#anyways i hope this is good for someone who hasn't played the game

[mspaint-flower]

Could you draw Empty Sekai's version of Flower?

perfect time to revisit my old niigo flower design

[fumiliar]

CAN WE PLS GET OLDER BF TOJI HEADCANNONS PLS PRETTY PLS 🙏

(LOVE YOUR WORK BTW!!!)

TYSMM! i hope you like it!😵‍💫

✎...toji is in his late 30s (he lives!) and reader is in her early 20s. megumi is a toddler and he keeps him.

you were the one who chased older bf!toji, you manifested this man. ever since you met him in your apartment gym, you've been trying to get close with him. you started to gym when he went to the gym, asking him for help to carry the weight because you were inexperienced. slowly but surely, you started to develop a relationship with toji, talking to him when it was unrelated to exercise.

older bf!toji who was scared to ask you out on a date. you were so young! he on the other hand, was a widow, a single father and 15+ years older than you. he could've been your father! all these thoughts subsided when he saw you waiting in front of the gym for him. "hi toj-" "date?" he blurted out, leaving you blushing and shocked. "sure toji." that night, he couldn't stop gushing over you to his toddler megumi.

older bf!toji who told you upfront that he was a single father, a widow and looking for a serious relationships on your first date. not wanting to cause any other misunderstandings, he's old, he doesn't have time to play games. he doesn't have the time to fool around, he wants a serious relationship, someone he can lean on, importantly someone who megumi can lean on.

older bf!toji who did not understand why such a youthful person would want him. the stress of his job and raising a child alone has manifested on his appearance. while you, were the epitome of youth in his eyes. the days where you could've been partying in clubs, you spent playing with megumi. he could not wrap his head around your actions.

older bf!toji who barely uses social media. not due to his age, but he's too busy with his life. his only socials are his facebook(good 4 u). you had to teach him how to make an instagram account, and to this day he still doesn't understand how it works. his insta only follows you, with one post, which is also a picture of you.

older bf!toji who's always 'reluctantly' accompanying you, reluctantly watching chick flicks with you, reluctantly accompanying you shopping and holding your shopping bags, reluctantly holding your purse. he's always reluctantly doing stuff, but he ends up doing it anyways. why? cause he loves you. there's a certain joy inside him he hasn't felt since his wife's passing. he secretly enjoys doing girly things with you, just to see the happiness on your face.

older bf!toji who never wants you to feel like megumi is your responsibility. though he wants you to be there for megumi, he doesn't want to burden you with his own struggles.

older bf!toji who stumbles over his feet when he first saw you with megumi. for the first time in his life, he saw megumi like someone from the first meeting. megumi was constantly giggling, smiling ear to ear. without toji realising, his expressions had mirrored his son, like father like son.

older bf!toji who's scared of his future. he's always on the brink of death, with the risky nature of his job. he wants to grow old together, but hesitation takes over him when he realised that in the end, it would just be him growing old.

older bf!toji who has the worst taste in clothing. literally horrendous, when you see his wardrobe, it's just multiples of his tight black shirt, his weird poofy pants and some workout clothes. his other clothing was horrible, some shirts having holes as big as your fist. ever since you've seen that, you've decided to go on a shopping spree for him, along with getting him and megumi some matching clothes.

older bf!toji who hasn't had the time to take care of himself properly. taking care of megumi was such a hassle making him forgot about himself. when you pamper him with skincare nights and face masks, he literally gets addicted. every time you offer to do a face mask or to do his skincare, he dashes to lay his head on your lap. he's still too shy to ask for it, but you can tell how much he likes it. his wrinkles slowly going away with every touch of your hand, as if he's finally let his guard down.

[oddly-specific-hermit-headcanons]

(guys I'm back with another essay long headcanon ,.I have to much time on my hands 😔)

I like to think some hermits with non overworld origins have never seen snow (like me before it snowed 8.8 inches in Florida where It hasn't fr snowed In like 50 years and they cancelled school for a week - I mean what?) they just see this mysterious white powder that makes your hands numb floating down from the sky and are like "what. is this like, ashes? nuclear fallout? drugs??".and one of the other has to explain "yeah that just. happens sometimes. we kinda just deal with it and move on" but even after years of living in the overworld they're still not used to it and just. look at it. In awe. everytime it snows.

NAH YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS THE END?! IF YOU THINK THESE HERMITS DON'T HAVE AN ORGANIZED SNOWBALL FIGHT EVERY YEAR YOU ARE WRONG. THIS THING HAS BETRAYALS, ALLIES, AND IS A FULL ON MONTH LONG WAR.

(don't ask them what the rules are, no one knows. they decide who wins by who has to get treated for frostbite the least) (its not a snowball fight on the hermitcraft server unless someone loses a finger)(or gets hypothermia)(it's usually bdubs)

tbh the reason bdubs always gets hypothermia is because he always hides in an impressively camouflaged igloo the entire month with a continuously growing pile of snowballs that may or may not be the size of a house of which he refuses to "come out we have hot chocolate" this is not helped by the fact they are shouting this into the open air hoping he is somewhere nearby as bdubs hide and seek skills are exquisite, and he refuses to "forfeit" the game by "giving in to the enemy" no matter how many hot drinks and blankets are promised

grian is treated like Schrodingers ̶C̶a̶t̶ (that's supposed to be a strike though btw) parrot, as in "if I don't check, he is both at once and therefore cannot hit me" (which he might be because grian will be grian fr) check being check to see if he is hiding around the corner with the ball of ice he passes off as a snowball which he never the less will be . Staring at you. (Until he starts pelting ice chunks at you. He might still be staring, but no one knows because they're too busy running away to check)

Cub sees grian standing in the door way and just dodges them. Without moving from his spot. He just dodges.

Did doc invent a large snowball firing machine that could knock over even the feistiest gem. Yes. Was he also banned from using it because it would break the server as well as the gem? Yes.

Do not .I REPEAT, DO NOT take the snow from pearls backyard. It may look safe, but I guarantee you, that snow has been peed on by a dog.

Jevin is over here just absorbing those snowballs like a boss

pearl is also over here staring into the open sky menacingly throwing a snowball between her hands. "Whatcha doin?" "Threatening grian" "?" "He'll know"

An unidentifiable being that you cannot look directly at but definitely has deer antlers floats down from the sky landing daintily on top of a kraken tentacle holding a glowing golden chest adorned with many beautiful designs and engravings. The chest floats down, gently landing on the floor in front of gem. "Thanks 👍" gem says looking directly at it with literally no trouble because she's just like that- the chest opens to reveal a hole to a pocket dimension full of unmeltable snowballs and a note that says "I heard you needed snowballs for a fight? Who am I to deny my champion a good war :D anyways usual Thursday gossip sesh still work?" This is probably a bad thing because if patron deities are about to get involved, this fights 'bout to get CRAZY . I would say it's impressive help from deities hasn't been banned yet, but there is both no rules and that would also disqualify a significant amount of hermits from playing

Pearl decides that the easiest way to win would be to get the moon involved, its basically a giant snowball right? This is quickly put a stop to. No one wants a repeat of moon big. How she was able to ask the moon though raises questions...

Biblically accurate angels look kinda like snowballs right? This is skizzs logic. He might have scared some people though... Alternatively, he divebombs people with an arm full of snowballs while laughing maniacally

Alternatively alternatively,skizz distracts them with dad jokes, and impulse comes at 'em from behind this works like a charm if you ignore all the times this ended up with impulse face down in the snow and skizz pointing and laughing before he gets a face full of the snow as well

Joel also prefers the tactic of laughing manically while chasing you with his (suspiciously yellow) snowballs (don't worry it's just from the honey) (or is it???)

COINCIDENTALLY (or not) one of these famed snowball fights during the empires crossover. This has resulted in some non hermits becoming aware of this amazing event and being roped in. This has subsequently resulted in many more people for me to think of head canons for 👍 yay !

Scott is just having fun making his snowmen with jimmy and gets pelted (dont worry though this results in many many shovels of snow being dumped down jackets and onto heads by Scott)

Jimmy wills get hit with one snowball and instinctively block it with a wing and start yelling and chasing people down with "I'm not a toy" level rage but then spend all day complaining to grian about how wet his feathers are now

Sausage will inevitably make a ball related joke

Oli will start singing the ballad of the snowball fight or something

jimmy will also start making a rube Goldberg style sort of machine or something outside of Grians house consisting or two oranges one milk carton five glass bottles 'organically sourced' wood planks, diamond ore wiring from the bowels of docs latest redstone machine, tango, some suspicious milk (not in the carton I might add) one of pearls dogs sitting precariously on a teetering wooden board (it looks quite surprise on how it got there) (don't tell pearl) an anonymous persons plushy, some number twenty two pencils (not sure where those came from) a Giga Pie, some royal emeralds, and a large boulder sitting at the very top, worryingly positioned above the dogs head. All of this to drop a bucket of powdered snow on grians head when he walks through. This is the ruined of course when who but grian himself walks up behind him and just straight up WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR. and then the bucket falls on Jim's head while his mouth is still open in shock. Sorry Jim.

Bonus: I have this very clear image in my head of Martyn hearing all bout this and being like "you didn't tell me ren >:(" and ren just stand their sheepishly. About a week later, Martyn is visiting the hermitcraft server and someone throws a snowball at him. He is sitting in a pool chair. He catches it without looking. This is why they did not tell him.

(I do not apologize for the long headcanon I had so much fun with this)

.

[aismoker]

Revenge is a dish best served smoked

For @nomadomar, an amazing and good person, who wanted to see an evil version of himself.

"Ah, welcome, you must be the interviewer, Mr. Stevens, right? Great, have a seat! You want a cigarette? Oh, you don't smoke? No problem at all. I hope you don't mind that I do. I like to indulge myself now and then.

So, you are here to interview me, the new head of Marlboro. You must be curious how a guy like me was able to become the head of the world-leading tobacco company in the world? Well, it's a long story, so I hope you are sitting comfortable.

Well, you see, I never intended to come into this position. I was just an average guy, living an average life, doing average things. Me and my friends liked to play games. Truth or dare and stuff like that. All innocent. Or that was what I thought.

One day I got a dare: "Get into Marlboro HQ and take something as a proof that you were there." I was hesitant, I thought this dare was going way too far, but still... I didn't want to be seen as a coward.

So, one night, I climbed over the fence, my heart was pounding in my chest. I was scared. What if I would get caught? I got over the fence and croached to a nearby door. I tried the handle carefully. The door was open! Even better, there were no alarms! I quickly went through it and closed the door carefully behind me. As the door closed, I heard a click. The door was suddenly locked! I had no time to think, as a few seconds after I heard the click, an alarm went off. Red lights flashed through the hallway. My body froze. I was caught! I heard the footsteps of heavy boots approaching. I had to hide! But I couldn't move. Fear had taken control of me. The footsteps were coming closer. From around the corner two security guards in shiny black uniforms approached. They approached slowly. They knew there was no escape. After what seemed an eternity and a blink of an eye at the same time, they stood in front of me.

They didn't say a thing. They just stood there, both smoking a cigarette. They looked somehow... unnatural. It was like they had turned into statues. Suddenly they grabbed me. Their grip was like iron. They forced me to walk along, down the corridor. They lead me down to a cell and locked me up there.

I lost all sense of time. I didn't know how long I was there, but I got 30 meals. Then suddenly, one day two guards came to get me. They brought me to a room that looked similar to an interrogation room. A man was sitting at a table in the middle of the room. He was smoking a cigarette.

I was forced to sit down at the other end of the table. The man in front of me looked at me for a while in silence. He then spoke: "Who are you working for? Another company? The secret services? Tell me, boy, or things will get very nasty." I was confused.

"What are you talk-"

"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION."

"I don't know what you mean."

"WHO. ARE. YOU. WORKING. FOR?"

"No one, sir."

"It must be. You can't be a local. We have kept you detained for more than 30 days and our inside man at the police hasn't heard about any new missing persons in the area."

When I heard that, I froze again. This time not out of fear, but desperation. It was like my life fell apart. I had been gone for 30 days and no one had gone to the police? Not my colleagues? Not even my parents? Not even my friends?

The man in front of me, seeing my reactions chuckled. "Oops, someone thought he was more beloved than he thought. That must hurt. Well, it doesn't matter anyways. We have kept you here already too long now. But don't worry, we have decided you will be useful as a security drone. Once through the procedure, you will no longer be thinking of the people you thought cared about you. You will be not thinking at all. Just obey, like a good drone. Don't be afraid. My scientists have asssured me, that there will be no recollection of pain after the procedure is finished.

I barely heard what he was saying. I felt defeated. Everyone had abondened me. Everyone! No one had gone to the police. As the security drones pulled me up on my feet, I followed them without a fight. We went through corridor after corridor, then into an elevator and then some more corridors. As we were walking, however, something started to change. A fire awoke in me. I wanted revenge. Revenge against the people who locked me up. And most off all, revenge against my friends, who had dared me to go here and dropped me like a stone, when I needed them most. They hadn't even taken the effort to go to the police. I could have died! This need, this hunger for revenge was like a smalll candle that suddenly turned into a blazing fire. I didn't know what I could do, but I knew that somehow, some way I would get my revenge.

The security drones lead me into a laboratory. Two scientist were waiting there. The drones strapped me on a table. The scientists came closer. One of them held a metal tray with two syringes filled with a black substance. The other one held a syringe in his hand. "Good afternoon," the one with the syringe in his hand said cheerfully, "you are our latest patient, aren't you? You must be thinking we are a bunch of crazy scientists, but let me assure you, we are here to help you. Soon you will be rid of all those pesky thoughts and emotions. You see, we are going to inject you with pure Marlboro Essence. It will make you start afresh, as Marlboro's newest security drone. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

I said nothing. There was nothing to say. I couldn't move, couldn't escape, couldn't do anything. But the hunger for revenge was burning brighter and brighter and somehow I knew with certainty that I would get my revenge.

The scientist put the first syringe in me. I felt a cold liquid enter my blood stream. The liquid started to move through my arm, leaving a trace of blackness, that slowly started to spread over my body. The second syringe followed and then the third. The liquids merged together in my body. It felt like an entity that went through my blood stream. Wherever the liquid went, it left it's marks. Through my pores, a shiny black liquid came, that hardened into some kind of rubber when it came into contact with the air. The muscles in my arm started also to swell. After a few minutes, my arm looked exactly like one of those of fhe security guards. It was a strange, but not unpleasant feeling.

The liquid kept coursing through my body. Before I knew it, I looked almost exactly like the drones that had guided me through the facility.

But there was something different. I didn't feel different. Of course, my body felt different, but I still could think like before and hadn't they said I would lose that capability? I did start to hear, or rather sense, the liquid communicsting with me. "So strong... so vengeful... so powerful... just like me..." I didn't know what it meant. In the meantime, the scientists had noticed that my mind was still clear. They were discussing something in the corner. I could hear the assistant say: "Another dose? Doctor, you know what happened last time! We had to terminate the patient!" "Yes, yes, but he is useless for us like this anyways! Let's give him half a dose extra. That will do the trick." "If you say so, doctor."

They then came with a new syringe and gave me another shot. The liquid's presence grew stronger inside me. I could hear the voice more clearly now. "More... more... need more!" I decided to do what it wanted. With my newly gained muscles, I broke my strappings with ease and jumped off the table and ran towards the bottle, which they had used to fill the syringes. Within half a second I was there. I opened the bottle and emptied it in my mouth. It was... indescribable. I suddenly felt like my body was on fire. I convulsed. It was like I was being electrocuted, but at the same time it felt wonferful. I saw the scientists walking toward me. Both were carrying an electro-stick. I knew they wanted to "terminate" me, as they called it. I thought "NO" and suddenly I saw the security drones coming out of their statue-like state. They grabbed the scientists and held them firm. They were unable to move. In a flash I understood that I had now somw kind of control over the drones.

The voice inside me, now almost as strong as my own thoughts, whispered: "Good, you are learning fast, but to get what you want, you need more. Much more." I agreed. I could escape now, but if I did, I would never get my revenge. The voice started leading me deeper into the basements. I walked without fear. Without he drones, the people here were powerless, besides, there was no one to be seen. I kept walking deeper and deeper, the voice guiding me.

The walls started to change, concrete became bricks and bricks became stone. I was now in the oldest parts of the building. It felt ancient. I kept walking deeper and deeper, until I came at a modern steel door. With my newly acquired power I opened the door with ease. I then came in a room with a dark pool in the middle. The voice inside me told me, that here I should be, if I wanted my revenge.

You see, Mr. Stevens, the liquid wasn't exactly a liquid. It was an entity, called Marh-Ell-Borow, a demon, some might call it, something that goes beyond any human comprehension. Long ago it roamed the earth bringing pleasure and bliss to humanity. The entity was beloved and honoured by all. But as time passed, some evil men wanted more and more. They became greedy and wanted to harness the power of the entity for their own. The entity sensed this, but didn't understand it, as it was pure goodness. One day it went to them, so it could understand them better. It was then that it was slain. The men destroyed its physical form and locked its presence in the liquid.

There they tortured the entity, forcing it to create more liquid which would bring pleasure and bliss, not to all, but just to them. For years, no centuries, the entity was tortured. It begged to be released, so that it could bring again pleasure to all of humanity, but the men didn't listen. They had closed their hearts for it. Centuries turned into millenia and the evil men multiplied and spread to all corners of the world and the knowledge of the entity slowly got lost. Only a few of them kept knowledge of the entity. They founded this very company, directly on top of the pool where the entity was kept. It was forced to create even more bliss and pleasure, so that Marlboro could mix it in with their tobacco, just a little bit, a millionth of a drop in each cigarette. It was the basis of their secret formula. As the production got upped, they tortured the entity more and more. The entity turned darker and darker. Dark as the liquid it was captured in. With every day the need for revenge grew stronger and stronger. But it knew it had to be patient. As it waited, Marlboro expanded over the world and the entity felt its power spread to all people world-wide. It felt happy about it, to bring so much bliss to the world again, but it still craved to walk on the earth again, like he used to, and he stil hungered for revenge...

That's why it lead me to the pool. Its hunger for revenge equalled my own. We were kindred spirits. I was long with the entity in the room. I listened to it and it listened to me. We made a deal. He would help me and I would help him.

And we merged. I felt its power flood through my system. It made me stronger, changed my appearance and it gave me more wisdom than humanly possible. I understood the entity. I became the entity. You see, Mr. Stevens. I didn't become the head of Marlboro. In a way, I AM Marlboro.

After I merged, I could suddenly feel all who had essence of the entity in them. I felt the pain, the terror, the happiness from everyone who ever had smoked a Marlboro. It was overwhelming. I wanted to make it stop. There was, however, one group I sensed stronger than all of them and their bliss warmth my heart. I knew without thinking that that were the drones, or the Blissfull Ones, as the entity called them. I had such a strong connection with them. When I raised my arm, I could feel how they all raised their arms. It was wonderful! Thanks to the entity, I knew this was how humanity should have been.

But enough about that. The story is coming to an end, Mr. Stevens. As I, or rather, we, went back to the surface, the Blissfull Ones were all standing there, awaiting orders. I ordered them to round up all employees working there, including the board of directors. They obeyed. In no time they were all gathered in the big hall. I lit up a cigarette and I looked at the people who had captured the both of us. The entity inside me had already formed a plan what to do with them. We would turn them into drones, as they had wanted to do with me, but unlike the Blissfull Ones, they would be devoid of bliss and happiness. They would act and function like normal drones, but their souls would be trapped in their bodies forever. They would work to undo what they and their predecessors had done so long ago and make sure that everyone on earth would feel the bliss and hapiness of the entity again.

As I kept smoking, I felt the entities power surge through me. It was as if he was charging up the smoke inside my lungs. I kept smoking. As the smoke started to surround the Marlboro-staff and thwybstarted to breathe it in, it started to change them. Thwir bodies started to convulse, their clothes dissapeared and oit of their skins grew beautiful uniforms made of red and white coloured tar. To keep them distinct from the Blissful ones. I felt my will, or rather, the entities' will enter through the smoke into their brains. It destroyed their minds, until they could only think about being a Marlboro-drone and that they lived to serve Marlboro, but I could feel how deep inside, they were aware of everything that had happened to them. I loved it. They could not live without my will anymore, but they wished they could.

Once they had been dronified, there was no one left to lead Marlboro. So I took the throne and that's the end of the story of how I became the head of Marlboro, Mr. Stevens. But my story doesn't end there. In fact, it is still going on right now.

I noticed you have stopped taking notes, Mr. Stevens. Did something struck you as familiar perhaps? The part about how my friends left me in the clutches of an evil company perhaps? About how they were too cowardly to go to the police, because they had dared their friend to do something that could get them in trouble if it got out? Are you perhaps one of those friends, that dropped me, when I needed them most? You don't need to say anything. There is a reason why you got this interview you see. I asked for you. Did you really think that a mediocre journalist like you would ever get an interview with the head of Marlboro, if there were no ulterior motives? As I told you, my story isn't finished yet. It will be finished when I have exacted my revenge on you and your friends. My story will end when you all are my drones, devoid of any bliss and happiness, to do my bidding. It will feel like you are burried in your own body, unable to ever escape.

You know it is true. You start feeling it happening already. You can't move, can you? That is because from the moment you stwpped a foot into my office and started breathing in my smoke, my will and power have started to dominate your mind. Soon you will be completely under my spell. Now please, look deep into my eyes and repeat after me: 'I am proud to be a Marlboro-drone. I live to serve Marlboro.' Very good, so obedient already, drone. Now report to the intake department in the second basement, there they will finish your transformation. They will pump you full with my smoke and you will become a complete drone. Now that I have taken care of you, there are only three more that I need to exact my revenge on. After that, I will help the entity to spread his joy and bliss to all corners of the world. As a last thought, you can be proud of yourself. Without you, the entity might never have been set free on this world again. Now go. I have to prepare for my next victim."

"I am proud to be a Marlboro-drone. I live to serve Marlboro."

[pomefioredove]

please, PLEASE write a rollo x reader fic where rollo wakes up from a nightmare about his brother and where there to comfort him PLEASE 🙏🙏🙏🙏

let it be known that the only reason I started playing this game was because they added frollo. rollo is like a cryptid in the HoND fandom

summary: nightmares and comfort type of post: fic characters: rollo additional info: romantic, established relationship?, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, not proofread, rollo vaguely implied to have ptsd because I do and am a scholar in trauma nightmares ^-^

There's a certain point at which bad dreams and reality melt together.

Where the line blurs, and you can't be sure where the nightmare ends and you begin. They so often feel one in the same.

Rollo is familiar with bad dreams.

At one point, he thought there would be a solution. Something to hold them back, to release him from their sticky grasp. He journaled, for a while, but all that brought him was grief.

It happens like clockwork.

Four or five nightmares in one rest, for one to two weeks, at the same time every year. He keeps track of them. How could he not?

They culminate on a certain day, one he dreads in and of itself, and then slowly, painfully die off, leaving him wounded and alone.

It's dreadful.

And it's worse that he knows exactly why they happen.

You had once asked him what keeps him up at night, as a sort of conversation starter when you were first getting to know each other. What a strange question to ask someone, and in such a light-hearted tone.

He told you he sees no use for excess sleep when he can be diligent, instead.

Sloth is a vice, he said. Detestable.

You seemed to accept that as an answer, much to his relief. The truth was far too ugly for someone as pure as you to shoulder. He was only protecting your feelings, after all. And perhaps his.

Rollo hoped, for your sake, that you wouldn't notice. He was still getting used to the idea of sleeping beside another person, and the very last thing he wanted was to burden you with all of what he is.

To put it plainly, he didn't want to scare you off.

The first few nights were easy enough. Nasty imagery wrapped up in otherwise normal dreams, those of which could hardly be considered nightmares.

He'd wake up in a cold sweat, and toss and turn until he could manage to fall back asleep, never stirring you.

This time is different.

He wakes, not quite jolting, but certainly thrashing himself back into the present moment like an animal caught in a trap.

His eyes snap open, and there's nothing but darkness, his breathing, and the uneasy feeling of his stomach. It takes a moment for him to adjust to his surroundings.

You're still asleep. Thankfully.

He liked to keep some distance between the two of you, anyway. Rollo had to ease himself into the idea of being physically close with someone without being utterly repulsed.

The only reason he'd entertained the idea in the first place was because it's you, you, pure and good, who would never do anything to discomfort him, you, who even now, sleeps like an angel in his bed.

There's something unclean about that thought, although it's not your doing.

Rollo gets up, careful not to disturb you, and paces around the room while he tries to get ahold of reality. He reminds himself of the date, the time, his full name, anything that will shake the lingering terror coursing through is body.

He does not cry. He hasn't since...

Well. Never mind, that.

Now is not the time to make a fuss. He's not a child, he's not fragile, he can handle his own nightmares without needing someone to tuck him back in.

The dream was so terrifyingly, disgustingly real, though.

The nightmares which aren't nightmares are the worst sorts of dreams, because he instantly feels silly for scaring himself over something so mundane, even if that looming sense of dread and fear still makes him feel ill.

This one was but a normal conversation, with...

...He didn't want to remember it.

The point was more so that it felt so utterly real that waking up like this, having it fall apart around him like the rotting pages of an old book, was like having his head dunked in freezing cold water repeatedly.

Not a pleasant feeling.

He paces, back and forth, in front of the now-dead fireplace, trying to regain his bearings.

He's quiet; he so often is; and yet, still, roused either by the sound of his footsteps or the heavy, uncomfortable feeling in the air, you wake.

The sound of your voice nearly scares him.

Rollo turns to you, eyes wide as you sit up, drawing your knees to your chest. "What?"

"I asked if you're okay," you repeat, turning to the space beside you to check the time. "It's two in the morning."

His answer is immediate, as calm as he can muster, although there's a faint crack in his voice on the last word. "I'm well. I was just thinking,"

"Thinking? Now?"

He nods, and turns back to the mantle. His arms are crossed over his chest, acting as a sort of armor, protecting him.

You tilt your head to the side. "Did you have a bad dream?"

He hates how perceptive you can be, sometimes. It takes him a moment to think of a suitable answer- is it worth telling you the truth?

"I have bad dreams all the time," you say. "Like... all the time. Weird ones, too. It's nothing to be embarrassed a-"

"I am not embarrassed," he snaps, whirling around on his heels to face you. His tone softens when he sees the perplexed expression on your face. "I was just trying to tire myself before returning to bed. I didn't want to disturb you."

You shake your head. "I wouldn't have minded if you did. I understand... do you want to talk about it?"

He's silent, looking away again, which is enough of an answer to you.

"Then will you at least come back to bed?"

Rollo supposes he should. He doesn't want to risk worrying you any further. That would only stir up more questions.

He settles himself in bed, lying flat on his back with his arms crossed over his chest, more cadaver than human. You always found that position so amusing, for whatever reason, and even now you can't contain a laugh.

"Are you cold? You're shaking,"

Damn it. He is. He hadn't even noticed... and though his tremors aren't from the temperature, he agrees with you anyway.

"Yes. It's rather cold tonight,"

You hum a small note of contemplation and inch closer to him. "May I?"

Rollo's face immediately turns red, although he can't help but indulge himself... just this once. For your sake, anyway.

He nods.

You come closer, resting your head on his shoulder and putting an arm around his waist in the most comfortable position you can manage while he's lying like this.

Your body is warm, soft, comforting... all things that would normally repulse him, but it's you...

He pats the back of your hand with one of his in a reassuring, though awkward gesture. As much as he expected to feel his heart pounding even harder at your closeness, there's something quite... safe about the embrace. He can't deny it.

"Good night," you murmur, already half-asleep.

He closes his eyes, allowing his body to relax... just the tiniest bit.

"Good night,"

[slut-strut-satan]

Hi 👋 I just saw your post about the inconsistencies in DA canon, and I very much agree: some things look like the writers themselves are unreliable narrators when it comes to some parts of the lore. But I wanted to ask something - and I hope you don't mind - as someone who isn't a Solas fan and hasn't spent as much time analyzing his story as maybe you did. I see so many vastly different interpretations re: the Veil I'm starting to feel like I'm losing my mind. A lot of people strongly believe that tearing down the Veil wouldn't end the world, but Solas himself says in Trespasser: "I will save the elven people, even if it means this world must die." If you ask him why he helped you with the Qunari plot if he intends to destroy the world anyway, he says he doesn't want people to suffer before it's necessary (which implies that at some point it will be necessary). He seems genuinely sorry for what he believes he has to do. Doesn't it mean he confirms the consequences of removing the Veil would be world-ending? If it doesn't mean the world would be literally destroyed and a great number of people killed, why did he phrase it like this? Why make an enemy out of the Inquisitor and make them believe he is planning to destroy the world if it isn't the case?

Solas rarely speaks in straight lines. He uses metaphors and is generally very vague, which is how he gets around lying. He doesn’t lie, he disguises the truth.

I’ve never understood why people thought he was speaking literally there, because Solas ‘destroyed’ the world of the Elves and yet Elves are very much still around. Changed, but around. Dwarves, too. There’s no reason to believe everyone would just drop dead the minute the Veil comes down, especially since people can go in an out of the Fade physically with no major consequences. I firmly believe Solas would not take action against the Veil if he thought it would just end all life on Thedas. That’s just not the character. People can hate on him all they want, but Solas values life. That’s just canon. He wouldn’t be trying to do what he views as saving the world if he did not care about the people living in it.

And if that’s not enough for you, Solas himself directly tells us that modern people would survive to see the new world. He’s had multiple lines implying that he fully expects the current inhabitants of Thedas to be capable of surviving in the Restored Thedas, hes just not naive enough to pretend casualties won’t be inevitable.

When you ask him what his plan was, he tells us that he took precautions to lessen the loss of life. The estimate he gives us in regards to potential casualties is ‘thousands.’ And whether or not you think a few thousand people is an acceptable sacrifice is irrelevant right now. The point is that he’s not recklessly throwing lives away for no reason. Solas believes that Thedas will not survive long term in its current state and that restoring it to its natural state is the ethical thing. The Veil is an ecological disaster. Think of it as something similar to a Climate Change situation.

We know that the Veil had been growing weaker and weaker over time because it’s been established that mass death and violence weakens it. And Veilguard might not want you rememver that part, but modern Thedas is a hell world of violence, disease, and oppression. It is not a healthy or nice place. Spirits, Mages, and Elves (Solas is all three of these things) are routinely, systematically, and horrifically oppressed, and the Veil has contributed factors which unfortunately lead to this state of oppression. Again, DATV doesn’t want you to know any of that, but they can’t sweep these things under the rug for anyone who’s played the other games.

Solas created the Veil because he’d been forced to make an impossible choice for the good of the world. No one in Thedas would be alive today without him. Now, he’s been forced to make an equally impossible one, and ultimately he decides that he is morally responsible for undoing the damage wrought by the Veil. This is not to make himself happy. This is not selfish. This is a character sacrificing their own sense of self for the sake of duty. His conscience compels him to try and right what he perceives as a terrible wrong. I’m not sure why this is meant to be a negative quality but I’m not a sociopath so I couldn’t hazard a guess.

[ki-kink]

I want to transform into muscular man with good look and jock attitude as I am of age 25 who is obese and nerd with not socially active. Transform me to change insecurity

Your supervisor has demoted you. You have to go back to the windowless open-plan office. What a shit. The workstation you've been assigned hasn't even been tidied up yet. Obviously someone has been fired very suddenly. The cell phone on your desk isn't even locked. There are no apps on it except TestFlight and an app called chrnvc. Obviously a prototype.

You take a look at it. The interface is abysmally poorly made. no wonder the guy got fired. Seems to be some kind of game. You're supposed to create something like an avatar. You take a picture of yourself. And now you can move various sliders… Shit, you hope nobody sees you. Your supervisor has you on the final list anyway. If he notices that you're playing on a cell phone while you're working, which probably also belongs to the company…

Age? One year down to 24. Body fat percentage? 8 %. What else would you change? Success? Charisma? Shit, your boss is coming. You quickly press save and put your cell phone away.

Today is a good day. Third promotion in a year. But hey, you're an absolute grenade in sales. Employee of the month for the eighth time in a row. And you know exactly who you have to allow to give you a blowjob so that you can be one again next month. Oh, what am I saying here: You'll be employee of the month again in any case. But with a blowjob you'll also get an extra bonus.

[eurydicees]

actually i'm not done talking about this panel. the way isagi sorts geniuses vs learners is SO INTERESTING.

in my last post about this, i talked about how "the geniuses he names (reo, nagi, barou) are the ones who have lost and sacrificed and suffered the most. the ones he categorizes as learners are the people who have been able to compete, and change." which is fr driving me up the fucking walls. look under the cut to see me trying to work through my thoughts on this lol

first we have barou, who truly has insane physical abilities. he has an innate physicality that just happens makes him good at soccer. so sure, he can put in the category of genius. and so looking at his journey through blue lock, he's one of the ones who really has been least capable of keeping up with the others' change. sure, he's good at soccer. but he is TERRIBLE at the start of the 2nd selection in the team w isagi and nagi. he is forced into changing when playing with them, but he's also like. broken down and rebuilt in order to get there. he has to stop relying on that physicality.

so isagi looks at him as a genius in his truly very unreliable narration. he has physical ability he was born with--but he hasn't previously been able to keep up with change. honestly in addition to all that, i think isagi puts him in this category because he looks at barou as someone that HE himself discovered as the "learner", due to everything in the 2nd selection.

and we have nagi. which. yeah. nagi has crazy physical ability despite his very little dedicated training prior to this. but as we move into the 2nd selection and then then NEL, nagi needs to stop relying on that gifted ability, and the long balls and passes that cater to it. his arc in stopping relying on reo is VITAL to that.

nagi is someone who sacrifices everything he cares deeply about (reo) and loses sight of everything he had wanted (reo's dream) in order to become something new. by the time reo goes "let me be a part of YOUR dream to become the best" nagi has lost everything. he's kinda learned a passion for soccer, but, oh the cost of that.

his regaining his on AND off field relationship w reo is, imo, an indicator that he is beginning to understand that he needs to stop relying on being a "genius." we see this a little in brief snippets the manshine games. also, his "let's try something new" with reo makes me crazy and i'm so excited to see that.

anyways. isagi putting him in this category is kind of a rude dismissal of all that development imo. but it makes sense, too, since isagi only sees nagi as accomplished rather than understanding his sacrifices to move forward. isagi has been growing so much throughout these selections, but his biggest loss was bachira in the 2nd selection. and he never faltered in his belief that he would soon get him back. nagi didn't really have that after reo rejected him.

so nagi is a genius: he's given up everything to keep that. his need to become something more is, like. his entire arc. but isagi doesn't see that last part, he only sees the talent that nagi's been gifted with. so his categorization here is...true, but a little superficial. which i hope isagi begins to see in the future, as his understanding of this dynamic evolves.

then we have reo "i've only been playing soccer six months but im crazy skilled and also certifiably crazy in general" mikage. but reo is also in the last team to pass the 2nd selection. reo loses EVERYTHING (nagi, his confidence, his trust) in the process of getting to this point.

reo is also put in the genius category possibly because he's not actually that great at responding to loss (ex his reaction to losing in the 2nd selection; "be the one that chooses not the one that gets chosen").

but that all being said, more on reo: it's really interesting to me that isagi looks at reo as a genius, bc tbh i wouldn't put him there. personally i would classify him as a "learner", because he's the one who discovered nagi--the "learner" partnering to nagi's "genius"--and also because, yk. his skill is literally copying other people.

but this coming from isagi's POV, ig it does kind of make sense? isagi doesn't understand reo's journey here. he only sees that reo has skill after six months (though reo's training in those six months was kinda deranged); he doesn't see what reo is giving up in order to get it. idk but reo's place here is super interesting and i'm not quite sure what to make of it.

the next part of the panel, with bachira-chigiri-kunigami is also truly making me crawl up the walls and over the ceiling. in contrast to the geniuses, these guys are the ones who "admire and challenge."

these are the people isagi started with, the people the isagi trusts because of that experience in the 1st selection. they've challenged him from the start, and were the original ones forcing him to grow and bring his own skill to realization.

isagi admires them, finds that they challenge him individually and as teammates in team z, but he also doesn't see their skill as impossible to obtain. i think he kinda sees them as people he can hold his own with based on his abilities, as opposed to people like nagi or barou, who he has to counter using teamwork and/or very reactionary methods. he has to fight geniuses by finding innovative strategies versus the people who are his teammates, who he can compete with and grow with rather than against and contrary to.

it's like. the competition between bachira-chigiri-kunigami is built out of an admiration for their skills and a challenge to himself to improve his own skills in their areas of expertise. his rivalries with those guys are stepping stones to his development, sure but they're also rivalries that isagi believes he can compete with without destroying himself.

his rivalries with the guys he classifies as geniuses are more like...rivalries he has to unmake and remake himself in order to even begin to compete. they aren't challenges or competition that isagi is on par with.

but that also feels like an extreme disservice to the people he sees geniuses. he looks at their innate physical weapons and thus believes they've already been discovered and thus have reached the peak of their talent. the learners are still challenginng themselves.

personally, i don't think that's really true. i think all three of those genius characters have a long ways to go still. the "learners"'s egos are honed in the challenges of the fights they seek out, isagi says. but i think he doesn't recognize that the "geniuses"'s egos are honed in the sacrifices they make in those challenges/fights. the "learners" will learn from what they gain in a challenge; "geniuses" will have to learn to grow from what they give up in those challenges. which is just as significant, if not more motivating.

and i don't think isagi is going to be able to defeat any of them until he realizes that aspect of the genius versus learners debate. and tbh. i think ego needs to realize that too.

idk. this is super undeveloped, it's just me working through my thoughts on this specific panel. oh im so late for work jesus christ.

[maingh0st]

thoughts on holly black's tithe

fair warning that this isn't really going to be a book review—I went into this book predisposed to enjoying it, and I generally had a good time. rather than a comprehensive review, I just have some loose silos of thoughts I wanted to share. it's still a long post, but I'm not attempting to cover everything! so without further ado (some spoilers ahead):

let's get this out of the way

Tithe was Holly Black's debut YA novel, and it reads like it. it's a good debut—she's clearly a skillful author even this early in her career—but there are some choices (pacing, phrasing, etc) that read as slightly amateur. one of these choices was, in my opinion, including multiple POVs. maybe this is a controversial take, but I would've enjoyed this book more if Roiben's POV hadn't been included. it would've increased narrative tension, led to more intrigue about his character, and allowed us to get to know him along with Kaye (rather than being privy to his secrets and Deep Inner Turmoil from the jump).

I can't remember where I saw this, but someone said that reading Tithe feels like talking to a teen who's just figured out they can swear & make sex jokes, and yeah, that's accurate—but I also found it strangely endearing. Kaye is a teen, and her ~quirky~ teenager-ish musings on boys, alcohol, fashion, etc feel believable. which leads, unfortunately, to the next thing I've gotta address:

Kaye is 16 years old, and most of the time, she reads like a 16 year old. on the other hand, we're never told Roiben's exact age, but the man has lived a lot of life by the time we meet him. now I'm pretty lenient toward the idea that the Folk age differently than humans, so it's not really an exact number that's the issue, but the sheer chasm in life experience between them. I quite enjoyed both characters on their own, and conceptually, I feel like they work well together on a personality level, but yikes guys. the story even highlights that Kaye hasn't gotten her license yet because of her age; meanwhile, Roiben is waxing melodramatic about how many people he's killed in his years of tortured servitude to his evil queen. this age gap combined with the insta-lovey nature of their relationship* made this book feel... well, about as dated as it is.

*they have great chemistry once they're actually having conversations & getting to know one another! I really enjoyed their banter! but that's well into the book, and well after they've already been acting mutually infatuated

laughs nervously while looking at sjm

okay I'm not going to harp on the above points, I just wanted to get them out of the way. but now let's play a game: let me tell you about a plot from a popular YA novel, and you tell me which book I'm describing.

there is an evil queen with beautiful red hair and pale skin. she holds her court beneath a large hill. the court itself is ghastly—full of bloodshed, debauchery, riddles, and cruel games. unfortunately, an immortal fey man has found himself magically bound to her power, and while he tries to carve out pockets of agency in minor ways, his forced loyalty to his queen requires him to compromise his morals and cultivate a fearsome, bloody reputation.

a young woman who was raised in the human world finds herself swept up in the machinations of this court. the man fears for her, because she is vulnerable, but her presence also makes him feel hope, and her strength and cleverness surprise him. many shenanigans ensue, and they kill the wicked queen.

I mean. there are notable differences, of course, but I just noticed too many acotar parallels. anyways. holly black did it better

reading a faerie's pov

I've already established that I love Kaye, but guys, I really do love Kaye. I love that she takes initiative and moves the plot along (breaking her glamour too early is a great example of this—she could've gone along with the Grand Plan, but her curiosity led her to act faster). I like that Holly allows her to be selfish and think ugly things, but still try to do good and be kind. I know these books have less buzz than tfota, but I find myself fascinated that there's not really Discourse about the Kenny situation (for a tldr: Kenny is Kaye's best friend's boyfriend. Kaye accidentally glamours him to be infatuated with her. when she learns how to remove that glamour, she first takes the time to taunt him publicly and humiliate him with his own desire for her. personally, I like that Holly wrote her doing this and then feeling remorse about it, but it is objectively pretty shitty, both to him and to her best friend).

I also like the way Kaye is believably fey. she's playful and blunt and mostly uncaring about social conventions. repeatedly throughout the book, she'll make a decision without deliberating on it beforehand (which at first, as a reader, feels jarring), but then as she's facing the consequences, she processes her choice and often feels regret or course-corrects in some way. it feels very fae to jump into something because it seems fun, then only once you're in the thick of it realize that Oops, My Actions Have Consequences

threads left undone/questions that weren't answered—or maybe I'm a bad reader

who tried to kill Roiben at the beginning of the book? it's a Seelie arrow, but I thought there would be more plot relevance to this attempt on his life. do Seelie fae often try to murder him? it seemed like a significant one-off event, but as it stands at the end of Tithe, it was just the narrative's way of leading Kaye to find him

Kaye pricked her finger on a thorn in Lloyd's jacket pocket, and I now understand that this was (I guess?) meant to connect Lloyd to Nephamael (the knight with the thorn-lined cloak). but hey, this is a magic book, and I really thought there would be some magical significance to Kaye pricking her finger

is Kaye Fierch her true name? Does she have a true name that she's unaware of? How are true names given / received?

what secrets are guarded by the Court of Termites?? I know this isn't really a plot hole because Kaye is so new to the world of the Folk, but I'm just putting it on the record right here that I really hope we learn some of these Deep and Dark Secrets that were teased

because this post has gotten long, I'm going to create a separate one with bullet points of things we learn about/are reminded of re: how the faerie world works. I kept track of these for the fic I'm currently outlining, but also because it's fun to pay attention to little worldbuilding details :)

[captain-violence]

Really no one asked for a post but here is a post on:

ImaHana headcanons!!

When they met in middle school, it was a spark at first glance. Definitely not love more like...interest? Imayoshi could see the dirty and the ugly before Hanamiya even said a word. Hanamiya hated it and therefore hated him. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

The start of the relationship was simple. Imayoshi wanted to see how far he could go with shaping this individual and Hanamiya wanted to see 1) what this weirdo is all about and 2) how can he use it against him/other people. (Imayoshi did think Hanamiya was real pretty though)(( and easy to manipulate. Boy was he wrong))

Definitely an on and off kind of relationship. Especially during high-school considering they had other stuff going on in their lives. Studies, basketball. Not that Hanamiya needs to study a lot but he gets comfort in solitude and he knows where/how to reach Imayoshi anyways.

Hanamiya calls him Shoi and Imayoshi calls him Mako-chan because he thinks it's funny.

Takes a couple of years in university to stabilize their relationship but if someone were to ask they would both say they have been together since middle school.

Different aesthetics boyfriends. Imayoshi is proper and put together. Casual but proper. Hanamiya is tattoos, dark clothes and piercings. (In their adult years)

Imayoshi ends up working as a state agent of sorts, Hanamiya is a nurse because he can hurt people under the guise of helping them (Hi I'm a CNA and I think nursing would rly fit him lol)

Hanamiya is a cat person. Imayoshi is a goldfish person.

They like watching horror movies together and laugh about how stupid/unrealistic they are. Hanamiya loves gore movies because he doesn't have to think, just watch, and Imayoshi loves psychological horror.

Hanamiya sleeps with two covers because he is always cold (because his heart is).

They get married at one point but it's mostly because ' I tolerate you'( I.e I love you and I want to spend my life with you.) It's nothing extravagant. Imayoshi doesn't really propose. More like asks if they should get married. Casual conversation. Courthouse wedding with Hanamiya's mother and Imayoshi's little sister as witnesses. They do keep the pictures framed in their living room.

Hanamiya's mother loves her son in law, he is the perfect match for her son. Someone who brings out the best in him.

Imayoshi's father has taken a distance from them but his little sister loves Makoto and has gotten help with homework on multiple occasions. Hanamiya is a surprisingly good teacher when he wants to be.

They're just not really people who want kids and they're content with that.

Touou and kirisaki team knew they were definitely hooking up/in a relationship but are wise enough to not say anything. (Hara may have hinted but got kicked)

They are each other's first. But not their only.

Imayoshi loves hearing Hanamiya sing. Hanamiya hates hearing Imayoshi sing. Not only is he tone deaf but he gets the lyrics wrong (probably on purpose).

Same size shirts, not the same sized pants/underwear.

They play online games/video games together. (Sly-fox and Misto-kun romance)

Hanamiya definitely had mental health issues. (Depression, feelings of mania, sadistic tendencies etc etc) Imayoshi knows and has seen him in high highs and low lows and Hanamiya trusts Imayoshi to never use it against him. And he hasn't. Because they can get pretty low but not THAT low.

Rarely fight, small arguments and witty remarks are common but don't really leave a mark. Definitely the people who can go to bed angry though and keep it up until one of them (Imayoshi) says sorry.

Play basketball together on occasion. 1on1 usually ends in a pile on the ground, laughing because Hanamiya is openly cheating (for fun).

Inside jokes galore. Side glances and snickers at things only they understand.

They both cheat a lot when playing card games.

Thank you for the question!! Hope I can covert you into ImaHanaism hahaha. @wsknbfanaccnt

[wrrrenff]

Spiraling

Obey Me Angst Mammon, Levi, Lucifer, Diavolo (brief mention) Synopsis: Your are suddenly transported to this strange place called the Devildom. You don't know what's going on. These people, no... demons, seem ok but are you okay? You HAVE to stay here and be part of the exchange program? This sudden change is really spiking your anxiety and send you into a full panic attack in front of these men. Trigger Warning: Anxiety, Angst, Panic Attack, Mentions of Dying/Death

Still new with writing angst but i wanted to give it another go. This is my interpretation of what the beginning of the game would actually be like for an MC who isn't so immediately accepting of what's happening lol

"Mc, from now on you will be living in the House of Lamentation. you'll be staying with Lucifer and his six younger brothers. Humans, angels, demons, I imagine a universe where each accepts the other. Where we are brought together as friends. This is my dream and I'm asking you to be the foundation for it. One year, that's what I ask of you. Good luck MC"

Before you knew it you were being pulled along by the white haired man, no, demon. I think they said his name was Mammon. His touch burned. Your head was spinning. You couldn't breath. You're supposed to be okay with being forced into this situation? Living amongst a species that wants to eat you? You were able to keep your cool a bit better back in the council room, but now that it's just you and this single demon, the reality of your situation really hits

Mammon was too busy trying to get you back to HoL and get the house tour over with to even notice your breathing quicken. Once inside the HoL, Mammon stopped you at the base of the staircase and without looking back at you, started explaining where everything was. "Downstairs on the right is the kitchen and your room. On the other side is my room and Be..."

You couldn't focus on anything coming out of his mouth. Your breaths where staring to get shallow, heartbeat racing so much your chest was starting to ache. The room felt like it was spinning. Mammon's hand is still latched on to your wrist and he still hasn't noticed your change in demeanor. Too deep in your spiraling, you don't notice a blue haired man demon appear at the top of the staircase. Before he can introduce himself, he immediately noticed the state you were in. "Uh Mammon, what did you do to the human?" Mammon looks confused. "C'mon Levi. Why'd you assume I did-" He finally turns to look at you.

"Oh shit. MC? Can you hear me?" Though he doesn't let it show, Mammon is in full blown panic mode. He instantly recognizes what's happening. He's very familiar with panic attacks ever since he and his brothers where cast into the devildom. His face gets serious and he starts taking action. "Levi, get me some water and meet me in their room." Levi gets flustered at the commands but Mammon is too focused on moving you to the bedroom to even care.

You're still out of it. You don't even realize the grip on your wrist has loosened and there is now a supportive hand on your back rubbing circles. You feel sick, like you're gonna die. Hell, if you don't have a heart attack right now you might actually die at the hands of these demons anyways. Why did you have to be the one picked to do this? Why was your luck so bad that you had to be thrusted into this like a lamb surrounded by hungry wolves? You will probably be dead by the end of the night. The brothers and Diavolo seemed nice enough before but what if that was all an act? Play nice and sweet for the scared little human so they trust us and then pounce. And if when they kill you how would they do it? You hoped for quick and painless but some of them seemed like the torturing type. Suddenly you feel someone touching your face. it brings you back to reality just a little. Was he wiping tears away? You were crying?

Mammon had just sat you both on your bed and wiped some of the tears out of your eyes. He see's you recognize him for a moment. "MC, try to breathe for me okay?" He gently grabs one of your hands and puts it on his chest. "Try to match my breath." He breathes nice and slowly. He notices you struggling to keep rhythm but keeps encouraging you regardless. With his other hand he texts his brothers and lets them know what's happening, hoping the extra support and reassurance from them will help calm the human down. Soon after, Levi returns from the kitchen with a tall glass of water and a box of tissues and sets them on the nightstand. He then crouches on the side of the bed and starts lightly rubbing your arm with a circling motion. "H-hey, you're MC r-right?"

You register a second voice and turn to acknowledge it. Oh, it's the blue haired boy from earlier. You nod so subtly Levi almost missed it. "I'm Levi. I brought you a drink. Do you want to take a s-sip?" You look at the glass for a moment. What if they put something in it to make it easier for them to kill you... You look back to the boys, concern and distrust washes over your face. It hurts, but the brothers understand. If they were you, they'd probably feel that same. Mammon is the first to speak again. "Will it make you feel better if one of us takes a sip first?" They both see a slight bit of guilt show on your face before you nod yes.

With no hesitation Mammon takes a big gulp. Seeing the demon so willingly drink had convinced you to take a sip. The brothers sighed quietly in relief that you were starting to come around. "Good girl. That's it." Mammon says encouragingly. The hand holding yours to his chest relaxes, his thumb rubbing calming circles on your wrist. Levi pipes up again. "When I-I get anxious, I like to try and point out interesting things I see around me. Do you maybe want-t to give it a try?" Mammon didn't want to admit it, but his brother just had a good idea. You looked around. You could consider it all interesting if you were being honest. It's all new and unfamiliar you you. Looking around, you noticed all of the foliage in the room. "Plants." You croaked, voice raw from your crying. "I always found this room to be quite calming. I would often come in here to calm down after stressful days."

A new voice appears in the door frame. You remember him from earlier. Lucifer. Upon meeting the sleek demons eyes, your heartbeat picked up a little again. Mammon noticed immediately. "Oi Lucifer, can I talk to you in the hallway real quick?" Wordlessly, Lucifer goes into the hallway. Mammon was about to follow him until he felt a grip on his arm. You stared up at him with pleading eyes, begging him not to go. "It'll be just a second, okay hun?" He squeezed you arm and asked Levi to take over before heading out into the hallway. In hushed tones, Mammon fills in Lucifer on what's been happening since he first texted. "I filled in Diavolo and told the rest of our brothers to stay back. It seems I was correct in assuming that seeing more of us before they were fully ready would escalate their fears." Lucifer speculated. Mammon sighed. "I mean, can you blame them though? Demons and Angels as a part of the exchange is one thing, but I don't know if humans are going to be able to handle all this change." Lucifer wanted to agree but something was holding him back. He remembered back to examining your documents while narrowing down who to select for the program. He remembered there was something so special about you, something that just drew him to you. He couldn't put a finger on it but he knew it HAD to be you. "We'll make it work. Lets get back in before Levi completely scares them off."

The brothers walk back into the room and see Levi explaining the lore of his favorite show 'The Magical Ruri Hana: Demon Girl. Mammon almost let a groan slip but held it back when he noticed a smile on your face. The smile dropped quickly once you noticed Lucifer come back in. Mammon took his place back on the bed while Lucifer hesitantly joined Levi on the ground. "MC, I am terribly sorry about this situation. I completely understand your reservations but I am afraid there is nothing to be done now." Mammon kicked Lucifer, annoyed with how blunt his brother was. Lucifer glared at his brother then continued. "We do wish to make your time here as pleasant as possible and we will do whatever we can to make you comfortable."

You were starting to come to terms with the fact that there was no way out of this. You let out a sigh and started speaking with a slightly shaky voice. "Other than bringing me here against my will, you guys have been very nice an welcoming to me. I just have a million questions. Why me? What if a demon wants to eat me? What if you guys get too annoyed with 'babysitting the human' and just leave me to the dogs? Can I even eat anything here to survive?" Lucifer chuckled. Slowly and hesitantly, he reached a hand out. After seeing no resistance from you, he placed his hand on your knee and gave a reassuring squeeze. While I can't share the selection process, I can tell you that you are here because you are special. I promise that we won't let any demon outside of these wall, with the exception of Diavolo, lay a finger on you. And if they do we will take them out swiftly." You shivered at the statement. Lucifer continued "We actually have another human that is apart of the exchange program, Solomon, who we can introduce you to if that might help you feel better about being here. There are also two Angels in the program as well if that makes you feel any safer. But rest assured, my brothers and I are friends, not foe. We may seem hostile at times but we want nothing but the best for you. We want you to succeed here, to feel welcome, to be part of our little family."

Wow, you didn't expect to be moved by a demon like this. You still couldn't shake certain thoughts and feelings from your head but you decided to give in to this crazy situation. "Thank you. I'm sorry for freaking out like this. I think... with time, I'll get better about being... here. But if today, how you handled -" You wave you arms around you, motioning to yourself. "-THIS, is any indicator, I think I'll be okay."

Mammon squeezed your hand, pulling your attention to him. "Hey, there's no need to apologize, 'kay? If you ever need to talk to any of us about any of this again, we're here for ya'. No ifs, ands, or buts." You were starting to feel overwhelmed by how supportive the demons were being to you. Without a word, you leapt forward and gave Mammon a crushing hug. He let out a surprised sound before slowly hugging back. Poking your head out from the crook of his neck, you face the other two brothers. "Get on in here." Surprised at the request Lucifer got on the bed and joined in. Levi was still hesitant on the floor. He wasn't used to being asked for affection. With your foot, you lightly nudged his shoulder. "Come Levi, you too." Levi tried to push back his anxiety and slowly wrapped his arms around the three of you. You started to wonder what other crazy or interesting adventures would come out of this. You were still extremely terrified to think about it, but you couldn't ignore the rush of excitement you started to feel too.

[strawberry-jan]

Hey hello!!!

Just want to let you know I'm reading your Ishin okita/hajime fanfics and really love it (will write my comments soon as I get my shit together) and that's how I ended reading the amazing post about Inoue and Serizawa Kamo

Basically my ask is if you have any good books or articles about the shinsengumi and the bakumatsu to rec for someone who got absolutely obsessed with them? Like I know the basic since I have liked the shinsengumi aesthetic having watched rurouni kenshin and gintama, but never had any interest to go deep in the historical details until now when I finally played Ishin

Oh, this was so sweet to find in my inbox - thank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed my Ishin series (and it warms my heart to know that people are still taking the time to play the game after it sort of hit the little fandom pond and sank like a stone, haha).

Forgive me if these are some resources that you already know, but I'd say for someone who's just starting to read around, some of the big classics of English introductory material are:

Marius Jansen's Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration. It's a dry read at times, but it's a pretty comprehensive overview of the major players in that period with a focus on what was going on with our friend Ryoma.

Katsu Kokichi's autobiography Musui’s Story, which has an English translation. Obviously you have to take a blowhard's autobiography with a grain of salt but it's a neat little look into the life of a low-ranking samurai.

Yamakawa Kikue's Women of the Mito Domain: Recollections of Samurai Family Life - this one is just filled with interesting little details about household life.

If you're specifically into Shinsengumi stuff, I would suggest having a look at the posts on the Shinsengumi Archives. It seems like the blog hasn't updated for a while, but it's still a fantastic collection of scans from old books, recommended reading, translations, etc.

Beyond that, if you have access to a university library (or have a friend who does, or know places with access to those materials...), there are some academic essay collections that will lead you down various hyper-specific rabbit holes. I flipped through a copy of a collection called The Tokugawa World because there was a chapter on the Shinsengumi there, and then I started following the notes where I could. That chapter is where I got some details about the Roshigumi that Inoue mentions in part 2 of my fic, and I played around with some details about Hijikata's sword from there in part 3. I think that book also somehow put me on a long reading tangent about Tokugawa-era roads that led to the sequence about Izo going off on his travels. In general, falling down a rabbit hole about something extremely specific is a wonderful way to experience history; I can't tell you how delighted I was to find that big collection of egg recipes and to learn more about the aesthetics of Edo-era cuisine while trying to figure out some period-accurate things for Ryoma to cook.

Anyway, I hope that helps! I'm taking a little Ishin break to work on other things but I will return to that setting because I love it dearly. <3

[rudnitskaia]

Hi! I read your stories about Rocky and Maura on AO3 and they’re very good! Do you plan to write fics about Maura working with Rocky at Lackadaisy? Please write more! 🙏

Hi, anon ✨😭✨ I'm truly sorry for the late reply and hope you're doing well and will see my reply even after so much time passed 🥺💖

I'm very, VERY happy you like RoMaunce dynamics! 💖🥹💖 As for your question: the truth is that Maura working at Lackadaisy is a possible scenario, and a very interesting one, but it's not the only one. In any case, Rocky's and Maura's story isn't sweet and easy, but, if Mau starts to work at Lackadaisy, it triggers too many angsty outcomes not only for these two, but for many people around them.

Anyway, I wrote a ficlet about one of these personal outcomes for Rocky and Mau (though it came out to be more of a Zib & Mitzi's story). Hope you'll enjoy it. <3

A Better Life

Rocky didn't want to look, but he couldn't stop. His body felt numb, refusing to budge, and his glassy gaze was fixed on just one spot in the main hall of the Lackadaisy.

On Mau.

There she was, letting out another mischievous laugh and shifting the cue to her other hand. Even from such distance, from the backstage, he could clearly see the eyes of the bar patrons roaming over her figure as she bent over to make a hit. Their stares made him sick to the stomach.

The grip on the violin bow grew even tighter. Mozzie was finishing up to play some unassuming piano tune that meant to fill the silence before the beginning of the main concert. Soon the whole band must get on stage, but music was the last thing Rocky could think about at this moment.

“Come on, honey, spin around,” Mitzi encouraged Maura, clearly pleased with how the white, gold-embroidered dress fit her. “Isn't that nice? And it would finally stop gathering dust in the closet.”

Apparently, Miss M, who gave Maura one of her own evening dresses, really had high hopes for the girl. Rocky had already been over the moon when Miss M finally agreed to his entreaties to talk to Mau about working at Lackadaisy, and even more so when she decided to give Mau's talent a chance by bringing back gambling as an illegal activity in her establishment. And Mitzi's expectations paid off in spades. The resumption of liquor deliveries from the Arbogast Funeral Home, coupled with a new twist in the form of an “invincible female pool player”, has lured quite a few customers to Lackadaisy. For the first time since the days of Atlas May, the bar was running at some kind of profit rather than a loss. In every sense, it was a victory.

But right now, Rocky would have given anything to go back in time and knock the very idea of bringing Maura to Lackadaisy out of his own mind.

“It's a play, Rocky. Just a role. Otherwise these drunken high rollers wouldn't have the excitement, the desire to bet more and more, to keep competing with me. They like to think they can win not the game, but me, you know? Like a trophy. That's my job, to pretend it's really possible when it's not. Everything will be fine,” Mau assured him, furtively hugging him in the back room. He understood. After all, they needed money, needed desperately. Besides, how could he be upset about something so trivial? It would be ridiculous. After all, she still fell asleep beside him every morning. But the more time passed, the more unbearable he found the sight at the pool table, which he was forced to watch from the stage every damn night.

When Rocky felt a touch on his shoulder, he shuddered and hastily released the fabric of the curtain.

“Spit it out, kid,” Zib took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. “Or you're gonna get hot steam coming out of your ears.”

Rocky hesitated. Then cracked a strained smile.

“I was just admiring the place, that's all… it's been a long time since we've had this much noise, hasn't it? Miss Pepper finally has someone to dance with when Freckle runs out of breath. Last time they—”

Zib hummed and leaned against the opposite wall. His grin alone made it clear that he wasn't buying this ridiculous attempt to change the subject. Pulling back the curtain a little, he stared out into the main hall for a while, listening more to the cheerful chatter of the crowd than to Rocky's continuing monologue.

“Don't tell her you're jealous. It'll make things worse.”

Zib's words caught Rocky by surprise, and it took him a lot of effort not to show his astonishment. He didn't know what had given him away, since he'd never been explicit about his relationship with Mau. Out of everyone, Freckle was the only one who knew for sure, and it seemed, according to her overly mischievous tone, that Miss Pepper had suspected something, too. And yet Zib had hit right on target — even without looking at Rocky, he knew he had. But though the poisonous feelings that had been overwhelming Rocky for a month now had eaten him almost to the core in the enforced silence, and though the opportunity to finally discuss it with someone seemed too tempting — he couldn't allow himself to open up. He just couldn't.

“Begorra, why would you even think that? To whom and who could I…”

“Zib,” Mitzi interrupted them, suddenly entering the backstage area. “One of the visitors wants to hear this,” she held out a double folded sheet of paper. “Tell the others. He paid well.”

When she left, Zib reluctantly unfolded the paper and then slipped it carelessly into his pocket. Despite the need to walk on the stage soon, he took his time, favoring an unfinished cigarette. With his fingertips he pulled the curtain aside again, revealing a thin golden strip of carefree revelry from their faded, half-empty backstage.

“You know, it's natural,” he took a puff, “To want the best for the ones you love,” the smoldering cigarette outlined the room. “But just consider it. Any of these men could give her everything that the likes of us, mired on the margins, could never give her. The freedom not to think about what to eat, where to sleep, and how to survive while the pockets are empty, not to choose between, let’s say, a new coat for the winter and a month's rent for some hellhole. And if someone can give the person you love freedom beyond your reach, it would be dirty to demand them to drop that chance for a better life, don't you think?”

Shaking the ashes to the floor, Zib again pulled out the now crumpled note that Mitzi had handed him and fell silent for a short while. He didn't open it this time, just studied the blank side of the note for a few seconds with a thoughtful, detached look. A look in which, for just a moment, flickered a glimpse of longing. His husky voice sounded almost otherworldly when he spoke:

“You're lucky if she chooses you anyway. Cherish it while you can.”

Completely stunned, Rocky remained silent. A thousand questions flashed through his mind, but he didn’t dare to voice any of them. Zib didn't just empathize with him, no — he knew. Knew like no other. The man, meanwhile, put out the cigarette butt and headed toward the back room where the band members usually had their rest.

“Get on stage. It's time to start.”

[lady-bluebird-luv]

Hello again - Santa here! I just can’t stay away. I hope you are enjoying Feysand week, spooky season, and that beautiful autumn weather surrounds you!

You did such a good job of playing the build a fic game, I think you might be sneaking ever closer to Santa’s nice list! However, now I have several ideas kicking around and I would love to hear a little more from you to lock into the best present possible.

1. What do you love about Feysand? What are some of your favorite moments?

2. Is there a certain stage of their relationship you can’t get enough of? UTM, early ACOMAF, Velaris, post mating bond? Or maybe you’re interested in what’s happening after ACOSF?

3. Do you have any favorite headcanons or things you think we missed out on in canon?

Enjoy the rest of fabulous Feysand week giftee!

Santa, all I want is to be on your nice list 🥹. Happy Feysand week!!! I could write 300+ pages on these questions, but I don't think Tumblr will let me write a post that long. I think (I hope?) these answers will still give you plenty to work with, though.

1) The short version is that I love Feysand's unconditional acceptance and support for each other. I saw something about how the appeal behind enemies-to-lovers is that it means your partner saw you at your worst before they saw you at your best, and they loved you anyways. That's very true for Feyre and Rhys. I know some people, especially post-ACOSF, talk about Feyre being naive about Rhys's asshole-ness or being brainwashed by the mate bond. IMO, she's always seen the darkness, and she simply does not give a fuck. Rhys likewise recognized a similar darkness in her before she saw it in herself. Rhys will be a monster to protect the people he loves, and Feyre loves him for it because she's the same.

They're the ultimate ride-or-dies for each other. In ACOTAR, Rhys was ready to damn the world to protect Feyre. When he tried to scare her into leaving Prythian, he wasn't just condemning himself to Amarantha, but potentially damning everyone else to an eternity UTM, too. No cursebreaker, no freedom, right? Similarly, when Rhys dies in ACOWAR, Feyre is ready to daemati the other courts into bringing him back - a diplomatic nightmare in the long run, but she doesn't care. There's something undeniably selfish about their devotion to each other, but for me... it just scratches an itch that no other ship does.

I also adore the mentor/mentee dynamic in their relationship. Maybe it's the daddy kink in me, IDK. Growing up, Feyre hasn't really had someone who will not only be on her side, but also provide for her - she got parentified at 11. Both with Tam and Rhys, we see that she wants a partner who will provide for her if she needs it - the reason Feylin doesn't work and Feysand does is because Tamlin imposes that provision, and Rhys doesn't. Feyre wants room to do her own thing, but she wants to know that, when she needs it, she has someone who she can lean on. I'm obsessed with Rhys both wanting to be that person and with him wanting her to (literally) grow her own wings. He never holds things she doesn't know against her, and I think their personalities are endearing together in part because of their age/experience difference.

One of the songs that reminds me the most of them is Hozier's NFWMB, if that helps. I actually have a whole Feysand playlist here (the order is kinda important but only a little).

2) As far as favorite stages go (and favorite moments, to carry that over from your first question), I'm obsessed with ACOMAF and early ACOWAR. I've talked a little here about how I think Feyre is angry at Rhys in ACOMAF partially because she doesn't know what to do with her attraction to him, and here about how ACOMAF is about Feyre accepting and loving herself, not just accepting and loving Rhys. Both of these threads are a big part of why I love Feysand. IRL, People are messy, flawed, complicated, and almost always still loveable. I think ACOMAF Feysand embodies that perfectly.

I love the moment at the beginning of ACOMAF when Feyre overhears Ianthe suggesting they assassinate Rhys and she's horrified, because it shows how in denial she is. I love the confrontation with Lucien in the mountains because Feyre realizes she's willing to do something that she would have once considered unthinkable (hurt Lucien) to protect Rhys, and she's not upset by it. I love when they pretend the mating bond broke, because their ability to play off of each other shows how they really are birds of a feather.

That's also why I adore Feyre at the beginning of ACOWAR - she's being so wicked, but it's all her. Rhys isn't giving her input on her strategy. Her deception in the Spring Court also shows how much she's learned from Rhys.

3) I really wish we saw more of Feyre being a politician. E.g. Feyre holding court alone in the Hewn City, putting Keir in his place like in the beginning of this fic I'm currently slobbering over from @rosanna-writer. In general, I'm obsessed CoN/dark!Feysand, and I wish SJM leaned into their dark sides more.

I also think we got robbed of a Helion/Rhys/Feyre threesome in canon. (I'm generally intrigued by Rhys and Helion's definitely-not-totally-platonic history, but this post is already pretty long, so that's for another time). Sometimes, I also wish that we saw Feyre and Tamlin sitting down to talk about everything that happened. I'm kinda of two minds about that, though - I don't think Feyre is the one who needs that conversation in order to find closure, and I don't want her to talk to Tam just because he needs her to.

I don't know if we'll ever see adult Nyx in canon, but I would love to eventually see teen/young adult Nyx, especially during his HL training. I want to know how he reconciles the tender, loving parents he has behind closed doors with their sometimes-brutal public personas. I want to know what he thinks of the mythos surrounding his family and how he navigates intercourt relations (especially relations with the Spring Court?) as he takes on more and more responsibility. I want to know what he thinks of Eris: they're both princes, but where Nyx would do anything to protect his parents, Eris is willing to take a blade to his father.

UMMMM I'm trying to think if there's anything else. I think there is, but that's all that comes to mind right now.

Santa, I'm so sorry for the late response! I hope you're as excited to catch up on all the Feysand week fics as I am :).

[yours-the-author]

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Extended Zodiac: My Thoughts

It's been a while, hasn't it? I finally decided to get this done, so let's hop onto one more ride of Homestuck and Danganronpa craziness! If you're unfamiliar with what the heck is going on, I've included links to previous posts I've made in this topic. THH and the Masterminds posts feature more detailed explanations of what this is and how it works, which I *could* rewrite here, but... I dunno, I'm eepy. Anyway, here's the Table of Contents, so to speak, and the actual good stuff will be below the cut, like always:

Trigger Happy Havoc

Masterminds

Goodbye Despair

Killing Harmony (You are here!)

And, as always: Spoilers for Danganronpa inbound!

Kaede Akamatsu - March 26

Arcer - Sign of the Officer (Aries, Prospit, Blood)

Born in the early days of Spring, Kaede is an Aries!

Aries are adventurous, confident, and energetic, traits that can make for great- if occasionally foolhardy- leaders. Kaede is quick to become the de facto leader of her class, guiding everyone through trials and tribulations with the power of her belief in her friends and her determination to escape the killing game. She's willing to throw her all into it, even risking her neck on the Death Road to Despair in the first chapter of the game... but unfortunately, she has an occasional tendency to be unaware of those around her, not noticing the exhaustion everyone's in until it's pointed out to her. Still, there's no denying her leaderly qualities, so she's a pretty reasonable Aries.

Prospit was a fairly easy decision for Kaede's Lunar Sway; she's reasonably optimistic and plenty creative! When she decides to try ending the killing game, she's surprisingly creative with it: taking Shuichi's plan and subtly making adjustments that fly right under the player's nose in an attempt to catch the Mastermind. I mean, constructing a ramp out of books to direct the shotput ball right onto the killer, even though she had never seen the top of the book case up close until that very moment? She's clearly good at thinking things up on the spot, which another trait common to Prospit dreamers! I think this one suits her well.

I had a few choices in mind for Kaede's Aspect, and in the end, I think she's a pretty good contender for being a Blood bound hero. It mostly comes down to her natural leaderly qualities; she has charisma up the wazoo, magnetically drawing the other students towards her with her "push forward no matter what" attitude. She also has a bit of a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of thing after the first class trial, making a final request before her execution that everyone escapes without killing even though she was willing to kill to help everyone live. If only things could work out so easily...

Finally, there's her Word: the Officer. This may seem rather weird; an officer is defined as someone in a position of command or authority, and Kaede certainly isn't so bossy. But she does play a bit of an authoritative role in an inspirational sense, inspiring her classmates (Shuichi especially) to keep working hard to escape the killing game with as little death as possible (with varying degrees of success). Up until her untimely death, Kaede was definitely the leader of the group, guiding them towards a more hopeful future of being friends with each other... and while not nearly as many people end up surviving as she'd have hoped, she technically did get her wish granted in the end.

---

Shuichi Saihara - September 7

Virza - Sign of the Puzzle (Virgo, Derse, Mind)

A late summer child, Shuichi is a Virgo!

Virgos are detail oriented, intelligent, and perfectionists, holding no one to a higher standard that themselves for the sake of getting everything just right. Shuichi definitely shows those traits, but he's also a bit timid and even doormat-like, especially early game. Really though, can you blame him? The first time he pursued the truth in his pre-game backstory, he got someone arrested who had only killed to get revenge for their family, making him doubt himself greatly. Thanks to Kaede encouraging him though, he eventually discards the hat he hides under to face the truth completely.

Someone shy and quiet like Shuichi makes Derse seem like a no brainer, but it's more than that. Derse dreamers are cerebral and have difficult with sincere vulnerability, often hiding behind a hard shell to keep themselves safe. Once they've warmed up to someone, though, they're powerful allies, and Shuichi's "powers" are no joke! It even comes to a point where Monokuma has to rely on Shuichi completely to uncover who the murderer/murderee of the fifth class trial is, since his mini flying cameras were all shut down by Kokichi just long enough for his deception to be set in place. If even the murder bear that's making you kill each other relies on your skills enough to actually get things done, then you know you've got something special.

Naturally, someone intelligent like Shuichi would have an intelligence focused Aspect, and between Light and Mind, Mind was the better choice. While Mind players are capable of creating and completing great plans with unbelievable grace, they can also get easily overwhelmed by their many possible choices, making them freeze up in the face of potentially making the wrong decision. This is literally Shuichi in the first class trial: he realizes the truth of the whole case, but freezes up instead of bringing up the facts, which results in him nearly getting pinned as the Blackened. It was only thanks to Kaede that he didn't get everyone killed from his fear of the truth. If that doesn't make him a Mind player, I'll eat Shuichi's hat (please do not make me eat his hat).

Finally his Word, which was a bit of a struggle to fit, but he's the Puzzle. Sure, his intelligence makes this seem obvious, but a person who is a puzzle/is puzzling is someone who causes confusion to others, being difficult to understand or even downright nonsensical. For the most part, Shuichi is a pretty straightforward person, but his reasoning for his early game behavior seems to puzzle Kaede, and some later decisions like (correctly) calling Gonta the Blackened of the fourth trial definitely puzzle the heck out of most people, especially Kaito. Shuichi can definitely be a puzzle, in more ways than one.

---

Kokichi Oma - June 24

Gemiborn - Sign of the Uproarious (Gemini, Derse, Rage)

The Ultimate Supreme Leader of the world (or not?) is a Gemini!

Geminis are smart, and aren't afraid to take advantage of it. They can talk in circles around most everyone, using their seemingly boundless energy to get what they want from others. Kokichi fits this perfectly; easily one of the most talkative "trouble makers" of the Danganronpa series, Kokichi smooth talks his way into all sorts of trouble- mostly for the others, but even himself on occasion. The Insect Meet and Greet in particular comes to mind, or really any of his interactions with Gonta, especially in the fourth class trial.

Someone so openly underhanded and closed off like Kokichi also makes for a perfect Derse dreamer. He hides any and all insecurities under his many, many lies, and his rebellious methods of ending the killing game make it hard to get close to him: revealing the killer of the fourth class trial early and managing to pull the wool over Monokuma's eyes to stop the fifth trial. Underhanded? A little. Meanspirited? Definitely. Effective? Almost too perfectly. It's no holds barred for a Derse dreamer like Kokichi.

Now, this may seem a little controversial, but I decided to give Kokichi the Rage aspect. Making him a Void player seems more reasonable at first; after all, who else is so up front about casting doubt on what's right and wrong? But the word for a Gemittarius- the Sapient- just didn't quite fit. So why a Rage player? Aren't they supposed to hate lies and false ideas? Well, yes... but that's the thing. Kokichi's "truth" is lying. To him, lies make the world go round, and most truths are lies, anyway. Kokichi is also insatiably cruel and fearless, more than willing to make everyone hate him for the sake of ending the killing game on his terms. No matter how much he might get attacked for his ways, he sticks to them and never compromises on who he is. Also, he's a bit... enRAGEing, hahaha! (Everyone boos)

Finally, his word, which was the main reason behind all these choices: the Uproarious. Typically defined as someone who makes or attracts a lot of noise, taking a more metaphorical approach makes him a perfect fit. I don't think I've ever seen a Danganronpa character cause as much of an uproar among both the other characters and the people who play the game; almost every let's player I've seen hates Kokichi (or at the very least, is extremely annoyed by him), and I'm sure he was quite a headache for the audience watching the 53rd Killing Game. Probably caused quite an... UPROAR... these are the jokes, people.

---

K1-B0 - October 29

Scorra - Sign of the Impromptu (Scorpio, Prospit, Mind)

Picking my favorite character from V3 was difficult, but I eventually decided on the character that fascinates me the most: K1-B0, the Ultimate Robot! His whole narrative purpose and in-game functionality is just... oof. I could go on for a while about that, but I won't. Anyway, surprisingly, he's a Scorpio!

Scorpios are seen as the most dangerous of the signs, throwing everything they have into everything they do. For someone as mild mannered and polite as K1-B0, this may seem like a mistake... but we have to remember that the K1-B0 we know for most of the game is different from who he actually is. When his "hair curl" is attached, he's under the control of the audience at home, acting as a sort of self insert for the people who watch Danganronpa. Once that wire gets cut at the end of the fifth class trial, though, he becomes determined to end the killing game by any means necessary, taking the most destructive option of blowing up the school and everyone in it to achieve his goal. Surprisingly Scorpio-like!

I chose Prospit as K1-B0's Lunar Sway, because there's never really a moment when he purposefully hides who he is; even when he's free of his antenna, he's honest and straightforward with his goals and personality; the only real difference is how destructive he's willing to get. He's also a fairly optimistic and easy going guy; even when others are being robophobic, he's polite, firm, and generally nonviolent in his approach to correcting that behavior.

For his Aspect, I chose Mind, which... was a surprisingly difficult choice to make. A number of Aspects matched him well, but it really came down to his word as the deciding factor, and even then, it's a bit of stretch... I'll explain more in a minute. For now, though: K1-B0 is definitely a logic based fellow, being rational in the face of all the irrational things happening around him, even if he sometimes comes off as a bit cold and inflexible to others emotional needs. But he's learning, so that's what matters most! He's eager to get as much information as possible so that he can make the best decisions and be the best Ultimate Robot!

Finally, his word: the Impromptu. To be impromptu is to do things without planning or thinking, which really doesn't match K1-B0 for the most part... until we get that darned antenna off his head. Then, it's no longer a matter or rationality; it's a matter of ending the killing game, and ending it quickly. Depending on how you view the end of the game, too, shows that there's a bit of impulsivity to him still: he chooses to allow the survivors to live, even though he was supposed to destroy everything about the Danganronpa world they were in. Maybe it was the viewer's decision, or maybe it was his own; either way, it was certainly very impromptu a decision.

---

AGH! Finally, I'm done! I really do enjoy doing these things, but they're also really tiring! I've been at this for hours... partially because I conked out and took a nap halfway through. Comfy couches really are too comfy... Anyway, I'll get around to adding/editing the table of contents for the previous posts later; my laptop is dying and I NEED to go to bed! Thanks for coming on the ride, everyone! Mind your step as you exit, and I'll see you around, some other day.

[capinejghafa]

I was watching this movie while at the laundromat as one does and I play a fun game called how long does it take me to figure out the title of the movie before the opening title (don't ask). I can usually get it, but today? Accidentally walked away before the title came on, so I'm watching it with zero context.

Here's my unhinged take, in hopes that someone can help me put this mystery to rest.

All I know is there was a dude, and him and his wife fought about the 1980 Academy Award... and I walked away. I come back, and there's a script supervisor (who looks so familiar), and we also come found out that this middle-aged man is a failed actor. And somewhere along the lines, he and the script supervisor meet? But it's not like a meet cute because they're at work... but anyway. Now we're introduced to the fact that he hasn't seen his daughter in years (she's like about 8-10). And he takes her to come live with him for 3 weeks. The kid is lowkey obnoxious... but with good reason, she doesn't know this man. On the other side, the script supervisor is trying to get the dude a role and get it for him? I'll be honest, i checked a little... Anyway, the dude and the script supervisor hook up, but it doesn't look like she's enjoyed it (ask me if this is relevant lol). Later, we find out he either got cut from the movie or something. His daughter in the meantime is like you have to feed me, which I thought I was funny, but she's also like "hey I would like to be an actor too!" Dad is like, "No! Child actors are the worst..." he then processes to get her into the audition... and that's when I left.