

Dehumanizing

Between the Bones (Leon x GN! Reader) - Chapter 24

Leon has a conversation with Krauser.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

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“Major?” Leon watched as Krauser’s attention turned to him, blond brows pinching together. 

“What is it, rookie?” He didn’t seem happy to be disturbed. Drills were done for the day. The Major probably wanted to head back to his barracks, turn on his music and forget the poor fools he’d spent the day training. 

But Leon had other plans. 

“I wanted to speak with you.” 

And, despite his clear reluctance, Krauser eventually led Leon back to his office, settling into his chair with an unwillingness that might have made someone think he was being held at gunpoint. “Let’s hear it, rookie. I’m missing dinner. And so are you.” 

“Why haven’t you told the rest about the bioweapons? The ones I fought in Raccoon City?” Leon wasted no time. 

Krauser just looked at him, and Leon couldn’t help but think that the deadpan look he gave was one he’d seen on you, before. 

“You want me to go around spilling classified information?” The Major sounded somewhere between amused and annoyed. 

“It shouldn’t be something the government kept from you,” Leon said, his voice assured. “It shouldn’t be something you keep from the rest of them.” 

Krauser narrowed his eyes, and the air around him seemed to darken a touch as the Major’s mood soured. But still, as he looked at Leon, he sighed and let his head drop a bit. “Look, rookie, no one knows that better than me. But if you think Uncle Sam isn’t gonna bring hell down on me for handing that information out without permission-”

“Major, respectfully, I don’t care if they’re happy or not. They cannot fight the things you’ve been training us to fight as well if they don’t even know they exist.” 

Krauser just looked at him, then. Scoffed. Shook his head. “You did just fine in Raccoon City without a day of experience,” he pointed out. “The Sergeant survived, having never seen any of that shit before-”

“And no one else on base did.” Leon shook his head. “The RPD was wiped out. The military took losses. Even Umbrella’s own mercenaries couldn’t survive in Raccoon City-”

“And they probably knew better than you what to expect there. Your point is?” 

“My point is that we need every edge we can get. They need every edge.” The radio might not have been loud enough to cover the raised voice Leon spoke in. Krauser seemed like he was going to match that energy, to snarl a response. Instead, the Major kept his voice low, his eyes narrowed. 

“If I tell something they don’t want out in the open, they have other people who will replace me here. People who won’t have my tolerance for your bullshit.” Krauser leaned towards him, bracing his arms against the desk. 

“I understand that, sir,” Leon said, stepping forward. Matching the Major. Showing him that he wouldn’t back down. “But that doesn’t change the fact that telling them what they’re up against will make them better prepared for them surviving it.”

“Kid, I’m not out to get court-martialed. And you shouldn’t be, either.”

“They already strong-armed me into service,” Leon said then, his tone harsh. “They’re not going to throw me out. So, I don’t really give a shit what they want to do to me.” 

Krauser frowned. Nodded. “Well, lucky you. I tend to give a shit if I’m going to lose my job.” 

“Your job is, as of right now, to make sure the men and women out there are equipped to fight Umbrella. You can’t do that if you’re not giving them the whole picture.” 

It was a hail Mary play. High risk, high reward. Leon didn’t think that the government could punish him in a worse way that they already had, but Krauser could make life a living hell. Even so, even knowing that risk, Leon spoke the words anyway because it was the best thing he could do. He could only make his point, and wait for the Major’s reply. And he waited a while, as Krauser’s eyes bored into Leon’s skull. 

“You’re right.” There was a moment of silence as Krauser grimaced, clearly displeased about what he was about to say. “And I’m going to do what I can. See if I can bypass some of this red tape.” 

Leon . . . hadn’t expected that. Krauser had never admitted that Leon was right about anything before. It settled his nerves, though, and the younger man nodded. “Thank you, Major.” 

Krauser just frowned, waving his hand. “Yeah, yeah, you’re a pain in the ass. Get out of here.”

Leon didn’t need to be told twice, and nodded, taking his leave. Or, rather, he was about to when the Major spoke up again. 

“And rookie?” Leon stopped just before he reached the door. “Careful with this. You’re a good soldier but be careful thinking rules don’t apply to you.” Krauser didn’t sound angry. There was no accusation in the words. Just fact. “It doesn’t matter what you survived. You’re an asset to the government, and they want to hold on to that asset, but you have entire squads of people out there training for the same thing you are.” He gestured with his chin towards the window, towards the rest of the base outside. “You’re valuable to them, but only so long as you play by their rules.” 

Leon nodded, and something in the Major’s eyes made him wonder if he was talking strictly about this conversation . . . but if he meant anything more by the words, he didn’t specify it, and Leon left the office behind. 

And even if he believed that Krauser would do what he could . . . Leon could only focus on his anger. The injustice of it. They’d forced him into this, and now they weren’t giving the others the tools they needed to survive it. 

You’re an asset. 

You’re valuable to them, but only so long as you play by their rules.

None of you were people, to them. You were all a means to an end. Just as the bioweapons Umbrella made were. Monstrosities that the US would have been content to trade Umbrella for, if Raccoon City hadn’t happened. They were all just pawns. Him. You. Krauser. Everyone on this base. Pawns. Weapons. Tools.

And suddenly, he desperately needed to feel like a human. 

So he headed towards the one person who could give him that feeling.                 

⧫⧫⧫

“So?” You were waiting in the training yard, alone. When you saw Leon’s stormy expression, his brows low and shadowing his eyes, you were glad that it was just you. That the two of you might be able to talk in peace, with just the sound of the radio inside the barracks to accompany whatever conversation you were about to have. “What’d he say?” 

Leon just shrugged. “Said he’d do his best. Try and get as much information released to us as he could.” 

He was upset about something. That was easy to see. “Then what went wrong?” 

For a moment, Leon didn’t say anything, shaking his head and letting out a breath. “Nothing. Just thinking about some things.” 

You nodded, examining him for a moment. “You want to talk about it?” 

Leon paused, and you could see that, as much as he did want to, something was holding him back. Maybe it was the now-open window into the officer’s barracks, where the music from Krauser’s radio drifted out. “No.” He finally answered. “Let’s go to the range.” 

You of all people knew what it was to turn to such things when the mind was at war. To arm oneself for that fight. So you nodded. You’d been hoping to fight with knives tonight, just the two of you. Hoping that, perhaps, after it got dark, you could steal a moment with him. But if your focus came at the end of a blade, then Leon’s, it seemed, came looking down the sights of a handgun. So, you let him lead the way. 

Having spent the last few months of your life on this base, it didn’t take you long to realize that he was not, in fact, going the way he should be. 

But he was leading you towards the mess hall. 

“Think you’re headed the wrong way, Kennedy,” you pointed out with a slight smile. 

He stopped, looking back at you with a look that was softer than the one he’d given earlier. Almost boyish, and beautiful. “No,” he said, stepping closer, keeping his voice low. “I’m headed right where I want to be.” 

And against reason and wariness, you felt your heart skip a beat - because since that first night, since you’d felt him kiss his way down your body, you’d wanted nothing but to be alone with him again. To feel your skin against his. To be with him. You’d both waited long enough. 

So you shook your head, humming a soft laugh. “Alright then,” you said, looking into those beautiful eyes of his. “Lead the way.” 

And then you followed him into the gathering dark. 

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Chapter Index

A/N: Next chapter will be NSFW!

[creppersfunpalooza]

Caught

CW/TW: drugs, mentions of addiction, vian. just generally vian, quick implications of dehumanization, lab stuff, mentions of corpses, self-experimentation

hi guys i actually wrote something. rare. shocking. limited edition…. (in the sense that i will probably delete it if i decide i hate it later)

————————————————————————

Silence is like a poorly fitting shoe. It’s uncomfortable at first, but you eventually grow into it. Dr. Venstal was used to working in silence. He was familiar with it. He’d even go as far as to say he usually preferred it. It let him concentrate. No frivolous distractions. Cadavers are very quiet. Amazing listeners, but generally speaking, they don’t have any words of their own.

But in that dimly lit office, the silence brought him no comfort. It hung in the air like cigarette smoke, coating over and sticking to everything it could. It didn’t help that his boss’s eyes were boring into his with an uncomfortable intensity. He couldn’t figure out what the man was thinking. Both that and the palpable tension in the air caused his throat to swell.

“Do you want to tell me what you were doing?” His boss was the first to speak, as was expected. His expression was completely neutral. An impartial judge waiting to determine his fate, no doubt. It didn’t reassure him.

“I…” The doctor started, but he swallowed down the words before they left his mouth. “I don’t know.” Feigning ignorance. It wouldn’t get him anywhere, he knew that, but it was the only thing he could think to do. At this moment, he was neither innocent nor guilty. He could still plead his case.

The man across the desk sighed and slid an ampule forward. The label was written neatly in Vian’s handwriting. The vial itself was partially empty, with only a few pearls of clear liquid sloshing around inside the glass. Vian bit down on his lip. He hoped the coppery taste would be enough to keep him grounded.

“Well, I just… Wanted to try something. I don’t exactly have people lining up to test these sorts of things.” He murmured, pressing against the couch. The wood frame creaked beneath him.

His boss rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Dr. Venstal, you know I trust you. I need you to do the same for me. I’m not firing you, and I doubt I will. Just tell me what you were thinking.” He sighed, gently placing the vial to the side.

“As you know, I have a hobby of developing medicines.” The doctor started, fiddling with his hands just out of view. “And, well, I can’t test those on anyone. I’m not authorized to do so.”

“And you thought your best option was using yourself?” Incredulousness hung heavy in his voice. “Do you realize how wrong that is? How much was at stake?” The rabbit’s judgment was clear. Painfully so. Of course Vian knew the consequences, he had a brain. It wasn’t as if he’d done it on a whim.

“I do, I’ve considered the risks. I just… Figured the results would outweigh the suffering. I see my mistake now. I shouldn’t have put myself in danger.” He replied with artificial sincerity. This situation was terrible, but not as bad as it could have been. He could salvage it. Best case scenario, he’d keep his job, get a small reprimanding, and maybe be monitored for a few days. Perhaps if he played his cards right, he could even gain a test subject from this whole ordeal. There were plenty of candidates, they just weren’t accessible to him.

His boss smiled. A good sign. “I’m glad to hear that, Dr. Venstal. I understand what you were trying to do, really I do. It’s very admirable, but we can’t have you risking yourself. You’re too important.” He spoke softly. There was something wrong about the way his tone changed. He’d been so professional just a moment prior. “But… We’re not done here.”

Vian wracked his brain. What else was there to speak of? He hadn’t left anything incriminating behind. Nothing that would be out of place, anyway. He’d hidden his tracks well. Paranoia crept into the edges of his brain, trickling into the little bends and folds of his mind.

“I searched your office. I found a concerning amount of opioids. Ones you’ve made, and ones that I can only assume you’ve also been… testing.” Oh. that. He hadn’t really expected him to notice. After all, it wasn’t really uncommon for someone in his field. Still, it didn’t look good for him. He didn’t have a proper way to respond.

In full honesty, he rarely tested anything addictive on himself. If he had to, he made sure to space it out. Instead, he turned to his patients for that. People who could be easily monitored as long as they stayed in the sanctuary. It had been harmless so far, only causing a few long-term drug dependencies. Nothing serious, just faults of the patient not being able to overcome the initial craving. He couldn’t exactly explain that to his boss though, not without being put away. He didn’t want to lie to him about drug addiction of all things, but what other choice did he have? Going to jail?

He steeled his nerves and responded.

“Well, yes, but I haven’t done anything like that for weeks. You can test my blood, if you need to.” He felt ashamed for admitting to an action he hadn’t even committed, but by the sympathetic expression on his boss’s face, he knew he’d made the right choice.

The man set his hands on the desk, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. “Thank you for being honest with me. This must be a very sensitive topic for you, but I hope you understand that I can’t just let this continue.” He took a deep breath before revealing his verdict. “I think it would help if you got some fresh air. Working yourself to death in that office isn’t doing you any favors. You’ll also need to retake your psychological evaluation, and I’ll be recommending you a therapist.” He spoke with a reformed sense of professionalism. Vian was a bit surprised by how mild all of this was. Was that really it?

“You’re dismissed, A7. I’m looking forward to seeing your improvement.”

[zehglitch]

The Fallen Angel

Ezephr's backstory

— 3

Content Warnings: Human experimentation, child experimentation, kidnapping, violence, toying with people, mentions of death, abuse/starvation, mentions of children killing each other, dehumanization, bullying, some harsh language

Chapter 3 — A Strong Girl

Today, he’d made his final decision. X1 was far too valuable to risk losing so early on…he needed to implement one of their tests prior to any contests. He was fairly interested in seeing what would happen to it inside of a growing body, but his main motive was preserving the subject. If he got to have a show from doing so, that was just a bonus. He had begun preparations early on, taking any children that managed to survive in the pit so he could perfect the project, test the limits of it. At this point, they had an abundance of important data.

Currently, he’d sent one of the cloaked to retrieve the angel, allowing him to sit back in the office chair and scan over the data. There couldn't be any mistakes in this experiment--none. He wouldn't allow his precious, rare chance to slip away from him so easily. Not now. Finding anything even close to the results he desired this early on in their project was exceedingly uncommon, to the point of never actually happening. He had his doubts, yes, but he’d also never had an angel before. This could very well open new opportunities for them.

He would like to get another one, but they lived in massive groups referred to as flocks. Each and every one of them was a threat on their own, but in their swarms you might as well accept your inevitable death. The only creature with no base element that developed any sort of unlisted magic you could dream of. He wasn't certain what led to them always varying in their power, seeing as inheritance had no affect, but had no way of confirming the cause. To him, that was detestable, but unavoidable. Not much he could do about it.

The doctor smirked. Well, until now anyway. He had an angel in his grasp for the first, and possibly last, time. It was exhilarating. Throwing about the possibilities in his mind for now, he spun the chair and pushed it over to the line of chemicals, double checking the process they were going through. The liquid was still coming out black, despite the many efforts made to keep it the same hue as blood. He hummed, moving on with a shrug. Oh well, that didn't change the quality. Color wasn't quite as important as the function. He looked at a bubbling tank. The implant was ready.

He heard the telltale sign of the laboratory door sliding open with a hiss, bringing him to swivel the chair and face who entered. Perfect, they brought the angel. Maintaining a faux smile, he calmly stated, “Ah, welcome, X1.” He crossed his legs, setting a hand on his knee while the other gestured around the room. “I’m glad you could get here unharmed.” He caught the barely suppressed flinch from his words and nearly lost himself. Mind on the matter, doctor. “Please, lay down over here.” He waved to a silver table.

His cloaked man set the wary child down before moving to block the door, arms crossed behind their back. Exactly as instructed. The doctor watched how the boy looked around the room, wondering what he thought of the items he'd never seen before. Patience…he could pick the boy’s brain as much as he desired later. What caught him off guard, however, was the defiant, closed fisted stance X1 took while staring daggers at him. “Why? Father, what do you want from me after abandoning us?” That was fairly surprising.

He felt both the outrage of his subject questioning him, and the absolute delight over the tenacity shown from a frightened five year old. Gorgeous. He tilted his head. “Whatever do you mean? I never abandoned you, I am simply waiting. Now, lay on the table and I will answer all your questions.” X1 clearly didn’t want to listen, but the doctor watched with satisfaction as the child gave in and approached the table. He didn't approve of someone simple minded, but he did enjoy someone who resisted, but still bent to his will in the end.

Once the angel was situated, having done so slowly and cautiously, the doctor rolled his chair over and offered the boy a smile. He was met with vague disdain. “Stay still, alright? This won't hurt a bit.” He hit the switch and watched with glee as the metal bars came up to restrain him. They snapped down quickly and almost painfully tight, preventing any form of real resistance without causing pain. Of course, the boy panicked…that wasn’t the best response he could've gotten, but it was expected. That's why the doctor frowned.

It was a tad disappointing to have the angel react how any child would, though he’d give credit for the unnatural silence. He turned away from the struggling child, only for his attention to be brought back when the boy spoke up. “You said you’d answer my questions. All of them.” The doctor gave the angel a cursory glance before waving for the boy to ask. “...why did you move us? What sound was mother making when you did?” He seemed to hesitate, as if he needed to think his questions through. “Why am I in here?”

The doctor turned only to retrieve the vial of anesthetic, filling his syringe. “You were moved simply for turning five years old. You had to relocate for the new batch of children and for your graduation. Your mother…I assume she must’ve been growling. It’s a nasty habit of critters, you see.” He tested the function of the syringe and went back over to the boy. “As for your being here…it’s simple, really. You’re better than the rest and I’m giving you my personal care.” To the point he planned to do this operation himself rather than delegate it.

X1 had such a fascinating expression over this information, but in the end he looked the doctor in the eye. Interesting…the subjects usually avoided that. “If…I let you do whatever, will you keep X4 safe and teach me more?” The man blinked in surprise, then gave a soft laugh while shaking his head. That was simply absurd. The boy had such a serious, yet hopeful expression, but he had no clue. The fool. He’d do whatever he liked to this boy…although it could be worth offering a reward. The doctor decided to make note of what had been asked for.

He clicked his tongue. “Ridiculous. As if you had a choice in the matter.” He swiftly injected the anesthetic in the boy’s pinned arm, then reached up and tapped the bar that was over his neck. “You’re just a useful product I’m improving. Don’t be mistaken. Perhaps if you win in the pit, I’ll consider your requests.” He watched the child fade away, patiently waiting for the medicine to take hold. When it had, he undid the restraints and removed the clothes, pulling the container holding the organ closer. “You certainly don’t need all these organs…”

☾︎☀︎︎☽︎

It…wasn’t that surprising they were being treated this way. From the beginning, trust didn’t exist in that strange home of theirs. Not for her. X4 readjusted, waiting patiently for her brother to come back and trying her best to not look around this place. It was full of screams, crying, begging…and not from her cellmates. She knew her change was bothering X1, but how could she explain the dark shape following him around ever since he got hit for their food. For her food. Why couldn't she just bring herself to move and get it without his help?

Guilt was eating away at her more and more as time passed in this cage. She let him heal her, but she failed to protect him. Instead, he used his body as her shield while she did what? Nothing. Nothing at all, except stare at the floor to avoid what she saw present in this cage. X1 was her brother, why couldn't she help him like she used to anymore? When he was taken away from her, she didn't even try to grab for him and…she saw the way his face twisted and tears formed in his eyes. But the worst part was his following resignation.

Did she…do something wrong? X4 chanced looking around their shared cage, trying to understand the situation. She was alone with that girl…and the others, but that girl was the scariest. Reaching up to fuss with her dirty, tangled pink hair, she attempted to distract herself. Would she get to eat with him gone? Probably not. She shook her head, then hurriedly avoided their eyes when that drew their attention. No, please just stay away and continue ignoring the quiet girl. She wasn't going to cause any trouble, they didn’t need to watch her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to block out the world as the voices flooded her mind again. No, please be quiet! Her hands went over her ears to block it out, but that never seemed to help. With a very soft whimper, she pushed herself further into the corner and wished she was hidden. She never asked to be able to see these things, to hear them…they were scary and loud and violent. X4 suppressed her shaking as best she could while biting her lip. She wanted X1 back, finding all her thoughts focusing on that gentle, kind boy. Yeah. She depended on him far too much.

☾︎☀︎︎☽︎

She finds herself woken up by a heavy force slamming into her shoulder. Dully, she hears someone shouting at her as well, but…she had a hard time focusing after coming out of sleep. The scary things were all screaming and cackling and making a raucous loud enough to disorient her. Then a dark foot came hurtling towards her face. With a gasp, X4 shoved herself away, sitting up and scrambling back from the attack. Her heart beat wildly, abandoning the thought of the stones digging into her skin in order to dodge another strike.

Focusing on her surroundings, it took her a considerable moment to distinguish between her cellmate and the strange, creepy things she could always see. What? Her cellmate was attacking her? She was never attack liked this before--oh. X1 wasn't here this time. In a hurry, she shoved her tired body off the ground and moved away from the older girl. Why was she being attacked anyway? The thought briefly occurred to her that she’d slept and X1 was still gone--where was she? Rather than allow her time to wake up, a new attack aimed for her and landed right in the gut.

Can't breathe. She clutched her stomach weakly, looking up at the angry girl and just staring at her. What did she want? X4, with a part of herself returning, managed to stand up and stare the hostile girl in the eyes, of course, she couldn't speak at all, but she wasn't backing down anyway. The girl sneered at her. “What? Just because that dumbass protects you, you think you're safe?” She waved around the cage. “He’s not here.” Her claws jabbed at X4 when she roughly poked the young elf. “And I’m tired of your smug face in my corner.”

X4 just continued to stare, but unlike X1 she couldn't hide the wince when a claw pierced her skin. However…she stepped forward, causing the claw to go in deeper. She wore a glare of her own as she rode through the burn. Faintly, she was aware of something cool streaming down her face, but she didn’t stop. All of this ended when the older girl slapped her, the force throwing her back to the floor. There was momentary silence in their cage, all of them taking in the situation. X4 was much smaller than the other girl, so it hadn’t been interesting in the slightest at first.

Now, they were curious. The older girl growled quietly at the elf. “You…are you just copying that crazy bastard now? I’m calling your bluff, right now.” She gave no time between her threat and swiping at the younger child with her claws fully poised for the attack. X4 bit her lip painfully hard when those claws ripped through her skin and clothes, then tried to kick her attacker. She stepped on her legs, stopping that effort before it hardly began. Her blue eyes, lacking a pupil from her race, stared at the other girl with contempt.

Of course, her attacker wasn't stopping, but the room suddenly exploded to life around the two. X4’s eyes were glowing as she shoved at the girl, shocking herself when an unknown force sent her flying. The elf sat there stunned, watching the creepy and scary things she’d always seen…protecting her. Her gaze darted to her cellmates, finding the angry girl already standing, but not approaching, just staring. Could none of them see this? She didn't stand, dully aware of a horrible ache in her legs from being stepped on, but she scooted away from everyone.

Momentary silence, then the girl shouted, “I’m the strongest here, you can’t do that to me!” X4 had never understood why all the older kids in the cages were obsessed with being stronger than everyone else. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was now being charged. With a nervous sound, she threw her hands out in the hope of defending herself…and watched as the scary things rushed for the girl. A gasp escaped her, seeing that girl being slammed against the bars of the cage. X4 blinked, catching sight of the name on her neck. Y12.

Her long, dark purple hair had always hidden her name and she never answered if asked about it. X4 studied Y12 for a long time, hoping she was okay but too scared to go over and check. If she did, she’d get hurt, right? And if she didn’t get hurt, then Y12 was hurt a lot more than she thought. She really hoped not. That would be really, really bad. X4 didn’t want to hurt her…well, she didn't, the scary things did. The elf looked at the creepy beings, stiffening when she caught them all staring directly at her, as if waiting for something.

She shuddered, a cold chill trailing down her spine. Before she could dwell on it, Y12 groaned and pushed herself up. As if she’d never been knocked down, her dangerous red eyes boring a hole through the child. Everything about her behavior screamed danger, causing X4 to roughly shove herself against the wall. There was an immediate response from the creatures around her, all of them swarming to be in front of her. There was a breeze inside the cage from their movement, and Y12 was studying it closely.

In the end, the girl clicked her tongue and turned away, storming back to the single bed available. “This ain’t worth it. You’re a breakable freak just like that other one.” She whirled around though. “But I control this space. You got that?” X4 didn’t supply a response, merely shrinking into herself and earning a scoff from the older girl. She watched the other lay on the bed, then hugged herself. Did this…mean she was safe? Was she going to be hit more later? Did she get hurt too? X4 squeezed her legs tightly. She didn’t like hurting people.

In the end, she was back to wishing her brother was here for her. Whether she did it or not, she felt like those things had hurt that girl because of her. She was the only one who could see them, after all. Where was he? Was he coming back? If he didn’t come back…she didn’t know what she’d do. She glanced at her other two siblings, catching them staring at her. Weakly, she offered them a smile, the same one she gave all her siblings back home. They both pouted, their bottom lips poking out and their eyes getting teary.

She shook her head slowly, knowing they might get hit if they came over to her. And yet…despite the bad situation, she was happy to see that they were still who she remembered. X2 and X3 were both so kind…whatever the others had been doing, they looked so scared. She wasn’t fully aware of what all had gone on in the very beginning. She could recall zoning out or covering her ears and eyes when the others would scream, but she also knew X1 had always been right in front of her throughout all of that. She wished he would’ve helped them too.

X4 turned away from them, wincing as the movement both brought pain and the sound of quiet whines from her siblings. She touched where it hurt, grimacing at the sharp feedback it earned. When she raised her hand, it was covered in blood. That…probably wasn’t good. Remembering something their mother had taught them, she ripped off the already torn part of her clothes and tried to wrap around the area. Turns out, getting fabric from clothes was really hard if there wasn't already a tear. Having learned that, she used the rip to get more when needed.

Every motion hurt, but she made an effort to get herself patched up. X1 could heal her when he comes back…she held onto that thought desperately. He will come back. She can do this badly and he’ll help her. He’s not gone. She tried to keep her mind off how two people would leave, and only one came back. That wouldn't be him. Her brother was strong…he was kind, but he wouldn't leave her. He told her so. She pulled the fabric tight and winced, but didn’t stop. Mother had told them it had to be tight. While finishing it up and barely maintaining conscious, she wondered again where her little brother went to, and…when he’d come back to her.

—

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[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 18

It's time for the two-parter Marado map. I was feeling nervous about this one, mostly because of all the pegasus knights. My Jill was not doing so hot, so I was afraid she would become overwhelmed by them, and they would swarm my squishier units.

Thankfully, however, I managed to get through the first section without issue. The second section, on the other hand...

I do appreciate Fiona for what she was doing here. I only wish that she got more time to become a good character and/or a good unit. At least she has savior, which helps her not die on this map. The other cavaliers were not so lucky, and quite a few of them died. The amount of times my characters died because I rushed too quickly trying to save the villagers was... too many, really.

I do love this ongoing metaphor going on through this conversation, comparing themselves to shepherds and the people of Daein as "little lambs". It's so demeaning and dehumanizing, which is of course the point. It also shows how they rationalize their actions.

I love you Meg, I really do. And I get it. Meg's young and unfamiliar with the world outside of her small farming town. But this particular plot point always annoys me. Brom, why would you do this? I'm glad that Zihark is a complete gentleman about the whole situation. But I'm sad we never get any resolution over this. Does Meg ever realize Zihark doesn't want to marry her? I do know from her ending that she does end up getting married and having a family of her own, but it would have been interesting to see a little of what happened in between.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Radiant Dawn suffers a lot from the lack of support conversations. The Dawn Bridage, especially, suffer from stagnant character syndrome.

Micaiah getting upset at Pelleas for not having a backbone always puts a smile on my face. She's usually so distantly polite with everyone (with the exception of Sothe), so the times when she reveals a little more of her honest feelings and thoughts are really great to see. And while I adore Pelly, I 100% agree with Miccy here. Grow a spine, Pelleas!

Oh, and while you're growing that spine, maybe also lose the racism. Again, I love you buddy, you are the beorc equivalent of a sad puppy left outside in the rain, but dude. Try to form your own opinions for once.

Anyway, onto the prison break map!

Love these three! Wish they were more involved in the story.

Ahahaha. I don't know if Maurim meant this sincerely or sarcastically, but man. That comment alone probably destroyed whatever "manly pride" Sothe might have had.

The map itself didn't give me nearly as much trouble as the previous one. And luckily, Jill got some good level ups on this map, which transformed her from a slightly weak unit to a dependable one, which has put my mind at ease.

Sothe is so fucking funny. I love him.

Next was the stupid swamp map. For some reason, this is the only screenshot I took, probably because it was the only highlight. This one gave me even more trouble than the second Marado map. I really wanted to save most of the people trapped in the swamp, which meant I took some really stupid risks, and had to restart waaaay too many times. But at the end, at least Edward classed up.

This part of the story is so sweet. Micaiah has lived all of her life in the shadows, keeping her distance, afraid of how people would react if they learned her secret. And now here she is, adored by many, people who look up to her and feel inspired by her. I can only imagine what she's thinking during this scene. She probably thinks she doesn't deserve it, and to some extent, that's true. Or to be more accurate, they are idolizing her, putting her on a pedestal, which is puts a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She doesn't deserve that, because she is worth more than that.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm losing my train of thought. I just love this game so much, guys.

See you all in part 19!

[blinkbones]

Minor Detail -- Adania Shibli

Rambling warning. This reading got so mixed in with my current state of mind and feelings + the difficulty of speaking about something related to a heated current issue, it's a whole mess. And probably not a well-worded one. Also I'm ignorant. I hope I don't compound anyone's pain today, and if I do, I am endlessly sorry. Also anyone being dehumanizing in my notes is catching a block.

This book I bought on a whim, against my own rules. My new job has been taking its toll on me and, I don't know, I sort of felt compelled to... do... something...?

It's an awful thing to say, but I've been compartmentalizing a lot. I've been limiting the time that I take to engage with news, because it kept sending me down doom spirals.

But... I still care, yknow. And I guess that's why I picked up a book with such a discomforting blurb even in my aching state -- and how comforting can you get in your writing as a Palestinian author, in the context of the last... century... anyway?

Ok, less about me and more about this book. It's a short, and well-crafted novel, in two parts. In the first half, the reader is put in direct contact with the cold point of view of an Israeli soldier in the few days that lead up to the rape and murder of a young Arab woman. In the second part, decades later, a Palestinian woman seeks to reconstruct the full truth of those events. You don't need me to tell you that this can be a triggering read -- but if you can handle it, it's a good one.

The writing is deceivingly simple in appearance. You will not be stumped by the sentence structures -- but the overall structure of the story itself is complex, interlacing within itself.

There are obvious mirrors to anyone who paid attention in literature classes. The dog's barking echoes like an ominous bell across the two parts. The two main characters (unnamed) both descend into a sort of feverish paranoia.

There are two scenes that I keep going back to in my mind, one from each part.

In part 1, the soldier gets stung by an insect, and his state deteriorates. As he gets more unwell, he becomes more and more meticulous and controlling regarding his environment, obviously unwilling to risk a second incident, all the while growing more and more ill. One night, or day, as he avoids the burning sun, he gets up and smashes every single insect he can find; big spiders, small spiders, even a moth. The text doesn't tell you, but you can guess -- this won't help him at all; he's already sick ; and a moth? What harm could the moth ever inflict upon him? What it reveals is his obsession for control, born out of the fear of one unpleasant but seemingly non-lethal bite, inflicted by a creature who got trapped under his shirt when he slept for the first time in a house that belonged to someone else, that we as readers imagine to be dead or trying to find refuge far away from their old home. You read it and you can't help but think about children, a week ago, yesterday, today, probably right now. Moths as well. Humans treated like insects and all lumped into a bag of "killables".

In part 2, the woman goes to work. She calls it "her new job" but you soon get the sense that she may have been at it for a while. She struggles with the limits of things, where to put them and where they end and if she's the one in charge of drawing the limit or of following its implications. This, in the context of a country whose borders are regularly pushed inward like a booby trap designed to crush its victims, is such a simple sentence, but a terrifying one. Anyway, that's not even the scene. She goes to work. On her way there, she gets stopped by soldiers telling her that the way is blocked, as they are leading an operation to deal with some young people ("terrorists" was the word, I think) holed up in a nearby building. She finds another way to access the building, where she opens the windows so the glass won't break. Soon after, there is an explosion, and the glass doesn't break. She focuses on the dust, which she abhors, because it comes in a cloud and covers her work station and the papers she's working on. It's rough and dry and hard to deal with. Her priority in that moment is to get the dust off of her papers, so that she can keep working. This resonated deeply with me. Even though my situation is, no doubt, much less depressing and much less dangerous than hers, how often have I ignored a horror I can't deal with to focus on the stupid minute details of something I do have some form of impact on? In the text, the narrator worries that this may be difficult to understand, focusing on the dust, when a literal bomb blew up nearby, but I really don't think it is. With the state of things, how they've been and how they've been going, worldwide, locally, continentally, nationally, whatever you want, and how powerless it makes a lot of us feel, I think it's inevitable to focus on what you can actually affect. And she's right, it is so silly, in a way. But maybe it is just a survival strategy as well, and it doesn't mean that one cannot care, or try to have a bigger impact, or be more involved in attempts to change things ; indeed, the woman eventually draws from every resource at her disposal to try something -- maybe "anything", I'm not sure. I mean, I've been giving my opinion and feelings here, but it'd be presumptuous to say that I really understand the author's intent.

On that note, I was hungry for more after I was done reading, so I watched a few interviews. How ironic that Adania Shibli herself got arrested when she visited the same museum her character visits, because they had "never seen a Palestinian woman with a computer". This simple sentence weighs on my mind as well, again not entirely sure why. How ironic, as well, that her award ceremony was postponed in the wake of October 7th. As if her getting her prize was going to deafen Israeli voices (I'm referring to the justification given by the book fair in question). As if this really was a simple mathematical problem, in which pain can only be recognized under one flag at a time. As if recent history showed dominance of Palestine over Israel. As if human pain wasn't universal.

I don't claim to know everything, but the level of bullshit kind of makes me feel insane sometimes. Anyway, please don't try to debate me -- this is only a book review, and I am only a random fuck with basic principles of "I don't like it when people are hurt" and no free time to argue why that's my principle.

[artsycervidae]

For your Demon Slayer trio again because they deserve all the love ❤️

What is your character's biggest fear, and how does it affect their actions and relationships?

What is your character's moral compass? What principles or values do they hold dear?

I hope you're having a great day!

Thank you Anon! Had a rough day, was tired and hot and overworked, but it's not so bad. Had delicious food, and of course getting these makes me smile too. I appreciate you!

Some of these questions are VERY spoilery, but I'll do my best not to be coy lol

BIGGEST FEARS

Nobutoshi's biggest fear is being alone. He watched a lot of people close to him die-- many of them vanishing before he could make them proud or trust them with his feelings. He's either private and isolated with his true heart, or he's obsessively judgmental.

Hinata's biggest fear is that their entire existence is meaningless and has no consequence, whether for better or worse. They have a molotov cocktail kind of attitude, where anything could happen. Big risk means a big loss or a big reward: but at least something is happening.

Tetsuya's greatest fear is becoming a demon. To him, giving up one's humanity is the worst thing anyone can do, and he doesn't want to be someone who, when pushed to that point, would choose to hurt others.

MORAL COMPASS

Nobutoshi's moral compass is askew over the years. He doesn't think it's necessary to do the RIGHT thing to do what must be done for the Demon Corps, despite all the power he holds. He even makes excuses for himself and his own actions, and convinces himself that he does the right thing anyway. He values authority, knowledge, and tradition.

Hinata will not even pretend to have morals that aren't fucked up. They're one of the few people who will openly consider killing demons as its own form of murder, but that's the live-or-die nature of war. They're a ride-or-die bitch who would do anything for the people they love, even if it's clearly bad. They value obedience, loyalty, and (toxic) connections.

Tetsuya has a strong moral compass nurtured by heroic stories and a naive viewpoint on goodness. He would have had a lot in common with Tanjiro, but I think Tanjiro has more empathy for demons than Tetsuya, simply because in the Meiji Era, I headcanon that demon misinformation is still bountiful, so demons are dehumanized (pun not intended ), to a point that Tanjiro would perhaps be in the pariah corner with Hinaya. Tetsuya is not immune to propaganda. He values integrity, honesty, and justice.

[theshippirate22]

sucks to suck if you didn’t cause you’re getting it anyway

coffee theory? bullshit. get it out of here. none of that nonsense (i didn’t believe it to begin with but i feel like i should preface by saying no one is drugged or anything)

the gist of my theory is that Aziraphale lied. That the conversation we see with the Metatron is what Aziraphale tells Crowley but that’s not what happened. I think the Metatron said lol you cause too many problems so we wanna keep an eye on you and so you have to be supreme archangel or we’re going to erase crowley from the book of life.

and obviously aziraphale wasn’t down for that. so he has to somehow make sure that doesn’t happen but he also doesn’t want to leave crowley! he loves him!

ugh it’s hard to explain but here’s the thing. the final fifteen is so heartbreaking i think because aziraphale whips that shit out of nowhere. like he was so cute and giddy during the ball and the way he touches crowley when Bureaucracy goes off together like he’s 110% aware of what’s happening there and all of a sudden it’s “nothing lasts forever” and “i forgive you” and we’re all facedown on the floor bawling.

so here’s what i think is going on: metatron levels with him-“come with me or we’ll kill your boyfriend for like realsies”- and suddenly aziraphale has this ultimatum. because he really can’t risk them erasing crowley, and he knows they will because they’re all unhinged, but he also can’t tell crowley what’s going on because crowley would never let him sacrifice himself on his behalf like no nope never, crowley is the one that saves aziraphale every time not the other way around.

i think the biggest discrepancy in the final fifteen is the “YOURE the bad guys.” because aziraphale doesn’t thing crowley is a bad guy. that’s the whole point. he thinks he’s kind and selfless and sweet. so why in the world would he say something that’s so obviously upsetting and dehumanizing???

it reminds me of that scene in Sherlock where sherlock has to kill john or mycroft so mycroft starts going off on how horrible john is, not to convince sherlock to shoot john, but to piss him off enough that he doesn’t feel bad about shooting mycroft.

and that’s exactly what aziraphale is doing.

he needs crowley to leave him alone of his own free will because if crowley even fathoms that something fishy is going on, he will bust into heaven guns ablazing to save aziraphale which will ultimately get him killed. so aziraphale is determined to get him out of the situation and the easiest way is to piss him off.

i mean this is constantly being shown in canon. how often does aziraphale say something that gets crowley storming off saying he’s never gonna come back? like at least once an episode. they’re literally always fighting. so aziraphale can predict his behavior, he knows what he’ll do; he just has to cause some damage.

so he hits all of his soft spots in that conversation. he knows crowley doesn’t like being reminded he was an angel (it’s a thing they bicker over in the bandstand scene before armageddon and in the courtyard in the Job minosode) so he brings up that he can be an angel again. he calls him one of the bad guys. we know crowley has some issues with change- like before the beginning when he finds out the nebula won’t run forever, when he asks aziraphale for the holy water and then sleeps for like a century because azi won’t talk to him, actively fighting to stop armageddon for seemingly no reason other than he likes how things are for himself too much, etc.) so “nothing lasts forever.” and the nail in the coffin: “I forgive you” knowing full well, what crowley wants to hear is “I love you.”

Now, is this plausible/in character? the short answer is absolutely.

Aziraphale is canonically a liar. He’s more or less terrible at it, but he does it anyway, time and time again. Wouldn’t we be able to tell that he was lying? remember the secondhand embarrassment of “They certainly seem to be!” his new children???’ You’re probably thinking. Well let me direct you to the Nazi Zombie Flesheaters minisode and the specific line “I got it right the time it mattered” That whole part is so silly and cute but have you ever wondered why Neil bothered to add it because it really doesn’t add a whole ton to the plot? I think it’s foreshadowing that in a moment when he’s desperate, aziraphale can pull shit off. This also plays into the symbolism that Aziraphale’s obsessionwith performing magic goes hand in hand with the fact that he’s a liar- magic is a place where he can deceive people without the guilt of lying.

Oh but didn’t Aziraphale just choose Heaven because he’s loyal to it?? It would seem like that at first glance, but… he’s really not. Because in any given situation he’s more likely to choose one thing over heaven: no not crowley, HUMANITY. from the very beginning, he loved humanity enough to give away his god-issued flaming sword and then promptly lie to god’s face about its whereabouts. he chose to give Sitis and Job their old children back even though god didn’t give two shits about it. He wanted to stop Armageddon mostly because he’s always borderline starved but also because he loves earth and humanity and all that! He was thrilled that Adam wasn’t Hell or Heaven incarnate- he was HUMAN incarnate. When he got discorporated, he didn’t even pretend to want to fight for Heaven in the war, he immediately tried to find his way back to Earth despite not knowing what to do or how to do it. He held that little foot tumor jar thing and was so relieved to know that body snatching alleviated human suffering. etc. etc. and on some real level he knows that Crowley’s “when heaven ends life here on earth, it’ll be just as dead as if hell ended it” and that’s the next part in his little magic trick.

he’s gonna make Heaven ✨disappear✨

listen do y’all wanna hear my new final fifteen theory

[comicaurora]

Out of curiosity for your opinions on your own work, what do you see the foil relationships between Kendal and the others mentioned in another ask as?

I can think of a few like his his compassion and optimism compared to Falst and Dainix but I'd love to hear what you think

Just so everyone knows what's up, a character foil has qualities that serve to accentuate another character's qualities - typically they're opposed in some way so the contrast heightens each trait.

In his dynamic with Alinua, Kendal's even keel and calm demeanor contrast her newfound ability to express her emotions safely. Additionally, his utter selflessness contrasts her deep-rooted sense of self-preservation, which does extend to her loved ones but rarely allows her to sacrifice herself in the process - Alinua truly loves being alive, while Kendal understands that for everyone but himself. Alinua is also, on some level, still very afraid of going too far, and will be extremely cautious about anything she doesn't entirely understand, typically prioritizing evasion or escape until she concludes she has no other option, whereas Kendal will purposefully head straight into unknown peril if he thinks it'll help someone.

Erin's primary contrasting point with Kendal is pride. Kendal doesn't really have pride, because he'd need to think of himself as a person to do that, while Erin thinks (justifiably in some ways) very highly of himself, and is strongly keyed into social pressures that Kendal only understands from the top-down divine perspective. Erin will also freely admit to being a selfish person who utilizes other people to accomplish his goals, but what Kendal brings out in him is Erin's impractical compassion that will drive him to make unwise decisions for the good of his friends. Kendal, not seeing himself as a person, is either unable or unwilling to advocate for himself, and this drives Erin to advocate for him instead.

Falst and Kendal have many similarities, but their contrasting points are pretty clearly spelled out in Falst's intro. Falst and Kendal are both inhuman beings, but where Kendal registers as an unusually perfect-looking person, Falst's background is one of constant rejection, danger and dehumanization. Falst and Kendal are both impossibly alone, but while Falst can find comfort in genuinely good friends who accept him for who he is, Kendal doesn't find the same comfort, because even among friends, Kendal can never belong in the way Falst can. Falst also sees himself as cruel and monstrous, while Kendal simply… doesn't really perceive himself, contrasting self-loathing with self-indifference. Falst is also much more guarded than Kendal, because Kendal is still working on the threat-evaluation Vash used, which means he doesn't really perceive anything smaller than a god (or The Collector) as a legitimate threat to him, and only reassesses if something threatens the people around him. Falst, in contrast, is used to being hurt in a thousand different ways, and is constantly running a risk/reward calculation.

Tess and Kendal have a lot of similarities, including some that Tess would pick up on long before Kendal. To Tess, Kendal is very familiar. From her perspective, he's unsparked. He hasn't made the connection that he can care about himself or self-determine his life path. The main point of contrast between them is Tess made the decision to live her life only for herself, minus the occasional foray into saving innocents/helping Erin on the way, and thus focuses largely on finding the exact right ways to live her life in the way that works best for her. She's utterly untethered and disregards most things that she considers unimportant or don't directly affect her, living life from one joy to the next. Kendal, living entirely for another's benefit, highlights this difference (or will, anyway, if they ever get a chance to talk)

Dainix is, in many ways, who Kendal would be if he was human. They have similar Noble Warrior vibes and try their best to do the right thing, but Dainix is thoroughly human and socializes easily on a human level. He is compassionate to a fault, but he's not totally selfless; he gets lonely and angry and experiences dangerous conflicting emotions that he works very hard to protect other people from. He is emotional and impulsive by nature, and newly aware of the fact that his self control can only be stretched so far before it snaps - a struggle that Kendal, whose every action is entirely purposeful, does not share. Dainix is also, frankly, much better at people than Kendal is. Dainix goes out of his way to put people at ease, to try and understand them so he can treat them in a way that doesn't upset or accidentally hurt them. Kendal doesn't want to upset or hurt people, but that consideration is on a whole different dimension than he typically operates on, and Kendal doesn't even know where he would start when trying to sympathize with someone and put them at ease. When he tried with Falst it just pissed him off more.

[animeyanderelover]

How would Yandere Levi, Ciel, Alois, Killua, Ging, Feitan, Meruem, Kaneki and Pain react if his darling was hurt by someone else?

It'll be a very scary and deathly experience for most those fools...Underaged characters are aged up in here.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, oerprotectiveness, delusions, manipulation, sabotage, violence, mentions of kidnapping, threatening, blackmailing, death, torture, sadism

s/o is hurt by someone else

Pain

🌧️Believe that this must have happened during the time where he was still only stalking his darling because after post-kidnapping it might as well be a thing of impossibility for someone to hurt his darling. Something that will be paid with their very own life, nothing else could make up for it. He'll interfere quickly after they have dared to hurt you, blood starting to seep through your clothes. And the last thing this poor, poor soul will see is one of his enranged bodies glaring with a dark and crazed expression that is unrivaled down at them, the last image this person will witness in this life. They shouldn't have messed with Pain's s/o, maybe then they could have continued their pitiful life. The person's blood surely will run cold the moment they know just who is your protector here, a realization which comes too late.

🌧️If his s/o is smart, they should have avoided watching a life being taken right in front of them, though the knowledge alone should cause nausea to rise inside of them. You're for reaons terrified, unable to answer his questions about whether you're fine or not. You're obviously not! What happens next is set in stone. You could have just gotten killed if Pain wouldn't have been there and for that this man will take you with him, his paranoia was just wrongly tested. Konan won't even get an explanation at first, instead Pain will ask her to tend to your wounds and see if it'll heal without much troubles again. She can guess what happened anyways.

Ciel Phantomhive

☕That person should kiss their social status and, depending on how fatal the wound is, their life goodbye the moment they did as much as touching Ciel's darling in the wrong way. Even if Ciel is himself a very manipulative and blackmailing lover, he still is above harming his darling physically. He was after all taught to be a gentleman. There will be this extremely cold look on his face, blue eyes drilling themselves at the lowlife who just layed their dirty hands on you. I wonder if the poor victim can already feel how their predator has already trapped them in his net. The omnious feeling radiating from his cold and fake smile is only a mere warning for what is about to happen. Hell on earth awaits for them, misery and suffering, he'll play and dehumanize that person until there will be nothing left anymore.

☕An apology will be given to you afterwards since he failed to protect his spouse from such scum. There will be a good check-up on how bad you've been injured and the worse it turns out, the more Ciel will torture the culprit for this. He's frustrated with himself afterwards, he should have been more careful. Granted, there is a higher risk for his s/o to be attacked since they're together with the Earl of Phantomhive and that is something Ciel is aware of himself. He'll be on higher alert from now so nothing like this happens again. If he takes you out the next time that is, maybe staying more inside will be safer for you.

Alois Trancy

👅What a horrible idea to do because differently from Ciel, Alois will not make much of an effort to hide his want to kill in cold stares and scarily calm yet evil words. No, he has no good hold on his string of emotions and the moment he sees the pain on your face and the wound you're clutching and this trash standing in front of you, he just snaps and will not hesitate to expose his sadistic and bratty side. It's probably even for you a bit dangerous to hold him back because he might just hurt you an accident as well whilst he is busy grabbing onto the neck of that bastard. It's Hannah who'll have to hold him back and remind him to be careful because others could hear him and that his darling needs more attention now. Mentioning his darling will bring him back to his senses.

👅Terrible torture awaits the other person, Alois will make sure that they'll beg to be killed by the end of it. But you will be left in the dark with this all. There will still be frustration inside of you because after this incident Alois refuses to let you under people again, his paranoia has been awakened once again. And you've already worked your ass off once to convince him to take you out. Trashes Hannah around to attend to all scratches and wounds you might have suffered before he throws her out to be alone with you. That's when he will break out in tears and ask for mercy for having failed to protect you. Won't let you leave the manor anymore, but he'll really give you everything else.

Killua Zoldyck

🪀Killua is a very overprotective guy so that is a deadly mistake from the other person's side. Because Killua is aways lingering around, even if no one can sense him. It'll take some talent to not arouse his suspicion and to manage to land a hit on you, but the moment it happens, the air turns downright suffocating and before they know it, a shadow appears behind the darling, towering with pure blood lust down at this unfortunate soul. The dark and almost soulless look in Killua's eyes is enough to have the person cower in fear, knowing that they just fucked up for good. But the time is not yet, first of all Killua will bring his darling to safety. But he'll come for them very soon, running won't be from any use. The guy will be dead before the nex day.

🪀Killua has interfered before any serious damage could be made so his darling's wounds are nothing too bad, but he will still make a thoroughly check-up on them just to be sure. His whole assassin act just drops instantly and the worry is quite evident on his face just as much as his guilt is. He should have been faster, shouldn't have let you be alone without him directly next to you. So he will shortly lecture you a bit for even thinking it would be fine to stray off just like this, but only for short. You'll have to stay for the rest of the day in your house with him there as well, obviously on guard. This accident might have just been an ugly reminder of what his family might do to you which triggers his paranoia in return.

Feitan Portor

☠️How ironic since Feitan here himself is a pretty, little sadist. I'll admit, at one point he stops this out of growing feelings, though he still makes it a point to terrify his darling so he doesn't feel like a lovesick puppy or anything like this. But honestly? Whowever attacked his darling is dead for good and the amount of blood lust seeping through the air will have this person already piss their pants before Feitan suddenly appears behind them, congratulating this person with sarcasm and a certain craziness in his hoarse voice for just having fucked up so badly. They'll be his little toy on which he'll let out all his wrath and frustration and they'll probably die somewhere along the long road of torture. Not that he cares.

☠️For someone only known to hurt people, he isn't that bad in patching someone up and nurturing their wounds either, though he tells you clearly to never talk about this. He just looks utterly annoyed whilst he'll do it, constantly grumbling something from how much of a fool and idiot you can actually be and he might just press down a bit harder. There is still the spark of sadism in him for the regards of you and if you happen to whimper in pain, it might just excite him a bit more than it should before he tells you to shut up again. Don't expect him to baby the s/o as long as they've only suffered minor wounds, his darling shouldn't be that much of a crybaby.

Meruem

👑With a palace filled with Chimera Ants who love themselves some human flesh and his eccentric and crazy butterfly servant, Meruem has his hands full enough to not let his darling come into contact with any of those problems. He normally never lets his darling out of his sight either, so the one time he does they just have to stumble upon one of the Ants in there. The menacing and utterly enraged aura hits like a canon and there will only be that much time for the other Ant to see the king himself walking towards them, a look on his face that expresses hatred in it's purest form. And Meruem will leave no time for excuses either, a quick hit from his tail is all that it'll take for the head of this ant to roll, the wide-eyed expression filled with horror still on their face.

👑Neferpitou obviously has the most medical knowledge with their Nen-abilites so they'll be the one Meruem will demand to take care of the wounds you have taken during the encounter with another Chimera Ant and he'll be watching extremely carefully so that even Pitou can feel that one wrong move from their side will lead to another death quickly. Not like they plan to disappoint their king and they like you a lot as well. Luckily the king has learned to soften up over time, otherwise he wouldn't go as easy on his s/o after Pitou is done. Of course he'll scold them for running away just like this, but at the end of the day he is just glad nothing bad happened. On the other hand now he'll glue himself permanently to your side and Pitou will be ordered to watch over you as well.

Ging Freecs

🍎It is surprising that he was there in the first place to help you since he just comes and goes whenever he feels like it. Ging himself didn't expect to be greeted with such a sight and before that guy could lay their hand again on you, he had already grabbed them by the collar with a very tight grip and was asking with the slightest bit of anger what was happening here. Otherwise he looks very calm, though he definitely ends up ridiculing the other person with the intention to do so which only riles them up. But going violent against him is a dumb decision because even if Ging wouldn't kill them, they'll be sent flying before they know what happened with Ging walking calmly afterwards to them and telling them in a bored yet warning tone to better leave his darling alone from now on.

🍎I doubt his darling will show their gratitude too much, not when he was just away again for a few months without any sign of him. He knows how they feel as well and this time he might just feel a bit guilty, especially if it turns out that this person has been causing the darling troubles for a longer time in which case he might just have to clarify his warning a bit more. But being the jerk he is, he won't listen to your demands to just leave you alone. Instead he'll just have the nerves to carry a clamoring and protesting you back home and care for the cuts and wounds the other person has inflicted on you.

Levi Ackerman

⚔️He'll rash with an unbelievable speed to his darling the moment he hears their protests and and calls for help, only to see some damn bastard daring to hurt his s/o. He's really just so fast, the other person won't even have any time to defend themselves nor react to anything before their face is shoved into the ground, eating dirt. Levi on the other hand has one foot on top of their head, the other one firmly pressed on his back, making it a point to ram his heel into the spine of them. Maybe it is a good thing they can't see his face, a dark expression on the man's face. But him asking if they'd be fine with him breaking all of their limbs in a cold voice that gives away that he is not joking should be enough to cause them to cry. It's only thanks to his darling that the guy gets away with a few broken bones and a nightmarish experience.

⚔️His check-up on his darling is even more obsessive than Killua's is to the point where the s/o might just get annoyed with it. But he can't calm down unless he's sure that besides bruises and a few bloody cuts you weren't harmed more seriously, but that should be already enough. Stays overnight so both of you can calm down from the rather bad day you just had, he'll make some tea for you so your still slightly jittery nerves hopefully feel more relaxed. He wouldn't admit it instantly, but he overthinks just a bit about what might have happened if he wouldn't have been there to help you. My expectation would be that he'll trail a bit closer behind you for the next few days.

Ken Kaneki

🔲This was just like signing a death certificate. Kaneki, a highly overprotective and dependent Yandere having to witness how someone has the nerves to hurt his precious darling has him entering a murderous frenzy where the only real thought on his mind is killing this piece of grabage, piercing their body over and over again until only a bloody pulp will be left. The unhinged expression on his face is already enough to haunt someone in their sleep, but his violent actions and him chanting over and over again that the bastard should just die is a scene straight out of a horror movie, a movie you will be forced to watch from the first row. It is only after there is hardly a body left to recognize that Kaneki rushes to your side, painted in blood of the victim and tears in his eyes.

🔲Doesn't matter if he's only been stalking you at that time or you were already with him and he decided to take you out, you'll instantly be taken by him and taken to a safe place where he'll instantly look for your wounds and scratches. There are already tears streaming down his face whilst he is bandaging and cleaning up everything, but once that has been done he'll just collapse on his knees, head in the lap of his darling and crying over not having been able to protect them better. A part of him feels guilty for having just killed someone as well, but his darker instincts will remind him that this person hurt you so that reduces this part of his. One thing is for sure, Kaneki won't let you leave his side for a very long time after.

[merakiui]

Okay okay okay I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now here’s my list of genshin boys most likely to least likely to become a yandere and why:

-xiao. Millennia of suffering and he meets somebody who makes the pain dissipate? Hell never let go.

-diluc. People have died in his arms, he can’t risk losing another loved one... it’s not like he doesn’t have the wealth and resources to keep his beloved by his side.

-Childe. I think he’d be the most dehumanizing yandere - he treats you almost like a child (haha) as be manipulates his way into your heart. And god knows that he gets what he wants.

-albedo is obviously in the top half of this list. We’ve talked about his yandere tendacies before so I won’t relist them but jeez get this boy some therapy.

-razor. Now this sounds surprising but after years of protecting his Lupical, do you really think he’d let somebody he loves and sees as helpless wander alone? I feel hes less captor and manipulative and more of a stalker if he becomes a yandere

-venti. Freedom is his entire world, but can he let his beloved have freedom if it endangers them? One of the most manipulative ones on this list, except he has no clue that he’s doing it.

-kaeya. Maybe you’d gotten to close to one of his secrets. Maybe you’d figured out something he wanted to die. It doesn’t matter much now, all you know is that you were tried and declared guilty by the knights of favonius and were sent into a dungeon protected by the Calvery captain himself.

-zhongli. Has the yandere desires, but refuses to give in. He’s loved and lost so many times over the years and he figures he doesn’t want to take that away from his beloved.

-chongyun. I’ve gone back and forth between him and xingqiu for this one, but I feel like these last 3 are all pretty much tied for not being a yandere. However, if he met someone who could somehow null his congenital positivity than he might move up on this list...

-Xingqiu. He has a strong sense of justice and honor, the idea of manipulating, stalking or god forbid kidnapping his S/O is appalling to him.

-Bennett. Literally just tryna vibe. Devotes as much time as he can to make sure any relationship he has is healthy.

So basically:

Everybody on this list: *frothing at the mouth, thinking of ways to keep their S/Os with them*

Bennett, Chongyun, Xingqiu and to some extent Zhongli: what the fuck

Your list... Simply amazing. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m beginning to wonder where other characters would sit on the list. Mainly Scaramouche though aha oops Anyways, please never stop sharing your thoughts!! They are so GOOD!

Xiao’s backstory and past is just perfect material to fuel his yandere desires. He’s suffered for so long and has never really experienced positive emotions, let alone love itself. The poor adeptus is always brooding on his own and here comes his darling, bright and happy and just...perfect. They’re like a glimmering star in his murky darkness and he wants to treasure them. There’s no way he’s going to let go of the feeling he gets when he’s with them, nor is he going to let them leave his side.

It makes sense that Diluc would also be at the top of that list. He’s got the making of a yandere, especially considering all of the people he’s lost in his life. Now that he’s found someone so important to him, he can’t risk losing them. It would destroy him if he found out that his darling got hurt or was even killed because he wasn’t taking enough precautions to keep them safe. He’d definitely blame himself if something like that happened.

Childe, pspspspsp!!! The power this man holds... Omg he makes for such a terrifying yandere. On the outside, he seems warm and disarming—just your normal, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He’s not dangerous at all! No way. But under all of that falsified charm is someone who knows how to pull strings. He’s a Fatui Harbinger, so of course he has the means of getting you wrapped around his finger. It’s not all that hard when he’s got money, power, and strength. Plus, when he wants something he’s not going to stop until he acquires it; Childe lives for the thrill of chasing after you and it’ll be even more fun once he catches you. Someone should send me more thoughts about yan!Childe!!! orz orz

Albedo also qualifies as a neat yandere! Something about yanderes who are into science is just...fascinating to me. It’s also cool because Albedo’s rumored to be a homunculus, so that adds to the intrigue! Albedo has the resources to get what he wants as well. It won’t be all that difficult, and if it proves to be challenging he can just think of other solutions to pacify his darling. He is a researcher, after all, and a good researcher seeks to find the best solution to a problem.

Razor would be a feral yandere. He’s more action than words. He doesn’t put much thought into what he does because it feels more like an instinct to him. He’s just protecting his Lupical. There’s nothing wrong with that! So why are you acting so difficult? D: 

Like you said, Venti’s not aware of his manipulation and he just does it because it works. His belief that everyone deserves freedom is probably what really holds him back. He doesn’t want you to feel caged, but that feeling is practically inevitable since he’s always hounding you. Venti is a very suffocating yandere and he doesn’t even realize it.

KAEYA! KAEYA! I love the idea of Kaeya having some sort of blackmail on you—something so bad that you absolutely can’t let the world see. And so he uses that to keep you quiet. If you did stumble upon one of his secrets, he can’t possibly have you running that pretty mouth of yours. But if you do end up spilling his secret, it’s only fair that he shares yours, right? An eye for an eye, as some would say. Kaeya’s very smooth and calculative when it comes to handling blackmail. Whenever it feels like you’re trying to one-up him and possibly escape, he’ll flirtatiously remind you of the power he holds over you. Blackmail is rather compelling, is it not?

Zhongli does have the motive to be a yandere, as you pointed out, but he’s a strange case. On one hand, it makes sense that he’d want to protect his beloved at all costs, but on the other he’d probably be aware of these unhealthy tendencies. Although he probably uses the idea of a contract to keep your relationship going, even if it’s clear you don’t want anything to do with him. But if you do, that just makes it easier on him! 

NO BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE SAME FOR CHONGYUN!!! Not the yan!Chongyun piece rotting in my drafts for a month or two now ehehee I had some thoughts about Chongyun but never bothered posting it for some reason. Anyways, I do think Chongyun has potential to be a yandere! As you mentioned, his congenital positivity can become an issue and he doesn’t want that to seriously affect his daily life. So he’s probably very pleased to find someone who can nullify that positivity. It’d be similar to Xiao’s case; Xiao likes someone who can be the light in his dark world. Chongyun falls for the person who can null his congenital positivity and is someone who he gets along with. 

The only way I can see Xingqiu being a yandere is if he wants a noble, storybook romance. Okay, that sounds strange, but consider it! He’s a huge bookworm who probably doesn’t exactly experience romance aside from what he reads in his novels. Although he doesn’t dabble in the romance genre all that often, he does like the idea of being a hero and sweeping someone off of their feet. So when he meets you—another fellow bookworm or maybe the two of you are thrown into an arranged marriage—he just feels an undeniable connection. This must be some form of fate or a sixth sense. Maybe he can be the main character of his own story! You’ll just have to cooperate and you can be the valiant knight’s love interest!

Bennett’s vibes are so nice. How could he be a yandere? He’s just too sweet and pure. He’s really just here to chill and gather an adventuring team full of great friends! But if anyone has any thoughts...please share them! 

That’s it. I’m writing about Scaramouche even though he’s not on the list. Please, why do I simp so much for him? Anyways, we don’t know nearly enough about Scaramouche to determine his backstory or past. But he just oozes yandere! Most of the Harbingers are probably the same, to some extent. He’s like Childe with all of the power and resources, but whereas Childe relishes in the chase Scaramouche refuses to put up with it. It’s just way too inconvenient for him. He’d rather catch you when you least expect it and then keep you for himself.

Gosh, he’s a very determined and possessive yandere with a strict agenda; this man probably cheats in order to get you. He’ll send his underlings to do the work in his place. They’ll stalk you and report back to him and it isn’t long before he learns of your friends, certain family members you’re close to, and even where you live. It’s terrifying, but this is Scaramouche we’re talking about. For someone so short, he sure knows how to intimidate and beat fear into those below him. Good luck to the poor soul who catches his eye. 

I must thank you for making that list! It was lots of fun to consider their mindsets and behaviors as yandere. :D

[fairieboywhump]

The Basement

alright well i Wasn't gonna come back and post again but yk what i have a good support system and anon is off and im doing it anyways.

important: this takes place in the evil zander au, where daniel king (zander) was raised amongst the evil rich bastards who own human pets and becomes one himself, married to nicholas. enjoy this twisted bullshit 

zander and nicholas belong to @spookyboywhump

TWs: pet whump, locked in a basement/intense isolation, choking, punishments, manipulation and dehumanization, use of the words “master” and “owner” and one reference to nsfw. read at your own risk!

~~~

"Get out." Nicholas said sternly, shoving Cathal roughly out of the office. Cathal stumbled into the hallway, catching himself from falling with the wall opposite. "Go find something to amuse yourself while you wait for your owner. I am not it." 

Cathal blinked a few times as Nicholas slammed the door shut, hard enough to make him flinch. He stood there for a moment staring at the wood, unsure of what to do before walking away; lest Nicholas open the door again and see him standing there open-mouthed and criticize or punish him for it.

He would find something. There… had to be something,right? Something to keep his mind off the horrible, aching loneliness that sat in the back of his throat and churned his stomach. He found himself wandering the house somewhat aimlessly, tracing his fingers across the wall as he walked. Every moment spent alone was painful; reminded him of those awful years he spent locked up alone in Clement's house, staring at the sun out the window and hoping for something to get him out of there. 

Daniel liked to take him outside. Cathal loved to be outside, to sit in his arms in the sunlight and feel so wanted and loved and safe. Maybe he wasn't entirely safe, but it was certainly better than Clement. 

Clement… Cathal's mind wandered to the basement, the awful dark and the horrible smell, the way his eyes peeked out from unwashed hair. The last time Cathal had seen him, he had been beaten so severely, he thought that he may never be forgiven. And left there, muzzled and abandoned and so fucking scared. Clement had shot daggers to the back of his head all night, as if he hadn't been trying to defend him, spare him just a little bit of mercy. Serves him right for trying to help such a wretched person.

He really had loved him once, though. He thought they could be happy. He thought they loved each other. Foolish, he knew, but he really had realized too late. 

Cathal found himself quietly making his way over to the basement, one foot absentmindedly in front of the other until he stood in front of the door, wondering if this was worth the risk of upsetting his owners. 

He pushed the door open. It couldn't be that bad, right? He just wanted to look at him. Just wanted to see. 

The first step creaked just a little when he put his weight on it, and in the sliver of light, Cathal could see some of the horrible things that were kept there to keep pets in line. He stepped back, reconsidering for a moment. Could it be that bad? It certainly was the last time. But the last time, he had tried to defend Clement, he wasn't going to this time. Just look at him… well, and he did have a few questions he had been wanting answers to for years now. 

He pressed on. Down the stairs, keeping the door open just a little for some light. He just wanted to talk. 

Clement eyed him wearily as he approached, squinting hard to try and make out who was coming towards him without his glasses. Once bright green eyes seemed dimmer, whether that was the darkness of the basement itself or Clement having been broken down so far past his pride, Cathal wasn't sure. 

"What… do you want…" Clement croaked. "Shouldn't you be bent over some motherfucker's desk being his little fucktoy?" 

Cathal's lip curled, and he glared down at him. "I wuh-wanted to talk."

"Well I don't." 

The two of them stared at each other. Both of them knew Cathal could stay there if he wanted, and Clement had always had a problem holding his tongue, so if he really wanted to start a conversation, he could. Clement glared at him from his spot sitting on the floor, just barely able to make out the pale skin, colourful collar and ash blond hair that he recognized as Cathal-shaped. The other two were much harder to make out, both of them being around the same height with dark eyes, short, dark hair, and almost always wearing black jackets of some sort. He relied mostly on voices to tell them apart. 

"Th-this is all your fault anyways, y-you know that, right?" 

"Do you think I don't fucking know that?! You think I don't spend every goddamn day in this fucking hellhole losing my mind because it's all my fucking fault?! I caused all of this, I don't get to see the sun, I barely get to eat, I haven't not had a collar and chain around my throat in fucking months, and it's all. My. Fault. I know." 

Clement jerked forward as he spoke, sticking his chin out the same way he always had when he got angry. Cathal took a step back, panic rising in his chest at just the sound of that voice again. As pathetic as he looked now, he had been Cathal's owner for almost seven years. Apparently, the hurt lingers. 

"Y-you, you don't sc-scare me." Cathal announced, and Clement laughed. 

"That's the funniest fucking thing I've heard in months. Right after you step away, because I raised my voice- and you can't possibly handle that, no. Pampered and spoiled and still a scared little bitch." He sat back against the wall, rolling his eyes as he spoke. 

"Sh-shut up!" Cathal whined, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping back again.

 "You said you wanted to talk, it isn't my fault I'm still not what you fucking expect." 

The two of them froze at the sound of the top stair squeaking, and Cathal could've sworn his heart stopped. Heavy footsteps echoed through the basement as someone descended the stairs, and Clement pushed himself as far against the wall as he could, praying the darkness kept him at least somewhat unnoticed. 

And the lights flicked on.

"Fuck," Cathal heard Clement mutter under his breath, just quiet enough that whoever had just come downstairs wouldn't be able to hear. 

"Puppy?" Daniel called, and the colour drained from Cathal's face. Oh no, no no no no, Daniel would be so angry to find him here. And as much as he wanted to run, Cathal found himself frozen to the spot. 

"Puuuppy?" Daniel repeated, in a sort of singsong voice. "Where are you, baby?" 

The basement was large enough that if he moved fast enough, Cathal could potentially give the impression that he had never gone near Clement, that he was down there for something else- 

Daniel stepped into view, and his expression hardened at the sight of the two of them. "Puppy," He said, his tone harboring a disappointment that shot like ice through Cathal's heart. "What are you doing down here." 

It wasn't a question. There was no room for explanation, and the three of them knew it. Cathal fell to his knees, eyes welling up with tears already. 

"I-I'm sorry," He cried. "I'm sorry, I- I'm sorry sir, I'm sorry Master, I'm sorry-" 

His owner grabbed him by the face, forcing him to look up with his chin held between Daniel's thumb and forefinger. Cathal looked up at him, and before he could apologize again Daniel slapped him, hard enough across the cheek that he fell to the floor. 

Cathal curled up on himself, arms protectively in front of his chest, and sniffled as Daniel stepped closer to him. Daniel grabbed his collar, pulling him up off the ground and to eye level. Cathal's toes barely touching the ground. 

"What did you say to him." 

He dropped him to the floor again, and Cathal barely caught himself before his head connected with the cement. He scrambled to kneel again, just like he was trained to, and looked up at Daniel once more with wide, tearful puppy-dog eyes. 

"I-I'm- I'm sorry-"

"I don't want to hear you apologize. Tell me what you said to him." 

Cathal stared down at the ground for a minute, trying desperately to calm his breathing at least somewhat. 

"I- I," He started, grabbing onto the bottom of his shirt and beginning to pick at the fabric. "I, I told, t-told him it, it, it's a-all his f-fault… c-cus, cus-" 

"What else." 

He whimpered at Daniel's unforgiving tone, shrinking in on himself slightly. "S-said, said he- he d-doesn't, doesn't, d-d-d-"

"Come on." Daniel ordered. Cathal flinched, shaking and beginning to hyperventilate again. 

"I- I, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please, t-told him he d-doesn't, doesn't sc-scare m-me… 'nd… 'nd, t-told… told him to, to sh-shut, shut up…" 

Daniel seemed to soften ever so slightly, sighing as he looked down at Cathal. "Puppy, baby. You're not allowed to come down here. Not by yourself. What made you want to disobey me, puppy? What made you want to be bad?" 

Cathal whimpered. He looked down at the floor, then at the wall, back to the floor and again a few times. Daniel frowned, and crouched down in front of him, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look him in the eye.

"What were you a bad puppy for, love? Answer me."

"I- I- I- I j- I just, I just g-got, got l-lonely. W-wanted… s-somebody to t-talk to…" Cathal whined, giving his best helpless little puppy eyes in the hopes he wouldn't face too harsh a punishment. Daniel was so good to him, but he could be vicious, and the idea of him unleashing that on Cathal again was almost too much to handle.

"Why didn't you go sit with your master, baby?" 

Cathal's eyes filled up with tears once more, and as he bit his lip and presented Daniel with quite an impressive pout he sniffled, thinking about how he had been shoved from the office and chased away over and over again throughout the day. "H-he," Cathal whimpered, his chin shaking. "He didn't- didn't want me too! T-told me to, to l-leave him alone…"

"Aww, poor love." Daniel chided. "You're still not allowed in the basement though, baby. You know that, right?" 

Cathal nodded sadly, knowing that no matter what he said, or how sweet and innocent he tried to look, a punishment was coming, and he was going to wind up in a lot of pain for the next few days. 

Daniel's gaze hardened again when he looked past Cathal, seeing the way Clement pressed himself into the wall in the hopes of not being noticed. 

"You." He said, standing up. He snapped his fingers and pointed in front of himself, signalling for Clement to come forward. Instead, he seemed to try and push himself further into the cement, his heart pounding in his chest as he did. 

"Please, no…" Clement whined, which didn't seem to phase Daniel at all as he grabbed him by the collar, unclasping the chain that kept him connected to the wall. Daniel threw him to the ground in front of Cathal, who flinched and jumped back when he did. Clement glared at him for a moment before his cheek was pressed into the floor, Daniel's boot on his head keeping him on the ground. 

"Y'know what happens when you're bad, puppy?" Daniel asked, looking at Cathal shaking in front of him. "What happens when you disobey me? People get hurt." He shifted to put more weight onto the leg holding Clement down, which was met with pained whimpers from the man. He sounded pathetic, frankly, and the sound turned Cathal's stomach. He didn't want to see this. 

Clement only stayed on the ground for a few moments more before Daniel got off of him, and grabbing him by the collar again, shoved him roughly into the wall. Cathal could practically feel the air being knocked from his lungs, something he had experienced countless times before, and although it was Clement, he could hardly bring himself to watch. Daniel slapped him once, twice, a third time and then again, over and over, held up against the wall by his throat and hit until Cathal could barely tell if his face was red from the repeated impact, lack of oxygen, or simply humiliation at being treated this way. Possibly all three. 

He wanted to make Daniel stop, tell him to please do anything else, but his memories of the last time, and knowledge that Daniel could likely think of a hundred worse things to do prevented him. Cathal wiped his tears away, watching Clement be treated like a punching bag by his Daniel through weepy eyes. 

In all honesty, by the time it was over, Cathal felt sick. He couldn't tell you half of the things that he had watched be done to Clement, nor begin to process his horror at having been the cause. When Daniel threw Clement to the floor in front of him once again, and Cathal looked at the bloody, pathetic mess of a man that he had once so adored, his first instinct was to cry. And although Clement glared at him like he was the devil for it, he couldn't help himself. The tears simply refused to stop. 

"Oh baby," Daniel sighed, pushing Clement out of the way to kneel in front of Cathal and wipe his tears away. He took his sweet, devastated puppy's face in his hands, looking into those beautiful tearful blue eyes and smiling gently. He wiped away a line of salt from Cathal's cheek with his thumb, pulling him forward ever so slightly and kissing the top of his head. "Baby, my love, my sweet sweet puppy. It's alright, it's over darling. You're my good boy again, y'know that? You're so good for me." 

Cathal sniffled and nodded, trying hard to keep his sights on Daniel and not Clement shaking in the corner of his eye. He let himself be pulled close and held, didn't fight or argue or pull away when Daniel carded a hand through his hair and rocked him ever so slightly. It wasn't comforting, in fact the opposite - the juxtaposition of violence and tenderness never failed to make Cathal's head spin. 

Daniel pulled away from Cathal after a few moments, leaving him to sniffle and wipe at his face as Daniel dragged Clement back to the corner and clipped the heavy chain to his collar. 

"Come on, puppy." He said after he had. "Let's get you back upstairs where you belong, alright love?" 

A simple, vacant nod was all that he needed to see before he picked Cathal up, and the boy peeked over his shoulder as they walked away. Clement glared at the two of them, shooting daggers until the very moment the lights flicked off and Daniel carried his puppy up the stairs.