#but actually he's being manipulated by someone else

[nottobehornyonthemain]

Ok, it’s actually very simple.

Will is the protagonist, but he is not the hero.

Jack Crawford is the hero and he is fundamentally good.

Jack Crawford’s enemy is Hannibal Lecter, but he doesn’t know that because he thinks his enemy is the Chesapeake Ripper.

Hannibal is not always the Chesapeake Ripper, but no one else is allowed to be, because to take someone else’s place is Rude.

Bedelia DuMauier is not Rude by Hannibal’s standards, so she believes herself safe, and she is until she takes Will Graham’s place, then she joins Randell Tier and Francis Dolerhyde, in making Will Graham feel as though he is not Unique, then she is fair game to be hunted.

Hunting is different from fishing because the concepts of Stalk vs Lure.

Garrett Jacob Hobbs is a Stalk, and Will kills him as such despite the fact that Will is actually a Lure, but so is Abigail. Will is god, but not Jesus, except for when he’s Abigail. Hannibal is the Devil except for when he’s god.

Alana and Abigail both make deals with the Devil, which they know will eventually lead to their deaths, but Alana isn’t divine, she is always human, so Hannibal looks more human when she’s with him, but Will looks less human when she’s with him because she accentuates where he fails.

Will is a dog, but he isn’t a dog at all, he’s a wolf.

Margot is a horse but she isn’t allowed to run free until she’s a human, but she is not divine, nor is she good or evil, which is why Alana gets close enough to break her curse.

Mason is a pig amongst pigs, and is not even fit to be eaten, unless it is by something as vulgar as himself.

Gideon stole someone else’s identity, so he was forced to watch and partake in the systematic deconstruction of everything that made him himself.

Hannibal is the Wendigo, because the Wendigo is his true nature, but he is not the Stag, however sometimes the Stag is the Wendigo, because the Stag is a representation of the relationship of two people and Hannibal is never really Will, even when he’s pretending to be, but sometimes Will is Hannibal, and sometimes they’ve become too conjoined to tell apart.

Miriam Lass is Jack’s greatest failure, because she was an innocent he threw into the jaws of a monster, and she came back forever broken, but then Jack’s greatest failure was Bella, who was not a failure at all, just someone he couldn’t save, which to him is the same, although her loss is without spectacle or bloodshed, and then Jack’s greatest failure was Will, first in not believing him, and then in ignoring all evidence in order to believe in him out of guilt, but not trust.

Fredrick Chilton strips away the dignity and autonomy of others, so he gains the gift of an identity he tried to pawn off, and the destruction of his own body while he survives to bear the next indignity.

Freddie Lounds speaks truth, but she also lies, and is often believed.

Hannibal lies and is believed, but he also speaks truth and is not.

Will lies through not telling the truth, the deepest truths he speaks are ignored until it’s too late even though he is expected to know all truths.

Molly is no one and nothing, until Will, and then she is alone in a world of monsters.

Hannibal desires attention, and to be admired for being clever. Will has the ability, but he doesn’t have the initial desire because Hannibal does not interest him.

Will does not have a desire to be understood, but he does desire to be seen as unique.

Chiyoh has mastered the balancing act. She can kill, but does not overkill, has been manipulated, but not blinded, understands, but does not overstep into claiming to know, she can see violence as love, but she understands the abnormality of that, so she survives and gets to walk away without a scratch on her.

To love is to accept death, whatever form that takes, your partner’s, your own, those your parent has caused, or the ones you have caused.

It makes perfect sense that the most absolute form of love is to cause death by your partner’s side, and wish for both of your deaths in return.

[yanderes-galore]

Naruto Uzumaki romantic Headcanons if you please~😊

I'll try! I haven't finished Naruto but I think I have a good grasp on his character. Enough to give him general HCs at least.

Yandere! Naruto Uzumaki Concept

(General Concept - Shippuden Era)

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, Clingy behavior, Stalking, Delusional behavior, Fear of abandonment, Violence, Possessive behavior/Jealousy, May be canonically inaccurate, Kidnapping, Isolation, Biting, Forced relationship implied.

Naruto, like most protagonists or heroes, falls into the protective yandere category.

He has expressed a want to feel validation by his community.

He's also rather dedicated to saving people, even if they used to be foes or have become foes.

Hell, most of Shippuden he's trying to find ways to save Sasuke.

While Naruto is often loud and mischievous, he's very caring.

I imagine, towards a crush, Naruto is naive/childish.

He hasn't actually been in a relationship and spent most of his childhood hoping Sakura likes him.

So when he gets a new crush, he's still relatively new to the idea of actually being in a relationship.

Naruto is insecure about himself and his strength to protect at times.

That and he may also be nervous about his obsession not liking him.

Naruto's a sweetheart, don't get me wrong.

Although he tends to work extra hard to impress his obsession.

In his youth he was used to competing for attention.

Any attention was good attention, which is why he pulled all those pranks.

With his obsession, even when older, he still feels he has to compete to have your attention on him.

Which leads to some passive aggressive, if not hostile, moments with other people.

He's competitive in nature.

He was always like that when he was younger, especially with Sasuke.

Overall he's a competitive yet protective yandere that would do anything to be acknowledged by his crush.

Although, I'd also argue he can be possessive due to Kuruma.

A personal HC of mine is I think, due to him having the nine tails inside him, he expresses animalistic behavior when worked up.

I believe we actually see this in the show when he gets worked up, he ends up tapping into the fox's chakra.

So, imagine if he snaps, he does the same thing?

It could be anything from you getting hurt to someone taking you from him.

Maybe it involves the Akatsuki, or some other threat.

That or maybe it can happen on a smaller scale where his pupils change and he growls a bit when jealous?

Either way, times like those are terrifying because he can drop his restraint just enough to cause damage.

After he drives off someone he perceives as a threat, he no doubt has some blood on his clothes and skin.

Not only that but no one can pry you away from him once he latches on.

Naruto is dedicated to protecting since he's scared to lose you like he did with those closest to him.

There would be times when he defeated a foe or even multiple foes to protect you.

By the time someone found you two, Naruto would be tightly wrapped around you, growling at those who get too close.

It's hard to ignore those orange pupils of his, ones so much more animalistic and feral than his usual blue.

There's times when Naruto can be an animal when it comes to protecting you.

He's lost too many close to him and hates the idea of being alone.

It's natural he'd cling to you, right?

As I said before, Naruto would try to be sweet with you.

If someone else was hitting on you, he'd try to do it better.

Someone else giving you a gift? He can do it better!

Someone inviting you to hang out? Well, he's already made some plans!

Naruto may even be a bit delusional.

For example, if you invite him out to eat or train... He'd take it as a date.

He'd be so overjoyed, too.

You want to date him! Yes!

He's been waiting for so long.

Although, if you try to clarify later, he ends up giving you puppy eyes.

"What do you mean we aren't dating!?"

He'd be so distraught... he may even get you to attempt a date with him just to make him happy.

Naruto also seems like a very affectionate yandere.

He'd want to hug you and kiss you all the time, nuzzling into your neck whenever he sees you.

I can't help but think he bites, too... only when upset, though.

Would Naruto kill over you...?

... perhaps.

I think he'd only make any sort of attempt at that if they were a threat and were going to kill you.

Even then, he'll have to snap for that to happen.

He doesn't kill out of jealousy.

He more just ends up aggressive, growling at those too close like some sort of feral fox.

Would he kidnap?

If he's scared he'd lose you, I can see it.

He'd probably start by saying he's keeping you somewhere for your own safety...

But, surprise!

Now you're chained to a bed and he's already asking excitedly about dates or even marriage.

He's so delusional at times he doesn't realize you dislike the situation.

He's so busy cuddling you and "protecting" you that he doesn't realize you're scared.

That or he ignores it.

All Naruto wants is to be loved and protect the one he loves...

He'll do anything to have you all to himself...

If it means trapping you in a shared home to protect you... or if it means getting blood on his hands... he doesn't care as long as you're all his.

[sheigarche]

girl shut up

I'm going to assume this is about Life is Strange because that's what I've been talking about the most in the last 2 months and I don't think any of my other fandoms would be bother by my posts.

So here are some hot take ideas for LIS posts I've never made because I thought it might upset some fans, but maybe I shouldn't be so quiet about it after all.

Pricefield vs DE

It seems like everything in Double Exposure was deliberately written to justify Chloe breaking up with Max.

Chloe showed that she was paranoid that Max may be using her powers to manipulate the relationship to make it work and that's exactly what Max did to Amanda and got call out for it in the end.

She also expressed how Max is unable to let go of the past and is haunt by it. So most of the game we see Max (and the player) holding on to it and struggling to move on until the very end. Some fans still can't do it and doesn't want Max to do it, but that's exactly why Chloe left.

Many people didn't realize it, but Max was struggling to establish herself as a real photographer in the years she was with Chloe, but quick became famous and recognized in the years after they broke up.

To me that's the game trying to sell the idea that they are better off without each other.

Chaseprice

Victoria and Chloe's posts in DE don't show anything explicitly romantic, it could just be friendship, but the intention to make it look like something more is pretty clear to me.

The writers chose sentences like "can you handle it, Chase?" and "I'll buy you a beer" on purpose and know exactly what the players will think of it.

Besides Victoria shows a desire in going from wherever she lives to see Chloe, and then Chloe makes plans to do a little detour to go see Victoria. Whatever this relationship is, they're making it work long distance with effort on both sides. Mutual interest.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the sequel we see one post or two subtly hinting that they're actually together. A picture on Crosstalk, maybe a comment from someone else on their posts.

Hell, I can even imagine an art gallery event of some sort where Max is invited and can bring her chosen love interest and Victoria is there with Chloe as her date... And that's how the devs manage to have a natural last conversation between Max and Chloe in person to give closure to their relationship.

And I kind of expect Victoria to come to them at some point, a little jealous or just proud of her girlfriend.

Langfield

Some people keep saying that Max wouldn't be interested in Vinh... But that's wrong.

The reality is that it was the first game's choices and Max's journey is what makes them fit together so well.

Yes, okay, maybe 18-year-old Max wouldn't like this emotionally dry 28-year-old Vinh. Maybe 18-year-old Max would have liked way more to know the enthusiastic drama student 18-year-old Vinh, who dreamed of being an actor.

Now this 28-year-old Max, full of traumas and complexes knows enough about life to see through 28-year-old Vinh's walls and realize that he is not dry, but afloat and barely keeping himself together. That's why she can really connect with him, as a friend or more.

It was the traumas and secrets that made her interesting to Vinh, just like his traumas and regrets are what make Max interested in him.

They fit together because they share some similar emotional experiences and they know how the other might be feeling in certain situations. And when they are together, they can laugh about it, have fun and be themselves, even if just for a moment.

Amberprice

Honestly I left this fandom years ago without shipping Pricefield or Amberprice, because of some reservations about Chloe's character. But now I'm back because of DE and I decided to finish Before the Storm... I can't get Rachel out of my head!

Seriously, what's this magic in their scenes and why can't I stop watching them on loop?

I always thought I had a crush on Max, but I actually have a crush on Rachel Amber of all characters. Maybe I am Chloe Price all along 😂

You know a ship is good when it changes your perception of the characters.

[sairenharia]

Honestly for a show all about monster of the week being based on people having a bunch of emotions they don't know how to deal with, Miraculous is absolutely allergic to ACTUALLY dealing with any heavy emotions, which is rather necessary for doing a damnation arc.

Sure! Sometimes you can have side characters have their own character arcs without a lot of big emotions tied into them. Find out the wimpy kid decides to become a firefighter! The wallflower becomes an manipulative witch! You can do that with side characters.

But Chloe is not just any side character even if they want to pretend she is. Outside of Marinette, Adrien, Gabriel, and Nathalie in later seasons, Chloe is THE character we know the most about and experience the most emotions with. We go through more hardships and developments with her than Alya, Nino, any of the alternative love interests. We see Chloe actually try to change and grow and struggle to figure out how to be nice. We see her try.

And then Miracle Queen rolls around and this is supposed to be the moment Chloe falls. She is irredeemable now! She worked with Hawk Moth and everything! Never mind Chloe wouldn't even work with him without her parents freed FIRST. That despite how angry and spiteful she was with Ladybug, she would not work with a man who was using her parents. You know, those self same parents who agreed with her when she said she didn't feel any love by saying she could only love herself. Her parents sensed love in her and said it couldn't be for anyone else.

Never mind we know Chloe doesn't really love herself much by her own admission of being useless.

A damnation arc could have WORKED with Chloe, but the only way to do that is to get into the heavy emotions. Get into the fact Chloe wasn't actually getting a lot of help in changing. How any attempts, even if humored, were still treated with suspicion. How no one ever took her attempts to be helpful seriously.

For a damnation arc to work with Chloe, they have to acknowledge that everyone around her FAILED her because the only way to damn someone is to believe they could have been better.

And the fact was, Chloe was working to be better, and only broke because she felt like no one believed in her.

And you know what? That could have been a great story! It could have been a powerful story! But that means saying Chloe isn't solely to blame.

Because the story as the show is TRYING to tell us it is (even if that's not what they're SHOWING by a long shot) is that once a bully, always a bully. Which wouldn't be a such a bad thing.

If Chloe wasn't literally the character outside the main duo and main villains we have invested the most time into. You give Dash Baxter from Danny Phantom superpowers, and he does some heroics, and then he does bully things the next day, and that's fine because we haven't spent literal episodes watching him having moral conflicts and trying to get better! You can tell that story!

But you can't do that with a character the audience has invested in. You have to give emotional payoff. Trying to tell the once a bully, always a bully story with Chloe doesn't work because we know why she's a bully, and we have seen her able to improve with a little help.

Now you could say 'she tried to be better, but found she couldn't get the will to do it' (which I think is bullshit because Chloe is arguably the most strong willed character in the whole series), but you have to EARN IT. And to do that, you need the heavy emotions. And you could have even done it in Miracle Queen.

It wouldn't have been great writing, but it was doable with a little more effort.

By actually having Chloe and Ladybug having a WHOLE ARGUMENT right there. Having Ladybug just go 'wtf, Hawk Moth is our enemy?' and then listened to Chloe go off and just did the narrative version of a SHRUG about it. Let Ladybug try to appeal to her and have Chloe so caught up in her own issues that she just utterly refuses to be reasoned with. It would be in character and show there was some belief in her so she COULD be damned.

But no. Ladybug is just 'yeah, okay, I guess Chloe can just be like this, I just want my jewelry back.'

And worse when Adrien does the same AND CHLOE IS HIS FRIEND.

And then the narrative just...not acknowledge Chloe was willing to work with Hawk Moth. Adrien doesn't rethink his friendship with Chloe after this, but because she was being a bully over a movie?! Adrien, you almost got thrown into the SUN, that's your breaking point?

Chloe can't have a damnation arc, because no one is even disappointed in Chloe having failed.

Because with the way the narrative treated it, no one was surprised she failed. Like they all EXPECTED it to happen, that's how much they straight up did not care she did it.

And what kind of satisfaction is someone supposed to get from a story like that?

The sad part about post-S4 Chloè is that it can make narrative sense: first there's the Miracle Queen screw up that, once she realizes what she did, makes her want to just leave the city and go to New York where nobody knows her, then her way out is snuffed out as a side effect of the same event that triggered Miracle Queen, then, while she's still reeling, her mom has her sister come in as an apparent replacement... Her life got completely upended, her lashing out at everyone and acting like a stupider version of her old bullying self while Hawk Moth and Lila manipulate her is actually good writing.

It's so close to being good writing if this was treated as intentional and tragic but no they hammer in how she's just dumb and evil

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Rewatching season 2 had me really struck by the sheer amount of time Will spends performing for other people, and how few fully authentic interactions he has. In fact, I’d say one of the biggest through lines between the first and second halves of the season is Will learning how to wear masks, and then actively deploying that for the purpose of catching Hannibal.

(And how fitting is it that the promo for season 2 had Will wearing the iconic hockey mask? Not just a franchise in-joke, but a reflection of the fact that he “becomes” Hannibal in this season, begins to symbolically merge with him, to the point in which his own goals become clouded to him.)

It's a natural extension of season 1's establishment of his empathic abilities, where he begins to more actively use his ability to read other people and discern their motivations as a tool, or weapon. Simply telling the truth about his innocence doesn’t serve him - so he adapts a façade very quickly, in his faked tears for Hannibal and Alana. All of his interactions with others while in prison - Chilton, Lounds, Matthew Brown, etc. - are very deliberately engineered, and lean into what Will knows (or thinks) each person wants to hear - all setting the stage for him doing the same thing to Hannibal. Every word, everything about his intonation, is so precise - something that specifically struck me in this stretch of episodes was when he talks to Gideon and very carefully leans forward as he’s trying to drive his point home:

(And the body language, interestingly enough, is not just persuasive, but also mirrors the way Gideon sometimes leans/dangles his arms out of the cage when talking to others - and it reminds me of Will also mirroring Hannibal’s body language during the “not now that I finally find you interesting” scene, when he bites his lip in the way Hannibal so often does.)

It really highlights how so much of how he interacts with others during this entire stretch of the plot is a very carefully crafted performance, with so many of Will’s actual feelings and motivations subsumed into his manipulations. I remember watching the DVD commentary on Su-zakana, and they talk about how Will’s visible surliness with Hannibal was meant to stem from the fact that he didn’t want to be too friendly with Hannibal right away, because it would look suspicious. And I think that gets at something that’s present with how both Will and Hannibal manipulate others - they’re not necessarily lying about their feelings, just consciously using genuine feelings or motivations as a method of influencing others. With Hannibal, he frequently does feel genuine affection for others, and his care for them stems from that, but it’s also often used to put them at ease, serve his own ends. Will, for his part, is genuinely angry with Hannibal, but actively uses those feelings to fashion an aura of standoffishness. And of course, Hannibal has a genuine pull for him, and he deliberately leans into and cultivates that enjoyment for the sake of entrapping Hannibal. …Which of course leads to a situation where he has to put on a show for Jack as well, in which he downplays how deep into it he’s getting.

So it’s entirely fitting that the opening of Mizumono features the two halves of Will’s face - the front he’s presenting to Hannibal, and the front he’s presenting to Jack - merging, mask-like, in the middle of the screen.

They’re both the real him, and they’re both masks - and he gets so subsumed into his performances for others, the modulation and accentuation and sublimation of his feelings that they require, that he gets lost to himself (and is also terribly lonely and isolated). No wonder he’s confused and unmoored in early season 3.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

All he knows is flirt with men and lie.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[baalzebufo]

One Star, Brighter than the Rest

y'know what. im probably not gonna get around to writing more of this because im lazy but if it sits in my drafts forever nobody will see it so im posting this fic/drabble/thing. THIS IS for my demon gideon au.

Gideon, at the end of his rope, calls Bill to make a deal. But Bill has bigger plans. Much bigger plans.

---

‘I'm finally ready to make a deal.’

The walls of his solitary cell seemed to shift then, as the buzzing in his ears grew into a wild cacophony of laughter. Gideon stumbled backwards away from the chalk sigil on the wall, his vision blurring and swimming as the dream came into being. The crude drawing seemed to pulse, its single eye blinking. Then, a massive beam of light- Gideon shielded his eyes, and the moment his vision returned he was hovering there before him. Bill Cipher.

‘WELL, WELL, WELL! Look who came craaaawling back!’

---

The triangle squinted at him, throwing his hands up and watching the child flinch at his voice. Gideon felt his back pressed against the cold stone wall of his cell. He had no time to respond before Bill sprung forward.

‘Geez, you look haggard, shortstack! What's wrong, the warden giving you trouble again?’ His tone was mocking- his tone was always mocking. ‘One of your prison buddies finally got fed up and try to shank you? Oh, wait, my bad. That’s supposed to happen next week! Haha!’

Gideon swallowed hard. He couldn’t let Bill get to him. He had summoned HIM- he’s the one in control. He wasn't playing second fiddle to Bill, not now, not ever. He balled his hands up into fists and steeled his nerves, stepping forward with his nose in the air.

‘Listen to me, demon! I called you here because I- I want to make a deal!’ He glared up at Bill with an unearned confidence. ‘You messed up my plan last time, but I'm givin’ you one last shot to prove yourself to me! Y'all're gonna break me out of this joint!’

Bill's eye widened then, before he threw himself backwards into the air with laughter. Gideon seethed. His arms shook as he puffed himself up, standing on his toes. ‘Are you LISTENING to me? Do you want to make a deal or not!?’

He grit his teeth until Bill calmed down, wiping a tear from his eye.

‘Ohhh, kid! You're KILLING me here! You’re really killin’ me!’ He shook himself from side to side, tutting disappointedly. ‘I gotta say, your lack of imagination would be funny if it wasn't so sad, Gideon.’

‘My-’ All at once, rage flared up inside him. ‘WHAT?’ He roared, fully ready to throw one of his tiny fists into the ‘face’ of that smug isosceles jerk-

‘Don't you GET IT, KID?’ He hovered down to Gideons level, put one arm around his shoulders and tugged him in close. ‘You got a personal genie right here, and all you wish for is to get outta prison? Did you even READ my entry in that book you had? You’ve got NO idea what I’m capable of, and here you are, askin’ me for something you could do with one lousy prison riot.’

He patted Gideons shoulder softly. ‘Look, I get it! You’re probably just worn out from all that hard prison labor, aren’t ya? Your mushy little human brain isn’t working right! So I'll cut you some slack just this once. After all, we’re buddies, aren’t we? Haha, yeah we are.’

Gideon froze up, pushed himself out of Bills grasp. He squinted- then frowned. What was he getting at, here…?

‘What are you ramblin' about?’

Bill's laugh cut through him again. ‘You gotta think BIG, shortstack. Sure, I could help you outta this jail, or I could give you the power to do it yourself. I could make you just like ME!’ Bill threw wide his arms and little sparkles flew from his palms.

Gideon blinked, his jaw slightly agape. Bill took his stunned silence as an excuse to carry on his pitch.

‘I've been working on something special while you've been away, and I've got it all figured out! I could make you a bona-fide demon, kid! You could get my powers with all the perks. Think about it- getting into the nightmares of everyone who's ever crossed you, tormenting their every waking moment! Phenomenal cosmic power, right?'

'You're basically the perfect candidate, too. I mean, look at you-' He gestured vaguely at Gideon- for once in his life, speechless. 'You're almost crazy enough for it. I mean, hey, I saw that time you nearly gutted Pine Tree with those shears! In front of his sister, no less! That was DE-LUXE, kid. No hesitation. You've got the murderous ambition to really go far.'

'Honestly, you're probably the only person in this lousy town who could HANDLE this kind of power. So hey, just this one time, let me make YOU a deal you can't refuse! Haha!'

Bill blinked at him- ‘Wink!’ and held his hands out wide. If he had a face, Gideon could tell there would be the biggest toothy smile plastered on it. He swallowed.

Bill was dangerous. He knew this much. He knew you should never- ever- trust a demon at it's word. And yet...

‘You're insane.’ He muttered, shaking his head. ‘You can't do that, it- it just ain't possible.’

‘Gideon, REALITY IS AN ILLUSION. What's ‘possible’ is whatever I WANT to be possible!’ Bill drifted, floating upside down as he spoke. ‘I defy the laws of nature just by EXISTING, so who's to say I can't do anything I want? You're talking to a criminally insane triangle, kid! Start BELIEVING. Here, let me help you.’

Bill snapped his fingers, a teal flame shooting up from his hand and forming a portal of sorts- within it, figures started to form. Gideon saw…

He saw himself.

He saw himself laughing. He was wreathed in flame yet somehow still cast in shadow in the middle of a chalk pentagram, his five-pointed star burning bright. Gravity Falls around him lay in ruins. He stood in the burning husk of what was once the Mystery Shack. The Pines lay crumpled, crushed beneath burning timbers. The smell of ash and blood thick in the air.

And hovering before him, as if in a deep fairytale sleep, was Mabel.

Sweet, sweet Mabel.

He saw a vision of his victory. All the power he had ever wanted coursing through his veins. Everyone who had ever slighted him was dead by his hand. And his only love- she was all his, forever.

His vision reached out, took her hand so gently. He could almost feel her hand in his, her skin so… so soft. He hadn't felt it in so long. His hands shook, and he reached out.

And then, the vision erupted back into flames with the click of Bill's fingers.

Gideon stood, spellbound, holding a breath he didn't think he could let go. The teal flames still flickering in the back of his mind.

‘Yup, I knew you'd pick up what I was puttin’ down, kiddo.’ Bill flipped himself upright and straightened his little bow tie.

‘It’s about time you got everything you deserve, isn't it?’

All at once, Gideon seemed to snap out of his stupor. He blinked, shook his head. He took a step back again, swallowing down the lump in his throat. No- no… this had to be too good to be true. The devil was a tempter, he knew this much. But if there was a chance- the smallest chance- that this future could come to pass... He hardened his expression as best he could, trying to gain back his swiped upper hand.

‘But wait.. what would you get outta all of this? There's no way you'd be helpin’ me just outta the ‘goodness of your heart’… if you even have one of those.’

‘HAHA! You got me there!’ Bill swiped at him playfully. ‘But I'll have you know I have at least NINE hearts, and several other heart-adjacent organs! Wanna see?’ He wiggled his fingers before sticking one hand straight down into himself- a horrific CRACK sounded along with a spray of what looked like television static, a horrible thick black something trickling out to the floor down his arm- up to the elbow in his chest. It took all of Gideon's willpower not to scream.

‘Answer the question!’ He snapped. Bill huffed, let his hand flop out of his body- the relief when he didn't drag some sort of horrific organ out was palpable. He brushed himself down, the wound closing as easily as it had appeared.

‘Okay, sheesh! Keep your hair on.’ Bill rolled his eye, leaning forward. ‘Obviously, I wouldn’t do it for free. We can do a trade. I’ve got some stuff I need to finish up in the physical realm, see. So I’d just-’ He mimed jumping with his fingers. ‘- hop on into your body for a bit. Temporary possession.’

‘My body-!?’ Gideon clasped his hands over his heart, realizing his back was pushed against the wall again. Bill wanted to POSSESS him?

‘Yeah! Geez, you look like you’re going to pop an ulcer, kid. You wouldn’t be in it, obviously!’ He scoffed. ‘We take you out, put me in, you get all my powers an’ I get to use your chubby little hands to finish some personal business. I won’t even keep it that long. Think of it like a vacation! And when I’m done with it, you get my powers for keeps. There’s basically no downside!’

Bill floated down to the floor and folded his hands together. He shrugged. 'It's all up to you now, kid.'

Gideon got very quiet. He took in a deep breath, then hopped up to sit on the edge of the metal slab they called a ‘bed’ in here. He fiddled with the fringe of his blanket, chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought. Bill was surprisingly silent as he watched him struggle with this. Then, he hopped up next to him on the cot.

‘Listen to me, Gideon. You've always known you were different, right? I mean, hey. You were born a freak. I get it! I was born a freak in my world, too.' Gideon frowned, but Bill held one hand up to stop him from interrupting.

'I GET it. They only call us freaks 'cause they can't handle that we might be BETTER than them. It happened to me once- now it's happening to you too. They want you to roll over and conform, to bury your head in the sand and be ''normal''. Well, that ain't gonna happen!'

‘And it's because fate had something bigger in store for you. Why do you think you were born different? Why do you think you're so much smarter than everyone else here? Hell- why do you think YOU found that journal in the woods, and not one of the village idiots?'

'It wasn't dumb luck, Gideon. It was fate.' Bills voice grew... darker. More intense. It prickled at the fear response in Gideon's head, and yet... he found himself entranced, somewhat.

'I saw you had potential. I knew you were destined to do more than sell cars, grow old, and die. You could be so much more. So I kept my eye on you until I knew you were ready for it. Now's the time, Gideon. I see EVERYTHING.'

He looked up- Bill was hovering in front of him, now. His eye was glowing with a vision of the void. Within its depths, universes swirled. Galaxies shifted in their positions. And at its heart he could see one star, shining brighter than the rest.

‘And you can see, too. All you need to do is-

shake.

my.

hand.’

He extended his arm forwards, and it erupted in a familiar cold blue flame.

‘And I'll show you.’

…

Gideon swallowed hard. Nothing good would come of this. He was making a pact with a demon. One that had ended poorly, before- how badly would it end THIS time? What if Bill was lying? What if their plans were foiled before completion? What if, what if, what if, part of him repeated.

But the other part of him… the selfish, cold, cruel part of his heart burned brighter than ever. Ever since his amulet and his journal had been taken away and he had been thrown into this cell, he’d felt powerless. He had crawled his way up from being ostracised, weak, and alone to basking in fame and fortune. And then it had all been taken away.

No longer loved, and barely even feared. What did he have in here? A handful of schmucks who gave him their seconds in the mess hall? How long would it be then, until THEY tired of him, too? They’d cast him aside eventually. And then he would have nobody and nothing but a cold, dark cell and a life to regret.

He needed that power back. No- he needed more. He needed enough to wrestle the world back into his hands. To know that all he had to do was will it, and it would be crushed back into stardust.

His eyes were cold. He looked up.

‘It’s a deal.’

He took Bill's hand.

.

.

.

[wheelercore]

Theory with no coherent proof on my part: brenner only visibly ages rapidly when a portal is open.

[otome-dissection]

yakuza 0 majima they could never make me hate you

[kissingarthurclaus]

Ok I was watching Stardust Crusaders with my partner last night (who's an angel for watching with me 🥺) and I had genuinely forgotten that Polnareff was Dio's servant for an entire YEAR before being sent to kill the Joestars and co....gives me a lot to think about

[swordmaid]

for me… FOR ME..!!! and for shri’iia specifically the lock in for astarion’s romance is his graveyard scene in act 3.

i think it is too quick for shri’iia to be moving on to another relationship considering her previous one was with her mistress who essentially groomed and isolated her for like … more than hundred years. learning to chase her own desires and not moulding herself to what anyone wants her to be is something so new to her…!!! and something that she’s still learning how to be comfortable with….

and what I like abt romancing astarion with her is that I usually go for the dialogue path in his act 2 confession scene where you can ask him:

- what do YOU want to do?

and he goes like honestly idk what we’re doing but /this/ is nice. it just feels like two people exploring the option to love for the first time and taking things in their own pace rather than jumping straight into the relationship. they’re going at a snails pace… they don’t know what they’re doing but they like this feeling and the vibe and they want to more of it but they’re not ready to commit to anything yet and it’s fine for them …!! and they’re only committing by the end in the graveyard scene where significant time has passed and they’ve learnt a little more about themselves and they’re both more confident about their own desires and also how they want to be loved.

like it is so fitting I think… and sweet… not to mention astarion being a high elf & a vampire and shri’iia being a drow, they have all the time of the world for themselves so I def think they would want to take their time. except if shri’iia turns into a mindflayer or drider by the end then that plan is out the window lol

[skrunksthatwunk]

found out that rascal's owner took him again while i was out, and he's probably not gonna be back since the semester's almost over. i don't even know if his owner's coming back next semester, if i'll ever see him again. if he'll ever see me again. why do they wait until im not around to do this? why do they never let me say goodbye to him?

[godsfavoritescientist]

Tbh? I still feel so out of my depth whenever I try to write Bill. For whatever reason it doesn't come naturally to me like writing Ford does. Every time one of y'all has thoughts on Bill's characterization or writes something Bill-centric I'm mentally taking so many notes

[mxdotpng]

though i don't think it's right to say the party didn't like luke before he changed. there are a lot of times where its obvious they do have some sort of attachment to him even if its obscured by how annoyed and/or frustrated he makes them. like when luke went back to baticul for the first time and everyone was trying to cheer him up and go sightseeing together, or when they were worried about him during their trip to choral castle. they were rightfully biased, as they saw the forefront of his behavior, but if they hadn't liked him at all they wouldn't have agreed to travel with him again, nor would their feelings after akzeriuth be so personal.

[medicinemane]

Heard someone talking about some movie or show or something say it had "the villain from Breaking Bad"

And I'm just like... Walter White?

[kindacreepy-kindaugly]

.