#be a shinigami full time

[kingofanemptyworld]

proof I haven’t forgotten about speak of the devil’s final chapter

[princescar]

Fic where Ryoko gets a Death Note and she's now forced to suffer with RC Shinigami

[kinoshitayuri]

i still think of checkface sometimes

like where is he chilling

[v0idbird]

hey sorry to bother you but kiefbowl / the serving cunt post is marked red by shimigami eyes

oh, thank you for telling me!!

in case anyone is curious, this is the post anon is talking about:

[fuji-iri]

POINTS TO THE ENTIRETY OF THE #DEATH KNIGHT YAKOU AU TAG AND NEO’S BLOG

more #death knight yakou au stuff. for the sake of it

(original au idea by @yakool-foolio! they’re the source of 99.99% of my brainrot. i can’t stop. help)

more doodles under cut!! hopefully nothing incredibly spoilery in there

[jeizet]

I've been thinking about Ichihime as a couple in the seireitei, like they passed away and now they are shinigamis full time

Orihime has a bakery there in the Seireitei, but works as a shinigami under Isame in the 10th division and Ichigo is Rukia's lieutenant of course.

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct Yandere TWST x Fem Reader Monster AU pt 40

(Trein is a Sphinx and as a Sphinx he loves riddles, knowledge, and history. He has already heard most riddles in Twisted Wonderland, so the Human sharing riddles with him is rather welcome and entertaining to him. He walks with a permanent limp on one of his back legs, as it was maimed by the Undying Ursus Major- ancestor to all Ursus Minor and nigh unkillable giant bear- while protecting his students. He almost lost the leg- and probably should have had it amputated- but now he walks with a permanent limp and is permanently lame on that leg. He does not regret saving his students.)

Warnings: inky issues, yandere, yandere behavior, obsessive behavior, possessive behavior, manipulative behavior, two mature platonic yanderes having a chat, blot potion, injury, jealousy/envy, MC needs a nap/break, gross imagery, the needs of the many vs the needs of the few, perceived violence, abuse (not towards reader), blood,

~~~~~~~~

A solemn Shinigami stood, looking out over the sleeping dorm that held his greatest weakness and his greatest strength within. Even is own descendants were resting- for once- and he had tucked them in himself so their night would not be disturbed. Centuries spent in blinding agony, suffering the full weight of his withdrawal and certain he would die in that pain as well.

Having the source of his agony and the source of his drug of choice so close by was soothing to the great and ancient man. The veil of agony lifted and the soft voice of that Human- trusting and kind- acted as a balm for the ragged pain that consumed him so deeply. He would be lying if he said he didn't wish to permanently move into the run-down dorm to keep that Human safe and protected by his own strength.

Still, he was curious to why the Human was so resistant to blot and part of him wanted to see how a full Overblot could be soothed by the Human in question. He didn't wish to put the Human in harms way, nor did he wish to put any of the students through something as damaging as an Overblot just to soothe his curiosity. Perhaps the continued research and studying would prove fruitful.

"You sure are up late."

The elder was somewhat startled by the sudden voice, turning quickly to see the Human-esque shape of the Yeti that had been hired to aid the Human. Though his role was to teach all the students on paper, his role as a protector and teacher to the Human came first. Still, it spoke volumes to his ability to sneak up on the old Shinigami without being noticed.

"Shinigami don't sleep often, and sleep less the older we get."

"Guess that explains it."

The Yeti stood next to the Shinigami, looking at the quiet and still dorm that seemed to loom in the darkness. With the blanket of night came the threat of ill-intended poachers and all manner of beast drawn to the soft Human everyone craved on a primal level. Perhaps it was the Shinigami's mind dulling with his ancient age, but the Yeti was a comfort as a second pair of eyes watching the dorm and protecting the treasure within.

"I had assumed Yeti to be diurnal, is that not the case with you?"

"My sleep schedule has been messed up for a while. Most Ferals and Poachers prefer to mobilize at night, but I needed the information of those awake during the day to find the wretched hives they claimed as home."

"Your reputation precedes you. I hear you have brought down many a Feral in your time."

"I've heard the same about you. I've even heard that you've gone against the Beast more than a handful of times. Most can't even face it once without it costing their lives."

The elder frowned at this, knowing the ancient and cataclysmic threat he spoke of. A beast twisted into the form of a bear that slept deep in the bowels of Sage Island's mines, fathering equally cursed young that wandered deathless through the land. It was a creature that destroyed everything in its endless search for death.

"Yes, that beast is best to remain unbothered. Even one such as yourself would fall before it."

"I don't doubt that. If you struggled against it, I have no chance."

A comfortable silence passed between the two as the dorm seemed to remain quiet and those within continued to slumber. Though the Shinigami knew more than he would ever let on, it was nice to speak with someone that descended from the same branch as Humans. For the Yeti, he was humbled to speak so casually with the ancient being that had seen ages in his long and storied life.

"I have a question of sorts for you, Lord Hades."

"Yes, child?"

"Humans aren't as magicless as we believe, are they?"

"They cannot wield magic, so are considered magicless."

"But they impact others in a different- almost magical- way, correct?"

"... That is correct. In my studies of their kind, Humans are... Addictive. Being around them even for a short time forms an addiction. Depending on how that addiction is 'fed' determines how it takes hold of a magical being's mind."

"So, for argument's sake, touching them makes an addiction to their touch?"

"Yes. Touching them is addictive. Looking at them is addictive. Tasting their skin is addictive. It was not the full fault of the species that consumed them. One taste of a Human's flesh was enough to sink anyone into obsession, needing and craving more until it drove them mad."

Clay frowned at this, thinking back to the odd behavior of the old Bat Fae that had thrown himself into the arms of the Human. The red crimson that the Bat drank down so greedily, filling his stomach with ambrosia. It can't have been coincidence.

"... So the Bat is harming himself on purpose."

"What?"

"That Bat Fae, the impish one that follows the footsteps of the Dragon, he begged (Y/n) for her blood, starving himself until he could get another taste."

This concerned the Shinigami deeply, having already known Lilia was keen to drown himself in his addiction, but not knowing how far it had already gone. If he has gotten a taste of her blood, how long until he wanted more than just blood from the soft Human they all adored?

"He needs to be watched, and needs to be limited if he has already decided to partake after starving himself. It does no good for one of her guards to crave her in such a way-"

The Shinigami fell silent as movement caught his eye. Both fixating on the dark shapes emerging from the dorm and setting the pair on high alert. None should be awake at this time and the fact that such an indeterminate sized group was awake was no small cause for concern.

"Something's wrong."

Clay said, immediately setting after the scurrying group without another glance back at the Shinigami. Something was certainly wrong or would be soon, and that was enough to prompt the Shinigami to follow suit.

~•§•~

You clung to Rook as he scuttled quickly to the school, his Spider legs giving him a speed that had Sebek and Silver struggling to keep up. The events prior to this panicked 'flight' replaying in your head. Rook had been so desperate to seek your aid that it made it difficult for you to deny the Drider despite the protests from your ever faithful Dragon.

It made it even more difficult to demand he stay behind.

~~

"Absolutely not! If he is planning to Overblot, you should be nowhere near him!"

The Dragon had snarled and was clearly concerned for you, trying everything he could to keep you safe in the dorm. He didn't want to face yet another situation where he failed to protect you from harm. He couldn't endure such a thing yet again.

"I can't just let Vil do this! If he is acting this way because of me, then I need to do something to stop him!"

"No, (Y/n), it isn't safe!"

"I don't care if it is safe or not! This is Vil we are talking about! If he Overblots, what happens to his life, to his future?"

You had yelled back at the Dragon who tried to keep you from going anywhere near the begging Drider that continued to plead for help. Time was short and arguing was only pissing that time away when there was little to waste. Even if you knew it was Vil responding to his own addiction to you, the weight of what could happen to him was suffocating you.

Vil was an actor and model who loved his many colors and prided himself on his control. If he Overblots, all of that cultivated beauty and effort he has dedicated his life to may as well be meaningless. His feathers would dull, his pristine face would tear, his life- as he knew it- would end.

All because of you.

You didn't ask for this. You didn't want this. You wanted to go home where the world wasn't addicted to you and vicious because you simply existed. But you couldn't just ignore a genuine plea for help.

You needed to help him, or at least try.

"Malleus, please. I need you to stay here and watch Grim-"

"Absolute not! I-"

"MALLEUS!"

The Dragon flinched at your tone, everyone wincing and curling in on themselves from your intensity. If they valued your happiness as much as they claimed to, he would have no choice but to listen.

"I need you to stay here and look out for Grim. If we all storm Vil, he will feel trapped and may Overblot on his own. I just need to get to him before that happens. If we can stop Vil, I will bring him back and I will be sharing the nest with him to make sure he doesn't tip over that edge until he can get himself under control again."

"The nest is not for outsiders-"

"I don't care if you don't want it, this is my nest now and I choose who gets to be in it. I understand you made this nest, but it is still mine. Tsuno, I need you to be here for Grim and I need to go to Vil. I would do the same for you if you were on the verge of Overblotting. Let me be there for those that need me."

There was a clear worry and stress in the Dragon's eyes as he stared in silence at you, the tension high in the room. Your mentioning of doing the same for him made that tough outer shell break, his eyes full of worry as he stared at you. Just another thing for him to adore you for, your kind heart wanting to keep himself and the others safe, even if it meant stopping them from self destructing.

"... Very well, but you will be taking Silver and Sebek with you. Understood?"

~~

Now Rook scuttled through the school, almost losing your duo of knights in the many twists and turns. Part of you was interested in how Rook could scurry along the walls so seamlessly as he never lost speed in his frantic pace. You had little time to dwell on such things given the situation at hand, but it was something to keep in mind for when you next had a chance.

As the Drider rounded the corner towards the Potions classroom, a sickening glow could be seen from beneath the door. Rook was quick to throw the door open and you both were stunned as the Harpy came into view.

He was laying collapsed on the floor by a dark inky cauldron that was mostly full, bubbling thickly with a potion of liquid shadows. Next to him was what remained of a lovely crystal vial, shattered and in pieces with more of that viscous potion clinging to the remnants. The potion itself was crawling out of the cauldron, leeching and spreading across the floor before up into the open mouth of the Harpy who lay with a deathly stillness.

You didn't wait for Rook to respond as you slid from his back, running to the collapsed Harpy. Seeing him up close was even more disturbing.

Vil's body had the slightest of tremors to it, as if trying to fight the potion that willingly poured itself into his mouth. His eyes were rolled back, the veins slowly darkening with black as his body weakly shook, unable to fight the aggressive bile. His chest did not rise or fall, stuck and choking on the viscous liquid that forced it's way into his mouth, his nose, his eyes, and anywhere else it could find entrance.

Tears rolled from the suffering eyes of the Harpy as the potion choked and suffocated him, almost whimpering sounds fighting to escape his chest. Who knows how long the potion had been choking Vil as he lay unable to fight back against the liquid taking residence in his body. Given the cauldron was mostly full and slowly moving, he must have been suffocating for only a few moments before you and Rook arrived.

"Vil!" You screamed out as you collapsed to your knees next to him, the black inky substance beginning to slide towards you instead, "Vil, please!"

The Harpy either didn't hear you, or he couldn't respond, too engulfed in the potion that sought refuge in his body. More footsteps let you know that Sebek and Silver had caught up, but you refused to take your eyes off of Vil. The thick potion was at your thighs now, sliding up your skin to seek entrance into your body as more began to gurgle from the cauldron.

"Little one, get back! That potion will take you too!"

A familiar voice you couldn't place at the moment screamed out in stress to you, but you didn't care. If you could take blot from those around you, perhaps you could stop this dark sacrifice from taking over Vil. The blot needed a host, and though it was trying to consume the lovely Harpy, it seemed more drawn to you.

You only had seconds to choose, and you hoped you would choose right.

Lifting the Harpy's body into your arms, you gave the blot the fastest way to be absorbed into you and crashed your lips into his. The potion responded immediately.

That inky darkness drew itself out of the Harpy and shoved back into your throat, the tendrils clawing into your nose and eyes as it abandoned the previous prize of the weakened Harpy and instead chose a new host. It was suffocating and despite how your body convulsed in an effort to stop the liquid, it pushed further. You couldn't stop the gagging as your body filled with the globulous ink that choked you. Still, you refused to drop the Harpy, your arms locking up as the potion eagerly abandoned its previous host.

Darkness swirled in your eyes and consumed your vision, leaving you tumbling down deep into shadows.

~•§•~

The Cervitaur and Raiju attempted to rush forward, to stop or lend aid however possible, but the large Shinigami stopped them. It would do no good to let the other younglings fall to the same potion that now covered and coated their beloved Human. Both screamed and writhed against the firm hold of the Shinigami who refused to let them closer. He couldn't let them throw themselves away so easily, even if it was for the Human.

Rook was able to escape the hold of the Yeti, his legs and flexibly helping him as he grabbed whoever he could to pull them out of the writhing mass of ink. The body he tugged on came loose easily and from it he pulled a shaking and convulsing Vil. Even as he wrenched the Harpy free from the hold of the blot, any trace left on him squealed and rolled back into the larger blob that still held the cherished Human captive.

Any attempt to sink his arms back into the blob were ineffective as it shoved both Drider and Harpy back, refusing to give up its quarry held within. The potion almost seemed alive in how it writhed, slowly losing size and shrinking down as more forced its way into the Human. Clay had to drag a frantic Rook and limp Vil to stop them from being consumed or trying to reach the Human.

"Non! Release me! Mon Trickster-!"

As they fought to free themselves, the collapsed Harpy slowly began to come around. His head was spinning and his very being ached in pain as he slowly lifted himself from the stone floors of the classroom. He looked up to see the inky abomination he created trying to consume the one he longed for.

He did this.

In his desperation to be noticed and finally acknowledged by the soft Human everyone seemed to love, he created a monster. A monster that tried to consume him and choked him so agonizingly slowly he had longed for death before it was being ripped back out of him. That cold pain from the blot was nothing he had experienced before and now he had thrust that suffering onto the very one he loved.

Clay was too busy and too focused on Rook to realize the Harpy had regained himself, unable to stop the feathered student from rushing forward, slamming a heavy lid down onto the cauldron and forcing it to sever the connection between the tendrils of ink and the deep pools of blot inside the cauldron. Successfully severing the link from the source, the remaining free blot screeched and scurried faster into the form of the Human, trying to escape into the limp body.

The potion still inside of the cauldron fought to escape, but a swift binding spell from the elder Shinigami kept it contained as Vil tried unsuccessfully to get that remaining blot away from the choking Human. Escaping through his fingers like smoke, it sank into the skin of his beloved.

"No!"

The Harpy cried and tried to fight the inky shadows that faded from view, settling inside the slightly convulsing body. He couldn't let his own blinded and misguided plans take the Human away from him so easily. To think, the one he refused to harm and longed for the attention of was the one who suffered his arrogant folly.

He had been so consumed by his jealousy that he had willingly sent his own faithful Hunter away on a fool's errand to get components he didn't need, completing his potion without witnesses. The intent was to only have a small bit of that potion, just enough to trigger an Overblot, but instead it latched itself to his face. Vil didn't even have the chance to scream as it flowed into him and choked him, agonizingly slow and bringing all of that negative thought to the surface of his mind.

What a fool he had been!

~•§•~

You felt lost, tumbling through shadows and left adrift in a sea of ink that smothered out all light. Only darkness seemed to remain inside and outside of your body, leaving you wandering the shadows of pain and suffering. Voices murmured and babbled mindlessly around you, the feeling of hands grabbing at you and tearing your soft flesh as if each hand could take a chunk from you for themselves.

Despite how you tried to flail and fight back against the hands, your limbs hit nothing and you felt as if you were thrashing uselessly. Drowning in the darkness that sought to consume you. No hands were touching you, yet you felt like you were being torn to pieces by unforgiving claws.

Eventually the loud wailing of a child came to the front of your mind and you were shoved from the shadows into an unusual scene. Around you were the opulent walls of what had to be someone's home, expensive looking furniture strewn about as if a fight had taken place. Intricate carpets were shoved to the side and lay as haphazardly as the furniture.

"Disgusting little whelp! You should have never been born!"

The screeching voice of a woman compelled you forward, exiting the room you were in to see a truly heartbreaking sight in the next. What looked like a young and downy feather covered Harpy child was sobbing, trying to seek shelter beneath a heavy metal and stone table. His rounded face was almost unfamiliar to you, but the blond and purple ombre hair gave you a good idea who this child was.

Above the table- clawing with hands and taloned feet- was a lovely Harpy woman with vivid purple and blue feathers. She was hissing and seemed to want to attack the poor child that was screaming for help as he hid beneath the table. Though she could not reach him, and did not seem to have the strength to get through the table to get to him, that didn't stop her from trying.

"Mommy, please-!"

The child cut off with a crying yelp as the Woman's talons caught his shoulder, leaving a deep and bleeding cut. His soft downy feathers became sticky with the red blood as he sobbed and screamed. The woman screaming back.

"Do not call me that! Never accuse me of mothering such a wretched and hideous Feral brat like you! You took everything from me!"

"Please, stop, mommy! Please, I'm sorry-!"

"Silence, you wretch!"

You couldn't stop yourself from running forward, trying to shove the female Harpy away as she attacked the child again. As you reached her, your hands and body went right through her and you realized this must have been the same as when you saw Alistair's haunted memories. Instead, an adult hand gripped the Harpy female and threw her backwards, away from the weeping child.

The man who had thrown her looked eerily similar to Vil, only his strong jawline made him more masculine appearing compared to the lovely Harpy you knew. If you had to guess, the two adult Harpies were Vil's parents, and his mother was the one attacking him.

"Don't you dare stop me, Erik, that hideous brat deserves death for what he did to me!"

"Get away from him, Calliope! Vil did nothing to you-"

"That Feral is why I can't have any more eggs! He ruined my life!"

"He is a child! He did nothing to you-!"

The female screeched, this time turning her violence against the Harpy male that stopped her. The two Harpies fought viciously, tumbling out of the room in a flurry of hisses and wings as they battled. Before you could follow, the sudden feeling of something wrapping around your leg made you look down in surprise.

Large violet eyes filled with tears looked up at you, seeking comfort after the painful experience he had at the hands of his own mother. His shoulder above his left wing bled and it was clear the child version of Vil was barely holding himself together. A lost child seeking comfort from the only place he felt he could receive it.

"Vil..."

You couldn't help but fall to one knee, pulling the sobbing Harpy boy close as he whimpered into your shoulder, gripping your shirt tightly in his little fists. He shook and flinched every time another loud bang was heard from the room adjacent where the adults continued to brawl. He couldn't have been a day older than five.

"Please don't ye-yell at me... I'm sorry..! I-" the chick hiccupped and sobbed, his little face flushed with red as he squeezed his eyes shut and held tighter to your leg, "I'll be- be a good boy, I s-swear!"

"He deserves death!"

"How can you say that about our chick? He's just a boy! Where did all of that love go when we incubated his egg?"

"How could I ever love such a wretched little beast? That monster took everything from me! And if you can't see that, then maybe neither of you are worth loving!"

A loud bang followed the hissed argument and the house fell into silence. Young Vil shivered and sobbed into you, slowly fading away from your view and back into the darkness you had been adrift in before. Your time spent in the shadows was shorter, but no less suffocating as you where thrown into yet another scene.

A young teen Vil stood with his back against a wall, his wings wrapped around him to protect himself as other kids of various species threw stones at him. They were jeering and laughing any time Vil yelped from another lobbed stone as they continued to pelt the Harpy.

"We don't want villains like you here!"

"Go back to your tree, Harpy!"

"Get out of here, freak!"

Again you tried to intervene, and again you phased through them unseen and unheard. Part of you wanted to scream in frustration and pain, but even if you did, no one would hear it. Instead, help came in the form of a fluffy white furred boy with an elongated muzzle and bright yellow eyes.

"Leave him alone!"

The other children ran when they saw the Wolf charging at them, scrambling and tripping over their legs as they fled from the other boy. That same boy who stopped once the rest of the kids had run and turned back to Vil, who had slumped to the ground with his face in his hands.

"Hey... Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Go away! I don't need your help!"

The teen grabbed one of the stones that had been thrown at him, halfheartedly trying to hit the Wolf that had helped him. That Wolf refused to leave though, approaching and sitting next to the curled up Harpy who eventually leaned against the furred teen, seeking comfort from the one who stood up for him.

"It isn't fair they treat you like that."

"Haven't you heard? I'm Vil the villain... Of course they hate me."

"They shouldn't! You just pretend to be a villain for movies and stuff, I've seen your work and you are so good at it."

"It takes a villain to play a villain."

"I don't think you're a villain."

"You might be the only one..."

The scene shifted once more, this time going straight into the next scene instead of casting you back into the darkness. This scene was a more familiar one, as you recognized the general layout of a Pomefiore dorm room. It was decorated and even the curtains were embellished in golden designs that gave an air of opulence.

"Why is it never me..?"

The soft voice of Vil as you knew him now almost whimpered out behind you. Turning to see the Harpy, a kind of pity pulled at your heart. His mascara had run down his cheeks as he was clearly crying, glaring into the mirror before him with a deep hiss.

"Why can I never be the first choice for anyone? Why do I always have to be the villain..?"

He gripped the frame of the mirror and rest his forehead against it, his nails digging into the wood of the frame. The Harpy let out a sad sigh, looking back up at his face with a wince.

"My own mother could not love me... Why would (Y/n)? I am unlovable... Hideous, disgusting, worthless Harpy. Completely and wholly unlovable... I do not deserve her affection... I do not deserve any of it..."

~•§•~

Coming back into awareness was painful and sudden, your body responding for you as you flipped from your back onto your front. The convulsions were the first thing you registered, hacking and spitting out mouthfuls of the black ichor. It seemed to try and reach back out to you, wanting to return to the host it had chosen, but blue flames ignited it and burned the squealing blobs. Each mouthful squealed and tried to run from the flames, taking refuge inside of the empty cauldrons the others fled to.

As you finally could take a breath, one more sudden rush of mucus covered ink ran screaming from your throat. This one felt like it took all of your strength just to eject it from your body, the hissing of the blob only louder as the blue flames forced it back and into the cauldron with the rest. A sudden lid came down on the cauldron, chains wrapping around it and sealing the squealing beast inside.

Your arms shook, collapsing beneath you as you fell to the ground, panting down the crisp and clean air around you. Each breath was exhilarating as if you had been starving for oxygen while the blot come to life smothered you. A large hand rest against your back, rubbing soothing circles and lifting you from the cold ground.

The figure slowly rolled you into their arms and you noticed the concerned expression of Papa Hades gazing down at you. His worry sparked a stressed feeling in your mind as you vaguely tried to recall what could have upset him so much. Over his shoulder, Silver, Sebek, and Rook let out heavy weeping sobs, trying to console one another and hold themselves together.

You turned your head away from the group, looking for the Harpy whose darkest memories had played across your vision in some macabre video of sorrow. Vil kneeled next to you, weeping just as heavily as the others. One of your hands weakly reached out, brushing against the cheek of the Harpy who startled from the touch.

"... Vil..?"

"(Y/n)!"

The Harpy almost tried to wrench you out if the hold of the elder Shinigami, pulling you close to him with loud sobs of relief. Despite seeming hesitant of the Harpy, Papa Hades allowed the Harpy to hold you. Slowly you felt like you could move again. Certainly worse for wear, but conscious enough to understand the sobbed words of the Harpy.

"I- I am..! I am so sorry, (Y/n)! I will leave Night Raven College, I will leave Sage Island! I refuse to stay where I could harm you again-!"

"Vil."

"I don't want you to leave."

"... Please..." the Harpy whimpered, "... Please don't yell at me... I'll be good and leave you alone... I swear..."

"... What?"

"Vil, do you really think I would come all the way here in the middle of the night if I wanted you gone?"

"... No."

"You made a bad choice, Vil. Did you even stop to think how Overblotting would ruin everything you've worked to achieve? Have you seen Alistair? Riddle? What would it do to you?"

"... It would make me as ugly outside as I am inside."

You winced slightly, having seen the pain in his heart and the weight he carried. The world saw flawless and immaculate Vil Schoenheit, but you saw a weeping child scorned by his mother for simply existing. An adult with a wounded child hidden away in his heart, longing for someone to finally love him when his mother could not.

"Vil..."

You sighed and pulled the Harpy close, kissing his forehead as he tensed in your arms. He eventually melted into it and curled close, cooing at you affectionately and resting his head against your shoulder. His wings lay over you body and you let the Harpy collect himself. It was obvious that though you had absorbed almost all of that vile concoction from Vil's system, he was still drained physically and emotionally.

"Come on."

"... What?"

"We're going to my nest in Ramshackle. It's not as fancy or put together as your dorm, but I really don't think you should be alone right now."

The Harpy smiled gently and genuinely at this, grateful you were not screaming at him as his heart wouldn't be able to take it. The weight of his actions was crushing him and he felt properly miserable, making it hard to even enjoy the fact you wanted him in your nest. It wouldn't have been worth it and he sees that now.

You noticed only the slightest difference in the appearance of the Harpy, the faintest of deep blacks at the edges of his tail and wing feathers, adding a kind of faint striping pattern down the outer flight feathers. Nothing too outwardly destructive, but a subtle sign of the blot altering his appearance if you looked closely enough.

"It seems yet another data point will have to be added to this study."

[gallusrostromegalus]

Do you have any plans for what happens with Urahara's shop once Aizen is dealt with? I mostly ask cus the other day I binged the AIEWAM tag, then had a dream about the Shinigami using it as a base of operations in Karakura. I don't know if that is likely, or plausible, but it was fun to picture random shinigami doing customer service.

No that's more or less what happens to it!

After Aizen is dealt with, Urahara is facing some pretty significant personal problems: his rejection by the 12th division, being pregnant with his first child (and Yoruichi's nervous breakdown of impending parenthood) and Nihofornia's National Tax Agency finally catching up to him. As a shinigami, Urahara is aware of the many ways to shimmy around death, but there is no certainty like Taxes.

It's Don Kanonji, the most reasonable and level-headed adult in the whole damn fic, who proposes the solution: between his careers of swimsuit model, UN Translator, exorcist and fashion designer, Don is also a Certified Accountant. After going over she shoebox full of miscellaneous receipts and assorted Papers That Might Be Important, Don negotiates a deal with the tax agency around Kisuke's dubious status as a citizen and even more dubious bookkeeping: kisuke will sell the business to someone with a real social security number and pay up a large percentage of the staggering amount of money he owes in exchange for being allowed to rent the building from the new owners and continue his path to legitimate citizenship and no further financial chicanery.

"Okay, but who's going to pony up the cash? I don't have that kind of money!" Kisuke wails, fully in the grip of second-trimester hormone swings.

"Urahara-san. Kisuke. Sandalhat. Buddy. Pal." Ichigo's classmate Keigo sighs, fondly patting the man on the shoulders as he sat down on the couch beside Urahara. "We're friends, right?"

"We're people who know each other's home addresses." Kisuke sniffles.

"Close enough!" Mizuiro waves, sitting down on Urahara's other side. "-and you're former second division, real cloak-and-dagger stuff. So you know that sometimes it's best to not ask so many questions, right?"

Kisuke frowned with growing suspicion. "I might have been..."

"Great! All you need to do is make Tessai clean out the garage, turn the paperwork over to me and Mizuiro, keep an ear on the line to soul society, and focus on getting this place ready for your little bundle of joy-" Keigo smiled, gesturing around the decidedly bachelor padded living room.

"-and don't worry about where this came from!" Mizuiro chirped happily, hefting a large briefcase onto the table with a loud thud that popped open the lid, revealing a frankly alarming amount of cash inside.

"I'm worrying." Kisuke grimaced.

"We very specifically requested the opposite of that." Keigo pouted.

"That's at least thirty grand in there." Don remarked with a casual glance at the carefully packed but decidedly used bills inside.

"There is Thirty-one thousand, two hundred seventy-eight point oh-six Troyen, which is exactly two and a half times this shop's discretionary income last year, and a very generous price for the business!" Mizuiro beamed.

"Why can't you guys use a normal currency like Kan?" Kisuke pouted, trying to do conversion rates in his head.

"Well for one thing, fiat currency is a hell of a lot better than anything based on the value of rice." Keigo nodded. "Though it is kinda stupid that we didn't update the name after we went off the gold standard during world war three."

"There was a third world war?" Kisuke yelped.

"A cold one, back in the eighties. You didn't notice were busy making sure Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki didn't implode." Tessai called from the kitchen.

"Oh." Urahra mumbled.

"Look, it's really quite simple- you'll go on basically as you have been with the candy shop-" Mizuiro smiled with the soothing demeanor of an unexpected adder. "-only I'll be your landlord and Keigo will be your manager!"

Urahra stared blankly at the boys, then looked up at Don Kanonji, who was reading over the contents of the file folder Mizuiro had handed him when the boys came in. "...That can't possibly be legal, right?"

"Hm?" Don hummed, looking up over his glasses. "Oh, yes. The government would really prefer a check but cash is perfectly legal tender to settle all debts with."

"But they're kids!" Kisuke gestured hysterically between them.

"Okay, Mizuiro might be babyfaced but he turned eighteen last spring and I'll be an adult by the time we turn in all this paperwork in April." Keigo groaned.

"And- and this is clearly Mob Money!" Urahara continued, waving at the briefcase of cash.

"Mister Urahara! I would NEVER-!" Mizuiro gasped with great offense. "I'll have you know all this money came from Perfectly Legitimate Enterprises!" He sniffed, arms crossed and lip pouting.

"That's the name of the Mobile Tech Support business Mizu and I have been running since freshman year!" Keigo beamed. "Makes a good packet, you wouldn't believe the kind of tips the old biddies will give a Nice Young Man in a Smart Uniform who scrapes malware off her online mahjong machine!"

Urahara stared at them blankly, gaze slowly tipping down to the briefcase full of money. "I should learn how to use living world computers."

"NO." Every single person in the building, including the shop kids and Ichigo, who had been passed out under the table after training, but was stirred to consciousness by an impending sense of danger before passing out again.

"Killjoys." Urahra muttered, sulking under his hat.

"Regardless, its a perfectly legal and honestly very generous offer for this heap, and as your financial advisor, I urge you to take it." Don Kanonji glared over his glasses at Urahara.

"So what, you boys get a cut of the candy money and rent? Cause that ain't much of a savvy deal on your end. This place runs at a debt."

"Oh no, you can keep the candy revenue and I'll only ask for enough rent to cover utilities." Mizuiro smiled. "What we want is a cut of your commission as a licensed Gotei-13 outlet contractor!"

"...But I'm not a contractor?" Urahara blinked.

"...Do you just. Not read things before you sign them?" Keigo glared.

"Yeah, you're not just in hock to the NTA, the Soul Revenue Service is after you too for running a fake Gotei-13 service center, and bailing on a century's worth of filings by faking your death." Mizuiro frowned at him with concern. "So e of those papers you signed when you resumed your identity and job as captain- however briefly were the result of Captain Kyoraku cutting you one HELL of a parole deal with the SRS, but the agreement was that Urahara Shoten would be the base of operations for ALL the shinigami operating in Karakura, under the direct supervision and control of the Gotei-13 and he sure wasn't stingy with the budget he gave you! Well. The budget he gave me and Keigo to spend since I'd be the property owner and Keigo would be the business owner."

"Aaaand since you also signed the soul society official secrets agreement, it's not like you can ask someone else to buy you out from the NTA, so not only are we your best offer, we're your ONLY offer!" Keigo grinned.

Urahra stared at them blankly. "You've set me up." He mumbled.

"You sent yourself up for this when you failed to do your due diligence when signing contracts." Don Kanonji corrected him, pulling some documents out of the folder and signing them, before pushing them across the table. "Please actually read these before you si- you've already signed them." Don Kanonji groaned as Urahara slapped the pen back down on the table with spite.

"Fine, fine- I guess I'm back to following orders instead of giving them. What do you want, Boss?" He glared at Keigo.

"Put your feet up and finish putting together that gift list for the baby shower." Keigo nodded. "We weren't kidding that your first priority is getting this place ready for baby... Does it have a name yet?"

"...No." Kisuke wilted despondently. "Yoruichi still isn't answering my texts!"

"Hm." Keigo nodded. "Okay, put your feet up, finish that baby shower list and think of a name for the little rugrat. Just leave the rest to us for now!"

"You guys are good kids." Kisuke smiled weakly.

"Would you be willing to make a sworn statement to that effect, so we can have it on file for any future HR disputes?" Mizuiro smiled.

"Absolutely goddamn not." Kisuke glared.

[0sbrain]

here's a list of mozilla add-ons for all of you tumblrinas out there to have a better internet experience

also, if you like my post, please reblog it. Tumblr hates links but i had to put them so you adhd bitches actually download them <3 i know because i am also adhd bitches

BASIC STUFF:

AdGuard AdBlocker / uBlock Origin : adguard is a basic adblock and with origin you can also block any other element you want. for example i got rid of the shop menu on tumblr

Privacy Badger : this add on will block trackers. if an element contains a tracker it will give you the option to use it or not

Shinigami Eyes: this will highlight transphobic and trans friendly users and sites using different colors by using a moderated database. perfect to avoid terfs on any social media. i will explain how to use this and other add-ons on android as well under the read more cut

THINGS YOU TUMBLINAS WANT:

Xkit: the best tumblr related add on. with many customizable options, xkit not only enhances your experience from a visual standpoint, but provides some much needed accessibility tools

bonus: if you are into tf2 and wanna be a cool cat, you can also get the old version to add cool reblog icons

AO3 enhancer: some basic enhancements including reading time and the ability to block authors and tags

YOUTUBE

Return of the YouTube Dislike : pretty self explanatory

Youtube non-stop: gets rid of the annoying "Video paused. Continue watching?" popup when you have a video in the background

SponsorBlock: gives you options to skip either automatically or manually sponsors, videoclip non music sectors and discloses other type of sponsorships/paid partnerships

Enhancer for YouTube: adds some useful options such as custom play speed, let's you play videos in a window and most important of all, it allows you to make the youtube interface as ugly as your heart desires. I can't show a full image of what it looks like because i've been told its eye strainy and i want this post to be accessible but look at this <3

PocketTube: allows you to organize your subscriptions into groups

YouTube Comment Search: what it says

FINDING STUFF

WayBack Machine: you probably know about this site and definitely should get the add on. this allows you to save pages and access older versions with the click of a button. while you can search wayback using web archives, please get this one as well as it allows you to easily save pages and contribute to the archive.

Web Archives: it allows you to search through multiple archives and search engines including WayBack Machine, Google, Yandex and more.

Search by Image: allows you to reverse image search using multiple search engines (in my experience yandex tends to yield the best results)

Image Search Options: similar to the last one

this next section is pretty niche but... STEAM AND STEAM TRADING

SteamDB: adds some interesting and useful statistics

Augmented Steam: useful info specially for browsing and buying games

TF2 Trade Helper: an absolute godsend, lets you add items in bundles, keeps track of your keys and metal and your recent trades, displays links to the backpack tf page next to users profiles and more. look it tells me how much moneys i have and adds metal to trades without clicking one by one oh may god

IN CONCLUSION: oooooh you want to change to firefox so badly, you want to delete chrome and all the chrome clones that are actually just spyware and use firefox

HOW TO USE MOZILLA ADD-ONS ON YOUR PHONE

if you already use firefox on android, you'll know there are certain add-ons compatible with the app, some of them even being made just for the mobile version such as Video Background Play FIx. while most of them are pretty useful, some more specific ones aren't available on this version of the browser, but there's a way of getting some of them to work

you need to download the firefox nightly app, which is basically the same as the regular firefox browser but with the ability of activating developer mode. you can find how to do that here. once you've enabled it, you need to create a collection with all the add ons you want. i wouldn't recommend adding extensions if the creators haven't talked about phone compatibility, but XKit and Shinigami Eyes should work

also, don't tell the government this secret skater move, but you can try using both the regular firefox browser and nightly so you can have youtube videos in a floating box while you browse social media.

see? i can block this terf while Rick Rolling the people following this tutorial. isn't that tubular?

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

Happy Birthday, Pixel (@pixelatedraindrops)!!! 🎉🎂💜

Yuma:Cough, cough... hack! Yakou: Yuma, are you alright? Yuma: Y-yes, I’m fi— cough! Yakou: ...Ah, looks like your fever’s spiking. This is probably the peak. It’s tough now, but once your temperature maxes out, you’ll start getting better soon. Yuma: I’m sorry, Chief... I’m causing trouble for everyone... Halara: If you have the energy to apologize, focus on getting better instead. Here, take your medicine on time. Yuma: Thank you, Halara... Fubuki: Yuma, if you’re having trouble sleeping, I can gently pat your chest for you. They say tapping at the same rhythm as the heartbeat has a rest-in-peace effect! Yuma: Thanks, Fubuki... Wait, what did you just sa— cough! Desuhiko: Yuma! If you can’t sleep, I can sing you a lullaby! Yuma: Cough! A lullaby doesn’t need a guitar, Desuhiko... Shinigami: Good grief, how’s anyone supposed to sleep with all this noise?

Vivia doesn’t have any lines in this scene, but he’s somewhere in the picture. Can you find him?

The description of this picture and the message to Pixel are in the collapsed section below:

--- Once again, Happy Birthday, Pixel! 🎉 I’ve been saying for about a year now that I wanted to make a proper sick art painting someday, and I’m happy to say that I finally did. Haha 😄

I had a hard time deciding what to draw. I really liked your idea of tenderness exchanged in a moment of illness, so I considered drawing multiple scenes and combining them like stained glass. But if I did that, I’d probably have to reduce the level of detail in each one to finish it by your birthday. I didn’t want to go with an ordinary composition either, so I ended up with this perspective—looking down at Yuma lying on the sofa. I hadn’t planned it that way at first, but in the end, it kind of feels like looking down into a crib, and I really like that. hehe

The theme for this project was “messy, but still cute.” I had decided from the start that Yuma would be the main focus of this picture, so I paid close attention to making sure his face looked cute. At the same time, I wanted to make him look as messy and pathetic as possible:

It was challenging to paint a pretty face while also making it look disheveled—hot and sweaty, with tears and a runny nose from all the coughing. To be honest, I feel there’s still room for improvement in that regard. So, at some point, I’d like to try drawing it again from a different perspective.

By the way, you may have noticed that I drew the pattern for Yuma's pajamas based on your design!

I liked the pattern of the key that suited him so much that I wanted to draw it someday, and I finally did it this time. I liked the picture linked above, so I matched the temperature displayed on the thermometer to it:

Oh, and I assume Vivia has moved under the sofa in case something happens to Yuma, so he can take care of Yuma quickly. If I hide Desuhiko, this is how he is:

I also hope he is secretly responsible for putting the tissues on the floor in the trash. (But I don't think he would bother to clean up a full trash can, so that would be left until Yakou cleaned it up... 😂) There are many other aspects of your past work that I’ve referred to, but it would be too much to explain them all, so I’ll leave it at that. Finally, I’d like to show you a time-lapse:

(It may look like the colors were applied in an instant, but in reality, 85% of my work time is spent on line drawing, and only 15% is spent on coloring. So if you fast-forward it, it may seem like the coloring was done in an instant. 😅)

I hope you like the picture (and the little details of the characters)! Wishing you a wonderful birthday! 🫶💕💕

[midnight-in-town]

TOP 10 reveals during the Green Witch arc

Since this arc is airing soon, I thought I’d recap what to look forward to, plot wise, since most of these are still very relevant to the current storyline. :)

10) A new ally

Spoilers for anime-onlies, but obviously Sieglinde's introduction is a big deal. Her genius aside, like Soma, Sieglinde is one of the few characters who has only known our!Ciel and who owes him a lot, which explains why she'd remain a friend and ally to him, in the current arc against real!Ciel.

The fact she's a genius is also extremely plot relevant, because Sieglinde's laboratory is funded by Queen Victoria, which means Sieglinde will definitely play a big role in the series until we get to the heart of the Victoria vs Ciel conflict.

9) Diedrich

Long time hinted at, first real time actually seeing him in action and, man, did he serve !

Despite his grief, he's a genuinely caring evil noble, because he promised Vincent, but also, because he simply cares that a kid like Ciel has to shoulder this burden. That's why he immediately chose to side with him, instead of his own army : patriotism, who ? Friendship is the real deal.

He's also one of the few characters who may have known that our!Ciel was lying about his identity, considering he never called him "Ciel", which means that he might remain an ally of our!Ciel in the current conflict between the twins.

8) Finny's backstory

Finny's the first servant to have his backstory revealed, because this arc happens in Germany, but also because Finny has similar circumstances to Sieglinde. Both of them were "experiments" of the German military, Finny with enhanced strength and Sieglinde with intelligence, creating new weapons.

The bond between Finny and Ciel is revealed to be deeper and a more emotional one than we could imagine, as Ciel is Finny's savior and Finny would even stand against Sebastian for his sake.

There is also the possibility that our!Ciel gave Finny his birth name that he discarded 4 years ago, making that bond even more significant if this turns out to be true.

7) All the servants in action

Not seen since the Circus arc, will not be seen again until our!Ciel runs away from Scotland Yard in the current arc (and will probably be seen next time against bizarre doll!Snake T_T).

We had many badass moments, for all of them, showing how much they want to be helpful to their master, which is heartwarming. Bonus point for Dee's remark :

In other words, Tanaka aside, Vincent didn't have a household full of talented fighters.

Finny's backstory and standing against Sebastian also proved that the servants are all definitely devoted to our!Ciel, making them his most secured allies, which will be hella significant (as we now know) when real!Ciel returns (and in case there is one day a conflict between Seb and Ciel).

6) More development for the War subplot

This story has different subplots (the main plot being Ciel's path to revenge) and this one was introduced back during the Murders at Manor arc :

Queen Victoria is said in the story to be a visionary (*cough* thanks to Brown being a supernatural being *cough*), reigning over the most powerful Empire in the world.

Twice now, she sent her Watchdog to thwart Germany's military achievements (when Ciel saved Finny and again during the Green Witch arc), to say nothing of her interest in bizarre dolls as weapons.

German Shinigamis also commented on the possibility of a massive world war being launched soon and it seems clear Victoria is preparing for that.

For now though, our!Ciel positioned himself as a threat, because he managed to convince Sieglinde not to give the Queen the formula for the SuLIN gas, which is what she was mainly coveting.

This means that our!Ciel probably has a huge part to play in avoiding the launch of WWI, 25 years early (could even be why he might be judged worthy, should he...ahem... die).

5) Family tree and special lineage

Ch103 made a lot of noise when it was released, between hints of real!Ciel's existence, the reveal of the birth & death dates of Claudia and Vincent, contrasting with the absence of dates for Cedric K. Ros-, thus the theory that it could be the Undertaker's previous identity.

On top of that, it's also in this chapter that our!Ciel noticed the German Shinigamis, despite them hiding, when Seb couldn't, implying the existence of a Phantomhive lineage very useful against supernatural beings.

In fact, to this day I remain a strong advocate of the theory that the Watchdog's duty is the Phantomhives' burden because of their special lineage.

4) Shinigamis' origins

The GW arc is also when we got the confirmation that Shinigamis were once humans and that other deserters besides UT exist.

The implication that the Shinigami system is an unfair one that deserters like UT might be trying to take down also started with this reveal and could be, as some of us theorized, very significant to the current arc.

3) Our!Ciel's inner guilt

The GW arc was a painful arc for Ciel, because it triggered some traumatic memories that left him lost inside his own head for a few days. A peak into his mind in ch95 showed that our!Ciel feels guilty about many people's death...

...and that it's why he bears with the contract, giving up hope for a happy future, because he's the one who made that choice 4 years ago, for his own sake.

2) The Undertaker's tearful moment

The arc started with our!Ciel trying to find info about UT and questioning Klaus about him. But Klaus turned him down, saying Dee would know more, because he was an evil noble before Klaus was.

So it was quite memorable when it turned out that UT had visited Dee, not long before our!Ciel arrived in Germany. xD

And while we can question what he was doing there before going to France (trying to sell bizarre dolls as weapons to Victoria's enemies ? or recruiting Shinigami deserters from these countries ?), what mostly struck is UT's reaction to seeing a picture of Vincent during his Weston days :

Obviously, this scene was a big hint about real!Ciel being turned into a bizarre doll, but also to the bond existing between UT and Ciel's family (aka the possibility that he's Cedric K. Ros).

This scene also confirmed that, unlike real!Ciel, Vincent can't be brought back as a BD, because his body (which is where the cinematic records remain) is too damaged.

This begs the question : was the fire, which destroyed the manor, started to damage Vincent's cinematic records, 4 years ago ? Not because of the bizarre doll project, because it didn't exist yet, but rather to hide who actually killed him and Rachel ? Food for thoughts.

1) Initial sparks of a possible conflict between Seb and Ciel in the future

A part of the fandom loves to joke about the "90% serious" incident that happened during this arc, but actually, comic relief is often used by Yana to hide a darker truth.

As far as Seb is concerned, him being 90% serious about eating our!Ciel's soul means he was more than ready to end it then.

This proves that Seb doesn't have Ciel's best interests in mind (in case anyone had doubts lmao), he just acts by the 3 rules of their contract, as long as Ciel still has his path of revenge well in mind.

Their dynamic is a chessgame that's been ongoing for the last 4 years and this indeed means that...

...Seb is the one Ciel trusts least of all, because a simple lack of focus can be deadly for him. So there might come a day when our!Ciel questions if the contract is really what he wants, but before that day happens, he will need to deal with all that inner guilt first.

For more details, please read these posts :

Rise of a possible conflict about the contract between Seb and Ciel [part 1] [part 2]

About Ciel’s inner guilt and how it might eventually cause a conflict between him and Seb

Thanks for reading ! Looking forward to more commentaries about this arc by Yana-sensei and Editor K, as the anime airs !

[fangirlingpuggle]

Very very dumb Bleach AU idea where Ichigo(at full power basically soul king level) goes back in time to fix everything ends up way further back like young captain commander time, he's able to fully kill Yhwach and prevent him doing anything at all, no sleep no future quincy war, he also gets involved in making soul society...more so just vetoing anything like central 46 because nothing involving them ended well, and should make things easier and less likely for anyone to manipulate.

He travels around for a bit making sure everything settled and no other persons gonna try to take over the world before not really knowing what to do... when he next checks in on soul society gotei 13's all established and everything seems to be going well, but when he checks in on captain commander he's like 'Well we need someone in charge'

'Isn't that you old man?'

'I can't be fully in charge of all of soul society I run the gotei 13... no we need someone else to run soul society'

'...'

'...no'

Ichigo is now on the run from all the captains who are trying to get him to take over things because a) he's insanely powerful b) he's actually good and not corrupted and will actually care about people and not just the nobles c) He has common sense.

'DON'T YOU HAVE THE SOUL KING FOR THIS?'

'Ichigo I am still convinced you are the soul king'

'I'm not!'

'You haven't aged a single day in the hundreds of years i've known you and you literally bitch slapped Ywatch into oblivion, you also seem to have all the powers..ALL OF THEM'

'...I...I...I mean your wrong... bit I do get it'

And this goes on for centuries Ichigo tying very hard not to have to rule soul society and convince people he isn't the soul king. Only her keeps ending up doing this because he keeps ending up adopting younger versions of captains and others. (It started with the captain commander sending little Jushiro, Kyoraku and a tiny feral Unohana to stop Ichigo he just went big brother mode... he is the one person Unohana will listen to and not try to murder...well when she tries to murder him it's more a game then an actually murder attempt)

Just Ichigo who ends up being big brother to like all of Seireitei, he doesn't age at all but even when the others get older them him still totally see him as their big brother. Him always having at least one or two following him around like ducklings.

Some hollows figuring out how to evolve to arrancar naturally... Ichigo was in Hucheo mundo for a while and his weird reality breaking powers might have affected things. Shinigami are totally chill with them because all of them have seen these types of hollow powers before most grew up seeing Ichigo use them casually. (Also Unohana wants to fight them)

Well until Grimmjow shows up and him and Ichigo are fight flirting just being very weird and all of seretiei are ready to give a shovel talk. Captain meetings are them plotting 'Big brother can do way better'. Captain commander is just watching all this amused.

(None of them realize Grimmjow thought process is

'Wait if I date Kurosaki I get to fight all of them... OI KUROSAKI WE'RE DATING NOW!'

'...WAIT WHAT?')

[renguro]

Now that S2 is almost over, I wanted to finally get out that post talking about all of the insights and things I did, learned, or other fun stuff about the countdown pieces I made. I still have something in mind for the S2 finale, so maybe if you read (or skip) to the end I'll have a preview for you?

Oh god here we go One day I was coming home from work and decided to check how many days there were until the new season released and I found it was 7 days. So I did all of these in 7 days. Literally everyone was worried about me because I did nothing but draw for those 7 days.

... Except for when I went back to work. I worked I came home and then drew until I literally couldn't anymore lmao. I remember being dazed and exhausted after the Clock Keepers and my dad came up to my room literally right as I finished and asked, "Have you gone to sleep?" And I said, "NOPE! :D" I was living on energy drinks

I'm also 90% sure this started the "ren you're doing too much you need to chill the hell out" thing with me and my friends now

When I was doing these, I had only read the first ten volumes of Hanako-kun at the time, so I was stopped right in the middle of Picture Perfect. I had the second box set, but I just hadn't gotten the time to read it since I got it for Christmas. That means I didn't know Shijima's full deal, and I didn't even know Hakubo's name, so I was winging it hard.

All of the full pieces are linked by clicking their names :)

NO.7 HANAKO

You can tell from the speedpaint I was struggling hard with the pose lmao. I honestly felt like the one I chose was a cop-out and didn't feel energetic enough, but the time crunch got me. At this point, I was also really unsure about how I wanted to treat the colors, because I'd only just started dipping into seriously studying how Aida does it. So many references. And him wearing basically all black didn't help I wanted to scream. I was TRYING to keep everything as solid colors without falling back on overlay and multiply layers, but I got desperate. Still looks pretty good I think.

My favorite part was probably the hakujoudai and the detailing on his collar/shoulders! If I were to edit anything, I think I'd put more on the bottom half of the background because it feels a touch empty. kinda killed it on this pant leg and his hat tho

NO.6 HAKUBO

Like I said, I had no idea who Hakubo was. For the first half of things, I couldn't even find his name, I was just calling him "Shinigami-sama..." I wasn't going to go trampling into spoilers just for references either, so I was freaking out on what to do for the background. All I knew was that there was something to do with lotuses or bugs, and already having an idea of where I'd take Tsuchigomori, I took the lotus route. I uh also hope I didn't make his face too feminine. I don't know why but when drawing male characters who are larger or more built (even if it didn't turn out obvious in this piece) I somehow keep making them look like butches.

Shading his hair was the most fun part out of all of this, I usually never draw characters with hair as short as his, so it was a fun challenge! I'm also just a sucker for kimonos and flowy clothes. He was probably one of the most fun ones for me, even if he was so early on. I LOVE the texture I got on the skull. (even if it's technically too small.)

NO.5 TSUCHIGOMORI

Tsuchigomori onwards ALL used this sticky note full of thumbnails I drew at work for reference. Yes that is a note next to him that says + cuntier. He was also drawn on the same day that I did Hakubo, so I managed to buy myself some extra time.

I was so excited for this one because I could see it so well in my mind's eye, until I realized how many hands I'd need to draw. And then I sucked it up and locked in because I love Tsuchigomori. I'm so pleased with how I worked in more of the blues into the shading and his hair. It was at this point that I think I was understanding how I wanted to take the colors for all of these pieces! I enjoyed doing the fun trick I learned with the weave on his sweater and the spiderwebs where I drew a thick like and then erased the middle. Nearly forgot the markings on his forehead too lmao.

I wonder whose black book he's reading?

NO.4 SHIJIMA

Oh Shijima. I truly had zero real clue about her, and I managed to dodge spoilers about Mei even when I was looking up references. That's why she's painting using her paintbrush clone haha. It's still cute though, so I'm keeping it. Her hair kept giving me trouble because it's the kind of hair you draw and don't really realize just how big you're drawing it until you have to fix it. Actually, I'm having that exact issue on what I'm working on right now, and I'll fix it after I take a break.

I dug up a comment I made while I was working on it and I still stand by this.

There's also something a little odd about the positioning of her chin that I was too exhausted to fix, and I SUPER fudged the coloring on her hair. Also I really didn't know what to put in the background OTHER than the atelier, but I can't really draw buildings! So uh! The exhaustion was beginning to set in after 3 days of this. (Since Hakubo and Tsuchigomori were done on the same day. I didn't keep that time advantage for long though.)

think i fudged it okay, though.

NO.3 MITSUBA

I was struggling on Mitsuba some because that thing where you see/read something and then forget about it only for it to arise as something you think you did happened. That pose I thumbnailed on the sticky note was WAY too close to the official Hell of Mirrors standee/art. Luckily I contain extreme Mitsuba bias (shocker) and I was able to figure it out. I had a ton of problems shading his coat just like I did with Hanako. It's so hard to keep things from melding together when you've mostly got them wearing black.

It's an odd thing to be proud about, but I feel I did the best on the.. Legs of his pants, the chains and lockets, and the eyes and teeth on his jacket. That and the ribcage scarf. I'm really disappointed in myself for the background and his hair, if I'm being honest. I wanna fix his eyes. I STILL haven't figured out his hair either too. Which makes me even more surprised that my friends said, ren, your bias is showing on this one because I was like IS IT??? ARE YOU CERTAIN?

his hand turned out nice too and did i mention i had fun on the ribcage

NO.2 YAKO

I sketched the first initial draft for Yako on the same day I drew Hakubo and Tsuchigomori, but when it finally came time to sit down and draw her? I realized there would be so much empty space where I couldn't have fun with colors and it'd just be the white back of her kimono, so I turned her around and scrapped the idea of her fox form curling around her. I couldn't fit fox Yako in, and I'm STILL kind of bummed about that.

The flow of her hair was so much fun to figure out, as well as the patterns on her kimono. I'm really happy with the background, combining the aspects of the Misaki Stairs' original version and the one after she's been removed from her seat with the spider lilies. The lilies themselves are a little fudged if you look too close, so... Don't look too close? :3

loved the kimono. every bit. can't believe i had her turned around.

NO.1 AKANE/MIRAI/KAKO

MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT THIS WAS THE COGS IN THE BACKGROUND SORRY AKANE'S FACE BOTHERS ME I NEED TO FIX IT ONE DAY HE LOOKS TOO OLD I WAS LOSING MY MIND AND THE EXHAUSTION WAS KILLING ME IT BEGAN MY HATE OF DRAWING AKANE'S HAIR BECAUSE *GESTURES VAGUELY*

Uh okay some good things to say about this one... The colors were a ton of fun to figure out how to place, and I think I at least did a good job on that part. Shading gold things is always really fun! And at least Akane's ponytail was fun to make flow, I was riding the high from Yako's hair here. I think I got a lot of that fun flowy movement in here, which I'm pleased about. This was another one that my friends say turned out the best, again that I'm ??? about.

these cogs are my everything

FINAL THOUGHTS + EXTRAS

All of the kanji's colorings for their numbers were taken directly from the anime! I don't really wanna get rid of that fun reference even if in like, Tsuchigomori's case the colors are REALLY different from the main piece.

Most of the first day was spent on, Hanako of course, and then setting up the frames for everyone else to go into. I spent money to get the patterns to go on the colored part, actually. Constraining everyone to the frames helped a LOT in terms of balancing myself and made it fun to choose what elements would stick outside of them. If I pushed for entire full backgrounds, then I would have been doing even worse.

I was on the ropes at the end. I was half dead and drawing like I was possessed. And the catharsis of it being done and it all looking acceptable just. Ough. I don't know if I'll ever have a high like that again. There's an evil, evil part of me that says, ren! redraw all of them for s3 under the exact same constraints! And shit I might but I'll complain about it. I think it's more likely though that I go back and doctor them up some so I can print them as standees. Probably just for myself, but I do want to build a stock for artist alleys.

I had so, so much fun overall even if it was so much it really could have put my already bad health in more danger. I learned so much about coloring, lineart, framing things, and I really attribute my gauntlet to the explosion in my art progress. That, and my sheer adoration for this series. Am I rambling? I just love TBHK. It's only been 5 months since I first discovered it and it's done so, so much for me.

Even if you went and scrolled through all of this nonsense, which I don't blame you for, here's a little preview of what I'm trying to finish by next week for the finale.

I can't believe we're on the final episode! It's so close now, and it keeps flooring me how little time has really passed. I'll try and push to get SOMETHING else done before then, but we'll see. I've got so much I want and have to get done.

[colourstreakgryffin]

I have a little suggestion 😔 Buuuttttt If you could…. could you write for human Ryuk for death note? You gotta hear me out though

You know what… I’m fine with this. I’ve always had Ryuk as one of my fav Death Note characters so why not? For real, for real… he’s so hot in this form! He went from badass and scary to precious hottie

Ryuk- Master of Trickery

Instead of Light, you’re his human and his notebook holder. Ryuk can’t deny that you’re interesting and he is gonna enjoy following you around through your time using his Death Note. In his Shinigami form, he doesn’t really notice how he looks and just excuses it. Suspecting you’ll be fine with him

But you’re curious what Ryuk really can do so when you two are finally alone in your bedroom. You ask Ryuk openly what powers he has, how Shinigami work and whilst Ryuk isn’t that enthusiastic since he considers it boring, he obliges

When he mentions he can transform into a human disguise, that lets him be visible to humans, besides you, as well. You immediately play with the fire that is Ryuk and ask him if he can demonstrate this shapeshifitng ability of his for you

Ryuk wasn’t planning on this when he dropped his notebook onto Earth… he’s been asked by his new human to transform for them? Well. He does it anyway since he suspects it may be fun to troll people with it so he puts his big clawed hand over your eyes

And in a flash. This monstrous yet unique shinigami is now an attractive tall man with pretty black lips and a style that matched the infamous detective, L. Your eyes sparkle with shock at your Shinigami’s transformation as Ryuk lets out a comment that he hasn’t redone this in such a long time

Ryuk noticed the way you gaze at him with surprise and awe, commenting snarky about it but mainly feeling his bare chested self, his baggy slightly undone trousers hugging his humanoid hips as both of you are impressed by the almost Frankenstein stitched patchy skin pieces on his body. He looks like a human but still… a Shinigami

Ryuk does decide to perform this feat again. Pranking you with it, he’ll transform into his human form then putting on a bunch of makeup, stealing the Death Note and pretend he isn’t Ryuk when you ask him. It’s hard to tell since he put a lot of heart into these types of pranks on you

Ryuk needs his apples, even in his human form, so people around him, who can now see him, find him odd for how much he is downing just normal red apples eagerly whilst you and him are at the grocery store

Ryuk cringes badly whenever anybody makes a mention that you and him must be a couple. He isn’t interested in any humans but damn god, he does enjoy the way you seem attracted to his human form. It’s a nice ego boost

Ryuk mainly transforms into his human form and heads out in public with you during your vile little plans to kill your targets as to stay on the back and do as you ask by not showing off his shinigami side, should you let your victims touch the notebook, but it’s not like he minds. He feels handsome like this

Ryuk also takes full advantage of all the girls who admire him in his human form, liking to annoy you by flirting and playing with humans that are drooling all over him. It’s nice, so entertaining and he won’t let you pull him away from it

Ryuk doesn’t use his human form transformation as much as one would suspect, from a guy like him. Mainly because he is too accustom to his Shinigami self that being human feels odd but it doesn’t mean he won’t do it to make you and other girls flaunter over him, for the fun of it

Ryuk does tease you a lot for finding his human form attractive… like, a lot, he doesn’t ever shut up about it. He’ll make you regret ever asking him to demonstrate his abilities… since well, that’s Ryuk

“Eh? What’s with that look… oh. You like the goods; my skin, my eyes, my hair, ‘mm? You’re just as nasty as those other humans. I enjoy it, keep looking”

[impuredeeplove]

The Birth of the Beast. (pt.1)

Pairing: Yandere Ryuk x female reader.

Warnings: body horror, non-consensual pregnancy, murder.

(If I forgot something, let me know)

Summary: You - a young woman - wake up in an abandoned hospital, your belly swollen and pulsing with something inhuman that with every movement steals a little more of your sanity. After escaping from the hospital staff who seemed a little too interested in the thing inside you, a certain shinigami comes to claim paternity of your child.

You wake up - disoriented and confused - in a hospital room covered in spiders, the smell of freshly applied antiseptic did not cover the predominant musty smell, the combination of the two hurts your nostrils and the artificial lights of the cold blue lamps - your only source of light in a windowless room - make your eyes water with burning and sensitivity as you look at the peeling walls of the room.

It was not the sudden pain in your skull that put you on alert nor was it the fear of waking up in a supposedly abandoned hospital room, it was the great change in your center of gravity that chilled you to the bone. With trembling hands, you dare to touch the large and full curve of your stomach that seemed about to explode with the disturbingly stretched skin.

the thin hospital gown didn't do much to hide the supernatural appearance of swelling, it did even less to ease the sensation of burning cold and scorching heat that came from your belly, an unexpected movement that came from inside you was enough for the agony to explode through your senses, the thing - it couldn't be human, it was impossible to be human - inside you seemed to be tearing you apart from the inside with every movement, with every bastard attempt to imitate a movement similar to that of a baby.

At the moment the only thing clear in your mind is the primal fear that paralyzes you at the thought of this parasite that was struggling, not like a baby, but like a creature formed with sharp claws and teeth that scratch and tear your insides as if to ensure its own survival it was necessary to devour yours.

Your mind damaged by the agony goes in and out of consciousness, before everything goes dark, you hear hurried footsteps in the hallway - voices of perhaps doctors and nurses whispering - the shrill sounds of medical equipment beeping so loudly that your skull feels as if it is going to split in half.

The next time you regain consciousness you are fully strapped down and restrained on a stretcher, still disoriented you look up and the sight that greets you fills you with dread and lucidity in seconds - there are doctors all around you, doctors with crazy eyes holding scalpels and knives ready to disembowel you like you were a frog stuck with needles in a biology class. Your screams and shaking did nothing to ward off the madmen around you, death seemed inevitable until a grotesque sound came from the mouth of the doctor closest to you as he clutched his chest and fell, for a second there is silence before chaos reigns and like flies every man and woman in the room drops as if some god has personally ripped their souls from the prisons of flesh they inhabit.

As if by magic, the ropes that held you came loose - but as if they had been torn off, leaving you free, with your mind full of adrenaline and fear. You didn't stop to think about what had happened and quickly - as fast as a pregnant woman could - you dragged yourself out of bed.

As you got off the stretcher, stains of a viscous, dark liquid - not like blood, but like tar - ran down your legs, leaving a trail across the hospital floor. The agony of climbing the stairs made you sob, finally finding a door and discovering where you had escaped from: you had fled from a room in the basement of an abandoned hospital, you were in an abandoned hospital.

Or supposedly not so abandoned, if the footsteps and screams coming from the same direction you had just left were any indication.

Your belly distorted in a non-human way, alternating between sharp protrusions and soft contortions, as if the creature inside you was alternating shapes, choosing which would be the most suitable to be born, regardless of the shape you can feel teeth nibbling on your insides in a disturbing attempt to suckle

as if by a miracle or divine protection you manage to avoid your pursuers and hide in some room on the 3rd floor after dragging yourself up the stairs, not that you needed to hide anymore because from afar you could hear your pursuers choking before their bodies fell after a presumed heart attack, the back of your mind whispers information about a killer named Kira, but your survival instincts push this vague information back to the back of your mind

after confirming yourself alone you gather the courage to drag yourself back to the ground floor towards the exit in search of your home, the path through the streets of Tokyo is disturbingly deserted and without a living soul for the capital that is so alive even at night, mercifully there are no witnesses on the street to witness your state of frenzy and debauchery

cutting the path and avoiding the main streets you walk through empty alleys you drag yourself towards the building where you live, climbing the stairs in a weak imitation of the crawling of a worm you reach the door of your apartment, everything seems the same as if you had left a little later than the usual time for work

but nothing made sense because you had not left for long, a few days, and you returned with an empty mind and a disturbingly pregnant belly despite your virginity, driven by the desire for a little order you crawl to the bathroom and when you take off your hospital gown and dare to look in the mirror the sight that stares back at you in the mirror is worthy of a Hollywood production of a horror film.

[kiame-sama]

Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 14

(For those that don't know, this ^ is Papa Hades. For the sake of the story, Papa Hades is platonic and not romantic. If y'all really want to hear about a romance with Papa Hades, it's gonna have to be a non-canon spin off ask about it.)

Warnings; Shinigami ancestor has entered the arena, yandere, multiple yanderes, platonic yanderes, romantic yanderes, varying degrees of yandere levels, monster men, various monsters mentioned, TWST AU, mention of injury, mention of blood, Rook is obsessed with the human's feet, sparing use of French, feisty reader, Shinigami, Crow, Hellcat, Vampire Bat, Dragon, Cervitaur, Drider, Harpy, Selkie, Gnoll

~~~~~~~~

"Hello, Little One."

Standing before you was a very tired and almost sad looking man. Despite how softly he spoke, his voice was a deep baritone that almost shook the walls around you. He reminded you a lot of Idia and Ortho, meaning this was likely the one they had all been taking about, Hades.

The Shinigami was taller than Idia and had to look down at you in order to fully take your appearance in. Streaking down his pale and almost gray cheeks seemed to be what looked like shining blue tears that stained the soft skin a dark color, yet sparkled like the night sky. His flaming blue hair was short compared to Idia and seemed more the length of Ortho's hair. Wrapped around his shoulders and body was a black mourning shawl that seemed to have light trapped within the fabric itself.

He was handsome.

"Um... Hi?"

He examined you, kneeling down in front of you to get a better look at you. His golden eyes held a kind of spark in them that spoke to his interest in you and you wondered just what that interest was. Crowley said he was kind to Humans and loved them, but did that mean he loved Humans as pets or as equals? Could any of these men say they saw Humans as equals when they were clearly much stronger and more adapted to survival in this world?

"I am Hades Shroud, the ancestor of the two you know as Idia and Ortho. It is a pleasure to meet you, Little One. Many an age has passed since I have last held conversation with a Human. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?"

"It's (Y/n) (L/n)... Are you going to take me away from here?"

"I would rather not, but it doesn't seem particularly safe for you here either. It would be safer for you to live somewhere more secure."

You frowned at this, feeling your nails bite into the couch beneath you as you felt more than a little unnerved by the large man. Crowley said Hades took away the last Human that lived in Night Raven, but you didn't want to go anywhere especially if there was a chance you might be able to go back to your true home. There was also the fear that he wouldn't let Grim come with if he did wind up taking you away.

"I'll fight you to stay here."

"... What?"

"This is my home now. I don't care how dangerous it is, I want to stay here. I would rather go to my original home, but that doesn't seem to be an option for me right now. I don't want to go anywhere with anyone I don't know, and I really don't know you. Grim is here. Tsuno, Silver, Sebek, and Lilia are here. Rook is here. Divus and Trein are here. Ace and Deuce are here. Even Headmage Crowley. Everyone I know- and can trust- in this world lives right here, not wherever it is you want to take me. I'll fight you if you try to take me from here. It won't be a long or glorious fight, but a fight it will be."

Hades seemed almost taken off guard by your declaration before a soft noise escaped him, much like a soft chuckle before it evolved into a full laugh. The sound was unusual as if he had not laughed in a very long time and had almost forgotten how. Everyone seemed surprised by his mirth, none moreso than Idia and Ortho as they looked absolutely floored, but clearly the confusion of the others did not bother the old Shinigami.

"Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm not laughing at you, Little One. I'm laughing because only a handful of those I have interacted with in the past thousand years have deigned to try and pick a fight with me, let alone a verbal joust. Most scrape and bow- even my own descendants- but not you, clearly. I won't take you from here, if that is what you truly wish, but goodness knows I have no interest in fighting you. Something tells me you would win that battle."

He smiled gently at you and you almost relaxed in response. Grim frowned from where he was laying in your arms, not really trusting anyone who you didn't trust. As the cat-beast looked up at you, you pet his forehead to soothe him and he began to purr gently. The movement of your hand drew the Shinigami's attention to the blue eyed beast that watched him warily.

"Is this the young forest beast you have adopted? Crowley tells me you found him in the woods when you first fell into our world. I expected a weasel by his description, not a young Hellcat. I would never expect to see one of those outside of Tartarus."

"Wait," Idia interrupted, "did you say a Hellcat? Like a genuine 'out of the flames, a Shinigami's best friend' Hellcat?"

"So it seems. Hellcats aren't native to the land of the living like this. No wonder his wings are so torn up, most forest beasts would easily slaughter a kit like this."

Grim perked up almost instantly at the Shinigami's words, his little wings spread out wide in surprise. He stood up from your arms, his tail waving excitedly and eyes shining with emotion.

"Wait... You know what I am? Where- where I'm from?"

"Yes. You're a Hellcat kit, probably only a decade old judging from your lack of horns, hardly even old enough to be away from your mother. It is unusual for any creature native to Tartarus- even Shinigami- to be beyond the realm of the dead, especially when I myself did not let them through, but the fact that you're alone tells me quite a bit."

"A Hellcat..?"

You pet Grim's forehead, smiling at the now confirmed to be kitten. It was easy to tell he was young but you were glad to now know how young and maybe even get confirmation about what he was. He seemed excited to finally have answers for what may have caused him to be left in the forest however long ago.

"May I?"

Hades asked, holding his hands out to Grim who looked first to you for approval. You hesitated for just a moment, pulling him close before you nodded. Feeling conflicted, you lifted the kitten into the large hands of the Shinigami who smiled gently at him. He quickly looked over the many scars of the soft creature and at the ruined wings with a slight grimace. A certain softness had taken over his expression before he hummed out his assessment.

"Poor little kit. He's even younger than I thought. Truly, he shouldn't be away from his mother at this age. Hellcat kits often stay within their mother's territory well into their adult years, but this one isn't even near the age to leave his mother's protection. He will get much bigger than this when he enters his juvenile days."

"You do realize you're not allowed to take him either, right? Grim is my boy and I am not giving him up."

"I know. I have been told he is your companion and friend, a chosen child you've taken on. I won't be taking him either. It is unusual his mother is nowhere to be found, as they are fiercely protective of their young, but there's no need to remove him from the mother he has. We can talk later about what could be done to try and repair his wings."

You held your arms open and Grim happily jumped back into them, affectionately bumping his forehead into yours with a loud purr. It was great news to find out that Grim could possibly get his wings back. The topic of his wings have been a sensitive spot for the little Hellcat ever since you met him.

Idia's words rang in your ears as you remembered what he had called the old Shinigami. Despite your willingness to fight him for your right to choose your fate, he had been polite and kind to you. It sounded like he was only interested in what you wanted, which was a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of the beast men you'd met so far. Why not show a bit of trust?

"That is amazing news! Did you hear that, Grim? Papa Hades said It might be possible to fix your wings!"

The world turned near silent for the Shinigami as two familiar words he had not heard for centuries from a Human voice rang in his ears. A certain warmth filled the ancient being's chest and more tears fell anew down the streaked and stained skin. How long he had wished to hear those words again from a Human, and now he finally got them once more.

"Now then, Little One, young Idia has informed me of the attempt made on you by a representative and his reasoning for why he believes it happened. Let us discuss this matter as it directly concerns your wellbeing."

You didn't seem to notice the profound impact of your words as you cuddled your Hellcat, but Idia and Ortho did. All of the monster men standing around you saw the gentlest smile and warmest look on the Shinigami's face as even his hair seemed to breathe a new life in how brightly it burned. The impact of just a few words was clear as it deeply soothed the ragged pain in the Shinigami's heart.

Thousands of faces looking up at him adoringly as they chirped out their greetings. A thousand faces that returned screaming. For just a moment, the old Shinigami could forget the wailing souls that came to him and simply remembered the joy they once held for the ancient death God.

"Right, those scrubs won't realize how rekt they are now that Papa Hades is zeroed in on them. Oh, right, (Y/n), I also have your new collars primed and ready for you and Grim... I only have the condition that I want to hold Grim to put on his collar."

Idia held out his hands expectantly with a wide grin and Grim sighed, his ears laying somewhat flat as if annoyed but he didn't argue against the suggestion. His response told you Idia likely held onto him when he was showing the Hellcat the new additions to your dorm. Not thinking, you stood up with your weight on your leg and let out a hiss of pain, feeling the stitches strain and the wound start to weep.

The sudden sound of your pain unsettled the men around you as Malleus and Lilia both rushed to your side. Lilia made you sit again and picked up Grim, handing the Hellcat to Idia. Grim didn't complain and instead looked worried as Malleus' hand began to glow with green magic. As his hand drew close, the pain numbed back down to a dull throb.

"There. You know better than to be standing on that injury, child of man."

Malleus gently scolded you as you sighed, looking away from the chastising Dragon to glare at nothing in particular. He was right, but that didn't mean you weren't annoyed by his nannying. Still, Malleus was the main contributor to your comfort as it was his magic that soothed your pain.

"I know. I just forgot in all this excitement."

"Well, I shall remain right here to ensure you do not forget again. Now what is this I hear about a representative?"

~•§•~

You sat in the Pomefiore ballroom with three of the many monster men buzzing around you. Divus was helping Vil sew in the hemming on your new top, the tall stool you were perched on helping the two meticulously work around you. Rook lay at your feet, having been measuring your ankles, leg length, and feet for what seemed like just a bit too long. After your rather quick introduction with the ancient Shinigami, you received a text on your phone requesting you come to Pomefiore for the 'design team'- as they have named themselves- to properly fit your new outfits.

Despite your desire to stay and talk more with the elder Shinigami, Crowley insisted you go with Grim and Silver to Pomefiore. Malleus wanted to come along as well, but decided to forego in favor of learning more about Idia's findings on the poachers. Instead, Ortho came with the three of you so that at least one of your official guards for the week was with you and could relay updates back to the group in Ramshackle.

A slow and almost appraising stroke up your leg had you frowning and looking down to the Drider at your feet. Rook has long since put down his tape measure and now just held your leg, his leather gloved hands cupping the heel of your foot and his other hand was somewhat stroking the arch. His eyes seemed darker than usual as if his pupils were slightly too big for his iris to contain them.

"Désolé, mon chérie. Your paws are so unusual they've somewhat captivated me."

"Rook," your voice almost startled the Drider whose fair cheeks blushed a fierce red at being caught, "are you still measuring for the socks and shoes, or were you doing something else?"

"Feet, Rook. Those are called feet. Paws are more like that of a cat or a dog. Do other species not have feet like mine?"

"Non, not even shadow folk or Genies have these feet. Most of Twisted Wonderland's species have paws, talons, hooves, or even flippers. Shadow folk and Genies are somewhat similar in shape, but even they have pads on their paws. These," he gestured to your foot, which was still resting in his hand, "are wholly unique. They would take an equally unique design to properly warm and protect them. Simply being thorough in my inspection."

"Right, so thorough you are petting them?"

"W-well," he looked much more flustered than you expected at your accusation, "I just wanted to know if your feet responded the same way talons would or if they were like the paws of driders."

"By... caressing them?"

It was then Vil interrupted, sparing the Drider your questions and taking your attention away from his boon companion.

"There. The hemming is finished. Sit up straight for me so I can make sure it's even. After that, we can move on to the next one."

You did as the Harpy asked, turning back to Rook whose legs had started moving. At first you thought he was just shuffling his spider legs back and forth, but you realized he was actually actively weaving what looked like a sock around your foot. The spindly spider limbs moved quickly, seeming to knit around your foot and up your leg.

"Wait, you can knit with your silk?"

"Oui. The clothing you wear now was all made from my silk. Drider silk is commonly used for clothing, as the silk strands are durable and don't often form holes. We had to craft these ensembles for you from scratch, most tailors make clothing better suited for the likes of Vil and I- with extra room for limbs and varying morphs. Due to your Human figure, it is better to make our own designs for you."

You hummed in response to his words, feeling a slight magic tingle cover your skin as your top changed from the fitted one to a new design that had yet to be fitted. It seemed Vil was content with the hem on the top prior and now moved on to another. Rook worked quickly as you found one sock already done, the Drider moving on to your other leg and being much more gentle to not move it too much as it was your injured leg.

"Careful, Pup, if you break her stitches I will not hesitate to give you detention."

"You wound me, Roi du Selkie! I take great pride in how gentle I can be, I would never harm her."

"Yes, well, take care to remember that before you drool over my pup's flippers again."

You almost laughed at how swiftly Vil and Divus scolded the handsome Drider for his clear interest in your feet. It was interesting to know that Human feet were unusual in Twisted Wonderland and you vaguely wondered if seeing your feet awoke something in Rook. Regardless, you allowed the three men to continue their endeavors.

"So... Let's say for arguments sake I wanted to take pictures of myself and post them, would that be a bad thing?"

"Don't be silly," Vil scolded, putting pins very carefully into your sleeve to hold the shape, "we would have even more poachers seeking your head."

"But if Cater already blew the whistle, how much worse would it be to post pictures myself? Everyone already knows I'm here."

"It-"

Vil cut himself off, pausing with several pins sticking out of his mouth as he considered your words. It was true, Cater already decided to post pictures of you and news outlets ran with that image. Activists have already posted that image anywhere they can as to why you should be taken away from Night Raven College because of how unsettled you seemed in the impromptu picture. You had a point.

"Something to think about, I guess."

You went back to focusing on Rook who was almost done with the long socks. Despite how you thought the webbing would be sticky or even stiff, the fabric behaved and sat like cotton yet looked and felt like silk. Part of you was thoroughly surprised to realize this fact as you examined the socks on your legs and the intricate designs on them. How the Drider managed to make them on your legs, you'll never know.

"I'll bring it up to Crowley later, after the representatives have left."

Divus spoke gently, giving you a reassuring smile that you returned. The Selkie man was kind to you and had been the one to patch up both of your major injuries. Clearly, if anyone could be trusted among the staff with your wellbeing, it was Divus.

"Now, we need to work on your pants, skirts, and dresses. I'm going to permit you to stand up so long as you hold onto Rook and keep weight off of that leg."

Rook stood from where he had been resting on the carpet at your feet, holding out both hands to you patiently. The darkness of his eyes only seemed more intense as you took his outstretched hands, leaning on him and letting him help you into a standing position. The Drider moved his hands under your elbows allowing you to lean into his hold and put more weight on him than your leg.

"Don't worry, Mademoiselle Trickster, I've got you."

~•§•~

You sat back in Ramshackle next to Idia, a controller in hand as you finally had the chance to play the promised videogames. It was later in the day now and you were finally allowed to leave Pomefiore after what felt like countless new outfits and fittings. When you returned to the building you hadn't been expecting Hades to assure you he could handle cooking, wanting you to just play games with Idia and Ortho. Lilia even joined in a few rounds despite how odd it felt to see the older Bat Fae absolutely dominate the game.

After a while, you started to forget the worries of the recent events and just focus on what was in front of you. A game that you could play and take your mind off of things. The room seemed to change to the general atmosphere as a kind of magenta light seemed to accent the regular lights. You were tempted to look around for the source when a familiar and almost stressed cackle split through the air.

"Ruggie! Shit, he doesn't know about-!"

A harsh yelping sound made you quickly stand and rush into the kitchen, the pain in your leg be damned as concern filled your mind. Even as Lilia attempted to stop you, you ignored the Bat Fae and hurried to where the yelping originated. What if Hades responded to Ruggie's usual food seeking behavior the way that Lilia did that first morning? You absolutely did not want anything happening to the Gnoll and knew you would feel responsible if he got injured somehow.

"Don't hurt him-!"

You started, almost sliding around the corner where you saw the elder Shinigami was regarding the yelping and flailing Hyena silently. Ruggie had fallen back and was scrambling back on the tiles until he was up against one of the lower cabinets, still yelping like he had been burned. Once he caught sight of you he scrambled over and behind you, another stressed and panicked cackle escaping his muzzle.

"(Y/n)! I thought you were cooking and boy, let me tell you, I was not expecting one of the freaking Seven to be here!"

"Are you okay, Ruggie?"

"No! I had the fright of a lifetime just now."

"But are you hurt?"

"The only thing I've wounded is my pride."

You breathed out a sigh of relief as the Gnoll confirmed he was alright, but as your heart rate fell back into normal range your leg resented your panicked actions. A faint red began to bleed through the wrap around your leg and the clothes you had over it. Judging from the almost tight strain of your skin and the sharp pain from your sprint, you likely pulled a stitch.

"Hey, you aren't bleeding... Are you? Because it smells like you're bleeding."

"... I am."

"Don't tell me you messed up your leg coming to check on me!"

"... I did."

"Leona's gonna be so mad at me for that. Why'd you go and do something like that anyway?"

"Because you were yelping like you were being killed!"

Ruggie seemed embarrassed now as he realized he had been making an awful lot of noise given not an awful lot happened to him to warrant the noise. Still, it was nice to know you cared so much about him.

"A friend of yours, Little One?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Papa Hades, I thought that- well, it doesn't matter now. Ruggie is a usual face here. He always shows up when I'm cooking and I've been feeding him since. Shoot, you're probably starving, aren't you Ruggie? I've been out of Ramshackle and in the infirmary, so you probably haven't eaten in a few days."

Ruggie whined, as if trying to make himself seem truly pathetic and pitiful. He even went as far as to sigh dramatically and rest a hand on his sunken stomach.

"I mean, I've eaten the dandelion and tree-bark diet a lot before, but it certainly isn't those nice meals you make."

"... Papa Hades, could you..?"

The elder Shinigami nodded, already seeming to know what you were going to ask of him and added what seemed to be an extra helping to what he was making. He had been told of the Gnoll by Crowley long before this meeting and he was interested to see you behave so protective of the Hyena man. Gnolls were known for their hunger of Human flesh before the extinction, so seeing a Gnoll not pounce even with the smell of blood in the air was impressive. He certainly didn't expect the Gnoll to scream the way he had- especially since the Shinigami didn't do anything other than look at him- but it was understandable the Gnoll would be surprised.

It wasn't everyday someone with the reputation and history of a literal God was standing making dinner.

"So... Papa Hades, huh?"

"So, Leona, huh?"

"... Point made."

"Hey, Ruggie... Could you... Bring me back to the lounge area? I have to go be scolded by Malleus, and Lilia, and everyone else for ripping a stitch."

"I guess I can, seeing as you ran to help me and feed me most days."

The Gnoll was quick to pick you up, almost awkwardly cradling you in his humanoid arms as he padded back to where an annoyed Malleus was waiting. Hades watched the two of you go, smiling ever so slightly to himself as he returned to his task. You already exceeded his expectations and proved that others cared quite deeply about you. Maybe he was wrong to assume Night Raven College was unsafe. Certainly not as secure as it could be, but given enough time and a helping hand, maybe you could be truly happy and safe here.

Really, that was all he could honestly ask.