#bc it felt silly to keep posting hes still alive

[dailysaboupdates]

he's still alive

[radidoes]

Can you please do platonic Alastor x gn!child!reader headcanons?

They can be some kid that he took under his wings or just straight up his kid back when he was still alive.

LITTLE DOVE 🕊

A/N- this is such a cute idea omg,, i'd definitely say he wouldn't be the best dad considering the hell situation, but he'd try. tysm for first submission 🫡

Alastor being a fatherly figure to a gn!child!reader headcannons, tooth rotting fluff :)

Alastor had found you while wandering the pride ring post extermination, you were hiding behind a recently deceased mother.

Although Alastor never once thought he would want a kid, he grew accustomed to your presence; he admired your curiosity and bravery, while others cowered with fear for the Radio Demon you had never once shown a hint of fear.

Alastor would often accompany you to many parts of Hells' rings, your notable favorite was visiting Rosie in Cannibal Town. He also took you to Lucifers' Lu Lu World; even if he hated Lucifer, he couldn't say no to you.

If Alastor couldn't accompany you he would have one of his shadows follow you, even if he wasn't there his aura made sure no one even thought of harming you.

If you were found during his time residing in the Hazbin Hotel he would most definitely only allow you alone with Charlie, knowing she was the most kind-hearted soul he could put his trust in.

He lets you play and toy around with his ears, horns, and his radio equipment. You dressed him up in silly hats and bows, and he doesn't bat an eye; of course, if someone saw he'd make sure they never spoke of it.

As you grew older, Alastor had taught you most of his combat knowledge (although you never needed it since he would always have someone watch over you.)

Being a teenager of course you rebelled; once running away from the hotel. Even if he wouldn't admit it Alastor felt true worry, that one of the most important people in his life had gone missing, he couldn't stand the thought of losing the only two things he cared about in his life, you and his mother, when he finally found you he made sure to keep an extra vigilant eye out for you wherever you went.

The other hotel residents made sure to treat you nicely; afraid of what Alastor would do to them if he saw them hurt his beloved child. Angel Dust would take extra precaution to watch his tongue, not wanting to be reprimanded for his vulgar language and manners Alastor frowned upon

Overall, you were one of the most important things he has in his life during Hell; and he made sure nothing would harm you, using any means necessary to protect you.

A/N- if you send requests, pls keep in mind i have others waiting im getting to them as fast as I can; I never expected so much!! please like if you enjoyed; I'm not the best but I try lolll,,, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!! MWAHHH i don't want this to not do well bc I genuinely liked this idea :3

[kyojurismo]

▸ REQUEST. @fairypoison requested for yandere giyu and yandere gyutaro (sfw)

▸ ANSWERING. my drafts got deleted twice *laughs hysterically*, but we made it at last. i hope you won’t mind me putting both of them in a unique post… it also took me long to post it bc it’s my first time writing for them in particular and also because it’s my first time writing something yandere, so i was even more insecure lol. hope you enjoy it <3

▸ FANDOM. kimetsu no yaiba

▸ CHARACTERS. giyu tomioka x gn!reader, gyutaro (upper rank six) x gn!reader

▸ RATING. sfw

▸ WARNINGS. yandere!giyu, yandere!gyutaro, obsessive & possessive behaviour, overprotective tendencies, mention of kidnapping, stockholm syndrome, bleeding + if i missed something please tell me!

YANDERE GIYU

giyu planned your kidnap meticulously

you were scared at first and avoided speaking with him, but he wasn’t violent or rude to you; he gave you time to get used to stay at his mansion

he took care of you pretty well, he was actually proud of himself. the first time you tried to escape he treated you like a child, “what if you got hurt while running?” and “running away in the night, that’s so silly.”

it goes without saying, you tried to escape almost every day in the beginning, taking every opportunity

but when you got hurt one time, the bleeding from your leg’s wound stopped you from trying to escape giyu and you were actually glad he was there to help you

he asked shinobu to check on you, trusting her around you

he was surprised you didn’t try to ask her for help or something. you even said you were sure giyu would take good care of you and there was no need to come to the butterfly mansion

he realised you had stockholm syndrome but didn’t take advantage of that, he respected you and treated you as he always had

doesn’t let a soul hurt you, would it be physically or verbally. not on his watch. he wouldn’t hesitate to kill for you

you enjoy cuddling and love holding giyu’s hands almost every moment. you love feeling him close, it makes you feel safe

*cough* separation anxiety *cough cough*

“i promise i’ll be back soon,” you know he truly mean it but still you’re scared for his life and you can’t bear the thought of not seeing him anymore. “giyu-sama…” you’re always crying when watching him leave. he would hug you close and kiss your lips snd forehead, making sure you feel his love for you

whoever meet you while giyu is on a mission would say that you look sad and are as quiet as him, but the moment he’s back you shine like a star and starts rambling about how much you missed him and felt lonely without him

giyu is so jealous of the others, especially of sanemi. he would flirt with you for fun, just to tease him, and it would make giyu mad most of the time. but you kindly tell sanemi that you want giyu and giyu only, that you two are happy and he should leave tomioka alone

giyu was a bit taken aback, sanemi wasn’t expecting that reply and you noticed both him and tomioka cheeks were a bit flushed

would compliment you day and night, love seeing your beautiful face every single day. you make him happy with your presence

“we’re gonna stay together forever, that’s a promise.”

YANDERE GYUTARO

douma found you first

okay imagine he wanted to eat you and he loves playing with his food. you found yourself badly injured, bleeding on the floor with a few broken bones

gyutaro usually ignored douma but the moment his eyes lay on you he felt like he had been struck by a lightning

he had to protect you with his life.

he literally jumped at douma and smashed his head, then rescued you

he asked lord muzan to keep you alive without turning you into a demon and he let him do as he pleased

(would have kept you even if muzan said no, he just wanted to freely show the others that you were his)

you never tried to escape, but mostly because you couldn’t even get out of bed at the beginning. you were pretty injured

daki was jealous because her brother was showering you with attention, he took care of you and was always by your side. once she accepted your presence she promised to protect you at all costs too

above all, akaza was the only one to state clearly that he had no intention in hurting you or eating you, so you weren’t that scared when he was around

now, gyutaro always thought men were evil and he had to protect you from them. he simply justifies all the killing saying “they want to hurt you, but i won’t let a soul hurt you. it’s a promise.”

at first that scared you, because he was merciless… but the idea that “all men are evil” started to get inside your brain and you got used to it & simply ignored it

gyutaro usually holds your hand when you’re out, but if you can’t walk side by side he usually holds your kimono and stays close. he makes sure you know he’s there and that he’s watching your back

he doesn’t let anything slide. he sees someone talking shit about you? they’re gone. staring too long at you? gone gone gone.

he thinks you’re the most beautiful person in the whole world and it’s his job to protect you and make sure you’re safe.

he’s always– literally every single moment, around you. if he’s busy for lord muzan orders he leaves daki with you so you’re not alone

you still miss him a lot but at least daki distracts you, she’s actually of good company and you love spending time with her too

you don’t realise gyutaro is a yandere, and gyutaro too doesn’t knows what’s going on so… you simply think that it’s in his demon nature to be and act like that

“i’ll always stay by your side, gyutaro-sama.”

▸ BEFORE LEAVING. reblog and comments are really appreciated, it would help and keep me motivated. i hope it wasn’t too bad, i’m super insecure about it ngl. thank you so much for reading my works !! bye bye <3

[fallen-kingdoms-crk]

Can you tell me the lore of your AU i'm really confused by many people asking the characters problem

((Hrmmm... since you asked ever so nicely, tis Lore dump time- (my thought process may be a bit nonsensical so apologies on that front, dear Anon) Okay, so... like I said in the tags in the first post on this blog; this is a Beast and Ancients swap au. but with my own silly little twists. (the Beasts are still Knowledge, Change, Volition, Happiness, and Solidarity) (more under the cut bc this is LONG)

So the ancients are as follows:

Famine Surrender Ensnarement Disdain and Betrayal

So far, the only one we've met is Betrayal

Pure Vanilla, once the light of Truth, was a king and guide to those who lived in his kingdom. He was a beacon of hope, trust, love... he was the Witch's golden creation. He could never fall... not on his own.

The first to fall was Hollyberry, as her kingdom slowly became ungrateful to her efforts as ruler... claiming Pure Vanilla as a better ruler than she was and slowly began migrating over to the Vanilla kingdom. This caused Hollyberry to close off trade with the other kingdoms, harboring a deep Disdain for others including her once dear friends instead of the Passion that once overflowed to everyone. And anyone who would enter her lands? they're as good as dead.

The next was Golden Cheese. due to Hollyberry closing off trade(I imagine the Hollyberry kingdom is a very important one to trade with if that makes any sense?) and the hot climates of the land she ruled, she slowly ran out of food and her people began to starve. she asked for aid from the other kingdoms, but they too were starting to struggle due to the trade being cut off from the Hollyberry kingdom. She tried to keep everything together but when her people started dropping like flies she broke. Her magic went-- a bit haywire... and by a bit I mean everyone died as their essence was sucked into her to keep herself alive. She's still hungry though. Still ever so hungry. taking abundance for granted will soon lead to famine in the end.

Dark Cacao had become more of a recluse, staying within his palace with his young son. He drew back from the outside world since the fall of two of his friends, fearing himself to be the next to go. Normally he would be more stubborn, but he didn't want to chance anything hurting his son (he's a good dad in this au?? shocking.). Though, this would be his downfall.

White Lily was noticing the shift in the world, noticing that the freedom of others was causing a rift between her friends and their people. Freedom was the issue, not their actions. Freedom. (can you see where this is going?) She goes to Cacao's kingdom and easily trumps his knights and soon confronts Cacao himself. She then gives him an ultimatum, join her willingly or she will force his hand. Ultimately, Resolution was not strong enough to escape Ensnarement, causing Surrender to be the only option left.

Pure Vanilla was unaware of what was going on in the other kingdoms, but he was aware something was off. He used to trade letters with Dark Cacao on the daily, but when it stopped altogether, he was worried. He was worried about all of his friends in truth. When the cookies from Hollyberry's kingdom asked for housing, Pure Vanilla was happy to oblige... although he was confused as he knew his friend was a just ruler. And when more came from Cacao's lands, he knew something was dreadfully wrong. In spite of his better judgement, he sent one last letter to Dark Cacao, asking if he could visit.

What Vanilla didn't expect was for White Lily to show up instead. He was happy at first to see his friend but then he noticed something was... off. When she started to demand he surrender his kingdom and become a servant to her, though... he felt disturbed. this wasn't the Lily he knew. This wasn't the friend he cared so deeply about throughout his life. No, not at all. He managed to force her out of the kingdom but not without her taking revenge a few days after.

When he could feel the ground start to shift beneath him, he felt a sense of fear he never really felt before. He ushered the townsfolk in the kingdom to head to the castle. He was in the royal gardens when some villagers that were hiding within a tree pulled him inside right as the floating kingdom collided into the forest ground below.

Those within the gardens survived... though, the others that were hidden within the castle itself weren't as lucky. Pure Vanilla felt... broken. hurt. he couldn't believe the kingdom he worked so hard to build from the ground up was destroyed so so easily... he tried to call for help from the other two kingdoms he knew of, avoiding telling Cacao entirely... but he got no response.

Now, a tidbit I like to call 'flower learning time' ahaha... Vanilla Orchids in general shouldn't be trusted. They are... parasites. ya get me? parasites. but that wasn't known at the time, not back before the kingdoms fall. afterwards though?

When Pure Vanilla was at his lowest, his staff took advantage of him. Trust broken. friends gone. kingdom destroyed... he felt betrayed. Now, he's nothing but a puppet to his staff. The Witchs' golden creation now nothing but dust in the wind. (so yes, those of you who asked PV about his soul jam; they did take it. they took it and ran. PV just can't talk about it, not while Orchid is there at least)

What happened to the villagers? well, some say there are topiaries that are in the shapes of cookies that can move in the bounds of the destroyed kingdom... but who knows. that's just a fairytale~))

((shortly after the ancients were all sealed... but one. Pure Vanilla was left unscathed. he wasn't necessarily evil, just... broken. he couldn't bring himself to move for so long... until a little cookie that was freshly baked and just escaped from the witch's castle appeared and tried to take care of the old, lonely cookie. You could honestly say that Pure Vanilla saw him as his son eventually! he was happy... he even made friends with some other cookies at one point...! until the seal broke. You can only guess what happened to those friends and the little cookie once Orchid returned to Pure Vanilla.))

((And Pure Vanilla himself is just very anxious and a little depressed in general. He has a difficulty talking about things.))

((lore... that is probably very weird but it's lore!))

[vieramars]

Bc the post I just reblogged gave me ideas here's a bunch of silly tmagp headcanons about what kind of pet owners they'd be

Sam - he's allergic to cats, and he used to be terrified of dogs. When he dated Alice she had a dog, and he pretended to be comfortable around the dog until it became genuine. He's still uncomfortable around most dogs but if he gets to know them he really likes them. I don't think he'd own a dog though. I think if anything he'd have a bird (maybe a canary hehe). He got the bird before he was really ready or understood its needs but then dove headfirst into research and now he knows enough about owning birds to teach a class. Also he got really into birdwatching and bird ID as a side effect.

Alice - she's a cats and dogs person, can't have one without the other. And she's actually responsible about it and socializes her pets together well. I think she'd also really like bug pets like tarantulas and mantises. She's a bit of an amateur bug keeper but she's doing her best. She did once accidentally have a mantis last eggs and then her entire apartment became the Mantis Domain for a few weeks.

Gwen - probably wasn't allowed to have pets as a kid and internalized that way too hard. She thinks having an animal in your house is "dirty." She is definitely befriending the stray cats around the area of the OIAR (she will deny these accusations to the grave). She doesn't try to, but they keep coming up to her so how can she refuse to give them scritches? I also think she's incurably scared of dogs. And she's absolutely a horse girl deep down. And, tragically, I'll hc that she really wanted a pet fox when she was a kid (until, you know...)

Colin - as we know, he's the world's best fish dad. I think it's fish and only fish for him, though maybe some other aquatic creatures. I feel like he thinks he's too much of a mess to have a pet that requires space. His fish were a therapy recommendation that he got really invested in and, like Sam, he did tons of research to figure out which fish were right for him and how to take care of them. If he wasn't busy fighting for his fucking life he'd probably have multiple fishtanks so he could keep different kinds of fish that don't mix so well.

Lena - I feel like she does not vibe with traditional pets at all but she really vibes with fish and reptiles. She doesn't want pets that require an emotional connection. She read that one post about how reptiles may not feel love in the way human society values but they can have a bond of trust and she felt personally called out. I'm torn on whether she actually owns any pets; I feel like she's both too busy and too afraid of failure to actually take the life of any animal into her own hands. She's been "waiting until she has the time" since she was 20. She knows or knew people with reptiles and would go over to their places just to chill with the creatures. Somewhere on her computer are a bunch of old pictures of her holding various snakes and lizards and they're the few pictures where she's smiling. If she survives the series relatively unscathed (by which I mean alive to a certain extent and able to carry on) someone please get her a snake.

Teddy - seems like a dog person. Probably has a very chill old dog who's well taken care of. The kind of dog everyone loves when they visit cause he just walks up to you, plomps down, and waits patiently for pets. Teddy's worried about being able to take care of him if he can't find a job soon.

Celia - I don't think she'd have a pet, since she seems to not want to form too many attachments to this world. With how much stress the dilemma of Jack is for her, a pet would just complicate things further. If she were able to though, I think she'd be a cat person. Also I love cat person + bird person dynamics so it feels fitting.

Bonus headcanon Klaus was one of Lena's reptile owning friends who owned an iguana. He took the iguana with him in the friendship divorce.

[what-the-fic-khr]

Hello I hope this ask finds you well! Happy to see the tea prompts again bc they’re so so so cute 🫖🥹

I have a fewww ideas.. bc I just love everything about your writing and I’m curious about your take on rooibos tea w/ Squalo orrr earl grey w/ Hibari (I absolutely adore the way you characterize himshdnshdjdh)

If neither of those suit your fancy, matcha tea with any character that comes to mind for ya? I’m excited to see your posts floating around again and know I’ll continue to love anything you pen for us🫧🤍

waaaaah thank you so much for your kind words, I appreciate it so greatly!!! I chose to do both because I’m in the mood to, and I’m so thankful for the support! I hope these are to your liking!

character/s: superbi squalo, hibari kyoya, reader-insert (gender-neutral)

word count: —

warnings: huh. nothing for once

prompt: tea prompts (rooibos tea, earl grey tea)

rooibos tea; what’s their favourite thing to do with their s/o?

Squalo’s either a huge fan of resting or hates it entirely. for the sake of this, it’s not resting per se, but… he likes to relax with you, very specifically. even if he’s working; being able to actually relax is rare, and nice. watch for if he removes his sword with you around; he likes to do maintenance on it with you around because it’s not stressful, not work, and with you. it’s a sign of comfort and vulnerability

You were complaining about something, rolling around on the floor beside him as you went on and on. He didn’t care much about all the movement; you maintained a good distance so you wouldn’t knock into him.

“Besides, it was stupid to begin with and if they’d listened to me in the first place it wouldn’t have happened at all!”

“Mhm.”

You glanced over at Squalo, stretching your arms out to rest your head on. He glanced up at your silence, and his shoulders slumped. This didn’t stop him from polishing his blade, the action repetitive, calming, like habit.

“What?”

He huffed when you smiled in that silly, dreamy way you did when you were enamoured with something. It still had to take some getting used to, seeing it directed at him.

“Nothin’. You look so nice and relaxed for once. Boss is gonna kick that out a window once you’re done.”

He grumbled something under his breath at this. It wouldn’t last very long, but still. He felt relaxed, for once. The soothing motions of sharpening and polishing his sword was a comfort to him. You rolling around on the floor like a kid was a comfort to him.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere for at least another half hour.” Your eyes started to light up at this, and he almost laughed at the way you started kicking your feet back and forth in the air. “You’re stuck with me until then.”

“Favourite thing to be stuck with.”

early grey tea; how did they court their s/o?

if he’s an adult, he’d be… a bit more normal lol. I think he’d be very careful while getting to know you, but he’d like to show you how strong and reliable he is. y’know, adult in the mafia kind of stuff. younger though, he’d be a lot more… of a loser about it. he’d want to make sure you can also look after yourself in the future with him! so he’d stick to you like glue at school, be suuuuper annoying and stuff. fight, probably.

“Can’t you go easy on me or something at least?!”

“Doing that won’t keep you alive in a real fight, will it?”

You made a loud noise of complaint, but you still got back onto your feet to return to your original position. Kyoya gripped his tonfa a little tighter, nodding to himself.

If you could not even get up and keep training, there would be no point in trying.

There was potential in you he knew was there, and he’d be damned if the one he’d grown attached to would get killed because you didn’t try to get stronger. It only made sense to him that the one who put you through this was him and no one else. No one else would take it seriously.

“Get ready, then.”

You whined, but steeled your shoulders. Your gaze on him sharpened, eyes narrowing, and he felt his lips twitch up into a smirk.

Exactly the spark he wanted to see.

[dirtbra1n]

AA4 SPOILERS/////

that quote you called krisnix is soooo fascinating to me bc, they really had dinner together most days, like that’s a level of commitment we didn’t even see from most of the ppl who phoenix considered important and that whole time on kristoph’s end it was to keep an eye on Phoenix and on phoenix’s end it curiosity bc kristoph voted against him losing his badge and also it was to find out the reason why he lost his badge and kristoph was just this name that kept popping up, and for Phoenix and kristoph it was so many red flags bc kristoph knew phoenix wasn’t the type to let something rest and Phoenix knew there was more to kristoph then at first glance but somewhere along the way it become genuine, but at the same time kristoph still kills shadi after a single convo with phoenix and phoenix still pressed record before even asking kristoph to be his lawyer, it’s Phoenix recording every single one of those convos with kristoph but still (probably) having him meet truck, but it’s kristoph keeping himself at arms length from Phoenix but Phoenix taking it bc he’s never been the type to give up on a person, whether it’s to their doom or his and for better or worse he wouldn’t want anyone else to really see him the way he currently is besides kristoph, now what the hell could that possibly mean?

(that quote I called krisnix)

anon you will never know the extent of the joy I felt seeing this initially and the extent of it I still feel now. but I’d like you to. Thank You For Biting. and for waiting a little over a month Sorry about that. I'm gonna ask you to forgive me if this doesn't make any sense or hold up to scrutiny. the demons have got hold of me and I'm making do

because I get to talk more about krisnix. Ha ha. pulled out all my silly little suppositions to review again I think I was waiting for an opportunity like this. like my hubris is getting me. I recklessly called that quote krisnix and now a little over a month later I'm completely sick about it.

I'm going to reiterate that I'm very sorry if this reads like shit, and I'll apologize just this once that this post got as long as it did. go fish

you ever think about how kristoph's a dog guy. guy who has a dog, guy who brought a photo of his dog into solitary confinement with him. also a caged blue bird which alive or not happened to contribute significantly to the krisnix breakdown of dec. 2023 There are really some very bright minds in krisnix pit. me and you included anon. that's a tangent. I'm sick. I'm drafting this in a terribly disorganized fashion. I'm reading transcripts. I'm getting dizzy.

this fucking room haunts me

vongole, though

a man's best friend, who's known to bite if handled roughly. her name means clams.

I've been doing some web surfing. I can't move in one straight line to save my life so I've been doing some web surfing. kristoph doesn't say what kind of retriever vongole is, which is fine. retrievers are dogs bred to retrieve game, tasked not to break skin, to be gentle, to keep soft mouths. vongole is a retriever who bites (literal) when bitten (metaphorical); a clam that clasps shut.

kristoph's a dog guy and sometimes he's the metaphorical dog. not One straight line to save my life. it's funny that seven years have passed without phoenix meeting vongole. held at arms length but indisputably held. a man's closest friend. besides his dog.

a lot of the time phoenix is the metaphorical dog. putting all tangents aside A lot of the time. phoenix is that metaphorical dog. what is seven years of companionship, eating dinner after dinner together, and being seen at your worst... worth? indulge me: this guy, you pieced together pretty quick, was behind the forged evidence that lost you your badge. this guy, as you saw happen in real time, was the one person on that committee to vote against that "strictest punishment".

this guy, as an indisputable fact, is a big fucking weirdo. you'll need to snare him eventually, for the forged evidence, but--you're kind of in the habit of liking weirdos. is the thing. he sunk your career, he lost you your badge. he's kind of an asshole, also.

he has bought you and trucy dinner more times than you could ever hope to count. there's a curve in your sofa from all the times he's sat in the same spot, wrinkling his nose at greasy takeout boxes and your grape juice breath. he talks to trucy in a voice slightly less haughty--warm, if a gun was held to your head about it--than the one he plays up with you, and she completely eats it up; thinks he's real fun to tease. his eyebrows wrinkle, an almost nothing frown, when she puts on a show with a trick that he can't immediately come to some conclusion about. he'll put on obnoxious rubber gloves to wash your dishes, to protect his manicured nails, as he goes down a dozen rabbit holes trying to reason out what he's missing. you've seen him doing casework. he's seen you delirious and half out of your mind. his mouth, in your experience, is soft.

you're kind of in the habit of liking assholes, too.

neither of these guys can be vulnerable for shit. over the course of seven years, they've seen each other as close to vulnerable as they can get, which isn't very, because this span of time especially--phoenix stubbornly keeping a little girl's head above the water, kristoph, for reasons we will never, ever understand, constantly looking over his shoulder--really doesn't see either of them in a place to get through any skin-flaying conversations about what they want with or from one another.

kristoph really does want control, though. he wants to be in control of things, have a handle on things. and he probably figured out something like immediately that phoenix wright really isn't the sort of guy you go to for that kind of thing. and yet! sunk cost fallacy's a bitch, kristoph! what good does a beautiful bluebird do you if you don't keep it with you on display heavy-handed. I know. don't I know it.

gonna rein myself in a little. because I'm off the deep end and you're posing really interesting ideas. kristoph couldn't rest for seven years because "shadi smith" was unaccounted for, out there somewhere. kristoph couldn't rest for seven years because he was scared for his life. "shadi smith" played a game of poker against the best and got whacked. and then murdered! tough luck!

really it's my curse. that so much of krisnix is personalized person to person, because of real aa5 shaped smoke and mirrors. because it gives me the space, the soapbox, the platform, microphone, and spotlight, to ask, In that trial, of the murder of Shadi Smith, where Kristoph Gavin was supposed to defend Phoenix Wright, what verdict was he looking to see through?

because I'm sick, you see. kristoph had just, finally, gotten rid of the man he spent so long being scared of, just clawed his way to the path out of the woods, and all he had to do was--

Have you ever stood at a crossroad. the decision laid out in front of you's not actually that tough, if you can believe it. even space for you to completely rationalize any attachments away: you get phoenix wright off (haha), you keep your reputation as the best defense in the west (opinions on the name notwithstanding), and you could, as a possibility to consider on occasion, maybe even learn how to have a slightly more-vulnerable-than-usual conversation.

or you could lose.

pretty simple choice to make, right?

and then phoenix goes and fucks it up, of course. dogs get restless with nothing to do. they want to be of use to you, kristoph, did you ever think to fucking ask phoenix for help? you come when called, you let yourself be persuaded, generously, to help keep food on the table. to keep a warm body company, one way or the other. to be some fucked up psychosexual approximation of a friend. but phoenix comes running when called, too, and you haven't once given him the chance.

big fucking stink you're in, kristoph! You didn't just brain a guy with a juice bottle for no reason. Tell me why you did it.

the big question you won't answer. five black psyche locks pulsing with a despair you don't have the tools to register. you said it already: I killed a man named "Smith" with a bottle because I am an evil human being.

what does phoenix hope to get out of this. motive for a murder, then what?

you really get me anon. phoenix never the kind of guy to give up on somebody he loves, up against someone who's finished with even arms length, stubborn as all get-out, and, even to himself, completely unsalvageable. irredeemable. an evil human being who killed a man named "smith" with a bottle.

it's not that phoenix would help kristoph hide a body. he pretty evidently did not do that. and it's not that phoenix would just forgive kristoph for trying to poison a twelve year old girl either. but there were seven full years between the disappearance of zak gramarye and the murder of "shadi smith", and vera misham hadn't been poisoned yet, and phoenix wright is an awfully loyal, terribly stubborn man himself.

I don't really know what the hell the lot of this means to tell you the truth. but I think now as much as ever that phoenix should chase kristoph's chance at life to the death, and I think that regardless of the stopping point on the line of time kristoph's last words to phoenix should be ...Later, then.

[sanchoyo]

Hello there friend...I'm silly tired and it's the middle of the night so this might not be coherent but I saw ur tags on that religion vs non post. Just wanted to say I know where ur coming from. I'm sorry that happened to u, that was a terribly presumptuous and unhelpful thing for them to do. I went thru something similar when my cat died, just to a lesser extent. I was told, in a well meaning comforting way, that she wouldn't suffer anymore, and my bitter grief stricken response was "she doesn't EXIST anymore. She's gone forever" bc I don't believe in the afterlife either.

OHHH sending u love for this <33 I was half awake and mad abt it but honestly its been like 2 months and im Fine with it now. (well maybe not FINE. still angry but it doesn't feel RAW anymore, like I can talk about it now) what's kind of funny is, I normally do like to talk about religion and the subject of an afterlife! it's something me and my sister have talked about a lot (not entirely sure what label she'd use now, but she used to be really into witchy stuff, so spiritual/religious topics would be fun to discuss between us, I am still spiritual in...weird ways...) it's just. there's a time and a place!! when he is dying and I am grieving is NOT the time or place!!!

It's so annoying when people around here assume I MUST be some flavor of christian because we're in the bible belt. like it doesn't even occur to them that I might not be. I have had people talk to me at previous jobs about how much jesus loves me and how he'll make things go well for me, and during those times I just kind of smiled and nodded along (I have to assume they want to tell me, specifically, these things because they see the Blue Hair and Pronouns vibes and feel...compelled...?? which like. lol???) like my mom took me being gay super well, much better than me telling her I wasn't a christian!! she CRIED over that!! and that didn't bother me so much because it's about me, right? and I don't care what happens to me after I die. it comes up a lot, where I am. people are fanatic about it, so I'm used to it.

but when it was about my precious dog, that really got me...the way those vets handled it was the only time I've been actively so annoyed and upset by it. the fact his pawprint came embedded in a little booklet thing that had a whole long ramble about how he's so happy and waiting for me to arrive REALLY upset me.

I totally get how 'she won't suffer anymore' could have set off the same thing, ugh, my heart goes out to you for that. funnily enough that was the only little phrase that DID bring me comfort. because my boy was suffering a lot his last few weeks, and not existing...put a stop to that pain. but it also put a stop to everything good, right? which sucks. like obviously I would have preferred him being ALIVE and not suffering, but that wasn't possible, so...that felt better than 'you'll see him again in heaven/he'll get to see jesus/rainbow road' stuff, in a way, for me. I just..knew it was his time and it would have been irresponsible and selfish for me to let him go slow and painfully.

it's just like...different things help different people. maybe the idea that dogs go to heaven helped the vets, as many animals as they likely put down, it makes it easier for them, I assume. and I'm glad if they had something like that to comfort them. I'm kind of jealous of it, honestly. I honestly want to give them a bit of grace for it, they were otherwise very kind and handled things well...

But they weren't the ones losing a best friend so they shouldn't have said it out loud. They can comfort themselves with that in their minds and keep things non-religious with clients. a very bitter and still-angry part of me wants to write the owner of that place a letter chewing them out for it. I won't but-- the idea of it makes me feel a little better lol. mentally being a karen and having a big dramatic fit in my brain only is very cathartic.

(I'm also open to the idea of reincarnation in some way, and I DO hope I can meet him again, somehow...it's just really really hard for me to imagine a christian 'heaven' scenario, lmao) I've been lucky enough to see him again in my dreams though, (those do still make me cry when I wake up and realize it wasn't real aaa ;_; ) and i'm lucky to have a lot of pictures and videos of him, as long as I'm alive he'll be alive in a sense, in my memories, and that's a lot of comfort. I can still speak fondly of him and see him in those ways, even if I'll never be able to really be with him again, never hold him again or play with him again. and I got 15 years with him, which I try to be grateful for. I tried my best to give him the best life I could. And I'll always have so many fond memories and so much love for him, and I'm sure the same goes for your kitty. <3

silly boy in his silly little hut ☝

[yuukei-yikes]

shintaro and kanos toxic relationship can be something so deeply appealing because of how horrible they are for each other. like. kano having to analyze his actual emotions towards shintaro and shintaro also finally giving in to the im bisexual crisis and also dude youre aware thats your dead girlfriend’s little brother right? also something something kano getting upset with shintaro and using his eye powers to turn into ayano just to hurt him. theyre unhealthy. they make me absolutely insane ok sorry if this was unintelligible in ur inbox lmao

RIGHT but ALSO IT COULD EVENTUALLY TURN INTO SOMETHING HEALTHY... like ofc a lot of clownery has to go on before and that clownery is so so so so so so much fun to explore. but i do think they're capable of getting to a point of a peaceful relationship despite it involves mutual compliance/resignation with both each other and themselves that leads to WOW eventual happiness and contentment with each other. it gets to a point where they aren't together out of their own gratification but bc they LIKE EACH OTHER AS PEOPLE AND YEAH THEY ALWAYS DID BUT THEY NEVER LIKED EACH OTHER MORE THAN THEY RESENTED EACH OTHER BUT NOW THEY DONT RESENT IT THEY JUST LIKE EACH OTHER AND THATS ENOUGH(holds head) bc "well i guess we deserve each other" and it is still sad but...not so much?? idk if that makes sense. but like... Healthy peaceful kanoshin (explodes) like they're arguing and getting all on each other's faces and the Dan's like can u stop fighting and theyre like ?? that's just how we talk though we arent fighting? and they rly arent. ppl who have never been in a loving relationship (not necessarily romantic by the way) with this dynamic wont understand but it IS possible. *shakes you*

idk ive read some stuff where they're so tooth rottingly sweet to each other and i just can't see it💔 i think they can have rare tender moments ofc and they DO but then both act super awkward despite they're in a relationship LOL like they can have 1 tender moment then turn around and just sit there holding hands and awkwardly scrolling on their phones idk idk idk (goes crazy) or they just tease each other abt it or whatever. i think they both rather show affection physically rather than verbally?? i think kanos super touchy. shintaros like do u have to sit here (shot of the completely empty couch aside from shintaro sitting on the edge and kano pressed right beside him) and kano's like wdym. kano's always with an arm around him even if hes shorter. hehe. its so normal shintaro gets used to it so kano just casually throws himself on his lap and shintaro's just like lifting his arms to give him space and never looks away from his phone *destroys all my pillows shaking them like a dog*

not me getting into love language territory. sorry. whatever. idk what all of them even are i think there is 5 but kanoshin is NOT words of affirmation. i think both want them but can't handle hearing it. like yeah they flirt (it IS cringe) but man idk i just cant imagine them being super outwardly sweet to each other... like their flirting is super cringe its the oh REAAAALLY?? kind of flirting not HEHE... kind. DO U UNDERSTAND WHAT IM SAYING OR AM I INSANE

sorry u sent an ask abt toxic kanoshin and i answered with fluff THATS NOT TO SAY UR WRONG. UR TOTALLY RIGHT. BUT I THINK THEY CAN GET TO A GOOD POINT TOGETHER AFTER A LONG CIRCUS MOMENT i just felt bad i kept using them as punching bags everytime i talked abt them... and they are both so capable of love. they are so capable of love that is why they suffer like they do(holds head) they deserve to flirt and be silly i think. tender kanoshin *world explosion*

BTW u mentioned dead ayano. dont get me started on dead or alive ayano for str thats another subject (quickly: dead ayano is a more meaningful end but AYANO I LOVE YOU so i always keep her alive in my post str stuff) kanoshin can work even if ayano lives‼️‼️‼️ ALSO COME ON THAT MAKES IT SO MUCH FUNNIER

[catsaurofmagiccomedy]

I got a little to silly last night and wrote a veritable essay underneath this post here, I decided to make it its own post,, everyone give it up for this little guy about how the Fears from tma would interact with our punching bag of a little guy Arthur Malevolent:

First: Dual avatar of the hunt & stranger.

hunt: He's always chasing something. Whenever he's up and awake he's moving towards something and when he finishes? He INMIDEATELY starts chasing something else he's could be defined like the hunt ritual: “The Everchase” never stopping, always something else to get to.

stranger: He's so uncanny. He's always talking to himself, he always looks at you slightly off, every person that encounters him casually ends up seeing something strange about him! All of those chats w John while in cabs? You can bet the drivers were creeped right the fuck off about him! And that definetly feeds the stranger.

Second: The eye and the web “are fond” of him.

web: He's so good at manipulating people! If he wasn't so insistent on pursing people & goals like he does, he definetly would've been snatched as a web avatar! (Similar to what happened to martin) I don't think he could voluntarily be an avatar of it simply bc he would refuse to be puppettered by the mother and all of her avatars are, he prefers to resolve his problems by chasing & violence (sidenote: not a slaughter avatar bc his violence is NOT sudden and spontaneous nor is it unmotivated or unpredictable)

eye: I mean? Our boy is SET on adquiring some knowledge even if it could potentially or definetly hurt him or even those around him! What's more eye than that? (that was literally what led Jon to fully become The Archivist, if Arthur's eyes were still his own he would've been an eye avatar for sure)

Third: Victim of the dark, the desolation, obvs touched by the spiral & the end, maybe the buried, the corruption, the slaughter and the flesh

dark: He does no longer have his eyes, all he can see is darkness and he hates it! It would be so easy for him to get fed to the dark, especially bc he KNOWS there are monsters that go bump in the dark and people out to get him his fears are not a “maybe” they are a “when”.

desolation: my man has been taking L after L, I mean He keeps having one devastating loss after another (this is before even getting fully into canon, pre-canon + part 1), he barely has the time to get all of his pieces and glue them back together before another tragedy or accident decks him in the face (his parents, then bella, then faroe, then parker), his life is loss and recovering from it, only to get pushed back into it the second he is even remotely back up and his persons lead me to:

corruption: His relationships man, they are a lil messed up! He could so so easily get consumed by what loves him and tells him he's a home. His parents can't love him anymore, they're dead. Bella never loved him, he never loved her they only married bc she was pregnant! He loved Faroe so so much, but he lost her because of his own actions. And Parker got him out of the (metaphorical) pit he was in, he clung to him as a life boat & he was still alive bc of Parker and Parker alone at that point. He's also dead. Now he has John; they bicker and they tear eachother apart, they hurt the other so deeply but they cant separate because the alternative is so much worse (even if John got a body they would still be so codependent of each other; their souls are interwined after all). You could argue he's already a home for what loves him. After all isn't he a home for John?

buried: man has been thru: 1) a loveless marriage; 2) the pit (non-metaphorical) (Probably also financial problems lbr, he was a compositor, i don't think they payed him much for his services, but I don't know shit abt it so mountain of salt on this one). I would not be surprised if all of his life he felt trapped in some way or another.

slaughter: I believe that after every gory and bloody thing he has gone through he has gained a mark by percistence, also his deal with Kayne would deninetly leave him a mark if he didn't have one up until that point (bc Kayne is without a doubt an agent of the slaughter, idk if an avatar or a manifestation distortion style but that mf is Slaughter through and through), he definely feeds the slaughter with his fear, at this point he expects violence at every turning point.

flesh: man. So, the cannibalism, huh? The losing parts of himself, eh? Maybe the second one is a lil bit flimsy but by god the cannibalism, at what point did he started seeing Mr. Faust as meat, do you think before or after killing him? I mean, we know he was starving, would it really take much to believe that he had already decided on eating him while he was still alive? Also, man, his body has gotten so fucked up, I don't really have a point with this last part just, he's really been thru the grinder.

spiral: He's been thru the horrors, he has had two different pieces of a god of madness inside him and is currently using one of them as his concience and better half, I don't believe much explanation is required here.

end: Our pathetic little guy has been dead! That is enough for a Terminus mark but he has gone to great efforts for his mark to be constantly renewed! He has: Died fr (And got brought back)! Almost died, resulting in a coma! He gets on a good streak of not getting to the "by the skin of his teeth" side of surviving during the dreamlands arc, surprisingly (he was in peril but not on the "How tf are you still alive" scale), until the near end, where he: almost died by cutting his throat as a last resort to try and save John! And then he almost died again! He was saved tho! So I feel confident on him being touched by the end, he is however not an avatar as avatars of terminus have accepted their eventual deaths and are significantly less proactive than Arthur, they much rather wait, after all It Comes For All!

So John, eh? Might as well. Some bonuses:

Fourth: Dual avatar of the eye and the spiral.

eye: He's Arthur's eyes! He's not only doomed by the narrative and an unreliable narrator, he's the narrative itself! We know what he tells us, he feeds us and Arthur their surroundings, he is the one that manages the knowledge, we don't know things he chooses not to tell us (be it out of hidding them or out of thinking them irrelevant, the result at the end is similar enough)! John is fundamentally entretwained with knowledge, the concept of eyes and he definetly sees and has to describe horrible things he would much rather prefer not to. Also him seeing the death when he touches a corpse? Absolutely goes in the "avatar of the beholding" evidence pile, additionally Arthur is quite lacking privacy due to John's precence! That is in fact another mark for the tally!

spiral: Bby boy is a fragment of a god of madness! That alone would qualifies him! But he is also responsible for Arthur's perception of reality, that is a big, big spiral thing! To be the lens through which a person perceives things is kind of a thing for this Fear, as are eldrich incomprehensible entities (like he is) and his behavior at the very beginning (manipulating Arthur by pretending to be his friend and having his best interests in mind [you may think that this is a web thing, it is in fact a certified spiral avatar behavior as demostrated by Helen Distortion on the 5th season!]).

Fifth: Victim of the dark and the web, touched by the slaughter and just a tinsy little bit by both the desolation and the lonely.

dark: His time on the dark world has fucked him up, Big time! Our boy would love night lights! He is always afraid of going back there and thus is afraid of the dark in general, Arthur's coma was awful for him! You better believe he is always giving th dark fear snacks!

web: He barely has bodily autonomy, his decitions and opinions can be at any moment be ignored with minimal consecuences if Arthur so decided, he has no choice but go along with whatever Arthur ultimatly decides (while this may also sound like the buried, it is my belief that: No, Thanks! Okay for real now I feel like the buried is less about choices than the web is, in the buried you do not get the courtesy of your choices being ignored you are never, from the start, allowed to even make one, because the situation you are in is one out of your control, meanwhile in the web your choices are taken into account and ignored, used to further harm you or used to subtely guide you towards the desired outcome), John is, in this, very similar to how the kids on Hilltop Road were, he has to go through the motions of whatever that which is guiding him wants, unable to truly affect things past a certain point.

slaughter: Dear Johny boy has this mak for all the same reasons that Arthur does, plus all the pre-Arthur atrocities he has assured us he commited!

desolation+lonely combo wombo: So, what do you think happens when you are an entity that only one person hears in their head when you lose that person? You are now a meal combo for the one alone and the torturing flame to share, of course! With no one with whom to share your hurt with you are alone, you devastatingly have lost the only person you have. You are alone and desolate. So I think it's not a strech to understand why the month of the coma was shit for John, now, imagine if it happened now!

Resume time!

Arthur is an avatar of the hunt & the stranger, he is favored by the web & the eye. He is a victim for the dark & the desolation and has been marked by: the corruption, the buried, the flesh, the slaughter, the spiral & the end. He has a [12/14] and could be starting the next successful Everchase or Unknowing if he gets marked by: the lonely & the vast! (That's worring especially given that the lonely one is just a disappeared or amnesiac John away and the vast one is just a matter of time given the eldrich monstrosities).

John in an avatar of the eye & the spiral, a victim for the dark & the web and has been marked by: the slaughter & the devastation + the lonely combo. He has just half with a [7/14] and could start the next successful Watcher's Crown or Great Twisting if he gets marked by: the buried, the corruption, the end, the flesh, the hunt, the stranger & the vast! (This situation can be neglected! He is not going to get all of them exceedingly quickly, nothing to worry right now as there is nothing out of the ordinary for someone in his situation! [surrounded by the horrors while having once been part of a horror yourself]).

[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

Highlights of Mike's latest letter to me

For those who are new and don't know who Mike Rogers is *cracks knuckles*:

he was Phil's guitar tech/roadie through the making of Pyromania, through most of the making of Hysteria

He lived with the guys and was friends with them for years

he is basically the Forrest Gump of Def Leppard (as in he was there for all these huge events yet no one seems to know)

He also wrote a book called Fabulist Icons and you can search on my blog for all things Mike-related

he also has a Fabulsit Icons facebook page where he posts articles and never before seen photos and stories of DL

Mike and I have been pen pals for the past 2 years because I sent him a letter after reading his book (@ballistic-lipstick-dream-machine got tangled up in this too)

he's basically our rock and roll grandpa

Mike's also been in a few TV specials for Leppard on REELZ channel if you can find those anywhere

when I talked to Rick in April, we briefly talked about Mike, and Rick wanted me to get Mike's address to him because they'd been separated for decades and Rick never knew how to get a hold of him (necessary to understand some things in this post)

ANYWAY- obviously I'm not gonna post the whole thing bc that's between me and him, but I do want you guys to hear some of this bc I love him:

it's obvious his favorite song from DSH is Liquid Dust bc he quoted it in the first paragraph

also he wrote nearly 4 FULL PAGES

Mike writes in such a romantic and poetic way, like he said "your letter resting upon a William 1V wine table." *chefs kiss*

him talking about the Hershey show and saying "did you go to a Hershey bar for refreshments? Yes, I can be that silly."

him asking me if I will study photography and me having a crisis about it internally

Shakespeare quotes

he loved the story of Rick noticing me and Rachel in the crowd at Hershey

"I am quite sure Rick recognized you." I literally threw the letter and SCREAMED

"He and the rest of operation Def 'do' look into audiences at every show- if something strikes a note, it will be remembered."

he said he hasn't heard from Rick yet :( not surprised but a lil sad

Mike saying when he went to Dublin during covid to do the interviews for Reelz he "near had a mental breakdown" bc he felt unprofessional and so out of touch

"Your comments about our Def Leppard connections has touched me in a way, er, taken me by surprise. I was not expecting a surge of emotion such as I experienced through your letter." catch me crying ;O;

I keep forgetting Mike was a guitar tech for Pink Floyd's The Wall

him talking about how he used to live at his sister's house and would arrive "at all hours, sit in her kitchenette, have a joint and then bed down on the fleecy sitting room rugs."

him saying "I just plunged in headlong, loved Phil,"

him saying he would "meet the intimate families of the band when hopping back and forth in Sheffield during rehearsals"

him saying "Can I have a little break and make a cuppa tea?" and then putting a big paragraph break

him proceeding to talk about Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead for the next 2 paragraphs

him saying he's never listened to Slang or anything else post-Hysteria apart from DSH

him thinking that Sav is "making a much greater contribution to what is going forth than many realize"

"his influence on much of the current material has added the spice that captain Clark used to deliver to a song"

"Sav's creativity is all over this material. Not just as a player, but as a writer"

"The last time Sav and I exchanged emails was when he gave the green light, so to speak, on my 'Icons' project. He quipped on one occasion, 'I would write more but I am trying to find an augmented fifth for a song in the works'. Not your usual heavy rock musician banter."

(insert mini critique of DSH being awesome here)

(insert Mike being contacted by what became of his old record label to see if he was still alive here)

Mike wanting to send me this interview with his old label

"What must you think of me? You started this, Ma'am, with your letter and all this 'stuff' came barreling along, unstoppable."

"I loved your letter and I attach evidence that 'I' kept your last Christmas card on top of my copier" (on the back of the last sheet there is a photocopy of my Snowman Joe christmas card design that I sent him last year)

"I hope this epistle lightens your day Rachel" yes yes it did ;-; <3

Mike saying he was contacted by the editor of Definitely because he has the only known image of Rick and Jeff Rich (Status Quo drummer who was Rick's support drummer for his first live shows after his accident) at the Limerick Savoy in 1986 during the 'Live Rehearsal dates'

him saying I write really well and have "good words in good style" and "I like it a lot!"

"very best wishes, as ever, Mike"

[akashiayakashi]

Idk if it's too soon to write down all my thoughts because I don't know how much I've processed about this game but I prefer going right at it anyway hahahaha

Okay. so.

I think expectations worked well in favor of the sequel than when I played the first game.

When I went into aitsf, I think I was expecting more than one mystery, not that kinda crass humour, more gameplay. basically smth like ace attorney or danganronpa. i guess i was initially disappointed bc i didnt like 999 or just the zero escape trilogy in general. I honestly thought it was gonna be an L for me until I finally actually got my first ending and went through the other routes.

The strength of ai is in its mystery and how it fools the player and the detective through the limited point of view. Not pun intended since you know, they only see through one eye technically, but there were a lot of hints pointing to obvious truths that are so easy to dismiss until the truth is revealed.

My mind was like WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING a lot of the time but in a good way.

I think a big reason I didn't like 999 was that I just felt so unconvinced by the conclusion and that the development didn't feel enough whereas in ai it does a good job of linking everything together in a way that doesn't feel like a cop-out. I mean 999 gave foreshadowing but the sci-fi elements didn't feel very REAL until the end, it was more of ok fun theory i guess and then suddenly SCI FI HEAVY ENDING. Ai is more like hi we're technologically advanced and we're very silly so there's a lot of space for your suspension of disbelief.

well i'm sure that's a personal thing a lot of others would disagree with but for me that's a core reason why i did like ai.

i also thought that the dynamics in ai in general were just a lot stronger and better formed (but this is not a 999 hate post i swear so i will get on with it).

ANYWAY.

since i could curb those expectations with aini and sorta knew what i was getting into going in, i could enjoy it a lot more from beginning to end. i could just get lost in the BIG mystery and not worry about the what ifs and just think of all the alt routes as ultimately serving the true ending.

also omg i didnt love the ui in ai because i didnt know you had to keep interacting until you had to stop interacting, which just didnt seem obvious to me because huh the convo is done right why are we not moving on but no the convo was not done. i knew that going in now so i didnt feel as annoyed hahaha

aini is a lot more structured and well it's by design by the time you find out how fucked the timelines are. to be honest it's still hard to wrap my mind around it.

needless to say i was losing it when we were in that one bibi part where im like WE ARE MIZUKI BUT THIS IS CLEARLY 6 YEARS AGO WTF IS HAPPENING LOOK DATE IS RIGHT THERE ALSO WHY ARE THE SPRITES LIKE THAT

The last somnium with Amame was sooooo good like it uses her previous lightning round quiz show questions where it just seemed like kinda random questions to actually show all the choices Amame had to make in the end. It's even more impressive once you realize OH SHIT THIS WAS JUST A FEW DAYS AGO NOT 6 YEARS AGO like what you initially thought.

Though her story is so tragic...

Tbh it is pretty funny how it became a shounen final boss battle in the last part. It's very silly but I think it's fitting for protags like Mizuki and Mizuki...idk how to explain but they have the protag energy. Date was more low-key so him having that kinda ending where he had to let go of Aiba instead was a lot more fitting.

IDK THE POINT OF MAKING US THINK RYUKI DIED WHY DID THEY DO THAT. I was like: ok this was a good end but ryuki died so maybe i will opt for the alternate route thing i've been hearing about bc ryuki is alive. well i know the point of it, it's just a suspense thing they wanted to do but it wasn't really as dramatic as aiba's self-destruction which was the climax of that end scene.

I wanna hate that they claim that Date is just wearing a mask the whole time. I mean I GET IT IT'S FOR NO SPOILERS and like the story is not about Date but like we went through so much in the first game and we get this very convenient explanation....it's not a focal point but I thought it would be a big deal and it wasn't jxfvbjd

The secret not so secret ending was so meta hahaha. It sorta proves the ideology naix and shigure had but this was also only possible because it's a game. So it makes you think these people obviously don't think of themselves as game characters so how about you? Are you living in the real world or the simulation? I don't believe in those sorta conspiracy theories but I like how it just tied it all together.

I didn't do the joke end of atami(?) but the mere existence of it is funny lmao.

oh right the cast

i love ryuki but i think the boy has gone through some shit and needs a hug... i dont really ship him with tama but i guess the main difference between him and the aiba partnerships is that tama seems to not take ryuki seriously and to be doing her own thing at first glance but she is actually very indulgent of him and lets him do what he wants. she is also fiercely protective which is why ryuki couldnt share any of his burdens during the past 6 years.

i understand bibi hating him but im sorry i'm a ryuki apologist bibi

omg i was so excited to see adult shoma and then i went WHY DOES HE LOOK THE SAME but wow that was actually a plot point dfvdfvd i like his lil crush on mizuki but i dont see mizuki reciprocating any time soon...she just seems uninterested in romance HAHAHA

i feel like gen existed just for amame so he feels more like an extension of amame that existed to help her than his own character which is partly why im just kinda hmmm on him. sad he died in that one ending...which kinda sucks because everyone else had happy stuff in their endings in contrast. i guess it didn't pull my heart strings enough bc we dunno how amame and gen even became friends and everything so it feels like we're seeing this strong love but without the background of how it came to be.

in contrast we saw from the start how the lien and kizuna thing developed. i dont really ship them but i think how they turned out was sweet. i was initially very meh with the idea that lien just doesnt know how to take a no but well ig the story at least showed us he wasnt creepy like uh ota or moma so he gets an upgrade in my book as 'you're ok'

the shoma & komeji ending was the first i got and it was really sweet and it makes the reality of the true timeline sadder because the last thing komeji hears either of his children say to him before he gets sliced is that they're disappointed in him

but they actually loved him very much

which is to say the secret ending...ryuki gets the burden of knowledge even though everything is 'happier' but idk how it would do him good to just live in this perfect world we chose for him instead. we saved him going thru the bad 6 years but he has the knowledge that they existed in the first place. anyway some real fun meta shit they did.

the ryuki obsession with date wasn't enough methinks. i just dont feel convinced, it just seems like he feels guilty because he knows what he did which fair enough sure but everybody gave me the impression he was obsessed since the start so i felt disappointed in that regard

not enough date tbh or rather not enough date in the way i would have prefered hahahaha. like i wanted a more dramatic reunion with mizuki and/or aiba

i mean they were finally happy then 6 years of date just gone...wtf mizuki keeps getting Ls in her life

also ig bc as an aiba/date shipper i just felt deprived but im ok. i really am. i reallly am

oh right one thing i do want to commend on aini is how its somniums are just so much more logically driven so they're more fun to solve. it doesnt feel like the strange randomness of the first game where you just have to somehow hope you're doing the right thing. there is still randomness but it feels hmmm like there is more sense in the overall somnium than the past game

i probs have more thoughts but i kinda just kept playing and playing for like 20 hours and im sure if i had any thoughts during i forgot to write them down dxfvbdfcvj but i'll probs remember if im asked very specific things

if there will be another game, i will for sure buy and play but can we no longer have separation of date and mizuki + aiba? tnx.

[vyladromeave]

what are some random headcanons you have for vylad!!!!!

HI RANDOM HCS I HAVE FOR VYLAD............... SO MUCH SO SO MUCH SOME OF IT I CANT EVEN TALK ABOUT BCS ITS GOING TO GO INTO MY REWRITE BUT LIKE. HI. NONSPOILERY STUFF I WILL TRY MY BEST.

U can see this in my art sometimes but not often bcs of how I draw his hair, but his ears are pierced ^-^

post nether imprisonment he has a hard time keeping track of. Well. Time. A week goes by and hes like oh just a couple hours nbd. And sometimes like 3 hours goes by and hes like well that was like 7 years at Least. He has no clue what date it is at any time. It doesn't really bother him but everyone else is like How Do You Live Like This.

Garroth is the target he would have to kill to become an immortal Shadowknight. Garroth is obviously still alive, therefore Vylad is not fully immortal.

He wears his hair up in a bun like Occasionally, but its only really either 1: fancy formal occasions or 2: hes like about to murder someone. so neither of those really have good connotations for him.

Basically always avoids eye contact when talking to people. its not a conscious thing its just a habit.

Both the scarf an the ocarina are gifts from his mom.

They obvs dont do it anymore but as a kid they used to be real clever and snarky. copes with being the fuck up of the family by being the funniest one yknow.

Has a symbol of Irene as a necklace, its under his scarf/shirt/etc. at all times. He's not religious per se but sometimes its nice to talk to someone who you know isn't listening.

Laurance being Nice to him during his imprisonment time actually meant a LOT to him like a lot a lot. There is a very limited amount of people in his life who have been nice to him Ever and that was a very difficult moment for him. If Aphmau is what got Laurance through his time in the nether, i think Laurance is what got Vylad through his time in imprisonment.

His relationship with Hyria is a little silly shes like his old snarky grandma and they love eachother but that does not stop them from being rude to eachother lmao. Idk how to put it into words properly like she gives him advice and he Hates it but also he knows shes right. shes like one of the only people bold enough to talk back to him and get him out of his funks yaknow. She talks sense into him.

Died young, they were like only 16. Being a Shadowknight was one of the first times in his life where he felt appreciated and useful. had a family he actually belonged to. (which is partially how he was convinced into doing big shadowknight murder kill. "im not a good person" etc etc.)

Literally nobody in the Shadowknights (aside from the Shadow Lord) knows that Vylad is a Ro'meave. Somehow nobody has put it together that Vylad is That Vylad and he's smart enough not to tell people his last name or where he's from. Probably because nobody knows that he spells his name with a Y in there.

They feel a weird sense of responsibility for Aphmau, being the person who like Summoned Her Into The World, and thats partly why they're a bit more comfortable around her compared to the rest of the cast. He's honestly probably more comfortable with Aphmau than he is with Garroth as of S2.

gay ass. nonbinary. he/they. <3

[green-socks]

Hungry Eyes chapter 5

Pairing: Benny Miller x OFC (Dirty Dancing AU)

Summary: Dirty Dancing but Benny is Baby and the dance instructor is a female OC, Jolene. Benny goes to a holiday resort with his family and somehow ends up spending his time dancing and falling in love! This part is practicing the famous lift and like Eye of the Tiger training montage type moments.

Words: 2.1k

Warnings: None.

Notes: This fic is my own little world where I go when I need to. What you see on paper is only a bit of what happens inside my head, but it is what it is. I try. Inconsistent af about posting this bc my muse is a very "it's for me to know and you to to find out" type of gal, so I just follow her lead. Right now she's saying dance, Benny, dance, so he dances. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4 | MASTERLIST

The next few days continued with more dance lessons whenever they could.

Benny had experience with working out. A lot. He pretty much did that for a living, after all. So he knew he shouldn’t get frustrated when some new bit of information didn’t immediately stick to his mind. And yet it was hard to keep himself from stressing out, because there was a time limit, and he didn’t want to let Jolene and Patrick down.

They had the steps mostly down already, now it was about getting the routine to look like dancing- tying the steps together as fluid movement. Jolene kept saying that it was about the feeling, but Benny was having some trouble with that. It wasn’t easy to try and express feelings while all his brainpower went to focusing on remembering where to step and where to look and what to do with his hands at any given moment.

On the fourth day of practice Benny finally started letting loose, and he noticed he was actually having sort of fun with it. They had had a whole lesson on how to feel the music and let it guide you as much as your muscle memory. Apparently, the music told when there was room to breathe and where to be precise and hit the right accents. Jolene made him practice same bits over different songs to make him focus on the different beats. Once he got the feel of that down more, it became easier to make the whole choreography flow better.

Patrick also came in to help them practice and fine-tune the performance, since he knew the part better than Jolene did. Benny had some trouble with turns and keeping his form at first, but his fight training combined with Patrick’s tips helped with those. Some parts were truly starting to go well, and it was beginning to come together. They were extremely sweaty and exhausted all the time, but happy to be making progress. Benny’s legs were tired, arms tired, feet blistered - “dancer’s feet,” Jolene told him - but despite all that he was having a great time. He thrived on the challenge and physicality of it all, it made him feel alive.

He did still feel guilty about spending less time with his family, and instead spending late nights working on the choreography and occasionally popping into the entertainment crew’s parties. Most of the crew had really taken a liking to him, and even Patrick was slowly warming up to him. Only Jolene was still a closed off, not really volunteering anything personal about herself outside of the dancing they did. They still got along fairly well - they understood each other. They both had a strong work ethic and their teamwork got results.

But their teamwork wasn’t always smooth sailing, of course.

One of the parts Benny was struggling with was a serious and tender moment in the beginning of the choreography that required them to be very up close and personal. He couldn’t stop snickering and making jokes or just bursting out laughing and not doing it properly. Jo got annoyed at him for that, because she thought it was a stupid thing to be stuck on, and she had felt a little like he was somehow mocking the choreography, making it seem silly. But the truth of it was that Benny was a bit afraid of how intensely he would feel things if he let himself be completely serious and truly try to live the moment, be vulnerable. He didn’t know if he could keep his emotions in check.

-

There had also been a small argument on the fifth day when Benny had complained about a part he didn’t like in the choreo, and Jolene was having none of his sass. The frustration and stress had started getting to her, and she had snapped at him about not taking it seriously enough and not learning quickly enough.

And Benny had bit back, “Hey, I’m doin’ this just to help you and your friend! And we haven’t even tried to go through the whole thing yet, we haven’t practiced the lift at all, so how do you expect me to get it all if I can’t have the full picture?!”

Jo had seethed at him, breathing heavily for a moment, until she had said, “Fine. You have a car?”

--------

That’s how they had ended up borrowing Benny’s brother Will’s car to drive to a place where they could practice the troublesome lift.

Jo had most of the day off, so she decided now was a good time to go and work on the lift, since it would be best to practice it outside the resort. Benny made jokes and laughed at her when she had to adjust every setting on the seat and mirrors of the car to suit her much shorter frame. Jo was used to hearing jokes about her height but somehow, she didn’t mind them from Benny. She found herself surprised at how easy she felt in his company, the argument from before long forgotten already. With the radio playing and both of them joking around, she started driving toward a secluded beach nearby.

Jo noticed that it was much easier to talk with him now that they were alone together and removed from the context of training for a moment. She found herself opening up about her background in dance, how she had started and how her dream was to open her own dance studio someday. She also told him about her family, how she didn’t see them often because her younger brother was in college far from her and her parents had retired and moved to Australia. Benny was a surprisingly good listener, letting her talk and asking questions, seeming genuinely interested in her. Before she knew it, they reached the destination.

-

Under normal circumstances she would have started with some balancing and trust exercises, but they were past trust exercises, and Benny’s fight training meant he had great balance, so she decided to jump into the thing itself right away.

“Okay. We’ll just- go for it. I’ve shown you the video of what it’s supposed to look like, I’ve shown you where you’re supposed to put your hands and everything. We’re good to go, right? Or do you have any questions?”

“No.. I think I know what to do in theory, at least..” Benny says, rubbing his beard nervously.

She took a deep breath. Okay. There was nothing to it but to just try, it would be fine.

But after tumbling down to the grass a few times Jo realized it wouldn’t work, because they were both holding back for fear of falling. She was afraid of Benny not being able to lift her and then hurting him when he had to bear the brunt of the fallings. And Benny in his turn was scared of hurting her. There was also the added difficulty of their height difference - Benny would have to lift with his legs a lot more, and she would have to adjust a lot from what she was used to with Patrick, too.

So, they would have to make sure the fall was less scary..

“What if we get into the water? It’s safer to fall down there at least,” she suggested.

“What? You serious?”

“Yeah! What, you scared or something?”

Benny rolled his eyes at her childish taunting but shrugged and started taking his shoes and shirt off.

When she had first met him a few days ago, she had dismissed him as just some random dude crashing their party - a seemingly pleasant dude, sure, but nothing special. But now, given the opportunity to admire his back and arms without having to focus on being a dance instructor first, she couldn’t deny the view was very.. inspiring. She had seen him shirtless before because they did work up quite the sweat dancing in the summer heat, and the guy seemed very comfortable with his body. It was different, though, in this new environment and this new, more relaxed energy between them. It was a nice change of pace, truth be told.

Benny started opening his belt and Jo stopped in her tracks.

“What are you doing?”

“If you wanna deal with my brother when we return his car with the seats all wet, be my guest, but I learned to not get any fluids on his car seats when I was sixteen,” he said seriously, shaking his head while pulling his jeans off.

“…You know what, I’ll take that chance. I’m keeping my shorts on,” she said, thinking of the not-covering-much-at-all underwear she had on.

“It’s totally fine, I have a hoodie you can sit on. Plus, he wouldn’t even know how to be mad at you,” Benny smiled.

They got in the slightly chilly water, Jo determinedly not looking at Benny until they were deep enough.

-

“Alright, let’s try again!”

The added support of the water was a big help, and after a few tries they managed a perfect lift for a moment until Jo lost her balance and dived into the water.

“Yes, yes! You did it! That was so good!” Jo shouted after she resurfaced. “I lost my balance, but you did it!”

Benny’s eyes seemed to light up, and the next few times he tried even harder. Jo had noticed during practices that Benny was good at following orders when working out, and that he responded to her stricter coaching really well. But she had also noticed that when she praised him, he seemed to get an extra boost of energy, and usually performed even better after that. It was as if the hard training kept him focused and sharp, but a few compliments helped free his creativity more. She wanted to keep the compliments genuine though, and not overdo it.

They still ended up underwater more often than not, but they were starting to get the hang of it at least. They were both tired and had wet hair plastered to their faces as they stood there catching their breaths before a new try.

Benny brushed his hair back from his eyes in the way men do in commercials and Jo found herself staring. He looked unreasonably good like this when she was sure she was a total mess. His blue eyes were shining brighter than the water, and the droplets on his chest made her eyes follow their trajectory downward. Oh boy was she staring. How to stop, though?

“Hello?” Benny’s voice was trying to pull her out of her thoughts. “Jo?”

That was the first time he had called her that, and not her full name. She lifted her head to meet his gaze again, and she was sure her face greatly resembled a tomato.

She didn’t know what to do to save the situation when she was so obviously caught ogling. So she splashed him.

Benny spluttered. “Oh, really? That what you wanna do?” he asked with a big grin.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jo said, and splashed him again.

“Sweetheart, you’re gonna regret that,” he laughed, and started swimming after her.

Then it was a mess of screaming, laughing, splashing, trashing, and wrestling in the water. Jo was breathless from laughing and the exertion, and she couldn’t remember having that much fun in weeks. She was no match for Benny’s strength, though. He caught her, lifting her up and threatening to throw her back in the water. (Which was essentially what they had done all evening, but this was a different situation entirely.)

“I surrender, you win!” Jo managed to shout out through her giggles.

“Hah, told ya!” Benny gloated as he lowered her back to stand on her own legs.

Suddenly it hit Jo how near each other they were standing, and how very little clothing each of them were wearing, especially Benny. And this was no training situation anymore.

She cleared her throat, avoiding his eyes. “One more go with the lift?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

But the sun was already setting, and it was getting chilly, so they only tried a couple more times before calling it a day.

-

They drove back to the resort, Jo sitting on Benny’s hoodie to protect the car like he promised. The radio was playing again, both of them still making jokes and talking, but this time there was also a different kind of tension in the air. Tomorrow they would have time to practice a little during the day and then it would be time for the performance. But Jo wasn’t sure the tension she felt was just performance jitters.

--------------------------------------------------

tagsies: @writeforfandoms @starlightmornings @lorecraft @niki-xie@salome-c @ickleronniekinsemotionalrange @sgnjimmy @marvelousmermaid @velocibee @killyspinacoladas

[graceslavenderhaze]

fight night  (jatp crew x reader)

readers home life hasn’t been the best and they’ve been lying to their friends about it. one night it all builds up and the reader shows up to julies, distraught. ( for this the boys are alive bc it just worked out best but other than that no changes.)

this has been sitting in my drafts so i thought i’d post it

trigger warning: family fights, anxiety, depression, past talk of eating disorders.

For a long time you use to just keep everything buried down. That was your fatal flaw. It wasn’t a trust issue, you just always had this feeling that if no one knew then everything would be fine. But your family had lately been falling apart, your parents always seemed disappointed in you, you were fighting with your siblings more and it felt it a ballon that kept on expanding. you didn’t know when everything was going to explode it just kept getting worse.

Today was the exploding point. It seemed like no matter what you did, it just wasn’t good enough. You were the black sheep in your family, they made you out to be it. They complained about how you dressed, what your room looked like, the music you played, the people you hung out with, and for what? You didn’t do anything that was textbook problem child material. 

You tried your hardest in school, you never asked for much, you cleaned almost everyone’s mess at home, and after a while that became your routine. Never be seen, never be heard and never get any credit for everything you do. Meanwhile your siblings, little miss perfect and the star academic got everything you wanted. Your parents attention, their approval, and their constant reassurance. 

By the time you were in high school, you were emotionally independent. A stranger to your own family pretty much. You went to an art school along with your siblings. Even as the oldest, you quickly fell into their shadows. Your sister a musical protégé on the violin, your parents paid for the best lessons, and without a doubt she’ll probably attend some ivy league. Your brother was in the advanced academics program, with yale and harvard already offering him scholarships in his sophomore year. Then there was you. You were in the art program, and while your teacher swears that all the top art schools have you on their radar. You still felt insignificant.

You worked a weekend job at the local coffee shop, latte love , it wasn’t everything but it helped pay for art supplies for you to build your portfolio. Their you met Julie Molina and Flynn Davis. Two girls who were your age, they attended the music program at your art school. You recognized them, Julie had been like the sun at the school. In the hallways always smiling and then her mom died, the sun went away hidden behind clouds. While Flynn was unapologetically herself and didn’t backdown from telling people how things were, she was fearless. They were also probably the first two people who knew your siblings and were able to separate you from them. 

Then later on in the year the three of you met Luke, Alex and Reggie. Latte Love was hosting its monthly open mic night. It was almost a year after Julie’s mom died, so in an attempt to coax her back into music, Flynn brought her around. You offered free hot chocolate on the house as a bribe if she wanted to come. After an hour of mainly middle schoolers trying to face stage fright, soccer parents who desperately tried to hold onto their high school garage band phase and any other mediocre act who gave it their all in effort. Sunset Curve preformed. 

That night honestly sent all six of your lives’ into a full spiral but in the best way. A month after you had met sunset curve, they formed a band with Julie and became, Julie and the Phantoms. Flynn becoming the band manager and you being the artist for ticket designs, posters and anything else. It helped distract you from everything going on in your life and with your friends you didn’t feel left out or the black sheep. You were you and they loved you for all of it. 

But you could only be happy for so long. Your family always managed to make you feel horrible about yourself, this week had felt like the worst its ever been. Your sister being recruited for a summer symphony in Australia, your brother would be off at a stem camp and your summer plans were just to work, make art and hang with your friends. Your family wasted no time in telling you that you were wasting your time, or that it was just some silly childish thing. They didn’t understand how big Julie and the Phantoms were becoming. The latest gig being opening for panic at the disco at the Orpheum. 

You couldn’t take it anymore, which is how you ended up walking to Julie’s house right in the beginning of a thunderstorm. When you finally made it to Julie’s front stoop you were drenched head to toe. Julie being the one to pull you in the front door. In her oversized smiley face sweatshirt and baggy sweats. The movie night dress code.

“Did you walk here?” She exclaims looking at the outdoor storm and turning back to her best friend. Your eyes red from crying and cheeks raw from wiping your tears rapidly. She’d been expecting you for weekly movie night, especially since her dad and brother had been away for a baseball game for the weekend. Just not in this state.

“More like swam.” You replied with a dry laugh. Trying to desperately hold yourself together. Knowing your friends were all in the living room, you didn’t want to burden them with your breakdown. 

“Hey was that the chinese food! Y/n? Whats wrong bean?” Flynn stated her mood changing halfway through the sentence noticing the state of their best friend. Who looked like she’d just had the world’s worst day. You smiled fondly at the nice name she’d given you, which was a coffee pun. 

“Family shit. Like always.” You said looking down at the floor and the puddle that you were slowly dripping onto the Molina residence’s welcome mat. Both girls smiled sympathetically, they had their fair share of stories of how bad things could get at the L/n household. 

“Come on! It’s movie night, you’re getting into cozy clothes and having junk food with your friends.” Julie said taking your hand and leading you upstairs to her room. Julie handed you spare clothes due to you being completely soaked. Then a towel to dry yourself off.

“Here, once you’re ready to come downstairs, we can put your stuff into the dryer.” Julie said smiling at her friend before leaving to give her privacy. Taking the towel she gave you and trying to dry your hair. Then changing into the cozy clothes she gave you. Your phone blowing up from texts from your family. Your parents wanting to know where you were. Not caring how hurt you were. Your siblings saying half assed apologies they didn’t mean. They’d done this before and they’d do it again. 

Ignoring the messages, you walked back downstairs. The comforting smell of chinese food wafting at you. Julie, Alex and Flynn stood at the table. Meanwhile Luke and Reggie were were at the local 7/11 getting slushies. 

“Did anyone order a hot mess?” You said jokingly getting their attention. Alex standing up and instantly hugging you as if he’d never see you again. Hugging him back. Alex’s hugs always felt as if it was a cloud. 

The Molina residence house phone then rang, the caller id labeling your house. “We can just let it go to message.” Julie said turning back from the phone to you. You shook your head, “I’m so over this bullshit.” Walking over to the phone you picked it up. 

“Hello ever so loving parental unit.” You said with sarcasm dripping off every word. “Pop off!” Flynn said as she bit into a dumpling. You bit back a smile. “Where are you? You can’t run out because you’re upset.” You heard your mom say. You rolled your eye. 

“Where i am every friday night. I told you in advance i had plans so when you take your attention span off miss perfect and genius boy remember you have a third fucking child. Goodnight!” You said promptly and then hung up placing the phone back on back on its home base. “Beyoncé would approve.” Flynn said clapping for dramatic effect.

“How much trouble are you going to be in for that?” Alex said passing your usual that Julie knew to order for you, you shrugged. “Bold of you to assume they’ll remember to ground me.” 

“Wow what a rag tag group of mommy and daddy issues we are.” Reggie announced as he placed the tray of slushies down on the counter. “Excuse you!” Julie exclaimed as she took a slip of her blueberry slushie. “She’s dead, that’s an issue.” Flynn said as she grabbed her green apple one. You choked on your food for a second, “Out of pocket!” 

“She’s right babe.” Luke said hugging her from behind. “You have mommy issues too.” Julie said turning around slightly. “Only the hottest people have both mommy and daddy issues!” Alex exclaimed holding a hand of for you and Reggie to high five. 

“My back hurts from having a healthy parental relationship and carrying that standard.” Flynn said cracking open her fortune cookie. You laughed looking around at your dysfunctional friend group. 

“We are all going to hell for these jokes alone.” You said taking a sip of your slushie. Reggie scoffed, “We’re just warming up.” 

[reynauldapologist]

Beau + 99? Or maybe Vvulf + 17? 🤔

@nandashibs i did both! hope that’s okay :) also, i’m seriously beginning to think that you’re a psychic. how the hell did you know which songs would fit them the best??

apologies for any weird formatting or typos. i wrote all of this on my phone. putting it under a readmore bc this got a bit long.

Beau - Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga

(for anyone who’s unfamiliar, Beauregard is a HWM oc from one of my fics)

Hieromania, but make it silly:

Love is just a history that they may prove

And when you're gone, I'll tell them my religion's you.

Beauregard felt like he was breaking in. He knew he wasn’t - the Sisters had made it clear that the abbey was open to all, at any hour - but he couldn’t help but feel as though he was invading a sacred place, tainting it with his mere presence. It didn’t help that he had decided to visit so late at night. He’d been in churches before, sure, but the small stone chapel of his childhood seemed almost blasphemous next to this lofty place.

Big fluted pillars and a ribbed ceiling stretched above him, so high that the light from the fluttering lanterns posted at regular intervals along the walls couldn’t reach it. His breath caught in his throat. Small. He felt so small. Like a mouse scuttering along beneath a moonless night sky, waiting for the harsh scrape of an owl’s talons against his back. The altar rose at the end of the sanctuary, old and opulent, surrounded by hordes of lit candles, framed by blood-red tapestries. Beauregard crept forwards, hardly daring to breathe, unsure of what he even meant to do there. Statues of saints lined the small alcoves between the grand stained glass windows. Some wept, some stretched their hands out like beggars, some clutched at weapons, and others cradled their dismembered body parts.

Beauregard shivered. How could anyone relax in a place like this?

A door squeaked open at the end of one of the transepts. Beauregard stopped, frozen, crouched low before he could think of what he was doing. He slunk down one of the rows, as silent as a shadow scudding across an open field.

Great. As if you didn’t already look like a robber…

Heavy footsteps coming closer. His eyes darted around the sanctuary, searching for a more permanent hiding place. They fell on a statue of a man without a right hand and a knife in his left. If there was space behind it...

A shadow stretched along the far wall, made grotesque by the weak lighting.

It’s now or never!

He slipped into the gap between the statue and the alcove. It was a tight fit, and it was dusty, but it was doable. His nose was less than a hair’s breadth away from the back of the statue’s neck and his arms were twisted oddly to account for its form. Awfully intimate…

The footsteps echoed strangely off of the stone walls, making it difficult for him to pinpoint exactly where they were heading. Beauregard focused on his breathing. Slow and steady, in and out through the mouth. Beauregard couldn’t see what was happening around the statue’s head. Surely it was just the abbot, or one of the Sisters, there to check on the candles… No worshippers came here this late. Right?

Wrong.

The footsteps stopped. Directly in front of his alcove. Out of all of the alcoves in the abbey...

Now, Beauregard was certain that the Light must truly exist. There was no other explanation for such a cruel joke.

The rustle of clothes. A deep sigh.

“O Saint Dismas…”

Beauregard knew that voice.It was Reynauld, the old crusader.

...Saint Dismas?

“...patron of repentant thieves, I humbly beseech thee for thine guidance.”

Beauregard’s nose began to itch.

No. Oh, gods, no. Please.

“I have faltered once again. Forgive me for my weakness, my repeated transgressions.”

His eyes were watering. His mouth was opening.

I’ll do anything. I’ll convert. I’ll become a monk. I’ll never so much as glance at a tavern again, please, don’t let me-

“I have taken-“

“AH-CHOO!”

It was like he had fired off his flintlock. The sneeze echoed for far longer than it had any right to. The silence that followed was deafening.

Light, if you’re out there, have mercy and strike me down now.

As the seconds trickled by and it became clear that Death would not be paying him a visit anytime soon, Beauregard forced himself to break the silence.

“I…er...” Beauregard swallowed. “...forgive you?”

“Beauregard? Is that you?”

“Who’s asking?”

Another heavy sigh. A groan and a rustle of clothes as Reynauld got to his feet.

“Come out, lad.”

“A-Alright, listen, I can explain-“

“Now.”

Beauregard disentangled himself from the statue. Reynauld had his arms crossed over his chest and a severe expression on his face. Beauregard ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

“What are you doing?”

“I… Well, y’see, I was on a walk anyways, and it’s awful cold out there, and windy too, and I thought-“

Reynauld held up a hand. Beauregard shut his mouth.

“No. What are you doing hiding behind Saint Dismas?”

“Uh… I was… Trying to get closer to the Saints?”

Reynauld stared at him. Beauregard hunched his shoulders, ready for a lecture.

Reynauld started to say something, paused, and cleared his throat. He let out something like a rolling grunt, his shoulders bobbing up and down.

He was… laughing? Beauregard relaxed and allowed himself a cautious smile. Reynauld shook his head and covered his eyes, little hints of teeth peeking out between his bristly beard. He inhaled sharply, then broke out into full laughter, leaning his head back. It bounced off the walls, low and hearty, but cracked around the edges, as though his throat was unused to making the sound.

Beauregard chuckled along, equal parts relieved to have avoided being chastised and delighted by this new side of Reynauld.

“It’s an unorthodox form of worship,” Reynauld said, still grinning, “but better than nothing.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your prayer. I just… I heard someone coming and I… panicked.”

“All is forgiven.”

“I’ll… um... leave you to it.”

“Are you headed back to the barracks?”

Beauregard nodded.

“I’ll accompany you. My heart no longer feels so heavy. Contrition can wait until the morning.”

As they left the abbey together, Beauregard turned over the statue in his mind. What an odd coincidence. Had Dismas’s parents named him after the saint on purpose? Who would name their child after a mutilated man who oversaw thieves?

“Reynauld?”

“Hm?”

“Who was Saint Dismas?” he asked, slipping his hands into his pockets. The cold air nipped at his cheeks.

“Oh, that’s quite a story,” Reynauld replied. “One best told in front of a roaring fire, I think.”

—

Vvulf - Take You Back (The Iron Hoof) by Orville Peck

uh oh it’s self-indulgent modern au time 😳

I've been around this world and now everything's a bore

I don't know that much, but I know about keeping score

And if there's one thing I know for sure

It'd be a long cold day in Hell when I take you back

“I knew you’d come crawlin’ back.” Vvulf blew smoke out through his nostrils. It formed a hazy wreath around his face. He leaned back in the ratty chair. “Sure as the sun rises…”

Dismas was sweating. And not just because he was stuck in the cramped, windowless backroom of a bar, in the dead of a sticky summer night, with a man nearly twice his size. It was one thing practicing his speech in front of a warped motel mirror, it was another thing entirely to face the real thing. He sucked in stale air between his teeth.

“I’m not crawlin’.” Desperate for something to do with his hands, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his leather jacket. He flicked it open and pushed one between his lips.

Vvulf smiled, cool and thin. Dismas repressed a shiver.

“Bit late for pride, ain’t it?”

Dismas lit his cigarette with trembling hands. He puffed on it slow to get it going. He sucked down a burning lungful, held it, then blew it out of the corner of his mouth.

“I didn’t have to come here, y’know.” A lie. He wouldn’t be here if he had any other choice. “I’m doin’ this as a favor to you.”

“A favor to me?” All traces of humor left his face. “You got a lotta nerve showing your face around here and talkin’ like that, boy.”

Boy. Dismas bit back a snicker. He was pushing forty.

Dismas shrugged. “If you don’t wanna hear what I got to say, fine. It’s your damn funeral.”

“What do you want?” Vvulf tapped ash off the end of his cigarette.

“You could stop puttin’ hits out on me. That’d be a start.”

“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about...”

Dismas raised his eyebrows.

“...but I’ll see what I can do.”

Dismas nodded. Alright. He might actually swing this.

“That all?”

Here we go.

“I want protection,” he said plainly. Beating around the bush would just make Vvulf angry, and even less likely to grant his request. “He’s after me, too.”

Vvulf stared at him. Then he laughed. Harsh and mocking and gravelly. Like hail drumming against a tin roof. Sweat trickled down Dismas’s back.

“Don’t act like I ain’t ever put my neck out for you,” Dismas said, raising his voice to be heard over Vvulf’s laughter. “I’m just askin’ to borrow a safehouse for a couple weeks, until all this blows over, that’s it.”

“You got some serious balls on you, boy, I’ll give you that.” Vvulf took a hard drag off of his cigarette. He spewed the smoke at Dismas. “You dumb son of a bitch. What makes you think you’re leavin’ here alive at all?”

Dismas’s gut hardened. This had been a mistake. But what other choice had he had? It was either this or give up the ghost and turn himself in at the nearest police station. Anything was better than getting collared by the Widowmaker. He eyed the door over Vvulf’s shoulder. His gun weighed heavy at his hip.

“Now, here’s how I see this playin’ out.” Vvulf batted aside his denim vest, exposing a holstered pistol. “You can either tell me everything you know right now, and I’ll end things quick, or I could take you out back to the shed and get you nice and acquainted with a car battery, and then you tell me everything you know. Right before I gut you like a pig.”

“You know… Neither of those options are all that appealin’ to me.” Dismas shifted in his seat. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken Vvulf head-on in a fight. In a tight space like this, though, he didn’t like his chances.

“I had a feelin’ you’d say that. Which is why, as an acknowledgment of our long history together, I’ll open up a third option.” He grinned. “Just for you.”

Dismas clenched his jaw. He should’ve expected something like this…

“On one condition.” Vvulf stubbed his cigarette out on the sole of his boot. “You gotta beg for it.”

“Go to hell.

“After you.”